Cooperstown Dreams Park

There has been much discussion recently about the possibility of our Warriors' team registering to play in Cooperstown (Dreams Park). As you might know, Cooperstown hosts 12U tournaments all summer and over 1,000 12U players participate in games at the site on any given day!

Ordinarily, teams reserve a spot at Cooperstown at least a year in advance. However, a recent cancellation has provided the Warriors an opportunity to play during the week of August 23rd.

To my surprise, there is a great deal of interest in this opportunity. In fact, we are very close to having the numbers to move forward on this. Since there is so much interest, I would like to hold a brief meeting with all of the parents (whether you are interested in the trip or not) immediately after Saturday morning's game in Hickory Hills.

This meeting will be approximately 10-15 minutes and will cover the following:

• Cost--base and optional costs


• Logistics--transportation, lodging, meals, umpiring, volunteers


• Security--supervision, chaperones


• School--excused absences, homework assignments


• Competition--the tournament itself and setting expectations


• Roster--# of players & coaches, playing time


• Other Q&A

I will present information regarding the above topics so that each family can make a more informed decision regarding whether Cooperstown makes sense for your situation. You will NOT be asked to commit to anything at this meeting. Rather, you will have an opportunity to think things over on your own (privately). I will then be available by cell phone throughout the day to answer any further questions that you might have. By late Saturday night/Sunday morning, we'll need a final decision on whether to proceed with this.

If you have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to call me at home (708-349-1467).

Warriors Go Undefeated in Pool Play

The Warriors went undefeated in pool play in the Hickory Hills tournament after beating Worth by a score of 9-1 in seven innings on Thursday evening. The Warriors now advance to the championship game on Saturday morning.

Grant Lewis was recognized as the game's MVP for pitching four scoreless innings and for his two hits--including a double off the centerfield fence. Ronny Drabeck homered to left and made some outstanding defensive plays at first base in this one. Mike Rafferty closed the game--allowing just one run to score in the top of the seventh inning. Several other Warriors contributed to the offensive production in the game.

You Make the Call (Part VI)

Q #6: With a count of 1 ball and 1 strike, the righthanded batter decides to hit from the left side. As the umpire, would you allow the batter to switch boxes with that count? Would you allow the batter to switch boxes if the count goes to 1 ball and 2 strikes?

A #6: The batter can switch boxes at any time, provided he does not do it after the pitcher is ready to pitch.

Rule: 6.06(b)

Photo Gallery

A "Photo Gallery" link has now been added to the right column of this website. All photos captured over the past two seasons of Warriors' baseball are now housed in one location for easy viewing. The following link will also take you to the same location:

http://warriorphoto.blogspot.com/

Warriors Prevail Over Archer Manor in Pitchers' Duel

The Warriors beat Archer Manor on Monday night in a pitchers' duel to win its second game in the Hickory Hills Tournament. This was a very well played game by both clubs.

Matthias Dietz pitched four innings and allowed just one hit as the Warriors' starting pitcher. Archer Manor recognized Matthias with the MVP award for his outstanding performance in this game. Mike Rafferty pitched the final three innings of the game. He retired Archer Manor's clean-up hitter with the tying run on second base to close the game!

Archer Manor's starting pitcher also threw a no-hitter through four innings of play. The Warriors scored first with a run in the sixth inning on a line drive off Ronny Drabeck's bat that bounced against the rightfield wall--scoring Grant Lewis who singled earlier in the inning.

The Warriors added two big insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning. Danny Poulos singled sharply to rightfield. With Danny Poulos on third base and Dan Victoria on first base, Archer Manor threw down to second on the steal attempt. The throw sailed into centerfield which allowed both Danny Poulos and Dan Victoria to score on the overthrow! The Warriors led 3-0 as the game moved into the bottom of the seventh inning.

Archer Manor scored a run and had two runners in scoring position before the game ended on a tapper back to pitcher Mike Rafferty by Archer Manor's clean-up hitter.

The Warriors are now 2-0 in the Hickory Hills Tournament and look forward to playing Worth on Thursday night in the final game of pool play.

Bat Bags & Other (Sponsors)

The Warriors would like to thank Mr. Joe Lionardo for purchasing an additional piece of team equipment for each of the players.

The players were presented with a choice of gear: sweatshirts, wind jackets, equipment bags, hats, etc. The players voted for equipment bags. Each player (including our 11 year olds) has received a red equipment bag (with black trim) with his name, uniform number and the Warriors' logo on it as a result of this generous contribution.

Joe made this contribution courtesy of Coach Matt Rafferty. The Warriors would like to thank Matt Rafferty for securing this sponsorship, identifying a vendor and coordinating the equipment order. It is Matt's efforts that made this possible.

Earlier in the season, Coach Rich Tannebaum and Ron Drabeck each made generous contributions to the team in the name of their businesses. As a result of their generosity, the Warriors were able to expand its schedule and play (fund) several additional games in the Chicagoland Metro League.

Please take the time to thank Matt, Rich and Ron for making financial contributions to the team above and beyond the registration fees. Thanks to Kim Lewis and Carrie Rafferty for volunteering to capture and frame a team photo as a token of our team's appreciation to Joe Lionardo.

Jackie Robinson

During a recent practice, we covered the importance of staying alert on the baseball field and always striving to win (or do your best). With rare exceptions (e.g., hit batsman, foul ball, time out, etc.) the ball is live and players must be aware of what is happening on the field.

Jackie Robinson was one of the players in baseball history who accomplished some incredible baserunning feats. In 1954, after reaching base, he stole second base, then third base and finally home plate on three consecutive pitches!

His first steal of home came during his rookie year after he reached base when he was intentionally hit by a pitch by a Pirates' pitcher. He made another "statement" by scoring all the way from first on a sacrifice fly.

Many people (including me) believe that the straight steal of home plate is the most exciting play in all of sports. Jackie accomplished this feat 19 times in his career. To help our players appreciate how difficult this is, we positioned them on a third base bag that was 90 feet from home plate. Amazingly, Ty Cobb is the all-time leader with 50 steals of home plate during his career--a record that will probably never be broken!

Jackie Robinson was respected for being one of the greatest competitors to ever play the game. Duke Snider commented that "He was the greatest competitor I've ever seen. I've seen him beat a team with his bat, his glove, his feet..."

Of course, Jackie Robinson is best known for breaking the color barrier in Major League baseball in 1947. His uniform #42 was retired by every team in Major League baseball.

Warriors Score 20 Runs to Beat Oak Lawn!

The Warriors opened its first tournament in impressive fashion--scoring 20 runs in five innings to beat Oak Lawn by the slaughter rule on Saturday morning.

Matthias Dietz pitched three strong innings for the Warriors. He allowed just two runs to score in the top of the third on a pop up that fell between three Warriors in short rightfield. His pitch count mounted quickly in the third inning. He was done for the afternoon after the third inning with 90 pitches thrown for the game.

The Warriors held a 10-2 lead as the game moved into the top of the fourth inning. Ryan Novak pitched in relief for the Warriors. He threw a good percentage of strikes, but the infield defense broke down behind him. Eventually, Oak Lawn chipped away with five runs to come within three runs of tying the game (10-7). The Warriors then went to Mike Rafferty for a different look from the mound.

Nearly every player contributed to the team's offensive explosion. Mike Rafferty led the team with 8 RBI. His first 3 RBI resulted from his towering 2 out, 2 strike homerun over the leftfield wall. He later doubled in 3 runs and singled in a couple of more! Mike entered the game in relief and pitched the last two innings to close the game. Oak Lawn recognized Mike with the MVP medallion for this game.

The Warriors' baserunning was exceptional. The runners put a lot of pressure on the Oak Lawn defense.

The Warriors look forward to Monday night's game against Archer Manor.

Angels Win Bronco League Championship

The Angels beat the Brewers in five innings at Centennial Park on Thursday night to win the OYA Bronco League championship. The Angels have four Warriors on its roster--more than any other team in the league: Ronny Drabeck, Shawn McHale, Grant Lewis and Dan Victoria. Congratulations to the Angels on an outstanding season!

The lighting was a challenge. But, I tried to capture a few photos through the backstop during the game. Click on the photo to enlarge:

Grant Lewis threw four innings for the Angels and was the game's winning pitcher...
Ronny Drabeck hit a grand slam to ice the game...
Dan Victoria pitched the fifth, and final, inning of the season for the Angels...

Team Website Records 11,000th Visit!

The Warriors team website is an increasingly popular place. This morning, the site recorded its 11,000th hit. The site had its 10,000th visit on June 1st and has had 1,000 more hits in just the last three weeks. I'm glad that people are finding it worthwhile to visit the website--and it has certainly saved me a lot of phone calls!

The current total number of hits can be found by looking at the counter located at the bottom of the blog.

Pitcher Kevin Johnson to Visit Warriors' Camp

I'm pleased that Kevin Johnson, a pitching prospect from Mt. Carmel High School, will be joining our practice on July 2nd to work with the Warriors' pitchers. CLICK HERE to view the Sun-Times article (April 1, 2008) to learn more about Kevin.

The Warriors are fortunate to be able to learn more about baseball from guests such as Coach Doug Pringle and Kevin Johnson.

Our 11 year old players are welcome to attend this July 2nd session.

Good Luck to Our 11 Year Olds!

Back when this year's Chicagoland Metro League Warriors team was created, it was determined that our 11 year old players would play for our team until the 11U team was formed. Mike Hinde and Dan Victoria will now move over to lead the 11U Warriors team into the July tournament season.

Both Mike and Dan worked hard through all of our team's workouts and practices. They both have an obvious love of the game and their enthusiasm helped make the Sunday League experience more enjoyable for us all.

Mike and Dan will continue to be welcome at any team events (e.g., hitting and pitching clinics, photos, pizza party, etc.)--and they may be called upon to help the team as alternates when needed during July tournament games.

We wish both of them success with their new team.

Hitting Instruction on Tuesday Night!

The Warriors are pleased to have Coach Doug Pringle join its practice on Tuesday night. Coach Pringle will provide invaluable hitting instruction to our team throughout this practice. All Warriors, including our 11 year old players, are welcome to participate in this session. This session will be held from 5:30 pm until about 7:30 pm at Humphrey #2 on Tuesday, June 24th.

I was fortunate enough to coach a team a few years back with Coach Pringle. Having attended countless hitting clinics and individual Swingtown lessons, I have yet to see a more effective batting instructor than Coach Pringle.
Not only has Coach Pringle studied hitting for many years, but he is a fine hitter himself. He played through college and was offered a professional baseball contract. He points out that hitting a baseball is the toughest thing to do in all of sports. He also values practice and hard work--and mentions that he took no less than 500 swings nearly every day over a six year period.

Doug will discuss his hitting philosophy in general with the whole team before breaking out and working with individual players during the remainder of the session.

Warriors Slaughter Flossmoor 16-4

The Warriors played a nearly perfect game to beat Flossmoor by a score of 16-4 at Centennial #7 on Sunday afternoon.

Pitchers Grant Lewis, Mike Rafferty and Jack Lebert were ineligible to throw on Sunday due to limitations in innings with the OYA playoffs taking place the day before. Two other experienced Warriors' pitchers, Matt Dahlgren and Matt Taylor, will not be participating in the July Travel team portion of this season.

But, Matthias Dietz got things off to a good start with three strong innings as the Warriors' starting pitcher. Dan Victoria then held Flossmoor scoreless in the fourth inning on just five pitches. And, Sam Marc earned a save with three innings of work in this one.

The defense was strong and featured Ryan Novak--who made several assists from the shortstop position. Sam Marc also turned a double play from shortstop on a line drive.

The offense put the game out of reach early. Most of the hitters were making solid contact, but Mike Rafferty hit the ball especially hard this afternoon. Mike hit a foul ball so far down the leftfield line that the ball was lost in the woods near the lake. He followed that up with a double that hit the leftfield fence on a fly.

The Warriors will battle Hickory Hills in an added Sunday Metro League game on Thursday night at Doogan Field.

A Most Unusual At Bat

The complexity of applying baseball rules never ceases to amaze me. CLICK HERE to view one of the more unusual plate appearances I've ever seen. This took place the other night in a Class A baseball game.

Rising Moon

While coaching my Royals (OYA Pony League) team in the opening round of the playoffs, I couldn't help but notice the Moon rising over the centerfield fence at Centennial #5.

The next night I located an open field at the corner of Harlem Avenue and Sauk Trail in hopes of capturing a photo of the Moon rising over the horizon. Not realizing that the Moon rises over 30 minutes later each evening, I miscalculated the timing and had to try to get the photo while dealing with a much darker foreground than the way the scene looked during that playoff game!

In any event, the above photo was the result (click on photo for a much larger image).

Hickory Hills Tournament

The Warriors opened up with a 20-7 victory over Oak Lawn on Saturday, June 28th.

The second game is scheduled for 5:45 pm on Monday, June 30th against Archer Manor with the final pool play game on Thursday, July 3rd at 5:45 pm versus Worth. Other teams participating in this tournament include Midway and Hickory Hills.

The teams with the best records will advance to the tournament playoffs on July 4th (10:30 am) and July 5th (10:30 am or 2:00 pm). The field is located at 9900 S. 76th Ave. in Bridgeview.

I'll post further details as they become available.

You can learn more about the Hickory Hills tournament by viewing "Tournament Information" on the Hickory Hills baseball website.

Warriors Finalize Tournament Roster

The Warriors finalized its roster for the July tournament season. The roster includes 8 full-time, 4 part-time and 2 alternate players. CLICK HERE for the roster by status designation.

Recent roster moves include the following:

• As originally planned, Dan Victoria and Mike Hinde will move over to OYA's 11 year old July travel team effective Monday morning.
• Jayson Lenzen has rejoined the Warriors after sitting out the Chicagoland Metro League portion of the schedule. Jayson made significant contributions to last season's team--both as a catcher/corner infielder and as a hitter. Jayson replaced Matt Taylor who only participated in the Sunday Metro League portion of the season.
• Shawn McHale has assumed an alternate roster spot to replace Matt Dahlgren. Matt recently joined the Orland Park Magic--a full-time travel team.
• Robbie Maxfield injured his knee and will be inactive through the Hickory Hills tournament. Hopefully, he'll recover in time to play in the Oak Lawn tournament.

Our team's roster is at the minimum allowable size for a tournament or two, so all players must be committed to attend all scheduled events from now through July--unless otherwise agreed upon through alternate and part-time status designations.

Please do not hesitate to contact me at 708-349-1467 with any questions or comments.

Tournament Season Information

The registration fee for our July Travel team is $75 per player. All players, with the exception of our alternate players, should submit a $75 check by next weekend. Please make checks payable to "Orland Youth Association."

The team has three alternate players at this time: Dennis Bresingham, Shawn McHale and Jayson Lenzen. Alternate players are not guaranteed to play in tournament games. Accordingly, these players will be charged a lower fee.

Based upon my current understanding of everyone's availability, the team will move into the July tournaments with the following roster sizes:

Hickory Hills- 12 plus 2 alternates
Oak Lawn- 12 plus 2 alternates
Lockport- 10 plus no alternates
Orland Park- 11 plus 1 alternate

Most tournament have a minimum number of players required in order for a team to participate. I have a call into the Lockport tournament to determine if 10 players will be acceptable. If not, we might need to add another player (or two) just for that Saturday and Sunday!

Adding more players helps protect the team against not having enough players on the roster for a particular game. However, a larger roster limits playing time and forces us to deactivate more players more often. We would rather enter tournaments with fewer players--provided that we can get a solid commitment from all of our players regarding their availability (particularly for Lockport). I will need a firm commitment of each player's available dates for the upcoming tournaments by next weekend.

Please call me at 708-846-1466 (cell) with any questions or comments.

Warriors Travel to Elmwood Park on Sunday

The Warriors will travel to Elmwood Park on Sunday, June 15th for a 10:30 am game. This field is located at the Elmwood Park High School, 8201 West Fullerton Avenue in Elmwood Park.

I plan on taking LaGrange Road north to I-55. Go North on I-55 and exit at First Avenue. Go just under 10 miles north on First Avenue to Fullerton. Make a right on Fullerton Avenue and the High School is located just a couple of blocks away. I'll keep my cell phone with me that morning, so please call 708-846-1466 if you have trouble finding the park.

The deactivated players for Sunday's game include Mike Hinde, Matt Taylor and Matt Dahlgren.

Photo Sessions Rescheduled

The photo sessions originally scheduled for Wednesday, June 18th have been rescheduled for Tuesday, July 8th. This revision was necessary due to several scheduling conflicts with the Bronco League's playoffs.

I will send an email out in early July with the time slot for those players who expressed interest in this. The sessions will begin at about 3:30 pm and end at about 6:00 pm. Each player will be assigned a 10 or 15 minute slot.

The Ballplayer

I experimented with a few new techniques while capturing some photos of my nephew last night. I took some black & white photos and some color photos. But, for the photo below I blended a B&W and color photo to deaden the colors enough in an attempt to give the image a timeless look. Those of you who are scheduled for the photo session will have the option of color, black & white or this blended look for your photo.

Click on the photo to view a much larger version.

Team Website Records 10,000th Visit!

Apparently, the Warriors team website has been a popular place. Earlier this evening, the site recorded its 10,000th hit! This same platform was used for last year's July travel team and the number of visits is the cumulative total over the past two seasons. The current total number of hits can be found by looking at the counter located at the bottom of the blog.

Wilmington Scores 18 to Beat Warriors

A hard-hitting Wilmington team scored 11 runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to secure an 18-5 win over the Warriors on Sunday afternoon.

On a positive note for the Warriors, Grant Lewis homered in the top of the first inning--his second homer of the season. Sam Marc had two hits down the leftfield line. And, Dan Victoria made a nice running catch in centerfield to end the second inning with two runners left in scoring position.

The team's Chicagoland Metro League record moves to 7 wins, 1 loss and 1 tie. The Warriors hope to bounce back next Sunday in its game against St. John, Indiana. At least two of the Warriors' next opponents have strong records in Metro League play--St. John and Floosmoor. Floosmoor advanced to the Final Four in the Memorial Weekend tournament.

The Warriors plan to announce its July travel team roster sometime this upcoming week--along with the deactivated player list for this weekend's game.

Coach Doug Pringle

The Warriors would like to thank hitting coach Doug Pringle for volunteering his time to work with some of our hitters. So far, Doug has worked with Mike Hinde, Dan Victoria, Ryan Tannebaum and Dennis Bresingham.

I was fortunate enough to coach a team a few years back with Coach Pringle. Having attended countless hitting clinics and individual Swingtown lessons, I have yet to see a more effective batting instructor than Coach Pringle.

Not only has Coach Pringle studied hitting for many years, but he is a fine hitter himself. He played through college and was offered a professional baseball contract. He points out that hitting a baseball is the toughest thing to do in all of sports. He also values practice and hard work--and mentions that he took no less than 500 swings nearly every day over a six year period.

Just like last season, Coach Pringle will also be participating in one of the team's upcoming practices. So, every one of our players will have the opportunity to learn more about hitting. I will post more information about this session once we are able to secure field time for the practice.

Following is a photo of Coach Pringle working with my nephew at a hitting station in the basement of his Orland Park home...

Warriors Travel to Wilmington on Sunday

The Warriors will travel to Wilmington on Sunday, June 1st for a 4:00 pm game. Wilimington is our most distant road site during the Chicagoland Metro League season. Players should arrive at the field by 3:15 pm. If anyone needs a ride, please let me know.

To get to Wilmington's field, take I-80 west to Chicago Street/Route 53 (Exit 52). You will go south on Route 53 for about 16 miles. Remain on Route 53 and proceed through Route 102 and over a segment of the Kankakee River. Make a left at Park Street (there is a Mama's Pizza sign at the intersection). The park will be straight ahead on Park Street. Following is a Google Map of the location (approximately 147 North Park Steet, Wilmington, IL):


View Larger Map

The deactivated players include Danny Poulos, Robbie Maxfield and Dennis Bresingham.

Warriors Win Slugfest Over Midlothian

The Warriors improved its Sunday Metro League record to 6-0-1 after holding on to beat Midlothian by a score of 16-11 on Saturday night. The Warriors threw four pitchers in the contest--Matthias Dietz, Ryan Novak, Matt Taylor and Grant Lewis. Matthias Dietz was credited with the win and Grant Lewis with the save in this one.

Ronny Drabeck smashed a line drive over the leftfield fence for the Warriors' second homerun of the season. He also made the final putout of the ballgame on a hard hit grounder to first base. Also, Dan Victoria, one of the Warriors' 11 year old players, banged out three hits in the game.

The Warriors will play at Wilmington on Sunday. Wilmington is the most distant road game site of the Chicagoland Metro League season.

Player Photo Session

As you know, the Warriors were not included when OYA had its photo day. I would like to offer an opportunity for each of our players to have his photo captured as a Warriors' player.

For any player who is interested, I plan to shoot some photos using two off-camera flashes and a backdrop. This is a similar set-up I used a month ago for some "corporate headshots." The photos (and lighting) end up looking something like this:

For any player who is interested, you will be assigned a 5 to 10 minute time slot (somewhere between 3:00 and 6:00 pm) on Wednesday, June 18th. Kim and Dave Lewis have offered to let us use their house for this session. Directions and time slots will be communicated in a couple of weeks. We are scheduling players individually so that the whole team doesn't have to stand around waiting too long. We may then schedule a team photo at a later date--probably right before/after a game.

There will be no cost for this. Once the photos are captured, I will offer a digital file to you for free. Also, if you wish to order an 8x10 print, I will offer that to you at cost---$5 per 8x10 print to cover the cost of high quality photo paper and ink. Everything about the process is optional--from the sitting to the orders.

We need to get an idea as to the level of interest in a photo session. Please send me an email at gnagel60@comcast.net if you would like to participate in this. In the email, provide your preferred time (within a 15 minute window) between 3 and 6 pm. Please do not hesitate to call me at 708-349-1467 with any questions or comments.

Thanks,

Glenn Nagel

You Make the Call (Part V)

Q #5: The batter taps a pitch and the baseball lands (and remains) directly on home plate. Is this a fair or a foul ball?
A #5: Home plate is postioned in fair territory. Home plate is shaped so that if fits precisely into the corner of the field where the two foul line meet. So, any ball that remains on the plate is a FAIR ball.

Memorial Weekend Tournament Update

Seventeen 12U Chicagoland Metro League teams participated in the Memorial Weekend Tournament. Four of those teams faced off at the Midlothian site--from which Jackie Robinson West (JRW) emerged as winner from our pool with three consecutive wins.

JRW advanced to play in the semi-finals in Palos on Monday. JRW defeated Troy by a score of 7-3 to move onto the championship game. River Forest won the tournament championship by defeating JRW by a score of 9-6 in the championship game. JRW had the bases loaded with just one out in the final inning, but failed to score.

The Warriors know what it feels like to leave runners on base. The Warriors left 13 runners stranded in its opening game loss to JRW in the tournament.

July Travel Team - Roster

As you are probably aware, the Chicagoland Metro League will conclude its season on June 22nd. After that, the team will transition into a July travel team--which will include four weekend tournaments as well as some additional weekday games.

We have now checked with all of our players regarding their commitment to continue playing through the July tournament season. Based upon this information, our July travel team's roster now stands at 13 players. Of these 13 players, 9 are committed to full-time participation, 3 will be missing at least one or two tournaments (Matthias Dietz, Ryan Tannebaum and Ronny Drabeck), and 1 player is an alternate.

Unfortunately, there is one tournament (Lockport) in which three players will miss games. That brings the roster size down to just 10 players--including the alternate for that tournament. As 10 is the minimum to avoid a forfeit in most tournaments, it will be necessary for us to add at least one more player to the roster to protect the team against a possible forfeit situation in Lockport.

We considered holding an open tryout for any open roster spots. After further consideration, we decided it didn't make sense to raise the hopes of the anticipated 20-25 players who would be trying out for just one spot--which might only participate in a handful of games! So, this spot will ultimately be filled by manager invitation.

We will announce the player who will be added to the Warriors within the next week or two. We've offered a player the opportunity to play for the Warriors and we should hear back soon as to whether he will commit.

Please note that we've kept our roster at a very low number so that players can experience increased playing time and so that we won't have to deactivate players. However, this whole approach is based upon the assumption that all players will honor their commitment to play in all four tournaments.

Please do not hesitate to call me (708-349-1467) with any questions or comments.

Glenn Nagel

Photos From May 25th Midlothian Game

The following photos from the May 25th game against Midlothian were submitted by Kim Lewis:

Mike Rafferty pitched four strong innings as the Warriors' starting pitcher. Later in the game, Mike lined the game winning hit into leftfield...Jack Lebert had two more base hits in this game. His on-base percentage improved to a team leading .538...
Grant Lewis made history with the Warriors' first homerun in two years of play. His towering shot over the leftfield wall tied the game at four... The Warriors celebrated Grant's game-tying homerun...
Patrick Rafferty can always be found hanging out at the baseball park--or in the Warriors' dugout...
Sam Marc made a big defensive play from third base on a foul pop up down the leftfield line in the middle innings...
Ryan Novak threw an effective fifth inning before Grant Lewis entered the game in relief in the sixth...
Dan Victoria came through with a key defensive play on this sinking line drive in rightfield to keep the Warriors within striking distance in this game...
Grant Lewis struck out five Midlothian hitters in the sixth and seventh innings and did not allow a run to score...

Ryan Tannebaum's speed and good instincts allows him to cover a lot of ground on fly balls...
Danny Poulos came up with a crucial base hit to centerfield to score the Warriors' fifth run of the contest in the bottom of the sixth inning...
The Warriors celebrate a dramatic victory after Mike Rafferty singled to drive the game winning runs home in the bottom of the seventh inning...
The Warriors won its sixth game of the 2008 season, surpassing its win total for 2007. The Warriors were the home team at this tournament site...

Warriors Rally Late to Beat Midlothian

The Warriors rallied in the last two innings to salvage the final game of the Memorial Weekend tournament on Sunday in Midlothian. While trailing 4-2, Grant Lewis hit a towering home run over the leftfield fence to tie the ballgame. Midlothian then scored three runs to take a 7-4 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning. Danny Poulos singled to centerfield to make the score 7-5 before the game proceeded into the final inning of play.

Grant Lewis kept the Warriors in the game by retiring the last six Midlothian hitters and holding the opponent scoreless after entering the game in the sixth inning. The Warriors closed to within one run (7-6) when Mike Rafferty came to the plate with one out and runners on second and third base. Mike lined a base hit into leftfield to score both runs and to cap off a late inning come from behind victory over Midlothian on its home field.

This was the Warriors second victory over Midlothian. Coincidentally, the two teams will match up once again this Saturday in Midlothian!

Roster for July Tournament Play

The Warriors currently have 15 players on the roster. We are anticipating that two of our 11 year old players, Dan Victoria and Mike Hinde, will be moving over to lead the 11U Warrior team. This transition will occur after the Chicagoland Sunday Metro League schedule is completed (June 22nd).

The 12U Warriors team will then move on to play the Hickory Hills, Oak Lawn, Lockport and Orland Park tournaments. We will need to make a decision soon as to whether we need to add or replace any players on our roster.

Of our 13 remaining players, we already have 2 part-time players and 1 alternate. Unfortunately, both part-time players (Matthias Dietz and Ryan Tannebaum) will be missing the same two tournaments (Lockport and Orland Park)--so we are down to just 10 full-time players (and 1 alternate) for those tournaments.

We need confirmation from our 10 full-time players that you are still interested in participating in all four tournaments. If any players elect not to continue playing through July, we may need add a player or two to replace those players on our roster in the next week or so.

The cost to play through the July tournament season is $75 this year. That's down from $175 last year--mostly due to our players having already paid for their uniforms.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or comments.

Glenn Nagel

Warriors Lose Two on Saturday

The Warriors lost both games on Saturday in the Memorial Weekend tournament in Midlothian.

In the first game, Jackie Robinson West pounded out 15 hits (including 3 home runs) and topped the Warriors by a score of 17-3. The Warriors managed just two hits in the game--a triple to rightfield by Matthias Dietz and a base hit to centerfield by Grant Lewis.

However, the Warriors drew 14 walks. Two other batters reached base on infield errors and another reached safely on a dropped third strike. But, the Warriors left 13 runners on base in the contest!

In the second game, South Cicero defeated the Warriors by a score of 7-4. The Warriors played a much better game in the afternoon, but critical baserunning blunders took the team out of some big innings early in the game. In the second inning, the Warriors loaded the bases with no outs and failed to score after the runner from third base was retired (due to not tagging up on time) attempting to score on a fly out to rightfield. In the third inning, the Warriors once again failed to score from third base on a fly ball to rightfield due to not tagging up. In the same inning, a Warrior runner was tagged out as he stepped off second base after hitting a double! These crucial baserunning mistakes kept South Cicero in the game long enough for it to come back from a 4-1 deficit as the game moved into the fourth inning.

The Warriors will play Midlothian on Sunday morning at 11:15 am to conclude its participation in the Memorial Weekend Tournament.

Tournament Info - Memorial Weekend

The Warriors will play in its first tournament of the 2008 season over the Memorial Day weekend! Following are some of the details:

There will be seventeen 12U travel teams participating in this tournament. The teams will play in one of four "pool play" locations: Palos, Midlothian, Troy and Flossmoor. The Warriors will play within the Midlothian pool.

After the Sunday games are completed, only one team (the winner) will emerge from each pool location. The other teams will go home. The winner of the Midlothian pool of four teams will advance to the Final Four and Championship games on Monday, May 26th.

The Warriors will open the tournament against Jackie Robinson West on Saturday, May 24th. The game will be played at the Midlothian fields at 9:00 am. Players should arrive at 8:15 am for pregame warm-ups.

The team will play again later that day. The Warriors will battle South Cicero at 1:30 pm on Saturday, May 24th at the Midlothian fields.

Then, the Warriors will face Midlothian on Sunday, May 25th at 11:15 am at the Midlothian fields.

The Midlothian fields are located just east of Pulaski Avenue on 145th Street. There are several fast food restaurants within easy walking distance of the Midlothian fields, so players/families might want to meet at one of these locations for lunch between the games. This is optional.

Bats are limited to 2 5/8" barrels for this tournament.

The Warriors will be announcing the deactivated players for all of these games in the next few days. For Saturday's games, the deactivated players include Robbie Maxfield, Matt Taylor and Dennis Bresingham. For Sunday's game, the deactivated players will include Matt Taylor and Dennis Bresingham--with the remaining player to be announced later. Please note that the deactivated player list is subject to change during the week as scheduling conflicts tend to arise as the week progresses.

You Make the Call (Part IV)

Q #4: The pitcher throws a pitch which bounces well in front of the plate. The batter swings and drives the pitch off the bounce into leftfield. He runs and holds at first base. Do you let the batter/runner remain on first base, call the pitch a ball, call the pitch a strike, or call the batter out?
A #4: The batter remains on first base. A pitch is a baseball that is delivered to the batter by the pitcher. It doesn't matter how it gets to the batter. The batter may hit any pitch that is thrown. A pitch that bounces before reaching the plane may never be a called strike or a legally caught third strike, though.

Covering First Base

During the last 15 minutes of this afternoon's practice, we ran through a drill in which the pitcher covers first base on a ball hit to the right side of the infield. The key things to remember about this drill are:

1. A pitcher should move quickly towards first base on any ball hit to the right side. He should not wait to see if his coverage is needed as it will be too late at that point. Pitchers should automatically move towards first on any hit to the right side--including singles to rightfield.
2. The pitcher will take a path to the base in which he reaches the first base line about 10 or 15 feet in front of the bag. That way, he can run up the line on the inside (fair side) of the base while facing the fielder who is throwing the ball to him. The pitcher should not cross over the foul line as a collision might result along with a possible obstruction call on the pitcher.
3. The fielder should toss the ball in front of the pitcher so that the throw leads the pitcher (just like a quarterback throwing to a receiver). The pitcher should catch the ball a few strides before hitting the base so that he can look for the ball, secure it, and then look for the base.

While attending the Tampa Bay Rays Spring Training camp earlier this year, I watched the professional players execute the same drill over and over again. I captured this photo which shows the pitcher moving up the line. Also, note the position of the baseball (click on the photo to enlarge it). The pitcher will catch the ball--then take two or three steps to the base--and never cross into foul territory.

Finally, for those of you who are interested, CLICK HERE to watch a brief video which demonstrates the proper path to the bag.

Looking for Volunteers

UPDATE: We now plan to hold off on coordinating a food/beverage activity until one of the later tournaments in July. The Midlothian site has very little space for any outdoor activities and there are several fast food restaurants located within easy walking distance of the field. Any player/family can meet at one of these locations for lunch between games on Saturday if they wish.

The Warriors are looking for volunteers to help with this Saturday's tournament event. The team has both a morning and afternoon game that day in Midlothian and, if possible, we would like to have food and beverages at the field for the team between games.

Hopefully, we can get a volunteer or two to help with the following:

• Coordinate a food order (maybe pizza, chicken or sandwiches)
• Pack a cooler of beverages
• Collect contributions for players/parents interested in participating (the cost should be minimal)

If you are interested in helping with this, please contact me by email (gnagel60@comcast.net) or by phone (708-846-1466 cell).

As the season progresses, we will be looking for volunteers for a few more activities. During tournament season, we will ask a player to bring beverages (fill a cooler) to the game for the team. Since we play about 15 tournament games in July, this responsibility can rotate throughout the entire team.

Also, the Warriors will be hosting the Orland Park tournament in late July for the 12U brackets. We will be looking for some volunteers to help coordinate the tournament activities: distributing game balls, collecting scores, updating the brackets, announcing games, etc.

Warriors & Oak Forest Rained Out

With the Warriors leading Oak Forest by a score of 4-3 with two out in the top of the third inning, the game was called due to rain. Bronco level games are not official unless the team that's losing the game completes its bats through the fifth inning. Therefore, this game goes down as a "no decision."

However, the individual player statistics will be updated to reflect the results during tonight's game.

You Make the Call (Part III)

This is the third question in a series of baseball rule questions that will be posted on this website:

Q #3: The runner on first base is stealing on the pitch. The batter foul tips the pitch (directly into the catcher's glove) to make the count 1-1. Does the runner have to return to first or can he remain on second with a stolen base?

A #3: The runner remains on second base. There is nothing foul about a foul-tip. If the ball nicks the bat and goes sharp and direct to the catcher's hand or glove and is caught, this is a foul-tip by definition. A foul-tip is a strike and the ball is alive. It is the same as a swing-and-miss. If the ball is not caught, it is a foul ball. If the nicked pitch first hits the catcher somewhere other than the hand or glove, it is not a foul-tip, it is a foul ball.

The next baseball rule question will be posted in a few days...

More Girls Softball Photos

I captured a few more images of my niece's softball team last night. Click within any photo to see a much larger version...

You Make the Call (Part II)

This is the second question in a series of baseball rule questions that will be posted on this website:

Q #2: A batter hits a ground ball to the shortstop. He beats the throw to first base. After running through the base, the runner veers to his left--rather than running straight down the foul line or moving to the right of the foul line. Seeing that, the first baseman immediately applies the tag on the batter-runner. You are the base umpire. Do you call the batter out?

A #2: The batter-runner may turn left or right, provided that if he turns left he does not make an attempt to advance. An attempt is a judgment made by the umpire. The requirement is that the runner must immediately return to first after overrunning or oversliding it. Rule: 7.08(c and j)

With that being said, we teach our runners to turn right after overrunning first base to remove all doubt about whether the runner made an attempt to advance or not.

Today's Game is Cancelled

The Warriors game against Midlothian scheduled for Sunday, May 11th has been cancelled due to the weather. Fortunately, we were able to reschedule this game for Saturday, May 31st at 6:00 pm in Midlothian.

Happy Mothers Day to all of the Warriors' Mothers!

Photos from the Mets Game

The following photos from the game against the A.F.C.A. Mets are courtesy of Kim Lewis:

Matthias Dietz threw three scoreless innings for the Warriors and held a one run lead into the fourth inning...Robbie Maxfield led off the game with a line drive single into left field and scored the first (and winning) run of the contest... Dennis Bresingham singled to leftfield in the fourth --contributing to a seven run inning for the Warriors which blew the game wide open...
Sam Marc pitched the middle innings--and came up with a big strikeout to end the fifth inning with the bases loaded...
Dan Victoria closed the game for the Warriors--pitching the sixth and seventh innings...
The Warriors gathered after the game and Matthias Dietz was recognized with a game ball for his outstanding performance in this victory...

The Warriors Battle Midlothian on Sunday

This game has been cancelled (and rescheduled) due to the weather.

Weather permitting, the Warriors will play on Sunday, May 11th at 1:00 pm at Midlothian. The field (#3) is located on 145th Street, just east of Pulaski Avenue. Players should report to the park by 12:15 pm.

Warriors Top Mets 12-7

The Warriors beat the A.F.C.A. Mets by a score of 12-7 on Saturday night at Centennial #7. The team remains undefeated in Chicagoland Metro League play after six games.

Matthias Dietz was awarded the game ball for his performance in this game. In the early going, it was a pitchers' duel--and Matthias did not allow any runs to score and held a one run lead through three innings. Then, in the bottom of the third inning, he drove the ball to the rightfield wall--driving in two runs with two strikes after two outs! Shortly thereafter, the Warriors blew the game wide open with a seven run fourth inning.

Matthias has been one of the team's leaders over the past two seasons. He has ben a major contributor to the success of the Warriors so far in the 2008 season.

Baseball is a Game...

We try to keep our team's three goals top of mind. Our players have done an great job so far in all three areas. Although I rank "learning more about baseball" and "developing a positive attitude (through respect for the game, teammates, opponents, etc.)" high on this list, it's important not to forget the third goal: HAVE FUN!

I attended my niece's OYA girls' softball game last night. It was obvious that the girls were enjoying the game. I took a few photos that hopefully capture the atmosphere. The last image shows that the girls also understand how to get into a solid baseball ready position. Click on any image to enlarge:

Photos from Park Forest

The following photographs from the Park Forest game are courtesy of Kim Lewis:

The Warriors get ready to take the field in its third road game of the 2008 season...Matt Dahlgren helped get the game off to a good start by fielding a fly ball in centerfield to retire the first batter of the ballgame. Matt is a sure-handed outfielder with good speed and instincts for the game.
The Warriors' only lefthander, Matt Dahlgren, pitched the fifth inning of the Park Forest game...
Matthias Dietz scored three of the Warriors' nine runs in the game. Matthias now leads the squad with ten runs scored in the season. He also pitched two innings of scoreless baseball to get the Warriors off to a great start in this game...
Aggressive baserunning was a big factor in the Warriors' 9-5 win over Park Forest. Ryan Novak successfully stole second base in this photo. Ryan had two more hits in this game and is now hitting .375 for the season...
Sam Marc also had two hits in the contest and is now tied for the team lead with a .500 batting average. Sam ranks second on the team with an impressive .625 on-base percentage after 16 plate appearances... Grant Lewis was called out on this controversial play at first base, but he drove in the winning run on the play. This was Grant's 7th RBI of the season, which is tied for the team lead with Mike Rafferty...
Dan Victoria takes a lead off after reaching base on a single in the middle innings of this one. Dan is one of only three 11 year old players on the Warriors and has elevated his on-base percentage to .333 for the season. The Warriors expect big things out of this young talent as the season progresses...
Jack Lebert continues to run the bases aggressively for the Warriors and has an impressive .500 on-base percentage for the season. He is one of the team's most solid players fundamentally in all aspects of the game...
Mike Rafferty was dominant as a closer for the Warriors. He entered the game in the bottom of the sixth inning with a two run lead. Mike pitched two innings of scoreless baseball and struck out six batters to record his first save of the season. He struck out two of Park Forest's best hitters on wicked change-ups that were practically unhittable...

Warriors Win 9-5 Over Park Forest

The Warriors beat Park Forest by a score of 9-5 in seven innings on Saturday morning.

Matthias Dietz held Park Forest scoreless in the first two innings, allowing just one hit and striking out eight hitters! Matthias also contributed offensively--scoring three of the Warriors' nine runs in the contest.

Ryan Novak and Sam Marc also helped ignite the offense. Ryan and Sam each had two hits in the game! Each player also doubled sharply down the leftfield line during the middle innings of the game.

Mike Rafferty was awarded a game ball for his pitching performance to close this one. He entered the game in the sixth inning with a two run lead. Mike completed the final two innings without allowing a run. He also struck out six hitters--two on nearly unhittable change-ups! Mike also drove in a key run with his fourth inning base hit to centerfield.

The Warriors remain undefeated in the Chicagoland Metro League after five games of play.

The Orland Park Prairie

The Warriors were the subject of an article in this morning's issue of The Orland Park Praire. CLICK HERE to access the story. Thanks to Ann Bresingham for submitting the story.