"Stay in the Game" Clinic

The University of Chicago Physicians is hosting a free "Stay in the Game" clinic led by Tony Garofola, former head Athletic Trainer for the Chicago Cubs. The session will provide information regarding how to prevent shoulder and elbow injuiries.

The event will be held on March 2nd in Tinley Park. Click here for more information.

How Baseballs Are Made

CLICK HERE to view an interesting video which shows how baseballs are manufactured.

Warriors Take a Break...and Other Ramblings

Not too long ago, baseball began in the Spring. As a kid, I always looked forward to hearing the crack of the bat as it was a sure sign that Spring had arrived.

Now, youth baseball travel teams practice nearly all year. This helps players develop their skills. However, baseball will always be a Summer game. Much of the appeal of the game comes from being able to play in nice weather outdoors.

Since I will be vacationing for the next two weeks, our Warriors team will take a break until mid-February. Our next practice is an 8:00 pm batting cage session at Junior Diggins on February 18th.

After that, we'll continue our individual development, batting cage sessions and indoor workouts until mid-March. Hopefully, the weather will improve by mid-March and we can finally move outdoors for some practices. Weather permitting, we will begin scrimmaging against other teams in late March. Things will pick up more in April as we begin to play games.

Our team will begin Chicagoland Metro play in mid-April. The OYA season begins in late April. And, our first tournament is scheduled for the Memorial Day Weekend.

As soon as our team enters a tournament (and we are striving for four), I will post the information on our team's website. Our team is made up mostly 8th graders--and many events arise surrounding graduation. The OYA Pony League and our Warriors team will be idle on June 5th as most graduations in the area are scheduled for that day.

As tournament scheduling information is provided to you, PLEASE PLAN ACCORDINGLY. If you are planning a graduation party, sometimes adjusting the start time by just a few hours can make the difference between the player participating or being absent for a team event. When players miss games, the team is at greater risk of losing (or even forfeiting) games--which means a higher risk of elimination from the tournament and fewer games played for everyone.

In an effort to promote greater participation, I am investigating the possibility of having those players on our team who make their High School team eligible for play with the Warriors. This is a new approach (most likely in accordance with all OYA, Chicagoland Metro and ISHA rules) which will allow us to retain all of the players on our current roster. More on this later.

The Importance of the Count

In a recent posting, I wrote about how Ted Williams refused to swing at pitches outside of the strike zone. At the Pony level, it is critical for hitters to be selective at the plate and only swing at strikes. Once a hitter is ahead in the count (e.g., 2-0, 3-1), the pitcher is forced to throw a very hittable pitch--or he may start aiming the pitches and walk several consecutive batters.

The statistics support the fact that a hitter's count benefits the offense. In a recent study of college baseball statistics, the batting average for hitters with a 2-1 count was 150 points higher than for hitters with a 1-2 count! This benefit becomes even greater with more favorable counts such as 3-1.

Letting pitchers off the hook by swinging at pitches outside of the strikezone has just the opposite effect. Pitchers get an immediate sense of relief when a bad pitch turns into a strike. They can then ride that momentum to get back into a groove. We often tell our hitters to "make the pitcher work" or to "make the pitcher earn it."

Although it is more difficult than it looks, one of the goals for this team is to be more selective at the plate. We want our hitters to be aggressive, but we also want them to be aware of the count and when it is appropriate to be aggressive.

Positions by Number

Typically, baseball position numbers are used for scoring purposes. However, our team will use these numbers as part of calling certain plays--particularly when a runner is on third base. We'll talk more about how these plays will be called during an upcoming practice. All of our players should be familiar with these numbers.

Following is an illustration of how baseball positions are numbered:

Warriors Enter First Tournament

The Warriors registered for its first tournament of the season. The Chicagoland Memorial Weekend Tournament is scheduled from Friday, May 27th through Monday, May 30th. Most likely, the opening round games will be played in Frankfort or Palos.

For this tournament, the team will play three "pool play" games. Only the top teams from each pool will proceed into the next round.

The Warriors will enter three more tournaments in June/July. I'll publish those dates as soon as they become available--most likely in late February. Please be sure to plan accordingly.

Pat O'Connor Wins Ground Ball Challenge

Patrick O'Connor won the team's first Ground Ball Challenge on Saturday morning. Pat edged out Jim Robley in the final round of the competition.

Winning these challenges requires outlasting 12 opponents and usually means successfully fielding at least 35 to 40 ground balls.

Ted Williams

During tonight's practice at Future Stars, we talked a little about the Hall of Fame hitter, Ted Williams. In my view, there are at least three important lessons our players can learn from him.

#1

As a hitter, Ted Williams always kept his eyes on the ball. Many thought that he could pick up the rotation of the baseball by viewing the seams just upon the release from the pitcher's hand. Later in life, he denied having any kind of superhuman vision and admitted that he really couldn't read the label on a phonograph record while it was spinning on the turntable. But, he made every effort to see the baseball as soon as possible and to follow the ball all the way in.

#2

Early on, Ted Williams learned not to swing at balls that were out of the strike zone. Try as they might, pitchers could not get him to chase bad pitches. "Getting on base is how you score runs," Williams explained. "Runs win ball games. I walked a lot in high school, and in the minors I walked 100 times...You start swinging at pitches a half-inch outside, the next one's an inch out and pretty soon you're getting nothing but bad balls to swing at."

At the Pony level, it's critical to let bad pitches go by. This places the pitcher under more pressure--forcing him to give the hitter a good pitch to hit. Many pitchers at this level simply start aiming the ball and then walk several more hitters.

#3

In my opinion, the following story displays what strong respect Ted Williams had for the game of baseball:

In 1941, only his third season in the majors, Williams captivated the nation by chasing a .400 season batting average. On the last day of the season, Williams was hitting exactly .400, and Red Sox manager Joe Cronin offered him the chance to sit out a doubleheader. "I told Cronin I didn't want that," Williams recalled. "If I couldn't hit .400 all the way I didn't deserve it." He got six hits and finished at .406, a mark many experts believe will never be equaled.

Pitching Grips

Pitchers have three weapons at their disposal: speed, location and movement (spin). At the 14U level, pitchers will work most on speed (and how to vary it) as well as location (and how to vary it).

Using a few different pitching grips will help a pitcher develop the ability to throw pitches at different speeds accurately.

CLICK HERE to view some grips--paying particular attention to the 2 and 4 seam fast ball grips as well as a couple of the change-up grips (circle and three finger grips).

Baseball Bats

The Chicagoland Metro League enforces High School bat limitations during the season for the 14U level. Those limitations are as follows:

1. cannot be more than 2 5/8" in diameter
2. its drop cannot be more than 3

A bat's drop is calculated by taking its weight in ounces less its length in inches. For example, a 34 inch bat must weigh at least 31 ounces for it to be permitted. A bat's drop contributes to swing speed. Clearly, a greater drop (lighter weight to length ratio) adds to swing speed. Apparently, this creates a greater risk of injury (particularly to pitchers) as the players get older.

CLICK HERE for a table of a sample of approved bats for the 14U level.

As we proceed through our Winter batting cage sessions, hitters will benefit by swinging a regulation bat. I also highly recommend that batters use the same regulation bat throughout the OYA Pony League recreational season--even though OYA imposes much more liberal bat requirements. It's important that the players build strength and become accustomed to the heavier bats before entering into a new season.

Coach Michael Heathcott

I'm pleased to announce that Coach Michael Heathcott will also be providing pitching instruction for our team. This instruction will supplement the development sessions already scheduled with Coach Al Hasan at Junior Diggins.

Coach Heathcott will be working with our pitchers on the evenings of Friday, January 14th and Friday, February 25th at the On-Deck Baseball Academy of Orland Park. As with our other development sessions, pitchers will be assigned a time during the evening for more individualized instruction. Please note that these events have been added to our team's schedule.

Coach Heathcott is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher, with experience with both the White Sox & Cubs organizations. Playing during one season at the major league level for the Chicago White Sox, Coach Heathcott is a Chicago-native who now resides in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was drafted by the White Sox in the 13th round of the 1991 amateur draft. Coach Heathcott played his first professional season with their Class-A (Short Season) Utica Blue Sox in 1991, and his last with the Triple-A affiliates of the Chicago Cubs (Iowa Cubs) and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (Edmonton Trappers) in 2000.

Uniform Fittings

The uniform fittings for our team are scheduled for Monday, November 29th from 8:00 pm until 9:00 pm at the OYA Office. The fitting session is necessary as almost all of the uniform components are fitted for size--even the hats. Players will also select uniform numbers at this time--on a first come, first served basis.

Players may arrive anytime between 8:00 pm and 9:00 pm for the fitting. The process should take less than 10 minutes.

As always, please be sure to contact me if you are unable to attend any team event.

Warriors Kick Off Meeting

Following is a message that I just received from Brian Gaspardo, the OYA President:

"We will have our annual Kick Off meeting for all the Warrior teams on Tuesday, November 23 at 7 PM at the Orland Park Civic Center. Like last year, we will be getting the entire Warrior organization together to talk about our program, hand out some Warrior gear, order some spirit wear for Christmas presents, and generally get fired up for next season! General meeting should take about 20 minutes, and then you will have some time set aside to talk to your teams. Every player should attend with at least one parent (the whole family is welcome). I am using the opportunity to collect a second installment from my parents, and you might want to do the same.

SportStation will be there with a display of spirit wear with guaranteed delivery before Christmas."

Warriors 2011 Schedule

Following is a list of currently scheduled events. All dates are preliminary, so be sure to check this website to monitor any revisions to the schedule. Players are expected to contact me if they are unable to participate in a team event.

• Oak Lawn Tournament: Saturday, July 23rd and Sunday, July 24th (CLICK HERE for scheduling details)

Warriors Schedule 3rd Fall Workout

The Warriors have scheduled its third Fall workout. Weather permitting, the practice will be held from 4:45 pm until 6:00 pm on Monday, October 25th at the Cachey Park soccer fields. The fields are located about two blocks west of 82nd Avenue on 157th Street.

The team has published a preliminary Winter practice schedule. The Winter practice schedule consists of three types of events:

Batting cages
Batting cages are scheduled for one hour on selected weeknights. These sessions are optional. Players may also decide to come for just a portion of the hour if they wish.

Megaplex workouts
Megaplex workouts are scheduled for 90 minutes--generally on weekends. These workouts are used to work through drills involving multiple players (i.e., infield drills, rundowns, pickoffs, etc.). Player participation is highly encouraged, but not mandatory if a player has other obligations.

Individual player development sessions
These sessions are targeted to provide individual feedback to our players to improve their hitting and throwing (pitching) skills. Although these sessions will run through the night (from 6:30 pm until 9:00 pm), players will register for a 45 minute time slot within that time frame. So far, six of these sessions (3 hitting and 3 throwing) have been scheduled. Players are highly encouraged to participate in all of these sessions. However, attendance of at least 4 sessions is expected.

We will invite an expert consultant to assist with the development. These consultants will be people who have played at a professional level and have the ability to diagnose issues and teach the skills. I plan to add a few more sessions which will be targeted for those players who wish to further develop pitching skills.

Please call me with any questions or comments.

Warriors Schedule 2nd Fall Workout

The team has scheduled its second Fall workout. The workout will be held on Saturday, October 16th @ 9:30 am on Centennial #1. Please call the OYA Rain Line at 708-403-6290 in the event of questionable weather or field conditions. The session is expected to end by 11:00 am.

The following items are due no later than October 16th:

1. Copy of the player's birth certificate
2. First installment ($150) of the registration fee

The first installment should be paid by check payable to the “Orland Youth Association.”

OYA has communicated an estimate of $900 for all baseball fees (including Warriors and OYA Pony League registration fees). The $150 due in October is the first installment. The remaining $750 will be due in two installments--$400 in late January and $350 in late February. We have some part-time players on the roster—and the fees for those players will be reduced.

Please contact me if you are unable to participate in a team event.

Fergie Jenkins

At our first practice, we talked about the importance accurate throws. With younger pitchers, just being able to throw a strike (any kind of a strike) is usually the goal. At the Bronco & Pony levels of play, it becomes important for pitchers to continue to throw strikes. However, pitchers must now start hitting more specific locations within the strike zone.

I usually think of it like this. For Pinto and Mustang, the target is a big rectangle (the strike zone). For Bronco and Pony, the target is now a quadrant within the rectangle--in other words, take the strike zone and place a plus sign within it. A pitcher should be able to hit within at least one of four spots within the strike zone to be effective. At the highest level of play, the strike zone becomes divided into a tic-tac-toe type board. Pitchers with outstanding control (e.g., Greg Maddux) can target a pitch within one of the tic-tac-toe squares inside the strike zone--and he can do it at various speeds!

To be truly effective, a pitcher must be able to mix speeds as well as location. Practicing change-up grips will enable a pitcher to change speeds without making it obvious to the hitter.

Ferguson Jenkins is a Hall of Fame pitcher who was one of the best control pitchers in the history of baseball. In 1971, Fergie pitched over 300 innings, striking out 263 hitters while walking only 37. Nearly all of his 37 walks were either intentional or semi-intentional. In large part, he attributes constantly throwing to a specific target as a reason for his great control. During his off days, he insisted on throwing batting practice to hitters (this is unheard of today!)--so that he could continue to toss baseballs to a very specific target. This is one of the reasons it can be helpful to have our pitchers throw batting practice--rather than the coaches.

Warriors First Workout

The team has scheduled its first workout. The workout will be held on Sunday, September 26th @ Noon on Centennial #3. Please call the OYA Rain Line at 708-403-6290 in the event of questionable weather or field conditions. The session is expected to end by 1:45 pm.

We plan to schedule a second workout in October. The Fall is our slowest time period—so we won’t have many practices over the next two or three months.

The following items are due no later than October 15th:

1. Copy of the player's birth certificate
2. First installment ($150) of the registration fee

The first installment should be paid by check payable to the “Orland Youth Association.”

OYA has communicated an estimate of $900 for all baseball fees (including Warriors and OYA Pony League registration fees). The $150 due in October is the first installment. The remaining $750 (estimated) will be due in two installments--$400 in late January and $350 in late February. We have some part-time players on the roster—and the fees for those players will be reduced. It’s also very possible that the total fee will end up coming in lower than these estimates—but I can’t commit to a lower number until all the cost estimates (indoor facility fees, development sessions, tournament fees, umpires, etc.) are provided. Players who make their High School teams will qualify for a partial refund.

I look forward to the first team workout in September. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or comments.

Team Goals

Our team has three main goals for this season:

One goal is for our players to learn more about the game and to further develop their skills. We would like all of our players to gain an appreciation for the great game of baseball.

Next, we want everyone to have fun this season. It's fun to be part of a team. Every player should enjoy making a positive contribution to the team, regardless of his talent level.

Most importantly, we hope to take advantage of this experience to help our players develop a positive attitude. Players and coaches are expected to give it their very best effort every time they step on a baseball field. Players and coaches must also respect the game, the opponent, the umpires and each other.

The following five quotes capture a large part of what this experience is all about:

“If you ask me how I want to be remembered, it is as a winner…a winner is somebody who gave his best effort, who has tried the hardest they possibly can…who has utilized every ounce of energy and strength within them to accomplish something. It doesn’t mean that they accomplished it or failed. It means they’ve given it their best. That’s a winner." – Walter Payton

"I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying." - Michael Jordan

"My greatest concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure." - Abraham Lincoln

"If a man does his best, what else is there?" - General George S. Patton

"Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better." - Pat Riley


"Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it." - George Halas

Warriors Announce 2011 Roster

The Warriors are pleased to announce its roster for the 2011 season!

Please CLICK HERE to view the roster.

Warriors to Announce Roster by Friday

The Warriors will announce its roster for 2011 by Friday, August 27th. An email will be distributed to all players who participated in the tryouts by then--and the roster will be published on this website at that time as well.

14U Tryouts Scheduled for August

Tryouts for the 2011 Warriors were held on Saturday, August 7th at Centennial #5. Approximately 10 players participated in the tryout. We were able to complete all segments of the tryout (i.e., running, fielding, throwing, hitting and pitching), so the August 8th session is no longer needed.

A second set of tryout dates has been added for those players who are out of town for the first tryouts. These additional tryouts have been scheduled for August 21st and August 22nd at 10:00 am on Centennial #3.

Please call me (Glenn Nagel) at 708-349-1467 with any questions or comments. Please note that I will be out of the country from August 9th through the 18th and will not have access to phone. I will return all calls upon my return.

Warriors in Orland Park Prairie

An article about the Warriors tournament championship in Lombard appeared in the July 22nd issue of the Orland Park Prairie.

CLICK HERE to view the article.

Warriors' Parents Meeting

A meeting has been scheduled for the parents of our Warriors' team. The purpose of this meeting is to recap the season and to review options for next year.

The meeting is scheduled for 8:00 pm on Wednesday, July 21st at the OYA Office. I expect the meeting to last about 45 minutes.

A Memorable Experience

As always, we went into this season with three goals for this team: to learn more about baseball, to have fun and to develop a positive attitude and respect for the game and all of its participants. Once again this season, this group of players not only accomplished these initial goals--they went well beyond them. They experienced the satisfaction of contributing to a team effort. In my view, this season is a "Mission Accomplished".

I'm fortunate to have been part of this group for the past four seasons. Creating a successful organization (team) takes far more than a baseball manager. It requires great assistant coaches, supportive parents and players who have a desire to learn--and who have heart.

I can't say enough about how impressed I am with our players. Away from the field, I often hear about all the problems people have with this generation. Yet, while coaching this team, I see none of these issues. We have a group of players who are always respectful of their coaches and each other. During the Winter development sessions at Junior Diggins, Coach Al Hasan and I were impressed with how positively every player received constructive criticism--always taking our feedback as an opportunity to improve. This is not a common thing.

I hope that our players are able to transfer some of the skills they've developed while playing with the Warriors to other aspects of their lives. If nothing else, I hope that we positively impacted the self confidence of many of our players--all who have no reason not to have the highest confidence in their abilities. I can easily envision many of our players as being successful in whatever fields they pursue.

The only discouraging thing about this experience is that replicating what this team has accomplished seems improbable. The bar has been set quite high. In dealing with 14 players, 3 assistant coaches and all the familes over the past two seasons, I haven't had to deal with any negative situations. None. For example, not once in two years has a player ever complained about playing a certain position or batting in a certain spot in the order. Not once has a parent complained about anything. In fact, it's been just the opposite. Parents call me asking how they can help. In youth sports, this is a rarity. For the most part, I've tried to proactively communicate with players and parents--and they've trusted my judgement. And, I'm grateful for that.

I would like to recap my views on this season as well as discuss options for next season during a Parents' meeting on Wednesday night. Please CLICK HERE for more details.

Warriors Season Comes to a Close

CLICK HERE for team and player statistics for the 2010 season.

The Warriors season came to a close on Saturday night after the team lost to Bolingbrook by a score of 14-1 on Saturday night. Things didn't look promising for the Warriors before this game even started. Earlier in the day, Bolingbrook topped Western Spring by a run--which meant that the Warriors had to beat Bolingbrook by at least 9 runs in order to advance in this tournament. Unfortunately, the Warriors ended up losing the game by 13 runs.

This game was reminiscent of the game against Western Springs on Thursday night. In both of these games, the Warriors played a tight game in the early innings before the opponent's offense exploded in an inning that would not end. On Thursday night, the Warriors went through three pitchers in the fifth inning while Western Springs brought 19 hitters to the plate--scoring 15 runs in one inning! Tonight, Bolingbrook scored 12 runs in the fourth inning on 9 hits. These two games were very uncharacteric of a Warriors' team that prides itself on pitching and defense over the past few seasons.

The Warriors had just five hits in the game. Tim Prendergast had two doubles--one of which hit the top of the leftfield wall and missed being a homerun by two feet. Bolingbrook selected Tim as the game's MVP for this performance.

The Warriors played this Bolingbrook team twice last year--beating them both times during the Homer tournament. The last win over Bolingbrook involved a dramatic comeback to win the Homer Tournament championship game. Bolingbrook was able to get some revenge tonight.

Obviously, it's disappointing to have the season end in this manner. In the end, only one team walks away from the final game of its season with a win. The Warriors have experienced winning tournaments before--and the successes have far exceeded any failures over a long period of time.

Warriors' All-Time Records

Following are all-time single season records for the Warriors in selected statistical categories:

Offensive Statistics

Batting Average: Paco Lauciello .577 ('10)
On-Base %: Paco Lauciello .612 ('10)
Runs Scored: Jason Waner 42 ('10 and '09)
Runs Batted In: Ryan Knightly 45 ('09)
Walks: Jason Waner 29 ('09)
Doubles: Paco Lauciello 16 ('09)
Triples: C.J. Brucki 5 ('10) and Matthias Dietz 5 ('08)
Homeruns: Grant Lewis 5 ('08)

Pitching Statistics

Earned Run Average: Tim Prendergast 3.17 ('10)
Walks/Hits per Inning: Grant Lewis 1.41 ('08)
Strikeouts: Matthias Dietz 81 ('08)
Innings Pitched: Ryan Novak 59.3 ('09)

Hit by Pitch

Here's some hit by pitch trivia...

During 2010, Warriors' batters were hit by a pitch 15 times. 11 different players have been hit this season. Of the 11 players who have played in 20 games or more, only Jack Lebert has managed to avoid getting hit by a pitch.

Jack enjoyed a similar fate during the 2009 season. He has now gone nearly 200 plate appearances without getting hit by a pitch. I guess this makes Jack the "anti-Ron Hunt" of the Warriors.

Warriors Bounce Back

CLICK HERE for team and player statistics through Game #30.

After playing its worst game of the season, the Warriors bounced back with an impressive 10-2 win over the Oak Lawn Westside Warriors in the second game of the Palos Rumble tournament on Friday night to keep its tournament hopes alive.

The Warriors jumped out to an early lead after scoring five runs in the top of the first inning. Robbie Maxfield and Jason Waner reached base on singles before Paco Lauciello hammered a homerun deep over the rightfield wall. This was Paco's second homer in as many nights. After Lance Cardinal reached base, Tim Prendergast pounded a homer over the leftfield fence to score another two runs.

Oak Lawn Westside removed its starting pitcher in favor of Brandon Murley immediately after Tim's homerun. Brandon held the Warriors scoreless over the next four innings of the game.

Ryan Novak was the Warriors' starting pitcher. He allowed just one base runner over his first three innings of work. Oak Lawn Westside loaded the bases in the fourth inning, but Ryan got the last hitter to fly out to leftfield to complete his four innings of shutout baseball.

The Warriors added a run in the top of the fifth inning when Paco Lauciello singled to leftfield and scored on Lance Cardinal's line drive single to leftfield. This was Lance's 28th RBI of the season--ranked 2nd on the Warriors.

Jason Waner entered the game in relief for the Warriors with two runners on base in the fifth inning. He quickly retired the side. However, Oak Lawn Westside scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on a homerun over the leftfield wall. The inning ended when Ryan Tannebaum threw a runner out attempting to advance to third from his centerfield position.

The Warriors scored three more runs in the top of the seventh inning despite consecutive coaching blunders. Oak Lawn Westside failed to score in the bottom of the frame as the Warriors held on to win this one by a score of 10-2.

Paco at Night

Tonight's game against Western Springs was the first night game for the Warriors since the team played at Evergreen Park on May 24, 2009.

Paco Lauciello's homer against Evergreen Park that night was a majestic two run blast high over the leftfield wall. The Warriors played just one night game in 2009.

The Warriors only played one night game in 2010 so far. Paco once again slammed a two run homer under the lights. He has two homeruns in his Warriors' career. He hit one homerun in each of the team's two night games!

Maybe this will bode well for tomorrow night's game against the Westside Warriors?

Western Springs Slaughters Warriors

CLICK HERE for team and player statistics through Game #29.

The Warriors were slaughtered by Western Springs in the opening game of the Palos Rumble tournament on Thursday night.

Western Springs scored first after its lead off hitter drew a base on balls and scored from third base on a ground out to shortstop. Western Springs scored two more runs in the top of the third inning on a two out single to leftfield.

The Warriors failed to score in the first three innings. The Warriors left two runners in scoring position in the first inning. Jack Lebert doubled down the rightfield line in the second inning and was left stranded. Ryan Knightly started the third inning with a base hit to rightfield and was also left on base.

Western Springs extended its lead to 5-0 in the top of the fourth inning on back to back homers. Tim Prendergast then entered the game in relief for the Warriors and completed the fourth inning without allowing any more runs.

The Warriors battled back with four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning on five hits. Paco Lauciello started the inning with a double to deep centerfield and later scored. Sam Marc and Tim Prendergast both reached base on infield hits before Ryan Novak lined a single into leftfield to score another run. The Warriors trailed by just one run as the game entered the fifth inning of play.

The Warriors allowed more runs in the fifth inning of this game than in any other inning in the team's four year history. Western Springs sent 19 hitters to the plate before this inning finally ended. The Warriors allowed 15 runs on just 5 hits. There were two costly errors and 7 walks as well as another 2 homers. The final hit of the inning was a grand slam. Paco Lauciello finally ended the misery by entering the game in relief to strikeout the only hitter he faced to end the longest inning in Warriors' history.

The Warriors scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning when Paco Lauciello hammered a homerun over the rightfield wall. Paco had a single, double and homerun in this game.

This game was very unusual for this Warriors team. Typically, our pitching staff yields very few walks---and the staff allowed nine walks in five innings in this game. There were costly fielding errors, some bad baserunning decisions--and Western Springs pounded four homeruns off a Warriors' pitching staff which has been very effective in retiring hitters for most of the season.

About the only good things that we can write about this game are:

• Nobody was injured.
• And, it only counted as one loss!

12U OYA Girls Enjoy Tournament

I went to see my niece play for the 12U OYA Lightning softball team last night in the Evergreen Park tournament. The girls always seem to have a lot of fun at these events. I brought my camera and captured a few images prior to the game.

CLICK HERE if you would like to view the photographs.

Warriors Team Photos

Warriors team photos are now available for viewing and or printing. There are three versions available: regular 8x10, titled 8x10 and a square image with names.

Please CLICK HERE to view the images.

Don't hesitate to call me with any questions regarding the print ordering process.

Warriors Win "War of the Warriors"

CLICK HERE for team and player statistics through Game #28.

The Warriors beat the other 14U Warriors team by a score of 6-3 in the deciding game of the three game series on Monday night at Centennial #3. This was a low scoring game in which most of the runs were scored in the first inning and a half of play.

The Warriors scored three times in the top of the first inning. Jason Waner beat out an infield hit and later scored. This was Jason's 40th run scored for the season--ranked first on the team. All three runs scored after two were out on consecutive infield errors by the opposing team.

The opponent came back with two runs in the bottom of the frame. Matt Gurgone lined a double to leftfield on the first pitch of the game and scored on Scott Swiontek's triple to the rightfield fence. Tyler Dempsey hit a grounder to Sam Marc to score Scott from third. Jason Waner then struck out the next hitter to end the inning--and Jason would not allow another run until the sixth inning of this game!

The Warriors scored two more runs in the second inning when C.J. Brucki walked and scored on Sam Marc's double down the leftfield line. Sam elevated his batting average to .404 and is now ranked 6th on the team (just missing the team's leaderboard) in this category. Sam is swinging a hot bat as the Warriors move into its final tournament of the 2010 season. Roberto Gonzalez singled before Ryan Tannebaum tapped a ground ball back to the pitcher to bring Sam Marc home. The score was 5-2 in favor of the Warriors.

Jason Waner cruised through the next five innings--allowing just one unearned run in that span. The Warriors made the plays behind Jason. Jack Lebert had two assists from third base in the second inning. And, Sam Marc had four assists from shortstop in this one.

The Warriors scored its final run of the game in the top of the third inning when Paco Lauciello grounded out sharply to third base to score Robbie Maxfield. Robbie had lined a single into centerfield earlier in the inning.

The Warriors threatened to score in the fourth inning. Despite drawing two walks, the Warriors failed to score in large part due to a sensational diving catch by Matt Murphy in leftfield off the bat of Ryan Novak.

Tim Prendergast entered the game in the seventh inning in relief. He struck out the first two hitters (reaching 71 strikeouts for the season). But, the next two hitters reached base on a walk and an infield hit. With the tying run at the plate, Tyler Knight made a nice catch on a ball hit into shallow rightfield from his first base position to end the ballgame.

The Warriors won two of the three games in the "War of the Warriors" series. Next up...the Palos Rumble Tournament!

Photos from War of the Warriors

CLICK HERE to view some photos from tonight's third game of the "War of the Warriors" series--courtesy of Ann Bresingham.

Warriors Split First Two Games of Series

CLICK HERE for team and player statistics through Game #27.

The Warriors split the first two games of the "War of the Warriors" series on Saturday, July 10th.

There were only 5 total hits in the first game--including both teams! The Warriors fell behind by a run in the top of the third inning when Matt Murphy hammered a triple to deep leftfield and later scored on a walk with the bases loaded. Fortunately, our opponent left nine runners stranded (the maximum) after three innings of play or the game might have been out of reach in the early innings.

Tyler Knight entered the game in relief with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the third inning. He struck out two hitters to minimize the damage. Tyler went on to pitch the remaining four innings of the game without allowing a hit or a run--and to record his second win of the season. He struck out 8 hitters in this outing.

The Warriors scored the tying run in the bottom of the fourth inning when the catcher fired a ball into rightfield attempting to pick off the runner. Jason Waner scored from third base on the overthrow.

The only other run scored in this game occurred in the bottom of the seventh inning. C.J. Brucki walked and stole second. He then scored when the catcher overthrew third base on the steal attempt to end the game.

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The Warriors fell behind early in the second game when the opponent scored six runs on seven hits (including back-to-back homeruns) to take a 6-0 lead.

The Warriors failed to score until the top of the fourth inning when Roberto Gonzalez walked and scored on Ryan Knightly's single to centerfield.

The Warriors scored three times in the top of the sixth inning. Tim Prendergast started the inning with a single down the leftfield line. Ryan Novak singled before Sam Marc lined a hit into centerfield to score two runs. Roberto Gonzalez doubled to centerfield to score Sam.

The Warriors threatened in the top of the seventh inning. Jason Waner doubled to centerfield. Paco Lauciello singled to leftfield to score Jason. And, Paco scored from third on an error by the shortstop. But, the rally ended when the rightfielder camped under a routine fly ball as the Warriors fell 8-6 in the second game of the doubleheader.

Baserunning mistakes plagued the Warriors in this loss. The third inning ended on a line drive double play when the runner should have been holding at third base ("line drives go through"). The fourth inning rally was cut short when a runner tried to advance from second to third (down by five runs) and was thrown out by 20 feet. The opponent turned another inning ending double play in the fifth inning. The seven inning started with a single and another double play as the second baseman was able to make a quick tag before throwing to first to record the first two outs of the final inning of play.

The Warriors will play the final and deciding game of the "War of the Warriors" series on Monday night.

Ryan Knightly Suffers Injury: Update

UPDATE: Ryan Knightly is expected to come off the disabled list and play in Saturday's War of the Warriors doubleheader.

Ryan Knightly suffered a shoulder injury to his throwing arm while playing hockey and will miss at least the next three weeks of the baseball season.

This is a big loss for the Warriors as Ryan is an outstanding defensive first baseman. After an early season slump, Ryan's bat is now also coming around. His batting average is now .306 for the season. Ryan was ranked second on the 2009 Warriors team with a .443 average. He hit 7 doubles, 1 triple and 2 homers last season.

Hopefully, Ryan will be back with the Warriors soon. Ryan's injury will be reassessed on July 7th. In the meantime, Tyler Knight will be activated full-time for the Warriors.

Lombard Championship Team Photo

Thanks to Tracy Marc for submitting this team photo of the Warriors after the Lombard Thunder tournament championship on July 4th. Click within photo to view enlarged version.

Practice & Pizza Tonight

The Warriors final practice of the season is scheduled for Tuesday, July 6th at 5:45 pm on Centennial #5. This will be a fun, scrimmage-type event. The practice will end no later than 7:15 pm.

Pizza will be brought to Centennial Park for the team after the practice.

Warriors Mature as a Team...

From my viewpoint, today's performance was the most impressive by this Warriors' team over the past four seasons. The team prevailed in two hard fought, high pressure tournament games. More significantly, this group of players has matured as a team.

One of the things I enjoy most about managing youth baseball is the challenge of building a team. Team building was the thing I always enjoyed while working as a department head over the years. It's very rewarding to watch a team grow. And, every few years--whether it was at work or with a baseball team--a group of people work together to achieve something special. This team definitely falls into that category.

In recent weeks, I've seen this team make strides in many areas. As a coach, there's nothing more rewarding than watching players begin to positively coach themselves. For the first time, there was a lot of baseball "chatter" throughout these games--players continuously giving each other words of encouragement.

I've also noticed that our players have picked up on practically every piece of technical knowledge that's been taught. They immediately notice when something isn't executed properly--and know how to correct it.

For today's games, I tried something new. Besides managing the game plan and pitching changes--I just sat in the dugout and observed. I was very pleased with what I saw.

I saw players openly communicating and sharing ideas with me. Players were pointing out their opinions on pitch selections, pitch outs and delayed steal opportunities. I saw players who have matured so much that their knowledge is hitting the limits of what I can teach them in the technical aspects of the game. They have learned baseball not just from the coaches--but from sharing things with each other (e.g., pitching grips).

If I coach a younger group in future years, I would love to have some of our players return to help coach these baseball skills--and earn community service hours while doing so.

I saw players who clearly understand their roles on this team. I saw unselfish players who are willing to make sacrifices to help the team win a game.

I also saw players who show a lot of heart. Every single player made significant contributions during the series of five games to help win this tournament. But, I also saw some who really had to dig deep--and exhibited such strong character that it created lasting memories for them--and for me. It was actually a touching thing to witness.

What started four years ago with a group of mostly 11 year old boys has matured into a solid unit of young men. I am very proud of what this team has accomplished--and thankful that I've had an opportunity to be part of it.

Warriors Win Lombard Tournament Championship!

CLICK HERE for updated team and player statistics through Game #25.

The Warriors won five consecutive games over the July 4th weekend to win the Lombard Thunder tournament championship! The Warriors beat Glen Ellyn, Lombard, Burr Ridge, Plainfield and Palos in succession to accomplish this feat. This is the third tournament championship for this team in the past three seasons: Hickory Hills (2008), Homer (2009) and Lombard (2010)!

Winning the final two games of the Lombard tournament was no easy task. Both games were tied in the late innings.

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In the first game, Plainfield scored quickly in the first. The lead off hitter smashed a double on the first pitch of the game and scored moments later on a ground out to the shortstop.

The Warriors failed to score in the first inning, but tied the game in the second inning when C.J. Brucki hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield to score Tim Prendergast. Jason Waner retired Plainfield in the second and third innings without allowing a run.

The Warriors took a one run lead after scoring a run in the bottom of the third inning on Lance Cardinal's sacrifice fly to centerfield to score Jason Waner.

Plainfield regained the lead in the top of the fourth inning with two runs on two hits. But, the Warriors tied the game once again in the bottom of the frame when C.J. Brucki doubled to centerfield to score Sam Marc.

Tim Prendergast entered the game in relief for the Warriors as the game moved into the fifth inning tied at three runs a piece. Tim did not allow a hit or a run until the seventh inning of the game.

The Warriors offense exploded with 7 runs on 6 hits in the bottom of the third inning. The Warriors held Plainfield to a run in the seventh inning to secure the 10-4 win to move into the championship game against Palos.

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The previous meeting between Palos and the Warriors in the Chicagoland Metro tournament was a pitchers' duel--with Palos prevailing 3-2. This time, it was a slugfest--and the Warriors held on to win 12-11 to secure its third tournament championship in three seasons.

Things looked promising early when the Warriors scored six runs in the first inning on four hits. Tim Prendergast lined a triple to deep leftfield to drive home two runs. Tim tripled again later in the game to drive home another run.

But, the hard hitting Palos team fought back--scoring three runs in the second inning and three more runs in the third inning to tie the ballgame.

The Warriors scored three more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to regain the lead. But, Palos put three more runs on the board in the fifth inning to tie the game once again!

The Warriors put another three spot on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning when Paco Lauciello doubled and Lance Cardinal tripled in the inning.

Palos scored two runs in the sixth inning to climb to within one run. The Warriors failed to score in the bottom of the frame.

Jason Waner entered the game in a save situation for the Warriors. The lead-off man for Palos represented to tying run and reached base on a walk. The next hitter for Palos hit a sinking line drive into rightfield. Robbie Maxfield charged the ball and made a sensational diving catch for the out. The Warriors easily doubled the runner off of first base who was running on the hit. Jason got the next hitter to hit a pop up to shallow leftfield. Sam Marc drifted back from his shortstop position and made the catch to end the game.

Warriors Advance Through Pool Play

CLICK HERE for team and player statistics through Game #23.

The Warriors advanced through pool play in the Lombard Thunder tournament with an undefeated record (3-0) after beating Lombard and Burr Ridge on Saturday, July 3rd.
Lance Cardinal gave the Warriors exactly what it needed in the morning game against Lombard. Lance pitched five strong innings--allowing just 3 hits and no earned runs along with 7 strikeouts. He also had two hits and 2 runs batted in during the game.

The Warriors offense was explosive in this one--hammering out 14 hits and 14 runs despite missing its leading hitter, Paco Lauciello. Jason Waner's batting average skyrocketed to .480 during the day--after he had four hits in the first game and two more hits in the afternoon game. Jack Lebert had five hits for the day--including three extra base hits from the #3 spot in the order. Robbie Maxfield also had three extra base hits for the day.

The Warriors defense broke down in the bottom of the fifth inning with two infield errors, but recovered in time to preserve the 14-4 slaughter rule after five innings of play. Not playing the final two innings of the game was an advantage to the Warriors as it preserved the team's pitching for the remaining games of the tournament.

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Burr Ridge was unable to field nine players for the afternoon game--but proceeded to play with only eight players. The Warriors continued to swing hot bats--scoring 20 runs on 17 hits in this one! Burr Ridge scored 10 runs after posting 7 runs in the fourth inning.

Ryan Tannebaum was sharp as the Warriors' starting pitcher. He held Burr Ridge to one unearned run and allowed just two hits in three innings of play. Sam Marc and Jack Lebert each tossed an inning before this game also ended as a result of the slaughter rule.

The Warriors will enter the tournament playoffs on Sunday morning in a game against Plainfield.

Warriors Prevail in Tournament Opener

CLICK HERE for updated team and player statistics through Game #21.

The Warriors prevailed over Glen Ellyn in the opening round of the Lombard tourament by a score of 7-5 in seven innings. The Warriors were fortunate to walk away from this one with a victory--as it was one of the sloppiest performances by a Warriors' team in a long time.

Ryan Novak started the game for the Warriors and retired Glen Ellyn quickly through the first three innings of play. He struck out the side in the second inning.

The Warriors took the lead after scoring a run in the bottom of the second inning after Ryan Novak lined a single down the leftfield line and Sam Marc doubled to deep leftfield to score Ryan.

Sam Marc reached base during all three plate appearances in this game and drove in the winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Sam now has 20 RBI for the season--ranked second on the team.

The Warriors scored four times in the bottom of the third inning. Tyler Knight reached safely on a dropped third strike before Ryan Tannebaum singled to leftfield. Robbie Maxfield also singled to leftfield. Jason Waner smashed a double to the rightfield fence to bring home two runs. And, Paco Lauciello hit a ground rule double to score Jason.

Glen Ellyn rallied in the top of the fourth. Four hits and consecutive infield errors by the Warriors led to a four run inning. The Warriors led by just one run.

Neither team scored in the fifth inning. But, the Warriors left three stranded after failing to score with the bases loaded and one out.

Glen Ellyn tied the game on a long home run over the leftfield fence. The Warriors scored two runs in the bottom of the frame to take a two run lead when Sam Marc drove in the lead run on a ground ball to the second baseman before Jack Lebert singled to leftfield to score Ryan Novak.

Tim Prendergast completed his third inning of work and held Glen Ellyn scoreless in the seventh inning to preserve the win for the Warriors.

GLEN ELLYN: 5 runs, 9 hits, 1 error, 6 left on base

WARRIORS: 7 runs, 11 hits, 3 errors, 7 left on base

Elmhurst Wins Oak Lawn Tournament

The Elmhurst Wildcats won the Oak Lawn Westside tournament after beating the Southside Hitmen in the championship game.

Warriors Top SSE in Pitchers' Duel

CLICK HERE for team and player statistics through Game #20.

The Warriors topped the Southside Express 4-2 in a pitchers' duel at Schussler South on Wednesday night. The game moved along quickly and was completed in less than 90 minutes.
Tim Prendergast was the Warriors' starting pitcher in this one. Tim pitched five scoreless innings. He allowed just two hits and struck out seven hitters. His earned run average (ERA) has fallen to an impressive 2.43 for the season. Even more impressive, his walks & hits per innings pitched (WHIP) dropped to 1.20--the best in Warriors' history.

The game remained scoreless until the Warriors' pushed a run across in the bottom of the third inning. Ryan Tannebaum reached base on a bunt and later scored when C.J. Brucki lined a single into centerfield.

The Warriors threatened to extend the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning when Ryan Novak and Sam Marc reached base on singles. With runners on first and third base and one out, Tyler Knight smashed a line drive down the leftfield line--but the leftfielder for Southside Express, Matt Dahlgren, made a nice running catch and fired the ball into second base to complete the inning ending double play! The Warriors held its one run lead as the game moved into the sixth inning of play.

The Warriors brought Ryan Novak into the game to relieve Tim Prendergast. Tim's pitch count was approaching 90 after five innings--and another inning would have placed him above an appropriate level for safety in this game. Ryan quickly retired the Southside Express in the sixth inning.

Fortunately, the Warriors added three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. The big hit was Tim Prendergast's towering double to deep leftfield to score two runs after two were out.

Ryan Novak quickly retired the first two Southside Express hitters in the seventh inning. But, three hits and two walks later--and the Southside Express had the bases loaded and the tying run at second base!

The Warriors went to its save leader, Jason Waner, to close the game. Jason caught Danny Bedell looking at a third strike to record his second save of the season.

SOUTHSIDE EXPRESS: 2 runs, 5 hits, 2 errors, 8 left on base
WARRIORS: 4 runs, 6 hits, 0 errors, 4 left on base

The Bigger Picture...

One of the things that makes this Warriors team so much fun to coach is its team chemistry--from all the players to the coaches and the parents. Once again, this group of players rose to the occasion--and prevailed over a bigger and stronger team.

We've seen this time and time again. The beauty of baseball is that often times smart play is rewarded over strength. This can be very frustrating for our opponents--as we've seen twice in the past week or so. I never tire of watching this play out!

After last night's game, the Oak Lawn Westside coaches stepped in to stop some of their players as they were yelling about how they should never have lost to a team like our's--as they were towering over our players during the post game handshakes. Just a week earlier, the Cicero Knights were stunned by our Warriors--not understanding how a much smaller team handed them its first loss in over two years of Metro play--and by a very large margin.

Most importantly, we should all be proud of our team's sportsmanship. As opponents become frustrated during and after some games, our team has never allowed the actions of our opponents to affect how we behave on or off the field. All of our players have maintained a very high level of sportsmanship.

In an earlier post, I expressed disappointment at the number of absences for one of our Oak Lawn tournament games. Believe it or not, we have many readers of this team blog--and I started getting some "Comments" (blog replies) from other coaches who monitor this site. Some took delight in the "issues" that our team experienced that day--indicating that we are now experiencing the same insurmountable problems that come with the territory when dealing with players of this age group. They sense a crack in our armor.

People from outside this team have no idea how strong the group is. We experienced one day in which a "perfect storm" of scheduling conflicts caused our team's active roster to drop to nine players. I was made aware of most of these scheduling conflicts weeks or months before the game! Even for that one game, we would have been 11 strong if the rain hadn't delayed the game by over two hours.

Our team has had over 70 practices, 20 scrimmages and 55 games over the past two seasons. For nearly every one of these events, every single player has participated. Even on the most miserable winter nights, every player made it to Junior Diggins to work on his game. I am very appreciative of the commitment level of our players and families.

I must admit I was disappointed with the decisions of a few last Saturday. But, I've expressed my feelings in private conversations--and it's time to move on. If our team's issues are placed in proper persective, there's never been a team, and probably never will be a team again, that's as strong as this one. Let's create a few more lasting memories before we conclude the "Season of 2010".

Oh So Close...

The Warriors needed two things to happen tonight to advance out of pool play in the Oak Lawn Westside tournament.

First, the Warriors needed to beat the undefeated Oak Lawn Westside Warriors. Second, the Warriors needed to allow less than six runs in the game.

Despite winning the game, the Warriors allowed the sixth run on a two out triple in the bottom of the fifth inning. That sixth run gave our team a total of 28 runs allowed--which was tied with another of the tournament teams for the least number of runs allowed throughout the tournament. So, the next tie breaker scenario came into play.

The next tie breaker went to run differential. In that statistic, our team fell 8 runs short of another tournament team.

If the Warriors had given up just one less run over the past three games--the team would be playing on Tuesday and still alive for the tournament championship!