This is my final article as a first time little league manager.  I am proud of having never been a coach or manager for a little league team and accomplished a 9-5 regular season record, finishing second place on the season, but I’m more proud of the vast improvement in skills and knowledge of the game all the children gained from this season.  That is what made it a win.  I took what I think was somewhat a different approach than many traditional coaches and managers.  I believe there is a way to keep the kids, parents and coaches happy during a little league season and I hope I proved it this year...

Well our Rockies went down Saturday.   The final score... 16-15.   And yes it was that rough a game.

It started off interestingly enough.  The Orioles got through the top of their line-up and scored two runs.  In fact, to their credit one player stole home when our pitcher turned his back on him.  I told the boys, “That can’t happen again.” I understood that the other team really came to play.  Or should I say the other coach really wanted every run he could get.  His game plan was now made clear, big aggression.

In the bottom of the first we answered with a 5 run inning, our sixth run didn't count due to the little league rules. Only in the last inning can you score unlimited runs.  Still we did great in the hitting department.  Our 5 runs were all produced on hits which gave me a ...   more »

Rockies win their first play-off game 9-6!  This was a win that didn't come easy either.  The Marlin's played great baseball tonight and their starting pitcher was throwing a mean fastball all night! 

Rockies win their first play-off game 9-6!  This was a win that didn't come easy either.  The Marlin's played great baseball tonight and their starting pitcher was throwing a mean fastball all night! 

In the first inning they eked out one run and we answered with two.  Then in the top of the second they piled on five runs (the limit of an inning in little league) and the Rockies could only muster two runs.  This was very much unlike us and what was troublesome was their pitcher was gaining strike outs. 

In the top of the third with the score 6-3 in favor of the Marlins our starting pitcher Matt (coach Pete's son) shut the Marlin's down as the hit the end of their line-up.  But again we could only muster one run in that inning and the score was now 6-4, but this meant we were keeping the game in striking distance.   The next inning I made a pitching change for Mike who has a decent fastball of his own and he was lights out for the rest of the game.  We finished the fourth inning with neither side scoring and the score remained 6-4.  I gave yet another pep talk about fighting back and we chanted once "Fight Back!" after Mike once again retired the sides.

It was the bottom of the 5th and I knew if we could just get past their hot pitcher we could do some damage.  He hit his 70th pitch and I was excited to think they had to change pitchers... then the bad news.  He was 11 years old.  He could pitch up to 85 pitches.   I was concerned.  Two runs seemed so tough to get suddenly.  But then the tables turned.  Our bats came alive as the top of our line-up just hit down the order.  My son Declan even hit a double that took him to third on a play at the plate.  In the end we scored five runs off the Marlin's starting pitcher and finally they pulled him at near 80 pitches.  We entered the final sixth inning up by three runs, the score was now 9-6 and once again Mike pitched famously and we didn't need our final at bat.  The Marlin's had our absolute respect and almost took this game as they played great ball once again proving that any team can beat another team on any given day.

After the game we settled into left field for a team talk where I gave game balls to Matt and Mike and the entire team gave the nod to the Marlins.  We took a deep breath knowing we come right back tomorrow for a big game with the Orioles.  We have beat them twice this year but the old saying is in my head... don't go to the well too many times.  They are playing great ball and I don't know if we have tangled with their best pitchers as of yet.

Whatever happens, tomorrow I'll have an entourage of friends at this game.  After the game we have a big team pool party at a parents home, and from there we have 22 people going to our Blue Rock's players game in Wilmington.   What a day and Father's day weekend this is turning into.   We'll gotta go do the laundry.  Got to wash our uniforms and get rested for a long day. I would say I'll post lots of pictures and  I've taken over 1000 for the team this year but as always I take the privacy of my friends seriously.  The people I mention are folks that don't have to concern themselves with privacy concerns.... Like Jordan or Josh or my parents.  But other friends, team parents and other family members outside my parents do need to remain out of my blog articles for now. 

We'll let's hope tomorrows article has some good news.... Although I don't think I'll have time to pen one until late at night and I have plans til well into the evening and a day trip Sunday... you may not get to know until Monday if we won or not! LOL

In the first inning they eked out one run and we answered with two.  Then in the top of the second they piled on five runs (the limit of an inning in little league) and the Rockies could only muster two runs.  This was very much unlike us and what was troublesome was their pitcher was gaining strike outs. 

In the top of the third with the score 6-3 in favor of the Marlins our starting pitcher Matt (coach Pete's son) shut the Marlin's down as the hit the end of their line-up.  But again we could only muster one run in that inning and the score was now 6-4, but this meant we were keeping the game in striking distance.   The next inning I made a pitching change for Mike who has a decent fastball of his own and he was lights out for the rest of the game.  We finished the fourth inning with neither side scoring and the score remained 6-4.  I gave yet another pep talk about fighting back and we chanted once "Fight Back!" after Mike once again retired the sides.

It was the bottom of the 5th and I knew if we could just get past their hot pitcher we could do some damage.  He hit his 70th pitch and I was excited to think they had to change pitchers... then the bad news.  He was 11 years old.  He could pitch up to 85 pitches.   I was concerned.  Two runs seemed so tough to get suddenly.  But then the tables turned.  Our bats came alive as the top of our ...   more »

Last night we had a team slumber party.  It was really amazing.  Parents dropping by, friends spending the night...  so much.   The boys practiced in the back yard, cooked hot dogs in our fire pit; we made pretzel dogs, played groups of video games (yeah the coach can play Kung Fu Chaos too! LOL), a friend made a scratch marinara with fresh garlic over pasta (which was amazing)... My youngest son Dalton was having a blast too with his own friends spending the night.  My buddy Jordan visited too, the house was mayhem and it sure was fun.  All of this because of little league.

In just a few hours I’ll be a part of my first play-off experience in little league play.  There is not much I can do, and there is plenty I can do. 

My place is to put our best pitchers into play to enable the rest of the team to relax, get their hits and score more runs than the other team.  That is it at it’s simplest. 

But in reality my role has been that of a teacher and supporter all season long.  I’ve seen every single young boy on this team grow and that to me is a big deal.  In our first practice I shared with them that if they were a better player at the end of the season, then the season was a success.  I know already it has been. 

No matter if we win or lose the game I will be happy for the kids.  They can go on to another manager next year with a better understanding of the game, better mechanics, and improved play.   I’ve heard from other coaches all season ...   more »

Tonight our little league play-off game suffered a rain-out. After a full day of pleasant weather and blue sky, rain showed up at dinner time.  It’s not the first time in my life that rain showed up at game time and then checked out after the game was cancelled.

So the question I once knew the technical answer to popped up into my mind again.  Why does it rain at the dinner hour, what causes rain to finally burst down upon us between the hours of 4 pm and 7 pm?  There is a reason.   Well there are scientific theories.  It has to do with air pressure.

Some rain is caused by high air pressure; some rain is caused by low air pressure.  It’s like you can’t win.  One of them is going to cause the clouds to dump on you.   In short you need three ingredients for rain:

1.      Moisture

2.      Unstable Air

3.      Lift

These three elements come together at dinner for a reason.  I’ll get to that next.

Convection Rain from Low Air Pressure – the evening rain

Warm ground + low pressure = rain

These are the short showers that show up, ruin your game and are out of here right after everyone has agreed the games are cancelled and have driven off home; and yes the sun comes out wouldn’t ya know it!

Why it happens is simple and unavoidable.  The sun takes the whole day to warm the surface of the earth.  That warmth of the earth warms the air.  That warm air rises up to the clouds and meets the cold air.  Bang, the rain dumps on us.  ...   more »

What a season it has been!  Yesterday was a great finish in a great game with the Cubs.  I had family and a number of friends show of our last game.  My son Declan was 4-4 in on-base percentage as was the entire top of our line-up!  Declan scored four times as well with a good outing as pitcher too. 

The game was up and down early.  The cubs scored one run in the top of the first and we answered back with five!  Then they scored five of their own in the top of the second and we answered with three.  With the score 8-6 in the top of the third inning I thought this game would be bitter battle until the end,  they scored two runs in the top of the third and we again answered with the inning limit of five runs.  Now with the score 13-8, I felt we could out-pace the Cubs and we did.  The final score was 20-11 and this was a great way to head into the play-offs.  Only Declan pitched his limit so all our remaining pitchers are available for Tuesday's game. 

Here is what the season's final standings look like.  Hat's off to Bill's Dodgers.  They have been consistent all year and are clearly the team to beat in the play-offs. 

As the season nears it's end, one more event took place that my son and a couple other players on the team had a chance to participate in, the annual Home Run Derby.  It was separated in to two groups, the nine year olds, and the ten and eleven year olds.  So many cars, so many people...

And you know what?  Some folks.... parked right on the other side of the home run fence!  I won't comment. :)

Before the Home Run Derby began we coaches collected to discuss the play-off picture and the guys were nice enough to gather for a group photo.  These guys are a class act.  There was so much good emphasis this year on keeping the games fun for the kids and helping the kids prepare through Minor A for the Majors next year.  We had no altercations or problems among ourselves.  Best of all for me is that the guys not only welcomed me to their little fraternity, they accepted me as one of the guys.  I could not be more appreciative.  I'm proud to call these guys my friends.  I'm sad to know I may not be around next year, at least not in this league as I may have to move from my home due to my recent divorce.  It makes this years memories all the more worthwhile.

Here below you can see the nine year olds lined up to the left and the ten and eleven year old batters are lined up to the right. 

The event lasted a solid 2 hours and the top three home run hitters from each group won awards.  Everyone was awarded a medal for taking part. 

Tonight is Canal Little League’s annual Home Run Derby.  The e-mail between parents and coaches seems to be buzzing lately and I have to admit it seems like it will be a festive event.  I’ve entered my son Declan in it without any great expectations.  He has been hitting the ball quite well this year but only occasionally gets up under the ball so I don’t think he’s going to be a long-baller this year.  I’ve umpired a number of games this year and I can clearly see some great long-ball hitters so I think tonight should be a lot of fun. 

I have a friend coming to watch tonight along with family.  Between themselves and the parent friends, my coaches and team mother ...heck the other coaches in the league there tonight and yep ...even a number of the other parents from other teams I’ve gotten to know, I have to say the friendly atmosphere at the fields has some charm.  I still can’t get over how good the other coaches have been to me this year and the manner in which they’ve accepted me as one of the guys.  I’ll miss that when the season ends, but I’ve made some new poker buddies! LOL  But my overall point is that the events the league has put together at Canal Little League have been really great for families and friends. Life is what you make it and I’ve come to see that if you enjoy something this much, you really get a lot out of it.  Even my youngest son Dalton has made many new friends.  Parents from other teams know him and coaches know him by name, it puts a smile on my face to know he ...   more »

What a year of Canal little league it has been.  The season is almost over and it feels like it just begun.   There is still so much to enjoy, from the last few games and the anticipation of who we will play in the playoffs, to this week's home run derby and All-Stars.   And then of course the playoffs begin. 

We now stand at a respectable 7-5 record and play again this afternoon with our final game of the season next Saturday.  I've gone from that "green" manager that didn't know anyone or how things worked to being one of the guys. I’ve proven to my fellow managers I’m a positive guy and I’ve learned how to umpire games with a number under my belt now.  And frankly I owe that to the league, the other managers have become good friends and our Minor A division has been free of any problems all season.  While I've heard of problems around the league, thankfully I know of none in our division.  It starts with the managers and coaches and I think I learned a lot from the ones I've managed along with.  My two coaches have been amazing to me.  They have stood back and let me make all my decisions without challenging me and they helped me understand things with complete respect.   They should have been managers themselves this year.  Great guys, I'm speaking of Pete and Robert.  I'll leave last names out for privacy.  But they deserve a nod if they ever read this.

I can't speak enough of how rewarding experiences like this are.  They bring out the best in people and I wasn't kidding when I said I was hooked.  I want to do this more.  It even motivated me to contact the Wilmington Blue Rocks ...   more »

I was about to take the boys swimming (Monday's are swim night here at the Hacienda) when a coach mentioned it being picture night!  Whoops!   Now let's see if the boys can cool it down long enough for a team photo!  I wonder if I can fit Dalton in! LOL  Now all I have to remember is Canal Day weekend! LOL... Friday May 18th through the 19th.  Friday night the fireworks start at dusk.  Saturday the parade starts at 10:00 am.   I hear the event this year will be bigger than ever because of the need raise money for our new fields.

Wednesday May 16th is Red Robin night for Canal Little League but that was the night me and the boys were supposed to go see the Philly's and get our Ryan Howard bobble head doll! :(  Maybe I can just order take out and head for the game... LOL

... OK just got back from team photos and since I didn't submit this article earlier... I'll just continue and finish it now... LOL

Team photos were fun.  All the teams in the league show up and the kids play wall ball and chase each other around.  My youngest son Dalton saw some of his friends there and he was crazy funny.  He ended up throwing his hat on the roof of one building and about 10 people had to work to get it down.  Little stinker.

What is most funny is I ended up getting Dalton his own individual photos.  He put his brothers jersey on and they gave him a bat, he stood on a box... It was cute.    I paid to get him the photos where he gets a trading card of himself.  I hope it comes out. :)

While relaxing the other day, I whipped out my notebook and decided to compile the team batting averages.  If you are a team parent this info may be fun to check out.

Matt bats in the starting position and with a 800 percent on base percentage you can see why. Ray leads the team in batting average at 591 and Declan follows at an even 500. Matt is in a close third spot at 455. Another interesting note is look at all those walks... I'm also impressed with Declan, Jack, Alex and Ray with minimal strike outs. Ray leads with only 1 strike out all season to date.

Who knew?  Today we played the Marlins and I felt bad our fun came at the hands of their loss.  I got an e-mail from the division manager about some teams with players not being respectful after games.  I have to wonder who would be doing such a thing?  My players are having too much fun to be rude to other teams, and I’m proud of their parents for raising kids that don’t belittle themselves with such comments.

Let me tell you about the game.  First off what a day for baseball!  I arrived almost late as my jersey and my son’s uniform were wet in the dryer!  Somehow early in the morning when I put them in the dryer, it shut off after I left the room... grrrr.  So I got to the fields in a rush having also to pick up another parents boy on my way to the game. 

Thankfully my game-plan was prepped two days in advance and my coach and parents have our routine down.

The game began with a bang.  We shut them down 1-2-3 in the top of the first and my Rockies scored 5 runs.  We never looked back, and I took this time to make the game for my boys about “respect” and having respect for the other team.  I did not decide to get into the why as much as the fact you “just do it”.   At one point we were in jeapoardy of taking a 10 run lead which would end the game.  I decided to stop stealing bases and only score off of hits which would slow the pace.  I shared this with the other team manager and insisted I knew ...   more »

This first year managing in Canal Little League has been one good experience after another.  Tonight our Rockies did the unexpected.  In a game we just planned to have fun in, we won.  I say this because all us managers know the regular season games don’t matter, and tonight I really just wanted to get players into positions they wanted to play and try out.  So... Alex Romano got his chance to pitch.  Not just pitch, but be the starting pitcher.  And for his first outing, he did great.  Sure they got some runs off of him, but what was impressive was he kept his composure and didn’t let anything get him down.

And once again that seems to be the common thread I’m seeing from game-to-game.  These young boys are not getting upset, not getting rattled, and they are not taking the game too serious. 

My son Declan played catcher the whole game and he almost gunned three runners but things just didn’t fall into place for him in terms of the tag-outs.  At one point he got dust in his eyes and the umpire needed to call a time out for him.   I did something that caught everyone off guard.  I had him look straight up, hold his eye open and licked his eyeball.  Imagine the looks on people’s faces that didn’t know I was his father!  LOL   Someone special to me once taught me that.   It does work. If you ever get something caught in your eye, have someone you trust and feel is healthy enough to lick the object out.  My son was just as surprised and wanted to be upset, but then realized... “you got it!”...   more »

I won't go on here, but I'm thrilled!  My boys won a hard fought game today with the Orioles and I must say this was a game that could have gone either way.   Our starting pitcher Declan wasn't at his best, and neither was theirs early on.  We brought in Raymond VonBerge and he almost struck on the sides three innings running and this proved to be the big change in the game. 

First inning, we come out of the gate slow. They score 4 runs, but we answer back with 5.  Then they hold us off in the second inning and score 5 of their own.  Now we could have folded up but we gave a big chant in the dugout, "Fight back!" and we didn't give up.  By the fourth inning we had a one run lead and when Raymond came in, that was it.  He was a lights out closer for three innings straight.  Magnificent!  We added three more insurance runs in the 6th inning and finished the game with a 13-9 win.  I'm thrilled to a part of a team of boys that just are not affected by adversity.  The winning is a bonus, but what is really a great feeling is they just keep having fun.   Our positive energy creed is going a long way and now we are 4 wins and 3 losses!  I'm proud of these boys.  What a day it's been and the portion I dedicated to Canal Little League today was some absolute great fun! 

I'm proud to share that the Rockies have evened their record to three and three, three wins, three losses.  But more important, the team spirit of positive thinking and confidence brought them the win.  And even if they had not won, they still would have walked off the field feeling good.

Tonight we won 8-4 and again with respect.  Ray Vonberge led the way with two doubles and two steals.   Our starting pitcher tonight was Robert Malin, and at age 9, he has proven why he was an all-star last year.   One great thing about good pitching is it allows me as a coach to get all the players in the game and get them all plenty of playing time. 

We actually had an early practice before the game too, we started at 4:30!  I think that paid off too as we practiced sliding and relay throws as well as bunt situations.  I got to see yet another boy pitch and now I think we have 7 pitchers in rotation! 

I was grateful to God tonight as another parent came to me a thanked me for how I handled a player situation.  I'll leave names out of it, but one young man e-mailed me saying "coach I won't let you down again..." when in fact, he never let me down.  So I let him know that he made no mistakes in the first place and that I was thankful he was able to make his own decisions prior.  His father told me it meant a lot to him that I followed up and this meant a ton to me as a coach to know my efforts are not falling on deaf ears.  I know I won't always make the right decisions, but I believe I have the gumption ...   more »

Tonight the Canal Little League Rockies play game six.   We are currently two wins and three losses.  We've been outscored this season 48 to 36 in terms of total number runs throughout all five of our games.   I look at those numbers and think, "We are scoring runs. I'm a first year manager, I think this is good."

I think it is good because I pretty much was handed a team of players and fate put most all of them in my hands.  I'm thrilled to have the group I do.  Here is why.   They have responded to positive thinking.  They have responded to positive energy.  I'm a firm believer in that.  I've always believed that the mind moves towards what it sees... if you never quit you get there... and thoughts on these lines are a constant in my life. Anything worth having is worth fighting for... the analogies go on...

I want to hand over that positive way of thinking to these boys.   In every situation you are not going to be dealt the cards you want.  And you have to make the best of it. You understand your weaknesses, work around them and of course most of all you play on your positives.  The saying, "make lemonade out of lemons" is fitting here. 

Now having said that, I can't stress enough these boys are not lemons. LOL   Only two are struggling mechanically and there again; they have a lot of heart and still make just as much contact swinging at the ball as kids that have played for two years already.  They make my case abundantly.  If you want something bad enough you can make it happen.    I've watched a group of young boys come together as a team in a short time.  ...   more »

Tonight I want to talk about something positive and wonderful.  My son’s little league team just came off a big win.  And while I reminded them that not all games would go like this and they had to enjoy the moment for what it is, I sure was proud and happy for them. And believe me I was conflicted over this too, because the team we beat’s coach is someone I really respect and like.  I was super quick to remind our boys when the game was over to respect the other team.

So here is what happened... My son just recovered from a bad bout of vertigo on Monday and got his chance to pitch tonight.   And this season he has gone through nothing less than a magical change.  He has pitched with amazing control.  He has drawn compliments from umpires and coaches and the parents on our team.  His team mates respect him and I have to say for a little boy that just loved baseball last year, he has made his father one proud man.  He’s had a rough past year with family matters, and this is his time.  He has not only pitched very well on a consistent basis, he has not struck out in three games.  He’s hit the ball in important game situations and I’m just floored.  It’s not every day a father can have so much to go on about with legitimate reason.  I’m not a dad that just wants to ogle over my son, the boy really is performing at a level worth praise.  I managed to video record him stealing third and then stealing home too.

Declan Steals Third - Requires Quicktime (.mov file)

Declan ...   more »

So which is it? Winning isn't everything or winning is everything?  This weekend I got a glimpse into that concept.  You see, as a new little league manager I have a philosophy that is in a minority.  That is that the boys I'm working with (and getting to know) need to improve their own individual game.  Winning is more fun that losing, but at this level, winning can't come at all costs.  It has to come secondary to the child growing as a player; both physically (which I can't really control much if at all) to mentally, (which I can impact).

So last night we were in a game that was continued from last week when we ran out of light.   It was a great game.  My son pitched the day before so he was unavailable for pitching, as were other pitchers I used.   We were in a tight spot.  I had two pitchers left that I could use and they came through.  Things were going well.  My boys all did as they were told in the field and things we practiced in the past two days before each game were being done.  I was very proud of them.  Their parents were too.  You could see that these boys were different.  They were better.  They had wrapped their heads around the game in a way they had not in weeks past.  Their confidence is growing and that has translated into better success for each of them physically.  For instance they are all swinging at the ball and hitting it more. 

What I'm leading up to is this.  Between last Thursday and last night (Sunday), we drastically improved.   I identified what we could do to turn thing around, planned out how to practice a fix, and in two games we changed.  I ...   more »

Tonight we had our first scrimmage game!  You could say we won,  but let’s face it, nobody cares about scrimmage games.  We played Jim Reynold’s team the Yankees.  I’ve gotten to know the other managers and it has been a lot of fun making new friends.  I’ve invited him and others to Poker night ...   more »

It's been a month now of pre-season little league manager responsibilities.  I've now been through draft day where I selected players, a mandatory all day umpire clinic and field day.   There has been a lot of paperwork, forging relationships with the coaches of my team, the other managers in my division and the parents of the children.  Then there has ...   more »

Today was a fantastic day.  I feel I've made so many new friends from being a volunteer. By volunteering to be a little league team manager I've come to really appreciate what doing for others can do for yourself inside.  From fellow managers in the league to parents of players and people involved in the league.  This has been a ...   more »

Last year I promised my son I would manage a team in his little league.  This year I kept that promise.  I did it for two reasons ultimately.  First was my promise.  But as I suffered a sudden change in life last fall, divorce ...I realized I had to live a full and rich life otherwise I may get caught ...   more »

We have accomplished three team practices now with one being an evening at the batting cages.  Sunday was our most recent practice where I got excellent feedback from the kids AND parents.  I'm happy about this because it is my first year as manager and I've found that good planning was the key.  I mapped out the activities and time.  I ...   more »

I just got an e-mail from a parent of a child on the team I manage. I've really thrown myself into this Little League manager role.  It has been demanding fast.  It even put a kink in my social life, in a way.  Now my social outlets take place at my home now as a result.  So I've taken some time to research and get ...   more »

Today I'm writing about my first practice with the kids.  And I'll share some baseball philosophy and how it relates to our daily lives. I even have a poo-poo story involving my son Dalton. <laugh>.

Last evening was the first practice for the Canal Little League Rockies team.  We used it as a chance to get a look at ...   more »

A Promise Kept To My Son
Last year my son played in his second year of little league.  Ironically he played in the same little league I played in when I was a boy.  I promised him this year I’d manage a team.  When you manage a team you automatically get your son on your team.  This thrilled my son ...   more »