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Junior Jocks 14

John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 03 2014 08:39 AM

Couldn't locate the old thread. We're starting over in the Cal Ripken/NYC babe Ruth league in Central Park beginning Saturday (weather permitting). This league has a manageable schedule (same time/place every week) and employs "professional" coaches (I think, local college ballplayers, ect) to avoid the parent-hell. Gamedays are 1 hour practice and 1 hour play.

seawolf17 Apr 05 2014 10:35 AM Re: Junior Jocks 14

We start at 4:00 today. Beautiful day for baseball. Returned seven of our twelve from last season, so I like our team (and more importantly, our parents).

Fman99 Apr 05 2014 10:48 AM Re: Junior Jocks 14

After a one year hiatus to try lacrosse, Fboy has returned to Little League this year also. We missed the first two practices while on vacation but he'll start on Monday. No word yet on which MLB team Fboy will be on, the coach (my neighbor) is a Phillies fan I believe.

metirish Apr 05 2014 05:31 PM Re: Junior Jocks 14

Lorcan had no interest in T-Ball this year, so I didn't push it, going to try soccer I think.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 05 2014 07:35 PM Re: Junior Jocks 14

We got to Central Park at 8 only to find the Parks Department had ixnayed the fields due to rain last night. However they all got into unis and teams, seems like a fun league and Central Park at 8 on a spring morning is a dynamite setting.

metirish Apr 05 2014 07:50 PM Re: Junior Jocks 14

That takes effort to go there from Brooklyn, fair fucks lad.

Mets – Willets Point Apr 05 2014 08:22 PM Re: Junior Jocks 14

Teeball starts in three weeks. I can't wait for the opening day parade. I think younger Point is ready to hit pitched balls but he isn't showing signs of boredom yet, thankfully.

metsmarathon Apr 05 2014 08:43 PM Re: Junior Jocks 14

minimm won't be old enough for organized baseball around here for another year. boo. he has mentioned that he wants to run some more kid races this year. specifically a marathon, but he mightn't be quite up for it.

HahnSolo Apr 09 2014 09:51 AM Re: Junior Jocks 14

Toeing the rubber on opening day.

Centerfield May 20 2014 09:20 AM Re: Junior Jocks 14

After starting the season 0-3, the Suns are now BLAZING HOT and in the midst of a 2 game win streak. Part of the reason for the 0-3 start (some argue) is that the coach is too busy taking pics of his son at pitcher and not noticing that his second baseman is grossly out of position.

seawolf17 May 20 2014 09:27 AM Re: Junior Jocks 14

The Diamondbacks are 1-8-1 on the season. It's been a slog to say the least, although I love my team. We should have at least three more Ws; the baseball gods have been harsh. Thankfully, there's no standings in our league, so it doesn't "matter," necessarily. Got rained out this past weekend for the first time this season, but it was against the team that "randomly" has all the travel kids on it and is managed by the guy from the league board of directors (WHAT A COINCIDENCE!), so fuck that guy. I'm not rescheduling. Apparently, I've been (one of?) the only managers in our division who's been actually following league rules -- in terms of keeping my lineup set (bases loaded? just send up the big hitter!) and actually rotating my defense (no more than three innings total at 1b/3b/p), but we've got six games left and all bets are off now. It's time for me to stand up and enforce these other dickbag managers to play by the fucking rules, and to wake these little kid umpires up and tell them to grow a fucking set of balls.

Edgy MD May 20 2014 09:46 AM Re: Junior Jocks 14

Use those exact words. Loudly! Mitch Williams would do no less!

Centerfield May 20 2014 10:12 AM Re: Junior Jocks 14

seawolf17 wrote: The Diamondbacks are 1-8-1 on the season. It's been a slog to say the least, although I love my team. We should have at least three more Ws; the baseball gods have been harsh. Thankfully, there's no standings in our league, so it doesn't "matter," necessarily. Got rained out this past weekend for the first time this season, but it was against the team that "randomly" has all the travel kids on it and is managed by the guy from the league board of directors (WHAT A COINCIDENCE!), so fuck that guy. I'm not rescheduling. Apparently, I've been (one of?) the only managers in our division who's been actually following league rules -- in terms of keeping my lineup set (bases loaded? just send up the big hitter!) and actually rotating my defense (no more than three innings total at 1b/3b/p), but we've got six games left and all bets are off now. It's time for me to stand up and enforce these other dickbag managers to play by the fucking rules, and to wake these little kid umpires up and tell them to grow a fucking set of balls. Very irritating to us to. We notice that on a lot of these teams the same kids rotate between P, SS and 1B the entire game. One guy actually put two kids on the mound, one of the right, one on the left. Makes you wonder about these guys who feel they have to cheat at little league. One thing I can do is look all my parents in the face afterwards and feel good that I've given their kids a chance to play the fun positions.

HahnSolo May 21 2014 02:12 PM Re: Junior Jocks 14

How old are your kids? Curious because Little Solo is 10 and playing both travel and little league, and both are fairly competitive. I would say that in my little league when you got to "minors" (9-10 year old) is when you started to see the divide between win-at-all-cost guys and the everybody-gets-a-ribbon guys. Of course that is when they start to count wins/losses and have standings and seeded playoffs. And nothing written about minimum playing time in certain positions (I think the rule is 3 or 4 innings in the field and at least 1 plate appearance). In majors (where he is now, 10-12 y.o.) it's everybody have fun, but hold on there, we are trying to win, so if your kid's not good, he'll see a lot of the lesser positions.

Centerfield May 21 2014 03:00 PM Re: Junior Jocks 14

My son is 8. Hard for the boys to keep score. They haven't learned their numbers yet.

seawolf17 May 22 2014 08:26 AM Re: Junior Jocks 14

Centerfield wrote: My son is 8. Hard for the boys to keep score. They haven't learned their numbers yet. Yeah, all our kids are eight too. We keep score, but not standings. So my kids know they're 1-9-1, but it doesn't matter in the long run. Frustrating loss last night to a team we tied last time. We're down 5-1 heading to the bottom of the third. We score a run and load the bases for one of our big boppers; true to form, he delivers a shot that splits the outfielders and clears the bases, tying the game. The following half inning, though, the wheels came off. Ground ball through the third baseman's legs for a double, an out that popped out of my first baseman's glove, my left fielder freezing instead of throwing the ball in, everyone overthrowing everyone. Awful. Five runs without recording an out. Top five, down 10-5, last inning because it's getting dark. All they need is one run, because we have a five-runs-per-inning cap. Line drive that my second baseman literally jumped and caught, single, single, K. Two out, winning run at third. Ground ball to short, which BOUNCES OUT OF HIS GLOVE. I nearly died. Somehow he recovered quickly enough to grab the ball and step on second to end the inning without a run scoring. Bottom five -- K, K, single, 4-3. Urg. Having been through the league once -- only four games left -- we're competitive, just (mostly) unlucky. In every game, we have one inning where the wheels come off like that, and we've lost all but one of those nine games by less than five runs. Every kid has shown dramatic improvement this season, though, so we're doing something right.

John Cougar Lunchbucket May 23 2014 06:48 PM Re: Junior Jocks 14

If it's a Friday night, it must be raining, therefore putting the (I think) 5th weekend of early-morning Central Park baseball under threat. That's more than half the season so far. Been a real struggle this year as we have the 8 am slot and the Central Park folks refuse to allow play on wet fields. We weren't even supposed to be playing this weekend, but prior rainouts forced it but now looks likely we'll lose that too. Kids are having fun when they do play, a big step back in competitiveness from the fucked-up league we played in last year, but ideally we'd find some kind of compromise. Been talking with some Dads about organizing a Fall League to meet that need.

Edgy MD May 24 2014 08:08 AM Re: Junior Jocks 14

Seems like a frustrating season. When is grass not wet at 8:00 AM in the spring in Central Park? You guys need to meet for a Friday evening beer-and-tarp-spreading ritual.

seawolf17 May 30 2014 07:14 PM Re: Junior Jocks 14

Games like tonight are both why I love my team and why I drink. Bottom 1: K, single, single, K, single and the Angels have the bases loaded. Kid hits a pea right past my shortstop's outstretched glove... which splits my outfielders and rolls all the way to the fence for a fluke grand slam. 4-0 Angels. Bottom 2: We're getting into position to start the inning, but the umpire sends the first pitch into the machine... which the leadoff batter dinks just past my third baseman and left fielder, neither one of whom was paying attention because they thought we hadn't started yet, for a double. He scores three batters later. 5-0 Angels. Top 3: Single, single, FC (out at third), single, K, and we've our best hitter up (who somehow struck out in the first) with the bases loaded and two outs. He swings and misses five times... but the umpire loses count and gives him a sixth pitch, which he promptly hits into left for an RBI single. The next hits an RBI single too, and we're back in it. 5-2. Bottom 3: Two out, runner on first, pop fly between my shortstop and third baseman... who collide but my 3B holds on for the big third out. Celebrations all around. Top 4: Our first three batters all K, but the umpire loses count again and says there are only two outs, giving us a fourth batter... who strikes out. Still 5-2 Angels. Bottom 4: Single, K, single (after I had to correct the other coach's batting order), K (after I had to correct him AGAIN), single, and the bases are loaded for a kid who couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat... who somehow makes contact enough to get it back to our pitcher, who throws it to first base in time... but it bounces off the 1B's glove and two runs score. 7-2 Angels. Top 5: Excitement! Single, K, single, FC (out at third), single, RBI single, RBI single, and we've got the tying run at first base, but we strike out to end the threat. 7-4 Angels is the final. So many chances -- extra outs, extra strikes -- but we just couldn't capitalize.

seawolf17 Jun 01 2014 06:55 PM Re: Junior Jocks 14

We can't catch a break for nothing. We scored seventeen runs last night. SEVENTEEN. And tied, game called on account of darkness.

Centerfield Jun 02 2014 07:17 AM Re: Junior Jocks 14

You guys are wusses. The Suns scored 22 runs, including 7 in the bottom of the 6th to win it in walkoff fashion. Ryan was 4 for 5, thus lowering his average to .875 for the year. Gotta love coach-pitch leagues where there are 5 strikes and no errors.