2011 Newsletter www.norfolkbaseball.com P.O. Box 176 Norfolk, MA 02056

Baseball Is Back!

Winning

The American culture is a Win-at-all-cost culture, and we have to work to shift our focus away from the scoreboard. What’s more important is a “Mastery” definition, where we care most about our players’ giving their maximum effort, continuing to learn and improve, and dealing well with mistakes when they happen. Again, we introduce specific tools (such as "flushing" mistakes, in which a coach makes the motion of flushing the toilet after a player makes a mistake, which symbolizes that the mistake is done and everybody’s moving on).

Following is a script you can use to redefine “winner” for your players. You probably will want to alter this script, depending on the players’ ages and level of competition, as well as your own personal style. However, the core message here can empower players of all ages.

“ is a great game and a great way to learn important lessons that can help us later in life. I know that I learned a lot from playing competitive sports when I was your age. I want to tell you about a goal I have for the team and for each of you individually this season. It's called "Act like a winner to be a winner."

There are two kinds of winners. One kind of winner is the team that scores the most runs. We want to be that kind of winner, and we will work as hard as we can to win as many games as we can.

The other kind of winner is just as important. That is a winner in life, not just baseball. That kind of winner works to master whatever he is trying to do. In baseball, we want to master skills, such as hitting, fielding and pitching, and as we learn those things, we also will learn how to master anything else we want to be good at.

To help remember the important parts of how we master baseball or anything else, think of a tree, and let’s call it the ELM Tree of Mastery, because the things we need to think about start with the first letters E, L and M: Effort, Learning and Mistakes.

E is for Effort. We give our best effort every time we’re on the field. I am more concerned that we try our hardest than I am with the kind of winning where we score the most runs.

We could win against a weak team without giving it our best effort, and that win doesn't mean much. On the other hand, we could play a strong team, and even if we lose on the scoreboard, if we try our very hardest, I will be proud and you should be proud, too. So the first part of the ELM tree is E for Effort.

L is for Learning. We will learn and improve at every practice and every game. That is more important than whether or not we score more runs than the other team. Again, we could beat a weak team, but without learning and improving, the win doesn’t mean much. And even if we lose to stronger team, we can still be happy with our learning and improvement. So the second part of the ELM tree is L for Learning.

M is for Mistakes. Mistakes are part of how we learn. You can't learn and improve if you are afraid to make mistakes. On our team, mistakes are OK, as long as we learn from them and don’t let them discourage us. So, the third part of the ELM tree is M for Mistakes are OK. If you can remember these three things, you’ll be a winner in baseball and in life.

This information is brought to you by Positive Coaching Alliance

J O I N T H E F UN! Norfolk Baseball is run purely by our volunteers. Please make an effort to enrich your children’s experience and volunteer your time. You’ll have as much fun as they do! Join us at our monthly meetings, usually held the first Sunday evening of each month at 7:00 pm at the Norfolk Public Library. Check the website for details on the next meeting.

“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is.” - Bob Feller

N O R F O L K B A S E B A L L S CHOLARSHIP The Fifth Annual Joseph M. DiRienzo, Jr. Memorial Scholarship

The application for the Fifth Annual Joseph M. DiRienzo, Jr. Memorial Scholarship is now available. This $1000 scholarship is available to a high school graduate of the class of 2011 planning on continuing their education at a college, university, or vocational school. For a complete list of requirements as well as the application form itself, click here. This form is also available at the Guidance Department at King Philip High School, Norfolk Aggie, Tri-County, and some local private schools. This scholarship was set up to honor Joseph DiRienzo, an integral part of Norfolk Baseball in his eleven years of service to the organization.

“Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer.” – Ted Williams

T H A N K S T O O U R S PONSORS

Your support and continued commitment to Norfolk Baseball is greatly appreciated.

Baseball Reads

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R U L E N O T E S F O R 2 0 1 1 Check your bat! “The moratorium is not the result of Little League changing its bat standards, nor was it influenced by any relationships with bat manufacturers,” Patrick W. Wilson, Vice President of Operations at Little League International, said. “The decision to place the moratorium on composite bats in Little League’s baseball divisions is based solely on the fact that scientific research showed that composite-barreled bats may exceed the performance standard that is printed on the bats, after the bats had been broken in. Until that research was in hand there was no data to support an earlier decision.

A listing of licensed, non-wood/non-composite baseball bats for use in the Little League (Majors) Division and below can be found here: http://www.littleleague.org/Assets/forms_pubs/2011ApprovedNonWoodBatList.pdf (This list is updated regularly, please download for latest version)

O P E N I N G D AY IS ALSO P I C T U R E D AY

Opening Day for Norfolk Baseball will be Saturday, April 23 so mark your calendars now! As in past years, the day’s festivities will kick-off with a parade from the H. Olive Day Elementary School to the Freeman Centennial Elementary School starting at 12:00 pm. We’ll have a big barbecue, the presentation of the 2011 Joseph M. DiRienzo Jr. Memorial Scholarship and of course some great baseball!

Also, we’re planning on taking team and individual pictures on Opening Day at the Freeman Centennial School, rain (in the gym) or shine (on the T-ball field). Teams will be notified of their exact time slot closer to the day.

Click on this logo on the Norfolk Baseball website homepage

B A S E B A L L T RIVIA ! Questions are tough, so you might want to ask mom, dad, brother, sister, a friend or your coach for help. Read each one, make your best guess, answers below Good luck!

1. In a game, a runner is on first base, but the runner leaves the base during the ’s windup. The catcher, seeing the runner has made it to second base easily, does not even bother to try to throw the runner out. What’s the call? a) “Runner is out” b) “Runner goes back to first base” c) “No call, it is a stolen base” d) “Please give Dugout a doughnut”

2. Who is the only person to play in the Little League , the College Baseball World Series, and the World Series? a) Ed Vosberg b) c) Nolan Ryan d) Dugout’s cousin, “Bucky”

3. Jamie is a Little League player. One weekend at the ballpark, Jamie is asked by the Maintenance Supervisor to ride along on the riding lawnmower as the fields are mowed. What should Jamie do? a) Ride along and learn how to use the mower b) Ride along, but wear a helmet c) Tell the Maintenance Supervisor, “No thanks, that’s dangerous.” d) Offer to do the mowing.

S U M M E R B ASEBALL Musing from the Summer Coordinator,

The snow is almost gone, and our spring season is about to begin. That means Summer Baseball cannot be that far away. Norfolk Baseball's Summer Program is coming off of one our most successful seasons ever. Our program had over 120 players involved at all levels. Our Junior level Friendship, Hockomock and Sizzler teams had fantastic seasons with the Sizzler 11-12 team winning their Division. Our Barnstormer teams fared well and our pilot program with Wrentham for our Baseball Age 7 and 8s was a success, and will continue this year. This Summer season will hopefully bring the same enjoyment as last year. Norfolk's Summer Baseball Program will continue to be involved in the Hockomock, Sizzler, Barnstormer and Friendship leagues, and we will continue to work with Wrentham to develop our intra-town league for Players baseball age 7 and 8. . The kids learn a ton and have a great time. Summer ball is a great way to keep the kids playing a great sport. Please see the summer league website http://norfolkbaseball.com/summerbaseball.aspx for more details about each league and player eligibility.

Stay tuned for information regarding our summer baseball evaluation day.

KP C UP

One of the highlights of the spring baseball season is Norfolk Baseball’s participation in the annual KP Cup & KP Jr. Cup Tournaments. Each year, Norfolk’s Majors and AAA teams face teams from Wrentham and Plainville in a weekend-long tournament in pursuit of the KP Cup. The tournaments, held during the weekend of May 21st, provide a great opportunity for Norfolk ballplayers to compete with our neighboring KP towns in an exciting tournament format. Last year, Dave Lannigan’s Norfolk Giants hoisted the KP Cup and ran the string of Norfolk Baseball KP Cup Champions to 4 years in a row! It’s a tribute to Norfolk Baseball’s quality baseball program that a different Norfolk Majors team has won it each year. Can a Norfolk team step up and make it 5 years in a row??? Details of the tournament will be posted on www.norfolkbaseball.com as they become available.

“THE way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the team won’t be worth a dime.” - Babe Ruth C O N C E S S I O N S TANDS You will find Dan Shiels once again in charge of “The Home Plate” for the 2011 spring baseball season! We welcome back Dan as our Concession Stand Manager. His enthusiasm and dedication have added a whole new dimension at the field. Please continue to support our concession stands this season through your purchases and volunteering. Each team will share the staffing for a week with another Little League team. Please see your team parent for your shift assignment.

T E A M P A R E N T C OORDINATOR A big thank-you goes out to Mary Williamson for taking on the role as Team Parent Coordinator. This position will be a great assistance to all the Team Managers.

M ANAGER ’ S A N D C O A C H E S M EETING Norfolk Baseball will host its annual coach's meeting at Norfolk Public Library on Friday, April 8th at 7pm. All managers and coaches at all levels of play are expected to participate. At this meeting, managers get their team equipment, learn drills, and get all the information they need to make their season a safe and fun experience for everyone involved with their team.

F I E L D M AINTENANCE All are encouraged to help out with field maintenance. The Majors Field is Saturday, April 9th starting at 8:30am. All other fields are the following week, Saturday, April 16th also starting at 8:30am. Bring your rake! B A S E B A L L T R I V I A A NSWERS

Her are the answers. How did you do?

1. In a Little League Baseball game, a runner is on first base, but the runner leaves the base during the pitcher’s windup. The catcher, seeing the runner has made it to second base easily, does not even bother to try to throw the runner out. What’s the call?

The correct answer is b) “Runner goes back to first base.” In this division, the runner cannot leave the base until the ball reaches the batter. If he or she does, in this case, they have to return to the base.

2. Who is the only person to play in the Little League World Series, the College Baseball World Series, and the Major League Baseball World Series?

The correct answer is a) Ed Vosberg. He was the first baseman for Cactus Little League of Tucson, Ariz., in the 1973 Little League Baseball World Series final, after pitching a one-hitter against Birmingham, Michigan, in the semifinals. He earned a baseball scholarship to the , where he played on the NCAA national championship team in 1980. Ed eventually made it to the Major Leagues, and played for the Florida Marlins in the 1997 Major League World Series. You can find Ed’s name in a year- by-year history of Little League.

Ed Vosberg bio - http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Ed_Vosberg History of Little League - http://www.littleleague.org/learn/about/historyandmission/chronology.htm

Jason Varitek became the second player to accomplish the rare triple. Little League World Series – 1984, Altamonte Springs, Florida. NCAA Runner-up - Georgia Tech, MLB World Series Champion - 2004 Boston Red Sox

3. Jamie is a Little League Softball player. One weekend at the ballpark, she is asked by the Maintenance Supervisor to ride along on the riding lawnmower as the fields are mowed. What should Jamie do?

The correct answer is c) Tell the Maintenance Supervisor, “No thanks, that’s dangerous.” Kids should never ride along on mowers. There’s lots of safety tips for adults and kids available in the newsletters here: http://www.littleleague.org/learn/newsletters/ASAP_Newsletter.htm