Orioles News – May 8, 2011 Coach Jayson Lucas Asst. Coach Rich Koltas Note that practices this week are Tuesday and Thursday Playing Time Game playing time will be reduced for missing games and practices, poor attitudes, and failure to follow the Code of Conduct. Happy Mother’s Day! Memorial Day Tournament We have a three game guarantee for the tournament. There are five teams registered for our age bracket. This means our chances are quite good. First and second place teams will get team and individual awards! Tournament t-shirts are $10 each and must be submitted in one team order by May 13. We will collect money at Sunday’s game and at practice on Tuesday. We need sizes and a check payable to Jayson Lucas. Sizes are Youth S, M, L; Adult M, L, XL, XXL. We need parent volunteers from our team to assist during either the prep week of May 23, or a 2-hour shift during the tournament. The prep work can be done anytime during that week and will include stuffing coach packets, sorting the t- shirts, getting and setting up decorations, and setting up the check in table (Friday afternoon). Please email Michaela at [email protected] and if you are available to volunteer. Provide your phone and email, and preference as to what kind of prep work or a tournament shift. Coach Lucas Comments on the Second Week of Games We struggled on Friday evening with mental errors. Players weren’t keeping their heads in the game. We had at least two instances of players not calling the ball. We were lucky that our players didn’t collide like the Rockies at first base. Luckily, no one was hurt. I am proud of our players for staying in the game when we were down 6 runs, ending with a final score of 10-13. It was a loss, but we fought until the last out. We need to work on fielding and catching the ball. Be prepared for infield and outfield drills in practice. Better prepare yourself by practicing on your own and thinking about where you are throwing the ball when it comes to you. A few highlights: “Cassanova” Devin had a great throw from shortstop to first for an out early in the game. “Ladies Man” Nate and “Dink” Aaron had doubles in the third inning to put up 3 runs. Saturday brought a win with “Wheels” on the mound. His pitching was strong with 10 strikeouts. Our players showed great patience at the plate providing us with walks and base runners to score. We played the top of the 6th for fun. Two strikeouts and a catch in center field was all it took for the three batters we faced. A few highlights: “Ladies Man” Nate was robbed in the first with a strong shot to center field. Unfortunately, the center fielder was right there to gobble it up. Ironically, Nate was in center field the last inning for some payback making the last out of the game with a nice catch. “Crockpot” Chris had 5 walks in the two games with three runs scored. He has strong patience at the plate. Along with Chris, “Quiet Man” Cody, “Sultan of Swat” Ryan, and “Mc-D” Sam each scored twice in Saturday’s game. Too bad the bases were empty when “Dink” Aaron drove the ball to right center. It was a nice triple and he would later score. We had a great 2-out rally in the third, putting up three runs. Thank you to Tucker and Zach for running the scoreboard at Saturday’s game. Thanks also to Joe Polito and Bob Walters for helping with the scorebook for us this weekend. By the way, Animal Kingdom took the Kentucky Derby for those of us in the stands bummed about the game time overlapping the “most exciting two minutes in sports.” Practices & Games This Week Tuesday, May 10, 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., Black Elk Park Everyone wear hats Forecast: Partly cloudy, high of 87 Thursday, May 12, 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., Black Elk Park Everyone wear pants and hats Forecast: Mostly cloudy, high of 68 Saturday, May 14, 4:00 p.m., GAME 7 vs. Marlins, Andersen #2 (13625 Cottner Street) Drink Schedule: McDermott Be in full uniform and meet at the field 45 minutes prior to game time. If games before us end early, we will start early. DOUBLE-HEADER: Sunday, May 15, 12:00 p.m., GAME 8 at Cubs, Rockwell (6370 So. 140th Ave.) Drink Schedule: Walters Be in full uniform and meet at the field 45 minutes prior to game time. If games before us end early, we will start early. DOUBLE-HEADER: Sunday, May 15, 5:30 p.m., GAME 9 vs. Astros, Rockwell (6370 So. 140th Ave.) Drink Schedule: Busch Be in full uniform and meet at the field 45 minutes prior to game time. If games before us end early, we will start early. Area of Emphasis for This Week Mental preparation! This Week in Baseball History May 9, 1973: Johnny Bench (one of Coach Lucas’s favorite players), all-star catcher for the Cincinnati Reds, hit three homeruns in one game against Cy Young winner Steve Carlton. As he had also homered in his previous at bat the game before, it gave him four homeruns in four consecutive trips to the plate, tying a major league record. Even more amazingly, it was his second three-homer day. He had also hit three and drove in seven runs one year earlier to the day, also against Carlton. He was Rookie of the Year in 1968, and really broke out in 1970 leading the National League with 45 homeruns and 148 RBIs while batting .293. He was National League MVP in 1970 and 1972. In 1972, Cincinnati’s famed “Big Red Machine” of the 1970s – considered one of the finest teams in baseball history – was led by Sparky Anderson to a National League pennant. Unfortunately, they lost in Game 7 of the World Series to the powerful Oakland A’s. Bench was the leader of the team that included Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, George Foster, and Dave Concepcion. He is remembered for his pioneering catching style which is now replicated by nearly every major league catcher. He was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989 and named starting catcher of the Major League Baseball’s All-Century team in 1999. May 12, 1970: Ernie Banks of the Chicago Cubs hit his 500th career homerun. He was known as “Mr. Cub” for his personality and love of the game, even through losing season after losing season. He was famous for his catch phrase, “It’s a beautiful day for a ballgame… Let’s play two!”, expressing his wish to play a doubleheader everyday out of his pure love for baseball. Banks had one of his best years in 1955, hitting 44 homeruns and 5 grand slams, a single-season record that stood for 30 years. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977. Website Remember to visit our webpage on the MAA website regularly, especially in case of changes in practice times or locations. http://www.millardathletics.com/page/show/297020-orioles?subseason=42165 See the new feature stories on Ryan and Wolf! We would love to have more stories or updates on the players from time to time. This could be a story written by the player himself or the parents, or just a news item about a school recognition, good report card, etc. Think of this as your chance to brag about how great all these kids are! Please send news items and stories to Michaela Lucas at [email protected] .