Orioles News – March 25, 2012

Coach Jayson Lucas Asst. Coach Rich Koltas

Welcome Thanks to everyone for attending the team meeting. We love the camaraderie among our family. We are pleased to welcome two new players this year: Spencer Lueders and Keegan Case. Be sure to welcome them and their families to the Orioles team.

To Do Items ___If you have not paid the $5 for the names on the back of the jerseys, please do so Tuesday at practice. ___For those that have not returned the signed copy of the Code of Conduct, please do so at practice as well. ___Join the Facebook page by searching for “Orioles MAA.”

First Practice Tuesday, March 27, 6:00-7:30 p.m. at Black Elk Park, 162nd and Z Streets It is important that we start practicing as soon as possible as we may have some rainouts along the way.

Schedule for This Week Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat. Sun. 3/26 3/27 3/28 3/29 3/30 3/31 4/1 6-7:30 pm 6-7:30 pm 10-11:30 am Practice Practice Practice Black Elk Black Elk Black Elk

Forecast: Sunny, Forecast: Partly Forecast: Isolated t- high 77 cloudy, high 71 storms, high 69

Looking Ahead to Next Week Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat. Sun. 4/2 4/3 4/4 4/5 4/6 4/7 4/8 6-7:30 pm Major League 6-7:30 pm 10:00-11:30 am Practice Opening Night – Practice Practice Black Elk Watch the Black Elk Black Elk Cardinals at the Marlins on tv BASEBBALL OPENING DAY – Watch a game on tv today Practice Locations Be sure to watch the calendar as our practice locations will change. Black Elk Park is a first-come, first served field. As we mentioned at the team meeting, we were able to secure confirmed fields starting April 9.

What to Bring to Practice  Hat – Important to shade eyes from the sun  Water – All players must stay hydrated.  Shorts or athletic pants – unless Coach Lucas notifies players otherwise  Baseball Mitt / Glove  Bat – optional

It is also a good idea to have a name written on hats, gloves, and water bottles.

Communication with the Coach Coach Lucas is not able to check his personal email from work, nor is he able to check his work email from home. Additionally, he is not able to take his cell phone into his work location. To ensure any important messages get to Coach Lucas in a timely manner, it is best to send the message to his wife, Michaela Lucas, on her cell phone at [email protected] or (402) 203-8894. She will relay the information to him much faster.

Note two new email addresses for Coach Jayson this year: Coach Jayson’s Work Email: [email protected] (no S after the J) Coach Jayson’s Home Email: [email protected]

This Week in Baseball History (source: www.nationalpastime.com) March 26, 1951: Rookie hits a home estimated to travel over 650 feet during a spring exhibition game. He also a , , and another during the game.

March 25, 2008: hits a in the tenth to lift the Red Sox to the earliest major league opener ever played. Boston beat the A’s 6-5 at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.

Website We are hoping the new website will be up on Monday. We will send the link as soon as it is posted.

Drink Schedule Team mom Melissa Barbari will be organizing the drink schedule as soon as the game schedule is released. It would be helpful for all to notify Coach Jayson if you will need to miss a game as soon as the schedule is released so you aren’t scheduled to bring drinks that day.

Batting Practice When weather threatens to cancel our outdoor practices, we will occasionally have practice at Ultimate Baseball Academy (120 & I Streets) or the (108 & Center in Rockbrook Village). Please be sure that your son has money to pay for his time in the cages. The cost may range from $3-5 on average if we book the whole team at the same time. If cost is a factor for your family, please let Coach Lucas know and we can try to accommodate all players.

Uniforms Uniform Shirts: Names are being added to each player’s shirt. The cost for the name on the back is $5 per player. This is payable to Coach Lucas. Hats: They have not yet provided us with our hats. We will distribute at practice when we get them.

Parents are responsible to provide the remaining uniform items. All these items are available at most local sporting goods stores.  Gray Pants: Be sure the quality of the pants you buy protect the players legs. These should not be too thin and not be see-through.  Orange Belt  Orange Baseball Socks  Rubber or Metal Cleats  Baseball Protective Cup

Fundraiser Christine Koltas will be getting more coupon books from MAA to sell. Cody Walters is in the lead so far with 4 books sold!

Baseball Defined Hitting for the Cycle: When a player hits a single, double, triple, and home run all in the same game. The natural cycle is when this feat is accomplished in order: single, double, triple, then home run. Since 1882, players have hit for the cycle 293 times. Three major league players have hit for the cycle three times in their career. Only 13 natural cycles have been recorded in major league history.