Baseball Journal

[cotty16]

For those of you who are baseball fans, or for any of you who just might be curious about how my high school team is doing, I thought I'd throw some updates at ya. I'll post, good or bad, as we go. If anyone else on here is involved in ball of any level, yes you Jesse, feel free to add how your seasons are shaping up. I don't want this to be a thread all about my team.

Right now my Indian Creek Redskins have started off 2-0. We beat Brooke, WVa 9-1 today with a nice pitching performance and some nice defense. We are back in action tomorrow, weather permitting. Thjings are going OK right now, but I've been doing this long enough to know that things can go bad quick. My first year we started off 7-0 and then proceeded to lose 11 straight. talking about wanting to crawl in a hole. Hopefully we can stay hot in this cold weather. This is my 11th season as the head coach and I've seen good, bad, and ugly. So, I try to keep everygame in perspective.

On the flip side, my own boys, Kody and Klay, are getting ready for their own season. They are in the 9-10 division. It's hard for me right now because I'm coaching my HS team while my own boys are at practice. I feel like I'm missing out, but I know they are in good hands as they have a really good guy coaching them. I'm fortunate that they get to come to my early season practices with me and learn from the big kids. Hopefully it gives them an advantage.

Any of you guys involved in baseball... please... feel free to post up. Brag, complain, celebrate, share the agony... whatever you want. Just remember! There's no crying in baseball!!!

 

[DJK Frank 16]

I've been out of school since '05, but my sophomore year we went to regional semi-finals and got beat on a last second call at the plate. That was one of the coolest experiences I had during my high school career, we had every radio and local news station around announcing at the game right above our dug out. We would walk out in the on deck circle and you could hear them telling how your season has been so far and all that. Packed house... it was sweet!

I still get the itch this time of year wishing I was out there. I play a little softball here and there but nothing compares to high school baseball IMO. I played first base and pitched a little, and batted in the 3 and sometimes 4 spot.

My coach for all 4 years of high school and a good friends father passed away of cancer in '06, I was just looking through some photos last night, and man did it bring back some great memories!! You never forget those times!

Best of luck Cotty and the rest that are hitting the diamond this year!

 

[Huckleberry Finn]

My baseball career consisted of a few years because my older brother was playing. T-ball and a year of coach pitch. I think it was between 5th and 6th grade we both played in a summer parks league or camp or something. I think it was a week long, just like intramural or whatever they called it. I didn't get a hit all week, and I mean, I struck out every time. The last day, Friday, I finally hit the ball but of course not very far. I ran towards first base and the punk ass kid that caught the ball charged towards me on the baseline. I leveled him and stomped on the base. They told me I was out and I thought that was bull crap. That was, of course, after it took a few minutes to revive the kid I trucked and until he got his wind back in him.

...Football was the next week and I didn't look back after that! Never went back to baseball. The most I will do is hit softballs at a batting range every now and again!

 

[bowhunter1023]

Great idea Coach Mike!!!

I'm on the road today, but I have a few things in motion for our season I'll share when I get the chance.

Baseball was my original passion before hunting took over. This is my fourth season of "old man" ball and it's been great being back on the field again. As much as I love playing, I can't wait to coach. It remains to be seen, but I think I'll make a better coach than a ball player...

 

[cotty16]

Not looking good today. Snow on the way.

 

[DJK Frank 16]

Not looking good today. Snow on the way.

Ugghh! I can still remember our season opener my freshman year. We played the last 2 innings with the snow coming down. It was not a great day to be hitting inside pitches off the handle of the bat... ouch!

 

[jagermeister]

Great thread idea, Cotty! Glad to hear those boys are off to a good start. My duck hunting buddy's dad coaches my old high school team, and they are off to a bit of a rocky start this season so far. High School baseball sure is a lot of fun. I'd give damn near anything to go back and get another start on the mound in high school!

 

[cotty16]

Snowed out today. Heck, it looks like we might not get back on the field in a few days.

 

[cotty16]

I've been out of school since '05, but my sophomore year we went to regional semi-finals and got beat on a last second call at the plate. That was one of the coolest experiences I had during my high school career, we had every radio and local news station around announcing at the game right above our dug out. We would walk out in the on deck circle and you could hear them telling how your season has been so far and all that. Packed house... it was sweet!

I still get the itch this time of year wishing I was out there. I play a little softball here and there but nothing compares to high school baseball IMO. I played first base and pitched a little, and batted in the 3 and sometimes 4 spot.

My coach for all 4 years of high school and a good friends father passed away of cancer in '06, I was just looking through some photos last night, and man did it bring back some great memories!! You never forget those times!

Best of luck Cotty and the rest that are hitting the diamond this year!

We made the regionals my sophomore year in 1990. We went into the game 26-0. It was the regional finals at Munson Stadium in Canton vs Austintown Fitch. Their record was right around .500, I'm thinking 13-12 if I remember right. They were one of those teams that got hot at the right time. We just never really got going and lost 5-3. Just proves that anything can happen in baseball. We just dominated everyone we played that year until that game. What a day to come out flat.

 

[bowhunter1023]

I'm getting the roster together for my adult league team and things are shaping up nicely. We finished 4th out of 5 teams last year, but had the best talent top to bottom. If I can get my guys there, we have a great team. Every game we played with our best 10 last year, we won. Unfortunately, that only happen 5 times out of 13 games! I have a young pitcher with D-1 talent and a D- head. He likes to throw when I'm behind the plate, so that was a big reason I lost the weight. With him on the mound, we're hard to beat. So I have my fingers crossed that I can get the vast majority of my talent together more often than not this year. When I look at my best 9 from top to bottom, I know we can sweep the league talent wise...

My senior year of high school, we made the district finals. We started the game hot and jumped out to a 5-2 lead, then the rains came. We had to ride 45 minutes on the bus, take the tarp off the new field (minor league park, but I'm not good with details) then rake the field and warm up again. We never recovered. They pulled the fire thrower we were lighting up and put in a curveball guy that had our number. We lost 6-5. I struck out in the top of the 6th and the 7th on 2 out, bases loaded full counts on the same pitch...looking. I was crying so hard in the bottom of the 7th, I could hardly play first base. To this day, I know I looked a ball 4 both times, but I also know that I should have swung the second time. I knew he called it once, so I should have swung. It haunts me to this day because I know we had state championship talent. I think that's why I turned my back on baseball for a few years and never did go out for OU's team or transfer and play at one of the schools that offered me a scholarship. It feels great to be playing again and I'm back to competing at a high level for our league. I do love me some baseball!!!

 

[DJK Frank 16]

I mentioned that I was a first basemen and a pitcher.... well let's just say I was more of a "batting practice thrower", one game I gave up a grand slam and two home runs in 3 innings! Let's just say my ERA was pretty impressive that year...

 

[Buckmaster]

I played baseball as a kid and I played men's softball in Cleveland B league up to a few years ago. I'm now retired and turning 40 this summer.

A few weeks ago I signed my 5 year old daughter Anna up for T ball. They play with an actual hardball. I'll complete my baseball career through teaching Anna and her generation how its all done.

 

[jagermeister]

I mentioned that I was a first basemen and a pitcher.... well let's just say I was more of a "batting practice thrower", one game I gave up a grand slam and two home runs in 3 innings! Let's just say my ERA was pretty impressive that year...

Lol I think I got you beat... My sophmore year I was brought in to the game with bases loaded, 0 outs, and they were one run away from run-ruling us. I gave up a hit between 2nd and 1st base, so the winning run scored. Since it was a run rule, and I didn't get any outs, my ERA was basically infinity... recorded in the books as 99.99! Even pitching lights out the rest of the year, my ERA was still at about 34.50 when I finished the season! lmao Old buddies still give me shit about that one to this day.

My high school team was never the best in our league, but it was pretty damn competitive. The highlight of my career was Junior year, 2001... I only got through the first game of the year, then got busted for paraphenalia by the drug dogs the day after. It was one of the worst days of my life. I've never felt more embarrased and worthless in my life. It was a life changing experience, though. Through suspensions and what-not, I ended up missing half the season that year. But the first game I was eligible to play, my coach put me right back on the mound. I ended up firing a no-hitter that day... the first in school history. At the end of the season, I was 5-0 with an ERA close to 1, and I got the pitcher of the year award. Now looking back, I just wonder how great that season really could have been if I wasn't such a dumbass. I guess we just learn from our mistakes.

 

[cotty16]

Dang, JBrown... That sucks. One of those hard lessons. Credit to you for not giving up on the season and sticking with the team.

Another snow/rain out today. We travel to Bellaire tomorrow if it dries out. Bellaire might have the worst field in the state of Ohio. Last year the kids were picking glass out of the infield and outfield.

 

[bowhunter1023]

No offense to anyone that lives in Bellaire or is from there, but that place is a shit hole. There's a couple nice areas of town, but the majority of the area if ROUGH...

 

[cotty16]

No offense to anyone that lives in Bellaire or is from there, but that place is a shit hole. There's a couple nice areas of town, but the majority of the area if ROUGH...

It is rough. The school is in serious financial trouble. It's another river town that has been hit hard by lack of steel production.
The only reason we play them is because our old principal got us into a conference with them called the Buckeye 8. It was created for football scheduling, but it leaked over into other sports.
Not knocking their baseball team because they aren't bad. In fact, they're always scrappy and can knock anyone off at anytime and they always give us fits, but the school is smaller than ours and I like to schedule same size schools or bigger ones to get us more points for the OVAC standings and it looks better when it's seeding time for the sectionals.
The Buckeye 8 has 2 schools that hurt us points wise. Bellaire and Martins Ferry are two classes below us in size.
The other schools are Buckeye Local, Harrison Central, Richmond Edison, Union Local, and St. Clairsville.

 

[cotty16]

Another rain out today. We were supposed to have a DH at Lisbon Beaver Local. They got snow last night and we got enough rain that ruled out a field switch.
This stinks!

 

[hunterforlife]

So far this season: 2-0, 1 Save, 15 innings, 25 strikeouts, 0.00 ERA

 

[cotty16]

So far this season: 2-0, 1 Save, 15 innings, 25 strikeouts, 0.00 ERA

Dang! Now that's a stat line! Keep it up!!!

 

[DJK Frank 16]

So far this season: 2-0, 1 Save, 15 innings, 25 strikeouts, 0.00 ERA

Nice job man! Keep after it!!