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Baseball Journal

In the 9 & 10 year old division:
Kody was 0-2 with a K, line out to SS, walk, Sb, run scored. He caught the whole game. He threw out a runner at third and tagged a kid out at home trying to score on a wild pitch. He did a great job blocking the plate.
Klay was 1-2 with and RBI double to leftcenter, a groundout to second, a walk and two runs.
He played second the whole game and made one crucial error that cost us two runs but made a nice play to record a 4-3 out to end the game.

They won in 7 innings (extra innings) 7-6.

They are now 2-2.
 
The boys played yesterday. Not a good performance. So.... we stayed after the game for some batting practice. Then today I took them back to the field for some more BP and some fielding. Kody got hit right in the forehead with a hard groundball. Maybe that'll knock some sense into him! Lol
I can't figure them out. I'm at point blank range firing balls at them in BP and they are ripping me. Get them in a game? Whole different mindset.
 
cotty16 said:
The boys played yesterday. Not a good performance. So.... we stayed after the game for some batting practice. Then today I took them back to the field for some more BP and some fielding. Kody got hit right in the forehead with a hard groundball. Maybe that'll knock some sense into him! Lol
I can't figure them out. I'm at point blank range firing balls at them in BP and they are ripping me. Get them in a game? Whole different mindset.
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You need to peg them in BP. Seriously...

When I was a sophomore in high school, our coach forced us in the batting cage one afternoon in our catchers gear to sit in front of this wild ass Jugs machine we had. For two hours, he fed balls through that machine until our forearms and thighs were purple. I've never been afraid of the ball behind the plate or at bat since then. I actually love games where I get beat up behind the plate and still play well.

I guess that's if you think it's a "worried about getting pegged" issue. Kinda went off on that tangent when it could be something totally different. But still, hitting them in BP would still provide some comic relief! LOL!!!!
 
cotty16 said:
The boys played yesterday. Not a good performance. So.... we stayed after the game for some batting practice. Then today I took them back to the field for some more BP and some fielding. Kody got hit right in the forehead with a hard groundball. Maybe that'll knock some sense into him! Lol
I can't figure them out. I'm at point blank range firing balls at them in BP and they are ripping me. Get them in a game? Whole different mindset.
Click to expand...

Do you have them taking "live" BP, Mike? I mean, not from you... but from actual pitchers on the team... from 60'6", from pitchers pitching like they want to get them out? If not, this could be a big issue. You can throw all the BP you want from behind a screen... Yea, it'll help them with their swings and timing, maybe even a certain level of confidence... but being in a batters box and KNOWING that HITTABLE pitches are coming is completely different that being in a batters box against someone that is trying to get you out. Back in high school, and especially up through college, Live BP was always a big part of the teams I played on. Hell, I even used to go back and pitch to the HS varsity kids every year as a favor to my old coach, up until I moved out here. My theory is, kids are usually less intimidated by their teamates... So, in Live BP, they're confidence levels are pretty high, both the pitchers AND the batters. Enough repetitions of Live BP and your hitters start to THINK they can hit ANYBODY. Anyone that knows baseball knows that the mental side of things plays a huge role in performance on the field.

If that's not it, I'm not sure what to do. Have you tried mixing up the lineup? Maybe they just need a little spark under their ass. Is there a true leader on the team?... someone that should be taking charge and rallying the troops, but isn't?
 
The other day I had both boys at the field for a long round of BP. We did alot of mechanical work and I was throwing what was, in their eyes, heat.
It paid off! Kody hit two singles and a gapper for a double. Klay had two singles. Neither of them struck out. Their hits were legit. I'm a stickler for calling a hit a hit and an error an error. They were both pumped after the game.

On another note... How bout those Buccos!?!? McCutcheon just hit a walk off homer to beat Arizona and get them to .500.
They haven't had a winning season since I was a freshman in college back in '92. They lost to the Braves that year in the NLCS game 7 and have sucked since. I'm stoked that they're fun to watch right now.
 
My boys team won again last night. Their 13-0 and have 2 games left before tournaments start. I'm thinking they peaked too soon. They have been playing like crap the last couple of games and maybe their a little too cocky thinking they can't be beat. They've been a few kids short and one is out for the season so who knows. Its been a fun season and I would hate to see them miss out on going undefeated. Time will tell.
 
I had a player that graduated in 2005 that, during his junior year in football, was paralyzed. He was a safety and he came up to make a tackle and dropped his head. That was all she wrote. They lifeflighted him to Pittsburgh where he was told he'd never walk again. They placed him in a halo and it was just a horrible situation all around. He had shattered the upper part of his vertebrae and it severed the spinal cord.
After sometime at home and during rehab, he began to regain feeling. This kid was a fighter... plain and simple. He began a strenuous rehab routine and slowly regained the ability to walk. He was injured in late September and by March he was released to play baseball. His only stipulation was that he could not slide head first. It was a miracle in every sense of the word.
He ended up playing his junior and senior year at secondbase for us and then played 4 years at Wheeling Jesuit, a D2 school in Wheeling, WVa.
Having him outr there on the field was trying at times. Everytime he'd go back on a flyball I'd worry that somebody was going to collide with him or everytime he'd steal a base I'd worry which way he was gonna slide. He played for varsity for us as a freshamn and sophomore as well. The only thing this kid lost was a little speed. One thing he kept for sure was his heart.
 
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Damn Mike that story gave me chills! I couldn't imagine having to deal with something like that at any age, especially as a junior in high school. Such a fast recovery, a miracle and blessing for sure!!
 
Im thinking about sending my 7year old to Marietta College baseball camp at the end of this month for 3 days. I think it might be a great opportunity for him to learn from some really good players. The Reds camp is the same week and just across the street but I think he will get alot more from this camp. Any thoughts Mike?
 
aholdren said:
Im thinking about sending my 7year old to Marietta College baseball camp at the end of this month for 3 days. I think it might be a great opportunity for him to learn from some really good players. The Reds camp is the same week and just across the street but I think he will get alot more from this camp. Any thoughts Mike?
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I'd definitely take advantage of that opportunity, man. Marietta has one of the best college baseball programs in the state, so I'm sure their camp would be an amazing experience for a young boy.
 
Here's some footage of our catcher. He was 2nd team All Ohio and we get to have him back for one more year! He batted .479 and only struck out twice in 84 at bats.

[video=youtube;7EQEaebehJY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EQEaebehJY[/video]
 
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