 Last night we saw so much heart in the early innings of the game. Unfortunately, our bats were not able to keep up with our defense and the game slowly got away from us. Without getting runners on base, we were unable to score very many runs. As the third base coach, I was lonely most of the night. I believe that I only saw 3 players get to me and 2 of them were able to score.
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There was nothing worse than seeing Brian stranded at third base early in the game and unable to score. If there was one key aspect that we could work on, it would be to figure out how to get more players across the plate.
 We faced two really good pitchers on the Cardinals. Not only were they fast, but they also had off-speed and curve pitches that left some of our boys spinning in circles as they were swinging well before the ball ever made it over the plate. It has long been said that good pitching will defeat good hitting every time, but unless there is at least some hitting, there is really no way to win. So, we are left with two key options: One is to throw in the towel in disgust... but that would be way too easy and accomplish nothing. The better option is to find the points of the game that we did well last night and focus on those. Let’s decide to improve the weak areas of our game and figure out how to get our bats to come to life. Any suggestions?
 DYLAN’S BATTING - I have really enjoyed watching the progress of Dylan. He has really been working hard on his hitting skills and it is starting to show in the games. In the batting cage, he is steadily making contact and he is learning how to transfer all of that energy from his lower torso into his swing. I just know his hard work will pay off and we can all be expecting great hits to come from his bat as the season progresses.
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 LATE GAME ATTITUDE - The general attitude of our team seemed to be in direct correlation with the sun. Our spirits went downhill as the sun went down in the last two innings. I still wonder why this happened. We had three great early innings that included several memorable plays. We were in a close game that was 5-2 and the Cardinals were upset that they were not up by a dozen. Their coach and players were really frustrated by our pitching and we were still in the game. This included an inning where they had the bases loaded and we held them to no runs to end the inning. But then, as the game went on, the Cards scored a few here and a few there to the point that they were up by 10 and the game was called. |
COACH AND FATHER - As both a coach and a father of a Dodger, I had already decided to start looking for rainbows amidst the losses because baseball cannot be just about winning but it should also be about building young men and preparing them for manhood. Sure, life can be cruel sometimes; things don’t always go our way. But if we define the success of our season purely by whether or not we end up with more runs than the other team, we have missed the point altogether.
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ADAM
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So with that in mind, I decided to challenge each player before last night’s game to make three personal goals about what they would like to do better in the game.
These would be personal goals that might include making better fielding plays, getting the bat on the ball, making smarter base running decisions, and remaining positive. So how did we do? I really don’t know because there was so much dejection displayed at the conclusion of the game that we really did not get a chance to debrief. If I had to do anything over again, it would be to not let our players head home feeling so down about their performances. This put the burden upon you, the families, to lift your son’s spirits and as coaches, we could have done a better job assuaging those destructive, negative feelings. We will have to work on that aspect of our coaching and we promise to make it OUR goal to do better when we debrief the games.
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NATHAN
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NATHAN’S CATCH - In the first inning, Nathan had a line drive hit straight to his heart at third base. Luckily he was able to get his glove up because the ball would have been imbedded into his chest! Now that would have definitely left a mark! The #2 batter for the Cardinals was so upset because he had yet to get an out after hitting so hard. In fact, his coach told me we were the first team to get him out this year! Nate’s eyes got real big as the ball came at him. It was great to see him make such a good fielding play. Way to go, Nathan!
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BRIAN
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BRIAN’S GOLDEN GLOVE - Brian did an awesome job playing first base. He was able to catch many of the fielded throws thrown to first base. It was great to see our infield scoop up those ground balls and get the out at first base. Atta boy, Brian! |
 AARON’S BACK - After being out of commission for a couple of games because of a line drive shot to the ankle by Eli during practice, Aaron is back on our roster.  He played a great game in center field with two really great catches. He had another ball hit to right center that was just out of his reach, but he chased it down and kept the deep hit to a double. He always covers center field so well and has a rocket for a arm and we are really glad that he is back in the lineup.
JEREMY GETS BRACES - Take a close look at the green and blue hardware highlighting Jeremy’s smile.  They may hurt now, but the long term results will be worth it.
JOSH HAS THEM, TOO - It seems like this is the age when braces are all the rage! Everybody’s doing it! Just think of the wonderful smiles that these boys will have when they are through with the mouth hardware.
Both Josh and Jeremy did a great job covering left field. Both look the part of the “tough guy” left fielders. Their presence instills the fear needed to keep the batters from even hitting their way. Both Josh and Jeremy have great guns for arms and they make the long throws look easy whenever needed.
CLICK TO ENLARGE THE PHOTOS
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| JULIAN’S GOT IT!
  Julian took the advice we gave during practice and screamed out “I Got It!!!” when a high pop fly came his way at second base. His glove swallowed it up and the biggest smile came to his face. Atta boy, Julian! Was that one of your pre-game goals?
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MATT
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MATT THROWS AN AWESOME STRIKE THREE - It was great to see Matt and Adam work together to get a great play behind the plate. With two strikes on the batter, Matt fired in another fastball and the batter swung hard and tipped the ball right into Adam’s glove. The ump looked down at Adam’s glove, gave a big smile, and then motioned while saying very loudly, “STRIKE THREEEE, YOU’RE OOOUUTTT!!” Music to our ears! Good job Matt and Adam! |
 BLANKET’S GALORE - It was funny to see our fans bundled under blankets like they were attending a late October BYU football game instead of a late May baseball game. I think the cold weather was a major contributor to the late game sour attitudes, and yet it was still a beautifully clear evening with fresh snow visible on both Mount Timpanogos and Cascade peaks. Another beautiful night at the ball field, as long as you remembered your blanket! |
 GOOD PITCHING - Matt did a great job on the mound last night. He struck out several batters and really threw off their hitting. They got a few great shots here and there, but this is where the rest of the team’s defense really helped out as they made good plays and stopped them from scoring at ease on us. It sure is a lot easier when our pitchers can count on the team to back them up with great plays. The backing up happened a lot last night in the early innings and then as the temperatures dropped and the skies darkened, the careless plays started to kick in... Keeping up our enthusiasm for a full game has been our Achilles heel. We hope to get better at this both as coaches and then to pass our enthusiasm on down to the players. Anything the fans can do to help boost the kids morale would be greatly appreciated. It’s always great to hear the encouragement and loud cheers from the bleachers. Way to go fans!! |
ZACH’S HEEL - And speaking of heels, Zach took a hard-lined shot to the left heel/ankle late in the game. It was one of those shots that I am just thankful that he didn’t break a bone. He finished the inning on the field and was later found wrapped in a colorful blanket hobbling to the car. I hope it heels, uh, I mean heals, quickly Zach! Way to hang in there and finish the inning! That takes heart!
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RIGHT FIELD SUN - Nathaniel once again did a great job in right field. The 7:30 p.m. games make the first hour a real challenge filled with anticipation and excitement with each that is hit to the right side of the field. The low horizon sun shining directly into the eyes of our first and second basemen and the right fielder makes for difficult, at best, plays. The Cardinals were able to capitalize on this as they sent a few shots that direction early in the game. It was impossible to catch anything in that sun, but the best anyone could do was to put his body in the position where he thought the ball might land.
In the second inning, that is exactly what Nathanial did. There was a high fly to right field and Nathaniel ran to where he thought the ball would go and he about got hit in the head! Luckily, the ball barely missed him and he quickly chased it down and held the batter to a single. You couldn’t have asked for anything more. That was really the best case scenario given the blinding sun conditions. To put things in perspective, from the dugout, we as coaches could not even see anything happening at the plate for about a half-hour. In order to know what was going on in the game, we had to move by the drinking fountain to be able to tell what was happening.
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 OFFENSIVE EXCITEMENT - We had one great blast of excitement as Eli hit a great shot to the shortstop and he bobbled the ball and Eli’s fast wheels were able to beat out the play. He then stole second and third on a passed ball. Adam was able to get a walk and then also stole second while Matt was getting in the pitcher’s head.  Then Matt also drew the walk on a wild pitch and that gave Eli the chance to steal home. The catcher made a bad toss to the pitcher who was covering the plate and Adam was also sent home. They had him dead to rights but the throw to the plate was again wild and Adam slid, crashing through the pitcher’s leg to bring in our second and last run of the night. Meanwhile Matt tried to steal second base but was thrown out. So he scored two runs on a walk, which is a great play when you stop to think about it. How often does that happen? That was a fun, exciting at bat! |
HAVE YOU GOT YOUR CUP ON? – I hope that doesn’t embarrass/offend anyone, but this needs to be talked about. Late in the game, Adam took a shot to the thigh and we were in need of a replacement catcher. I looked to a great option, and frankly our only option at that point, in the dugout and asked “Have you got your cup on?” and the player responded with an emphatic “No!” Instead of being able to step in when called upon and help out an injured Adam,, all I could do was tell Adam to shake it off and hang in there behind the plate. As parents, I would ask that each of your boys wear their supporters and be ready to slide their cup in if needed. Some boys like to wear them all the time, at any position, while some boys prefer to only wear them if behind the plate. All I know is that you can’t catch if you don’t have the protection in place because it only takes one wild pitch that finds your private parts and you’ve got major damage and lots of pain.... Let’s be ready when our number is called.
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Wild Pitch
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Inside Brush Back
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IN SUMMARY - Our loss last night is not any one person’s fault. Instead, we were beat by good pitching and a growing sour attitude didn’t help us fight to the end. We have got to do our best to remain positive and look at all of the good plays that were made. In so many ways we had so many victories last night. We were competitive in the field on defense and lots of great plays were made both in the infield and the outfield. Let’s remember those good plays as we take the next week to prepare for the Red Sox on Wednesday night on the same field at the earlier 5:30 p.m. time. Go Dodgers!!
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