Holiday wishes for 2010

Gents,

Best holiday wishes to you and your family and good fortune to you in 2010!

On to baseball news:

The new season is soon to be upon us, We are having the league meeting at the Wilton Y at 730 January 21st.
There will be several news items to be discussed including what teams will be playing.
The Stamford Mets from last year will remain in the league as a new team. Virtually all the players on that team have seceded .
They will be paying for a team called the Brewers. I am not sure what their home field will be.
Alan Falkoff has been busy rebuilding his Stamford Mets teams roster
Bridgeport reported at the fall meeting that they were disbanding but last week they reported they believe they will field a team for the 2010 season.
The Marlins are expected to be in the league but we hope they are better organized than last year.

The schedule will be weighed next year and we will be playing the top teams 3 times each ( the Mariners, Top Hats and Cannons) and the rest two times. This will be good for us to play these teams and be at our best.

There will be a championship playoff for the top four teams in the league. The teams after that will compete for the President's Cup .

July 4th weekend
There will not be any league games played July 4th weekend. We are working on creating a small tournament with a team or two from Danbury League, Westchester and Long Island. The idea will be we can create a tourney team from players in the league. There are likely to be 2 teams from our league. I will probably run one of the teams and I hope it is mostly Red Sox players who choose to play. Another manger will run the second FFLD league team. I played against the Westchester team ( the Kensingtom Mud Hens) up at Cooperstown ( with Charlie) in the fall and they are good players, Charlie and I played with the LI guys out in Arizona. you likely recall playing the Ridgefield reds during the season and we played other Danbury guys in our fall scrimmages.
Anyway there is a lot to sort out to put this together and we are in process of working on it. But it is fun to play other opponents.
I will be meeting with the respective leagues and see if we can work out the fields etc

38 Plus league

Danbury has an 8 team league of 38 and over teams. We are thinking of entering a team of guys from our league ( the MSBLers) to compete as a team in the league. That is a saturday afternoon league. Henry Boynton will likely run that team. The idea is to roster 30 guys or so and field a team each week. I think it is a 16 game schedule. The idea is to help the league evolve into having a 38 plus division for our league. My intention is to play in a few of those games on the weekends where it is not likely I will pitch and get some at bats. let me know if you want to be included in the list of potential players. This is not meant to serve as an alternative to our Sunday games.


New Players

We have two new players joining us. Raff Bevilaqua , who has been competing in triathalons the last 2-3 years, will be playing for us. Raff had played in the league for several years and is a solid outfielder.
Tim Sticco has brought us Matt Defresco who played third base for four years at Brown

We welcome our new players.


Winter Batting Practice

We plan to start some winter BP at Batter up in Norwalk in mid January. We will plan to hit once a week for an hour thru march to help get ready . I will send a note when we are ready to start up bp.

We will use the same blog address as last season to communicate . I have renamed it Wilton Red Sox 2010


I am looking forward to a great season with you next year.

Best Regards,
Dave

let's welcome a new player for next year: Raff Bevilacqua

Red Sox:

Let's give a big welcome to Raff Bevilacqua. Raff played for a Red Sox a couple years ago but went on to do triathalons and raise a few kids--i have run into him form time to time at the Y and asked when he was ready to return to action. Well the time is now and we can expect raff to patrol the outfield with great skill and hit the ball hard.

We do plan to get some winter work in at the Batters Box in Norwalk and hopefully get everyone ready for the start of the season. The holidays fly by and soon we will be in January getting ready for next season --for me i can't wait to start again and am thrilled to have Raff back with us. You know this league is not easy and getting solid players will help us in the coming season

Season Concludes....On to next year

Gents:

The Monroe Top Hats beat the New Canaan Cannons 7-6 last Sunday to win the league Championship 2 games to 1. Congrats to them but lets get ready to beat them next year!

I would like to thank everyone for the effort and dedication this season. I thought we had a terrific season and came close to winning in virtually every game. I thought we rooted hard for each other and supported our efforts as teammates. They say the purpose of the journey is the journey and I have to say I enjoyed the journey with you all this year. I hope you did as well. A special thanks to all of you who traveled a long way to be at the games. I realize it is a lot of effort and we counted on you guys all year as you made a huge difference in our performance -thanks again.

Next year: we know change is always part of our lives and the only thing we can count on is that things will evolve.So Jim and I would like to know if anyone is not planing on playing with us next year. We learned today that Chuck is out there in Colorado singing Rocky Mountain High as he has moved to Colorado for a new gig. This is an even longer trip on Sunday mornings than his trip from Branford so we are not planning on Chuck manning the outfield for us . Thank you Chuck for your efforts this season. We will all miss and enjoyed playing with you. We hope you continue to play out there and of course wish you the best of fortune out there.

One thing we can all do over the break is think about recruiting a new player or two. We can use a bat in the lineup although we hope Tim C, and Shawn come back and provide some offense for us. I know they are capable. One comment for guys who just spent their first season in the league-The second year you can expect to play better. This is a pretty good league and it takes a while to adjust.

We still have a couple more weeks of baseball before we wrap up the year. Bobby U , Bob Ryan,Xavier, Charlie Tim S and myself have been playing virtually every week and plan to play Oct 19th and 25th on Sunday in Wilton. We also are trying to play next Monday the 11th

For me I go to Arizona on Oct 31st to play out there with guys my own age. I will be playing with 3 Cardinals, (Jeff Carroll, Doc parson and Vito Pepe and a guy I played with in college, Bruce Butterfield who lives in St Louis) for a team from Long Island--the LI Athletics. I will keep a blog to keep you posted. I know checking those scores out there will be the first thing you look to do in the morning :)

You are a terrific group of guys and teammates and I look forward to next year already

Upcoming Games this week

Gents:

We have the field for a rematch with our Danbury foes on This Wednesday night September 9th starting at 8pm

We also have a game next Sunday at 10am September 13th where we will play a collection for guys from our league.

Please let me know if you can make these games so i can plan for the right number of guys.

I am planning to have 11 players wed night which will be as many Red Sox and then I will fill in with i hope 2-3 guys sop that we hit 10-1 and everyone gets plenty of time in the field

On Sunday I am hoping we can play as a team and Bill Thornton will run the other squad

--
Best Regards,

Dave

Our Season and Going Forward

Gents:

As disappointed as I was with today's result I ended up looking at the brighter side by the time i finished walking our dog. We had a lot of very good games this year and everyone contributed to our success all year. We had some highlights and terrific moment that we hared together and i could feel the camaraderie on the team as we all got along and rooted hard for each other. I loved being on the mound with you guys and I am sure Mike ,Jim and Tim felt the same.

One aspect that was noticeable was we all put the team first. I can think of numerous incidents; Charlie coming out last week for Chuck to run and giving up his at bats but cheering Chuck on, X giving up an at bat here and there ;and rooting on. Players volunteering to have guys play in the field and get some time.. all very positive and that attitude makes playing on our team enjoyable.

And it was a lot of fun! Isn't it great to wake up on a sunny morning and have a game ahead of us to play! I for one have to say I enjoyed it all year . We were in every game but the early Cardinal loss. So lots of good baseball with great guys---not bad for a summer activity!

Jim and I extend our thanks to you guys who all traveled a lot and showed up demonstrating your commitment to the team . Your commitment made running the team a breeze.

I hope you are all in for next year.

Go Red Sox !

Sunday game is at 9am in WILTON

Stamford field is unplayable so the game will be in Wilton .

Sunday aug 23rd Playoff Game vs Mets

We take the field for infield/outfield warm-up at 835am Sunday at Westhill HS field. This field is not in as good shape as our home field so this warm up will help us get adjusted. There is no place for pitchers to warm up either at Westhill HS so we will take infield first and then outfield to allow pitchers to throw a few from the mound while we are taking outfield.
I was annoyed when the Mets opted to play there and decided the best action is for us to simply go beat them. We will lead off with Roneil and Bobby U and score some runs right away.
I am sure everyone is excited to play -We have all been playing well and evidenced by our play on Tuesday night we are peaking at the right time. I can envision all of us having our best game this weekend!
Saturday weather forecast is for rain but I just chatted briefly with Roneil and if it is not raining early sat , we will be on the JV field Sat at 8am for an hour to do a little practice/prep/long toss for Sunday. Join us if you like . I hope some oher players show to throw BP .We will be done by 9am.
See you Sunday !

Playoff Game this Sunday Let's Win!

Terrific play last night in our preparation for our playoff vs. the Mets. We did well in all facets of the game especially hitting where everyone hit the ball hard last night. Danny lined the ball every time up, Johnny Liz fought off three pitches and then lined a hard shot to left. Chuck banged a double and a single while Roneil again rapped out three or four hits including a bomb over the head of the left fielder. Alex drilled the ball up the middle and Jose ripped the ball. Tim took a couple pitches for the team but they took one as well in the next inning. Travis hit the ball hard and closed for us last night after Jim got us started and I threw in the middle.
We play this Sunday at 9 am down in Stamford . I tried to get them to play in Wilton as we have a much nicer field so we will just have to beat them down there.

We have been playing well and will need to just keep hitting fielding and pitching like we have done.
We are looking forward to this game very much and are pleased to be entering this battle with you. We have had some solid performances this year and can expect to play well Sunday
I will be at the Wilton HS on Saturday at 815am for an hour to get a little BP( I do not plan on throwing bp though as I want to be fresh Sunday) and maybe some infield if guys are there. I appreciate the effort we all made last night to come out for a scrimmage game. II think that effort will help us get off to a good start Sunday.
On Sunday there will special focus on the pre game rules. We will take infield a little after 830 so lets show up at 8-815am and be ready to get infield and prepare . We will be the visiting team.

Let's Win!

One last note: we have played our last Home game for this season as week 2 of the playoffs is scheduled for Mead Park in New Canaan and at Unity Park ( we played the Marlins up there early in the season). Let's take a minute to thank Jim for getting the field ready for our games and handling the finances to pay the umps each week as well as handling the baseballs ( of which we go thru a lot ) .

Directions

Westhill High School Merritt Pkwy: Get off Exit 34 (Long Ridge Road, rte 104) and go South towards Stamford. A bit more than a mile on the Right will be Junar properties. Take a hard right and go up the hill on Roxbury. West hill will be on the right near top of the hill. The field is in the back so enter the school parking lot and drive to the back and you will see a softball filed and a baseball filed . If you see the football field you will find the baseball filed to the right of the football field

Next Game Tuesday night Aug 18th 745pm start

Gents:

We had an enjoyable scrimmage game on a hot muggy day up in Naugatuck.

There were a number of firsts in this win some of which noted here:

1) I played right field and there were no chances handled poorly

1a) ok there were no chances at all but there was always the threat of a ball wandering out there

2) Mike made his catching debut handling me for a couple innings and Tim

3) Bobby U made his catching debut

4) Tim S and made his catching debut handling Travis in the closer role

5) Travis came in for the 9th and struck out all three hitters he faced

6) Tim C made grab of sinking liner with slide catch in LF

7) Jim made his debut in CF and caught a fly ball

======================================================

Anyway Tuesday night we play a team from danbury at 745pm start. we have the lights until 1030pm. Jim will pitch the first 2 innings followed by me. Tim will pitch 2 and Mike 3 as he gave Travis an inning sat

Please let me know if you can't make this game . i hope everyone can make it to get some work in before the playoff game which will be sunday August 23rd and it looks like we will face the Mets. if you can not make the game and we are light i can grab a couple guys to fill in but i prefer we do the playing tuesday night.

We know Charlie is in North Carolina and thus unable to attend both this game and sunday's game. Please let me know if you are not planning to be there Sunday as well.

if we meet Tuesday and decide a sat am practice will be helpful we may try to weave that in as well for those that can workout for an hour early sat am

The first round of the playoffs is single elimination so we want to jump on the Mets early and pull away from there.

I am excited to approach the playoffs and know we have a great shot. If we put all the facets of the game together we can beat anyone. We need to pitch well, hit the ball run the bases and make the plays . We have done all of this during the year and everyone has contributed to our successes. We can do it now when it counts.

see you Tuesday night

Dave

Great Job Sunday : Next Event Aug 15t at Naugatuck

Gents:

We have to be happy with the weekend performance in sweeping our two games.
Virtually every player made contributions in each game and helped us win.

We rang up 22 runs and hit the ball as well as we have all year. Just about everyone had a hit and knocked in a run or two. Travis banged in the game winner in game 1 and Mike just missed a jack in game 2. Roneil was on base all day with hits and got the big hit to lead off the 8th and gave us the start to game winning rally. Bobby hit like he does every week and made the substituion of Chuck on the bases look like the right move with his base hit. Mike Jose and Johnny combined with Travis to make the middle of the lineup very productive banging around hits all day. Danny ripped a couple knocking in runs as well. All in all a nice showing and priming us for the playoffs.

Jim got us ahead in game 1 and Mike pitched very well in game 2 giving us a chance to win

Tim made a great play int he 7th grabbing the line drive and turning it into a DP--we had 3 DP's ont he day!

For this week we have a game up in Naugatuck starting at 4pm on Saturday.

Players can choose to get there directly ( directions below) or meet at the Merritt parkway commuter parking lot at exit 41. I will be at exit 41 at 230PM

from the Merritt heading North:

Take exit 52 to merge onto CT-8 N toward Waterbury
19.7 mi 10. Take exit 26 for CT-63/S Main St
0.1 mi 11. Keep left at the fork, follow signs for S MAINT St
141 ft 12. Turn right at CT-63
33 ft 13. Turn left at S Main St
0.1 mi 14. Turn left at Hotchkiss St
We should be able to see a field from there and the baseball field is behind a softball field

Rotary Park is the name of the field

If you are up there and lost call the coach on his cell (Bill Grabowski) at 203-525-9509 for help ( I have never been there)

The Naugatuck HS had a winning streak of 100 straight games back in earlier days.. Some of the players on that team will be playing Saturday.

As of now I am not sure how many are going as several are going to let me know I hope you do make it and use this as prep for our playoffs

Please let me know as soon as possible if you are not coming

We know Charlie and Bob Ryan are out and likely Roneil is out as well.

Tim C is in though and I think X is back from the mission Obama sent him to Turkey that somehow took priority over the Cardinals doubleheader.

We will plan on throwing all the pitchers during the game. Alex and Jose will do the catching

We know several are iffy but please let me know so we can be sure to bring a full team

Great job Sunday and lets keep it up so we are primed for the playoffs

Sunday Aug 9th DH vs Westport Cards at Wilton Varsity Field

Gents:

We may have Tim Collar back for these games but Bob Ryan is out.

Mike and Jim will be our starters

Let's sweep our way into the playoffs !

Please be there around 815 so we can get loose and take infield before the game

-

Best Regards,

Dave

Close but not enough--next Sunday 8/9 at Home vs Cards for DH

Gents:

Tim threw a great 5 innings and we held them to just 4-5 hits tonight.

But a couple lapses and a run here and there and we dropped a good game 4-1.

But it shows we can compete with the top teams and just need to bring all facets of the games to win

next action : Sunday at home vs the Westport Cards

Jim and Mike are the pitching starters for the Doubleheader with Tim and I ready for relief.

The DH concludes our regular season and we head to the playoffs for first game Aug 23rd against an opponent to be determined but likely between Mets, Phillies and Cannons in a single elimination game. we will prepare for this with a scrimmage in Naugautuck on sat aug15th and a night game in Wilton on Tuesday Aug 18th. we know Charlie is out the week of 16th to 24th but would appreciate your noting if you are not available for any of the activities planned for these dates. You all have been great in helping us know if you are out or not and it has made our role easy. we have tried to make sure everyone that shows plays and we think it has worked well thus far. It has been fun so far i think we all agree- I wish we were playing again tomorrow night !

Please let us know if you are not available for any of these games going forward

Congrats to Tim and great effort tonight!

Terrifc job vs Mets: Let's go hard tomorrow night ( Mon)

Gents:

Terrific job in all facets of the game today, We played great defense. Travis made some outstanding plays , Danny Johnny and Chuck and Hot Rod caught everything in the air. Bobby U stepped in for a few nice plays at third and Roneil grabbed everything his way. Alex caught well calling some nice changeups and curves to keep them off balance and Charley just missed throwing out a stealer at second. Jim closed up for 4 nice innings. The bats were the big story today. We came alive with men on and some big hits by Jose and Johnny broke the game open in the 5th driving in Roneil, Bobby and Travis. Tim later blasted one to end any notion of a Mets comeback and all around solid performance today. Chuck added a double and Danny had a couple hits today as well. X did the job in the field handling a few chances at 1b.

Tomorrow night we have Tim ready to give Monroe his best effort. Lets give Tim the same support in the field and at the plate we had today. This game should be a good match for us and offers us a chance to ratchett up our game to the next level.

Game starts at 745pm, lights on until 1030pm.

As I mentioned I may be a bit late getting to the game but Charley will drive

Thanks for making this a nice birthday win!

Best Regards,

Dave

Games Aug 2nd, 3rd and 9th

Gents:

We played a very good team Sunday and need to play better to beat them. But we had some nice moments in the field: Danny's catch, Johnny's catch, Tim's diving stop and throw, Charlie throwing out a runner at third and Roneil's double with the bases loaded. Also Thanks to Jim we have a terrific bbq afterwards --thanks Jim!

Next games:
Aug 2nd ( my birthday btw ) we play the Stamford Mets at 9 am Sunday at Wilton Varsity field ( dave to start)

and Monday night Aug 3rd we host the Monroe Top Hats ( Tim to start )

next weekend we host the Westport Cardinals in a DH

Gane 1 Mike to start
Game 2 Jim to start


Please let us know if you will not be available for these games.

We do know Mike is out Sunday vs Mets but will be around for relief Monday night
Best Regards,Dave

Game today is ON--vs Mariners 7/26

A bit wet but we are playing -see you there

sunday 7/26 vs Marinners game at Fairfield Warde HS

Gents:

We will be playing the game this Sunday at Fairfield Warde HS

here are directions:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=41.185453,-73.235786&t=h&sll=41.185178,-73.232889&sspn=0.011934,0.022552&ie=UTF8&ll=41.185178,-73.232889&spn=0.011934,0.01442&z=16

or :

Merritt Parkway north take exit 46

end of ramp take a right on to Jefferson.

Take a left at next light onto CT 59 you will see GE in front of you

take right onto Fairfield Woods Road

take left onto Melville Avenue

go thru 4 stop signs on Melville and see Fairfield HS

Field is in the back of the HS

coming from the north take exit 46 of Merritt stay to right until you reach light and take right onto CT 59 and follow directions above

9 am start

Please be ready to take infield at 840am

See you then

Dave

Great game last night ..On to the Mariners

Gents:

last night was a terrific game. Everyone made big contributions and we earned a nice win in a tight game.

A lot of terrific performances should be mentioned. Roneil hit three three rockets and exhibited his usual stellar play in the field. Roneil is automatic out there and turned a beautiful double play with Jose and made a great tag o in the 8th when they were close to putting the go ahead run on second.

Danny ripped 4 hits yesterday and is really driving the ball now.

Bob Ryan was not able to drive in two runners on a 3-2 pitch but came right back to make a fabulous catch with 2 men on over his shoulder going away--what a play! Bob seems to like pop ups with a high degree of difficulty! This showed he was concentrating all the way !

How 'bout Travis's play diving over second grabbing the ball ,scrambling to his feet and firing a bullet to first. The umps said that was the best play they had seen all year!

Jim threw a terrific seven innings and kept us in the game.He got stronger as the game progressed.

And how about Tim Sticco , he missed the bunt in his previous at bat but came back to deliver the game winning hit with two out. Another good example of moving forward and focusing on the next activity . That was a real clutch hit and I jumped up off the bench when that ball went through- very exciting moment !

Johnny Liz had a great game ripping at least two hits (and maybe 3) including the one to get us started in the 8th. Johnny showed the world ( ok maybe just a small subset of the world) his speed on the bases and in the field. And Johnny's throw to second in the 8th was a beauty as he gunned so down the runner trying to get into scoring position. Johnny covers more ground out there than anyone in the league!

And having Jose back in the lineup was a boost as he was able to give Alex a rest and did a fine job catching the last few innings in a tight game shutting down any ideas they had about running. Great to have Jose's bat back in the lineup.

Alex did his usual great job behind the plate and Bobby U once again went to where we needed him ( 3rd) and continued to make plays including a nice play on a ground ball with 2 out in the 8th. Bobby has been great defensively and offensively every game --what a bonus to be able to just put him at any spot and see him make all the plays.

X demonstrated a real team first attitude saying to me early on to "focus on winning the game don't worry about me and whether I hit or not" . Jim and I try to ensure everyone gets in and some at bats and it makes it easier when guys offer to sacrifice for the team. X can hit and I sure he will be ripping the ball soon. X also does a great job in the field and on the bases.

As for me I have to admit to being pumped out going out there in the 9th with the 1 run lead. I was very pleased we found a way to win the game with everyone contributing.

On to the Mariners:

We have a single game this Sunday July 26th 9 am at Kiwanis Park in Fairfield.

here are directions:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=50+old+dam+road,+fairfield,+ct&sll=41.123558,-73.258317&sspn=0.010604,0.019956&ie=UTF8&ll=41.12351,-73.261621&spn=0.010604,0.019956&t=h&z=16&iwloc=addr

or

I 95 North Exit 21 right at bottom of ramp

I95 south exit 21 left at bottom of ramp

at the second light RT1 take a right

next traffic light at South Pine Creek Road

go right -the gas station is on the corner

go past first stop sign and then 1/2 mile to old dam road

take Old Dam Road past golf course and soccer field

Kiwanis Baseball Field is at end of road

================================================

We have played the Mariners earlier and should know what to expect.

Let's play our best and beat them

Please let us know if you are not able to be there:

Remember to plan on going to Jim's home after the game for BBQ

In other news: please add the Aug15th Saturday game at 4pm in Naugatuck to your schedule

we will also play Tuesday night August 18th in Wilton . We will be playing a Danbury 18 and over team with some good players as a prep for the playoffs the following weekend

July 20th game 7:30 pm start vs Phillies

Gents:

Everyone contributed to today's sweep. We got some help from them in miscues and walks but our bats had their best day all year.

Booming bases loaded doubles knocking in three runs seemed to be the norm for us. Mike , Charlie, Roneil, all crushed the ball today.

Hitting the ball on the fat part of the bat gave it some drive today as we saw Alex, Tim, Bobby, Chuck and Danny rip some shots today. and we can't forget "Hot Rod" Johnny Radkins with three hits off Manny! I gave Johnny my spot after two at bats and he Wally Pipped me--I may never get back in the lineup!

Defensively we made the plays and ran the bases very well stealing a lot of bases today. All ingredients to winning.

Excellent work today and lets bring it to the Phillies game

We have Travis and Bob Ryan back for the Phillies game. We also expect Jose to be back fresh from his daughter's christening .

Charlie is in Atlanta and "Hot Rod " John Radkins who had three hits today are expected to be out and X may have to be down in DC giving Obama a hand. Mike will arrive a touch late but be on hand to get some more hits.

Shawn ( Knee) and Tim C ( hammy) are on the DL-both may be done for the year but we hope to see them again

Jim will be our pitcher and Alex will catch.

I think the Phillies will counter with Joe Pacciello who is normally their CF and is pressed to mound duty. He is a young lefty and we need to hit like we did today ( I think everyone had at least one hit today and more important had good at bats and drove the ball)

Beating the Phillies will be a good win for us to get and go into next week's Mariners game with some positive momentum.

Other notes: After next Sunday's game, July 26th at Mariners we are invited to Jim's house for BBQ. In case you have not already done so, Please let him know if you intend to attend and if you will be bringing anyone

Yet more notes:

The way the schedule looks is the regular season ends for us August 9th. The playoffs would start for us August 23rd

With that in mind I arranged a game on august 15th --about 30-40 minutes from Wilton in Nagatuck ( they are in the Danbury league) . my idea is we should get some work in before the playoffs and this offers us a chance to play a bit . The game is Saturday Aug 15th at 4pm . I am considering getting another game Monday night or Tuesday night the 17th or 18th against the Danbury guys we played in the fall ( younger guys who play in an 18 and over league as a tune up ) . The idea is to get us ready to play our best on the 23rd which is a single elimination game.

If the standings hold we will play in the 3-6 group in which #3-#6 and #4-#5 in single elimination game. I think two weeks off before that game is not our best preparation and besides it is fun to play new teams.

are you guys up for a game the 17th or 18th?

We witnessed first hand today how a team giving its opponent extra outs and walking guys are doomed. We expect to keep throwing strikes and making plays tomorrow night and we will hit enough to win.

Congratulations on some great performances today. let's do it again tomorrow night

Dave

Sunday july 19th and Monday July 20th

Gents:

Sunday weather forecast is perfect for sweeping! Let's play well and have a great day

Infield at 830am

Mike and I will start the Sunday games and Jim will start Monday night

Tim will be in relief

We are missing Jose, Tim C Bob Ryan and Shawn so I hope everyone else is ready to play

This is an important weekend for us to play well.

In other good news, I mentioned I was hunting down a job and I will be starting at credit suisse on Aug 3rd

We play the Top hats that night

See you Sunday

-

Best Regards,

Dave

monday night july 20th game is 730 pm start

Gents: our Monday night game july 20th vs Phillies will start at 730pm

Videos from Sunday's game vs Mets

Gents:

I took a few of these videos on Sunday --my battery lost interest during this but i will get everybody soon

chuck scoring

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6mYlAa30UM

john takes a cut

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p15hwmu4_jQ&feature=channel_page

tim grounds hard to third

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_WNpQFwy98&feature=channel_page

mets bloop one to rf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVQeFTHtSvg&feature=channel

chuck takes a rip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcu0CecKemQ&feature=channel

chuck draws a walk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubO1f7glPlI&feature=channel

charlie lines one to CF

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQYFeqLtkco&feature=channel

mets punch single to cf close play at third

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8652QNwv8oE&feature=channel

xavier grounds to first

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrCSdI0Ym2o&feature=channel

mike fires a strike

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaoa6aOmv4E&feature=channel

danny takes a ball away

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2Gr2fe6o98&feature=channel

mike earns a foul strike

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZgRPfyb-C8

Upcoming Games July 19th (2) July 20th

Gents:

A lot of fine efforts went for naught yesterday but good efforts will help prepare us for the playoffs

Great pitching from Mike and Jim kept us right there ( sorry to blow both games !)

Chuck was fabulous in the OF and on the bases and our defense was strong all day. Alex threw out a guy stealing and Tim made several fine plays in the hole.

we were close and a hit here or there might have made the difference.

Next weekend July 19th , we play at Home on Sunday in a doubleheader vs the Marlins starting at 9 am on the JV field

we need to sweep and can do so if we play well

On Monday night the 20th we host the Phillies in a 8 pm start

we know we will be missing Jose on Sunday( the baptism of his daughter Juliette --congratulations from us all)

as well as Tim C all weekend and Bob Ryan.

I will try and see if we can get some BP and infield in later int e week

Wed night we are invited to the cardinals practice at doubleday and I may go there to get some swings and long toss in

Travis may be back with us soon and prepare for the playoffs

Dave

july 12 th doubleheader at Cubeta vs Stamford Mets

Gents:

Our next game is this sunday vs Stamford Mets at Cubeta Stadium in Stamford...

9 am start

2 games

Mike is starting game 1

Jim is starting game 2

Please get there at 815 or so to loosen up for infield at 840

These are important games for us and we should try to get ahead early

Directions:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&qPublish Post=41.062026,+-73.549519&jsv=107.hc&ie=UTF8&ll=41.062026,-73.549519&spn=0.010613,0.019999&t=k&z=16&iwloc=addr

See you there and let's win a couple

dave

Practice 4th of July weekend

Gents:

we will have practice sunday am at 9 at the high school,.

I have invited the cards and phillies and mariners to join us in a scrimmage. i had breakfast with bill thornton , manager of the Cards this morning and he suggested he would have about 6 guys coming so it appears likely we will have enough for scrimmage. by the way Bill and are pondering creating a fund to buy foreclosed real estate in New Canaan so if you have $25 million sitting around let me know.

wrt to Sunday: so the way i see it is we hit in the cage to get some reps and then have live scrimmage

we will split up sides and create a game like we have done may times before this is you chance to face red sox pitching! -( note: every time i pitch "live" to Charlie he hits me all over the park so play deep when he gets up!)

of course this is optional but it should be fun and will keep us sharp for next weeks double headers

this is a good opportunity to get in time to work on some as aspect of the game

I think we have hurdled that rough spot and can expect to play well down the stretch additionally Travis may be with us in 2-3 weeks which shall provide a nice lift to our team.

With doubleheaders the next two weekends ( july12th and 19th) ( and three games the weekend of the 19th as we host Phillies on monday night rematch after a sunday DH vs marlins) please let us know if your plans are to be playing so we can plan accordingly.

i will update you on the field location for the DH on the 12th vs the Mets as i do for every road game. i expect it is Westhill HS but i want to confirm with them early next week

as a final item Jim is planning to have a post game get together at his home after the game july 26th when we go up to Fairfield to beat the Mariners. please consider this in your planning

have a great 4th and hope to see you sunday

dave

Red Sox 4-2 over Ridgefield Reds

Gents:

The weather cleared and for those looking for omens we got a rainbow at 8pm to symbolize good times ahead. The humidity returned and we got a chance to play our game on what turned out to be a beautiful night for baseball. As many were unable to attend I will offer a bit more commentary about the game

Tim Sticco got his first start and threw a terrific five innings yielding only 1 hit while striking out 6. Great job Tim ! Tim and Charlie kept them off balance and Tim's fastball proved to be too much for them as the only hit they managed was a bloop fly ball that drifted over SS. Tim left with a 3-2 lead and earned the win.

see Tim in action here on You Tube here ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aX0-eoiwi0&feature=channel

and here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY6ZKulKf5s&feature=channel

We had several players making their debut at new positions. Tim Collar played third and handled all 3 chances successfully. Bobby U played SS and had a terrific game making several plays including a beautiful play coming in and across towards second to grab a ball and throw out a batter.

Bob Ryan played first base and made a nice play on their bunt and caught a very high difficult pop in the 8th as well as grabbing a couple throws that were a it off the mark but he was able to catch the ball and hold the bag.

Jim Lewicki made his OF debut. Chuck played CF without I believe having to make play Roneil ,as always a vacuum at second, had several plays including handling a sinking line drive in the 9th . John Radkins played RF and made a nice play in the 9th on a fly ball. John also gave chase to a long foul ball in the first which is now a You Tube hit here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJSe_uz7B7o&feature=channel_page

In that video you can also see the rainbow that blessed the field if you look closely at the sky.

Charlie did a great job catching for Tim and I and held them to one SB. Charlie also and made a big catch of a foul pop when Tim worked out of an early jam with runners on 2nd and 3rd and only one out.

The Reds made several fine plays in the fielding with their SS catching everything in sight and throwing out two guys from deep in the hole. He later grabbed a rocket off the bat off Chuck with the infield in to prevent another run. They played well enough to win but we were able to get runs when we needed and get outs when they threatened.

We scored one in the first when Roneil and Booby U led off the innings with walks. Charlie hit a ground ball to short who threw to second for one but the throw to first went by the first baseman scoring Roneil. In the 4th Charlie walked and with Bobby running for him stole second. Chuck hit a ball in front of the plate and raced to first beating the throw, moving Bobby to third. A wild pickoff to first scored Bobby, and Chuck raced all the way to third. Tim C hit a SF to right scoring Chuck with our third run.

Ridgefield got their 2 runs in the fifth with the benefit of a couple breaks a walk , a hit bats man and a couple wild pitches scored one and the bloop single another bring the score to 3-2 after 5.

I replaced Tim in the 6th and Ridgefield got the leadoff hitter on when an infield throw was off the bag. They bunted next and Bob Ryan made the play to Roneil for the first out. this guy advanced to third ( i forgot how) and with one out we brought the infield in to face their 3 and 4 hitters. But with the humidity helping me get loose Charlie and I were able to strike out the next two hitters ending the threat.

In the sixth we added another run when Roneil singled and stole second. Booby U singled to CF scoring Roneil giving us a 2 run lead 4-2.

They did not threaten thereafter and we walked off the field with a nice 4-2 win. The pace of the game as much tighter than the Trumbull Monday night game and all left with a good feeling for having played especially when it did not look so promising earlier.

Three wins in a row and lots of good signs . The pitching and defense over the three games was solid and we have started to hit.

Practice Sunday morning: We will have a practice Sunday morning for those who can make it at 9 am for 2 hours. This will be a good chance to hit 50 -100 swings to get your stroke going. We will use the time to get everyone some work and gear us up for the second half of the season. I think we are on a nice evolution and are improving in many facets of the game.

Jim and I confer frequently about how to maximize everyone's experience and we intend to proceed as we have thus far. So congratulations on a solid first half and lets really play well in the second half.

Cheers,

Dave

Note: I will start to get videos of each player starting the next game which by the way is Sunday July 12 in Stamford vs The Stamford Mets

Game Tonight Monday 6/29 vs Trumbull

Gents:

We played well yesterday beating Trumbull 7-2 and look to repeat the performance tonight. Jim did a terrific job running the game ( and getting the filed in playable shape) and we should give him the same support behind him and at the plate tonight to get us another win.

Mike did a great job getting outs all game allowing only 1 walk and spacing out a few hits. Alex didn’t allow a stolen base or any advances and kept them from mounting any threats.

We did a terrific job in the field making every play. X caught a few in the outfield and then wrapped up a double play at 1st. Jose started the game with a long run to catch a foul pop and Tim made several nice fielding plays and throws. Booby U seemed to have a play every inning which was great because he made them all as he does every week.

On offense we had 12 hits paced by Johnny Liz's three hits. Bobby U continued his fine hitting with a couple hits including an RBI double. Jose boomed a double to knock in 2 runs and added a single to reach the .400 mark .

Charlie and Alex both had hits and we hit the ball hard up and down the lineup.

Tonight we look to beat the Trumbull team again with Jim on the mound and Charlie behind the plate.

We are missing Xavier as he has to go down and give Obama a hand in DC. John Radkins is out tonight as well but otherwise we should have full team.

We all know the formula to win in this league is to throw strikes, make the plays and put pressure on the defense.

We did that yesterday and came away with a nice win. We can do the same tonight and tomorrow night vs. Ridgefield Reds to keep us headed in the right direction.

The game starts at 8pm so we hope you can arrive between 715pm and 730pm ( there is a game in front of ours) to prepare.


see you tonight… great job yesterday … let's do it again

Weather looks fine this Sunday morning -See you at the field

Sunday game vs Trumbull is on!

Let's Play Ball !

see you there

Dave

Game today rain out

Back to bed boys. Field in Monroe under water, no game today 6/22. Dave and I will be in touch with you this week. Remember we have games next week, Sunday morning, Monday night and Tuesday night. Happy Father's day to all.

Talk to you this week,

Jim and Dave

Make up game vs Ridgefield Reds is set for june 30th

This will be an 8 pm start for 9 inning game

Sneak preview at Playoff schedule

Sox:

here is what the playoff schdle looks like:

Saturday 8/22 - Teams 7-10, 2 games, ( 7 vs.10, 8 vs. 9) will play in - single
> elimination - highest seeded team will be home and will need to get a
> field. 8 teams left.
>
> -Sunday 8/23 - Teams 1-6 and 2 winners play, 4 games, single
> elimination. Highest seeded team will be home and will need to get a
> field. 4 teams left.
>
> -Saturday 8/29 - Double elimination 4 team tournament. Play 4 games on

> 2 fields - 3 games on 1 field. Winners of first 2 games play game 3
> and losers of first 2 games play, 1 team eliminated. Playoff Committee

> must come up with host field.
>
> -Sunday 8/30 - 1 game - Winner of both games on 8/29 does not play. 2
> remaining teams play - 1 out.
>
> -Saturday/Sunday 9/12-13 - 2 remaining teams play best 2 of 3 at
> another host site.
>
> -Rain will require fields on 9/19-20

June 14th Game vs. Ridgefield Reds is PPD rain

It has been raining pretty hard for the past hour and we will not be able to get the field ready in time for 9 am start .

so today's game is Postponed rain.

we still play tomorrow night at 730pm vsThe Phillies

see you then

Upcoming Games June 14th June 15th

Gents:

There were some pluses this weekend to build upon even though we lost both games. Winning in this league is not easy against experienced teams like the Mariners and Top Hats. They find ways to score, throw strikes and play defense. We are close to them and are making progress. By playoffs time I believe we will be at that tier of play. For now let's play well this weekend to establish our progress and improve our performance in each facet of the game.

This weekend we hope to hit more and play defense like we did Sunday.

On Sunday we host the Ridgefield Reds which is a team from the Danbury League. This Sunday all the teams in our league play a team from the Danbury league in an effort to foster some cross league activity. We should expect they will throw their best pitcher and play hard to win. The game starts at 9 am and we hope to take infield at 820am. We expect to start Jim on the mound and Alex will catch. Mike and Tim will be in relief.
We expect Jose to be back from a short term bug that hit him last weekend. And we wish Travis good luck in coaching his legion team and look forward to his return in late July.

On Monday night at 730pm we host the Stamford Phillies in a makeup game from an earlier rain out. They have played well this year and will demand our best efforts. I will start that game and Charlie will be behind the plate.

As for practice, I will send a note Friday to determine if we can have BP on sat am.

Please let us know if you are not able to attend these games. Thank you

Game Tonight: June 8th vs Top Hats

Gents:

Nicely played game yesterday and a base hit here or there might have made a difference in the outcome. Great job by the defense with special mention to Bob Ryan and his great plays in the field including the diving stop to his left and scramble up to make the throw. Bob Urzua started a 5-4-3 double play and later dove and threw out a runner from his knees in a web gem play. Jim did a great job on the mound and were we to have gotten a couple more runs we would likely have won.

Tonight we host the Monroe Tops Hats at 730PM. They are a very strong team and we will need to play our best tonight. They represent a good challenge for us to play all facets of the game at our highest level. We showed a lot yesterday and I am confident we will play well tonight as well
please arrive as soon as possible to 630PM to try and get some BP in before the game.

There is some 50% probability forecast for rain tonight and I will check later in the day with Jim in Wilton to see if our game has been impacted.
we will post any weather /field news here. I leave here in the city at 5pm so that will be the latest I can update the blog with any weather news.

We will be missing Charlie and Mike tonight. Everyone will contribute to the win tonight!

see you there

Nice Win last night and Upcoming Games

Sox,

Congratulations Sox on some nice work last night as everyone contributed to the win to get us back on track and ready for this weekend's challenges.

Danny rapped about a big 2 run double to give us the lead for good and followed that up with a another 2 ribby single to cap a strong 3-4 night.
And kudos to John Radkins for his 2-3 h night along with 2bb's and 3 runs scored - great job in your inaugural start! John beat out an infield hit with two outs to set the stage for Danny's gapper .

Jose played first on one leg and had two hits including blasting the longest single in varsity field history as he reached the softball diamond on the fly and made it to first standing up!

and how about Bobby U who made several nice plays at second and rapped out 2 more hits to keep his average solidly above .400 on the year

and lets welcome back Bob Ryan who ripped three hits and played a flawless third after taking maternity leave and working crazy hours on his new business. Great to have Bob back!

Defensively Chuck made a very nice play on a drive to left and Charlie caught the game like a champ. At one point Doc Parsons from the Cardinals who dropped by and was keeping the book noted we had a first pitch strike on 11 hitters in a row. That is testimony to the setting up behind the plate by Charlie and calling a great game!

Tim ripped a couple hits including a long double to the fence in left center and finished up the game strongly at SS making a nice play to end the game.


We will have some practice time at 8 am on Saturday for those who can make it. Charlie and I will be there and we hope to get some BP to get ready for the weekend.


We have two games this weekend. We host the Mariners on Sunday am at 9 am at home . On Monday night we host the Monroe Top hats at 730pm making up an earlier rainout. These are two formidable competitors and will require our best efforts.

I expect Rich Lee a tall lefty to pitch for the Mariners. he is not overpowering and changes speeds a lot and has a very good move to first.
We ought to be able to hit the ball and make the offense go. They are a good team and not likely to give us any breaks so we will need to play well in the field and hit the ball-which I know we can do.

Mike will start the Mariners game with Jim in relief.


We know Charlie is out Sunday . Please let me know if you will not be able to attend either of these games

Once again great work last night and let's carry it over to the weekend.


one last note Jose has updated the team site here:

http://www.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?cmenuid=1&url=wiltonredsox&sid=825634342

We are on Today! 5/24/09 Vs Cannons

No Rain last night

Not raining now  

 I do hear the occassional rumbling in the skies but the forecast predicts rain will hold off until the the afternoon.  

A little chilly at this moment so I  might suggest wearing long sleeves today

Let's Win

Dave 

5/17 game vs Phillies is PPD rain

Gents:

We are rained out today. ARGGGHHHHH

We are considering trying to make up the past two weeks rainouts on Monday nights 

June 8th and June 15th.

Pleae check your schedules to see if you can make these games before we commit to our oppoents that we will play them  on those dates

More tomorroow as we will send out a note once we work out a possible plan

for these make ups

Dave and Jim

Game on 5/17, weather doesn't look so good!!!!

Boys, make sure you check out this blog sunday morning before you leave for the game. Weather is not looking too good for baseball. I will have a message up by 7:00 am if the game is going to be cancelled. If you don't see anything up by 7:15, game is on. BUT please make sure you check this blog. If you have any questions, please call my cell at 203-216-8391.

Keep you fingers crossed that the weather cooperates for us.

Dave and Jim

Next game May 17th

Gents:


Next Game: Our next game is next Sunday, May 17th at home vs. Stamford Phillies . we have a single 9 inning game

Scouting Report: The Phillies have beaten the Mariners who were league champs last year. They have added a few young guys to their team.
The pitcher will likely be a right-hander named John Cunningham who throws 3/4 to sidearm. Not overpowering but a different arm slot than guys are accustomed to seeing.

As a veteran in the league he knows not to walk anyone so expect to get strikes.

They run a bit but not universally every player runs.

They play good defense but do not have depth at pitching.

They will hit the ball but can be pitched to as well.

In short, a good team that we will need to play well to beat.

But I have every confidence we can play well against them in our home opener

Practice: We plan to have practice wed night at 630 at the varsity field. As of now we think it will be available for us but if something occurs we can move to another field or at least hit in the cage. we have maybe 1 hour to 1 1/4 hours for this practice before it gets too dark. Jim will be there at 630 and I am likely to get there at 7pm but at minimum we get in some throwing and some swings in the cage. at best we can also take some infield


Attendees: Please let us know about your availability this weekend . We only need to know if you will not be there to help us plan ahead.


We know Jose is out as he is attending his wife's graduation from Columbia grad school---Congratulations to Jose!

We are rained out today ( May 9th vs. Monroe)

Red Sox:

It  is raining hard right now. There are puddles all over the field and the grass grew 2 inches overnight.

So we are PPD rain.

Enjoy Mother's Day weekend.

We will try to practice next week

Disapointing but we shall carry on.  We will work on a make up date and advise

Dave and Jim 

Game May 9th Saturday vs Top Hats

Gents:

Nice work in wrapping up the win. Glad to hear everyone made contributions… Congratulations

Upcoming game:

Note the game is Saturday at the Wilton JV field ( which is the field in the HS complex but down by the tennis courts the HS team will be practicing sat am on the varsity field-our normal home field) and thus we need to play on the JV field) 9am start
This is a Mother's day scheduling.


You are going to love playing the Top Hats

Very tough team lots of terrific players and a great challenge for us. They are traditionally 17-3, 18-2 or so and are strong in every facet of the game.

We will need to be at our best but it is a game we shall be ready for .
I expect they will throw Joe Kais who has great control and has been very successful in the league for years. But you will be able to count on seeing strikes.
The team has great speed and will run and play defense

They will be our best opponent to date and a great challenge for us.

Time of arrival:

As for infield practice we have infield at 8:20am and have to give up the field at 8:40 to the visitor. Please be ready to take the field and throw full out at 8:20 so we can prepare for this game.

Attendees:

We know Charlie is out and Jim has very limited time available and I essentially out .
Please let me know if you are not able to make it so we can plan accordingly.
The assumption is you are in unless you otherwise let me or Jim know.

Game 5/3 @ Bridgeport 9:00

Gentlemen, game looks to be on schedule, with rain coming later tomorrow, so we should be playing. I know we have 11 guys who will be there. Please call me at 230-216-8391 if your plans have changed. I don't have the roster, so don't have your numbers. Please arrive at field #10 at Seaside Park between 8:10-8:20 am. I believe we have tomorrow: Charlie, Jim, Mike, Bob U, Jose, Danny, X, Tim, Roniel, Travis and Shawn. See you all at the field.

Jim

next week ( 5/3) vs Bridgeport Indians

Gents:

Everyone contributed to yesterday's win making it a nice team victory. Every player is pulling hard for his teammate and helps us score runs and makes plays. That mix is a winning formula and this is a fun team to play with . I hope you are all enjoying it as much as I am.


You can see the role defense and pitching plays in this league. Our opponents struggles in both arenas gave us ample opportunity to score. As we are hitting the ball well the runs are coming. Aggressive base running helps as well as we take the offensive in these games and force them to make plays.

We have done a terrific job in the field and so far not allowed on base runner to advance on a steal or wild pitch. Pitchers throwing strikes keeps off additional runners and does not add pressure to the defense. The formula to win in this league is to throw strikes, make every play in the field and put pressure on their defense with the bat and legs. We are doing exactly that thus far and should continue to do so.

Great Job!

Next Week

We have a single 9 inning game vs. Bridgeport and their field at Seaside Heights. the field direction can be found here for those of you who like Google maps:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=&daddr=41.161274,-73.197731&mra=mi&mrsp=0&sz=17&sll=41.161104,-73.197967&sspn=0.004822,0.00912&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=17

for those of you who like prefer written directions:
to the left onto Admiral St. follow to Iranistan Ave. Go right on Iranistan Ave follow to Atlantic Street. Take a right on Atlantic St. The field and the parking lot will be on the left.h: 95 to exit 26 (

Attendees:

we have a lot of guys out this week so we need everyone else to show and play well

out this week:

Dave Moriarty
Bob Ryan
Chuck Menke
John Liz
Alex Miranda
John Radkins ( 30 day DL)
Jeff M ( coachcing kids) jeff has not been with us yet as he is tied up with coaching but he will be around 2nd half of season

We have plenty of guys on the roster and prefer not to add any more so we can balance playing time and get evey one involved.

we do need to know in advance if you are out and we need to ensure your "partner" in the position are there in your absense.

As an added bonus this week we have Charley returning to make his 2009 debut. I can assure you he will enjoy playing with all our new players
if we have another very hot day Jose can offer some support for a couple innings behind the plate.Let's welcome Charlie to the new Wilton Red Sox!
By the way the new hats are Charlie's design! He has quite a few skills in the design arena and can also hit!


Scouting Report

The Bridgeport team has alternately had weak teams and strong teams depending on the roster. They have started slowly but are adding players now that the season has begun. I can't predict what they wil have on the field but if we play to our ability we should be in good shape. But baseball is a funny game and we should approach this with confidence but focus to play well and get ahead.

Looking ahead to next game

Our subsequent game will be Saturday May 9th at Wilton V JV field vs Monroe Top Hats at 9 am.
( note the Saturday date is an acknowledgement of Mother's Day being on Sunday the 10th)

This shapes up to be a terrific game as this is a very substantial opponent . This team for many years has been successful and earning records like 17-3, and 18-2 . The are solid compeitors and respect the game and give it their best. Their closer Rob Lombardo probably is the league hardest thrower
Just the fact they have a guy designated as a closer tells you something.
They are far better than either team we have faced and won't give us anything. We wil have to earn the game

They will play 9 solid players on the field and have good pitching. They run and make all the plays and hit the ball. We will need to be at our best.But like me I am sure you all like games with a hi level of intensity where every pitch seems to have the outcome of the game on the line and each base advanced is precious.
This is a game to look forward to playing.


I am out this week and wil be down in Baltimore ( Friday) and Philly ( sat and Sun) watching my son finish his college baseball career in his conference playoffs. These are the Centennial Conference playoffs of which his school, Franklin and Marshall is a member). I wil aslo do some scouting to see if there are any players we can grab in 6 years!


I won't be able to organize a practice this week btu we should practice next week before we play Monroe.

Field Directions to Sunday game vs Marlins @ Veteran Mem Park at 90 Acres Park

Take Merrit, exit 47, at the end of ramp, turn left on Park Ave. At first light (old town road and Park Ave.) turn left. (Sacred Heart will be in front of you to the right at the light). Follow Old town road to the next light, take right onto Madison Ave., follow Madison approximately ¾ to 1 mile., field will be on your right near the library.


Veterans Memorial field at 90 Acres Park.

9am game single 9 inning game

Great Win : On to the Next One..

Gents:

We should all be pretty happy with our efforts yesterday. We played well in all facets of the game and you could see we were playing with confidence . Kudos all around as everyone contributed . The defense was terrific making every play and Alex shut their running game down to nothing. Mike gave us a terrific start getting us comfortably ahead, including getting a big K when it counted and rapping the ball all day. Johnny Liz is going to show the league what a great leadoff hitter can do and ripped three hits to start his season. Tim was an inspired DH choice and also rapped out three hits with a couple ribby's.Chuck gave us the first head first slide with his big steal of second to help us set the pace of being aggressive and grabbing several balls in the outfield ( as a pitcher I can assure you it is nice feeling to have the ball up in the air knowing it is going to get caught ) . Bobby U had a terrific day knocking in three runs and turning a DP with Travis in his guest appearance at second. Like I said, I could mention every guy on the team here as each of us did something to help us win.

Upcoming Game

Sunday April Sunday April 26 9 am Single game vs. Fairfield Marlins

I have not been notified yet as to where this game is to be played. Previously, the Marlins played at Kiwanis Park but it seems they have lost privileges there and will have another location. As soon as they tell me I will tell you and offer directions to the field.


Slide to Avoid Rule

When Shawn was barreling toward home yesterday it dawned on me that I neglected to share the league "slide to avoid" rule. I know their catcher was bemoaning his fate as he perceived his life would soon come to an abrupt end had Shawn continued towards home with malice. Anyway, Shawn showed compassion and good judgment so we did not have any injuries. The catcher however reportedly has moved to Montana., But the rule is simply one must slide to avoid a tag. there is no barreling into the catcher or infielder to jar the ball loose or make a statement. We all have to work the next day so we want to be able to get up and do so. The penalty for this is , if deemed one is not sliding to avoid, is the runner is out and suspended for a game. and they have to attend the game in person and watch. This is a "gentlemen's league" and we need to respect that rule for everyone's sake. Thank you.


Practice

On Wednesday the HS plays at 4:15pm . They tend to be done by 6:15pm or so. let's try to meet at 630 and get a little work in for an hour before it gets too dark. Jim wants to throw to live hitters and we can take some BP in the age . I realize a portion of the team is too far away and hope they can find a way to get some work in during the week.

Additionally, the Stamford Phillies will be practicing at Stamford HS at 630 and if that is more convenient ( perhaps for Shawn) we are invited to that practice as well. I have also extended to the Phillies ( they have a couple players from Redding so they might drop by) they can join us. The teams have guys all over and thus it is virtually impossible to get a full team practice during the week and the fellowship of the league is such that everyone is welcome at each other's practice ( well for some teams but universally-basically the teams I am friends with l)


Upcoming game attendance

We can run plan these games more readily if we are aware of everyone's attendance plans. As such we ask you let us know if you are not going to be there so we can ensure the complementary players are available. for example, I plan to be out the May 3rd and May 17th games ( my son's baseball playoffs and then his college graduation) but the pitchers know and will be there. There is plenty of playing time for everyone and we plan to run the games like you witnessed yesterday.

We prefer to handle this by assuming you will be at the game unless you otherwise tell us: This method makes it simple for all of us and we ask for your support in this approach .


April 26th : Shawn is out and we have 1b covered in his base. Charlie is likely out and Alex is there to catch with Jose as back up insurance
anybody else?

May 3rd: Out: Dave M, Alex, John Liz
Charlie will be back May 3rd to handle the catching
Jim, Mike, and Tim will be able to handle the pitching
Danny and Chuck can handle CF


Bonus feature:
(Kindly indulge me this moment of parental pride)
Shea HR: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpCpuJHTSBA

In case you have a minute to see my son Shea jack an HR take a peek. it came against Haverford and in the small world category Travis coached a kid who plays for that team!

I continue to tell Shea he would not hit the ball like that against me!




League Website

http://www.ctnationalmsbl.com/

The league has a website which maintains scores, standings, videos and other relevant information about the league.


Congratulations for our first win

let's go get some more

Cheers,


Dave

Gentlemen, game Sunday at 9:00 am at Mead field in New Canaan. Try to be there around 8:00 - 8:15 am to stretch/warmup. Looking forward the opening day, See everyone on Sunday. I believe we will not have Charlie, Jeff and John, anyone else?

Dave and Jim

Opening Day sunday April 19th 9 am start

Gents:

We have our opening day at New Canaan starting at 9 am this sunday April 19th . Directions noted below but if you have not been there previously give your self a couple extra minutes to find the field.

New Canaan is always a very good team having played in the championships series the past two season and for many years prior winning the whole thing. They have some very good players and will require our best efforts.

That said, I am very excited about out team and am eager to get started.

I would ask you try to get there at 8 am so you can have ample time to warm up and hopefully get some infield and outfield in before the game.

They have a batting cage beyond the OF and some may want to get a few swings in prior to the game.

This will be a single 9 inning game.

John Liz (CF) will be leading off for us to start the season followed by Roneil ( 2nd base). Hopefully they get us on the baord right away.


Mead Park Directions: Take Merritt Parkwayto exit 37. Upon exit take rt 124 North towards New Canaan. Go about 1.7 miles and turn left on Mead Street. Go 1/10 of a mile to end of mead street and take left on park Street. Mead park entrance is on your right. Mead park filed is directly on yoru left as you enter the park.

See you Sunday

Dave and Jim

Wilton Red Sox News

Practice currently scheduled for 9:30am Sunday March 26th

As of this writing , the weather for Sunday does not look promising for baseball .

Given that we have guys all over and we will need to be able to communicate with you prior to games we will use this blog to do so.

With that in mind you can check here before games practices etc and get the latest updates we have. This model should help us get the relevant information to you at your convenience


Jim and Dave