Remebering playing youth baseball

[Jessenoah]

Tonight was the babe ruth league championship game for my town, and it reminded me of losing in the championship game when I was 15, but it was fun and despitie having an error in the 1st inning, I scored 4 runs and did great behind the plate, pretty good for a scrappy college-bound bench warmer with a big mouth right???

Cal Waste outlasts Skandia - Lodi News-Sentinel:

Cal Waste Out lasts Skandia

Skandia catcher Jesse Costa juggles the ball as Cal Waste's Rich Kimmel scores in the first inning Thursday as Kofu Park.


Craig Maas
News-Sentinel Staff Writer Lodi News-Sentinel | 0 comments

It took extra innings and came down to the final play before the suspense finally ended and a victor was crowned in the Babe Ruth 14-15 Championship Thursday night at Kofu Park.

With the game knotted at 8-all and the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the ninth, Hayden Sisneros of California Waste hit an RBI single to give his team the 9-8 victory over Skandia.

Before the game-winning hit, California Waste watched Skandia mount a comeback, then rallied for one of their own.

Down 7-6 in the top of the seventh, Skandia had their backs against the wall with two outs, but Jesse Costa came up big, stealing home on an errant pitch by Tyler Wahlen to tie the score. A balk then cost California Waste another run to give Skandia the one-run lead heading into the bottom of the seventh inning.

After an error allowed California Waste batter Steve Kassner to reach first, pitcher Danny Borges struck out the next two batters, putting the pressure on the next batter, Mike Weybret.

With two strikes on him, Weybret came up big with an infield single to plate Kassner and tie the score and send the contest into extra innings.

Despite the heated atmosphere during his team's victory, California Waste coach Ken Kimmel remained calm.

"I was content either way," Kimmel said. "Both teams played a great game and that's all I cared about."

Borges led Skandia, going 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs, and even earned enough respect to draw an intentional walk late in the game. He also pitched superbly, striking out five while allowing just three hits in seven innings of work.

Unfortunately for Skandia, the defense wasn't as solid as the pitching, as it committed nine errors which accounted for the majority of California Waste's runs.

Another major reason California Waste was able to capture the championship was their depth at pitcher. Kimmel threw four different pitchers at Skandia (Sisneros, Rich Kimmel, Wahlen, and Weybret) and all threw the ball well.




anyone else have any cool memories of little league baseball, before the long hours and intense coaching of higher levels made the game not fun?

 

[KSG_Standard]

I had fun in Baseball all the way through High School and I've missed it every year since. I'm lucky to be involved with my Son's baseball.

 

[Benjammin]

 

[sonar1]

We represented the local Gulf station (gasoline) on Route 50 with our Little League team when I was 10, and wound up being the champs that year (1960). Micky Mantle and Roger Maris were goin' at it in the majors about then.

Played school soccer and basketball too, but of all the baseball seasons, that's the one I remember.

When I had my midlife crisis (no I didn't buy a red Corvette and ditch the wife), it was BASEBALL that I decided I hadn't had enough of so went and joined the a local City League Softball team, where I then tried to disable myself pulling hamstrings and sliding into bases like a fool! Jeez throwing in from the outfield was gol durn painful.

Fun though.

NOW I've had enough (but I still like to watch MLB)!

 

[Lampens]

We sometimes used to play softball in highschool and very ocasionally during the sportmoments now. There is nothing like the feeling of hitting that ball just right. Seeying that ball fly away.

Standing around waiting in the field or waiting for your turn to hit is kinda boring though.

 

[waboe]

No Im english! but I did get am arse handed to me on a weekly basis (football for the boys I wanted to play netball with the girls)

 

[twinrider1]

Being left handed, I remember getting hit a lot, and a lot of walks. That, and my insteps burning from those black vinyl cleats under the summer sun.
Fun to play, but it just wasn't my sport. I played up until pony league.

 

[Rawhdney]

+1

 

[brandoniusrex]

I played on the team for my town's ice-cream shop (Made for some good times when we *won*!) But our coach really sucked... I had taken tons of lessons on pitching and batting and was a total ass-kicker in baseball, until the coaches started messing with my form and throwing me off (I was in elementary school at the time). One day I hit two kids with pitches in the head in a row (They STOOD THERE STILL and didn't even MOVE!!), and never pitched after that... Then I was stuck in the outfield and sucked at batting while the coach's shitty pitching son played pitcher and lost almost every game for us. I eventually quit several years later and haven't played since

 

[Fred61]

I was decent playing second, sucked at outfield (I don't have the arm for it, but I could get the ball to first real quick and no throwing errors ever)

Sucked at batting until I starting batting lefty, but me and my friend would get benched a lot because we weren't friends with the coaches kid cuz he was a jag, so we would have a blast on the bench all the time. I miss those days

 

[sonar1]

I played shortstop and relief pitcher.

My control was good at 95% effort but somebody on the other team would invariably say, "You can hit this guy Smedley (or whatever), he's got no speed."

To which I would respond instantly by burning my fastball into the backstop (somewhere)!

One or the other. Ain't got both...

 

[Roberteaux]

I was so indifferent to sports that I was always the last guy picked for any team.

I especially hated basketball. The nasty, pebbled surface of the thing always left my hands feeling gritty, and I couldn't stand having a bunch of people jumping around in front of me and flappin' their arms. I always just handed them the ball, since it made them go away quickly. I always got a C or a D in phys. ed., and was yanked into the principal's office several times to be scolded for my display of substandard zeal.

Once we were playing baseball, and I was stuck in left field, perfect for me since nobody seemed to hit any my way. I was daydreaming out there, when a ball landed at my feet. I just picked it up and nonchalantly tossed it to the guy on second base and went back to thinking about other things. That was the high point of my baseball career. And then one time we were playing soccer, and they stuck me up front near the enemy goal. I was standing there daydreaming, when the ball rolled up out of nowhere. The guy playing goalie was one of our Big Star Athletes, and he was supposedly invincible.

So I just kind of tapped the ball in his direction. Hardly any force at all since I never expected to make a goal anyway. But to everyone's shock, that ball went past the great goalie, and was a score. Hooray!

After that I had to fight the guy after class. He was all upset at being "shown up" like that. I tried to explain that I didn't try to make a goal or even care that one was made, but he insisted on fighting me. It turned out that he wasn't invincible in that department, either. Idiot.

I can't even stand football music. Mr. Touchdown, my ass.

Sports: meh.

--R

 

[sonar1]

...Sports: meh.

--R

Aww.

I had to grow up in the shadow of one of my older brothers: the jock - high scorer do-everything-well Varsity Letter sweater guy.

 

[Emmitt Fitzhume]

I remember that I sucked.

 

[Roberteaux]

Aww.

I had to grow up in the shadow of one of my older brothers: the jock - high scorer do-everything-well Varsity Letter seater guy.

I probably should have prefaced my discouraging post by mentioning that I have nothing against those who really do love to play sports, and then gone on from there. Re-reading it, I see what a downer it sounds like and so I offer my apology to the OP right here for not having been a bit more considerate in my response.

Other than that, the quote you used from me more or less sums up my general attitude-- especially towards professional sports... except for that time that the New Orleans Saints won the Superbowl. That night, you would have sworn I was a sports fan. But no: actually I am a fan of the City of New Orleans and cheer for her no matter what!

--R

 

[sonar1]

Oh I always cheer for the Saints, ever since poor ol' has-been Kenny Stabler wound up there under Bum Phillips.

I was fortunate to go to work when I was 16, which effectively finished off whatever was left of my school sports programs, substituting a Work Study program in their place, which by that time was fine with me.

Little League and even school baseball and soccer was great, Basketball was jammin' my guitar fingers!

 

[Roberteaux]

@myspace.com/jessenoah:

Congratulations on playing well, anyway! Four runs is pretty good for a single game. Keep up the good work!

--R

 

[Fracture]

Hated baseball, got hurt playing football, blown ACL my first week.
Found swimming, loved the solitude of it. My coach and I did not see eye to eye, I showed for every practice, went along with the program.
My closest friend who attended another school, swam the same events.
We were pretty evenly matched. He had a a mother and a father to account to.
I had no one.
So, I either tanked the events where I had to swim against him, pulled a no show,
or put myself on injured.
My friend took state 2 years, my coach called me a quitter.

 

[Mike.B.]

*flashback to 5 years ago*

it was our first match, our coach booked a match with us going head to head with the best team in the kids league (ages 12 and under. I forgot the exact name of the league Bronco league or something) over here. and he even arranged a parade (with both teams aboard two trucks. everybody was waving at people that don't even know what the f*** is happening ) that started from our city hall, around the city for about 20 minutes, then into the field.

so the coach decided to use up the whole 40 man roster just so everybody could play. I was only active for the first three innings, first at bat, strike out.
second at bat, walk (never made it home though )

so, bottom of the 7th inning. I look up at the scoreboard from the dugouts.

in big, bright lights:

AWAY: 41
HOME: 16


we had fun, and I think that's what counts.

a few months after that, we joined the city tournament and won third place
but then again, only three teams competed in the baseball tourney

oh well

only had the chance to play it in sixth grade though. the year after that, the coach's son went to a different high school than the majority of the team. so no more Baseball for us.

 

[Dino Velvet]

....Todays youth baseball :
No Scoreboard.
The only people in the stands are parents with movie cameras..
,,,,,,and their lawyers... just in case.