We reached that pivotal point in the season, we are a 10 games played. So far we are 5-5, this is mediocre to say the least. Our coach believes and I am with him on this that we're better than our record shows.
We started thursday with a double header in Melville, which was a tough task as we had been a comeback team all year who seemed to get hot in the later innings. Both games would be just 7 innings, in the first one we started really slow not recording a hit until the 5th inning where we left 2 runners on base. Our ace was on the hill and was throwing well, he kept us in the game. In the end though we were downed 4-0. We now had a scoreless streak of 9 innings against this team stemming back to a loss 4 days prior.
The second game came around ans same story we were behind early, but with a pitcher on the mound who was making his first start of the year we seemed to stick with the Mils, down 1-0 and only recording one hit so far, we got a few timely walks and an error that would put us up 2-1. This must of been rough on melville, we had only 1- hit but we held a lead going into the 6th, where they threatened with a man on third with 2 outs. As our started left the game with the lead he put it in the hands of 'Bartolo' as we like to call him who hales from Cali. He proceeded to get a ground ball and get us right back on the sticks where we put up one more run and he held down the opposition in the bottom of the 7th to get us back in the win column.
I hadn't seen action for a good 4 or 5 days and was getting anxious. We were scheduled to play a home game against Saskatoon the friday after our DH'er, but what happened next was a shock to everyone, not just the players and coaches on our team, but the entire city of Weyburn.
That night on the ride back we were hit with severe thunderstorms, in whih 3 inches of rain had fallen. The next day flooding had occured all over town and we as ambassadors of the community were there to help. Some of us had problems with our billets houses and some went about town helping those in need. I myself went to our coaches house where his basement had taken a major hit, with the smell of sewage looming, 8 of us bailed around 250 gallons of water out of his basement with the aid of pumps and buckets. The next day it was declared that Weyburn was in a state of emergency. Of course being 18-24 year olds we did the only thing we knew how to do in a stressful situation like this. We hit the bars, with the whole team out we had a great night enjoying it as we knew. And me and 'Big country' as I call him had one helluva night, Ill remember to tell you about it later.
So as a Boil Water advisory went out, most of us were without showers, drinking water, and unable to wash clothes. That sunday though we had to suit up at home to play Melville. Surprisingly we had a good number of fans out to watch the game, but with exhaustion taking over we put up a fight but made mental errors which cost us to drop to .500 on the season and share 2nd place in our division with the Millionaires. I never saw action but was ready to go as I wanted to 'put on for my city' and show Weyburn that we could bring some hope to a city who had seen damages done that could cost them millions in repairs. After that game coach made it clear that some guys hadn't been doing their jobs and he was going to bring in guys who could, so now it was clear that turning into high gear was no loner an option, it was a requirement. I myself feel pressure now, but this is where I dwell, put a guy on the roster that might throw harder, have better stuff. But I will run harder, lift more, throw more, be at the field longer because baseball is like my frst born and its something I will never take for granted just like the people of Weyburn will never take water for granted again.
In my next installment I will enlighten you on the situation regarding the State of Emergency and how our team is performing including myself, both mentally and physically.
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Sunday, 12 June 2011
Week # 2 - Above .500
So week one was awesome, I was welcomed with open arms. We all bonded as teammates on and off the field, also we understood our jobs this summer, to play baseball .
Game 2 of the series against yorkton ended like a story book, I was red lighted as I was to be used in our next game on the upcoming monday. But our team showed grit on that day, we were 0-1 and knew we were way better than this yorkton team. Lets skip to the good part, its the bottom of the 9th and its 9-5 for yorkton, the fans had already started to exit Tom Laing Park, but we knew that his wasn't over. With 1 out Yorkton brought in their second reliever of the game and he was having a hard time hitting his spots. As the first two batters he faced got on we loaded the bases one batter later. Then our pinch hitter came up 'Chad' , a kid from new orleans, so in story book fashion he roped a line drive that the outfield Botched and so it was now 9-8 with 2 outs (there was a stirkeout in there somewhere , excuse my loss of memory). Now it was a runner on 3rd, DP our left fielder went to the dish after getting down 0-2 he lined one at the shortstop, he jumped and the ball fell out of his glove it was on now, tie game 9-9. After a single and a walk, we were in position to win this thing. Our #2 hitter came up, with one pitch the game was over. The pitcher ran a fastball in that caught our hitters arm, walk off HBP. Now thats a greasy win, but thats what we do we get wins anyway we can.
The next night we were at home again against the league leading Regina Red Sox, these guys were known for having a strong team every year in the WMBL. So lets just say the game never went the way we wanted, we lost yes and lost big. But I got to do some mop up duty. I was on the bump in the 8th with 2 outs and gave up 2 hits before getting a ground ball to end it, then in the 9th I got a quick K then walked one. The next batter popped up, and the one after that grounded out. Another solid outing, but damn that loss left a bitter taste in everyones mouth.
So we were 1-2 going into a road gam against yorkton, but luckily enough our #1 starter was on the bump for this game. After some struggles with umpires and a key error in the field he battled to get a CG win. This was huge although I got 'dry humped' in the pen, meaning I got hot and was told that I wasn't needed. Hey we are now at .500 (2-2) on the year. This led us into our Saturday night showdown at melville.
This game started good, 4 runs for us in the top of the first as the Melville started struggled to throw strikes. Our starter was again rolling in this game, he was mowing down batters possibly hitting 90mph with nasty breaking stuff. Around the 5th though there was some chirping going on as our bench was getting in the pitchers head, it got tense after our pitcher gave up a 3 run shot bringing Melville within 1, but our bats were hot. After a few walks and a couple of singles we put up a 3 spot to spread our lead back to 4 runs.
Skip to the 9th, after a barrage of runs we had a comfortable 14-5 lead. But our starter (still in the game) was getting tired leaving pitches up in the zone, so melville capitalized. I was sent to warm-up in the pen, working quick I didn't even notice but he got out of the jam to pick up the CG win. The final score was 14-9, but most importantly we are now above .500 on the year (3-2).
It is about trusting your stuff, hitting the ball hard, rattling the opposition and knowing that you are better if you you just put your mind to it. That is how I define Beaver Baseball.
Game 2 of the series against yorkton ended like a story book, I was red lighted as I was to be used in our next game on the upcoming monday. But our team showed grit on that day, we were 0-1 and knew we were way better than this yorkton team. Lets skip to the good part, its the bottom of the 9th and its 9-5 for yorkton, the fans had already started to exit Tom Laing Park, but we knew that his wasn't over. With 1 out Yorkton brought in their second reliever of the game and he was having a hard time hitting his spots. As the first two batters he faced got on we loaded the bases one batter later. Then our pinch hitter came up 'Chad' , a kid from new orleans, so in story book fashion he roped a line drive that the outfield Botched and so it was now 9-8 with 2 outs (there was a stirkeout in there somewhere , excuse my loss of memory). Now it was a runner on 3rd, DP our left fielder went to the dish after getting down 0-2 he lined one at the shortstop, he jumped and the ball fell out of his glove it was on now, tie game 9-9. After a single and a walk, we were in position to win this thing. Our #2 hitter came up, with one pitch the game was over. The pitcher ran a fastball in that caught our hitters arm, walk off HBP. Now thats a greasy win, but thats what we do we get wins anyway we can.
The next night we were at home again against the league leading Regina Red Sox, these guys were known for having a strong team every year in the WMBL. So lets just say the game never went the way we wanted, we lost yes and lost big. But I got to do some mop up duty. I was on the bump in the 8th with 2 outs and gave up 2 hits before getting a ground ball to end it, then in the 9th I got a quick K then walked one. The next batter popped up, and the one after that grounded out. Another solid outing, but damn that loss left a bitter taste in everyones mouth.
So we were 1-2 going into a road gam against yorkton, but luckily enough our #1 starter was on the bump for this game. After some struggles with umpires and a key error in the field he battled to get a CG win. This was huge although I got 'dry humped' in the pen, meaning I got hot and was told that I wasn't needed. Hey we are now at .500 (2-2) on the year. This led us into our Saturday night showdown at melville.
This game started good, 4 runs for us in the top of the first as the Melville started struggled to throw strikes. Our starter was again rolling in this game, he was mowing down batters possibly hitting 90mph with nasty breaking stuff. Around the 5th though there was some chirping going on as our bench was getting in the pitchers head, it got tense after our pitcher gave up a 3 run shot bringing Melville within 1, but our bats were hot. After a few walks and a couple of singles we put up a 3 spot to spread our lead back to 4 runs.
Skip to the 9th, after a barrage of runs we had a comfortable 14-5 lead. But our starter (still in the game) was getting tired leaving pitches up in the zone, so melville capitalized. I was sent to warm-up in the pen, working quick I didn't even notice but he got out of the jam to pick up the CG win. The final score was 14-9, but most importantly we are now above .500 on the year (3-2).
It is about trusting your stuff, hitting the ball hard, rattling the opposition and knowing that you are better if you you just put your mind to it. That is how I define Beaver Baseball.
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Week #1 Cnt'd - First game = First debut
So after the 'lights out' fiasco in Melville. We took to Tom Laing Park to play a 2 game set against the Yorkton Cardinals. The game was going smooth our starter who is from Eastern Arizona CC was rolling through 5. In the sixth though the cold got to him, hes a mexican kid from Arizona, so I don't think he was quite adjusted to the 8 degree celsius weather. As the runners crossed the plate for the Cards, our first reliver got hot in the pen. I sat nervously on the bench trying to stay warm and loose. It was tough, but it had to be done. So after one quick inning in the sixth for our first reliever he struggled in the 7th.
Our pitching coach gave me the nod to get loose. As I sprinted, stretched and threw, I knew it was my time to heat it up. So I worked on spotting my pitches in the pen, then he told me I would be in for the 8th and 9th no matter what.
I didn't have much behind my fastball but that didn't stop me, as I left the pen and ran to the bump I was ready to go. My first batter grounded out, the next one proceeded to squeak out a base hit that my shortstop just narrowly missed. The next batter went down on strikes (the hitter in question had hit a 2 run bomb in the 4th inning of the game), with the big bat out of the way I met the #4 hitter who hit a long fly ball. My right fielder laid out and it just tipped off the heal of his glove (SHIT). 'hey I gave my outfielder a pat on the back because in that cold on that unforgiving ground that was an awesome effort. The next two batters then popped out to end the 8th, I was quite content with only 1 run given up . In the ninth I was getting hit hard, but after a pop out, then immediately after with a runner on first my shortstop made a diving stab behind second, made a quick flip and got the DP to end the top of the ninth.
Although we didn't win I was happy with my effort, I knew if I kept working hard on my off days I would be able to keep the flow and maybe even solidify a spot as the set up man.
keep your head up eyes on the prize and never look back thats my attitude from here on out. Follow this advice and im sure anyone out there can do anything they choose
Sunday, 5 June 2011
Week #1 - Bug bites / oil shows / blackouts
So when I arrived in regina at 8pm on a wednesday I was anxious to play ball. To say the least my blood was boiling, as we rode to weyburn my GM talked about all the rain the city had gotten over the past few weeks. I was shocked, I always thought the prairies were moderately dry. As we pulled into my billets apartment the first person I met was pitching coach who then shared a beer with me and we just relaxed. My billet is a great lady and I mean hey when someone will cook for a 20 year old college kid who just works out and plays ball, theyre a really cool person ( considering I eat about every 2 hours, I am surprised I havent eaten her out of house and home yet ).
The very next day I was greeted at the park by my head coach and a fellow pitcher, I was nervous but we had a good day working on the diamond. As lunch rolled around we went to a buffet, a small place in town which was unreal, so much food, thank god after lunch we had limited work to do.
As my third day rolled around so did the players I met guys from west virginia , louisiana, BC, Manitoba, New Mexico and arizona. That day was our first day of 'work' helping to set up this big oil and gas show held in weyburn every 2 years. I mean I do work in the summers but 10 hours of labor , it got out of hand. We legit put up 50 tents some as big as 180 by 60 , which was a huge task. My legs were sore and my mind was going nuts just waiting to hit the field. We did this for 4 days, then had to do security at the gates of the show. Yes we got paid but it was under minimum wage and the hours were longer then I could have imagined. This was also a very good way to get to know the guys we all worked together shared college stories, talked about what schools we thought were most legit and who we had played against.
After a few days of work we hit the field as a team finally. Pitchers of course ran sprints, did core work, and had a long toss day. I was content, it felt great throwing and working like a real big league pitcher. When the day was over I stayed behind and threw a pen to get my stuff down, change-up, curve-ball, and spotting my fastball. I then was given a 3 day program for relievers that I have followed exactly and will continue to follow because it makes me feel like a big leaguer. Showing up to the park 2 hours before BP, getting my running done, getting my toss in, then relaxing in the clubhouse jamming out to the tunes blasting on the ipod.
Game day came around friday June 3rd, we hit the road. 17 players 1 goal, win a ball game. The 2 hour drive that proceeded was a great time, everyone with ipods in. Some guys munching on some pre-game candy or downing a pre-game drink. Then we arrived, with an hour to spare. As we watched The Millionaires take BP we just kind of joked threw in lippers and got ready for game 1 of 43. With our ace on the hill we were in good shape he got 3 innings out of the way quick, then we were up to hit in the 4th and all of a sudden the lights turned off leaving the field in a slight darkness. Of course the game stopped, we came to realize the power went out in the town , so our game would be delayed for the time being. After the upside down man, games of flip and 2 ball, and countless dips the game was to be rescheduled to a later date for a double header.
So there ya go , week one in gods country playing the game I love, more to come even my first appearance in our very first official game.
The very next day I was greeted at the park by my head coach and a fellow pitcher, I was nervous but we had a good day working on the diamond. As lunch rolled around we went to a buffet, a small place in town which was unreal, so much food, thank god after lunch we had limited work to do.
As my third day rolled around so did the players I met guys from west virginia , louisiana, BC, Manitoba, New Mexico and arizona. That day was our first day of 'work' helping to set up this big oil and gas show held in weyburn every 2 years. I mean I do work in the summers but 10 hours of labor , it got out of hand. We legit put up 50 tents some as big as 180 by 60 , which was a huge task. My legs were sore and my mind was going nuts just waiting to hit the field. We did this for 4 days, then had to do security at the gates of the show. Yes we got paid but it was under minimum wage and the hours were longer then I could have imagined. This was also a very good way to get to know the guys we all worked together shared college stories, talked about what schools we thought were most legit and who we had played against.
After a few days of work we hit the field as a team finally. Pitchers of course ran sprints, did core work, and had a long toss day. I was content, it felt great throwing and working like a real big league pitcher. When the day was over I stayed behind and threw a pen to get my stuff down, change-up, curve-ball, and spotting my fastball. I then was given a 3 day program for relievers that I have followed exactly and will continue to follow because it makes me feel like a big leaguer. Showing up to the park 2 hours before BP, getting my running done, getting my toss in, then relaxing in the clubhouse jamming out to the tunes blasting on the ipod.
Game day came around friday June 3rd, we hit the road. 17 players 1 goal, win a ball game. The 2 hour drive that proceeded was a great time, everyone with ipods in. Some guys munching on some pre-game candy or downing a pre-game drink. Then we arrived, with an hour to spare. As we watched The Millionaires take BP we just kind of joked threw in lippers and got ready for game 1 of 43. With our ace on the hill we were in good shape he got 3 innings out of the way quick, then we were up to hit in the 4th and all of a sudden the lights turned off leaving the field in a slight darkness. Of course the game stopped, we came to realize the power went out in the town , so our game would be delayed for the time being. After the upside down man, games of flip and 2 ball, and countless dips the game was to be rescheduled to a later date for a double header.
So there ya go , week one in gods country playing the game I love, more to come even my first appearance in our very first official game.
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