7-8 Associated Fire versus Papillion Post 32

Win over Papiliion

7-2 Associated Fire versus Omaha Bryan at PLV-South

Papio Times article

Here is a link to a Papillion times article. http://www.papilliontimes.com/site/tab6.cfm?newsid=19841647&BRD=2712&PAG=461&dept_id=556342&rfi=6

Overachieving

Good article from ESPN on the overachieving St Louis Cardinals. They have the 6th best record in baseball and definitely do not have the 6th best talent. They have overachieved by coming to the ballpark and simply COMPETING everyday!

It's everybody that's in uniform, everyone that's involved in this clubhouse. We're all here to compete, whatever the set of circumstances. It's that simple.
--Tony La Russa

Here is the link to the article, please read!
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3469110

Why Emphasize The Bunting Game?

In all of baseball, both professional and amateur, management and players do not place enough importance on the bunting game; consequently the players cannot execute this phase of the game. The end result of poor fundamentals is the player cannot bunt for base hits nor sacrifice at critical times to get runners into scoring position.
In failing to have a good bunting game players lose the other values of hitting that come from bunting concepts. The threat of the drag bunt keeps the flanks (third and first basemen) playing close to the hitter. This increases the hitter's advantage to drive the ball past them. In sacrifice bunt situations, the good bunters have the ability to slash hit from a bunting stance, once again taking advantage of the drawn-in infield. The ability to drag bunt, sacrifice bunt and slash hit from a bunting stance will increase every player's batting average at least 100 points. I did say 100 points! Coaches armed with a good bunting game have the weaponry to attack and score in adverse weather conditions, wind blowing in, cold and wet weather. The bunting game helps you create offense no matter what the occasion or condition.
Bunting in baseball is as important as blocking in football. In football if you can't block you won't move the football, you won't generate any offense, and you will lose. In baseball, there is a "ho-hum, don't ask ME to bunt" attitude.
In building a house you start with a good foundation. A coach must treat the bunting game as the foundation of hitting and offensive weaponry. There are many aspects of the bunting game, including the drag bunt, the threat of the drag to keep the flanks up, the sacrifice bunt, slash hitting from the sacrifice bunt stance, the safety squeeze and the suicide squeeze. All of these concepts place tremendous psychological pressure on the defense, which can cause havoc with the pitcher and can force errors by the opposing team.
Bill Madlock, former major league all-star, related that the year he won the National League batting championship by one percentage point, he was successful in 22 of 23 drag bunt attempts. This added quite a few points to his batting average. We can only guess how many other balls that he hit went by the drawn-in third baseman.

Local Baseball

Good article on Omaha high school baseball
Fundamentals will lead to success!
http://omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1200&u_sid=10370842

Positive thinking has helped Bulldogs!

Good article from ESPN.com about the Georgia Bulldogs improvement from last year. They credit positive thoughts with a big portion of their improvement.

Quote from article: "Last year, it was one of those things where if something could go wrong like we thought, it would happen," Beckham said. "And this year we think better thoughts, I guess. Think a happy thought."

Here is the link to the article: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=3455440

Pete and A Rod

Two of the greatest hitters to play the game.
Great artifcle from ESPN on thier relationship.
Click here to read: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=roseandarod

You can play for us when...

You Can Play For Us When...
· You don't care if you are the one who bunts the runner over or the one who hits the runs in, because you are fulfilling your role, whatever that role is, is most important.
· You have a desire to excel for the benefit of those relying on you.
· You have an unquenchable need to exceed your past limitations.
· You play without the option of defeat.
· You play and know, without a doubt, that you competed like a champion.
· You understand your commitment to your teammates.
· You understand that baseball is a team sport.
· You finish playing and only your body leaves the field…your heart and soul are captured within the game.
· You will exchange your blood, sweat, and tears for the benefit of the team.
· You understand the irrelevance of individual awards.
· You would rather encourage a teammate to success than benefit personally from his mistakes.
· Your respect for the game outweighs your personal pride.
· You make mistakes and use them to improve instead of using them as excuses.
· Your ability to make your teammates better increases each time you play.
· You do the little things right when nobody is watching.
· You serve your teammates with unselfish motives.
· You understand your role and strive to perform it better.
· You have done all you can and still feel you haven't done enough.
· You play with pain without creating a scene.
· You give more than what is asked and take less than what is deserved.
· Your effort is constant and your play is consistent regardless of the situation.
· You think you can, and you do.

MUST READ- The players on the bench

The Players On The Bench
It takes more than nine players to make a winning team. The starting nine may win a game, but it takes the whole team to win the championship-to go all the way. The team is really like an iceberg. You see the starting nine, but underneath it all is that big, wide, strong base-the rest of the team. This is the part of the team that builds the character of a lasting winner. The more dedicated the man on the bench, the harder he works, the more he pushes and strengthens the starting player-the higher he pushes this iceberg out of the water-the bigger it gets-the better the team. If he quits, doesn't give his all, or becomes complacent in his position, he erodes that strong base and erodes the character of the team. He contributes to the error in a tense, one run game, he is partly to blame for that mental lapse with two innings to play in the big rivalry, he undermines the total effort necessary for the team to come back from a four run deficit in a championship game. And yet this player on the bench must be there-watching, waiting, and hoping-sometimes agonizingly-for that chance to use his special skill to better the team effort-to make the base of that iceberg stronger-to help build the character of the team. Yes, agonizingly because he knows there is a chance he won't play because he may be the smallest man waiting to break open the game with a double or he may be the big man called in an instant to shut down the other teams best hitter. He may even be the man that's hurt, but working twice as hard to be physically fit in time to play in the playoffs. He may be the man on the bench who demonstrates to the fans that this team really has character from the bench to the basket. But even more important he may be the whole bench that the player looks to late in the game when he is hurting, out of breath, and burning inside for that spirit, that push, and that enthusiasm, and that love necessary to make the big play and win the game for the whole team.
When the game is over, when the season ends and all the fans and sports writers are talking about the top of the iceberg, the stars and heroes, the players will know that the real winner is the team, the whole iceberg, especially the base-the men on the bench who build the character to make the team a lasting winner.

TITAN PITCHING REMINDERS

1. Concentrate on getting the first ball over and getting the first man out!

2. Allow 2 or less walks per game

3. Strike out to walk ratio should be 2 K's to 1 BB

4. Hit ratio should be less than 1 per inning

5. Get ahead of all hitters

6. Curveball thrown when HITTER is ahead in the count does not have to be your best.

7. If ahead and you miss, miss out of the zone

8. Universal hitting weaknesses: Low and away for righty, High and tight for lefty

9. Rather have curveball in the dirt than up in the eyes

10. Visualize throwing the perfect game

11. Know what pitch you can throw to get a groundball

12. Behind in the count: Split the plate with breaking ball Ahead: throw your best, hardest breaking ball

13. Be quick to the plate 1.4 and below

14. 2 quick outs- go after hitter with good stuff

15. Bunt plays- throw strikes - make sure to get one out

16. There is no defense against the walk

Week 2 article from Papillion Times

Here is the link to the week 2 article from the Papillion Times: http://www.papilliontimes.com/site/tab6.cfm?newsid=19746555&BRD=2712&PAG=461&dept_id=556342&rfi=15