Author: AspiDimitrov

by AspiDimitrov

THE END IS NIGH

I have written several times about the feelings that build up in the days before a game. This week is the same, and yet somehow different. This will be the Raptors' last regular season game, possibly our final competitive game as a unit. That is exciting — especially as a win would leave us with a .500 record for the season. But I am also in denial about it. Each time the game bubbles to the surface of my brain, it is quickly buried again as I try to pretend it is not really happening. This will be another year over. Already. It has gone so quickly and has been even more frustrating than usual for me. Even if a win does indeed put us into post-season competition — which would be an extraordinary achievement — I can't take part in the those playoffs because of other commitments.

So if the season really, really, really has to end on Sunday, here's hoping for a great game. Go Raptors!

 

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS AWARDED £5K GRANT FOR SECOND DIAMOND

Herts Baseball Club has been awarded a £5,000 grant from the Dacorum Olympic and Paralympic Fund, administered jointly by Dacorum Borough Council and the Dacorum Sports Network.

A select number of organisations have received awards from the Olympic Fund for capital projects that will enhance sport services and facilities for people in Dacorum.  The goal is to foster greater involvement in sport, culture and volunteering.  Herts Baseball Club – based at Grovehill Playing Fields in Hemel Hempstead – is widely regarded as a positive influence in the local area and their grant application boasted support from local Council members, the Herts Constabulary, the Grovehill Community Centre and many other encouraging organisations.

The funds will be used by Herts Baseball to level the playing surface of a second baseball field, adjacent to their existing diamond in Grovehill.  The Club has made a name for itself in recent years, enjoying rapid expansion to become the largest baseball franchise in the United Kingdom.  They have a thriving youth Little League programme and an adult team at every level of play in the British Baseball Federation – including the Herts Falcons who joined the venerated National Baseball League in 2009, have secured a winning debut season and will appear in the National Baseball Championships in Croydon, London on August 29-30 to compete for the UK trophy.

Herts Baseball is still awaiting news on another critical grant application which will provide for the clay surfaces, pitching mound and other sport-specific features on Diamond Two, but they've already raised enough funds to assure themselves a level field to play on.  The Grovehill baseball facilities are arguably the best in the United Kingdom, and Herts will be the only Club in the nation to boast two professionally-surfaced, adult sized and completely fenced-in baseball fields.

Club President Aspi Dimitrov said, “We are incredibly grateful to Dacorum Borough Council for their continued partnership and support.  It would be impossible to offer our services – family-friendly baseball for kids and adults, alike – without the Council's backing.  We plan on being a key community presence in Grovehill for many years to come.”

by AspiDimitrov

(AUDIO) BBC RADIO COVERAGE OF BRITISH BASEBALL

On Thursday, 6 August 2009, BBC London Radio 94.9FM aired a programme covering British Baseball.  Host Nick Godwin and guests representing all London-based teams from the NBL and AAA League who have qualified for the 2009 postseason discussed topics from the upcoming National Baseball Championship, staging an official MLB game in the UK as well as other issues facing British Baseball at the moment.

Among the special guests were Richmond General Manager and BBF Secretary, John Walmsley, London Mets President, Neil Warne, Bracknell Blazers President, Mark Salter, Essex Arrows President, David Shaer and Herts Falcons Manager, Jason Greenberg.

Click below to hear the programme in full.

 

by AspiDimitrov

YANKEES ARE CHAMPIONS AFTER REMARKABLE COME FROM BEHIND WIN

The Herts Yankees came back from the dead to become Herts Baseball Little League Champions for a second year in a row.  Trailing 4-0 going into the sixth inning they pulled off an amazing come back to beat the Blue Jays 6-4.

 

The Yankees may have finished ahead of everyone else in the regular season, but going into the Final, the Blue Jays were the team with all the momentum.  They were the hottest team in the league winning 5 out of their last 6 games and an upset was on the cards.  Yankees’ starter, Marty Cullen Jr, got the game under way retiring the first three batters in order.  Starting for the Blue Jays was Nickolas Martinez who responded with 3 strikeouts in the bottom of the first. 

 

In the top of the second the Blue Jays opened the score when Kieran Manning tripled and was driven in by Storm Frisby.  Frisby was one of the outstanding performers of the day with two clutch hits driving in two key runs for the Jays.  Lewis Paterson (2-4), Zack Longboy (2-4), Kieran Manning (2-3) and Jake Strange (1-2) were the other big hitters as the Blue Jays took a 4-0 lead. 

 

At the same time Martinez was putting up zeros inning-after-inning.  He pitched 5 scoreless innings striking out 10 and allowing only 1 hit – an absolutely amazing performance under pressure.

 

The Yankees were struggling to put together any kind of offensive threat but they were taking Martinez deep into the count.  By the end of the 5th he had thrown 76 pitches (51 strikes – 25 balls) and had to be taken out of the game.

 

The Yankees were running out of time trailing 4-0 and needing a miracle.  But they came out swinging their bats hard in the bottom of the sixth.  A combination of walks and timely hits produced the most incredible of come backs.  Both Declan Carlean and Lewis Green hit RBI singles and Robert Binns delivered the knockout punch with a triple to drive in 2 more runs.  The Yankees scored 6 runs in that inning.  This meant that the Blue Jays needed to score 2 in the 7th and final inning to stay in the game.  All the pressure was on Yankees’ pitcher Marty Cullen and he kept his nerve closing the game in style with a groundout and 2 strikeouts.  Yankees Centerfielder, Lewis Green was voted as the MVP of the 2009 Championship Game.

 

After the game Blue Jays’ Managers, Arnie Longboy and Jeff Witter, had a message for their players: ”It has been a pleasure working with such a dedicated group of players.  All season the players have worked so hard and it has been very satisfying to see them grow as players”. 

 

That was a heartbreaking loss for the Blue Jays, many of whom were in tears after the game.  In every game there must be winners and losers but in this case both teams can be very proud of themselves.  They produced a thrilling baseball game of the highest quality for the fans who had packed the spectator areas at Grovehill Ballpark.  They certainly showed that the future is bright for Herts Baseball Club.

 

Herts Yankees Manager, Marty Cullen, said:  “I may have been acting as the stand-in Yankees Manager today, but as the Commissioner of the Herts Little League, I feel that this is more than just about the Yankees winning the title.  All the teams deserve credit and now that the Herts Little League season has ended it is time for all of our Herts Little League players to turn their attention to the upcoming National Championship, which is an opportunity for our club to show what Herts is about to the rest of Britain.”

 

Red Sox survive Cubs’ late rally to win Bronze (Read more).

 

More images from the Herts Baseball Little League Finals.

 

Herts Blue Jays at Herts Yankees
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Blue Jays 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 4 9 3
Herts Yankees 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 6 4 3

Herts Yankees 6, Herts Blue Jays 4
Herts Yankees Herts Blue Jays
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Lewis Green cf 4 1 1 1 Aaron Witter 2b 4 0 0 0
Dan Phillips 2b 3 0 0 0 Zachary Longboy ss-p 4 0 2 0
Marty Cullen Jr p 3 0 1 0 Nickolas Martinez p-ss 4 0 0 0
Jamie Paterson ss 2 1 0 0 Lewis Paterson 1b 4 1 2 0
Charlie Mayhew 1b 2 0 0 0 Kieran Manning c 3 2 2 1
Carlos Casal Jr c 1 1 0 0 George Beatty 3b 3 0 0 0
Alex Ringrose 3b 3 1 0 1 Storm Frisby lf 4 0 2 2
Robert Binns rf 3 1 1 2 Stella Dixon cf 3 1 0 0
Declan Carlean lf 2 1 1 1 Jacob Strange rf 2 0 1 0
TEAM TOTALS 23 6 4 5 TEAM TOTALS 31 4 9 3

E: Marty Cullen Jr, Jamie Paterson, Carlos Casal Jr, Lewis Paterson, George Beatty,
Stella Dixon. DP: Herts Yankees 1. LOB: Herts Yankees 5, Herts Blue Jays 9. 2B: Marty
Cullen Jr, Lewis Paterson, Kieran Manning, Zachary Longboy. 3B: Robert Binns, Kieran
Manning.

Herts Yankees IP H R ER BB SO
Marty Cullen Jr W 7.00 9 4 3 2 9
Herts Blue Jays            
Nickolas Martinez 5.00 1 0 0 2 10
Zachary Longboy L 1.00 3 6 5 3 1

HBP: by Marty Cullen Jr (Kieran Manning). . . T: 1:55. A: 89.

by AspiDimitrov

RED SOX SURVIVE CUBS’ LATE RALLY TO WIN BRONZE

In a day of incredible come backs, the Cubs almost pulled off a classic come-from-behind win of their own.  Their brave effort came just short as they went down 6-5 to the Red Sox in the Bronze Medal Game.

 

During the regular season the two teams were very equally-matched having won 3 games each, so this was their seventh meeting of the season and was the equivalent of a sudden-death Game 7 in a best-of-7 series.

 

The Sox jumped in front 5-0 in the first inning.  4 of those runs came after 2 RBI doubles from both Liam Green and rookie Mariana Casal playing only her third game in the Little League.  The Cubs were refusing to throw in the towel, and started chipping away at the Red Sox’ lead.  Keanu Wood (1-1) and Eddie Smith (0-1) may have been the youngest members of the Cubs, but they delivered giant blows driving in 3 runs.  That brought the Cubs to within 3 runs going into the final inning.

 

Red Sox starting pitcher, Carlos Casal Jr, had allowed only 2 hits up to that point, but in the final inning the Cubs managed to find other ways to get on base.  Aggressive base-running forced the Red Sox to commit several errors which allowed 2 runs in and made the score 6-5.  The Cubs’ were somehow staying alive with two outs.  They even managed to put the tying run in scoring position, but their luck ran out right at the end.  The Red Sox held on to clinch the bronze medal sparking wild celebrations with champagne cork flying high up in the air.  Even the Cubs joined in the celebrations with both teams ending up completely drenched.

 

Red Sox Catcher, Michael Davis, was voted as the MVP of the 2009 Bronze Medal Game.

 

Red Sox Managers, Nick White and Carlos Casal, praised their players: “Everyone worked as a team and that’s how baseball games are won”.  Kal Dimitrov, standing in as Cubs Manager for Atso Ariga, was positive despite the defeat: “The Cubs should be very proud.  They have had a fantastic season and showed great resilience fighting right to the end.”

 

Yankees are Champions After Remarkable Come From Behind Win (Read more)

 

More images from the Herts Baseball Little League Finals.

 

Herts Cubs at Herts Red Sox
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 R H E
Herts Cubs 0 1 2 2 5 2 2
Herts Red Sox 5 1 0 0 6 3 1

Herts Red Sox 6, Herts Cubs 5
Herts Red Sox Herts Cubs
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Adam White 2b 1 1 0 0 Nicolas Carlean cf 3 0 0 0
Michael Davis c 0 1 0 1 Drew Mayhew 1b 1 2 0 0
Carlos Casal Jr p 1 1 0 0 Alex Ringrose p 1 2 0 0
Liam Green 1b 2 1 2 2 Adam Smith c 2 1 0 0
Theo Longboy 3b 1 1 0 0 Declan Carlean ss 3 0 1 0
Connor Caffrey ss 0 0 0 0 Mitchell Procter 2b 1 0 0 0
Mariana Casal rf 2 0 1 2 Eddie Smith lf 1 0 0 1
Jacob Strange lf 0 1 0 0 Keanu Wood 3b 1 0 1 2
Alexander Deacon cf 2 0 0 0 Bai Frisby rf 2 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 9 6 3 5 TEAM TOTALS 15 5 2 3

E: Carlos Casal Jr, Drew Mayhew, Declan Carlean. LOB: Herts Red Sox 8, Herts Cubs 8.
2B: Liam Green, Mariana Casal, Declan Carlean.

Herts Red Sox IP H R ER BB SO
Carlos Casal Jr W 4.00 2 5 3 8 6
Herts Cubs            
Alex Ringrose L 1.33 3 6 4 9 3

HBP: by Carlos Casal Jr (Keanu Wood). , by Carlos Casal Jr (Alex Ringrose). T: 1:35.
A: 89.

by AspiDimitrov

FALCONS SLIDE CONTINUES, DROP TWO TO METS

Report from BBF Correspondent Simon Fitzjohn:

The London Mets kept up their relentless pace atop the NBL standings, but were made to work hard by the Herts Falcons in an entertaining doubleheader. London emerged victorious by scores of 7-2 and 4-3. Reed Wilson was the hero in game one, pitching another dominating game to frustrate the Herts hitters. Game two was much tighter though, with the Mets needing two passed balls, a stolen base and a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth to rally from a 3-2 deficit.

The Mets' Alex Pike said: “Reed pitched to perfection in the first game and I cannot ask for more than that. Game two was far closer but we still came through. Pressure means nothing to these guys and they always find a way to win. We are going to be missing quite a few of these guys in the play-offs so we need to try out a few new faces, but they are stepping up well.”

For Herts' manager Jason Greenberg it was a case of what might have been. He said: “In the first game we came up with only one hit, so no surprises in the result there. Game two we could have won and we are very disappointed. Even so I am very pleased that it was a game against the Mets that we controlled from the first inning. The day is getting closer where we beat this team and it is not considered an upset.”

More images from the Falcons' visit to the London Mets

GAME ONE

Herts Falcons at London Mets
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Falcons 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 3
London Mets 1 0 2 0 1 3 0 7 6 2

London Mets 7, Herts Falcons 2
London Mets Herts Falcons
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Player 1 3b 3 1 0 0 Luis Goncalves ss 4 0 0 0
Player 2 ss 3 2 0 0 Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b 2 0 0 0
Player 3 lf 3 1 0 0 Lin Yuchih 3b 2 0 0 0
Player 4 c 4 1 1 4 Darrin Ward 1b 3 0 0 0
Player 5 dh 4 0 1 1 Jason Greenberg c 3 0 1 0
Player 6 1b 2 0 1 1 Dan Kerry lf 3 1 0 0
(t7) Sub 1 1b 0 0 0 0 Aspi Dimitrov rf 1 0 0 0
Player 7 cf 3 0 0 0 (t7) Carlos Casal rf 1 1 0 0
Player 8 2b 3 1 3 0 Nick Goetz p 2 0 0 0
(t7) Sub 4 2b 0 0 0 0 (t7) Lee Manning p 0 0 0 0
Player 9 rf 2 1 0 0 Jamie Munn cf 3 0 0 0
(t7) Sub 6 rf 0 0 0 0
Sub 16 p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 27 7 6 6 TEAM TOTALS 24 2 1 0

E: Player 2, Sub 16, Lin Yuchih(2), Aspi Dimitrov. LOB: Herts Falcons 5, London Mets
7. 2B: Player 4, Player 5, Player 6, Player 8. SB: Player 2(3), Player 3, Player 1,
Carlos Casal.

London Mets IP H R ER BB SO
Sub 16 W 7.00 1 2 0 3 9
Herts Falcons            
Nick Goetz L 6.00 6 7 2 3 1

HBP: by Nick Goetz (Player 2). . . . . , by Sub 16 (Kimiyoshi Saionji), by Nick Goetz
(Player 9). . WP: Sub 16. PB: Player 4(4), Jason Greenberg. T: 1:45. A: 97.


GAME TWO

Herts ALL at Template Team
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts ALL 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 3 3 3
Template Team 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 4 5 3

Template Team 4, Herts ALL 3
Template Team Herts ALL
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Player 1 ss 3 1 2 1 Luis Goncalves ss 3 1 1 1
Player 2 lf-2b 3 1 1 2 Kimiyoshi Saionji rf 4 0 0 0
Player 3 3b 2 0 0 0 Lin Yuchih 1b 3 0 0 0
(b4) Sub 4 3b 1 0 0 0 Darrin Ward p 3 0 0 0
Player 4 dh 2 0 0 1 Dan Kerry cf 3 0 0 0
Player 5 cf 3 0 1 0 Lee Manning c 2 1 0 0
Player 6 c 3 0 0 0 Carlos Casal 2b 3 1 2 0
(t7) Sub 6 lf 0 0 0 0 Nick Goetz 3b 2 0 0 0
Player 7 2b 1 0 0 0 Jamie Munn rf 3 0 0 0
(b5) Sub 1 2b-c 1 0 0 0
Player 8 rf 1 1 0 0
(b5) Sub 2 rf 1 0 0 0
Player 9 1b 2 1 1 0
Sub 16 p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 23 4 5 4 TEAM TOTALS 26 3 3 1

E: Player 1(2), Player 3, Luis Goncalves, Carlos Casal, Nick Goetz. DP: Herts ALL 2.
LOB: Template Team 2, Herts ALL 6. 2B: Player 1, Player 5. SB: Player 2, Luis
Goncalves(2), Carlos Casal, Lee Manning. SF: Player 4.

Template Team IP H R ER BB SO
Sub 16 W 7.00 3 3 0 4 5
Herts ALL            
Darrin Ward L 6.00 5 4 3 0 0

WP: Sub 16(2). PB: Player 6(3), Lee Manning(2). T: 15:15. A: 98.

by AspiDimitrov

RAPTORS GRILL MARAUDERS

Report from Herts Baseball Newswire Correspondent, JON GAMBLE

 

The Herts Raptors travelled to Finsbury Park on a grey Sunday afternoon with hopes of edging their way closer to the season play-offs. For the London Marauders it has been a long season as they went into the game still without a single win. The barbecue sizzles in the background.

 

The Herts team came out of the pits firing on all cylinders. Nippy base-stealing and a willingness to take advantage of some erratic pitching  quickly put four runs on the board. The Marauders were unable to respond as sharp fielding by the Raptors – including their first double-play of the day – made short work of the early London batting order. Perrie Sherman, returning from international pitching duties in Belgium, was looking at home in the catcher's box.

 

The Raptors made the most of some not-so-sharp fielding errors to add a further four runs in the top of the second. However, debut pitcher Jeff Witter appeared to take a liking to his new job for the Raptors – restricting the Marauders to only one run in reply.

 

The top of the third inning turned into a walkfest for the Raptors as a combination of sound hitting, wild pitching and aggressive base stealing piled on the runs. Someone famously said that there is no defence against a walk. For the London Marauders this was the hard lesson of the day. The Raptors base-stealing operation was working like a high-octane machine but uncontrolled pitching was also making it too easy to get batters round.

 

By the end of the decisive third inning, the Marauders have been grilled to order – as the Raptors lead stretches to 20-2. The Marauders were never able to get a serious rally going. This was largely the result of the disciplined pitching performance of Jeff Witter backed up by a very tidy fielding display from the rest of the Raptors – in which Iwan Evans, Andrew Slater and Paul Curtis should all get special mention. The Raptors improvement in the fielding department – including another crisp double play in the bottom of the fourth – was the hallmark of the game.

 

Of the three contests between these two sides this season, this was the most one-sided. The London Marauders are a genial side who play the game in the proper spirit, while the hospitality at Finsbury Park sets the standard for convivial sportsmanship. For the Marauders the road to baseball success surely lies through solving the pitching riddle. It is a puzzle that the Raptors have also struggled with throughout the season. Jeff Witter's economical performance on Sunday suggest that they have gone a some way towards solving it.

 

 

Herts Raptors at London Marauders
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Raptors 4 4 12 0 0 3 1 24 8 2
London Marauders 0 1 1 0 3 0 1 6 4 5

Herts Raptors 24, London Marauders 6
Herts Raptors London Marauders
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Iwan Evans cf 6 5 3 3 Player 1 p 4 1 1 0
Ilya Dimitrov ss 2 4 0 1 Player 2 c 3 2 1 0
Andrew Slater 1b 6 4 2 3 Player 3 1b 1 2 0 0
Jonathon Lewys 3b 3 2 1 2 Player 4 2b 3 0 0 2
Paul Curtis 2b 2 2 1 0 Player 5 3b 2 1 0 0
Perrie Sherman c 2 1 0 2 Player 6 ss 4 0 1 0
Jeff Witter p 5 0 0 1 Player 7 lf 3 0 0 0
Robert Crouch lf 5 3 1 0 Player 8 cf 1 0 1 0
Jon Gamble rf 1 3 0 0 Player 9 rf 3 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 32 24 8 12 TEAM TOTALS 24 6 4 2

E: Paul Curtis, Perrie Sherman, Player 4(2), Player 5(2), Player 6. DP: Herts Raptors
2. LOB: London Marauders 6, Herts Raptors 12. 2B: Iwan Evans, Player 6. SB: Andrew
Slater(4), Jonathon Lewys(4), Ilya Dimitrov(4), Iwan Evans(3), Robert Crouch(3), Paul
Curtis(2), Perrie Sherman, Player 3(4), Player 5(3), Player 2(3), Player 1(2). SF:
Jonathon Lewys, Player 4.

Herts Raptors IP H R ER BB SO
Jeff Witter W 7.00 4 6 3 9 5
London Marauders            
Player 1 L 7.00 8 24 9 23 5

HBP: by Player 1 (Ilya Dimitrov). . , by Player 1 (Jon Gamble). . . . WP: Jeff
Witter(3), Player 1(9). PB: Player 2(7). T: 3:15. A: 98.

by AspiDimitrov

WOLFHOUNDS TAMED BY HERTS ALL STARS

The Herts Little League All Stars faced their first ever international competition this past Saturday when they hosted an All Star team from southern Ireland in a 7 inning friendly game at ‘the hill’.

With the Herts Little League only in its 2nd season, the question on everyone’s lips was, “can they compete at a higher level?”

The Herts All Stars answered……………………and answered LOUDLY!

From the first pitch, all pre-game jitters seemed to disappear behind the determined game faces of Herts. Starting pitcher, Marty Cullen Jr retired the first 5 batters via the strikeout and didn’t allow a hit in his 3 innings on the mound recording 8 strikeouts. Pitcher Nick Martinez came in and continued the domination recording 5 strikeouts and no hits in 2 strong innings. Assistant coach Arnie Longboy said after the game, “pitching wins games, and we might have the best one two punch in the British youth system right now”. Relievers Mikito Ariga and Zach Longboy also combined for 3 strong innings allowing only 1 run in the rout providing further evidence of the depth in the Herts bullpen.

At the plate, the Herts bats came alive knocking in 25 runs with every Herts batter reaching base via the hit. Doubles and triples were the flavour of the day against a good Irish pitching staff. Herts batters had a record 14 extra base hits including a monster home run to deep center by newcomer Jamie Dix.

Manager Marty Cullen had this to say after the win, “It’s all about preparation. These kids have worked so hard, and it really showed today. I’m so proud of how they came together as a team. They did everything right. For me, this was a prep game for the BBF championships and I saw exactly what I wanted to see.”

The day itself was a tremendous success as the legendary Herts fans came out in droves, soaking up the atmosphere (as well as a record number of hot dogs and donuts). The Irish Wolfhounds also enjoyed the hospitality displayed by Herts and their supporters despite the tough loss. The Irish Manager said, “All credit to Herts. They put on a great event and they play hard. We would definitely come back.”

Next stop…….the BBF Youth Championships. Do the Herts All Stars have what it takes to bring home the Gold? I’m willing to bet that there are a few teams around the Country nervously asking that same question.

 

View More Images from the first youth international game at Grovehill Ballpark

by AspiDimitrov

BLUE JAYS VS YANKEES IN THE HERTS LITTLE LEAGUE FINAL

FOUR ONE-RUN WINS

The final day of the Herts Baseball Little League did not disappoint producing 4 games which were all decided by 1 run and set up an exciting postseason lineup. 

 

Although the Herts Yankees had already booked their place in the Championship Game, all of the other three teams were in with a chance to clinch second spot and earn the right to face the 2008 Champions in the Final next week.

 

The Blue Jays were in pole position at the start of the day standing one game ahead of the Red Sox, so the matchup between the two was a must win game for the Sox.  It turned out to be a classic with the Herts Red Sox winning 2-1.  This meant that both teams were tied in second position going into the final game of the regular season.

 

On the other diamond, the Cubs found themselves two games back on the second-placed Blue Jays so they needed two wins out of two and hope that the other results go their way.  Despite a courageous effort against the Yankees, their hearts were broken in the final inning when the Yankees came from behind to get the walk-off win.

 

NEEDING A WALK OFF GRAND SLAM

And so it came down to the final games of the regular season.  Blue Jays versus Cubs and Red Sox against the Yankees.  With the Blue Jays having a superior run difference they only had to match what the Red Sox do in the other game to clinch second place.  Both games were on a knife’s edge.

 

The Cubs were out of the race but they almost ruined the day for the Blue Jays, who won it 2-1 but the game could have gone either way.  This put pressure on the Red Sox who were being pegged back by the Yankees.  With news of the Blue Jays’ win filtering through and the Blue Jays players taking their sit on the Yankees side of the field to support them, the Sox needed to win the game by 3 or more runs.  This looked impossible as they were the home team and were trailing so the only way for them to win by 3 runs was to load the bases and then hit a walk-off Grand Slam homerun.  They certainly gave it a go but came just short with the game finishing 9-8 to the Yankees with the bases left loaded.

 

POSTSEASON LINEUP

This sets an exciting final day of the 2009 season.  First the Red Sox and Cubs will face off in the Bronze Medal game, first pitch at 11:30am.  Followed by the Blue Jays and Yankees to decide the 2009 Herts Little League Champions.  Will it be the Herts Yankees (12-4) for a second year in a row, or will the Blue Jays (8-8) cause a major upset by bringing down the team which has dominated the league all year long.

 

View Final Standings of the 2009 Regular Season

 

View More Images from the Final Day of the Regular Season

by AspiDimitrov

HOLDING IT TOGETHER

It's already ten past eleven. The game was due to start at 11. The rain is falling, and we only have seven players. “Welcome to recreational baseball”  says one wag. This is the time of year when it gets harder and harder to muster a team — people go off on holiday, early season enthusiasm wanes, and players drift off. And when we get a rare rainy day, it's even harder to leap out of bed on a Sunday morning to do your thing.

But with a patchwork team we took the field. Paul pitched for the first time — ever — in a competitive game. I took second base for the first time this season. And things didn't start that well, with the visiting Pirates racking up eight runs off us.  I thought Paul did a really good job but we could have backed him up better. For example, one routine infield pop-up fell to earth needlessly. Off the bat it looked like it had some air on it and, being decisive, I gave a loud shout and moved in. But then it started to die, still yards in front of me. And I realised I wasn't going to get there even with a dive. It was falling close behind Paul, and Ilya was coming in from shortstop, but the ball ended up in the grass between us all.  Now, Ilya had the right to call me off, but we are both learning our positions, so that is the sort of situation where you are exposed by lack of practice as a unit.   

Overall, I think I still have a bit of a tendency to get sucked into the centre of the diamond looking for a play to make, as I have not yet developed the innate sense of where I need to be. Watching some Major League action on Monday I saw players move around so smoothly it made you sick. Earlier this season, my positioning cost me a couple of outs which I could have made had I been standing someplace else. On one occasion in this game when I had moved towards third (arguably for good reason — to help guide the cut off from the outfield, precisely because we are novices) the play ended with a tag out at second base made not by me but by Matt, the right fielder, who had astutely come in to cover.

I was pleased to get in one successful tag of my own. A runner made the turn for second — possibly on an overthrow, I can't remember — but our wily manager Marty, playing first base, saw the opportunity and sent a good throw my way. This time I had been able to think quickly enough about where I needed to be — over the bag, so I was out of the runner's way, but could still make the play in front of it. I was able to apply the tag just in front and get the out. I regret to say that I did indulge in a moment of celebration (for which I hereby apologise to the Croydon manager!). I meant no disrespect, but was merely excited to be part of a genuine bang-bang play. I got to make a couple more plays, including one graceless stop of a ground ball threatening to disappear up the middle, which ended with me crawling after the ball on the infield dirt. It's the results that matter, that's what I say!

And it was another week of terrible swings at the plate. Two strikeouts — the first from an at-bat which started 2-0 — and then a walk once I had got myself under enough control to foul off pitches and leave alone the junk! I'll give myself a brownie point for reaching base on a dropped third strike, the first time I remember ever having the presence of mind to do so. We put together a good rally in the final inning and it was a really fun game to play in. Once you get to late July, you have to enjoy the fact that you can keep it together at all.