Author: Rob Jones

by Rob Jones

Hawks fall to earth in national finals

It had been a vintage year for the Herts Hawks — posting a record of 11-2 — with a vintage team — full of experience and expertise. But its final moment was far from a vintage performance. It was a day when nothing worked, and the harder they tried, the further the game slipped from their grasp.

The Hawks were facing the Tonbridge Bobcats in the second semi-final at the Single-A National Championships. In the first semi-final, the top-seeded London Musketeers had been knocked out. Conventional wisdom said they were the chief threat to the Hawks, but they were upset 10-7 by the Guildford Mavericks.

Ken Pike at bat in the Single-A semi-final

The Hawks chances of a title had increased, but they first had to win their semi-final. Andrew Slater started on the mound for Herts. He had been the joint league leader in wins during the regular season, with 5. The game began well enough, with a scoreless first inning.

Snuffed out

But when Herts came up to bat, the tone of the day was set. Centre-fielder Ilya Dimitrov led off by reaching on an error. But he rashly made the turn for second with the loose ball still on the infield. Tonbridge recovered, caught him in an efficient rundown and snuffed out the threat. One down.

Sonam Lama then walked, stole a base and moved up to third on a pass ball while Tim Elkins struck out. But the Tonbridge pitcher Dicky Gofton — of whom more later —  smartly picked him off at third base, and the Herts inning was over. These were not the sort of mistakes the Hawks were used to making.

The Bobcats seized their chance and in the second inning started laying in to the pitching of Slater. The big number 99 never felt as sharp or as deceptive as he had been all season.

But there was malaise in the defence too. A swinging bunt turned into a base-runner when there was confusion about who should play it. Catches went down in the outfield. Hits would always go 6 inches from a glove. After the second inning, Tonbridge were up 5-0. After the third, they led 9-0.

Slater left after allowing 11 hits, striking out one and walking one. Charlie Mayhew made a brisk start in relief, limiting the opponents to just 2 runs.

But this was scheduled as a 7-inning game, because of the nature of finals day. That meant the mercy rule would be in force after 5, and Herts were in a deep hole.

Disappointment

Their first hit of the day had come in the third inning from second baseman Ken Pike. He then stole and progressed to third base, as Dimitrov again reached on an error. But Tonbridge were equal to it, and kept the scoresheet clean. In the fourth, Herts went down in order.

By the end of the day, Dicky Gofton had racked up 7 strikeouts, 2 walks, and no runs. A fastball which consistently found the corners, paired with a loping curve ball, kept the Herts batters off balance. They never showed the offense which had helped to drive them to the national finals.

There was one last push to save the game in the bottom of the fifth. Catcher Paul Auchterlounie tried to make something happen, by bunting for a hit. But he was thrown out by half a step by Gofton. Dan Bartram worked a walk, and Pike got his second hit of the day.

But a strikeout and a groundout ended the game, and Tonbridge moved on to the final. The disappointment in the Herts dugout was clear. “A tough day at the office”, was the polite way to put it. “Dreadful” was another. Joint managers Greg Bochan and Andrew Slater had led the team to a hugely successful season and felt flat to see it end in a damp squib.

The Herts Hawks squad for the semi-final

Herts club president Aspi Dimitrov spoke for many when he urged the Hawks not to feel too downhearted: “You have had a great season”, he said. “Everyone at Herts Baseball Club is very proud of you.”

Tonbridge went on to beat Guildford in the final, winning 10-0 in five innings by mercy rule, and lifted the Single-A trophy for the first time in club history.

Photos of the day can be seen and downloaded here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hertsbaseball/albums/72157658536566555

 

 

by Rob Jones

Falcons and Raptors soar in season finale

The Herts Falcons secured their number 2 seeding in the post-season by splitting Sunday’s double-header at Grovehill against the defending National League champions, the Essex Arrows.

These were the last games of the regular season and were crucial to gain an advantage in the playoffs.

Maikel Azcuy, one of the Herts power threats (photo: Paul Holdrick)

The Falcons won Game 1 convincingly behind the pitching of Jose Sosa. The 9-2 victory was powered by home runs from Edwin Alcantara, NBL record holder Maikel Azcuy, and Sosa himself. In Game 2, starting pitcher Ian Sales limited the Arrows to just one run, but it still wasn’t enough, as Herts suffered a 1-0 loss.

But the results were enough to finish second in the NBL so the Falcons will host this weekend’s semi-final series against the Arrows, and either Southampton or Bracknell.

Manager Lee Manning is feeling confident: “We played great defence and it looks like we’re getting hot at the right time – even if the weather isn’t!”

In the Single-A division, the Herts Raptors ended their season with a thrilling 25-21 victory away to the Kent Mariners. The team took an early lead but had to come from behind to secure the win. They were trailing by 9 runs in the sixth inning, but rallied with hits from Joe Court and Yue Du.

The Raptors were still trailing by 3 runs going into the ninth inning. When the first Herts runner to reach base was caught stealing things looked ominous.

But the visitors managed to level the score, and then Manny Banson struck the tie-breaking hit to drive in shortstop Jamie Lang and starting pitcher Paul Barton.

Paul Barton had 4 hits and 3 RBIs (photo: Rob Jones)

Matt Corran , a converted cricketer who starting playing league baseball after attending the midweek training sessions at Grovehill, pitched in relief for the win. He struck out six and walked one.

The caretaker manager for the day, Barton – another rookie – was delighted by the result: “It was a great game, amazing. Matt was excellent, and everyone hit really well.”

The Raptors don’t qualify for the playoffs, but ended the season winning four of their last five games. Manager Rob Jones was proud of the progress the side had made: “It’s been a season with some really horrible moments, but everyone has pulled together and played with a great spirit and they deserve the good results.”

The Herts Hawks are also into the playoffs in Single-A, and have high hopes, but they did not have a game this week. Their action resumes in September.

by Rob Jones

Falcons take two while Raptors bats beat Bucks

The Herts Falcons put down a marker for the postseason when the National League-leading London Mets came to Grovehill for a double-header on Sunday, 16th August. The Falcons are jostling for position in the playoff race and they were able to take both games from the visitors.

The first game was tight, with the early exchanges leaving the two sides tied at 5-5 after three innings. The Falcons were then able to stretch out their lead and despite a rally by London in the final inning, it ended 10-9 to the Herts side. Jose Sosa took the win, Ian Sales the save, while home runs from Maikel Azcuy, Edwin Alcantara and Robert Almanzar drove the offense.

Jose Sosa, winning pitcher on Sunday

Sales was the man to start the second half of the menu, and he pitched a complete game with 6 strikeouts to secure an 8-0 shutout victory. Alcantara was again the main force on offense, with 4 RBIs, and new South African outfielder Darren Meintjes chipped in with a home run.

The defending NBL champion Essex Arrows take on the Falcons this weekend in a crucial match-up. Both sides have .500 records, so this will determine who is the runner-up to the Mets in the league, and therefore who gets to host the three-team semi-final the following week.

The big downside for the Herts side was a nasty injury to Robbie Almanzar, who broke his leg in two places and dislocated an ankle sliding in to second base. The incident caused a long delay in the game, and is bad news for him and the team. It’s hoped he will make a full recovery. Cris Hiche also sprained an ankle sliding and faces a race to be fit for the playoffs.

In Single-A, the Herts Raptors won their final regular season fixture. They were taking on the Brentwood Bucks on the Old Diamond at Grovehill, and both teams were keen to secure victory after tough seasons.

Early exchanges were tight, and it was 4-1 to Herts after two innings. Charlie Mayhew was making a strong start for the Raptors on the mound and he would go on to pitch a complete game with 9 strikeouts.

The Herts bats broke out for 8 runs in the third inning, as they first chased the Brentwood starter Glen Robertson then kept up the pressure on reliever Tom Keegan. Catcher Joe Court hit an RBI double, while Will Marshall and Manny Banson also drove in runs.

This big inning made the difference as the pattern of the game then settled back into one of even exchanges and good defense. Third baseman Matthew Jackson — who had four hits on the day — combined with first baseman Michael Cresswell on one highlight reel play to nab a runner on a ball hit deep to the hot corner.

Going in to the seventh inning, Herts led 17-6 and the Bucks needed two runs to keep the game alive. As it turned out, Mayhew was still dealing and he threw up a zero to put an emphatic end to the game.

Cresswell was manager on the day, with Rob Jones taking a share of the umpiring duties, and he hailed it as a great game: “Full credit to all who played”, he said.

The other Herts Single-A side, the Hawks, suffered a second consecutive defeat after a season which had been unbeaten. They already have their place booked in the playoffs after winning their pool.

But one of their potential playoff rivals, Bracknell Inferno, will be pleased to have claimed a 17-16 win in their game at Westmoreland Park. The Hawks co-manager Andrew Slater said errors had helped undo his team, but hopes remain high of the team’s playoff prospects.

by Rob Jones

Homer helps Hawks stay high; Falcons fall

Herts Hawks pitcher Andrew Slater set a new season high for strikeouts as his side beat the Kent Mariners 20-3 at Grovehill ballpark. Slater – also the team’s joint manager – whiffed 7 batters and walked just one in a dominant performance. He now leads the league in wins.

Andrew Slater in pitching action

The Hawks remain unbeaten in the British Baseball Federation’s Single-A league, and are looking to secure top seeding for the playoffs.

The offense was again led by Andy Cornish, who had four hits including a triple and a home run. Sonam Lama scored five runs, while Slater himself had a couple of hits. He praised the team effort: “it was a good performance all around.”

Hit 2, scored 2

The Hawks main rivals in the league are the London Musketeers, who are also unbeaten. On Sunday they were taking on the Herts Raptors on Grovehill’s second diamond. Raptors are mainly new players, but fought hard to stay with the unbeaten London side. It was still a respectable 13-6 in the middle of the fifth inning.

Paul Barton on the mound frequently battled out of tough situations as London threatened to surge ahead. He struck out three and walked only one. Matt Corran made his debut for the team, and impressed everyone when he came on to pitch in relief. He ended with a flourish, with a strikeout.

New players hit well, too. In his first start for the team, Matthew White hit 2 doubles and scored 2 runs, while Darren Priest’s first ever hit was a double. In the end, Musketeers had too much power and they piled on runs to win by 25-6 in seven innings.

Earlier in the day, the Raptors won 9-0 over the Haverhill Blackjacks by forfeit.

Raptors manager Rob Jones said: “We played really well against a tough side, and made some great plays. I am really pleased with the progress new guys have made –they will go far.”

At the top end of the club, the Herts Falcons headed to Farnham Park to take on Bracknell Blazers, and the action didn’t disappoint on a great summer day for baseball. Both teams needed the victories; Falcons to stay in 2nd place and more importantly take a big step towards a guaranteed spot in the playoffs, and Bracknell to fight for a playoff spot.

Falcons’ gremlins

The first game started well for the Falcons who scored two runs in the top of the 1st inning and looked poised to take advantage of starting pitcher Jordan Edmonds, who seemed to be looking to find his rhythm in the mound. On the other hand, the Herts starter Jose Sosa — who lately has struggled a bit in the 1st inning — started full steam.

Jordan then settled in and the defense on both teams was playing quite well with a 5-1 lead to Falcons leading into the bottom of the 4th. With 2 outs, Falcons’ gremlins appeared once again and defensive errors allowed Bracknell to extend the inning. Bracknell took advantage of it and became aggressive at the plate and bases to put more pressure to the defense and they succeeded. After the 4th it was tied 5-5.

In the next inning, Bracknell went ahead but Falcons bounced back in the top of the 6th to tie the game. Bracknell responded and again got the lead at the bottom of the 6th. Falcons couldn’t respond this time in the top of the 7th and Bracknell won 7-6 in a very close game.

Robbie Almanzar (photo: Paul Holdrick)

The 2nd game paired another two aces again with Rei Martinez and Robbie Almanzar starting for the Blazers and Falcons respectively. The game started as a pitching duel with the score 0-0 going into the 4th. Both teams knew the game would be decided by 1 or 2 runs.

However, in the bottom of the 4th Bracknell put a few timely hits together with, of course, some very costly errors by the Falcons, and the score all of a sudden was 4-0. Falcons came back in the top of the 5th with 2 runs and Bracknell added an insurance run in the bottom of the inning. Herts wouldn’t give up and scored another 2 runs in the top of the 6th leaving the score now 5-4 for Bracknell.

But in the bottom of the 6th it all went Bracknell’s way — hitting in the gaps, Falcons making more defensive errors, and Robbie running out of gas. Bracknell put up an insurmountable lead 12-4, and although Falcons scored 2 runs in the top of the 7th, it was too little too late. Final score 12-6.

by Rob Jones

Hawks swoop on Richmond

The Herts Hawks continued their march towards the playoffs with a convincing 28-10 victory away to the Richmond Squires in the Single-A league. Joint manager Andrew Slater pitched a complete game for the win, striking out four batters and walking only 2.

The first few innings were evenly matched, with Herts edging into a narrow lead. Tim Elkins scored the first run of the day. The Squires first two batters reached base and the hosts threatened to score — but a double-play on the infield prevented it.

Andy Cornish, slugger, and Andrew Slater, pitcher

 

Then the Hawks added 5 runs in the fourth inning and piled on 14 runs in the fifth to put the game beyond doubt.

Rod Naghar led the team with 5 runs batted in; Andy Cornish hit three doubles; while catcher Paul Auchterlounie scored 5 runs. The Hawks remain unbeaten on the season, with a 10-0 record, and a postseason slot is now secure. The next few games will help determine their seeding.

The Herts Raptors were also in Richmond for two Single-A games. One was scheduled, the other was a make-up of a rained out game from May.

They jumped out to a big early lead against the Dukes and still led 13-6 after 4 innings. Boruch Boudilovsky and Daniel Bennett each drove in 3 runs. Good fielding helped protect the lead, with Nick Shrimpton at shortstop and Matt Jackson at third base showing excellent defensive skills.

But Richmond staged a dramatic rally, scoring 7 runs to draw level and then 9 to surge ahead. They won 22-14.

The Raptors then faced the Richmond Squires, in the make-up game. Bennett again performed well, getting on base all three times he came up to bat, and scoring the only run. But the Herts offense had gone quiet. Nick Shrimpton had 2 hits and the only RBI.

Richmond had their veteran pitcher John Irving on the mound, and he allowed just 6 hits and 1 run. The visitors couldn’t figure him out, and in a game shortened because it was being played as a double-header, there was no time to recover.

Raptors lost 12-1 and are still searching for their first win of the season. There were no other Herts teams in action this week.

by Rob Jones

A last goodbye…

We all love the game of baseball, writes Rob Jones. But like most sports, perhaps its greatest value is to bring us to like-minded individuals who also love the game of baseball. And then, by sharing it with them, our experience is enriched ten-fold.

That is where we come to Kal Dimitrov. However much fun I have had playing baseball over the past 12 years, it was always made better by having Kal there.

Kal in action at the Hunlock Series, 2009

Until the moment when we suddenly lost him on Sunday July 5th, he had been his ebullient self, encouraging, joking, cajoling, and always giving his all for his team-mates. That is how we must remember him, although the shock of his passing will stay with us all for a very long time. For his family, it will never go away.

I joined Herts baseball club in 2003, after following the game for a couple of years and thinking that even a skinny dude like me could give this a go. Kal Dimitrov and his brother Aspi were already there. It seemed to me that they were veterans at the heart of the club, but in fact they had arrived only the year before. Perhaps that shows the impact his presence had.

Kal was welcoming and friendly. It was one of his gifts that he would treat you in exactly the same way if he had just met you, or if you were a life-long friend. There was no reserve; you never felt there was a hierarchy, an inner circle you had to break into.

His openness was a quality of great benefit for the youth players, who immediately took to him. And for new adult recruits. In fact, I can’t think of anyone who didn’t immediately take to Kal.

He encouraged me in my baseball endeavours, as he did so many others. He would always support you on a bad day, and reward you on a good one.

Kal himself tended not to play at the very highest level of the club. And he might give you the impression that, well, he was just a chancer, a journeyman. Yes, maybe he might admit that he had a few baseball chops, but he’d insist that really he was just out there busking it.

In fact, he played one of the toughest positions, as catcher, and did it consistently well. I have tried it myself a bit this season, and he was one of the players I had learned from.

And he could instantly and correctly tell when you were swinging too early, or failing to snap your wrist on the throw, or fielding too shallow to give yourself time. Or that you had overrun a fly ball, a slightly random memory I know I once related in this column.

Even amateur baseball players can be pretty precious about themselves. But when he gave you these tips, you never prickled at criticism. Instead, you knew you were being helped.  The notion of anybody being offended or irritated by Kal’s advice seems absurd to the point of being laughable.

I have played with the Raptors or Eagles at the Single-A level for some time now, happy to take part in the handful of games my life allows, and happy to coach new guys who have just started baseball. For most of those years, we have been trying to get Kal to come and manage the team as we knew he was perfect for the job.
In 2015 he proved that we were right, and I can be forever grateful that I had the chance to work so closely alongside him this year as his co-manager. To be honest, he did all the hard work, because he was the powerhouse and the life-force. I was just his glamorous assistant.

Although I knew almost immediately I would need to write my own tribute to Kal — it is, after all, what I do — I have been putting it off. Partly that is because of the same finality which hurts us when we lose someone too soon.

Until that moment, there is always more you can do for that person and with that person, and more chances to let them know you love them. Similarly, with this, you always hope that a better phrase will come to you, a better memory to encapsulate what someone did for you.

But it is now time to move on, while always treasuring those memories. We must get back to the game of baseball which we love, and which brought us together in the first place.

It is hard to imagine that I will never again get to be at the ballpark with Kal. But I can feel blessed that I ever got the chance at all. Kal Dimitrov was one of the finest people you could ever hope to meet. We will miss him dreadfully.

by Rob Jones

A Farewell to a Friend

Herts players past and present have joined members of the wider British baseball community to say an emotional goodbye to Kal Dimitrov.

The Raptors co-manager — who had served the club as a player, coach and official for more than a decade — passed away suddenly after collapsing during a league game last week. Beyond all of his formal roles with the club, he had been an inspiration and a friend.

On Saturday 11th of July, a memorial was held on the field at Grovehill in Hemel Hempstead. A floral tribute had been made featuring his number 12 — which has become the symbol of a week of both mourning and celebration for Herts. The number, and other images from Kal’s time at Herts, were posted around the diamond. During the ceremony, Kal’s number was retired.

All of those who attended laid baseball shirts and caps on the diamond as a tribute to their lost family member. Dozens and dozens of shirts fanned out from home plate towards the pitchers mound.

Some of them were small — youth shirts to show the crucial role which Kal had played in creating and expanding the successful Herts Little League project. Since it was set up, it has guided several players into the GB team, and has provided fun and camaraderie for many more.

And they were not all Herts shirts. Players who had battled against Kal Dimitrov in vital matches now came to pay their respects to him. Players from Richmond, Guildford, Brentwood, London Mets, Southern Nationals, Bracknell, Kent, Daws Hill, LYBL, Milton Keynes Bucks, Sidewinders and the Essex Redbacks were among those who came to lay their shirts down too. The Essex Archers were there, players who had been caught up in the tragic events of last Sunday.

There had been messages of support from around the world. London Mets players in Kutno in Poland had held a minute’s silence, and paid a further tribute on Saturday.  The former Falcons manager Jason Greenberg had sent his shirt from the US. And the former Texas Rangers catcher, Pudge Rodriguez — who had been told about Kal’s passing — said his prayers and thoughts were with all at Herts.

shirts laid out for Kal Dimitrov

Bruce Dullea began the tributes at Grovehill. The one-time Falcons manager, who now has a son pitching in the youth teams, spoke of how the club had flourished in the years when Kal — together with his brother Aspi — had been the driving forces. “As a tribute and legacy to Kal”, he said, “each of us must do whatever we can, either big or small, to continue to promote the game in this country”.

He concluded: “I’ve always believed that it’s not the number of days we’re on earth, but the impact we make upon others.  Kal’s impact was immense”.

Rod Naghar of the Herts Hawks has known both Dimitrov brothers since their university days, twenty years ago. He shared his memories of Kal, and raised a smile of recognition as he described how he could be seen, shirtless, phone clamped to his ear, watering the diamond before a game.

But Rod also recalled Kal’s diligence, his boundless knowledge, and his caring manner. “He inspired me as he was an inspiration to us all. His sunshine lit up our lives, his unbounded generosity, kindness and good humour touched us all.”

“Kal was taken from us too soon, but he will always be remembered and forever in our hearts”, he added. Jo Cornish read a poem,  and there was a minute’s applause from the crowd at 12 minutes past 12. 

The Dimitrov brothers look at the tributes

The Southampton Mustangs pay tribute at the game in Bracknell

As players took their chance to look at the tributes, there was then a surprise final speaker. Aspi Dimitrov took the mic to thank everyone for their support and their messages. In an emotional address, he said he would miss his brother in a million ways, right down to the mundane activity of watching television together — “watching television with Kal”, he remarked to laughter, “was different”.

Their brother Ilya was also present, along with their father and his wife. The Dimitrov’s shirts had received pride of place laid out at home plate – Kal’s 12, Aspi’s 4, Ilya’s 21 and now their father’s 48.

The BBF had kindly agreed to postpone all Herts league games which were due to have taken place this past weekend. On Sunday, a minute’s silence or a minute’s applause was observed at many games around the country — including in Liverpool, Hull, Leicester and at the Newton Aycliffe Spartans.

In a further statement on Sunday, Aspi Dimitrov said his family had been deeply touched by the affection which had been shown for Kal, and the solidarity from the baseball community.

The club intends to wear number 12 patches on its shirt-sleeves for the remainder of this year’s league games, and will decide on a permanent memorial to Kal in due course.

 

by Rob Jones

A Tribute to Kal

Kal and Herts players at the Hawks v Raptors derby, June 2015

The members of Herts Baseball Club — and the wider British baseball community — will come together on Saturday for a memorial to our team-mate and friend Kal Dimitrov.

Kal, who was 43, passed away suddenly last Sunday after being taken ill during a league game.

On Saturday, everyone is invited to gather at our Grovehill ballpark in Hemel Hempstead from 11 o’clock. This is the chance for people both inside and outside the club to send their love to his family, and to say goodbye to Kal.

At 12 minutes past 12, there is to be one minute’s applause in celebration of his life — both his enormous contribution to British baseball and his place in our hearts.

Kal’s number 12 jersey will be retired at the memorial. We ask for everyone who comes along to bring a baseball shirt if they can, so these can be laid out to cover the diamond in tribute. These may be Herts jerseys, or from any other club.

Herts has been touched by the response from across the baseball family to Kal’s sudden passing.  There have been messages of support from Plymouth to Liverpool, Southampton to Oldham — as well as from the Essex Archers, who were caught up in Sunday’s tragic events.

The Dimitrov family has been particularly moved by tributes from youth players who had been welcomed and encouraged by Kal when they joined Herts. They described him as a great mentor and a true friend, and said they would always consider Kal a family member.

He was never part of the formal set-up of the Little League, but worked incredibly hard to make it a success and his warmth and enthusiasm was crucial.

A book of condolence will be available to sign on Saturday. Friends who were alongside Kal for his 13 years at Grovehill will share some of their memories.

Food will be available, and people should feel free to bring along drinks or other refreshments. This is a desperately sad occasion for us all, but our aim is to remember and celebrate someone whose warmth, humour and friendship provide our strongest memories.

We understand that you will not all be able to make it, but we also know that you will think of Kal wherever you are.

The memorial for Kal Dimitrov will start from 11am at Grovehill Ballpark, Washington Avenue, Hemel Hempstead, HP2 6NH

Hemel Hempstead

 

 

by Rob Jones

Kal Dimitrov 1971-2015

Kal

It is with enormous sadness that Herts Baseball Club has to announce the loss of one of our family. Kal Dimitrov passed away on Sunday afternoon after he was taken ill suddenly during a game at the Essex Archers.

Over the course of more than a decade, Kal was a catcher, coach, umpire and manager for several Herts teams. This year, he had been co-manager of the Herts Raptors in the Single-A league. He had also done invaluable work behind the scenes with club organisation, and with the growing youth leagues.

But more than all of that, Kal Dimitrov was a dearly-loved friend to us. His character, humour and spirit lifted every baseball occasion, and he inspired and encouraged countless players. We will miss him dreadfully.

Our thoughts are with Kal’s family, including his brothers Aspi and Ilya who also have such a place at the heart of our baseball club.

On Saturday, we ask anyone who knew Kal to come down to Grovehill ballpark in Hemel Hempstead any time from 11 o’clock for ceremonies to retire his number 12 shirt at 12 noon. We will hold a minute’s applause at 12:12 as we remember the smile he brought to the game. Please bring a baseball shirt – Herts or any other — so we can lay them out on the diamond as a tribute. 

The BBF has kindly agreed to postpone all Herts baseball games due to take place this weekend  – the Raptors at the Mariners; the Hawks at the Bucks; the Eagles against the Knights; and the Falcons against the Essex Arrows.

In the long term, the club is pledged to provide a fitting memorial to someone who gave us all so much.

by Rob Jones

Broken laces, and a surviving dream

Here’s a moment which sums up how the Brighton game went for me. In the fourth inning, as I jogged in to score easily after a fellow Raptor had smacked an RBI into the outfield, I helpfully scooped up his bat on my way, writes Rob Jones.

In doing so, I performed a quick stutter-step, caught my cleats in my laces, and almost fell on my face. Even scoring a run, I nearly managed to mess it up. And I broke my lace.

It was that sort of day for me, which didn’t really reflect the tremendous performance put in by the team. We narrowly lost 20-18, with the tying and go-ahead runs on base in the ninth inning. There were sterling performances in the field by rookies Paul Barton and Nick Shrimpton, and by newcomer Yue Du on the mound.

But I never quite managed to match their level on this day. There was a lot of “giving with one hand and taking with the other”. A lot of “close but no cigar”. Here’s an example.

Brighton’s number 9 hitter softly put a ground ball my way at second base quite early in the game. I waited on it, played safe and got everything behind it, but promptly managed to boot the ball anyway. I recovered enough to pick it up, but unsurprisingly rushed the throw. It was extremely annoying, particularly as I thought he would have been the last out of the inning, and we could have got out clean.

“You’re just killing yourself”

However — on the very next play the guy tried to take second on a hit and run, and the batter put a ground ball up the middle. I swiped up the ball in my glove and with a tremendously impressive smooth move I reached around and also swiped the passing runner. A moment of satisfaction and relief coursed through me.

But remember how I thought there were two down? I heard some calls to go to 1, but thought “Nah, no need”. And I looked to first where our man was gently wandering off the base as he also thought there were two down. Turns out we were both wrong. There was one down — two now, after my elegant tag — but the inning would continue and I had missed the chance for a highlight reel double play. And that batter would go on to score a run.

Later on, I made some routine plays — a force at second, a pop-up at first, and receiving some throws at first — but I managed to undo my own good work. A sliding grab as I ranged to my right at second base not only didn’t turn into an out at first, but it was worse — as I again rushed the throw it went to the fence and the runner took second. “You’re just killing yourself out there, aren’t you?” noted an observant colleague!

There are some occasions where I honestly can’t remember whether a double play might have been in order. But I don’t believe that this undermines my insistence as a coach that players should  know their play. In fact, I think it highlights the point!

When I say that Raptors should always know what they are going to do with the ball, it’s not because I think that’s easy. It’s because it’s hard, really hard. It takes two things which are difficult to develop.

Staying focused is exhausting

First, it takes an instinctive knowledge of the game which perhaps only years of drills can give you, but which we Brits must try to manufacture over a handful of sessions. (for one of my favourite examples of this, type “pujols heads up play” into YouTube and see Albert make a superb decision and take out the lead runner in the 2011 playoffs.)

Secondly, it takes great stamina and mental toughness. Professional baseball games last a good three hours – ours can last five. And staying focused ALL THE TIME is exhausting. That’s why we have to remind ourselves all the time about “what is our play?”

When I took that pop-up at first I told you about I immediately looked to second as a runner was there. He had strayed a little but nobody was on the bag so there was no play against him. On this occasion — when I had finally remembered my own maxim and thought ahead — a team-mate hadn’t. Getting all 9 amateur ball-players focused all the time is probably unrealistic, and that’s why we strive for it.

Let’s transfer this tale of fielding triumphs over to my batting. I entered the game with a .500 average — from an admittedly small sample. But that average has collapsed like the Labour vote in Scotland. A meek groundout was followed by two strikeouts — one of them on three pitches. Finally I got a walk, but my first bat on ball contact saw me pop out to the second baseman when facing a very hittable relief pitcher.

At least on this occasion, I can boast that it ended well. I got to play my part in the final rally by finally — finally — getting a ball in play.

Helpful team-mates pointed out to me as I stepped to the plate that the man who had returned to the mound was the starter who had struck me out twice earlier. And they seemed unconvinced that my checked defensive swing which knocked the ball foul down the first-base line was in any of the coaching manuals.

But — at last  — with two strikes against me, I was able to fight it off over the head of the infielders and bring in 2 vital runs. At that point I felt as if I was helping to win the World Series, or take Berlin, or scale the Burj Khalifa — definitely something way in excess of what I had actually achieved!

Really, though, that feeling came down to the team. They had battled against a disciplined, solid- fielding, hard-hitting team for nine innings and until then I felt I had done little to lead them as I am supposed to. I am my own worst critic, but your team-mates are your biggest fans, the ones you want to achieve it for.

And for all of those good moments sprinkled above — for all of those glimpses of how it can go right if you keep working at it  — I will be back out again on Sunday.

“Going through the Change” is a series of articles by our former Communications Director, Rob Jones, which began when he “changed” from outfield to infield. It continues as random observations on life as an amateur ball-player.