Category: Opinion

30 March 201230 March 2012 by Rob Jones

Looking bright, looking up

by Special Correspondent, Rob Jones

Every dawn breaks with a new hope. At this time of year, every beautiful Spring day makes you dream of baseball. And there is a lot of hope linked to baseball in Hertfordshire this year. The new season has brought another successful and competitive Herts Spring League, and good tidings for the year ahead.

We were blessed with sunshine for the HSL, after an opening weekend of rain. The Falcons were able to put down a marker for the National League, with a big win over the reigning NBL champions, the Harlow Nationals.

The addition of players like Michael Osborn, Ryan Bird and Robbie Unsell fills us all with excitement. Critics of the Herts club have in the past conceded that its youth and and community set up is fantastic — but have worried that Herts can’t attract the big players. Now that can be put to bed. The arrival of not only former Richmond players, but also guys like Cristobal Hiche and Jake Michels from New York — who pitched a complete game in that win over the Nationals — means the Falcons can bounce back in a big way from a disappointing 2011.

The club’s long-term plans are also progressing well. That much-admired youth set-up is feeding more players into the adult teams in 2012. If last year’s experience with Zack Longboy, Jose Morillo and Liam Green is anything to go by, this will be another fillip for Herts. And the recent BSUK grant will help to further upgrade some of the best baseball facilities in Britain.

If all of this sounds like a big puff for Herts… well, there is a bit of that. But your correspondent is simply reflecting the wholly justified spring optimism here in Hemel Hempstead. And I also believe that this is emblematic of the big strides being taken by baseball across the UK.

Torbay Barons in the HSL — The Torbay Barons are joing the British baseball leagues for 2012

New clubs have joined at many levels of the game. Teams are generating chatter not only on Twitter and Facebook, but on their local radio stations and in their local newspapers. Essex, Bristol and Liverpool have all been achieving great coverage. This can only help baseball to grow.

In the past few days, there has even been the suggestion of Major League Baseball following the example of the NFL and bringing a game to London’s Olympic stadium. Many of us felt the disappointment when baseball was removed from the Olympic roster just moments after the Games were awarded to London. Now it seems the five rings could bring us a diamond after all.

The balancing note for all this positivity is that my own connection with baseball this year has been at best, semi-detached. Despite the sunshine, I have had barely a sniff of action. Take for example, Herts’ all around good guy and totem Andrew Slater. This year I have seen him in my local supermarket as often as I have seen him at the ballpark. And he doesn’t live anywhere near me. I’ve been to practice once, and even then I was so late that I missed all the fielding drills!

It’s nobody’s fault but mine – family reasons, medical reasons, and work commitments all play a part. I have done my best to get down to the park and throw a ball against a wall to try to stay involved. But it means that my sun-kissed optimism has a cloud of frustration. Watch this space for news that I have returned if not to my dominant best, but that I have, at least, returned.

See you at the ballpark.

10 December 201110 December 2011 by Rob Jones

“A warm Caribbean Sea”: reflections on 2011

Major League players appear in about 150 games a year. I appeared in ten. How do you think I feel about that? Bloody delighted. Because that’s a huge jump from my usual six games a year. It’s a quantum leap, and it means that I don’t have the frustrated feeling which usually accompanies the end of a year’s baseball. That’s not to say I am happy of course! In the quest for my baseball dreams, I would prefer to have had more innings, more at-bats, and more moments of brilliance. But there are at least things I can look back on fondly.

The first must be the fact that — for the first time since 2009 — I was involved in a win! In fact, I was in on two of them. On a sun-baked day in Tonbridge, the Raptors piled on the Bobcats and beat them 35-23. We had suffered a long hard season with big defeats by vastly more experienced sides, such as Southampton and Cambridge, so that was an immense relief to get the victory. Like a warm wash of Caribbean sea, after a long British winter. The Raptors had also faltered during some close games and given up big innings, such as against Guildford and the London Marauders. So that meant it was doubly satisfying for us to win much closer games to wrap up the season – a second win over Tonbridge, and a defeat of the Braintree Rays.

So to break the Jones year down into the three constituent parts of baseball — hit the ball, throw the ball, catch the ball.

I hit a smidgen over .600, so I can’t be anything but happy with the performance at the plate. My regular collection of walks boosted my on-base percentage over .700 and, unusually, my slugging was even higher. I am very much a singles hitter but managed to throw in a couple of doubles and even triples this year. Some of those came from an ability to hit by choice to the opposite field, which was also satisfying. Of course, like everyone who was there that day, my average was boosted by the trip to Tonbridge, so I am grateful to the Bobcats for that. But I was also there when the Raptors lost big, and I managed to stay respectable there too. There is always work to do — on driving the ball more, and not topping ground balls down to third, or popping up to the infield. I have plenty of room to be more aggressive, and for that I must be prepared to see my average drop, maybe to even see a few of the walks turn into outs. Like anyone, I guess my hitting is only as good as the pitching I face. But I think the future must involve me doing the same stuff, but doing it a bit better.

Throwing the ball is the area where I must do the most work. Earlier in the season I had a couple of games at third base — which I really enjoyed actually — but they did confirm that I need to put a whole lot more mustard on the ball to be fully effective. There are times over this year — and over my previous career — when I have made perfectly good throws from short, and in from the outfield. But I need to focus every time, and put everything on it every time. Blog entries from my time at third show that I finally decided the problem was not that I couldn’t make the distance, but that the ball just wasn’t travelling fast enough. That requires some wrist work over the winter (stop sniggering). I have the best intentions, but I can’t promise anything.

The other element of my “throwing” the ball this year was pitching. I made another baby step onto the mound, logging about six innings, and one start. I can’t imagine that even single-A teams are quaking in their boots at the idea that I could do more pitching next year, but overall I definitely advanced from previous seasons. I threw at least two, and probably three, curveballs that I was completely happy with. One of them appeared to entirely bamboozle the hitter, and whilst Slater was doubtless boosting my confidence by shouting “Yes! He didn’t know what to do with that!”, it worked, and I am grateful to him! After some experimentation, I have found a curveball grip that I am happy with and I hope I can put it to good use next year.

My first ever start — against the Old Timers in the second half of a double-header — was an interesting moment. Usually I have come in as a reliever in a game which is already lost, so it is hard to judge how successful you have been. For example, hitters might swing away at pitches they would normally leave. My two scoreless innings to close the game against Southampton — whilst I do not write off the wonderful feeling that gave me! — were perhaps misleading. On the flipside of that same coin, when I came in as a fire-fighter against Guildford, I was guilty of focusing too much on throwing straight strikes, and not ‘working’ the hitters enough. That didn’t turn out well. So, the start against the Old Timers was the most “pure” pitching experience I have yet had. I enjoyed it enormously. Three walks and nine runs in three innings actually isn’t too bad at this level. Bizarrely, I seemed to resume a bad habit which I hadn’t really shown since my first appearance last season, namely pushing the ball off to the right, either at or behind the batter. If I had been throwing heat, I probably would’ve been ejected from the game! We will see where 2012 takes me, but if I continue to make progress I might be a passably decent pitcher in about four years.

Catching the ball takes in a variety of skills and sins. I don’t think I ever dropped a ball in the air which I should have caught, so that’s a good thing, and I might even have caught some which I shouldn’t. But I definitely logged errors on the infield. At least two of them were failing to pick the ball up! They were bare-handed plays on dribbling balls when runners were advancing, and I found it was far too easy to rush yourself and fail to get a clean grip before trying to make a play. Other errors were from bad, rushed throws.

But I think I made mostly sensible judgements about when to throw and when to hold the ball, and about where to get the out – on several occasions I helped force a lead runner at second, and made sure of that out. In our final game against Tonbridge, Zach Longboy was bossing the infield brilliantly, and with his help I was in on great defensive plays, including cutting down two runners at the plate. I’m not too proud to learn from a teenager! And I must not leave without mentioning the fact that I did turn a relatively unassisted double play, so my year did have a defensive highlight! It was against the Guildford Mavericks, a man on first, nobody out. The batter hits a sinking liner to me at shortstop. It looks for all the world that it will get through, but I am able to reach down and make the catch off my shoelaces. All those years of playing must finally have sunk into my brain, as I instantly knew that the runner who had confidently set off from first was now a dead duck. One simple throw to the first baseman and it’s now two down, bases empty, and we got out of the inning without conceding a run. Man, that felt good!

So, to sum up all this self-obsessed rambling? It’s been a pretty good year. Getting so much time at the diamond was a huge plus point for me, and playing in two victories was a welcome bonus. The raptors were a fun team to be part of, especially in the second half of the year. I felt that I made some progress in all areas of the game in 2011 so whilst there is much more progress to be made, I feel pretty good about things. The club as a whole is strong, and the youth players coming through have a lot to offer. I don’t know whose team I will be on next year, but I do know one slightly strange ambition for the year — and that is to suit up in the tools of ignorance! Might never happen, but having now played third base and starting pitcher, the only position I haven’t played in proper, competitive league games, is catcher. Managers, take note…

13 October 201117 December 2011 by BruceDullea

Going, Going, Gone

They have been the two most moribund franchises in the last century, setting the standard for futility. He was the hometown wunderkind, hired to bring his beloved Red Sox to the promised land. Theo Epstein has now resigned as the General Manager of the Boston Red Sox and has signed a five year, $15 million deal to run the Chicago Cubs. Herts expert analyst, Bruce Dullea, considers what it all means…

After assuming the GM role in Boston in 2002 at the age of 29, Epstein delivered on his goal twice, bringing World Championships to Fenway Park both in 2004 and 2007, exorcising the curse of the Bambino, which had hung over the franchise since 1918.

But in Boston, everything seems to have come full circle. The Red Sox are now a team in disarray, strongly resembling the dysfunctional, over-indulged franchise that personified the Tom Yawkey era. They held a 9-game lead in the wild card race on September 2nd, and then had an historic collapse, getting eliminated on the final day of the season.

Scapegoat

There were subsequent reports that Manager Terry Francona, who had run a loose ship, lost all control of the team. When you treat players like adults often times they show their gratitude by becoming adolescents. Allegations surfaced that pitchers were drinking alcohol in the clubhouse during games. Other players refused to do their workouts.

Players complained about the schedule that would accommodate their appearances on national television. The team had turned into a cross between Animal House and the Bad News Bears. It came as no surprise that Francona became the scapegoat, and he announced his resignation on the 30th of September.

There were also unsubstantiated rumours that Epstein was looking to move as well. With one year left on his contract, what else could he accomplish in his hometown? He was lauded as a brilliant GM, combining a strong player development program with sabermetrics. Even though he landed some free agents who immediately brought dividends, including David Ortiz and Adrian Gonzalez, many other moves backfired, including the acquisitions of John Lackey, Mike Cameron and Carl Crawford.

Criticism and pressure

He did inherit a club that won 92 games and had Johnny Damon, Manny Ramirez and Pedro Martinez, so a major rebuilding job wasn’t necessary. But his player development program has helped establish bona fide young stars such as Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Jon Lester. Nonetheless, the criticism and pressure in his hometown is non-stop, with virtually every move being second guessed and scrutinized.

Epstein is very competitive, but maybe felt he had done everything he could in Boston and needed an even bigger challenge in Chicago. The only thing that may have prevented his departure was leaving after the collapse, but the club still has plenty of talent and a stable operations staff it looks likely that his assistant Ben Cherington will be promoted to take his place.
Owner John Henry and club president Larry Lucchino did not stand in the way and allowed negotiations to progress for the eventual move. All that remains is an agreement on compensation and what front office staff will be allowed to move to Chicago with Epstein.

‘Lovable losers’

Although the expectations have always been lower for the fans in Chicago, Epstein will face considerable challenges. The club finished 20 games under .500 and in fifth place each of the last two seasons. $50 of their $121 payroll is tied up in three players — Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Zambrano, and Ryan Dempster — with minimal value. There needs to be a major overhaul of the team’s farm system.

The club has not won a World Series in 103 years and a pennant since 1945. Wrigley Field is in need of an upgrade. With the recent release of the ESPN documentary “Catching Hell”, it brought back vivid memories of the Steve Bartman debacle in 2003, which was the last time the Cubs were close to getting to the World Series.

Although Chicago is a two baseball town, and most Cubs fans are used to their “Lovable Losers” coming up short, owner Tom Ricketts has hired Epstein to duplicate what he did in Boston, and has given him total authority. What needs to be finalized is how many members of the Red Sox staff he will be able to bring with him to Chicago. Epstein was assured he will be on equal footing with President Crane Kenney, who was known to micromanage previous GM Jim Hendry.
If Epstein can bring a World Championship to Chicago, it will be an amazing accomplishment and he will go down as one of the greatest baseball executives of all time. The young genius has faced his share of criticism from Boston, but he does have two World Series rings. He is now the highest paid front office executive in the history of the sport. His challenges in Chicago will be extreme. He has exorcised the Curse of the Bambino. If he can do the same with the curse of the Billy Goat, it will be simply remarkable.

26 September 2011 by Rob Jones

What it’s all about

There are two reasons why I play baseball. One is that it is a great game, requiring hand-eye coordination, technique, strategy and a smidgen of athletic prowess. The second reason is the geographical accident that I play for Herts Baseball Club.

Blue Dogs team talk — A round of applause for everyone

When I first considered taking up the sport eight years ago, it turned out that Hemel Hempstead was the easiest diamond for me to get to. And what I found there was a club which was welcoming, relaxed and fun — and yet serious about doing its best on the field of play. Never did I feel anything but welcomed by the guys there, some of whom had already forgotten more than I would ever know about baseball.

And it is that spirit of friendship which reaches its apotheosis in the Kyle Hunlock Series, our post-season intra-club tournament which throws all the players into a melting pot and creates something new. The competition is bigger and possibly better than ever this year. Four sides, evenly matched, playing a round robin for the final title.

There is a dwindling band of Herts members who actually took the field alongside Kyle Hunlock, the former player who died in an industrial accident back home in the USA. I won’t pretend that I knew him well at all, but I did share a diamond with him when he wore the Falcons uniform, and I can vouch that his effervescence was of a type that can lift a team, a club and an event. I think he would have enjoyed the atmosphere at the first day of the 2011 Series which now bears his name.

The games were mostly pretty tight, with several one-run differentials. National Leaguers were alongside and against Little League players, and Raptors rookies. It’s great fun to play. I can’t say I have ever actually performed that well in a Hunlock Series — too rusty, too cold, or some other excuses — but I have never really minded. I’m not saying that I didn’t try hard — when I beat out an infield hit in our game against the Roosters I was running as fast up the line as I could. But winning isn’t what this is about.

There were some great plays by other guys, though. There were fantastic outfield catches by Ilya Dimitrov, diving to his right, and by Ken Pike, sliding in to grab a shallow bloop. On the infield, Reagan Wood and Kyle Lloyd-Jones both showed their soft hands to snare ground balls which looked as if they were about to dart past them… in fact they were just watching like a hawk for their moment to scoop it up and make the play.

The morning after, I am aching. And I am already sad that baseball is over for another year, as I can’t make weeks 2 and 3 of the competition. But I am happy that I was there for a last hurrah to my season and for an event which always affirms the beauty of the game.

23 August 2011 by Rob Jones

and so it ends…

The Herts Raptors season has ended with a flourish, a bang, and an exclamation mark. Three wins out of the last four, and a superb win on the final day of the season. I played just a small part in it, but I was glad I made the effort to be there. I was working nights, so normally I would be sleeping rather than playing baseball in the afternoon – but there was something about the day which just kept telling me it was not to be missed.

The first quick thing to say here is to pay tribute to how hard the Raptors have worked this year, and how far they have come. The team spirit has been excellent, the defense has been much sharper, and the approach at the plate has been great. The team has earned its wins. I also want to give credit to the Tonbridge Bobcats, who approached both our games in a tremendous spirit and fought for this one right til the end.

I will consider the season properly at a later date, but I want to make a quick observation which builds on the last couple of articles. Remember how I said that the final play of your game can colour your view? And also about how a baseball game is a jigsaw made up of many tiny pieces, some good some bad?

Well, on this occasion I had two “final moments”. The second of them was me receiving the throw at first base to retire the last runner on a ground ball, and close out the win. It’s always good to be in on the final play, so while Ken did the actual hard work of fielding the hit and making the throw, I can say I was there “at the death”.

More significantly, it is true that my final at bat was — in theory — a bad ending. I struck out. It’s only the second time this year that I have struck out, but doing it with my final at-bat could have been a real downer. However, things work out in curious ways. The catcher dropped the ball in the dirt, and I was alert enough to sprint up the line and get safely to first base.After catching my breath, I was able to steal second. And then able to steal third. And then, on a passed ball, I scored standing up.

So that last experience of the season, and the one my mind can latch on to, is scoring a run, instead of striking out. And I can also feel to have redeemed in some measure my base-running error from two weeks ago. Then, I had been tagged out needlessly when it was important to pad our lead. This time I had manufactured a run when it was, again, vital to keep the scoreboard ticking over. This game always offers you a second chance, and I am grateful for it.

It’s hard to believe — and sad to believe – that the season is over. But having played in far more games than usual, I feel less frustrated and short-changed than usual. The final game is a bit of a blur, to be honest, and not just because of sleep deprivation. I have a graze on my arm and a bruise on my hip which I have no idea how I acquired. But I remember impressionistic glimpses of the game, and they all look pretty good to me. It has been a fine year, and I enjoyed the ride.

7 August 2011 by Rob Jones

Thinking Things Over

I am not a big man. About 5’8″, maybe 120lb soaking wet. But I’m big enough to admit that a dumb bit of baserunning by me helped cost the Raptors today’s game at Braintree.

There was one out in the eighth inning, and the Raptors needed to pad a 15-12 lead to be safe. With maybe a 2-2 count, I lined the ball exactly where I had wanted to, over the head of the first baseman and into right field. I was running hard to first and as usual looking to make the turn. The right fielder was a big guy, moving only slowly to the ball. So although I was vaguely aware of the base coach telling me to stop, I went for two. Off I went, full tilt. And I was out by about six feet, I think, clattering into the second baseman as he fielded the throw and tagged me out.

So instead of us having one out, one on, it was bases empty, two down. A world of difference. If I had to analyse the decision right now, I’d maybe say I was sticking too closely to my original plan. Having hit it where I wanted it, I therefore ran for what I had hoped to achieve. In fact, the right fielder was slow but was pretty much standing next to the ball. And I would have had a decent chance to steal second, anyway.

To be fair to myself, I will add that mine was the second baserunning mistake of the inning. The first out had been Tak stealing third after hitting a brilliant double. He didn’t really need to do it, and he wasn’t really close to getting there. But we should make no apologies for playing aggressively, and — until recently — we didn’t steal third anything like often enough. I should have learned from Tak’s experience, rather than compounding the error.

I remember writing an article a couple of years ago, coincidentally also after a losing game at Braintree, about how your final play can colour your view of an entire game. On that occasion I had enjoyed one of my best days fielding at shortstop, but my final at-bat was poor and had helped to snuff out our rally. That was what I chewed on all week. Today’s could be my last game of the season, so I will get to chew on it all winter!

Of course, I will admit to being able to find something to kick myself about after any game. How else can I hope to get better?! After we blew out the Tonbridge Bobcats last week for our maiden victory, I spent much of my time arguing with myself about whether I should have caught the flare into shallow right field which ultimately ended the game (when Will came in from right field, and made the throw to tag out the aggressive base runner heading for second…. somehow that all sounds familiar … anyway…). Victory was very sweet, but I still found something to grumble about. Ridiculous.

And therefore I should stop being ridiculous and finish this post on a more upbeat note. First, I should of course say that lots of plays go to make up a baseball game, that’s part of its beauty. Yes, some are key, some are routine, but they all play a little part. A glance at the scoresheet shows the Rays also made unnecessary outs on the base paths. And I also know that I hustled to beat out a throw to get a single earlier, and ran for home hard and alertly to score when the Rays attempted a play on someone else at first. So if I hadn’t done that good stuff, we wouldn’t have had as many runs as we did when I did the dumb thing. Does that make sense? The upshot is that we can all take pride in something after a game, but also find something to learn from.

The real good point today was the fact that the Raptors turned in another strong performance. That’s four good games in a row — we competed with the Old Timers before blowing the game in one inning; then we lost 16-15 on a walk-off; then we beat Tonbridge; now we go down 16-15 again on another walk-off. Those are proper baseball games, not like the silly blowouts from earlier in the season. Guys made good plays today. Senna made good outfield catches; Ken made intelligent plays at third; and I can’t remember Oz letting through a single passed ball. And I have to mention Glen’s inside the park home run. More of that in the match report, to follow shortly, but for now let’s say well played Raptors, and let’s keep learning.

25 June 2011 by Rob Jones

A ball in the hand

If you want evidence of how hard this game is, look no further than the fact that I managed to pitch two scoreless innings for the Raptors last Sunday. Think about it. The Southampton Mustangs, unbeaten so far this season and powering through the Single-A league, were faced with my medium-paced unwavering strikes, and they still couldn’t get a run. Sure, they could hit the thing. But putting a round bat on a round ball and depositing it in a space where no fielder was standing? That’s much harder.

A proper pitcher in action — The Hawks' Nick Russell, a proper pitcher in action

I doff my cap to Theo, who comfortably hauled in two fly balls to centre field, and to Zach, who was equally sure-handed with a pop-up to second base. I also thank myself for improving on the fielding performance I turned in when I pitched against Guildford. This time two hits came my way. I caught the first one, a pop-up in foul ground. Then when a batter mis-hit a dribbler just a couple of feet in front of the plate I picked it up cleanly, cycled through my potential plays in my head until I found the right one, and threw to first for the out.

My experience of pitching was once again a complete blast. In the absence of our usual starters, stand-in manager Arnie very sensibly went for an open-house approach — anyone who wanted to have a go was invited. Arnie himself pitched the first three innings, before giving way to Theo, and then me. Theo throws a harder and heavier ball than me, and it moves more, but I guess I got luckier with the fielding!

I felt a little more comfortable on the mound this time around, and heeded my own advice to try to mix it up a little bit. Any Southampton batters reading this might laugh (please do it quietly) but there was a curve in there somewhere. It felt good to have a pristine match ball in my hand, with proper seams so you could feel what you were doing. I need to throw all my pitches with a bit more conviction, but you can’t beat the feeling of getting up there on the mound and getting results. If I ever hit a home run I will let you know how it compares, but so far pitching a scoreless inning is a winner!

I recorded a less welcome first for the season by striking out in my first at-bat. It had to happen sometime, especially since I started this article by saying how difficult it is to get a hit. At least it was a swinging strikeout on a full count. Southampton’s pitcher is not overpowering but the ball has some zip on it, and a little bit of slide, and he is pretty accurate. I think he gave up 6 walks in the end, but he struck out 6 of the first 8 batters and you can’t really argue with that. I got a single later, and a couple of walks to nudge up my averages, but we need to string together some more good at-bats to get runs against teams like this.

This was an odd game for the Raptors, as we stood little real chance of winning. But it was all played in a pretty relaxed atmosphere and I think we had fun. Jose and Zach, two of our talents for the future, selflessly took turns as the umpire and did a fine job. They also ribbed each other mercilessly about it. Everyone had a good crack at the game, with some good hits and good catches. Don’t get me wrong — we all want to win! I look forward to the blog when that happens.

26 May 2011 by Rob Jones

Name: Jones, Class: A – midseason report card

After playing in four games in a row, I am now taking a brief break from baseball in order to go to work. So it seems a good time to quickly take stock of the season so far. Raptors have had ups and downs, and in that sense I guess I have mirrored their progress.

It’s rare, even unprecedented, for me to play in four ballgames in a row, as my shift pattern at work only normally allows me an absolute maximum of three. Playing between two night shifts, and also using up annual leave just so I could play, led to this remarkable streak. There’s dedication for you. This has dashed my usual excuse of not playing often enough, but I’ll think of a new one soon.

It’s probably also worth mentioning how the weather allowed four games in four weeks, which was welcome. The last two were pretty damned windy, but anything other than a rainout is a good thing in the UK. Let’s hope a good Spring lasts into a good summer.

Taken to the cleaners — I like to think of it as the superhero outfit, waiting for the next call...

This week we took on the London Marauders, a team we had great fun playing two years ago in some high-scoring, see-saw games. (Last year was probably fun, too, but I missed those games so I can’t comment) Starting at shortstop, I got to catch a couple of high pop-ups. There were two outs at second, one where I fed Chris and he made a throw to first for a double play which really should have been given; the second where I took the feed but could not get the ball out of my glove. I remember another ground ball which I fielded and made the throw to first but Will could not hang on, and another where I muffed the pickup then compounded the error by making a rash throw wide of first base and gifting the runner second base. Dopy.

I then switched to the outfield, where nothing of note happened. The Marauders decided to stop hitting big fly balls, no matter how much I willed them to. I did manage to misfield all three balls which came my way because of bad bounces on the rock hard outfield, which was rather annoying, but had little effect on the runners or the score.

At the plate…. well, the first two-thirds of the game were OK. A pop-up off the end of the bat clearly was not good, but that was followed by a walk and lots of stealing, and then a decent hit into the outfield which scored a run. The problem was that next time up, with runners on base, I popped up the ball in exactly the same way as I had in my first at-bat, and in the same way I had when I started the day’s BP. It might’ve been an idea to carry over the good swing into the game, instead of returning to the rubbish one.

So for the first half of the report card, let’s look at this season’s batting. I’m going to grant myself a B-. I’ve left the precise figures in my other trousers, but on the plus side I know I have an on-base percentage of about .583 and not a single strikeout so far. Since I have been batting high up the order, and often leading off either in fact or in effect, I would count that as a good stat. The down side is that I calculate my actual batting average at about .285, which is not so impressive. My last three outs, from the last two games, have been those useless pop ups which suggest something needs tweaking in the swing.

On the fielding side, I am going to generously grant myself a B+. There have been more bona fide errors than I would like – I can think of three or four, including throwing the ball away against Marauders, as detailed above. But for most of the games I have been really pleased (and maybe slightly surprised) with my handling of ground balls, which is key to any “change” to the infield. I have also caught every pop-up that came my way, so it’s good to secure all the easy stuff. Instead I have been let down by throws to first. They have been maybe a fraction late — or probably, more precisely, they have not been thrown hard enough and fast enough. That is something I must work on. Of course, I also bump up my rating just for getting the double play against Guildford, which I may well talk about for the rest of my life!

Since I made a pitching appearance for the second time in two years, I suppose I should provide a report card on that too. I think I will give myself a C. This inning was not as effective as the one I threw against Southampton last year, where at least I retired three batters. As I said in a previous week, I think I gave in to the demand of throwing strikes, and limited myself as a result. My overall career ERA must be astronomical, but I am thinking about “feel” rather than statistics.

I can assure you that the experience has not put me off returning to the mound — rather, it has shown me things to work on and improve. If I had to get up and do it again this week I would have a smile on my face. And I think that is the key in all aspects of the game.

The final word should really about my team, rather than about me. It’s not my place to assess the Raptors, but I actually think their report card would look pretty good. There has been great spirit in the team and in three games we have put together good rallies rather than folding in the face of adversity. There have been some really fine plays and performances. We all know we can do better, and there have been rookie mistakes, but that’s because we’re mostly rookies!

Everyone wants to work on their game and improve, and I hope that’s the point I have been making here in focussing on my own performance. When I next pull on the uniform, in about a month’s time, I hope I’m better and we can be better together.

19 May 2011 by Rob Jones

Five things in two weeks

There’s plenty to muse on today, as it’s been a busy and tough couple of weeks for the Herts Raptors. Before I do that, I have to clear up a couple of points for recent converts to the joys of this blog. First, the long-forgotten purpose of the title “Going Through the Change”. It’s not actually meant as a glimpse of my deepest biological secrets — it’s about switching from years of outfield play to become an infielder! Since that first change happened, I have also been drafted as a pitcher and an umpire, so there have been plenty of changes to keep up the theme.

Will Belbin looks to drive in Arnie Longboy

For those of you who are concerned that I beat myself up in public about my mistakes, don’t worry – my indefatigable ego will always be convinced that I have a talent for the game, even if it’s a struggle to find it sometimes. Also, I like to think of this blog as a sharing exercise for other small-time ball players who wish they could turn it on like the MLB guys they see on TV. Finally, I need only ask – would you prefer it if I spent all my time telling you how fanastic I was?!

So, on to this week’s blend of boasting, hand-wringing and acute observation. Here are five things which we have either learnt, or been reminded of, in the past two weeks.

1. You’ve gotta throw a curve. I made my first pitching appearance of the season against Guildford. And it was a good reminder that pitching is really tough, and we should not underestimate the task facing our starters every week. We have given up a lot of walks, and my appearance was an attempt to throw strikes and stop the bleeding of runs. The first bit went fine, as I walked only one of the 9 batters I faced. But it didn’t really stop the runs, as I didn’t get a single out. After a few days mulling, I decided I really should’ve thrown a curve ball in there somewhere. I was focussed on throwing strikes, the main thing we needed at that point of the game. But I’m not sure I threw a curve at all, and that allows the batter to just wait for the meaty one in the zone.When the hits came, we missed at least three chances to get the final out we needed. I was one of those misplaying a ball, so I share guilt at not helping the pitcher out of his hole.

2. The double play is the pitcher’s best friend. In eight years playing this game, I don’t think I have ever turned a successful double play. So, chalk up another new experience. It happened in the third inning against Guildford. The first batter was on base with a walk, and when the second guy up hit a sinking liner to short I was just able to catch it, then throw to first base where the runner had taken off, and secure the simple double play. The next batter flied out, and the inning was clean. The double play is such a punch to the guts of an offense. I can think of an occasion in each of the last two years when the same sort of double play has been turned against us, but overall it’s pretty rare at our level. And it is nice to have members of the opposing team come over to you to say “nice play”. That’s what so-called recreational sport should be about.

Oz Kemal at bat — Rookie Oz Kemal on the end of high heat from the Royals

3. Single A can mean different things to different people. Now, this is not meant as a grumble as such. But members of the Raptors, the Herts development team, could be forgiven for wondering when they are ever going to play another set of comparable rookies. Each member of this week’s starting line-up against the Cambridge Royals had an average of approximately 1.4 prior years of baseball experience. And that figure is only so high because I have played for 8 years – 4 players had no previous taste of adult baseball. The Royals had ex-GB players and plenty of experienced guys. I had an odd empty feeling on Sunday evening, as if I hadn’t really been in a game, and I wonder if that’s because we never really laid a finger on Cambridge. It’s hard to keep your head up in mismatches, but Herts Raptors showed great spirit against Guildford, where we had a proper chance to compete.

4. Ball first, play second. My most annoying error of choice in each of the past two games has been failing to cleanly pick up a ball which was, essentially, just laying on the ground. The first was the dribbling comebacker which could have made my pitching numbers look a whole lot better, the second was when playing second base at Cambridge. On both occasions I was caught in two minds about which play to make, and so I muffed picking up the ball, and failed to make any play. Cardinal sin. Know your play, be decisive. And make sure you have got the ball before you try to do anything with it!

5. We look good! Every week you have to admire just how cool the Herts players look, with their white uniforms and now a growing range of extra branded gear. It’s still pretty obvious that whoever chose white doesn’t do their own washing, but I accept they made a good choice nonetheless. We win the style battle every week. The only other team that I think comes close is the Milton Keynes Bucks, I like their grey outfits (so would my washing machine). But somehow Herts manage to look better even than, say, Sidewinders who play in the same colours. So let’s take that victory on to the field before we even start!

PS. Having banged on about how rare double plays are, I later remembered that we turned one against Cambridge as well. One out, runners on second and third, and the batter flied out to Ken in centre field. The guy at second tagged up and took off but then found the runner at third stationary, so he had to turn back. Ken made a strong throw to second and we (I think it was me) tagged the guy out. I still stand by the fact that double plays are relatively rare in single-A (the San Francisco Giants ground into 3 in every game!) but I’m pleased to know that the Herts Raptors are turning some.

4 May 2011 by Rob Jones

ANOTHER INCH, PLEASE

By Rob Jones, still Going Through the Change

You don’t need me to tell you that baseball is a game of inches. But at least the next time I think about it I will have a few frustrating examples to offer, all from half a game at home to the Southampton Mustangs. I was back at third base as a substitute, after missing the top of the game due to being asleep after a night shift. And the hot corner was to give me a very hot day.

A close play at first base for the Raptors in 2010 — It all comes together in a close play at first base

The first chance came quickly, I think the first batter of the second inning I played. I fielded the ball cleanly, took a step, then sent a throw sailing about ten feet wide of the first baseman. I felt the smooth part of the ball slip from the fingers as I threw it, but that doesn’t help me get it back.

The second throw, in the next inning, was in the first baseman’s reach, but it was still between him and the onrushing runner, and he couldn’t hang on. Having played a bit of first myself, I realised I had rather hung him out to dry.

The third one went … I remember not where, but I know the guy wasn’t given out! And the fourth throw, with runners on base, was there and safe and sound – but to my surprise the runner was also given safe and sound. Four chances, one clear error, and no outs.

Somewhere in the midst of all this I made what was nearly a spectacular play. Leaping at a line drive which even I thought was about to go over my head, I got the meat of the glove to a ball. But just not enough, or I started landing a fraction too soon, I don’t know. The ball flicked back up in the air, out of reach of a flailing second attempt, then fell to ground. Almost a web gem, but in the end just another runner aboard.

So where does the inch come into it? Well, I’m not a big guy and I don’t think it’s giving too much away to any future opposition to say I do not have a “Big Arm”. But the throw from third base is a “Big Throw”, and there’s a simple conclusion here that I just didn’t make it. That inch might have got those outs. An inch might have secured that catch, too.

All of this might spell the swift end of my third base career, though I hope not! I have played two stints there and I really enjoyed it. Chiefly because those stints have been busy, and that’s exactly what you want when you step on the field – “hit the ball to ME!”

I was really pleased that against the Mustangs I picked up every ball cleanly and surely, despite all the rust- and sleep-related excuses I am keeping in reserve. But the throws need to be that bit sharper and stronger to make sure I get the guy, and I am keen to work on that. Unless someone conjures me an inch…

While I am on the topic of being “sharper”, I should note that for the second time in two games I found my uniform spattered with blood. In the HSL it was, I think, just a rotating seam that scuffed skin off my hand. All rather feeble, and when it happened this time around I started to think about seeing a ‘weak skin specialist’ or something. So I was slightly reassured to find once I cleaned up my hand after the game that it was a bona fide cut. And I duly found a shard of broken glass near my fielding position at third. A note to all, I think, to check a public field carefully when you set up.

My cut throwing hand — The red badge of courage

A quick word about my batting is that just half an inch might have done, to make my first at-bat a hit. On a 2-2 count fastball I swung but just missed making really good contact. It became a fairly routine ground ball to the third baseman. I was out by a step, but I was out.

I think most Herts players can take solace in the quality of the Southampton defence. As you may have read elsewhere, Mustangs pitcher Dave Wrigley recorded the club’s first no-hitter. But that was not because he was so overpowering or bamboozling. Large part — and I’m sure he would agree – was down to his defence. Take for example, the scorching Raptors hit to lead off the ninth. It was an excellent pick-up by the fielder, then made even better by the first baseman digging it out. We must doff the cap to a really good performance by the visitors.

And what of the Raptors’ all-round experience? Whilst it may not have started well, when I got there it was a tight game. The home team threw up zeroes, and made good plays. New guys seemed pretty confident and comfortable. It’s hard to look back on lots of glaring errors, barring my own decision to airmail a routine throw to first. So there’s always stuff to learn, and with a rookie team a lot of it is still drilling on basics. But there’s a lot to look forward to as well.