Finalized Practice Schedule

This is it. We have no light other than what the good Lord provides so this is what we've got to work with. Just be sure to keep in mind that this is our last bit of work for the year & that we're all doing what we can to finish strong in spite of the circumstances!

Today @ PARA 3:30pm

Wed @ PARA 3:30pm

Thu @ Force Field 3:30pm

This week in force health and fitness

The holidays are just around the corner which means Food and more Food. From now until Christmas we will be surrounded with holiday treats and indulging in them all.

Remember that this is a time to let yourself enjoy but,not to over indulge. This is a great time to teach your children about listening to their body and eating in a proper manner.

It has been said that we eat with our eyes. When something looks good, we want to eat it even if we are not hungry. Make sure when you or your child gets ready to eat that second piece of pie, you really are hungry.

I can always tell when my children have over done it with foods that are not in their normal routine. The tummy starts the rumbling. Our bodies naturally desire what it good, right and healthy for it. When we make bad food choices our bodies respond with all type of negative reactions including stomach aches, fatigue and lack of energy. This is the way your body tries to tell you that the choice you made is not working out for you.

Here are a few tips to remember when eating those favorite holiday foods.
* Eat smaller portions
* Space out your eating throughout the day
* Substitute healthier options in your favorite recipes.
* Make it a tradition to be active. play football, take a walk or bike ride.

It is important that we feast and enjoy such times but it is also equally important that we be smart about it. You only have one body. Make sure you teach yourself and your children to take care of it.

Practice Schedule for the Week

We're still in the process of confirming times but we will be practicing this week on Tuesday, Wednesday @ PARA & Thursday @ Force Field. The time change has really made things hard for us, but we've only got this week to go & we're done, so we hope that all will bear with us & try their best to make this work. We're trying to get the lights on for us @ PARA & should have word on that later today, but as of right now, will need for everybody to try & get to the field as soon as they can, preferably 3:30pm.

We're also pending an entry in the News Journal following this weekend's tourney, so we've got a lot riding on how we finish the year. So, hang tough & help us finish strong & be proud of what we've got. We'll try & have another post later today w/finalized times, so be heads up or feel free to contact Coach Israel or Lee for further details.

Thanks for all that you guys do as parents. We're not capable of any of this w/out you! You guys rock!

Finish!

This Date in Baseball

"Men may penetrate the outer reaches of the universe, he may solve the very
secret to eternity itself, but for me, the ultimate human experience is to
witness the perfect execution of the hit and run." -BRANCH RICKEY, Hall of Fame
baseball executive

1950 Branch Rickey signs a five-year deal with the Pirates to be the club's executive vice president and general manager. The 'Mahatma's' magic doesn't seem to work as the Bucs will compile a 269-501 (.349) record during his tenure in Pittsburgh.

1969 For the first time in Cy Young Award voting history a tie occurs with Tiger Denny McLain (24-9, 2.80) and Oriole Mike Cuellar (23-11, 2.38) receiving equal votes from the BBWAA for being the best pitcher in the American League.
1974 Mike Marshall becomes the first relief pitcher to win the Cy Young Award. The 'Iron Man' set major league records for penmen with innings pitched (206), game appearances (106), consecutive games (14) and games finished (83) .
1976 After having a career year with the Twins, reliever Bill Campbell becomes one of the first players to cash in on the new free-agent system. The Michigan native signs with the Red Sox for big money (four-year, one-million dollar contract).
1984 Willie Hernandez joins Rollie Fingers as the only other reliever to win the MVP award and Cy Young Award in the same season. The Tiger closer had edged out fellow relief pitcher Dan Quisenberry for the top pitching prize a week ago.
1987 The Reds trade pitcher Ted Power and shortstop Kurt Stillwell to the Royals for pitcher Danny Jackson and shortstop Angel Salazar.
1997 On the day he is named the AL Manager of the Year, Davey Johnson resigns as Orioles skipper. Although the team’s had the best record in the American League (98-64), the relationship between Johnson and owner Peter Angelos continued to deteriorate during the season.
1997 For a second time, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America name Dusty Baker as the NL Manager of the Year. The Giant skipper, who led his to team to a surprising 90-72 record, was first honored in 1993, and will win it again in 2002.
2000 Mariner closer Kazuhiro Sasaki (2-5, 3.16, 37 saves) becomes the second-oldest major leaguer to win rookie of the year honors as the 32-year old captures the American League honor. Boston Braves rookie Sam Jethroe was 33 days older than the Japanese reliever when he won the National League award in 1950.
2001 Denying its a negotiating ploy, Commissioner Bud Selig is given the authority to "begin the process" of eliminating two 'to be announced' teams by the major league owners by a 28-2 vote. Donald Fehr, the Players Association executive director, calls the action of possibly eliminating the Expos, Twins or Marlins most imprudent and unfortunate and the worst manner in which to begin the process of negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement.
2002 Citing Dusty Baker's reluctance to stay with the organization, an unhappy general manager Brian Sabean announces the Giant skipper of the last 10 years will not be back to manage in San Francisco next season. The National League pennant-winning skipper has supposedly expressed an interest in the Cubs and Mariners.

2002 Thirty-nine year old southpaw Randy Johnson wins his fifth (fourth consecutive with the Diamondbacks) Cy Young Award. The 'Big Unit' with 24 victories, 334 strikeouts and an 2.32 era becomes the first National League hurler since Dwight Gooden in 1985 to win pitching equivalent of the triple crown.
2006 After refusing to remove his Los Angeles Dodgers hat at a City Council meeting, Charles Littleton recieves 50,000 volts into his body as he is TASERed by Saginaw (MI) police. The 22-year old Saginaw Valley State University student, who was attending the meeting to gain extra credit for a sociology class, became unruly, according to police, after being asked to take off his baseball cap.

This Date in Baseball

"It's hard to win a pennant, but it's harder losing one." -CHUCK TANNER, Pirate
manager

1901 Ban Johnson and Charles Comiskey lease Sportsman's Park for five years for an American League team. Two weeks later it is announced the Brewers will leave Milwaukee and play in St. Louis as the Browns.
1914 The ban on Sunday baseball is upheld in Washington, DC by the Court of Appeals.
1936 Burleigh Grimes is named to the Dodger manager. The former Brooklyn spitballer will be replacing Casey Stengel who was fired last month during the World Series after compiling a 208-251(.453) during his four-year tenure.
1976 The Mariners and Blue Jays each select thirty players in the expansion draft. Seattle picks Royals' outfielder Ruppert Jones and Toronto chooses Orioles' shortstop Bob Bailor as their team's respective first picks.
1976 The A's release skipper Chuck Tanner from his contract allowing him to manage the Pirates in exchange for catcher Manny Sanguillen and $1000,000 from Pittsburgh.
1958 Lee McPhail replaces Paul Richards as general manager of the Orioles. Richards, however, will remain team's manager.
2004 Former Indians manager Charlie Manuel is named to replace Larry Bowa as the Phillies skipper. The 60-year old piloted Cleveland from 2000-02.

This Date in Baseball

"Everybody thinks of baseball as a sacred cow. When you have the nerve to
challenge it, people look down their noses at you. There are a lot of things
wrong with a lot of industries...baseball is one of them." - CURT FLOOD, as a
Cardinal outfielder commenting the state of baseball

1953 The Rules Committee re-establishes the sacrifice fly ruling which credits a batter with a RBI who flies out driving in a run without charging the hitter with a time at bat. The rule had been dropped in 1939.
1964 Philadelphia voters approve $25 million bond issue to build a new sport stadium. Due cost overruns, a 1967 measure is needed to authorized an additional $13 million making Veteran Stadiums most expensive ballparks with a final cost of $50

1965 In a winter league game, A's pitcher Lew Krausse strikes out a record 21 Lara batters as he tosses a one-hitter for Caracas.
1965 In an unanimous vote, Dodger southpaw Sandy Koufax (26-8, 2.04, 382) is named the Cy Young Award winner.
1970 Curt Flood is traded by the Phillies to the Senators for three minor leaguers.
1979 The AL and NL all-star teams depart on an exhibition tour of Japan. The National League squad will take four of seven from the American League counterparts, but the teams will combine to split a pair of games with the Japanese all-stars.

1992 The Reds trade Paul O'Neill and Joe DeBerry, a minor leaguer, to the Yankees for Roberto Kelly. The deal works well for the Bronx Bombers as the popular outfielder will become a team leader playing an important in four World Series championships before he retires prior to the 2002 season.
1999 In a nine-player deal, the Rangers trade super star Juan Gonzalez along with pitcher Danny Patterson and catcher Greg Zaun to the Tigers for pitchers Justin Thompson, Alan Webb and Francisco Cordero, outfielder Gabe Kapler, catcher Bill Haselman and infielder Frank Catalanotto.
2000 After being turned down by Yankees third base coach Willie Randolph and their own third base coach, Ron Oester, because of below market contract offers, the Reds hire Bob Boone as manager replacing Jack McKeon. The former catcher and present special assistant to general manager Jim Bowden had a 181-206 record as manager of the Royals.
2001 In Game 6, the Diamondbacks get 21 hits in the first six innings against the Yankees to set a record for hits in a World Series game. The previous record of 20 was established by the 1921 Giants (Game 3 vs Yankees) and the 1946 Cardinals (Game 4 vs Red Sox).
2003 ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine will return to Japan to manage the Chiba Lotte Marines, the club which fired him a solid second-place finish in 1995. The former Mets and Ranger skipper signs a three-year deal with an option for two more years worth for an estimated $6.4 million.

1999 Ken Griffey Jr. asks the Seattle Mariners to trade him. The superstar outfielder wants be closer to Orlando, Florida, where his family resides.
2000 Former Blue Jay catcher (1981-86) and the team's present TV color analyst, Buck Martinez, is hired as the Toronto manager. Replacing Jim Fregosi, the 51-year ESPN commentator joins Astros' Larry Dierker and Diamondbacks' Bob Brenly as first-time major league skippers hired from the broadcast booth.
2000 Wrigley Field has been granted preliminary landmark status by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks. Any plans to refurbish or tear down Cubs' home since 1916 will have to be reviewed by this panel.
2004 After a grounds keeper finds a grenade in the Wrigley Field turf, police bomb and arson investigators are called to evaluate the right field discovery. The rusty, hollowed-out shell turns out to be harmless and its origins remain a mystery.
2005 Pat Gillick signs a three-year deal becoming the Phillies' general manager. The 68-year old, who has held the same position with Orioles, Blue Jays and Mariners, has lead his teams to two World Series titles and nine playoff appearances.
2006 In an effort to bring America's national pastime to a country which has a population of over 1.3 billion potential fans, MLB officials announce an office will be opened in China to help promote the game. The possibility of the sport playing a regular-season opener in Beijing is raised by Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer.

Why I Coach

If you're anything like me, you've spent a part of this week looking thru the pics from this past weekend & if you haven't yet, you should. Like me as well, you'd also admit to being just a bit disappointed w/our 2nd place finish, but find it hard to be too upset. After looking thru the pics & having time to reflect on the memory of it all, I find myself compelled to share just a bit of what it was really like on the other side of the fence.

We certainly are blessed to have Loy & to be able to be reminded of what was really going on out there at times thru the images that she captures. A couple in particular have really gripped my heart & reminded of why I do what I do & have no doubt that it is divinely ordained. Speaking for myself, I've found that the life lessons I've learned this past season have been innumerable & the amount of internal growth immeasurable.

Take this shot for instance. At face value, you'd guess that I'm just consoling Alex & you'd be right. What makes this shot memorable is the dialogue that accompanies it. Coach Scott had just previously had to leave for a business trip & Alex was really shaken by it.

We huddled @ 3rd base before taking the field as we always do, except in this huddle I was faced w/our left centerfielder w/huge crocodile tears in his eyes. I took a second, pealed a few tears from the cheeks of A.P. & told him that even though his daddy just had to leave during the middle of a big game, that he was still surrounded by all his brothers, 10 strong...a formidable band of brothers. As everybody else took the field after breaking the huddle, I was left w/1 last moment alone w/Alex & this is the 1 that you see here.

The next shot that really gets me is the one that captures the moment that the final nail is put in the coffin of the stingers. The sequence makes me laugh, 'cause it looks like I'm chasing Cam to the dish & I guess that I am, but in the heat of the moment I just couldn't help myself. I wanted to be up close & personal to see the elation that he experiences as he dancing across home plate...& I wasn't denied.

I love how his hands shoot skyward as he is fully aware that he's just put this club away. Fully embracing the moment, Cam reacted w/a joy so pure, that the remembrance even years from now will still be sweet. Not worried about past mistakes, nor thinking of future comings, the essence of the moment & being fully in it is a very powerful thing.

2 pics separated by 15 minutes. 2 very different displays of emotion. How fleeting the game can be & with that in mind, so can life. 1 day is never like another, 1 kicking you in the teeth while the other couldn't be any sweeter. Either way, the only way to take it is by fully embracing each & every moment that comes our way. At times surrounded by our own band of brothers, knowing the presence of our own Father in that despite His apparent physical absence & other times being left alone to scale to greater heights, experiencing the pure elation that each peak provides.

So, this is why I do this. I'm blessed beyond belief w/the privilege & hope to never ever take it for granted. Making amazing memories w/my very own band of brothers (& sisters), fulling embracing & engaging the moment & cherishing it all along the way.

This is more than just baseball. This is purpose & mission. This is me.

I'm Force Baseball...are you?

This Date in Baseball

"When you call a pitcher 'Lefty' and everybody in both leagues knows who you
mean, he must be pretty good." -CLINT HURDLE, Kansas City Royal infielder
speaking about Steve Carlton.

1944 Japan, where baseball has been banned as an undesirable enemy influence, mourns the death of Eiji Sawamura. The Japanese pitcher, who is killed in action in the Pacific, became a national hero by striking out Babe Ruth in an exhibition game.
1964 CBS becomes first corporate owner of a major league team buying eighty percent of Yankees for $11,200,000.

1972 Leading the league in victories (27), ERA (1.97), starts (41), complete games (30), and strike outs (310), Steve Carlton wins the National League's Cy Young Award. 'Lefty's' 27 victories nearly accounts for nearly half (45.8%) of the last-place Phillies wins.
1974 The Braves trade Hank Aaron to the Brewers for Dave May and Roger Alexander. The move allows the all-time career home run champ to finish his career in Milwaukee, the city in which he started in the majors.
1976 After winning 22 games, Randy Jones captures the National League's Cy Young Award. Two years ago the Padre hurler had lost 22 games.
1983 John Denny wins the National League's Cy Young Award. The Prescott, Arizona native posted a 19-6 record with a 2.37 ERA for National League Champion Phillies.
2000 After a 15-year big league career, first baseman Will Clark announces his retirement. 'The Thrill' ends his playing days with the McGwire-less Cardinals supplying the Redbirds with much needed offense (.345,12 HRs and 42 RBIs) in a two-month span after being traded from the Orioles.

1999 Ken Griffey Jr. asks the Seattle Mariners to trade him. The superstar outfielder wants be closer to Orlando, Florida, where his family resides.
2000 Former Blue Jay catcher (1981-86) and the team's present TV color analyst, Buck Martinez, is hired as the Toronto manager. Replacing Jim Fregosi, the 51-year ESPN commentator joins Astros' Larry Dierker and Diamondbacks' Bob Brenly as first-time major league skippers hired from the broadcast booth.
2000 Wrigley Field has been granted preliminary landmark status by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks. Any plans to refurbish or tear down Cubs' home since 1916 will have to be reviewed by this panel.
2004 After a grounds keeper finds a grenade in the Wrigley Field turf, police bomb and arson investigators are called to evaluate the right field discovery. The rusty, hollowed-out shell turns out to be harmless and its origins remain a mystery.
2005 Pat Gillick signs a three-year deal becoming the Phillies' general manager. The 68-year old, who has held the same position with Orioles, Blue Jays and Mariners, has lead his teams to two World Series titles and nine playoff appearances.

Practice Today!

4:30pm @ PARA

Believe!

This Date in Baseball

"You gotta to be a man to play baseball for a living, but you gotta to have a
lot of little boy in you, too." -ROY CAMPANELLA, Dodger catcher

1951 Dodger backstop Roy Campanella (.325, 33, 108) wins the first of his three National League MVP Awards.
1978 After dominating the American League, Yankee southpaw Ron Guidry (25-3, 1.74) unanimously wins the league's Cy Young Award .
1979 Edward Bennett Williams buys the Orioles for a reported $12.3 million from Jerold Hoffberger.
1982 Doug Rader becomes the twelfth manager in the Rangers' twelve-year history. The 38-year old managed the Padres' Triple A club for the past three years.
1982 The National League owners block the re-election of Bowie Kuhn thus ending his fourteen-year rein as commissioner.
2000 Larry Bowa is hired as the Phillies manager replacing the recently released Terry Franconia. The former Phillies' shortstop had managed the Padres in 1987-88 to a record of 81-127.
2000 Succeeding Davey Johnson, Jim Tracy, the team's bench coach, is hired as the Dodgers' manager.

2001 The first major league game ever started in the month of November is a memorable one as the Yankees, for the second consecutive night, make a dramatic comeback in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game and go on to victory in extra innings. Tonight's heroes are Scot Brosius, who hits a game-tying two out two-run homer to knot the game at 2-2, and Alfonso Soriano, who singles in Chuck Knoblach in the 12th giving the Yankees a 3-2 victory and 3-2 lead in the Series over the Diamondbacks.
2001 The Astros name Jimy Williams, 58, as the franchise's thirteenth skipper. The 35-year veteran, who also managed the Blue Jays and Red Sox, replaces Larry Dierker, who despite of reaching the post-season four times in five seasons was unable to win a playoff series.
2004 Wally Backman signs a two-year contract to manage the Diamondbacks, last season’s worst team in the majors. The 45-year former major league infielder, who replaces interim manager Al Pedrique, was the skipper of the Lancaster JetHawks , Arizona's Class A team in California, posting an 86-54 record.
2006 In a move designed to prepare its next manager, the Yankees' promote hitting instructor Don Mattingly to bench coach to assist Joe Torre for next season. The Bronx Bomber All-Star first baseman replaces Lee Mazzilli, who will not be brought back by New York.

2006 The Seibu Lions of the officially agree to release Daisuke Matsuzaka, giving the 26-year-old Japanese League pitching sensation an opportunity to play in the United States. It is reported the team plans to charge an American major league club $30 million just for rights to negotiate with the former 2006 World Baseball Classic and 2004 Olympic team standout.