Heartbreakers

Over the past couple of games this team is competing very well. Just not good enough to win. We lost on Friday 1-0 on a superb pitching performance by our #1 starter. Chillicothe scored their only run on an error in the first inning and again, we couldn't muster any hits together to squeak one out. The bright spots were the pitching performances of the starter and the relief pitchers. We even lost our starting shortstop to a 1 inch gash in his arm by being spiked on a head-first slide into second. He had to leave the game and have 6 stitches; he'll be out a few days.

Yesterday, we finally broke through with the sticks and scored some runs, leading 4-3 in the eighth. The relief pitching wasn't as dominant and gave up a tying home run, with a throwing error and we lost 5-4. I feel really bad for the guys and they are trying their best and the effort is there. We need to win today to make us feel better about ourselves.

Will post tomorrow.

Negro League Museum

We just can't get a winning streak together. We traveled back to Clarinda, IA to play the A's which we beat 16-8 last time we played them, but couldn't get the big hit with men on base. We are getting better at the plate and our approach is improving. We pitched decent in the game but lost 7-4. I've found that we are not as talented as the other teams, only because we are facing DI talent most of the time. However, these guys are hard working and improving everyday and enjoying their time playing. That's what this summer is all about!

Yesterday, the team traveled to downtown KC and spent the afternoon at the Negro League museum. It was a great look back at US history and how the league began from racism. There were many great players that couldn't play in the big leagues. They played before enormous crowds as those teams had tremendous support from the black community. I read about one white owner who began a team to launder money for a gambling ring, but found he made more money running a legit Negro league team. Great stuff.

We head to Chillicothe, MO tonight to hopefully get back on track. Over the course of the weekend, we have our top three pitchers throwing, all with sub 2.5 ERA. Gives us a good chance to win some ballgames.

No Bullpen Needed

We found the win column yesterday with a 5-2 win over the Topeka Giants. Jesse Bachman threw a complete game for us and helped to preserve our bullpen. We've had to use pitchers quite a bit the last week and that effort helped set us up for the rest of the week. We got timely hitting and solid defense to keep us in the hunt in the league.

The guys are dragging a little bit and we've had some injuries to overcome. One of our players might have torn a shoulder muscle and is out for the summer. However, we did pick up another pitcher who is coming back from an injury to his non-throwing hand. He'll be a much needed boost in our bullpen later.

We're back in Clarinda, Iowa tonight and trying to put together a win streak. Will post on Friday.

The Family Arrives!

On Sunday, Angela and the kids arrived a week early. It was awesome to see them after three long weeks. The kids looked bigger and Claire even has a loose tooth. Looks like we'll have the first installment of the tooth fairy, better save the change! Nolan was strutting his stuff and has been ruling the roost a little bit since I've been gone. But a little bit of rough play and tickling has settled him down somewhat, even though I've had to discipline a little bit. I got to spend Angela's 30th birthday with her alone, as one of the assistant coaches and his wife watched the kids so we could go out.

It's good to have them here, although it has been an adjustment getting back on the kid's early wake-up schedule. But it's summer and we can lay around and take it easy. We have some fun plans for the time their here such as the zoo, Oceans of Fun, parks and swimming. I'm looking forward to the time spent together.

Beatrice Bruins.....Socked Again!

We faced what the coaching staff believes in the best team in the league, the Beatrice Bruins. They have a collection of Big12 freshman and sophomores and big-time talent on the mound. Again we faced their #1 and #2 pitchers over the weekend, the same guy drafted in the MLB draft. He was throwing 91-92 and beat us 1-0. We lost the first game 13-2, and the final game we faced a pitcher throwing 94 mph. Couldn't touch him! We lost 8-0. It was a brutal trip and sapped some life out of us.

We wanted a chance to come back last Sunday and play a non-league game, but the game was called due to a scheduling conflict. So goes the life in summer ball.

Meltdown

It's getting hot in KC. You know those summer days: hazy, humid, sticky, hot breeze. Unfortunately, this is just a taste of what will actually get worse this summer. It's only 85 here and mercifully a nice breeze is blowing. It's not so bad right now and we'll deal with the weather when it arrives. That's what summer baseball is all about.

We had three games over the last two days, starting with a 13-2 loss to the Topeka Golden Giants. This is the same team we felt we could've beat last time, but lost 4-3. It was one of those games that invariably rear it's ugly head. Mental mistakes, fielding errors, bad approaches to the plate. We were beaten on the field and demoralized in our psyche. We just didn't have a good day. Didn't compete at all. The staff let out some frustration on the boys after the game and hopefully used it as a wake-up call. We just couldn't get anything done! The team was embarrassed.

But that's why you play the game. The great thing about baseball is there's always tomorrow and a new day. Put the previous game away, because there's another one today. Especially early in the year, we can chalk it up as a learning experience and move on.

The guys did just that. The Chillicothe Mudcats were in town for an unscheduled double-header. This was the team that was rained out on Sunday, so we tacked on the game on this day. After the debacle in Topeka, the guys rallied and won a tight extra inning game 2-1 in the eighth. We were leading 1-0 in the top of the 7th when the Mudcats tied it at 1-1 on a quality pitch hit up the middle with 2 outs. Could've been a letdown for us and I was afraid the team would have withered. They did not and after holding them down in the eighth, we came back to win on an infield single to get the monkey off our back and break a four game losing skid. It was nice.

We played at the same level during the second game, but couldn't muster any scoring threats and lost 4-1. The boys played two complete games and had a chance to win both. That's what the staff likes to see from game to game. It was a 180 degree turn around from the night before.

We travel to Beatrice, Nebraska for a 3 game series vs. the Beatrice Bruins. We look to do better this time around.

Let's Play Catch-Up!

Thanks for being patient with me over the last few days. I was unable to get over to the coffee shop after our games this weekend. Here's a recap of Friday and Saturday's games:

6/8 vs. Wichita Wheat Kings - These guys are a collection of former and current college players playing in the summer and had already played 12 games. We had no pitching to speak of and were going to piece together some innings with our bullpen. Our starting pitcher came out and pitched and competed with only giving up 1 run. We lead 3-1 going into the seventh and the Wheat Kings were clearly frustrated. Unfortunately, we woke them up in between innings after an errant throw reached their dugout. Those guys had some choice words for our guys and a fight almost broke out. They came back over the next few innings and lead 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth. We had the tying run on third but bounced into a game ending double play to lose a heart breaker! They hit their way to a win, but we didn't execute in crunch time either to give ourselves a chance. It was non-league game, so the staff chalked it up to a learning experience.

6/9 vs. Beatrice Bruins - We ran into a pitching buzz saw on Saturday, as we faced the best pitching we've seen this year. The Bruins had three players drafted over the weekend in the MLB draft and they happened to pitch that day. We were overmatched on some at bats, but had a small window to put runs on the board early. We couldn't do it and lost 5-0 and 8-1 on the day. The guys were obviously frustrated, but were reminded that good pitching beats good hitting every time. I could sense that they were eager to get back on the horse and get after it on Sunday.

6/10 vs. Chillicothe Mudcats - We didn't get the chance to rebound from Saturday as a thunderstorm rumbled through in the morning and dumped 3 inches on rain in Kearney. The field was extremely damp and we couldn't play the game. We were off yesterday and today and travel to Topeka for a game tomorrow.

We are a little beaten up health wise, so pray that our guys would stay healthy for this week.

And the Hits Just Keep on Coming!

Really, they did. Usually that phrase is used in a negative connotation, but last night we scored 10 runs in an inning with hit after hit.

We traveled up to the southwest corner of Iowa to play the Clarinda A's in a MINK league game. We were short some pitching and had to piecemeal the rotation a little bit to keep us in the ballgame. We trailed 5-3 going into the seventh inning and it looked like we were done for. Two of those runs were unearned scored with two out in the inning; one on an error and one on a fly ball lost in the lights. Frustrating from a coaching standpoint, but part of the game.

Then it happened. We had two great at-bats to start the seventh, earned by a hit and a walk. We loaded the bases and scored runs on a walk and hit batsman. Then the carousel started going and by the time the third out was recorded, the score was 15-5! We scored the ol' insurance run in the ninth, shut the door in the ninth, won 16-8 and brought our record to 3-2 in the MINK.

We're off today and open up a 4 game home stand this weekend. Keep checking the FCA website for game details. I'm also giving pre and post game interviews online during the live webcasts. Helps me work on media relations!

Shipwrecked on Gilligan's Island

We stranded a small village of runners on base yesterday, with 12 men LOB and lost 8-5. We even out-hit the other team 12-9, but couldn't come up with the big base hit when we needed it. There was also the usual Texas league hit against us that scored three runs when the game was close. But, that's baseball and hopefully those hits will come around for us.

The team went through a little mental adversity as well. A few of the guys displayed some emotion in the dugout that was little over the top. That will be a few of the things we talk about today and during the homestand.

We're off to Clarinda, IA to face one of the strongest teams in the MINK. We're down pitching, so we need to score some runs to have a chance tonight.

I'm having a blast! This is the most fun coaching baseball I've had in a while. Talk to you tomorrow.

First Series Win: We're 2-1

After a restful night in the Days Inn hotel, we headed to the ballpark for the triple-header against conference opponent Ozark Generals. The ballpark wasn't far, so we didn't have to get up very early. I pulled a prank on a few of the players by calling their room as a radio DJ to make sure they were up. I put on my best DJ voice I could and told them they were live on the air. Each room hung up the phone on me, but one young man wondered if a contest was at stake. He was disappointed that he hung up. Of course this sets him up for the next road trip as I'll be sure to call him with another contest. I love road trips!

We were at the park around 10:30 for pregame batting practice and started at noon. The staff really had no idea what to expect from our pitchers, but the defense is solid. Wouldn't you know it our first pitcher threw a complete game shutout and we won 4-0. The second game didn't fare as well, the game got out of hand, and we left our weaker pitchers in to take the blow; we lost 12-5. The rubber game started around 4:00 and our guys did a real nice job staying excited and eager to play. You could really tell the difference from the other team, as our guys rallied around each other and won the game 6-5. These guys are awesome and genuinely like one another, which helps them play better as well. Sure there's the usual ribbing, but they like to play on this team. The staff needs to work on a few mental aspects of the team, but it's coming around.

We got back to KC around 1 o'clock in the morning and we gave them the day off to do whatever. I found a fitness center in Kearney owned by believers and enjoyed working out to burn some energy.

I would love to hear from you. I found a coffee shop across the street from the house I'm staying at with internet access, so drop me an email!

Kitty Litter

I write this in the Days Inn in Ozarks, Missouri. We drove 3.5 hours down here yesterday only to find out the field was extremely wet. We arrived at the park, which is an old minor league facility, with the grounds crew working on the field. Most field have a large tarp which covers the infield to prevent the water soaking the field. Missouri has been getting a lot of rain the past few weeks and the tarp allows teams to continue to play when the rain breaks. Well the tarp that covers this field has holes in it and the infield became wet and unplayable.

There are many tricks in trying to get a field ready. Some coaches and ground crew pour gasoline in the puddles and then put a match to it to dry them up. With the price of gas nowadays that's an expensive effort. There is a compound called QuickDry that absorbs the water and helps to dry the field quickly. This method is also expensive with bags costing around $10 and taking up to 10-20 bags to get the job done. If you haven't guessed it already, kitty litter has the same effect as QuickDry, without being so expensive. There is a drawback: it smells like a litter box!

So the boys went to a restaurant called Lambert's, which has really good home style meals. They also have an unusual atmosphere with the wait staff walking around with appetizers that they dish out of bowls and place on napkins on your table. This includes: fried okra, macaroni n' cheese with tomatoes, and rolls that they throw from across the restaurant! We had a great meal and a great time. Some of the guys sent a birthday gift to one of the assistant coaches with balloons and a cinnamon roll. Good times.

We play a triple-header today to open the season. The sky is blue this morning, the wind blowing east to west, and it's a perfect day for a game(s)!

Will write tomorrow with the results of our day. Go Grays!