Thunder Baseball-Tuesday game April 21, 2013

Finneytown Thunder Baseball Team 2012

I missed another great game, which we won, four to nothing.  We played without a few players, since this was the same night as the music concert, but we still had enough baseball players to field a team.  Mitchell pitched, and the lead off hitter was, as always, Weslee.  I'm not sure how well he did, but he sometimes makes it onto base, and then steals in for a run.  I do know, he made it almost round the bases one time, and another player was called for interference, so he was called "out".  I'm hearing about that call a lot more these days.  Maybe I am just getting more aware of the finer points in baseball, or the umps are getting more refined in their calls.  When a player interferes with the play, getting in the way of the ball and the ability of the other team to catch or make a play, it is automatically called an out.

In a game a few weeks ago the ball was hit toward third, the runner ran to third, and because he arrived at base while the fielder was trying to catch the ball, and "interfered", it was an out.  In that case, the inning was over.  It was an important call, because that runner on third could have been a run on the next hit.  I think we have to wake up our players to the whole "field of vision" that is around them and stop playing in their narrow space and little world in which they live.

Just this morning Weslee pointed out to me, that Coach Mitch told him why he was having so many turn-overs in Basketball.  It's because they are no longer the fastest players in the league.  Kids are THERE, behind them, next to them, right there, and take the ball.  They can't expect to run off down the court the way they used to do.  They really need "eyes in back of their head".

And what does each child do constantly?  Practice the skills of watching for game in the forest, listen for the snake in the trees above?  Look for the lion sneaking up on them in the tall grass surrounding them in the savanna?   NO,  he looks at a tiny screen of the cell phone, brushes his finger back and forth, focusing ONLY on a spot at a near point, shutting out anything in the peripheral.  Where will they get any better at what we need to for the sports they are doing?

I have always taught with a lot of visualizations.

If we tell the student, they are in the jungle, the other players are natives of another tribe and we need to watch for them, they plan to hunt us down and spear us with poison ....

Or,   if we tell students there is a lion on the prowl, searching for dinner, in the tall grass, and we can't let him get the baby gazelle(the basketball)....maybe the response will be more real.  Maybe our instincts of using our senses will jump in.  But I use visualizations that make sense to me... Use ones that make sense to kids- using Harry Potter, or characters from their games and movies.

When they spot a fly ball, have player visualize shooting a UFO, Harry Potter dementor, or Sith Warriors?  In making it imaginary, we would actually enter into their world, and make it more "real" to them.  We could even use trigger words to confuse the opponents, such as  ""UFO INCOMING to JEDI Knight STACY", and talk like that....It might actually wake up the outfield...

I hate missing the games!  We have a double header on Saturday, and I will miss the beginning.  I will be there after the first part, and I sure am looking forward to the second half and the second game.  Hope the weather stays nice for us!

Comments of coach Watson on the Thunder Baseball Facebook Home page:

Wow, what a game I missed. Great win against Wyoming 5-0. The stage was set early with hits by Pete and Zach then driven in by Mitchell to give us a 2-0. It stayed that way until the 4th with Zach and Mitch reaching on hits and Calvin's double cleared the bases for a 4-0 lead. Jake H and Enoch added hits and Pete knocked in Enoch to complete the scoring. Mitchell and Isaak combined for the shutout to take our record to 5-1 as the game ended on a tailormade 6-4-3 double play (Calvin, Pete and Blair). And special notice to all baserunners, if you see Zach behind the plate and you want to "attempt" to steal, consider this your warning, you will be sitting on the bench with the rest of your team very soon! Great game Zach with 5 caught stealings for the game. Very proud of all the players stepping up. I know some have not played in certain postitions in awhile, like Lydia at first base, just trust in yourself, we as coaches know you can do it.