thank you

All good things must come to an end. Why does it have to be this way? Whoever came up with this idiom must have been a glass-half-empty type. Sunday was the end of our season. In the end we fell one victory short of our ultimate goal, but the collective feeling is that the memories we will carry with us from the summer of 2010 far outweigh that one loss. As was said by a parent, if we could rewind the clock back to April I'm sure we all would. We were a family - parents, players, and coaches alike. So to all of this family I would like to say thank you.

Thank you to:

Brandon Chong - For making me believe that it is possible for a 12 yr old to chop down a tree with one swing of a bat.

Liam Gallagher - Thanks for striking out and letting the pink hat die with you. (for those not in the know, anytime some struck out looking they had to wear a pink hat for the next practice and during warmups for the next game. pictured is Matthew Grabstas). And thanks for all the seeds you're going to supply me with next year.

Caleb Radley - For this look...enough said. You owe me seeds too - the kind humans eat. Not like the 7lbs of birdseed I left in your bag.

Anthony Marzenek - For breaking the hearts of the Turtle Club. Seeds too please, next year. Thief!

Justin Stephenson -  For some of the hardest hit balls I have ever seen come off a bat. Parents of opposing players thank you to that none of their sons were hit by these missiles.

Ben Miller - For being a leader in your own quiet way. All of us were at ease when you came to the plate because we knew you would make something happen. And for reminding all our pitchers not to suck.

Simon Ranger - You are a future coach in the making. I have thought that since I first had you on my team two years ago.

Mark Szostak - For offering hugs. No I don't need one, but thank you.

Riley Gray - Fellow lefty. For being our vocal leader in the dugout and on the field. You hit what may have been our longest homerun of the season but for a silly wire. As it is, you hit the weirdest triple ever.

Adam Del Frabbro - For dashing the hopes of anyone who hit the ball to the right side of the infield. You were where basehits went to die.

Matthew Grabstas - Tide Laundry Detergent thanks you for keeping them in business.

Justin Mignardi - For reminding me that you hit more homeruns than me in Little League and that without you I haven't won any district championships or made it to any national finals.

the coaching staff - For the friendships we forged along the way. The stories we shared. And the lessons I learned in coaching, teaching, and parenting I took from this summer.

the parents - For welcoming an ex-Erindale player into your midst. And entrusting your boys to me and us coaches for the summer. They (and you) made me look forward to every practice, game, and party. I was blessed to be around such fine young men for one summer.

I truly was blessed this summer. Thank you to one and all.

living a memory

Throughout history there are moments in time when people ask "where were you when..." and you can recall most everything about that time.There have been but a handful of such moments in my lifetime. Sadly, many of these moments are those of great human tragedy. My participation in the Canadian Little League Championships last week, while not tragic, was one such unforgettable moment.

Well aware of the fact that I may never be back to this tournament again, I did my best to take it all in - the sights, the sounds, and the smells. It is an experience I cannot begin to possibly describe in a few short paragraphs. I was there in every way possible as a coach, as a fan, and as a little kid trapped in a much older body. From the opening day parade to the thousands that turned out to watch the Championship Game, it was something I had never before been a part of. I was awed by the entire experience.

There were moments in every game where I looked out from my perch beside the dugout and the only thing I could think was "how cool is this?!" Take, for instance, a home run. Nothing trumps the jubilation of home run in a little league game. There is no "business as usual" look on the kid's faces as they circle the bases like we have grown accustomed to in professional baseball. The smile is always ear to ear. And often times the mob of teammates that await them at home plate are even happier.

Each day brought with it new memories. There were nervous parents who couldn't watch as their son calmly went about their business, kids asking other kids for autographs, and friendships forged that will last well beyond this one week. There were moments of sportsmanship that left us smiling. I think of one particular boy from the Quebec team, who became a folk hero of sorts as the tournament wore on. He cheered and chatted whether his team was behind or ahead. If they gave out awards for Most Inspirational, Isaac Harris would have been a unanimous decision.

Little League baseball is an event like no other. I truly feel fortunate to have been part of this event - a "where were you when" moment in my life.

Banquet Day

With the round robin portion of the Canadian Little League Championships complete, it was time Thursday night for all of us to gather for dinner. It was a time to highlight some of the great plays, great players, and dedicated volunteers who have made the tournament such a success.

The evening was highlighted by special guest speaker, Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins, the greatest Canadian to ever play baseball. I sat there totally captivated as he recanted some of his stories from his playing days. It was a brief look into the life of an athlete who came from small beginnings in Chatham, Ontario and rose to the top of his sportt. My one wish was that he could have had the floor all night. I love hearing these tidbits. Nobody can recall the details of their life the way a professional athlete can.

Of the stories he told, I couldn't help but laugh when someone asked how many batters he hit in his career and how many were intentional? He quickly replied "84 and everyone of them." For those not "in the know" in his playing days hitting a batter was a part of the game. It was a matter of protecting teammates for one reason or another. Another Hall of Famer, Bob Gibson, who was known to be one of the meanest pitchers of his era once said his three best pitches were, "the knockdown, the brushback, and the hit batsmen."

Some wonder why I love baseball so much because to the untrained eye it seems like such a slow moving game - Pitcher stands on mound. Pitcher throws ball. Batter swings. Batter misses. Or Batter Hits. Repeat Scenario 200 times in 3 hrs. To those that know the game though, it is so much more than this. There is so much that happens that you don't see. And it's the stories that Fergie Jenkins told last night, that so wonderfully illustrate this.

the catharsis of losing

Losing is a strange animal. Where winning keeps you on a high, losing takes you to all sorts of different places. After the initial shock and frustration of yesterday's loss I sat there dazed and confused, thinking about many different things. This one did not sit well with me. Of course I thought about what if a few different things had gone our way, but more than that I thought about how losing is so much different than winning.

Losing it seems, can me more of a cathartic experience than winning. Amidst the disappoint it can clear your head and relieve the pressure of expectations. Sure, you still wrestle with the "what if's" but those fade and you are brought back to ground zero. Less is expected of you when you lose. Anyone who has ever competed can relate. Granted, anyone who has ever competed also welcomes the expectations winning brings, it can be how you deal with losing that makes you a winner.

The challenge with losing when you are older is that it seems to sting a little more because you know that your window of opportunity is slowly closing. You can't play forever. What were once tears when you were a kid when you lost, are now replaced with a gamut of emotions - frustration, disappointment, sadness, reflection, questioning...I could go on and on. I am well aware that being in the Canadian Little League Championships even as a coach might be the closest I get to realizing a childhood dream of playing in the Little League World Series. Will not making it there hurt? Yes. But win or lose, I will remember this one week forever.

it's finally here

After days, months, and for some involved with the Ancaster organization, years, the Canadian Little League Championships are finally here. Day 1 was relatively quiet. We were first on the diamond. There is something unexplainable about being on the diamond first thing in the morning. It is very serene. The dew on the grass is not quite dry, the groomed infield sits untouched, and players seem almost reluctant to ruin this postcard as they mill about in foul territory. Slowly people and players from other teams trickled in to watch the hometown team go about their routine.

I didn't sleep much the night before as I thought about what lie ahead for our team. I thought about each game. I thought about how life would be different after next Saturday when the tournament concluded. What if we won? What if we lost? How would I respond?

And so went the day. One after the other the six competing teams took the field to strut their stuff in front of the competition.

The night's activities featured a tractor pull and caber toss - not really. What it did feature, however, was something truly memorable. In the early days of the Ancaster Little League on Opening Day there would be a parade through Old Ancaster concluded by fireworks at the ballpark. Admittedly, I wasn't sure what to expect going in to this. What I got out of it was something I will never forget. The six teams were led through the town on tractor-drawn wagons to the cheers of people lining the streets. People in their cars honked. Others stood at the end of their driveways and waved. If I was awed by the experienced, I'm sure others were.  In that moment the kid in me wanted to be playing in this tournament, but the adult in me realized this was for the current generation of  Little Leaguers and their moment in the sun. It so nicely summed up what Little League baseball truly is - a community experience.

Ready for Canada

It's taken five years of planning and preparation, but Ancaster is set to strut its stuff at the 2010 Canadian Little League Baseball Championship.
The competition, scheduled for Aug. 7-14, brings together six teams who will be vying for a chance to represent Canada at the Little League World Series next month in Williamsport, Pa. The host Ancaster Cardinals are entered along with representatives from Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, the Prairies and British Columbia.
Little League is for boys and girls ages 11 and 12.
Ancaster won the bid to host the event five years ago. Since then, the park's major diamond on Jerseyville Road has undergone a transformation. There's new dugouts and fencing, a new electronic scoreboard, a new clubhouse with double concession stands and washrooms, new and expanded bleachers, plus a redesigned old clubhouse with a World T-Ball/Little League hall of fame. Impressive upgrades have also been completed to the six-decade-old playing field.
"It's crunch time, but we're really on track," said Jennifer Miller, project co-ordinator for the national championship. "It's a million-dollar project. Our diamond is 100 per cent beautiful."
Ancaster's team has been equally as impressive on the field this season. The Cardinals -- 24-3 overall -- captured the District I championship Thursday night, blanking Toronto High Park 3-0. Justin Mignardi belted a solo home run and Caleb Radley tossed a complete-game four-hitter.
Earlier in the robin-robin district tournament against High Park, Oakville, Stoney Creek, Erindale and Dundas, Ancaster won four of its five games by the mercy rule -- a 10-run lead after four innings. And their other victory was 8-0.
Two of Ancaster's losses this season came against American opponents in Buffalo playing non-Little League rules.
"I think we have a good chance of winning," said shortstop/pitcher Mark Szostak. "We always hold the other team from scoring because of our pitching and defence. And all our hitters, from the first batter to the last, have been getting on base."
Szostak and two others have been members of the same Ancaster Little League team for five years, winning the minor District I title in 2008 and coming within one run of taking the provincial title. Said Szostak: "The new people who joined this year have made us that much better."
About half of the current Ancaster team travelled to Little League's Holy Grail in Williamsport last year as spectators. "It was a great experience," Cardinals coach Dave Whalen said. "It motivated them. They want to be those guys on the other side of the barrier."
As the championship host, Ancaster won't have to qualify through the provincial championship tournament next week in Thunder Bay.
At the national championship, many celebrated Canadian athletes and performers will be in attendance. Don Cherry, of Coach's Corner fame, will throw out the first pitch of the championship game on Saturday, Aug. 14 at 1 p.m.
Former Canadian Idol winner Brian Melo of Hamilton will sing O Canada prior to the Ancaster vs. B.C. game on Sunday, Aug. 8 at 3 p.m. Other first pitches will be delivered by Canada's Hall of Fame pitcher Ferguson Jenkins, Hamilton Tiger-Cat legend Angelo Mosca, former Canadian boxing great George Chuvalo, Ancaster's Olympic halfpipe snowboarder Brad Martin and members of Stoney Creek's 1965 Little League World Series finalists. Cable 14 will televise the Ancaster games and playoffs.
"They're excited about all the pomp and circumstance," Whalen said. "Our players are focused and aware of the opportunity."
Parking will be at the Ancaster Community Centre with connecting shuttle buses running from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. With a natural amphitheatre setting, about 5,000 fans could watch the games.


CANADIAN LITTLE LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
When: Aug. 7-14
Where: Ancaster Little League Park near Ancaster High School on Jerseyville Road
At stake: Teams from Quebec, the Atlantic, the Prairies, Ontario, B.C. and Ancaster will compete for the right to be Team Canada at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.
For full schedules and more information: www.ancaster2010.com


ARTICLE COURTESY OF:
Larry Moko
The Hamilton Spectator
(Jul 24, 2010) 
TheSpec.com - Sports - Ready for Canada 

one month today

It's getting closer!

One month today we play our first game in the Canadian Little League Championships against Atlantic Canada.


For both the boys and volunteers around the league this one week in August is the culmination of years of hard work and preparation. All involved, both past and present, deserve a thank you. To those that I have met, thank you for making my relatively short time in the league truly unforgettable. I have enjoyed every minute of it. To those that I haven't met and may no longer be involved with the league, another thank you. Thank you for paving the way for these twelve incredibly talented young men.

on the road to the canadians

Consider this my first foray into the online world of self disclosure. Bear with me as I figure out this new method of spilling my brand of general nonsense.

For those not in the know I heart baseball - a lot. My playing days are over and I've since turned to coaching. I am an assistant coach of the Ancaster Cardinals that is hosting the Canadian Little League Championships in August. My intent is to use this as part update, part blog, part diary, and part whatever else I decide to tell you as our team of parents, coaches, and 12 incredibly talented boys journey along the road to this once in a lifetime tournament.

If they made baseball advent calendars I would probably have one for this.