July 31st, 2013 -

July 31st, 2013

7/31/2013

Scott

9/13/2013 02:43:05 pm

Day 1, What a surprise, the plane was delayed. What is it with this tour group and planes being delayed? Glen and I finally met up with the team in LA this morning after a long flight. Everyone looked in good shape and ready for the 5 hr flight across America into NY. We got in around 6pm and boarded the bus for the hotel. Once checked in we went for a walk to Time Square and found Bubba Gump to have dinner. After dinner it was off to Modell's for some last minute baseball gear then back to the hotel for a well deserved sleep.

Scott

9/13/2013 02:43:29 pm

Day 2 started with a leisurely buffet breakfast before we started our walk to the Rockefeller Centre. Up to the observation deck on floor 70 in 45 seconds in the elevator. the views were amazing. After 360 degree views of New York it was time to walk the streets and find somewhere for lunch. After lunch we walked back to the hotel and boarded the bus for Cooperstown. 4 hours on the bus and we arrived at Oneonta Suny College, our home for the next week. The boys are settling into the dorms ok so it was off to Brooks BBQ for dinner. Everyone is in good spirits and looking forward to getting started. Lights out at 10.30 for a well earned sleep.

Scott

9/13/2013 02:43:58 pm

Day 3 started out with a trip to Denny's for breakfast followed by some shopping at Dicks. Once we arrived back at the college, we checked the team into the tournament and went a had our final training session, a few groundballs and some batting practice. Time for New York pizza for lunch, most of the boys only had one slice but there were a few who attempted two. Mid afternoon we had our coaches meeting and our players meeting to go over the dorm rules etc then on the bus for the opening ceremony. The Aussies were up first and Liam looked fast in the sprint challenge, he ran his 40 yards in 4.94 to set the pace............ unfortunately it was broken by the very next team. Our 3 home run entries Carter, Liam and Lindsay managed a combined 0 home runs. Luke had the quickest throw from shortstop............. until the second player threw the ball then we were all out. Doesn't matter, its a lot of fun. Bus back to the dorm for an early night before our 8.30 game in the morning.

Scott

9/13/2013 02:44:45 pm

Day 4, up at 6 am to get to breakfast so we can catch the shuttle to the field for our 8.30 game against the Eagles of New York. Carter had the ball and it was time to go to work. We got 2 quick outs before an error in the field let to the Eagles scoring a run on a few bad plays. A double to Carter tied the game at 1 each at the end of one. We breezed through the top of the second and then came out and scored 3 runs to give us a 4-1 lead with the help of a double to Josh C. The Eagles fought back in the third plating 3 runs and shutting us out in the bottom half to tie the game 4-4 after 3. A few more mistakes in the field allowed the Eagles to score 2 more runs before we came out in the bottom of the fourth and put up 10 runs with doubles to Dallas, Luke and a bases clearing triple to Lia...m. Carter lost his control in the last inning and Josh B took over to get the last 3 outs. A well deserved victory with a 14-8 score line. We hopped back on the shuttle and headed to the mess hall for lunch. I think the boys can get use to the buffet meals then it was back to the field for game 2 against the Spartans. We were the visitors this game and took up exactly where we left off the last game by scoring 6 runs in the top of the first due to a bases clearing triple to Luke. Liam had the ball for this game and went to work on the Spartan hitters, we walked a few and then a few bloop singles in the right places got them 3 runs on the board. The second inning was a sloppy one, walks and errors saw us plate 4 more runs while the Spartans could only manage 1 in their half. After 2 we led 10-4. Grant relieved Liam in the third and both teams went scoreless. More errors and walks allowed us to put 4 more runs on the board in the fourth but the Spartans came straight back with 3 of their own. After 4 we lead 14-7. A few more hits, a few more errors and a few more walks saw us walk away with this game with 5 more runs on the board. Lindsay was handed the ball to shut the gate and after giving up 2 runs the game was over. We had beaten them 19-9 to finish day 1 at 2-0 and a tie for the lead in our pool. Back on the shuttle, a shower and some dinner before kangaroo court and an early night. We take on the Titans tomorrow for 1st and 2nd in the pool. then a cross over game in the afternoon depending on where we finish.

Scott

9/13/2013 02:45:30 pm

Day 5 was a bad day at the office. We got to sleep in as our first game wasn't until 10.30am. We got to the field at 9.30 and our warm up looked very good. Luke was given the ball against the Titans and they came out swinging. They were big kids with big bats and scored 3 runs in the top of the first, then struck out our side. after a scoreless second we gave up another 3 in the third and 4 in the fourth to get beaten 10-0. Our only bit of offense was a double to Jayden. To give you a comparison, this team is from Albany and had 6,000 players to choose from to pick this team. They ended up with the 12 best who are playing here! Back to the dorm for lunch then off to play the Pelicans. Josh B had the ball and this team was even bigger than the last one! they had 4 kids on their team who ha...ve already got Div 1 college scholarships for next year and they can play. After giving up 6 in the first, we were retired on just 8 pitches. A few errors and they plated 2 more runs in the second and 4 more in the third. With a 12-0 lead after 3 innings and a sole hit by Josh C had them save their pitchers by throwing a kid who doesn't pitch. We staged a late come back with a double to Dallas, and a few singles and we managed to score 2 runs but the charge was far to late and we went down 12-2. We play the Dominican Republic tomorrow who are tied with us at 2-2. Lindsay will get the ball and hopefully we can end up on top.

Scott

9/13/2013 02:46:14 pm

Day 6 saw us playing the Dominican Republic first up on field 1. Lindsay had the ball for this game and we came out of the blocks hard with a quick 4 runs in the top of the first with a double to Carter and some aggressive base running. We struggled to find the strike zone early and gave up 6 walks and a few hits and after the first we were all tied up at 4-4. The second inning started the same way as we were swinging the bats well, a long double to Carter who was thrown out at third trying to stretch it into a triple. The relay from the Dominican team was on the money and it was a bang bang play to get him out. Dallas came up and hit his own triple in another bang bang play where the third baseman dropped the ball or he would of been out as well. A few more base hits and we scored 3 more ...runs. We made a few silly errors in the field and the big Dominican hitters capitalised on our mistakes scoring 3 runs of there own. At the end of 2, we were tied 7-7. The Dominican pitcher found his groove in the third and fourth working out of a jam and keeping us scoreless. Carter came in to take over pitching and threw a scoreless third so we were still tied 7-7 heading into the bottom of the last. A lead off walk and a hard hit single put the winning run on second base with no out. A fake bunt and a double steal had our guys wondering what had just happened. Carter struck out the batter with the winning run 90 feet away. We brought the outfield in and the infield in to stop the run from scoring. With first base open we said to work the black and not give in to this power house clean up hitter. With a one one count we threw it right down broadway and he crushed it over the leftfielders head to score the winning run. We get out of the inning but time had run out and we had been beaten 10-7. I am extremely proud of these 14 year old boys playing in this 16 and under tournament. The never die attitude we show on the field has won us a lot of respect from these older teams here. After lunch we got the bus into Cooperstown to go visit the MLB Hall of Fame. What a lot of history in one place dating back over 100 years of professional baseball. We had a look at Doubleday Field (where the first ever baseball game was played) then headed back to the hotel for dinner and an early night. After the pool play, we were seeded in 5th place which means tomorrow we get a rematch against the Dominicans in the quarter finals. A win will put us into the semi finals.

Scott

9/13/2013 02:48:19 pm

Day 7 started with a rematch of the Dominican Republic game from yesterday and we jumped out to an early 3 run lead courtesy of a bases loaded triple to Lindsay. Liam was handed the ball to contain the Dominican hitters and he did just that. Through the first 2 innings of work, we were in front 3-0. Heading into the third and the hits kept coming. We loaded the bases with nobody out but the tail order couldn’t get anything happening and we stranded the bases loaded without scoring. This was the turning point in the game, the momentum swung and the confidence built up for the Dominican team and our boys dropped their head and we had to try to start again. We made a few errors in the field again which let them score one in the bottom of the 3rd but we still led 3-1 at the half way point in the game. (That’s right, no time limit anymore, all games are 6 innings) We were shut out again in the fourth and again we made some stupid mistakes in the field which allowed the Dominicans to score 3 more runs. At the end of the fourth we trailed 4-3. We were shut out again in the top of the fifth as their pitcher was hitting his spots with every pitch. More errors in the field allowed them to score another 3 runs and at the end of the fifth, we were behind 7-3. We couldn’t add any runs in the sixth and the final score was 7-3. With the bronze medal game now gone, we had to focus on our next game with a win having us play for fifth place tomorrow. Our opponents were the Eagles, who we beat in the first game. Luke had the ball and once again 2 costly errors let the Eagles put a run on the board. Liam led off with a triple down the right field line and Josh B scored him on a groundball to second base to tie the game at 1-1. The second inning we lost our location with our fastball and after a few walks they were able to score 2 more runs. Our bats came alive in the second as we strung some hits together and plated 6 of our own to lead 7-3. Not making routine outs cost us dearly in the third and fourth as the Eagles scored 3 in each inning to lead 9-7 heading into the bottom of the fourth. We just couldn’t get the job done. Liam again smoked a double to left centre but was caught in a run-down trying to stretch it into a triple. Carter ropes one into the gap which would have scored the runner from second. A few more hits and we only managed to score 1 run to make it 9-8 after four complete. The Eagles tacked on an insurance run in the fifth and kept us scoreless to lead 10-8 after five. More errors were the thing of the day as we couldn’t make the plays in front of us. 3 more runs in the top of the last and we had one more chance but there was no fairy tale ending and we went down 13-8. Tomorrow sees us playing for the wooden spoon. Despite the scores in these games, we have pushed these teams hard for the most part and we have gained the respect of every team here. Back to the dorm for dinner and a game of whiffle ball with the Dominican and Harlem teams before lights out.

Scott

9/13/2013 02:49:42 pm

Day 8 and our last game of the tournament. We were playing Otego for 7th and 8th place. The boys looked flat in the warm up and it transferred into the field. Lindsay had the ball and struggled with his control giving up a few walks and a few hits and Otego scored 2 early runs. We did nothing in our half of the first and both teams went scoreless in the second as Lindsay looked a lot more relaxed on the mound. The third inning saw us again making errors in the field and Otego capitalised on our mistakes scoring 3 more runs. We managed to get on the board in the third with 2 of our own but we still looked flat and uninterested. At the end of 3, we trailed 5-2. 2 more runs scored in the top of the forth with a few hits to the Otego team, we again got shut out in the bottom of the inning, the... fifth went the same way with Otego plating another 3 runs and shutting us out to lead 10-2. Heading into the last inning we will play in New York and Scott was on the mound. We gave up another run to trail 11-2. 3 outs away from a humiliating defeat and the Domincan team came down to the fence to cheer on their new Aussie mates. This woke up our boys and we started to play some decent baseball as we delivered 9 consecutive hits to start scoring some runs. With a strike out Otego finally recorded an out but we still had the bases loaded. A HPB put the tying run on second and the winning run on first. Another base hit and the tying run was 90 feet away. Liam Taylor steps up to the plate with the game on the line and delivers a walk off strike out with a ball in the dirt that gets away from the catcher and the tying win crosses the plate. The Otego players think that was the winning run and start to walk off the field when Scott runs home and touches the plate with the winning run. A 10 run inning in the last to snatch victory with a walk off strike out! I have never seen that before in all my years as a coach. final score 12-11. After the game we watched the Domincan team play for third place then did some uniform swapping before we got on the bus and went back to Cooperstown to spend some time at Doubleday Field. Back to the dorm to pack our gear and tidy the dorm before we check out in the morning and head back to Manhattan for some sights.

Scott

9/13/2013 02:55:34 pm

Day 9 had us departing the Suny College for our 4 hour bus trip back to Manhattan. Not sure what happened here as it took us 8 hours to get back to the hotel! Sorted out the rooms, then went up for a shower before heading out for dinner. After dinner we stopped at M&M World and Disney Store before heading back to the hotel.

Scott

9/13/2013 02:55:52 pm

Day 10 started out with a nice casual walk around Manhattan. We went to the UN Building, the Chrysler Building and the New York public library before getting on the subway to head to Yankee Stadium for the game against the Tigers. After the game, back on the subway to the hotel for a quick shower before dinner and Spiderman on Broadway. A late night but well worth it and we can sleep in a little tomorrow.

Scott

9/13/2013 02:56:30 pm

Day 11 started with another casual walk and a subway to downtown. We saw the Friends building and took a walk through Washington Park. Some of our boys even played some chess against the locals. Then on to Little Italy and China town before hopping on the ferry to Staten Island to see the Yankees A ball team take on Boston. Some late night shopping before heading back to the hotel for some well earned sleep.

Scott

9/13/2013 02:57:11 pm

Day 12 started off with a subway ride back down to the Bronx for our tour of Yankee Stadium. It was a disappointment, Yankee policy does not allow to access most stadium places. We were able to go to the Yankee Museum and Monument park before heading down to the Yankee dugout (which are air conditioned in summer and heated in winter). After that, it was off to Central Park where the boys played whiffle ball near the Strawberry Fields. Then back to Manhattan for dinner before heading up the Empire State Building at dusk for some city photos in lights. Then off to bed. A free day tomorrow so there won't be a post tomorrow, and a Yankee game tomorrow night.

Scott

9/13/2013 02:58:01 pm

Day 14. Back down to the ferry this morning to head to liberty park for an up close encounter of the Statue of Liberty. Then off for a walk down Wall Street before heading over to Ground Zero and the new World Trade Building then over to the memorial pool to reflect on the events of 9/11. After lunch we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge before hopping on another subway on our way to Coney Island. A few theme park rides later and it was Carters turn to see how he would go at the Nathan World Hotdog eating championships. His hero Joey Chestnut consumed a mild 69 in 10 mins at this years championships Carter had 5 dogs to do and no time limit for his challenge. One dog down in 45 seconds and Carter looked in fine form, then he hit the wall! He eventually ate 4 in just over 12 minutes and he was in a world of pain. After everyone recovered from laughing, it was up to the Cyclones game before heading back to the hotel for our last night on New York.

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2/16/2016 08:35:48 pm

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July 31st, 2013

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