2015 Diamond Nation And The Seadogs

12U baseball.  Williamsport, Cooperstown Tournaments, District play.  Baseball at this age is busier than anytime until you reach high school (and only if you play Legion ball at the same time).  C is no different.  He's an old 12 year old baseball player so a lot of Town baseball activities are over for him, but in AAU, he was still eligible for the 12U tournaments.

We were desperately looking for tournaments to go to.  He was recruited to play for on in the town next door, but it interfered with our plans for the Summer - not including our plans for that $1,000 that it would have cost him to play.  but there was one tournament we knew he would play - Diamond Nation's Memorial Day Tournament in Flemington, New Jersey.  We had 4 games - 2 on Saturday, 1 on Sunday and 1 on Monday (Monday?) and if we won our pool, we would keep playing into Monday night.

It was an interesting ride down.  8 hours, 5 stops (including an epic stop for Frank Pepe's Pizza in New Haven) and 250 text messages to his teammates later, we arrived at our hotel in Franklin Township.  Of course, he immediately tells me that he wants to go to Diamond Nation 30 minutes away to watch the games.  Seriously?  Seriously.  It was good to figure out how to get there though since our first game on Saturday was going to be 8am.

Game 1.  We played a team from Long Island, New York to begin our tournament.  The Long Island Sharks they were called.  All of a sudden I felt bad wearing my Sharks T-Shirt (me football team).  C was playing CF and batting 3rd.  We were smoked, losing 13-2.  C had an infield single for an RBI in the First Inning, walked and struck out. He made a great play from CF to throw out a runner on a single up the middle.  I guess we aren't going to play late on Monday.

Game 2.  C was starting and batting 3rd.  This was going to be an interesting game since we saw this team (Bucks County, PA) decimate the other team in our pool on Friday Night.  C hadn't pitched much this year because of arm troubles, but he seemed ready.  He gave up a run in the First on a walk, 2 stolen bases (don't get me started about our catchers) and single.  He struck out the side otherwise.  And struck out the side in the second and third inning.  Pretty impressive.  The Fourth inning featured a pop up and two walks.  Again, the catcher had some issues and let the first walk steal second and third and the second walk to steal second.  Runners were now second and third with one out.  Things started to get uncomfortable.  At the point that I started thinking that he was tiring, a passed ball led to a throwout at home.  And then another.  So the catcher being unable to catch a baseball may have actually helped C.  We were still down 1-0 in the bottom of the Fourth.

We started our half of the Fourth with a single from our 2 hitter.  He made it to second a steal.  A duck for C to help himself with and help himself he did with a single over the third baseman's head.  Tied 1-1!  C was left stranded at Second, however.  Fifth inning was like the 2nd and 3rd - K, K, K.  The Sixth Inning started harmlessly enough with a pop fly to center field.  And he drops it!  Leadoff Runner for Bucks County.  Not surprisingly, he steals send and third.  A walk and steal had runners at second and third.  While the coach was going to leave him in because it was his game.  but he came out as his arm was sore.  The next pitcher promptly gave up a three run homer.  We ended up losing that game 6-1.  C gave up 1 Earned Run and had 12 Ks.  Not bad.

Game 3.  Under the lights against Tri-Town, another team from Pennsylvania.  C was out most of the game with that sore arm, but stayed in as the extra hitter.  He had an infield single, hit-by-pitch and groundout.  We ended up losing on a walk off home run after blowing a 4-2 lead int eh Sixth Inning.  0-3 for the tournament.

Home Run Ball

Game 4.  This was the game on Monday afternoon.  The boys were playing for pride and to try to wake up the bats as we only scored 7 runs in the first three games.  The game didn't start well, though as we gave up 10 runs in the first inning.  Errors, walks, dropped third strikes, infield singles.  Ugh.  Although I was thinking about getting an earlier start on the road home.  That 10-0 lead disappeared within 2 innings though as the Seadogs made the score 10-7 highlighted by C's towering 3-run home run over the RF wall.  We were losing 15-7 in the fifth when another explosion occurred, again highlighted by C's tie breaking two-run ground rule double.  At this point at 250 people were watching the game (most of them pissed) as we went over our time allotment. We ended up losing the game in the sixth inning 18-16 despite having the lead going into the sixth inning.  A single finished of a 3 for 4 game. 

So we went 0-4.  We were in three of the games, blowing leads in the last inning of two games and being tied in the sixth inning of the third.  Not too shabby for a small little team from Southeastern Massachusetts.  C had a great tournament and had a lot of fun with his buddies.  On the way home C falls asleep in the car.  He wakes up briefly with a smile on his face.  "Remember when..." and he goes on to tell me a couple of stories.  I'll take it.

Are the Golden State Warriors Taking Over the World?

"Draymond Green is a beast!" C tells me as he grumpily gets up before school.

"Did you see Stephen Curry's fall?  It looked like he got killed!"  G tells me as he walks downstairs before school.  "One of the Splash Brothers went down."

"Is LeBron James still playing basketball?" DLG asks me.  Wrong team, I know, but she is still excited for the NBA playoffs.  Even if she doesn't know who is playing or what we're talking about.

"Do you know where my pocketbook is" Mom asks me.  She not worried about the NBA Playoffs, unfortunately.

Beast Mode

The Golden State Warriors are taking over the world!  C and I were listening to Game 4 on the radio on our way home from baseball Monday night.  Even though the Warriors played terribly, particularly in the First Quarter of Game 4, Curry was still raining threes.  Draymond Green was still hauling down rebounds.  Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson started amping up the defense after horrendous First Quarter.  Curry hits a couple of threes and C actually perked up.  It didn't matter that James Harden was on fire shooting and driving to the basket.

"He's a monster!  Did you see that?" No.  I am a part of the "We Believe" group though.

G can name everyone on the team, including Andrew Bogut and Leandro Barbosa.  After 67 wins, dominant, if not exciting, playoffs series wins, the Warriors are on the verge of the NBA Finals for the first time since the age of World B. Free.  The boys can't wait for the series to be over so the Lebronnies and the Warriors can play for all of the marbles.  If I could go to Oracle Arena tomorrow, I would.

But the Warriors' phenomenon is different.  In the age of Social Media, Curry and the Splash Brothers are an easy sell.  The Warriors play the pace and space game and kids hauling up 3s glom onto like flies on honey.  They even call themselves splash.  Do they realize that we live in Boston Celtics' country?  It also has a lot to do with the front runner status.  Kids like winners more than anything else.  And because the backlash by adults (and the kids who write sports columns) hasn't started yet (Hello LeBron!), the Warriors are the new home team.  Just like the Cowboys and the Steelers were the "home" team back when I was growing up in the 1970's.

It's human nature for a likable group to start taking over the world.  better them than ISIS, I suppose.

Oh yeah, I like the NBA Finals ad music.  Can't wait to listen to more of it.

Thoughts on Walt Anderson, Brady and Deflategate

Yes, I've read the Wells Report issued by the 40th largest law firm in New York City, Paul, Weiss.  I personally think that this was shoddy investigative work.  The Wells' team dismissed tangible evidence that the NFL, Baltimore Ravens and the Indianapolis Colts had conspired against the Patriots.  The Wells team determined not to investigate anyone's electronic communications or their devices except those on with the Patriots.  The Wells team took all of the science that existed and all of their consultants findings and determined everything against the Patriots and Tom Brady.

All this being said, I think Tom Brady is guilty.  I think that Brady told McNally and Jastremski to deflate the balls as much as they could get away with.  Unfortunately, McNally, in true Chowderhead spirit went to extremes in the Ravens' game and was caught with the proverbial needle in the Colts Game.  I think that common sense dictates that the Quarterback knew what the Dunkin Donuts boys were doing with the footballs since ever since the Brady Manning Rule was passed Brady has talked about what his needs are football-wise.

But I have some additional thoughts after reading the Wells Report...

1.  According to the Wells Report, Walt Anderson, the Head Referee of the 2015 AFC Championship Game, was informed prior to the game (and prior to pregame ball check) of the possibility that the Patriots were tampering with the footballs, likely from the Ravens.  His testimony was that he would keep an eye on the balls and the Patriots.  Yet, he permitted McNally to take the footballs out of the pregame officials room in a move that he had never seen in 19 years of officiating.  If he was going to keep an eye on this, why would he let the balls leave the room in such an unusual move.  I'm really troubled by this part of the report because if Walt Anderson did his job, nothing would have come from this because the balls would have been inflated per his specifications.  Where is his punishment for breach of pregame protocol?

No matter what Tom still Wins.

2.  It is clear from the 2006 Brady and Manning Rule - went into detail beginning on page 34 of the Wells Report - that Quarterbacks across the NFL liked the idea of having control over their own footballs - either on the Road or at Home.  The implication, since we are working on circumstantial evidence and conjecture, is that Quarterbacks wanted the ability to manipulate footballs in any way they see fit and that Brady is not alone in this preference.

3.  The penalty for violation of Rule 2 and its regulations was discipline, including a fine of $25,000.  I see the ambiguity of the language of the rule, but I really don't see much of a coverup here.  How did the NFL make the jump to $1,000,000, loss of two draft picks, and a 4 game suspension for Brady?

4.  Since every team employs individuals to get footballs (up or down) to the Quarterback's liking, the fact that McNally was known as "the deflator" could have easily meant that he was the guy responsible for deflating the footballs to Tom's liking.  Considering the fact that separate measurements came back with substantive PSI variations, Brady more probably than not, would tell McNally to get his footballs to 12-12.5 PSI.  I also note that 3 of the 4 Colts footballs measured below the allowable limit.  Probably regression to the mean or some crap like that.

5.  It was not a coincidence that the Wells Report's made an allusion of the needles, money and equipment, that smacks of a Colombian cartel.  Again, troubling and subjective commentary from supposedly an objective investigator.

6.  NBC paid almost $1 Billion per year for the right to air only 16-20 games per season.  The Patriots' first game in 2015 is on NBC against the Steelers.  Brady's first game back is also scheduled to be a Sunday Night game against the Colts.  Sunday Night Football on NBC!  Don't discount TV rights (and the exorbitant price paid by NBC) as a motivating factor at least for the number of games that Brady got.  These contracts are up for renewal in the coming years.

So you know that I think Tom Brady flouted the rules.  But I also think the NFL - more probable than not - conspired against the Patriots to taint their legacy, but more importantly made the Patriots the villain that causes ratings rise.

The Patriots will still make the playoffs.  And then watch out.

Red Sox Opening Day Means the Mookie Show

I told you.  Mookie Betts was my pick for the most important player for the 2015 Red Sox.  Needing a legitimate Center fielder to replace the departed Jacoby Ellsbury, the Red Sox tried Jackie Bradley Jr.  The JBJ era last all of 140 games before he was dispatched to the bench.  Now 2015 was going to be the beginning of the Mookie Betts era at Fenway Park.

Opening Day was no exception for the Mookie Show.

No...not Ho Jo's too!

We managed to snag tickets to the game from friends who would invite 30 friends to enjoy the game.  What I didn't know was that we would be provided a psychedelic bus for the ride into Boston.  Although I left my mushrooms and LSD in the car, we managed to have a good time with all of our seatmates who took the day off to enjoy the 70 degree sunny weather at the Fens.  A lot of beers and mimosas appeared to be consumed.  I don't know for sure as I was half falling asleep having gone to work early to get half a day in.  A brief stop at the Baseball Tavern rooftop ensued where we had a great vantage point of one of the strangest marketing ploys I've seen in a long time.  A large picture of a hippie giving the peace sign can only mean that the trendiest hostel has taken over the old Howard Johnsons.  The Verb.  I don't get it.  I asked LC what "The Verb" actually meant - was this supposed to be a funky throwback to the Californians?.  She didn't have any idea.  No one else seemed to care, so I dropped it.  I will be looking into this more though.

Anyway, after a couple of beers and a couple of laughs with our friends, we head on over to our seats in the Right Field Box.  We take a pit stop at the meatballs stand in the Right Field concourse first on our way to our seats.  I Strongly recommend getting a couple of homemade turkey meatballs if you are over at Fenway.

The opening ceremony was interesting.  Ramirez, Pedroia and Big Papi all received equally loud ovations when they were introduced.  Betts was given a loud ovation too.  People are starting to recognize the Mookie Show has come to town.  To make us forget that the 2014 Red Sox absolutely sucked, we instead celebrated our successful football team (I didn't mind though).  The four Super Bowl trophies (and a couple of guys names Belichick, Brady and Kraft) headed out to the Pitcher's mound to a standing ovation.  I think Ray Bourque in his Colorado Avalanche jersey was out there too, but I wasn't sure.  After some joyous waves and some knowing smirks, Tom Brady proceeds to use his first pitch to demonstrate how he throws the ball away when he is under pressure.  Big Papi was not going to try to catch a ball that was not close but he didn't even flinch as Brady's throw sailed into the dirt.  Pete Frates and his family was then honored punctuated by Frates signing a Major League contract and accepting a big hug from Pedro Martinez.  Great moments.

The game gets started promptly at 3pm.  The Mookie show started two weeks prior, we just happened to catch the show on its stop in Boston.  A couple of highlights from his first 2015 game in Boston:

• First Inning leaping catch against the Right Field wall to rob a Bryce Harper home run
• First Inning steal of Second and then steal of Third Base which was left uncovered
• Second Inning three run home run off a shaken Jordan Zimmerman

Not even a replay challenge on both the plays at second base and third base could stop the Mookieplosion.  I was debating whether the tag was applied at second base with a buddy of mine when I finally decided that it didn't matter, it was the year of Mookie.  And in the year of Mookie, Mookie enjoys you, not the other way around.

Anyway, Betts ended with four RBIs on two hits in a 9-4 romp.  The Red Sox go 18-5 in their last 23 openers and move to 5-2 on the season.  Interesting start.

The 2015 5th Grade Basketball State Champions!

It was coming down to the wire.  The Head Coach of G's basketball team was trying to decide whether or not to accept the invitation to the State Championships in Danvers.  Last year, we were invited and declined because the games were at the same time as our district championships.  No one would deny G's team of that District Championship in 2014.  This year the 5th Grade State championship would have taken place during the first round of our districts.  With the Semifinals the following weekend it seemed like a no-brainer this year.  The decision was made to go.  Danvers, here we come!

It was a snowy weekend when we traveled to the Danvers Indoor Sports complex for our first game.  We were matched up against a tough Franklin team that was one of the best teams in the Metrowest league.  We were still a little sleepy as I led the teams in their pre-game routines.  As an assistant coach, I'm able to sit on the court and tell everyone to box out, but I don't have to worry about coaching a kid up when his shot isn't going down or he is suffering from mal-defense (my unique term for the lack of defensive toughness).  Franklin's interesting strategy of 2 minutes in, 2 minutes out was wearing us down.  They would just flat out sprint for two minutes and then go to the bench.  It was an interesting strategy.  Ultimately, we were able to pull that game out by 5.  I can still remember the squeaky voice on the Franklin Head coach.

2015 Champs!

The second game would be tougher.  We were playing a physical Canton team that had gone undefeated in its Metrowest league.  Led by two bigs who were 6 inches taller than G (who is our tallest player), we knew we would be in for a tough match up.  It was made even tougher when G had to sit out because he thought he was going to throw up (Ah, he could have told me before the one hour car ride to Danvers that he wasn't feeling well).  What I didn't expect was that the Canton team was a little weak-kneed.  Crying about fouls and non-calls, I thought we were playing a team from Hingham.  Especially when they got down in the game; tears were literally flowing.  The two big kids both went out in foul trouble and started swearing up a storm.  The referees actually had to talk to both of them.  No technical fouls in this event, though.  Jesus.  We pulled out another 6 point win.  With a 2-0 record in our pool, we received a bye and moved on to the top of the Winner's bracket.

Onto Sunday.  Our first game in the Semi Finals was against our fierce rivals, Braintree.  Despite being three times as big, we were always giving them a good fight.  This would be the same type of game.  Low scoring through out (They had a kid who just played a one man zone who would block every shot like he was Manute Bol), we were able to beat the bigger team by 10 points in a low scoring 29-19 game.  Thank God we hit a lot of our free throws because we could not get anything going offensively.

We knew our opponent in the Championships was going to be Canton again as they staved off a smaller but quicker team from Lawrence in their Semifinal Match-up.  They looked like they were ready to play as their parents were too.  They were circus-ready.  On top of that, this was the culminating game as 5th Grade was the oldest group and we were in the most high profile bracket.  It was a loud and noisy gym as the two teams began the tip.  It was clear though from the first couple of minutes that the Canton team was going to run out of steam.  They seemed fired up and could not get anything to go down.  Their two bigs were again stymied by our guys and had to come out.  One for crying, the other one because he fouled out.  Our lead grew to double digits in the Second Half and we cruised to a State Tournament victory by winning by 15 points.  What a great success!

The kids were celebrating, the parents were celebrating, the Coaches were shaking hands.  We were jubilant.  Alright I used that word like I was tilling the ground in the 1950's Indiana.  Don't mind me, we're just celebrating a great performance.  Good for them.