Collectively, A Thread To Celebrate Our Kids Athletic Accomplishments (1 Viewer)

[Gally]

Summer Ball

About a month before the end of the school year a local semi-pro team called up Gally Jr to ask him to play for them this summer. Since he redshirted his freshman year he hasn't had any real game opportunities in about a year so he was looking forward to it. It turns out this team brings in about 50 guys an the GM and coach aren't very communicative so there has been a bit of frustration at times.

Some of the kids are the better kids that Jr played against in the high schools around the area but then there are quite a few upper classman from various D1/D2/Juco guys also on the team. Some having been there last summer and/or the summer before. Because of this playing time has been spotty. Also, he was originally brough in to pitch but is a 2 way guy and was hoping to get some chances to hit and play on the infield.

First weekend of games: 4 games over Memorial Day weekend. Didn't have a lot of expectations but figured he would get some run. The coach was shuffling pitchers in and out with nobody really going more than 2-3 innings and most only going an inning. 6-7 pitchers were used each game but there was no communication to the players on who might be "hot" for that game and who wouldn't be. After not playing at all in the 1st three games he was getting pretty frustrated especially with the lack of communication. Finally in game 4 he gets into the game and pitches the last inning of the final game of the weekend.

First batter: routine ground ball to SS. Goes right through the SS.
2nd batter: Routine fly out to LF
3rd batter: Jammed the batter for weak ground out to SS with runner advancing to 2B
4th batter: Broken bat looper over 2B. SS knocks it down to keep runner at 3B. Now 1st and 3rd.
5th batter: Broken bat flare over 1B lands about a foot fair. Scores a run (unearned).
6th batter: K on high FB thrown by the batter

Pitched well. Some bad lock on two broken bats (it's a wood bat league) and an error.

2nd Weekend of games: 3 games for the weekend. Again doesn't pitch in first two games and the game on Sunday he is told he will be second guy into the game. Coach ends up throwing 9 pitchers (essentially everyone gets one inning).

First Batter: Fly out
2nd Batter: Ground out
3rd Batter: K

Only threw 12 pitches but dominated. Clocked at 88 on three of his 12 pitches and sat 85/86 on other FB's. This is an uptick on velo from his senior year where he topped at 86 so that is a good sign.

Team has a mid week roadtrip for two games. They take a team bus stay overnight and only bring 30 guys. We really had no idea if he would travel and since he was kind of used as an afterthought we figured he wouldn't be going but he made the travel roster so apparently the coach liked what he say. The team also made some cuts and one of the guys from Jr's high school team that was playing didn't make the cut. He played in one game at 3B and made 3 errors and went 0-4 with a K at the plate.

Road trip: Two games. Starting pitcher crapped the bed in the first game. Couldn't get out of the 2nd inning and gave up 7 runs (5 earned). A lot of walks and solid contact. Next pitcher stopped the bleeding and pitched 4 innings. Then Jr got the call in 6th.

First inning: Gave up a 2-2 hit to a Lefty on a two seemer that he a$$ ended out to left field. Jr wanted to throw a change but the catcher put down FB and after he shook it off put it down again so Jr trusted him. After the inning catcher apologized and said he should have gone change
2nd inning: Three up three down with 2 K's
3rd Inning: Gave up a hit on a jam shot that just looped over SS. Catcher tried to pick him at 1st and threw it to RF moving the guy to 2B. Ground ball to 2B moved him to 3B bringing up the other teams best hitter (at least according to the announcers). He apparently hit .360 this past year at a D1 school. Jr. blew a 2-2 FB by him up in the zone to end the inning.

All in all a good outing. 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 K even if he couldn't locate his FB at all. He really didn't pitch well with respect to control as he fell behind to over half the batters 2-0 but did a great job making good pitches to get back into counts and getting outs when it was all said and done.

Past Weekend: 3 game set. Another frustrating weekend as he didn't see any action on Friday or Saturday. Expecting to play on Sunday the game went into the 8th with a 3 run lead and the only guy up in the pen was a lefty. With only 2 innings left it didn't look like he would get in. Then the guy that went out for the 8th inning walked the first two batters. Gave up a single to score a run. At this point with the lefty already ready in the pen Gally Jr started stirring and warming up. The guy then got an out and another walk to load the bases with two outs. Lefty hitter coming up so I though for sure they would bring in the lefty. Nope they left the pitcher in who promptly gave up a bases clearing double to give the other team the lead by 1. Now the pitching change. the lefty starts running out when they made the call to the pen but the coach stopped him and called for Gally Jr.

Top 8th, two outs runner on 2B: Gets the guy to fly out to CF on the 3rd pitch. Team ties it in the B8. Jr comes back out for the 9th
9th: Lead off single on the first pitch. It was a good pitch and jammed the guy who flared it to right center just in front of the RF. Strikes the next guy out on full count FB at the knees. Weak contact to SS for out #2 then a weak ground ball to end the inning. No score in the B9 so it is going extras.
10th: This league follows MLB and uses the extra inning rule of starting with a runner on 2B. First batter gets jammed again but the ball is towards 2B so the out is made at 1B but the runner advanced to 3B. Infield in to try and cut the runner off. After blowing a cutter by the batter and a ball on a CB, he throws a two seamer right on the hands to jam him for a two hopper to 2B. Runner comes home and the throw beats him by 2 feet......but the catcher dropped the ball on the tag. Ugh. K's the next guy on a high FB and gets the next guy to pop out to LF. His team then rallies to score 2 to walk it off. Gally Jr with the win in relief.

Pitched great in some tough spots: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R (ghost runner charged as team run and doesn't go against the P), 3 K

All in all he has pitched great giving up 0 ER's in his 7.1 innings with 9 K's, 0 BB, and 5 hits. Not one ball hit hard off him and he has broken at least 2 bats. Hopefully he has earned some more time since he has been their 2nd best pitcher in the 9 games they have played. The best guy has been a pitcher from Texas A&M that hits low 90's and has commanded the strike zone.

Just good to see him out there playing after the redshirt year. He has a ton of confidence and has pitched really well.

 

[Zow]

Some of my best baseball memories are from summer/town ball.

 

[Gally]

you can say that pretty much all team sports are an individual sport.

Football - you need O-line to protect the QB or open up holes for RB. QB needs WR to get open and catch the ball he throws. So while one guy runs with the ball all other teammates must do things for you to do that other thing.

Hitting is you against the pitcher. Doesn't matter what other batters do. Nobody can do anything for you in that moment.

Now winning/losing takes a team and that is why it is a team sport. But that part of playing is 100% individual.

 

[El Floppo]

you can say that pretty much all team sports are an individual sport.

Football - you need O-line to protect the QB or open up holes for RB. QB needs WR to get open and catch the ball he throws. So while one guy runs with the ball all other teammates must do things for you to do that other thing.

Hitting is you against the pitcher. Doesn't matter what other batters do. Nobody can do anything for you in that moment.

Now winning/losing takes a team and that is why it is a team sport. But that part of playing is 100% individual.

if baseball was only one pitcher facing one batter for 9 innings, that would be more like tennis... or boxing, wrestling, etc. if soccer was 90 minutes of PKs with only 1 guy facing the GK- yeah. etc, etc.

all team sports have individual requirements. all team sports need individuals to be mentally tough and dig down.

it feels like you can't or don't want to accept that 1v1 sports are different. it's not a slight or criticism about team sports. it's just different. and again- BASEBALL IS PRETTY TOO.

 

[Gally]

it feels like you can't or don't want to accept that 1v1 sports are different. it's not a slight or criticism about team sports. it's just different. and again- BASEBALL IS PRETTY TOO.

No not at all. individual sports are crazy intense and need otherworldly mental makeup to be good. I wasn't trying to take anything away from individual sports at all. Sorry if that is how it came off. Not my intention at all. My only point was that for a team sport, baseball is as close to an individual sport aspect you can get without actually being an individual sport. But still not the same. Having only you to rely on to win or lose is a different type of pressure for sure.

 

[Chadstroma]

you can say that pretty much all team sports are an individual sport.

Football - you need O-line to protect the QB or open up holes for RB. QB needs WR to get open and catch the ball he throws. So while one guy runs with the ball all other teammates must do things for you to do that other thing.

Hitting is you against the pitcher. Doesn't matter what other batters do. Nobody can do anything for you in that moment.

Now winning/losing takes a team and that is why it is a team sport. But that part of playing is 100% individual.

Only hitting isn't one on one. You are boiling it down to laser focus on one aspect and you can do the same with every sport. A hitter isn't just against the pitcher, he is hitting against 9 players on the field. If you boiled it down and focus on an aspect then then a quarterback throwing or a receiver catching is the same. No one is helping someone shoot a basketball. No one is helping anyone kick a soccer ball. When you look at the whole context then yea, there is a whole lot more going on just like hitting. And again, you are not alone when you go up to bat. If my teammate is a speedster and on 1st, then I can lean on expecting not to see a ton of off-speed pitching. Is it 'more' on one one than most other team sports? Sure, I have no problem agreeing to that but I think you are focusing on one part of that battle and how it really isn't one on one. Further from all that, is it really one on one when you can and do pull a pitcher for a better matchup in a crucial situation? Or when a slumping batter gets a pinch hitter? I don't think so.

 

[Instinctive]

it feels like you can't or don't want to accept that 1v1 sports are different. it's not a slight or criticism about team sports. it's just different. and again- BASEBALL IS PRETTY TOO.

No not at all. individual sports are crazy intense and need otherworldly mental makeup to be good. I wasn't trying to take anything away from individual sports at all. Sorry if that is how it came off. Not my intention at all. My only point was that for a team sport, baseball is as close to an individual sport aspect you can get without actually being an individual sport. But still not the same. Having only you to rely on to win or lose is a different type of pressure for sure.

If we think about things on a spectrum (like most things should be considered, vs black and white), I (who spent years working in sports) came to a little mostly agreed upon classification with others.

Think of it like a 2x2 matrix, with one axis of individual activity vs team activity and one individual environment vs team environment.

Singles tennis is the most bottom left - it's a totally individual activity, and a totally individual environment. Other formats move along the environment axis (like HS is played as a team but your matches are still on you) but stay pretty individual. Doubles obviously moves towards team activity.

Golf is slightly less individual than tennis in that you and your caddie are kind of like a team, but it's still extremely individual on both axes.

Football is among the farthest right and up you can get - it's extremely team environment, and it's very team activity. Everything is pretty much dependent on everyone else at all times - sure an OT can win or lose vs a DE within a play, but the play could go any numbers of ways irrespective of that little matchup.

Basketball is just barely more individual than football - everything everyone does on both ends impacts everyone else the whole time. But there's more room for individual greatness, beating a double team, etc.

This brings us to baseball, one of the most middle on the chart. It's an individual activity. Hitting really has nothing to do with any teammates, pitching is all on you, and even when the ball comes to you in the field it's pretty generally you either make a play or you don't - very individual like tennis and golf, though not quite as far left as those sports. But then on environment, it is very clearly team, so it ends up in the top left quadrant of the graph, whereas golf and tennis (and swim, and others) are in the bottom left, and football and basketball in the top right.

I have tried to think through stuff that could be individual environment but team activity and I don't ever come up with much. A Pit stop in NASCAR is kind of close (like, yes, there are race teams, but a pit stop is clearly a full team activity where everyone needs to be there, and yet at the end of the day a driver wins or loses)

 

[Instinctive]

you can say that pretty much all team sports are an individual sport.

Football - you need O-line to protect the QB or open up holes for RB. QB needs WR to get open and catch the ball he throws. So while one guy runs with the ball all other teammates must do things for you to do that other thing.

Hitting is you against the pitcher. Doesn't matter what other batters do. Nobody can do anything for you in that moment.

Now winning/losing takes a team and that is why it is a team sport. But that part of playing is 100% individual.

Only hitting isn't one on one. You are boiling it down to laser focus on one aspect and you can do the same with every sport. A hitter isn't just against the pitcher, he is hitting against 9 players on the field. If you boiled it down and focus on an aspect then then a quarterback throwing or a receiver catching is the same. No one is helping someone shoot a basketball. No one is helping anyone kick a soccer ball. When you look at the whole context then yea, there is a whole lot more going on just like hitting. And again, you are not alone when you go up to bat. If my teammate is a speedster and on 1st, then I can lean on expecting not to see a ton of off-speed pitching. Is it 'more' on one one than most other team sports? Sure, I have no problem agreeing to that but I think you are focusing on one part of that battle and how it really isn't one on one. Further from all that, is it really one on one when you can and do pull a pitcher for a better matchup in a crucial situation? Or when a slumping batter gets a pinch hitter? I don't think so.

A pretty significant portion of at bats are taken without runners on and also are ended without much involvement from the field. Gally is right here. Y'all are being a bit disagreeable just to disagree IMO.

 

[El Floppo]

you can say that pretty much all team sports are an individual sport.

Football - you need O-line to protect the QB or open up holes for RB. QB needs WR to get open and catch the ball he throws. So while one guy runs with the ball all other teammates must do things for you to do that other thing.

Hitting is you against the pitcher. Doesn't matter what other batters do. Nobody can do anything for you in that moment.

Now winning/losing takes a team and that is why it is a team sport. But that part of playing is 100% individual.

Only hitting isn't one on one. You are boiling it down to laser focus on one aspect and you can do the same with every sport. A hitter isn't just against the pitcher, he is hitting against 9 players on the field. If you boiled it down and focus on an aspect then then a quarterback throwing or a receiver catching is the same. No one is helping someone shoot a basketball. No one is helping anyone kick a soccer ball. When you look at the whole context then yea, there is a whole lot more going on just like hitting. And again, you are not alone when you go up to bat. If my teammate is a speedster and on 1st, then I can lean on expecting not to see a ton of off-speed pitching. Is it 'more' on one one than most other team sports? Sure, I have no problem agreeing to that but I think you are focusing on one part of that battle and how it really isn't one on one. Further from all that, is it really one on one when you can and do pull a pitcher for a better matchup in a crucial situation? Or when a slumping batter gets a pinch hitter? I don't think so.

A pretty significant portion of at bats are taken without runners on and also are ended without much involvement from the field. Gally is right here. Y'all are being a bit disagreeable just to disagree IMO.

not really.... I made the point above about teh difference. not disagreeing to disagree, disagreeing because I disagree.

 

[Chadstroma]

you can say that pretty much all team sports are an individual sport.

Football - you need O-line to protect the QB or open up holes for RB. QB needs WR to get open and catch the ball he throws. So while one guy runs with the ball all other teammates must do things for you to do that other thing.

Hitting is you against the pitcher. Doesn't matter what other batters do. Nobody can do anything for you in that moment.

Now winning/losing takes a team and that is why it is a team sport. But that part of playing is 100% individual.

Only hitting isn't one on one. You are boiling it down to laser focus on one aspect and you can do the same with every sport. A hitter isn't just against the pitcher, he is hitting against 9 players on the field. If you boiled it down and focus on an aspect then then a quarterback throwing or a receiver catching is the same. No one is helping someone shoot a basketball. No one is helping anyone kick a soccer ball. When you look at the whole context then yea, there is a whole lot more going on just like hitting. And again, you are not alone when you go up to bat. If my teammate is a speedster and on 1st, then I can lean on expecting not to see a ton of off-speed pitching. Is it 'more' on one one than most other team sports? Sure, I have no problem agreeing to that but I think you are focusing on one part of that battle and how it really isn't one on one. Further from all that, is it really one on one when you can and do pull a pitcher for a better matchup in a crucial situation? Or when a slumping batter gets a pinch hitter? I don't think so.

A pretty significant portion of at bats are taken without runners on and also are ended without much involvement from the field. Gally is right here. Y'all are being a bit disagreeable just to disagree IMO.

Ok. Sure. Or, I just disagree.

It doesn't matter how many at bats are with or without a runner- it does exist and therefore is not one on one. But more importantly, it is NOT one on one 100% of the time. It is one (or maybe, two or three or four) on 9 at each and every bat. Is anyone going to tell me that a good or bad catcher does not impact a pitcher? Is anyone going to tell me good or bad defense does not help or hurt a pitcher?

Yes, if you want to romanticize it and focus on it in a certain way, the hitting/pitching duel is a one on one battle but in reality, it isn't. Is it MORE of a one on one battle than you have in pretty much in any other team sport? Sure, I will agree with that but it just isn't a one on one battle when you really look at it.

That is how I see it. I am sorry if that seems 'being disagreeable to disagree' because you disagree with me. It is my opinion.

 

[Instinctive]

you can say that pretty much all team sports are an individual sport.

Football - you need O-line to protect the QB or open up holes for RB. QB needs WR to get open and catch the ball he throws. So while one guy runs with the ball all other teammates must do things for you to do that other thing.

Hitting is you against the pitcher. Doesn't matter what other batters do. Nobody can do anything for you in that moment.

Now winning/losing takes a team and that is why it is a team sport. But that part of playing is 100% individual.

Only hitting isn't one on one. You are boiling it down to laser focus on one aspect and you can do the same with every sport. A hitter isn't just against the pitcher, he is hitting against 9 players on the field. If you boiled it down and focus on an aspect then then a quarterback throwing or a receiver catching is the same. No one is helping someone shoot a basketball. No one is helping anyone kick a soccer ball. When you look at the whole context then yea, there is a whole lot more going on just like hitting. And again, you are not alone when you go up to bat. If my teammate is a speedster and on 1st, then I can lean on expecting not to see a ton of off-speed pitching. Is it 'more' on one one than most other team sports? Sure, I have no problem agreeing to that but I think you are focusing on one part of that battle and how it really isn't one on one. Further from all that, is it really one on one when you can and do pull a pitcher for a better matchup in a crucial situation? Or when a slumping batter gets a pinch hitter? I don't think so.

A pretty significant portion of at bats are taken without runners on and also are ended without much involvement from the field. Gally is right here. Y'all are being a bit disagreeable just to disagree IMO.

Ok. Sure. Or, I just disagree.

It doesn't matter how many at bats are with or without a runner- it does exist and therefore is not one on one. But more importantly, it is NOT one on one 100% of the time. It is one (or maybe, two or three or four) on 9 at each and every bat. Is anyone going to tell me that a good or bad catcher does not impact a pitcher? Is anyone going to tell me good or bad defense does not help or hurt a pitcher?

Yes, if you want to romanticize it and focus on it in a certain way, the hitting/pitching duel is a one on one battle but in reality, it isn't. Is it MORE of a one on one battle than you have in pretty much in any other team sport? Sure, I will agree with that but it just isn't a one on one battle when you really look at it.

That is how I see it. I am sorry if that seems 'being disagreeable to disagree' because you disagree with me. It is my opinion.

So you agree. On the spectrum, it's less individual than tennis but far more individual than football.

I don't think you're being disagreeable because you disagree, but because the tone is disagreement and the words read like exactly what I said lol.

 

[Chadstroma]

you can say that pretty much all team sports are an individual sport.

Football - you need O-line to protect the QB or open up holes for RB. QB needs WR to get open and catch the ball he throws. So while one guy runs with the ball all other teammates must do things for you to do that other thing.

Hitting is you against the pitcher. Doesn't matter what other batters do. Nobody can do anything for you in that moment.

Now winning/losing takes a team and that is why it is a team sport. But that part of playing is 100% individual.

Only hitting isn't one on one. You are boiling it down to laser focus on one aspect and you can do the same with every sport. A hitter isn't just against the pitcher, he is hitting against 9 players on the field. If you boiled it down and focus on an aspect then then a quarterback throwing or a receiver catching is the same. No one is helping someone shoot a basketball. No one is helping anyone kick a soccer ball. When you look at the whole context then yea, there is a whole lot more going on just like hitting. And again, you are not alone when you go up to bat. If my teammate is a speedster and on 1st, then I can lean on expecting not to see a ton of off-speed pitching. Is it 'more' on one one than most other team sports? Sure, I have no problem agreeing to that but I think you are focusing on one part of that battle and how it really isn't one on one. Further from all that, is it really one on one when you can and do pull a pitcher for a better matchup in a crucial situation? Or when a slumping batter gets a pinch hitter? I don't think so.

A pretty significant portion of at bats are taken without runners on and also are ended without much involvement from the field. Gally is right here. Y'all are being a bit disagreeable just to disagree IMO.

Ok. Sure. Or, I just disagree.

It doesn't matter how many at bats are with or without a runner- it does exist and therefore is not one on one. But more importantly, it is NOT one on one 100% of the time. It is one (or maybe, two or three or four) on 9 at each and every bat. Is anyone going to tell me that a good or bad catcher does not impact a pitcher? Is anyone going to tell me good or bad defense does not help or hurt a pitcher?

Yes, if you want to romanticize it and focus on it in a certain way, the hitting/pitching duel is a one on one battle but in reality, it isn't. Is it MORE of a one on one battle than you have in pretty much in any other team sport? Sure, I will agree with that but it just isn't a one on one battle when you really look at it.

That is how I see it. I am sorry if that seems 'being disagreeable to disagree' because you disagree with me. It is my opinion.

So you agree. On the spectrum, it's less individual than tennis but far more individual than football.

I don't think you're being disagreeable because you disagree, but because the tone is disagreement and the words read like exactly what I said lol.

That was my position from the get go.

I just really do not think you can say hitting vs pitching is a one on one battle. It isn't. I think Floppo probably said it best that there isn't a spotlight on someone in team sports as much as a hitter but it just isn't a one on one battle. That is what I have said and what I disagree with is the notion that it is.

 

[Gally]

I just really do not think you can say hitting vs pitching is a one on one battle

It is a one on one battle. The war however has other members. It is battle of pitcher vs batter. It is as one on one as it gets. The war (overall game) uses the other players but the pitcher fooling/jamming/outsmarting the hitter or vice versa is one on one. Batter "wins" the battle if he squares up the pitch and hits it hard. It is very well described by Bonds in the quote I made originally on this thread.

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[Chadstroma]

I just really do not think you can say hitting vs pitching is a one on one battle

It is a one on one battle. The war however has other members. It is battle of pitcher vs batter. It is as one on one as it gets. The war (overall game) uses the other players but the pitcher fooling/jamming/outsmarting the hitter or vice versa is one on one. Batter "wins" the battle if he squares up the pitch and hits it hard. It is very well described by Bonds in the quote I made originally on this thread.

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I disagree.

The outcome from the dual has three possible outcomes: Out, on base or home run. An out is an out whether it is a strike out or a caught line drive. Defensive plays matter. That is why they keep error stats and award golden gloves. If not hitting a HR the batter has to beat not just the pitcher but the defense.

It just isn't a one on one dual... unless you over simplify it or you romanticize it. Is it more so 'on the spectrum' than your example of football, yes, but it isn't one on one. And if you open it up to a 'one on one battle but others are in the war' then that is true of all team sports that I can think of off the top of my head.

 

[Instinctive]

I just really do not think you can say hitting vs pitching is a one on one battle

It is a one on one battle. The war however has other members. It is battle of pitcher vs batter. It is as one on one as it gets. The war (overall game) uses the other players but the pitcher fooling/jamming/outsmarting the hitter or vice versa is one on one. Batter "wins" the battle if he squares up the pitch and hits it hard. It is very well described by Bonds in the quote I made originally on this thread.

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I disagree.

The outcome from the dual has three possible outcomes: Out, on base or home run. An out is an out whether it is a strike out or a caught line drive. Defensive plays matter. That is why they keep error stats and award golden gloves. If not hitting a HR the batter has to beat not just the pitcher but the defense.

It just isn't a one on one dual... unless you over simplify it or you romanticize it. Is it more so 'on the spectrum' than your example of football, yes, but it isn't one on one. And if you open it up to a 'one on one battle but others are in the war' then that is true of all team sports that I can think of off the top of my head.

It's fine to disagree. But you're wrong. And anyone who played at a high level would agree with us.

That's cool, everyone's allowed to be wrong. Just weird to dog in about it.

 

[Alex P Keaton]

I just really do not think you can say hitting vs pitching is a one on one battle

It is a one on one battle. The war however has other members. It is battle of pitcher vs batter. It is as one on one as it gets. The war (overall game) uses the other players but the pitcher fooling/jamming/outsmarting the hitter or vice versa is one on one. Batter "wins" the battle if he squares up the pitch and hits it hard. It is very well described by Bonds in the quote I made originally on this thread.

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youtu.be

I disagree.

The outcome from the dual has three possible outcomes: Out, on base or home run. An out is an out whether it is a strike out or a caught line drive. Defensive plays matter. That is why they keep error stats and award golden gloves. If not hitting a HR the batter has to beat not just the pitcher but the defense.

It just isn't a one on one dual... unless you over simplify it or you romanticize it. Is it more so 'on the spectrum' than your example of football, yes, but it isn't one on one. And if you open it up to a 'one on one battle but others are in the war' then that is true of all team sports that I can think of off the top of my head.

C’mon Chad — it’s clearly 1-on-1. Even though the pitcher doesn’t even choose his own pitches. (Sarcasm)

 

[Chadstroma]

I just really do not think you can say hitting vs pitching is a one on one battle

It is a one on one battle. The war however has other members. It is battle of pitcher vs batter. It is as one on one as it gets. The war (overall game) uses the other players but the pitcher fooling/jamming/outsmarting the hitter or vice versa is one on one. Batter "wins" the battle if he squares up the pitch and hits it hard. It is very well described by Bonds in the quote I made originally on this thread.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

I disagree.

The outcome from the dual has three possible outcomes: Out, on base or home run. An out is an out whether it is a strike out or a caught line drive. Defensive plays matter. That is why they keep error stats and award golden gloves. If not hitting a HR the batter has to beat not just the pitcher but the defense.

It just isn't a one on one dual... unless you over simplify it or you romanticize it. Is it more so 'on the spectrum' than your example of football, yes, but it isn't one on one. And if you open it up to a 'one on one battle but others are in the war' then that is true of all team sports that I can think of off the top of my head.

It's fine to disagree. But you're wrong. And anyone who played at a high level would agree with us.

That's cool, everyone's allowed to be wrong. Just weird to dog in about it.

Well, thanks for allowing me to be wrong and being so gracious about it. Though now I am a little confused on how I can agree with you but my tone is disagreeable but then now I am just wrong when I have had the same position the entire time.

 

[Chadstroma]

I just really do not think you can say hitting vs pitching is a one on one battle

It is a one on one battle. The war however has other members. It is battle of pitcher vs batter. It is as one on one as it gets. The war (overall game) uses the other players but the pitcher fooling/jamming/outsmarting the hitter or vice versa is one on one. Batter "wins" the battle if he squares up the pitch and hits it hard. It is very well described by Bonds in the quote I made originally on this thread.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

I disagree.

The outcome from the dual has three possible outcomes: Out, on base or home run. An out is an out whether it is a strike out or a caught line drive. Defensive plays matter. That is why they keep error stats and award golden gloves. If not hitting a HR the batter has to beat not just the pitcher but the defense.

It just isn't a one on one dual... unless you over simplify it or you romanticize it. Is it more so 'on the spectrum' than your example of football, yes, but it isn't one on one. And if you open it up to a 'one on one battle but others are in the war' then that is true of all team sports that I can think of off the top of my head.

C’mon Chad — it’s clearly 1-on-1. Even though the pitcher doesn’t even choose his own pitches. (Sarcasm)

Clearly a good catcher with pitch framing, game calling, blocking bad pitches, holding runners, and being a good teammate is really just decoration for the one on one battle. And ignore those other 7 guys just hanging out not contributing at all to whether a hitter is shut down or not. It really doesn't change at all if there is a runner on base or not. Everything it is only a one on one fight and I am just too dumb or haven't played the game at a high enough level to understand. Sucks to be wrong when you are me.

 

[Instinctive]

I just really do not think you can say hitting vs pitching is a one on one battle

It is a one on one battle. The war however has other members. It is battle of pitcher vs batter. It is as one on one as it gets. The war (overall game) uses the other players but the pitcher fooling/jamming/outsmarting the hitter or vice versa is one on one. Batter "wins" the battle if he squares up the pitch and hits it hard. It is very well described by Bonds in the quote I made originally on this thread.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

I disagree.

The outcome from the dual has three possible outcomes: Out, on base or home run. An out is an out whether it is a strike out or a caught line drive. Defensive plays matter. That is why they keep error stats and award golden gloves. If not hitting a HR the batter has to beat not just the pitcher but the defense.

It just isn't a one on one dual... unless you over simplify it or you romanticize it. Is it more so 'on the spectrum' than your example of football, yes, but it isn't one on one. And if you open it up to a 'one on one battle but others are in the war' then that is true of all team sports that I can think of off the top of my head.

It's fine to disagree. But you're wrong. And anyone who played at a high level would agree with us.

That's cool, everyone's allowed to be wrong. Just weird to dog in about it.

Well, thanks for allowing me to be wrong and being so gracious about it. Though now I am a little confused on how I can agree with you but my tone is disagreeable but then now I am just wrong when I have had the same position the entire time.

No worries. It's just the vagaries of a typing only medium. Makes it easy to miscommunicate.

 

[Gally]

I just really do not think you can say hitting vs pitching is a one on one battle

It is a one on one battle. The war however has other members. It is battle of pitcher vs batter. It is as one on one as it gets. The war (overall game) uses the other players but the pitcher fooling/jamming/outsmarting the hitter or vice versa is one on one. Batter "wins" the battle if he squares up the pitch and hits it hard. It is very well described by Bonds in the quote I made originally on this thread.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

I disagree.

The outcome from the dual has three possible outcomes: Out, on base or home run. An out is an out whether it is a strike out or a caught line drive. Defensive plays matter. That is why they keep error stats and award golden gloves. If not hitting a HR the batter has to beat not just the pitcher but the defense.

It just isn't a one on one dual... unless you over simplify it or you romanticize it. Is it more so 'on the spectrum' than your example of football, yes, but it isn't one on one. And if you open it up to a 'one on one battle but others are in the war' then that is true of all team sports that I can think of off the top of my head.

C’mon Chad — it’s clearly 1-on-1. Even though the pitcher doesn’t even choose his own pitches. (Sarcasm)

Clearly a good catcher with pitch framing, game calling, blocking bad pitches, holding runners, and being a good teammate is really just decoration for the one on one battle. And ignore those other 7 guys just hanging out not contributing at all to whether a hitter is shut down or not. It really doesn't change at all if there is a runner on base or not. Everything it is only a one on one fight and I am just too dumb or haven't played the game at a high enough level to understand. Sucks to be wrong when you are me.

You have completely missed my point but nothing more to discuss

 

[Chadstroma]

At the swim meet yesterday my older son added two more events to regionals this season: 100 Free and 200 IM, so he has 4 events for regionals and one for state.

Also, he swam in the 14U slot (still 11 years old) for his events. In the free relay he was on the B team which he anchored. His team kept it a race to the end but were behind about 3/4 of a body length. My son had the second best split time out of both teams and passed the other team to win.

 

[Gally]

Gally Jr got his first two at bats last night. He went 2-2 with 2 RBI's. Hopefully that will get him so more opportunities.

 

[Gally]

First hiccup on the mound even if it wasn't a hiccup. Gally Jr. came into a tie game in the bottom of the 9th (score was 10-10 so pitching wasn't on point by either team). Struck the first guy out, struck the second guy out, Lazy flyball out to LF.

Extra innings are run like MLB with the runner starting on 2B. His team didn't score him (had the guy thrown out at home on a ground ball to the 3B - not great baserunning). So Gally Jr back out for the 10th. Struck first guy out on a nasty change up. Lefty was completely fooled. Next batter was also a lefty. Catcher called for another change and Gally Jr trusted his catcher. Left it up a bit and guy hit it to RF in front of the RF. Runner held up initially because it was a sinking line that had the appearance of possibly being caught. Runner was slowing down into 3B until RF kicked the ball allowing runner to score and a walk off.

So 5 batters faced. Three K's, lazy fly out to LF and a base hit it to RF booted to allow run to score. So while he got the loss he gave up no ER's again and had 3 K's on the four outs he got.

This team they faced is in 1st place and has essentially all D1 guys from Berkley, Baylor, Oklahoma, UCSB, Nebraska, Pepperdine, Arizona St. Gally Jr looked electric and had everyone fooled. His K's came on a full count CB taken for strike 3 and two changeup that just fell off the table. He is definitely showing he has stuff that can get D1 guys out. Great confidence boost after redshirting his freshman year.

 

[El Floppo]

Sounds like he's hitting his stride with his stuff out there- nice!

 

[matttyl]

So not my kid specifically, but two of his teammates from our local climbing gym where my son is on the “junior competition team” have advanced all the way to youth national championship which are in two weeks in Oregon.

Last week one of them told my kid (currently age 9) that he’s a better climber than they were at his age. No matter if true or not, my kid was beaming all weekend from that statement.

 

[El Floppo]

So not my kid specifically, but two of his teammates from our local climbing gym where my son is on the “junior competition team” have advanced all the way to youth national championship which are in two weeks in Oregon.

Last week one of them told my kid (currently age 9) that he’s a better climber than they were at his age. No matter if true or not, my kid was beaming all weekend from that statement.

man- the world needs more kids doing this kind of stuff. just some kind and/or supportive words go SO far.

 

[Gally]

Next Summer Ball outing:

Went on a three game road trip.

Game#1: Lost the first game 20-4. The pitchers gave up 18 walks, 4 HBP, and the team had 3 errors. It was UGLY. Gally Jr. got a pinch hit opportunity and promptly scorched a line drive to CF on the 1st pitch for a base hit. He is now 3 for 3 with 2 RBI's.

Game #2: Gally Jr was told he was slated to close. Starter went 5 innings giving up no runs (pitcher from Oregon). Brought in the next guy and he promptly gives up 2 runs and makes it 1.1 IP before they bring in a "bridge" guy. Originally Gally Jr was told he was next up but when the guy got in in trouble coach brought in a different guy. Gally Jr was already ready in the pen and has gone 3 IP already a time or two. Bridge guy pitched well and team scored to go up 3-2 going to the 9th. Expected he would bring in Gally Jr to close since that was his role today. Nope. Left the other guy in. It worked as they won but Jr was pretty pissed that he wasn't used like he was told.

Game #3: Against biggest rival team and they are loaded. Guys from Texas, South Carolina, Auburn, Texas A&M, TCU, Arkansas, UCSB. They have won 7 straight and have been crushing. These guys were grown men. Jr. team started a guy from Texas A&M and he has good stuff. Sits low 90's and good command of secondary pitches. Promptly gave up 2 runs in the first on three hits, and a walk. He settles in and shuts them down through 5 innings. Offensive comes alive (a bit) and scratches out three runs to go up 3-2 after the top of 6th. Gally Jr comes in the bottom of the 6th. K's the first guy (Texas). Then gets two flyouts. Nothing hit hard other than a couple foul balls on change ups (batters way ahead of the change).

Next inning (B7). Gives up a single on a cutter that didn't cut. Not a good pitch. Left it up. Next guy bunts it right back to Jr and he wheels and guns the guy out at 2B for out #1. Then he picks off the bunter off 1B. Great move and caught him leaning. Next guy routine fly ball. Faced the minimum through 2 IP

Next inning (B8 - score still 3-2 good guys): Lead off single of a hanging change. Count was 1-2 to a lefty. Probably worst pitch of the day. Next guy single up the middle. Just a good job of hitting. Next guy tries to bunt, fouls two off and then bunts through the next pitch for a K. With 1 out they put in a pinch runner and he tries to steal third on a 2-2 pitch and gets thrown out at 3B. Now full count, two outs and tying run on third. Throws his best pitch of the day, a change up that they lefty was completly fooled on for strike 3 and end of the inning.

Next Inning (B9- now 5-2): First guy fly out to RF. Next guy weak grounder to 1B. Base hit to CF on a first pitch cutter. Next guy he gets up 1-2 (another lefty) and yanks a change up to hit him right in the wallet. This brings up the tying run to the plate. It was the Texas A&M CF this year. Got him on a pop up to RF to end the game.


This was a great test as this team was full of D1 hitters that have been putting up great numbers all summer. Definitely showed that he could complete at the D1 level somewhere and should continue his confidence going into his season where he should get an opportunity. The greatest part was that when his coach told him he was first in relief today he told the coach if the starter goes 5 IP that he would close it out and then he went out and did it. After the game in the team huddle the coach brought him in and asked Jr what he said before the game and after that the coach screamed "F- Yeah you did". Pretty nice boost there.

 

[Chadstroma]

Another meet Sunday and another event added for regionals for a total of 6 events for my older son. He is close to adding a 7th and could move two of them to state times. Not bad for a kid that basically does swim for conditioning for other sports but swimming with swimmers who swim is their primary sport. Conference meet is Wed, a time trial meet Friday. A couple of weeks of nothing then a last chance meet and regionals. So he has a few chances to move to state and add that 7th to regionals.

 

[The Z Machine]

First hiccup on the mound even if it wasn't a hiccup. Gally Jr. came into a tie game in the bottom of the 9th (score was 10-10 so pitching wasn't on point by either team). Struck the first guy out, struck the second guy out, Lazy flyball out to LF.

Extra innings are run like MLB with the runner starting on 2B. His team didn't score him (had the guy thrown out at home on a ground ball to the 3B - not great baserunning). So Gally Jr back out for the 10th. Struck first guy out on a nasty change up. Lefty was completely fooled. Next batter was also a lefty. Catcher called for another change and Gally Jr trusted his catcher. Left it up a bit and guy hit it to RF in front of the RF. Runner held up initially because it was a sinking line that had the appearance of possibly being caught. Runner was slowing down into 3B until RF kicked the ball allowing runner to score and a walk off.

So 5 batters faced. Three K's, lazy fly out to LF and a base hit it to RF booted to allow run to score. So while he got the loss he gave up no ER's again and had 3 K's on the four outs he got.

This team they faced is in 1st place and has essentially all D1 guys from Berkley, Baylor, Oklahoma, UCSB, Nebraska, Pepperdine, Arizona St. Gally Jr looked electric and had everyone fooled. His K's came on a full count CB taken for strike 3 and two changeup that just fell off the table. He is definitely showing he has stuff that can get D1 guys out. Great confidence boost after redshirting his freshman year.

That's awesome. How was the speed on his FB?

 

[Gally]

That's awesome. How was the speed on his FB?

I am not sure. I tried to go to the booth since they had a gun and ask but they weren't too receptive to me bothering them..hahah. They said he was at 85 but I assume that was more or less where he was sitting and not his top end (which is consistent with his other outing that he got data for.....sat 85/86 and topped at 88). . It was probably just his last pitch thrown at the time I was asking and based on swings and looking at it I would assume he is in that general range.

He does have access to his pitch track data when he pitches at a field that has that system and a few of them do. We haven't really talked about the numbers yet. I really don't know about spin rate, run, ride, etc numbers as far as what is good or average or bad. I haven't really done the research and this is the first exposure he has had to that kind of data.

He did say that he was able to see his arm slotting/release point on different pitches which is helpful to try and maintain consistency across pitch types but since it's not utilized during a bull pen session it's harder to work on. He said he does differ between his slider and fastball by a few inches so that's at least something to work on.

 

[El Floppo]

One of my college soccer teammates has been the Yankees Ortho for a long time (as well as NYCFC). He's the guy ARod sued way back (and lost, iirc).

He's a regular on LinkedIn posting about youth pitchers and potential arm issues. For you baseball guys, he's worth following... Dr Chris Ahmad.

Eta... Here's a recent post:

Thrilled to be featured in The Washington Post, deep diving into the real cost of chasing velocity in high school baseball from arm injuries to a cultural shift in training methods 🚀 | Christopher Ahmad

Thrilled to be featured in The Washington Post, deep diving into the real cost of chasing velocity in high school baseball from arm injuries to a cultural shift in training methods 🚀 Fill Article: https://lnkd.in/gGbdVC4i ✅ This isn’t just about throwing harder. It’s about doing right by our...

www.linkedin.com

 

[gump]

Anyone’s kid competed in a Drive, Chip and Putt regional? My sons first on Mon. He’s the best golfer there from the kids we know…but this is a very different competition. I understand ideally we need to hit fairways to start and not worry about distance.

 

[Chadstroma]

Conference Meet last night. (meet against all 6 clubs in the conference)

My sons both were at football camp from 9am to 12. Then my older son had skill position football practice from 3 to 4 but we had to leave early at 3:45. He immediately got in the car and we drove 20 min to the meet. He got out, went in and started warm ups.

My older son gained a 7th event for regionals with the 100 Fly after cutting 7.97 seconds off his time (huge drop). He placed 5th in the 14U as an 11 year old against eight 13 and 14 year olds.
Also cut 3.54 off his 100 IM.

So, for regionals, he has qualified for 50 and 100 Free, 50 and 100 Fly, 100 and 200 IM and 50 Back. I told his coaches his day and they were dumbfounded that he swam as well as he did after working hard all day basically. I was worried about it but there was not much to do... football is his top sport, this camp is his favorite camp and the football practice with his team was important to to get to as we missed the first one (didn't know about it), second one was canceled due to weather and felt he needed to get there to get in front of the new coach.

He has a time trial meet Friday where he will do three events, looking to upgrade the 50 Free and Fly's from regionals to state. He is also looking to add the 50 Breast to regionals. All are very possible as he is in striking distance.

My little guy had a big time drop too on his 50 Back with a 3.61 cut. He cares more about swim but hasn't had the success (yet?) that his older brother has had. He really wants to get to a regional cut but is a bit off on that still.

 

[Chadstroma]

And.... 8th event for regionals adding the 50 Breast. That will be it for Regionals. That will be it... great haul. I would say only about 5% of the club (at least ours, other clubs could be different) make a single regional cut. This is regional cuts for every event he regularly swims (and actually he doesn't do the back very often and the breast somewhat often as he focused on fly and free). So pretty dang good for a kid who does it basically on the side. He will be a busy boy over those two days.

He has two opportunities to upgrade the 50 Fly and Free to state cut times... one more 'last chance' meet and then regionals themselves.

 

[El Floppo]

And.... 8th event for regionals adding the 50 Breast. That will be it for Regionals. That will be it... great haul. I would say only about 5% of the club (at least ours, other clubs could be different) make a single regional cut. This is regional cuts for every event he regularly swims (and actually he doesn't do the back very often and the breast somewhat often as he focused on fly and free). So pretty dang good for a kid who does it basically on the side. He will be a busy boy over those two days.

He has two opportunities to upgrade the 50 Fly and Free to state cut times... one more 'last chance' meet and then regionals themselves.

Are both state and regionals qualifications time dependent?

I figured state would've been dependent on finishing placement at regionals, rather than on the times produced

Eta.. and thats awesome by Jr!

 

[Chadstroma]

And.... 8th event for regionals adding the 50 Breast. That will be it for Regionals. That will be it... great haul. I would say only about 5% of the club (at least ours, other clubs could be different) make a single regional cut. This is regional cuts for every event he regularly swims (and actually he doesn't do the back very often and the breast somewhat often as he focused on fly and free). So pretty dang good for a kid who does it basically on the side. He will be a busy boy over those two days.

He has two opportunities to upgrade the 50 Fly and Free to state cut times... one more 'last chance' meet and then regionals themselves.

Are both state and regionals qualifications time dependent?

I figured state would've been dependent on finishing placement at regionals, rather than on the times produced

Eta.. and thats awesome by Jr!

Yes, all are time dependent in swim. You could place 1st at regionals and if you don't have the qualifying time for state not go... likewise, you could place 6th or whatever at regionals and still go to state if you have the time. They adjust the times annually to target a certain number of swimmers at each level.

Youth has age group championships which for Illinois (my understanding is that some details change from place to place) you have regional championships B/BB, Age Group Championships A/AA (state), Zones/Sectionals/Futures AAA/AAAA. Before if you made a state time you would still swim that in the regionals etc but apparently that has changed so if he makes the state cut in this last chance meet then he would not swim it in regionals and just swim in state. If you placed first in regionals but don't have the state time then you do not swim state. He is .79 in Free and .58 in Fly from state times. The rest of his events he really isn't within striking distance. The last chance meet is 7/12 and then regionals 18-20th with state meet 8/2-3 and then football season really starts with full team practices starting the 4th (skill positions are meeting each Wed now until then).

I often wonder how good he could be if he loved swim and focused on it but he doesn't. I do think he realizes the benefits of swim now though to help him in football, basketball, etc with conditioning, strength building, lung capacity increase, etc. with taking the winter season basically off when his mother's tumor was found. The HS we are currently leaning towards having him go to which is a Catholic school with one of the best football programs in the state (I would say top ten) but it doesn't have a swim team. He replied that he could still swim at the gym, which was good to hear him say. I did some digging and he could still swim club and college recruiting just goes off times which I like just as a failsafe behind football though I don't think he is thinking about any of that now.

 

[Gally]

Next Summer Outing: First ***** in the armor.

Gally Jr, has earned the closer job as he has been the best overall pitcher so far this summer and the coach trusts him in the back end. He wants to start as he has always been a starter but the coach likes him to close. He doesn't have typical closer stuff (doesn't throw in the 90's) but he doesn't walk anyone and doesn't give up hard contact.

Team was playing their rival. Close game as his team was up 3-0 going into the 7th inning. I expected Jr to be brought in at that time but they ended up brining in another guy who has been solid and is more a prototypical closer type. He proceeded to give up a few hits and a run in the 7th but got out of trouble with the tying runners on with striking out two guys with runners on 2nd and 3rd. With the struggle in the inning I figured that would be it but the coach sent the other guy back out for the 8th. He proceeded to give up two runs to tie and with 2 outs and a runner on 1st the coach made the change and brought in Gally Jr.

8th Inning:

• 1st batter: Gets ahead 1-2 but can't seem to locate his CB. It is just staying out. Ends up walking the guy on a full count borderline pitch. First walk of the summer (15 IP)
• 2nd batter: Gets ahead 0-2 and still has trouble locating. You could tell he just didn't have his usual command. Ends up going full count again but the guy swings through a FB to strike out. End of Inning

9th Inning (still tied):

• 1st batter: Gets ahead again 1-2 but can't locate his out pitches. Batters doing a better job laying off his change up as this is the second time they have seen Jr in a week so they are starting to get a better read on him. Still able to put him away on a 2-2 curveball.
• 2nd batter: Jumps out ahead again 1-2 but can't put him away. Goes full count after a couple foul balls and the batter lays off a curve that nibbled the outside corner and ump called ball (this is the same pitch that he has been calling strikes for 7 innings but stopped in the late innings. He was giving at least a ball width off the plate on the outside corner all game)
• 3rd batter: Just like every batter so far jumps ahead 1-2 and ends up going full. This time he paints a two seam fast ball inside to the lefty hitter and it catches the corner for another K. So far he has gone, BB, K, K, BB, K. A lot of pitches as all but one batter has gone full.
• 4th batter: 0-1 pitch is popped up in foul ground to the 3B side and caught by the 3B.

10th inning (still tied and ghost runner put on 2B):

• 1st batter: Sac bunt. Moves runner to 3B
• 2nd batter: Gets ahead 0-2 but I could tell he was being careful. Talking after the game he said he wanted this guy to get himself out so he wasn't going to give in. with only 1 out and go ahead ghost runner on 3B a walk wasn't terrible and the next batter was a right handed and a better matchup. Thought he had him on a 2-2 elevated fast ball that looked like he went around on but the appeal was called no swing. Walked him on full count curveball that could have been called if ump was calling like early in game but it was off the plate.
• 3rd batter: gets him to foul out to catcher on 1-1 pitch. Got in on him and weak pop up straight back. Catcher made a good play to get to the ball and catch it.
• 4th batter: Runner on 1st steals on first pitch and catcher pump fakes to see if he can get the runner on 3rd napping or jumping the throw. Now runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs. Another left handed batter. Battles to get to 2-2. Throws a CB that breaks back over outside corner and batter does a great job to just punch it by the 3rd baseman. Not hard hit ball on a defensive swing but a nice job by a good hitter. Scores 2 runners on the single. After game Gally Jr. said he probably should have gone change up there instead of CB since he didn't have the best command on the CB and it kind of just tumbled on him.
• 5th batter: First pitch fisted single to RF. Probably hit about 40 mph exit velo.
• 6th batter: 2-1 two hopper to second base for the 4-3 put out and inning over.

One pitch away from getting out of it. Today was a struggle. Didn't have his best command. Second time seeing this team in less than a week and they obviously did their homework (welcome to D1 baseball). They made him work and he gutted it out. 2.1 IP, 2 Hits (both in the 10th), 3 BB (first three walks of the summer), 3 K, 1 ER (first ER of the summer).

Learning experience for sure but also some positives. He battled against solid D1 batters without his best stuff and was one pitch away from getting out of the ghost runner situation without giving up a run. He has one week left as he is shutting down for the month of July for arm rest before building back up for the Fall.

Summer Stats:

• 1-2, 1 Save (both losses are in extra innings where the ghost runner scored and the team didn't score their ghost runner)
• 15 IP (2nd on team)
• 2 R (1 ER) and 2 ghost runners
• 12 hits
• 18 K (most on team)
• 3 BB
• 1 HBP
• Hitting: 3 for 3 with 2 RBI's

 

[Chadstroma]

Another time trial meet was added for Tuesday. My oldest boy will do the 50 Free and Fly again to see if he can turn those into state times and then added the 100 Breast to see if he can add that to regionals. He does not do 100 Breast much.... his best time is from almost a year ago and he needs to cut almost a full 6 seconds to make the cut. It will be interesting to see if he can do it.

 

[El Floppo]

That's some high level stuff from gally jr!

I'm most impressed by athletes who clearly aren't on for the day (see it in floppinhas tennis), but still battle with what they have to make it work the best they can.

 

[Gally]

Next Installment: The end of the Summer

Going into the summer Gally Jr planned to play through June and take July off for some relaxation and arm rest before he ramps back up for the fall during August. Many of the college guys playing these summer leagues do the same and his team alone has had a half dozen guys leave over the last week or so. He told the GM when he was contacted about playing originally but apparently that word never made it down to the coach.

Jr. told the coach last Tuesday and the coach was pretty disappointed. He told him he was going to nominated him for the CCL all star game which happens in mid July which would have been quite the accomplishment. Also told him he was welcome back any time and always had a place on the team.

Over the last week he was able to get into two games. First one was just an inning on Thursday (fire works night) in front of over 2000 people. The place was packed. The team was leading by quite a bit and the coach wanted to save Gally Jr to be able to pitch over the weekend so he limited him to one inning. Here is how it went:

• 1st batter: First pitch pop out to shallow center
• 2nd batter: This guy was amazing as a hitter. He had a .930 slugging this past season and he just looked different. He was a man amongst boys. Balls just flew off his bat. Jr got ahead 0-2 and went with a change up. It stayed up and it got drilled in the 3-4 hole for a single.
• 3rd batter: weak grounder to 2B that was booted for an error making it runners at 1st and 2nd.
• 4th batter. Got ahead 1-2 and tried to go 2-seam FB in on the hands. The batter (Arizona St) did a great job and got his hands inside and laced the ball for a double down the LF line. Hardest hit ball off jr all summer. It was actually a decent pitch but the batter just did better. It happens. 2 runs scored.
• 5th batter: weak pop up
• 6th batter: weak ground ball to end the inning.

Gally Jr had gotten up in the pen each of the two days before but never got in. You could tell he didn't have his usual velocity but he kept them off balance and made some good pitches. Got ahead consistently and got a lot of weak contact. Talking with him after the game he said he just felt tight. He has always been a starter and used to getting 4 or 5 days off between starts. Getting up in the pen to get hot for a couple days in a row took a bit of a toll as it's not something he has done much of and it showed in him being tight and not quite himself. Definitely something he will have to figure out if he continues as a high leverage reliever in the future.

Next outing (last game for him) was on Sunday. The starting pitcher felt some arm tenderness before the game so they ended up starting a relief guy (not sure why they didn't go with Gally Jr). He was first in relief though. Guy got in trouble in the 2nd so Gally Jr started getting loose. Guy got out of it and ended up going 4 innings. Gally Jr. went in the game in the 5th inning

5th Inning:

• 1st batter: first pitch pop out to CF
• 2nd batter: got ahead 0-2 and got a pop out to 2B
• 3rd batter: got ahead 0-2 and got a weak groundout to SS

6th inning:

• 1st batter: first pitch weak groundout to SS
• 2nd batter: jumped ahead 0-2 and got a routine flyout to LF
• 3rd batter: fell behind 3-1 and then got in on him for a flyout to RF (good cutter in on the hands)

7th inning:

• 1st batter: Fell behind 3-1 got back to full count and batter lined out to 3B on a curve ball.
• 2nd batter: Jumped out 0-2, batter laid off a couple good off speed pitches to get to full count then flew out to CF
• 3rd batter: 2nd pitch flair to SS.

8th inning:

• 1st batter: first pitch jam shot that he looped into shallow CF Jammed the crap out of him and it fell for a hit
• 2nd batter: first pitch one hop comebacker wheeled and threw a perfect throw right over the bag. Both SS and 2B stopped a step away and let the ball go into CF. Taylor made double play ball but middle infielders miscommunication led to an error.
• 3rd batter. Walk on 3-1 count. A couple borderline pitches but overall lost concentration for a minute.
• 4th batter: First pitch weak grounder to SS with only play to 1B. Got the out but run scored.
• 5th batter: Inside out swing on a cutter served over 3B to score 2 runs but got thrown out trying to stretch it to a double
• 6th batter: Had him struck out on 2-2 pitch but called a ball. Full count pitch flared over SS for a hit
• 7th batter: Jumped out ahead 1-2. Painted outside corner called a ball. Bad call. 2-2 fouled off. Then FB belt high and ump called ball. Gally Jr was not happy. Thought he had him struck out twice already. Now count is Full. Painted curveball on outside corner and batter swung through it. Great pitch.

Final stat line: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 3 R (2 ER) and got the Win. Perfect through three innings and a costly error due to miscommunication (hazard of summer ball when players don't practice together these things happen) otherwise probably a no run outing. Overall a solid showing pitching to contact and being efficient. It's what he does best.

Final Summer Stats:

• 2-2, 1 SV
• 20 IP
• 6R (4ER) for an ERA of 1.80
• 15 hits
• 4 BB/ 1HBP
• 19 K
• 0.95 WHIP
• 3 for 3 with 2 RBI's at the plate

Biggest take away was that he could play at the D1 level. His stuff is good enough to get guys out. Induced a lot of weak contact. Struck out almost 1 per inning. ERA below 2.00 over 20 innings. We talked on the way home about his future and how he thought the summer went. I asked if he had aspirations of transferring to a D1 and he said definitely. He knows he can compete and perform well at that level and that he belongs. Big confidence boost for sure. I asked about the idea of staying in a place he likes for school and doing well there and the risk of transferring and he said he wouldn't think about it for at least 2 years to prove he can continue to do it and wants a chance to show what he can do at his current school.

Hopefully he stays healthy and keeps improving to see what happens. He is definitely excited for his opportunity to show what he can do. Hopefully he gets the shot.

 

[Chadstroma]

Qualified for 9 events for regionals. 50 and 100 Free, Back and Breast. 50 Back, 100 and 200 IM.

You can do a max of 7 events with the most of 3 a day. He has no events from day 1 (longer distance events) so he has decided to do the 50 Free, 50 Back, 200 IM, 50 Fly, 100 Free and 100 IM next weekend.

To make state times he is .54 away from 50 Free and .04 away for 50 Fly. If he makes those time cuts then he will go to state championships.

 

[Gally]

He told him he was going to nominated him for the CCL all star game which happens in mid July which would have been quite the accomplishment.

Gally Jr was called yesterday by the GM and told he was selected for the CCL All Star game. Huge accomplishment for a D2 kid that no D1 showed any interest in. Now I hope he will actually be able to play. Over the weekend he stepped on a hot coal at the lake and burned the bottom of his foot. He is in some pain. Not sure if we will be able to throw on Wednesday.

 

[Instinctive]

He told him he was going to nominated him for the CCL all star game which happens in mid July which would have been quite the accomplishment.

Gally Jr was called yesterday by the GM and told he was selected for the CCL All Star game. Huge accomplishment for a D2 kid that no D1 showed any interest in. Now I hope he will actually be able to play. Over the weekend he stepped on a hot coal at the lake and burned the bottom of his foot. He is in some pain. Not sure if we will be able to throw on Wednesday.

Omg I did that on Memorial Day. It blistered something awful following week. Good luck to him it was not fun.

And huge congrats on the all star team!!!

 

[nirad3]

Couple of things to catch up on here with my son and football...

First, he's been playing in a different flag league here locally for the summer. He has 5 seasons' worth under his belt in a different league (with coaches and players we know, etc.) but that team (more on this in a sec) never played the summer season and we wanted our boy to have something to do over the summer! So we joined a league w/ randoms and it's been... interesting. Skill level WAY lower in this league. My son really just played defense on his "normal" team, but he's playing WR and RB along with defense on this summer team. In a blowout win this past Friday evening, he had not one but TWO touchdowns (he had a grand total of zero in the other league). One receiving and actually ran one in too. Expensive day for Pops since I told him I'd give him $5 per TD and a buck per "tackle" (he had a couple of those too). Anyways, super proud. He's come a long way from being fairly athletically average to coming into his own.

And... looks like his old flag team is disbanding. Well, the head coach has decided to move his kid up to tackle. We told the coach if he ended up doing that and was going to continue to coach, we'd like to follow him wherever he happened to go. Found out last night the flag team isn't gonna continue, so looks like my boy is going to move into tackle. He's been bugging us about it for a few months now, and while his mom is fairly reluctant, I think he can handle it. He's not a big kid, but definitely not small either. I'm pretty confident he'll get coached up well with the guy we know and the "head coach" on the team (a buddy of my son's dad). Unfortunately we missed the cutoff for registration but the coach is trying to get us in. His real good buddy who plays in this league is in a different division, though. Only cuz this kid has more experience... and he's like 200 lbs. (not even 13 years old yet).

 

[Gally]

(a buddy of my son's dad).

Wouldn't that just be your buddy?

 

[nirad3]

(a buddy of my son's dad).

Wouldn't that just be your buddy?

lol, worded that weird

It's the dad of one of my son's buddies.

 

[Chadstroma]

Couple of things to catch up on here with my son and football...

First, he's been playing in a different flag league here locally for the summer. He has 5 seasons' worth under his belt in a different league (with coaches and players we know, etc.) but that team (more on this in a sec) never played the summer season and we wanted our boy to have something to do over the summer! So we joined a league w/ randoms and it's been... interesting. Skill level WAY lower in this league. My son really just played defense on his "normal" team, but he's playing WR and RB along with defense on this summer team. In a blowout win this past Friday evening, he had not one but TWO touchdowns (he had a grand total of zero in the other league). One receiving and actually ran one in too. Expensive day for Pops since I told him I'd give him $5 per TD and a buck per "tackle" (he had a couple of those too). Anyways, super proud. He's come a long way from being fairly athletically average to coming into his own.

And... looks like his old flag team is disbanding. Well, the head coach has decided to move his kid up to tackle. We told the coach if he ended up doing that and was going to continue to coach, we'd like to follow him wherever he happened to go. Found out last night the flag team isn't gonna continue, so looks like my boy is going to move into tackle. He's been bugging us about it for a few months now, and while his mom is fairly reluctant, I think he can handle it. He's not a big kid, but definitely not small either. I'm pretty confident he'll get coached up well with the guy we know and the "head coach" on the team (a buddy of my son's dad). Unfortunately we missed the cutoff for registration but the coach is trying to get us in. His real good buddy who plays in this league is in a different division, though. Only cuz this kid has more experience... and he's like 200 lbs. (not even 13 years old yet).

What is plan B if he can't get him in?

 

[nirad3]

Couple of things to catch up on here with my son and football...

First, he's been playing in a different flag league here locally for the summer. He has 5 seasons' worth under his belt in a different league (with coaches and players we know, etc.) but that team (more on this in a sec) never played the summer season and we wanted our boy to have something to do over the summer! So we joined a league w/ randoms and it's been... interesting. Skill level WAY lower in this league. My son really just played defense on his "normal" team, but he's playing WR and RB along with defense on this summer team. In a blowout win this past Friday evening, he had not one but TWO touchdowns (he had a grand total of zero in the other league). One receiving and actually ran one in too. Expensive day for Pops since I told him I'd give him $5 per TD and a buck per "tackle" (he had a couple of those too). Anyways, super proud. He's come a long way from being fairly athletically average to coming into his own.

And... looks like his old flag team is disbanding. Well, the head coach has decided to move his kid up to tackle. We told the coach if he ended up doing that and was going to continue to coach, we'd like to follow him wherever he happened to go. Found out last night the flag team isn't gonna continue, so looks like my boy is going to move into tackle. He's been bugging us about it for a few months now, and while his mom is fairly reluctant, I think he can handle it. He's not a big kid, but definitely not small either. I'm pretty confident he'll get coached up well with the guy we know and the "head coach" on the team (a buddy of my son's dad). Unfortunately we missed the cutoff for registration but the coach is trying to get us in. His real good buddy who plays in this league is in a different division, though. Only cuz this kid has more experience... and he's like 200 lbs. (not even 13 years old yet).

What is plan B if he can't get him in?

See what the OC of his old flag team is doing with his son (who my son got along with real well). There's a chance he's playing flag again. If not, perhaps just sign him up for the flag league and have him play on a random team... and then do tackle next available season.

 

[Gally]

He told him he was going to nominated him for the CCL all star game which happens in mid July which would have been quite the accomplishment.

Gally Jr was called yesterday by the GM and told he was selected for the CCL All Star game. Huge accomplishment for a D2 kid that no D1 showed any interest in. Now I hope he will actually be able to play. Over the weekend he stepped on a hot coal at the lake and burned the bottom of his foot. He is in some pain. Not sure if we will be able to throw on Wednesday.

Gally Jr pitched the 5th inning in the CCL showcase game. The game was televised on Fan Duel and on the CCL YouTube channel. He went 3 up 3 down on 10 pitches (the telecast showed 12 but it was only 10). Here is the last batter he faced:

- YouTube

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ETA: Just realized that you can scroll back from the start of that clip and see the whole outing. A bit disappointed that the announcers were interviewing someone the whole inning so they didn't really talk about Gally Jr much and he was just kind of in the background doing work. Still cool to see a professional video of his outing.

 

[SWC]

got to watch a kid i helped coach her entire life play in a state all star game a few weeks ago and now it is off to play college ball so that was pretty special take that to the bank bromigos