Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Baseball: The Greatest Sport


Last Week’s Eye Catching Games
Highland Park
Niles North
10
9
York
Rolling Meadows
13
3
Glenbard West
Wheaton Academy
7
9
Joliet Catholic
Benet Academy
6
0
Carmel
St. Viator
11
7
Barrington
Schaumberg
6
4
Nazareth
Benet Academy
14
13
Andrew
Stagg
12
0
Hinsdale South
Stagg
3
8
Nazareth
Marion Catholic
3
5
Lake Zurich
Huntley
3
4
Hinsdale Central
York
4
14
Benet Academy
Joliet Catholic
1
4
Elgin
Batavia
0
12
Libertyville
Mundelein
10
0
Lyons
Willowbrook
5
6
Providence
Brother Rice
2
0
Metea Vally
East Aurora
14
4
Carmel
Notre Dame
1
2
Lyons
Hinsdale Central
11   1
 3    2
Glenbrook South
Glenbrook North
5
3
Maine West
Leyden
3
6
Jones
Morgan Park
1
11
Lane Tech
Taft
7
0

Early May Power Ratings
1.       Providence
2.       Nequa Valley
3.       Batavia
4.       York
5.       Lockport
6.       St. Laurence
7.       Wheaton Academy
8.       St. Rita
9.       St. Frances
10.   Benet Academy
11.   Lincoln Way North
12.   Sandberg
13.   Mount Carmel
14.   Lyons
15.   Downers Grove South
16.   Bradley
17.   Lincoln Way West
18.   Oak Park
19.   Willowbrook
20.   Joliet Catholic
21.   Glenbrook North
22.   Deerfield
23.   Jacobs
24.   Edwardsville
25.   Naperville Central

Batting Leaders with 30 at bats or more
Name                                     Average HR                       School
Chris Johnson
625
1
Wheaton Academy
Thad Danial
528
0
Proviso West
Kyle Coughlin
523
0
York
Tanner Phillips
476
1
Wheaton Academy
Ryan Fish
471
0
Oak Park River Forest
Jabari Morris
471
0
York
Bobby Muler
442
0
York
Nolan Spencer
439
0
York
John Allen
429
0
Glenbard East
Luke Kram
429
1
Wheaton Academy
Tyler Teele
429
0
Schaumburg



Underclassmen All-Star Game

Statsandblogs will present its first annual high school all-star game June 9, 2013. Participants will be representatives from the class of 2015. The game will take place on the home field of Dominican University located inside Veterans Memorial Park at 3rd and Oak Street in Maywood, Illinois.

The game is intended to unite talented high school players and baseball patrons who participate in national and international competition.  These patrons are in constant search for talented players to participate on their teams during summer and winter trips. Statsandblogs has also invited professional scouts to attend the event and discover the sophomore class talent. 

Invitations will go out between May 10 and May 24 to players who have demonstrated superb knowledge of the game and who have higher than average talent as shown their season play.  It is the mission of Statsandblogs to celebrate the success of amateur baseball players and to promote the sport on multiple levels.  As stated before, most media attention is given to the varsity players.  The truth of the matter is that by senior season year, the baseball player should already have made his college choices and received acceptance letters.  The fact that the high school season is a spring sport gives baseball athletes only three years to make an impression in the minds of baseball patrons.  For this reason, Statsandblogs places special interest on the underclass talent. 

Why Baseball is the Greatest Sport
Baseball is a special sport.  It is one of the few sports that one must start at an early age.  It is said that if a kid has not played or thrown a baseball by the time he is twelve years old, he will not have the physical coordination to make it as a baseball player.  When I was a kid, every diamond had someone playing baseball on it.  They used bricks and potato chip bags for bases.  There were kids playing in the street using the sewer cap as home plate and a fire hydrant for first base.  We use to play “strike’m out” by painting a box on a wall and with a rubber ball face each other.  At that time it meant something to be able to hit a curve ball or throw a guy out at home when he tried to tag on a fly ball to the outfield.   One of the best feelings I ever had was throwing a guy out at home from centerfield after he tagged on the sacrifice fly. 
I remember Monday night baseball and running home from school to see Ivan DeJesus and Manny Trio turn double plays – it’s amazing that I became a Sox fan latter in my wiser years (LOL). 

Somewhere all of this was lost.  There are many theories and finger pointing; but the truth is baseball is the greatest sport.  It includes strategy, skill, and execution.  It involves one man standing alone at the plate against nine other men – none of this zone defense and help from a safety trash.  There is a pitcher standing 60 feet and six inches away and he’s throwing a little white ball with red threads as fast as he can.  When you swing and miss, he laughs at you (maybe not out loud but inside he is thrilled).  Then just when you get yourself ready for that heat, he gives you the change up; and if you ever want to feel like a fool, just swing the bat a full second before a curveball falls off the table into the catcher’s mitt.  There is no way a teammate can pick you up when you fail to get the sacrifice bunt down.  There is no wasting time with back and forward passes or slow walks to the huddle in order to kill the clock – not in baseball; and there is no hiding behind 300 pound men blocking for you. 

To be a baseball player, one must be smart, fast and strong with nerves of steel.  There are no helmets and facemasks to cover your face when you drop a ball in the outfield or boot a grown ball. When you strike out, it’s a long walk back to the dugout.  But when you see the ball well, load just right, rotate the hips, pull the knob of the bat to the ball, and snap the wrists at the right moment; when you feel that ball striking the sweet spot of your bat and you follow through just right… there is no three point shot or touchdown run that compares.  When you watch that ball take flight and hang in a blue sky for all of 400 feet, time stands still for a moment and you remember that swing for the rest of your life. This is why baseball is the greatest sport.

Links for Training and Improving your skills

Lou Collier (Former MLB player) Gives lessons and more.  www.Loucollierbaseball.com
Larry Cicchiello’s books and CDs for fundamental training  www.Larrybaseball.com
Justin Stone Elite training if you’re ready for the next level. www.elitebaseballtraining.com/

INTERNATIONAL BASEBALL
Play baseball in The Dominica Republic or in Japan with Caliendo Sports International. 
Pete Caliendo (847) 781-8039



Amateur Baseball Report conducts scouting camps and creates teams for games in Italy.  Contact Brian Wabick 708-675-1500 X 113

Links to Great Camps
Telluride Baseball Camp
Prep Baseball Report
13th Annual New England Catching Camp Summer Camp
Jason Weaver: New England Catching Camp, LLC  (Jay@catchingcamp.com)
Barnstormers Baseball Camps Karl@barnstormersbaseball  www.top96.scoutware.net

College Show Case Links


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Portions of this blog received information from Game Changer summaries. "Powered by Narrative Science and GameChanger Media. Copyright 2013. All rights reserved."



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