Lil Lefty HOME RUN OVER the FENCE

Sunday morning in Halton Hills... We woke up at 5:45am to get to the field by 7am in order to finish the game that was postponed by rain from last night. After an inning and a half played the previous night in the rain ,our team, the Mississauga Tigers, were loosing 1-0. It is high 40's this morning and usually 10 year olds aren't great in the early morning. I am concerned we may have problems scoring. If we do not score, we do not get to the elimination round and we go home.

Lil' Lefty, batting 4th, is up first in the bottom of the 2nd inning, the first Tiger to bat. I usually stand close to home in order to get a good view and socialize with parents (no laughing). This morning I thought Lil' Lefty would hit a home run and decided to video her hitting from down the right field line.

Lil' Lefty has fouled off the first two pitches. The first pitch was a "respect" change-up. The count is 0-2. I am standing between cars and the fence taking the video. Listen at second "5" and you can hear the ball hit the roof of a car. It left a good dent. The owner was a coach on the opposing team.

The video would be 100 times better if I could work the zoom of the camera. I fumble around trying to video and enjoy the original event. I will be the first to admit it is me laughing... I could not believe I was able to get Lil' Lefty's FIRST over the fence HR on video. What are the odds?

On Saturday, Lil' Lefty, A-Mac and I hit tennis balls into a screen between games. I was showing Lil' Lefty a couple ideas to improve the explosion and extension in her swing. It looks like she listened. Now just need to calm her happy feet. Way to go Lil Lefty!

Lil Lefty - Halton Hills Tournament Saturday

We woke up Saturday morning and dropped A-Mac off at her practice in Brampton. Then, I took Lil' Lefty on to her first game in Halton Hills. I had to track back to Brampton to get A-Mac and then head back to Halton Hills for Lil' Lefty's first game.

Lil' Lefty cruised through the first two innings and then hit a bump in the third. Brantford scored five runs in the third and beat the Mississauga Tiger 6-5. Lil' Lefty got squeezed on the strike zone. She threw 45-46mph during the second inning.

In their second game, Lil' Lefty doubled home two runs with the hit up the middle below en route to a 2 for 2 game and 3 RBI.

Of course, what would spring in Canada be without rain. The third game was rained out. We have to be back at the field at 7AM... need to leave the house by 6:15am. Mind you Lil' Lefty is not a morning person.

Rain, Rain Go Away!

Rain, Rain go away. Come again another day...My kids want to play ball!

Are You MacDaddy's Dad?

It is a baseball/softball weekend. Lil' Lefty in playing in a tournament at Halton Hills and MacDaddy is in Mississauga. Lil' Lefty's Tigers beat Halton Hills in their first game last night. Her game ended at 10:30pm after a delay because... guess what?... it rained. MacDaddy's game was stopped in the 3rd inning for the same reason and will be resumed tonight.

MacDaddy had a good at bat, swing and single before the rains came. While sitting with A-Mac before the game, a man came over and asked if I was MacDaddy's Dad. It was the coach of a team that MacDaddy had tried out for two years ago. It is a compliment that he remembered MacDaddy.

A full day of ball ahead.

Lil' Lefty says...

And I quote... "WE LIVE IN FREAKIN' CANADA! NOTHING CHANGES HERE!"

Lil Lefty League Game vs. Halton Hills, May 27

Lil Lefty played a league game against Halton Hills. She played outfield and first base. She batted three times, had three hits and scored three times. We won easily and play Halton Hills on Friday night in the first game of a weekend tournament.

It rained all day and then sporadically during the game. Canadians are tough!!! If it is above freezing we play... rain or shine.

A-Mac League Game vs. Miss North Bantam II

A-Mac had an 8:30pm game (school night) against Mississauga North Tigers Bantam II. A-Mac played third the entire game and made a good throwing play. She also had a throwing error. She batted 6th and hit a grounder to pitcher in her first at bat. Swing looked good but not a "hitter's count" swing on a 1-0 pitch. She is getting close to breaking out. She had great bunts the next two at bats that helped the team score 4 runs. Blazers won 6-3.

Persistance Pays Off

MacDaddy is a most persistent little boy. He had one objective while we were in PA....buy a ripstick! He will continually remind you of his Ripstick Mission every minute of every day until the task is complete.

His persistance pays off...

MacDaddy above in the middle with 2 members of his RipStick Posse

Memorial Day Weekend Tournament - Penn Township, Pennsylvania

We spent our Memorial Day Weekend 2009 at a softball tournament in Monroeville (Penn Township) Pennsylvania. Monroeville is approximately a five hour drive from our house in Oakville. We enjoyed the HOT weather accompained by with sunny, blue skies and the 90 degree temp.

I REALLY like Memorial Day. Along with July 4th ,they are my two favorite holidays. Explanation in a forthcoming post. At our first stop on our drive to Monroeville, PA we picked up a "God Bless the USA" sticker. Hooray for the Red, White and Blue! I wonder how long it will take for it to disappear off the car once we return to Canada?



We arrived at our hotel on Monroeville late Friday night. A-Mac's first game was at 9:30am Saturday morning. Our 20 minute drive from the hotel was an amusement park ride of winding hills and switch-backs. I like the character of the area (about 30 minutes East of Pittsburgh).

The 10 fields were nestled in a valley.





A-Mac played third base the entire tournament and made no errors. She threw out 13 batter's on ground balls.









A-Mac, shown here on third, scored 3 or 4 runs during the tournament.

A-Mac batting in the video above. She needs to step toward the pitcher and not to third.



Below is a list of our most memorable memories from our Memorial Day weekend trip to Monroeville:

1. Lil Lefty with her impersinations and accents in the car (can't even explain but VERY funny)
2. A-Mac batting 6th
3. A-Mac making 6 outs in one game at third base
4. A-Mac playing third for all four games
5. Heat - it was nice to be hot
6. The worst Don Pablo's restaurant ever
7. MacMom beat me into New York on the way home (you would have to see to understand)
8. MacDaddy and his persistence about a Ripstick
9. A nice hotel with two rooms not connected...
10. Bed at 11:30pm, up at 6:30am
11. The "steroid" pitcher on the 16U team - scary
12. The friends we end up meeting through softball. Three hours of conversation with a parent of a teammate of Lil Lefty last year. A 15 minute "hello" between games with a mom of two girls that have played with A-Mac
13. Rolling hills and green of western PA
14. MacDaddy reading on the trip with his glasses and being excited to buy books
15. Two stops at Grove City outlet mall
16. MacDaddy and Lil Lefty doing homework in the hotel room
17. What we do to get kids to softball tournaments :-)
18. Lil Lefty saying she wants to sing the National Anthem at a baseball game
19. Several compliments on my USA Baseball David Wright shirt

6AM in Hotel in Monroeville, PA

The whole family is here in Moroeville, PA for A-Mac's Memorial Day Blast softball tournament. We are in two rooms at the Courtyard Marriott on the same floor, but they are not connected. I like the rolling countryside of PA... almost an amusement park ride to get from the hotel to the fields. First game is at 9:30am today; play until you loose one. A-Mac has played 3rd all tournament and made a dozen plays in three games. She has scored a couple important runs and hit OK. Go Blazers!!!

Mourning Doves

Two Mourning Doves have decided to build their nest on one of our front porch lights. I read that it takes two weeks after the eggs have been laid for them to hatch. Soon we will be hearing the chirps of little baby birds. The clutch size is probably going to be two eggs . The eggs are small and white. We have seen both the male and the female sitting in the nest keeping the eggs warm.

I'll Keep you posted.

LIl' Lefty

You see the mom sitting on the eggs and the dad getting twigs to add to the nest. My mom said, "It's probably the dad relaxing and the mom doing all the work."

"What's IN Your Wallet?"

Nope, it's not the lastest Capital One "Hands IN My Pocket" Ad! Big D pointed out that in almost every picture I took of MacDaddy at his game in Barntown...I mean Georgetown last night...he had his hand in his pocket. There is not a credit card in his back pocket. MacDaddy would have his hand in Big D's pocket if he wanted a credit card.

It could, however, be an ad for Spitz sunflower seeds. MacDaddy has a pocketful of sunflower seeds to suck the salt off and spit. (There is no dehulling- cracking the hull of the seed with one's teeth and spitting it out while keeping the kernel in the mouth and eating it). Just suck off the salt and spit out the entire seeds. The birds must love our team!

Oh the contests and games 8 and 9 year old boys will come up (povided they have sunflower seeds on hand) while sitting on the bench waiting for their turn at bat.

And now, this is why we call Georgetown... Barntown

"No-No" #1, 2009

Lil' Lefty played tonight against the Brampton Blazers Squirt I team. (Lil' Lefty plays for Mississuaga North Tigers Squirt II team). This was a league game and we had two goals tonight. First goal, throw a lot of change-ups and make sure the fastball after has a good flip. Second goal, wear the face mask the entire game and get use to pitching with it on.

Good News: Lil Lefty pitched a NO HITTER for the entire 6 innings. Struck out about 12-13. pitched LOTS of knuckle change-ups and had batters spinning in circles. She also tripled over the right fielder's head in the first inning.

Bad News (Strange): The Tigers lost 9-3. Lots of errors and about 6-7 walks. Lil' Lefty has a couple blisters on her knuckle fingers.

Victoria Day Baseball

Yesterday was Victoria Day. No stores open. No work. MacDaddy had a baseball game.

The video shows MacDaddy hitting a line drive double down the left field line. If he had run when he made contact it might have been a triple. What the video doesn't show is the hour we took taking batting practice at the park, with A-Mac, earlier in the day. Way to go MacDaddy!!! Best "in-game" swing I have seen you make...

Welcome Spring!

Yesterday, I hiked the 16 Mile Creek here in Oakville with 2 fellow American gals. It is about an 1 hour and 10 minute walk through the woods surrounding the creek. Spring is here. It was a beautiful, sunny 70 degee day. Birds were chirpping, green leaves are on trees and Spring wildflowers are in bloom.

Among the various wildflowers in bloom are the trillium. The trillium has been Ontario's official flower since 1937. It's a spring wildflower that blooms in late April and early May. It has 3 distinct leaves and petals. The trillium is also the logo of the Ontario government. Its white blossom is associated with peace and hope. Trilliums are sometimes called “Wake Robins” because they appear at the same time robins return for spring.

We also saw fields of bluebells, other wildflowers and some Canadian Geese near the creek bed that were probably nesting.

Right Back Where We Ended

Lil' Lefty started this softball season right where she ended last season. The kid likes to win! Her team played 6 games in a weekend tournament in Brampton. They won 2, tied 2 and lost 2. They did this in the right order to get a bronze medal (finished third) out of 7 teams. Lil' Lefty pitched complete games for both Tiger wins and came in while behind for one of their ties. She also pitched a complete game for their first loss.

During the off season Lil' Lefty learned a lot at pitching practice; however, she also got breaks after every 15 pitches (an inning) and I do not think built up a lot of stamina. She pitched best on Friday night (the game she lost). The "bronze medal game" was Sunday at 4:30pm and Lil' Lefty got the ball.

The pitching circle is 5 feet father back in than last year and batters have improved. Lil' Lefty no longer strikes out every batter. During this tournament, batters got legitimate good hits off Lil' Lefty. She will have to improve her control and her knuckle change - up. She was the second fastest pitcher I saw all tournament.

She still has an enormous intangible. She loves to win important games! On Sunday, she definitely did not have her best "stuff". One inning, She walked the bases loaded and gave up a triple for the majority of the other team's runs. If I was the coach, I might have taken her out. The weather was cool and windy. The other team went through 3 different pitchers. Lil' Lefty, however, just gets it done. Give her the ball and worry about something else. The game went into extra innings and Lil' Lefty was able to shut down the Vaughn Vikings when it counted. Oh, she also hit well and scored important runs. Way to go Lil' Lefty!!!

Word of the Day in the Mac House

MacDaddy knows the meaning of graphospasm. Quizzed the whole family. Do you know the definition? MacDaddy says he'll pay you 25 cents if you know what it means without looking it up in the dictionary.

To Boldly Go Where No Man (One) Has Gone Before...

MacDaddy up to bat in the rain

MacDaddy's own baseball game was started in blue skies and sunshine and then rained out on Saturday. His rain outs are more exciting because his games are machine pitch, and there is always a chance that there may be fireworks right before they pull the plug and call it a rain out.

MacDaddy made the ride with Mac Mom to Brampton to catch Lil Lefty's last game.

When we got back to Oakville ,I thought it would be fun for a guy's night out. We went to see Star Trek. MacDaddy has been playing with his Mr. Scott toy from a Burger King Happy Meal - "I'm giving it all she's got captain" and said he wanted to see the movie.

To me, there is nothing better than to see a new release movie in a crowded theatre on Saturday night. I do not believe I have done this for years. Our tickets $20. Food for Andrew $25. A night with father and son - priceless.

The movie was good. I really enjoyed seeing the new, young actors saying the old words. Dr. McCoy was really good. MacDaddy liked the way it looked like Star Wars. The story was only OK. Can we please try to stay in one time, these going back and forward confuse people. I assure you that MacDaddy did not get the "gist" of the story. The action, actors and Start Trek lore made it an enjoyable night. The audience applauded at the end of the movie.

If you liked the original, the Next Generation and the movies you will undoubtedly like this movie.

A-Mac Brampton Tourney Summary

Ramblings... no pictures...

After watching a lot of girls fastpitch I have realized that girls get better each year. An average 14 year old is naturally better than an average 13 year old. The annual improvement is significant. An average 14 year old is better than a good 13 year old. (This is one of the reasons we have Lil Lefty on a team primarily made up of kids her own age... even though they are playing older teams.) A-Mac is at least a year younger than 9 of the girls on her team. It is a compliment to her that she is on the team.

She is in a slump at the plate. She does NOT strike out but has seemed to have lost her "mojo" with the training she received on the "load and step". She has been hitting weak ground balls to the second basemen. We are working to correct, and get her back to hitting line drives into the outfield.

This weekend she made significant strides. She hit two hard ground balls between short and third, which means her timing is improving and she is getting her bat through the strike zone quicker.

Her tournament was significantly shortened because of the weather and she only played four games over two three days. I absolutely HATE that I missed a game on Sunday because I was at Lil Lefty's game... something I will have to accept with three kids all playing ball.

During the game I saw on Sunday (with MacDaddy) she made two nice plays at thirdbase throwing runners out at first.

A-Mac's team played 4 games in what turned out to be just pool play and won all four. They played in the 16 (and under) age group. A-Mac is 12.

What Do You Get? Brampton Tourney...

What do you get when you start with Mother's Day weekend knowing you will spend the entire weekend watching 1 baseball game (MacDaddy) and about 10 softball games between A-mac and Lil' Lefty? Add to the mix no sleep, drive 400+ miles in two large SUVs (gas is up to 95 cents a liter), throw in meals at fast-food restaurants, breakfast (eaten in the car while en route) from Tim Horton's drive thru, hail, sun, wind, rain and add in the latest Star Trek movie?



You get Lil Lefty's team winning the bronze as a Squirt II team in a Squirt I tournament and A-Mac's team (Novice I) winning all four of their games in a Bantam II tournament.

MORE UPDATES TO COME AFTER SLEEP!!!

Brampton Tourney - Sat (Rain, Hail, Sun and Wind)

Having played against the Blazers the past two years numerous times in Brampton, we have a saying. "It always rains in Brampton". Even now that A-Mac plays on the Brampton team the saying still seems to ring true to word.



After getting everyone to bed last night after 11pm, we rose early this morning and were out the door at 6:45am. I dropped A-Mac off at her field and took Lil Lefty to her field. MacDaddy got to sleep late as his game wasn't until 11:00am. Minutes before Lil Lefty's game was to start the rains came. Then the hail came, and lots of hail. The picture to the left shows us huddled under a tarp as it hailed. There were 30 seconds when I was concerned... actually thought it might be a tornado.





It rained so much and so hard in a short period of time that an underpass by our field flooded and a player's Mom got her van stuck. We watched the firetrucks and tow trucks pull the cars out. The fields were flooded and the tournament was canceled. Then a call came that games were on and would be rescheduled later in the morning at a different field. I received this information while I was at A-Mac's field.

All our plans changed.



Below, Lil Lefty came in relief during the first game on Saturday. She did great and drove in the tying run with a triple over the right fielder's head... the best hit I have seen Lil Lefty have... and on a 3-2 count. Lil Lefty pitched the second game Satuday and her Mississauga Tigers won.

We have a full slate of games tomorrow. And I heard it is supposed to be cold.

Brampton Tourney - Friday, May 8

A-Mac's team played tonight. She batted twice with an infield hit to 2nd and a srtike out. Still does not look comfortable at the plate. Her team, the Brampton Novice I, won.




Lil' Lefty played after A-Mac at a different field approx 15 min away. Her game started at 8:30pm. Her team played the Brampton Squirt I team... a much older team. They lost 10 - 6. The girl that pitched for Brampton was as tall as A-Mac with bigger arms. She threw hard. Lil' Lefty pitched 4 innings and struck out 7 batters. She consistently threw 45mph (high of 46 mph) in the second inning. She threw well.

We are back at the fields tomorrow at 8AM for a full day of ball.

Two Days Off in May

Our May schedule has two days (May 7 & May 15) where we do not have a softball/baseball activity. So what did we do after dinner last night (May 7)? We went to the field and hit tennis balls. Each kid got their chance hitting against the old man's fastball. They all hit well. It was really fun.

We have a busy weekend with A-Mac and Lil Lefty in tournaments and MacDaddy with a game. Most important is Mother's Day on Sunday...

Lil Lefty - Game vs Halton Hills

Lil Lefty played Halton Hills yesterday. She caught the first two innings and then pitched two innings. She struck out 4 batters in two innings. Note to self: bring the camera.

Practically Perfect

St. Joan of Arc is celebrating Catholic Schools Week. This morning, Lil' Lefty's 5th grade class had a poetry reading for the parents. Lil' Lefty chose to recite two poems for the poetry performance... The Snowball and I am Practically Perfect. Her second choice was most appropriate!

Sit her down!

My dad forgot to mention that the first girl I struck out ...was my ex-teammate and best hitter on the Angels team. I wanted to sit her down! I was grinning when I heard the ump call strike three. She was O-U-T... OUT!!!

He also failed to mention that we pummeled the Angels 28-5!

GO Tigers! Let me hear you ROAR!

Yeah...I struck her out!

Lil' Lefty - First Exhibition Game 2009

Put me in coach, I'm ready to play!
Lil' Lefty played in her first exhibition game as a Mississauga Tiger. Her first game was against the Oakville Angels - her team from last year. We are friends with many of the parents and Lil' Lefty felt some additional "jitters".

Lil' Lefty batted 4 times. She struck out in the first inning and then proceeded to hit back-to-back double line drives and walked in the last inning.

I was happy to get the first inning over. Lil Lefty pitched well getting two pop outs and a strike out.

The pitching mound has moved back this year to 35' (from 30' last year). Lil' Lefty is, well, the lefty in the circle.

Lil' Lefty threw 41-42 mph every pitch with a high of 45mph. She threw a great knuckleball to strike out a batter and probably had 5-6 strike outs in 3 innings. Last year her high speed was 46mph. Our goal for this year is 50mph in a game. I also measured 3 of the other 4 pitchers and they all threw 38-40mph. I do not think she is in "throwing shape" and she says her arm is sore.

MacDaddy - 1st Exhibition Game vs Georgetown

Playball MacDaddy!
MacDaddy played his first exhibition game today against the Eagles in Georgetown. He batted 5th and got up four times with all good hits. MacDaddy and I did some hitting warm-up this morning at Lil Lefty's practice.

He played centerfield, second and thrid base. At third, he made a great throw to first beating the runner to the bag for an out.

The A's ended up hammering the Eagles for an A's first win of the 2009 baseball season!

We are working on extending his swing after he hits the ball.

Tiptoe through the Tulips