Pittsburgh Pirates

Archive for March, 2010

Article by Cruz Larson

A good ball glove can have a big effect on youth’s enjoyment of playing baseball and even about whether baseball is a worthwhile sport for them to participate in. Kids could be playing many other sports, and in fact, participation in basketball and soccer is growing fast in the US. There’s no better summer sport or pastime than baseball though. It has a rich American tradition that other sports don’t possess and that’s an important part of your own child’s sports experience.

Baseball is a game that is dependent on equipment though, and if the equipment is poor quality or in doesn’t suit the kids using them, it can dampen their enthusiasm for little league baseball. It’s important to buy youth baseball gloves for your child, not small adult baseball gloves which will discourage your youngster.

They had poor equipment back in the old days, including rotted out or horribly stiff leather gloves. Some would actually throw the glove down and try to catch with their bare hands. It may not be that bad today, but in visiting your local sporting goods store, you’ve probably wondered about the quality of the gloves on the store shelves. Some are weird shapes and feel uncomfortable and the selection is many times limited.

The Good Old Days

Have you ever wondered whether baseball glove manufacturers are producing better ball gloves now than in decades past? Well, if you happen to have an old baseball glove still around and compare it to modern youth baseball gloves, you’ll notice a big difference. Those old gloves didn’t make catching and fielding easy for infielders, outfielders and especially catchers. You actually had to have some outstanding athletic skills and knowledge of catching to make a catch. In those days, you used both hands to catch a ball because you had to.

That’s not to say these new gloves are suited to the ball player that’s using them. These kids range in physical size greatly, and play different positions. The child that has a new, well-fitted glove is going to catch the ball better and play with a lot more confidence.

Young ball players with their metal bats are hitting the ball hard, so infielders and outfielders need good gloves just to catch them, let alone throw the runner out at first. We shouldn’t just assume that any glove would do for our child. Each youngster has their own level of coordination and confidence, along with their own style and preferences, and fortunately, there are so many types and styles of gloves available now, that you should be able to find one they like. You don’t see kids get hurt often but it does happen and it will happen more often with the child that feels uncomfortable with the baseball equipment they’re using.

Bad Bounces

Last week, while watching a youth baseball game (11 year olds) a batter hit a ball hard up the middle, fortunately missing the pitcher. The ball hit the side of the mound and bounced up to hit the base umpire in the shoulder. She was hurt and lay on the ground several minutes before getting up. That highlighted well, the speed the balls are reaching and that the young infielder playing with awkward baseball glove is going to playing with fear. Yes, some fear is good, as it keeps them sharp and makes the game exciting, but too much fear and they’re going to get discouraged.

Many of the kids on these teams have gloves that are too small, and overwhelmingly, you see their reluctance to catch well-hit grounders. They generally wave at it going by them and sigh in relief that it wasn’t hit right at them. One youngster in the outfield ran to make a diving catch only to have the ball pop out of his glove. They used to see that if your glove touched a ball, you should have caught it and it is an error for you. When a ball is in your glove, it should stay in there. In this kid’s case, the ball was clearly in his glove and yet it popped out. The reason for that is that the glove didn’t fit his hand and the web wouldn’t close tightly.

He walked dejectedly back to centerfield, his position, and cursed at himself for dropping it. It was like a scene out of a Charlie Brown episode. If he’d hung onto that ball, he would have been walking on clouds and be the pride of the team. I don’t have to tell you how important peer pressure is with kids these days and when kids never catch the ball, it can deflate the team and even the crowd of parents watching the game. Sometimes, it’s downright torture to watch a ball game if the kids can’t catch or throw properly.

Young pitchers too, can have trouble throwing strikes, and after walking batter after batter, you can sense disappointment. The glove on the pitcher’s hand acts as a counterbalance when throwing and if it doesn’t feel comfortable for him, you may be in for a long inning.

A fair number of kids come from homes that can’t afford a new glove every year and they may not be able to afford baseball shoes. If there’s one piece of equipment you need to focus on for youth baseball players, it has to be the glove. Your child is out there standing for half of the game, with this glove on their hand. If it’s uncomfortable, and doesn’t fit, that has to take some of the enjoyment out of it.

There’s a mind-boggling array of youth baseball brands out there to choose from Rawling, Mizuno, Wilson, Spalding, Rawlings, Nokona, Akadema, Kelly, Nike, Louisville, SSK and more. The problem with many of these big brand names is not only the inflated prices associated with these brands, it’s the weight and stiffness of the gloves. The materials and the stitching are sewn well enough. They aren’t designed with kids in mind who after all, don’t have time to break the glove in. Within one year, they will have likely outgrown the glove, so what’s the point of buying a glove like that? The glove ends up unused in a closet or on the garage floor becoming a nuisance object.

Article by Thomas J. Kramer

Tisa Snapbacks- Old School Snapback Hats for Sale are becoming the latest trend from the past making a comeback. The terms to describe these Vintage Snapback hats are Dope and Fresh!!  Although, a new item they are not.  Who can remember the NWA Snapbacks wearing Rap Group from Compton?  Vintage NWA Snapbacks revolutionized from the street wear culture are memorialized in old school rap videos such as “Straight outta Compton” and “Express Yourselves.”  If you look close enough on the videos, you will see some of the following logos on NWA Hats.

NWA Raiders HatsNWA Los Angeles Kings HatsNWA Compton Logo HatsNWA Los Angeles Dodgers HatsOther old school rap videos that display snapbacks are DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince.  (Will Smith)Today’s youth are showing their appreciation of the influence and style of NWA by copying the Snapback Trends.  NWA supported the LA Professional Sports teams by wearing Snapback Hats and was mostly the silver and black Los Angeles Raiders Hats.  Snapbacks are mostly recognized as the NWA Trademark.These hats today are sporting more logos including the Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns and all College Teams including the Georgetown Hoyas and don’t forget the Miami Hurricanes.  If you are a sports fanatic of any kind, there will be a snapback hat for you.  Baseball, Football, Basketball and Hockey it does not matter.Among the number of reasons of its popularity, the teal and purple color way is the biggest reason. These hats are rather more exotic and exclusive since the Charlotte Hornets were dissolved years ago. Everyone surely remembers the games of Alonzo Mourning, Larry Johnson and Muggsy Bogues. The team was big and sick, but now that they have shifted to New Orleans. To learn more about the history of Tisa Snapbacks and find the right hat for you, visit http://www.tisasnapbacks.weebly.com.

I traveled about 30 miles strictly because the atmosphere of a great high school baseball playoff game is incomparable. At least to me it is. I went to see one of the finest pitchers around facing a team that is loaded with outstanding hitters. What a surprising outcome. I prayed that this outstanding game would be rained out yesterday because I had an umpiring assignment and would not be able to see it. My prayers were answered and this game was postponed until today and I will be able to watch it!

I am really looking forward to watching this game, which starts at 3:00. I go to my favorite deli, Anthony’s Deli in Harrison, New York and order a wedge. It is about about 1:45 and I still have plenty of time to attend this matchup between Suffern High School and Mamaroneck High School. At the deli, I see Steve, a fellow umpire and tell him that I’m going to this game, will be sitting under a tree in the shade, eating a fabulous wedge and watching this classic matchup. I asked him what could be better than this. Steve smiled and shook his head and replied, “Larry, nothing is better.” Steve asked me to call him on his cell to give him updates.

The fabulous hitting Mamaroneck team against a very good hitting Suffern team who has the incomparable Robbie Aviles on the hill. Incomparable as in an 0.24 ERA for the year! Are you kidding me? One-quarter of a run per seven innings! It comes as no surprise that he is expected to go high in the MLB draft next week. Okay, so I make my trip of about 45 minutes and arrive at the park. (Told my wife Wendy that I would drive half way across the country to see this game.) She shook her head, almost insinuating that there is something seriously wrong with me. She very obviously does not share my passion for the game.

I arrive about 2:30 for 3:00 start. I have to get there early to make sure I get to put my chair in one of the best locations at the park to view the game. I enjoy my wedge from Anthony’s and wait about ten minutes for the much anticipated first pitch from Robbie. It is now show time and I’m really up for this game and so are the three hundred or so in attendance. (Very good crowd considering it’s a 3:00 start on a work day.) Robbie retires the first Mamaroneck batter. He then walks the number two hitter. His pitching coach visits him on the mound and that sends up a red flag. There is no sense in having a mound visit with this guy on the hill. After about a minute or two passes, it is getting clear to all that something may be very wrong here. Another minute passes and it’s now clear that something is definitely wrong. Robbie is removed from the game. Must be an injury, right? Yes it is. I found out later that it was an elbow issue.

My thoughts are that I traveled to see this classic confrontation and I only got to see Robbie face two batters. What a letdown for me and I’m quite sure many others. Right fielder Nick Kulbaba is summoned to the mound. He warms up for about fifteen minutes because he’s allowed as long as he wants because the pitcher was removed due to an injury. During his warm ups I start to think of how each team will react to this sudden change in plans. I don’t have the answer as to which team it will help. Will the Suffern team who just lost their ace start to hang their heads? Will the Mamaroneck team benefit? I honestly don’t have the answer. But I do know that logic tells me that I would rather face anybody other than Robbie. With all due respect, Robbie is in a class by himself and that’s why sometimes a couple of dozen scouts are in attendance.

Okay, we resume play and Nick calmly strikes out two batters to end the top of the first inning. Nick continues to breeze along and does not allow a hit until the sixth inning! Not bad, huh? Suffern scores single runs in the first, fourth and bottom of the sixth and lead 3-0 going into the seventh and final inning.

About the fifth inning, I told a fellow I met at the game to not count out Mamaroneck. These guys can hit! Well so much for my predictions. The Mamaroneck bats never got going. Suffern gets a two out hit to knock in their third run in the bottom of the sixth and that one had to sting. At 2-0 you’re still in the game. At 3-0 in the last inning, I think you have to be thinking that maybe this is not your day.

In the top of the seventh with one out, Mamaroneck gets a ray of hope with a bunt single. That is only their second hit off Nick. But nothing materializes and they lose 3-0. My thoughts after the game are that I tip my hat to Nick. He came into the game with one out in the first inning and he was lights out and pitched himself a gem. I’ll never forget how fabulous he was and hope he never does either. Brilliant performance! And I’m not really bothered that I couldn’t watch Robbie, except for only the two batters he faced. Hey…Nick pitched a two hit shutout against the two time defending New York State champions and it doesn’t get much better than that.

And Mamaroneck is a perennial power house and their outstanding achievements should never be overlooked either. I’ve watched them many times as their home field is only fifteen minutes from my home and the reason I attend is to watch great baseball. You would be very hard pressed to find a better program and their coaching staff is second to none.

After the game, in the parking lot, I met up with the three umpires who were assigned this very important game. I asked the plate umpire what made Nick so dominant. He simply told me that Nick had a very good well located fast ball, good curve ball and he mixed in about five or six changeups. That’s pitching isn’t it?

No I didn’t get to see Robbie but this truly was a great game. Hats off to both teams and thanks for a great afternoon at the park. What a pleasure! To me, this is the best deal on earth. No charge to park my car. No charge for tickets. Completely free to watch these two outstanding heavyweights square off.

No losers in this one. Only one winner but no losers!

About the author:

You CAN improve and overcome any baseball weaknesses if you are a player, a coach, or a baseball parent and your son is struggling! Larry Cicchiello has hundreds of baseball articles on line and has some FREE baseball tips on hitting and FREE baseball pitching tips available at http://www.LarryBaseball.com. Get ready to be raising a few eyebrows!

Article by formas qartwf

Baseball is a wonderful game played in the United states and has great numbers of fan following to it. There are many major and minor league matches played between the teams, which magnetize a good number of people in the stadium. If you are also a fan of this sport and love watching the match from the stadium, you should certainly go and Buy Baseball Tickets to have huge fun out there. There is a huge difference between watching a game on a small screen set and watching the game live from the ground. You’ll be overjoyed to experience the blast of the stadium when the home team is successful. This feeling of a ground spectator is simply incomparable to that of a small screen viewer.

However, there are several causes, for which many people are unable to Purchase Baseball Tickets. One of the major causes is the cost issue. Normally, the cost of these major league games are on higher side and not many people can afford it. Because of which, there are so many baseball lovers who can’t catch the live action of their favorite teams from the park. Again, if you’re passionate about the sport and can do anything to get the tickets, you should try to Buy Baseball Tickets on-line. There are numerous websites, which offer the match tickets at a discounted price for the baseball lovers. As a matter of fact, there is very limited number of tickets at these websites. Hence, you should try to be first one to acquire those tickets.

If you’re seeking even cheaper tickets, you can Buy Baseball Tickets from the ground itself. There are many street guys who are selling tickets at a negotiable price. If legal, you should definitely purchase tickets from them, as they provide you with the choice of negotiating. As a matter of fact, in case you ask them for the tickets just before the start of the match, you can get the tickets at a desired price. This is simply because the street guy will be happy with whatever it gets in the end time. In this way, you can arrange the least expensive tickets for your baseball match.

If you find that there are many tickets available, you should try to Buy Baseball Tickets, which offers you the best view from the whole ground. If you buy the tickets by spending a great amount and you are unable to view the match properly, then what is the use? Thus, you must look for the best spot for your ticket.

The best way to determine if a ticket is forged is to have it electronically scanned at the gate. Of course you’ll want to know if that ticket your thinking of buying from the guy by the hot dog cart is legit before you fork over your hard earned cash.

To start of, ask the scalper if you can see the tickets and inspect them. Generally if the tickets are legitimate a scalper will gladly oblige in hopes of making a sale. If they say no, this is a red flag that the tickets are no good.

If inspection is allowed you’ll want to look for overall consistency and organized design on the ticket. Tickets should have official markings on them such as the Ticketmaster logo on the back and generally for baseball include the team’s logo on the front. The ticket layout should match other tickets you have used for this team’s events. Insure that the seating arrangement on the ticket matches actual seats somewhere in the stadium as well as insuring the ticket details such as event date and time and teams playing match the event you are trying to attend.

Believe it or not many forged tickets lack the correct data on them and only look real under a quick glance. Colors should be consistent with other tickets you see holders carrying around and if you know the ticket should have a watermark or specific seal make sure it is present before purchasing.

Perhaps the BEST and SAFEST way to ensure the ticket is legitimate is to ask the scalper if you can have the ticket scanned at the gate while they standby. Explain to the attendant that you picked up your season tickets in a rush and want to make sure it is valid for that day’s game. Usually they will comply and if their scanner comes up with an authentic reading, the tickets are good. Those collecting tickets manually may be less observant and forged tickets may get through more easily.

In the event you do wind up with a forged ticket you will want to be honest and contact the baseball team’s ticket management office immediately. There you will be able to turn over the forged ticket, explain who it was purchased from, and at least be able to allow management to alert ticket takers of the latest look and feel of forged tickets.

Colorado Rockies baseball tickets, especially premium tickets, can be hard to obtain but not unattainable if you know the right place to look for them. Die hard Rockies fans will do almost anything to get just about any ticket to the games and if you are one of them, you will know what it means! With the spectacular 2007 season, fans as well as the team are eager to get back into action in 2008. The team made history by winning the National League Pennant for the first time in 2007 with many people attributing the success partly to the team’s manager Clinton Merrick Hurdle. It is no mean feat to win 14 games out of the 15 that were played!

Buying Cheap Colorado Rockies Baseball Tickets

Fans are eager to catch all the action that they can in the Coors field this season and it is no wonder that these games are some of the hottest and most looked-forward to this season. Colorado Rockies baseball tickets will definitely be hard to come by if you do not act quickly! Fans are hoping that the team’s superb performance will be even better this season enabling them to win the World Series.

]]>

Fans are hungry to watch the team take on the National League West as well as the other Major League Baseball teams. Watching the games at Coors Field, a 76 acre ballpark, promises to be an experience surely not to be missed. It is not only considered to be one of the most liked baseball stadiums but also offers the fans an amazing view of the Rocky Mountains. The thin mountain air has contributed to the high scores and the nail-biting games that have been played. The demand for Colorado Rockies baseball tickets seemed to be amazing, forcing the authorities to make certain renovations until the ballpark could accommodate 50,000 people.

Fans will be frenzied to secure Colorado Rockies baseball tickets to see the likes of Matt Holliday, Troy Tulowitzki, Todd Helton, Brad Hawpe, and Garret Atkins giving the game their best. Fans are expecting that Willy Taveras will return to the game with all his force and in better health. As far as pitchers are concerned, the team can rely on Jeff Francis to do a good job.

Fans who seek the Rockies tickets have the choice of opting for cheap tickets that will not tax your pocket or premium tickets including corporate suites that can help them watch the game in style. Whatever your budget is, the best place to purchase the Rockies tickets is at an authorized ticket broker’s website.

They can offer you a huge array of tickets to the games that are scheduled to be played. They can get information about the schedule of the games as well as look up the seating information that would help them secure the perfect seats to the games. The sooner the tickets are booked, the lesser they will cost. One can relax after purchasing Colorado Rockies baseball tickets from an authorized ticket broker as they come with a money back guarantee. The tickets can be delivered right at your doorstep making it extremely convenient for the fans.

Besides the obvious things like bats, gloves, bases, and baseballs, there is one thing that all baseball teams hold in common and that is that they all do fundraisers. They can raise money for all kinds of reasons ranging from paying for end of year banquets to buying new uniforms and often times to help pay for travel expenses for competitions. But, whatever the reason for doing the fundraiser, a baseball team needs find a fundraiser that can raise a lot of money and that is where baseball team fundraising ideas come into play.

For a very, very long time food fundraisers have dominated when it comes to athletic team fundraisers. Who could resist buying a tub of delicious cookie dough or a candy bar from a young athlete selling for the betterment of his team? Well nowadays people are more health conscious and so are the baseball leagues. So much so that in some cases unhealthy fundraisers have been banned entirely.

The other issue with hosting a food fundraiser, or any traditional fundraiser for that matter, is that every other baseball team is likely to be doing the same fundraiser or a similar one. Think about it, the last time your baseball team was fundraising how many other teams were selling nearly identical products? Chances are that this is the case every year. But, what would happen if you found a fundraiser that offered new products or something different? Do you think it would help sales? I sure do.

Folks that are do-it-yourselfers know the value of a hammer that fits in their hands just right. It seems to make the job go much easier and ends with a more successful outcome. If you like to cook, then you know the benefits of pots, pans and cooking utensils that you are comfortable with. Having the correct tools at one’s disposal seems to make projects less of a chore and more of a joyful experience.

The same thing can be said for sports and, in particular, youth baseball. Youth baseball is one of the healthiest of all participatory sports activities for kids because it teaches fair play, integrity, teamwork and sportsmanship. Successful handymen and cooks need good quality tools that they are comfortable with in order to have positive outcomes to their projects. In like manner, youth baseball players need equipment, either aluminium bats or wood baseball bats, with which they are comfortable in order to be successful at hitting a baseball.

Youth baseball bat reviews help parents, coaches and players alike select the baseball bat most appropriate for the players. There are marked differences that are documented in youth baseball bat reviews of aluminium bats and wood baseball bats on a youth baseball level.

]]>

Aluminium bats, such as the Easton, Worth and Mizuno model baseball bats, are lighter and have more strength to propel the ball when it strikes the bat. Baseball bat reviews note that, in youth baseball, aluminium bats can generate more power through the hitting zone. This is because the aluminium bats transfer power better and are lighter than the wood baseball bats, and the additional bat speed means that the ball is met with more force. Thus, the ball will travel further and faster upon contact with aluminium bats.

The big drawback with aluminium bats is that too much power may be generated with these bats. However, there have been only a very small number of related injuries, although any increase in injuries is naturally cause for concern for youth baseball parents. If players, especially pitchers, learn to field their positions, this point becomes moot.

Wood baseball bats are the old tried and true piece of baseball batting equipment for players. Youth baseball bat reviews acknowledge that these bats are susceptible to breakage, and can become very costly for parents and organizations. However, wood baseball bats are the only approved type of bat used in the Major Leagues, so proponents of wood baseball bats base their argument on this fact.

Aluminum baseball bats are more popular and more durable than their wooden counterparts, and are more expensive. As an example, Louisville Slugger Baseball bat types have diversity in pricing. Their wood baseball bats start at and range up to 0, while their aluminium bats have a price range of up to 0 per baseball bat.

Beauty remains in the eyes and hands of the baseball player, and youth baseball bat reviews continue to address these divergent opinions.

You can have the best youth baseball league in theory, but unless you can translate this theory into practice, then all your efforts have been wasted. Once you have your winter or pre-season youth league meeting, designate the coaches and have the league administration in place, you need to set up a fundraising committee.

If you are the league director, the obligation of funding your youth baseball league falls squarely upon your shoulders. Once you have set up a fundraising committee, figure out your expenses and your income for the upcoming campaign. Once you have done that, you will know how much money you need for the upcoming season.

Here are some simple youth baseball fundraising ideas that can help your league have a successful campaign:

- Team Sponsors – This is the best and most efficient of the youth baseball fundraising ideas to get the bulk of your expenditures paid for.

Have the fundraising committee canvas the town and seek out businesses that would like to sponsor one of the teams by donating the funds for the team uniforms for the players. Invite the sponsor to have input into the design of the uniforms, and have a brief get-together between the sponsors and their respective players and their families. They probably know each other already if they live in a small town. Remind sponsors that your organization is a non-profit entity and, as such, their donation is tax deductible.

- Raffle – A league raffle is another one of the youth baseball fundraising ideas that should be put in place at the time you hold your winter meeting. Have your fundraising committee check out printers in town, and see if any of them are willing to defray all or part of the cost of printing up raffle books as a charitable donation. Then your fundraising committee must seek good donations for prizes. These donations must have sufficient value so that people will be willing to take a chance on the raffle. The donations could include a weekend at a resort, a tool box, money, or a combination of prizes. Allow your committee to be inventive, and you’ll be surprised what they might come back with.

- Fundraising Scratch Card – This is currently one of the more popular youth baseball fundraising ideas, and it is simple to organize. There are companies that furnish fundraising scratch cards that contain discounts from major manufacturers. The card contains 50 dots. The person you are seeking the donation from rubs two of the dots on the card. These will indicate money totals, such as or . This is their donation amount for the card. Usually, your profit margin will be 70%.

- Develop an Internet Presence – People donate money and time to a youth baseball league because they appreciate the experience and its effects on kids, families and the community as a whole. To aid your baseball fundraising efforts, the more you can share those memories and involved everyone in those experiences better. A baseball team and league web site where everyone can upload and share photos, communicate schedules and engage in discussions, parent coordination and the like is an extremely valuable way to both engage sponsors and make those involved more able to coordinate fundraising and donate. You can build one for free at some sites like Weplay.

There are many tried and true methods to raise funds for youth leagues, but don’t be afraid to think out-of-the-box for your youth baseball fundraising ideas. Remember to appeal to people’s emotional connection to sports and to kids so that we all remember that this is time and money well spent. Looking back at our own lives, we all know that it is.

Major league baseball corresponds to the uppermost level of baseball competition in North America that includes the teams from the two countries United States of America and Canada. The major leagues are divided into two categories i.e. the National League (NL) and the American League (AL). The teams of both the leagues are aggrouped into three divisions within their league and the divisions are called the East Division, the Central Division, and the West Division.

The season of major league baseball lasts from April to October and lets in the regular season, the matches and the World Series. 162 games are played by the teams during the regular season. The team with the best record included in the matches is considered as a wild card team in each league.  Now the time has come to search for Major League Baseball tickets for your favorite MLB team.

How can one approach to the tickets to entertain one for the upcoming matches? There are so many websites that can provide you with the MLB tickets. These tickets are permitted to ticket brokers that purchases and trades MLB tickets to all major league baseball games for all MLB teams. It includes all of the major league baseball games and the World Series.

No shortage of baseball tickets available on the internet if anybody had searches for that. There are much more options available to find good prices for tickets to baseball due to the fact that most of the ticket buyers are unaware of the online brokers that takes the service charges prior to the date of departure. Therefore before purchasing tickets online, always assure yourself to compare prices after the charges were implemented. One more aspect related to buying tickets is like if you buy late tickets then you can find a good deal. This is true if you buy on eBay, as many sellers try to deliver tickets close to the occasion and wind up taking a hit because of increased rivalry. You can also buy from touts around the first inning and moreover it is none other than the best deal ever because they have a little more importunity to sell because they want to earn a little out of those tickets. In both of these scenarios many times you can find tickets below nominal value.