From the President
As we go to press, the spring season is complete
and the summer season is getting underway.
I would like to tell you of a few noteworthy events of the spring.
First, we have received final approval to build a permanent building on
West Side Field to house our concession stand and bathroom facilities
(see accompanying article). This is the culmination of our five-year
plan for West Side and a giant step for our program. Second, I would
like to recognize the efforts of the Town of Win chester in providing us
with the best field conditions I have seen in many years. Thanks
to Jay Gill, Tony Celli, Chad Maurer and the work crews who have redoubled
their efforts to meet these goal. We are told that other improvements
will become evident over the next few months in preparation for next year’s
games.
I hope that all have had a positive experience in the program this
year. Wins and losses are not as important as learning solid baseball
skills and asso ciated skills such as teamwork and sportsmanship.
Youth sports are not all about the game that you play, but more about what
you learn from the expe rience.
In this letter, I would like to emphasize a key quality I hope each
participant will learn and exhibit in their participation: commitment.
When I played Little League here in Winchester a few years back, my father
always made sure that I filled out the ap plication myself. Each
year before I signed the ap plication, he would stop me and ask if I understood
what my signature meant. I assured him year after year that I did.
He would then chime in with the word "Commitment." By signing the
form, he would tell me, you are committing to be at every practice, game,
party or scrimmage held by your team. If you should be chosen for
an All-Star team, the commitment still holds. That means, for example,
that if your friends invite you to the beach and you have a game, you know
where you should go. You owe that to you coach and especially your
team mates who have made a similar commitment to you.
Well, certainly times have changed a bit from the 50’s - yes I am that
old. We have more to do today before. There are far more activities
and sports to experience. I am 100% in favor of a multisport athlete.
I have been quoted before as saying that in the bottom of the last inning
and the bases loaded, with my team down by a run, I want a good athlete
at the plate: the same player that will score on the penalty kick or in
the shootout; the same player the will sink the fouls shots with no time
remaining. However, please remember your commitment to your team.
The team and coaches depend on each and every player to be present and
contribute to the best of his or her ability. Consider the scenario
where you don’t honor your commitment to come to a game and only eight
of your teammates are there. Those eight players will not be able
to play their game. Is that fair to them? To their families
(perhaps Joey’s Grandma drove up from Walpole to see the game)?.
To their coaches? I realize that schedules are hectic and people
are busy, but please try to remember your commitments and the lessons kids
learn from honoring them.
Please enjoy the second issue of The Rundown. We certainly welcome
your feedback and if there is anything that we can do to help your season,
don’t hesitate to ask.
Bob
Sixteen Year Old All Star Tourney At Manchester Field
The Eastern Massachusetts Senior Babe Ruth 16-Year Old All Star
Tournament will be held at Manchester Field from July 10 through July 13.
The double elimination tournament will be the first step in the journey
to the World Series, this year to be held at Springdale, Arkansas.
The participating teams hail from Middlesex North (the host team),
Middlesex South, Cape Cod, Cape Ann, and the Taunton District
Winchester’s Kevin Teahan who will manage the host Middlesex North
team, will showcase a strong group of all stars from the towns of Winchester,
Malden, Medford, Lexington, Woburn and Melrose. Central to the team’s
success will be a corps of outstanding pitching that has been the hallmark
of the Middlesex North teams thus far this year.
Come down to Manchester and watch some of the best young talent in
our area.
Spring League Champs Crowned
As the spring baseball and softball seasons recently came to a close,
many teams squared off against opponents in their respective leagues in
battles for 1997 bragging rights. We congratulate the fine efforts
put forth by all players and the dedication they showed all season in
helping to improve not only their own individual skills, but also in working
to contribute to a strong team performance. They made it a tougher
challenge for the few teams who were actually able to make it to the top.
Please join us in taking our hats off to the champions (C) and runners-up
(R) of 1997:
Babe Ruth (Combined with Bedford, Burlington, Concord)
R Ken’s Sub Shoppe Red Sox
Bambino
C William Parkman Lodge Red Sox
R Ann Blackham & Co. White Sox
Senior Minors
C J. Lawrance Construction White Sox
R Murray & Quill Braves
Junior Minors
C Shield System White Sox
R Winchester Police Phillies
Senior Softball
C John Moriarty & Assoc. Hawks
R Pondview Florist Falcons
Intermediate Softball
C Scruples Eagles
R Teresa’s Fashions Blue Jays
Winchester To Host Eleven Year Old District 1 Bambino Tournament
Winchester has been chosen to host the 1997 eleven year old District 1
Bambino Tournament. The games will be played at West Side Field from July
6 through July 13. The tournament will consist of the double elimination
format with five teams competing for the
(continued on page 2).
Winchester To Host Tournament
(continued from front page)
right to advance to the State Tournament.
In addition to the Winchester entry, the following
towns will be represented:
· North Waltham
· Warrendale
· Marblehead
· Saint Mary’s of Revere
Winchester hosted and won the District in 1996 advancing to the next
level under manager Gino Lattanzi. This year’s manager Nick Mitropoulos
will be fielding another strong team and is anticipating a highly competitive
tournament.
The eleven year olds will take the field for their first challenge
on Monday July 7 at 5:30 PM. Parents and friends are urged to attend these
games and support the Winchester entry. Those that attend will be treated
to some fine baseball and witness first hand the progress of the players
and the success of the program.
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Town Approves West Side Field Building Plans
The approval for construction of a field house
moves the West Side Field Complex into the next and final phase of the
five year plan.
Over the past several years, the Sachem Youth Baseball/Softball Association
has been investing time and funding into all of the diamonds in town to
provide safe and well groomed playing fields. In cooperation with the town,
improvements such as: backstops, fences, protected dugouts and groomed
playing surfaces are readily visible to passers by
The most dramatic steps however are less visible to the general public
since they have been quietly occurring in the seclusion of West Side Field.
That is unless a stray foul ball has landed in your cart as you strolled
through the flower beds at Mahoney’s Rocky Ledge. Tucked serenely behind
Mahoney’s and accessible only by a short unpaved road from Wildwood Street
is Winchester’s showcase for youth baseball and softball - West Side Field.
The transformation of West Side from virtually an open field with overlapping
diamonds, poorly maintained playing surfaces and few parking spaces to
the current well fenced and maintained complex has been the result of hard
work by volunteers and financial support by the Sachem Youth Baseball/Softball
Association (SYBS). The result is that Winchester now has a dedicated field
space for the young stars 12 years old and younger baseball and
softball programs that is second to none in our area. The addition of the
field house will fill yet another void in the facilities that is long overdue.
The building will house a fully equipped canteen with traditional fare
such as popcorn, hotdogs, pizza, hot and cold drinks and sweets. Men’s
and Ladies’ rest rooms will be a welcome addition since the nearest relief
currently is at Mahoney’s. Full handicapped accessibility is planned
for the facility.
The new structure will also provide central storage for baseball and
softball uniforms and playing equipment during the off season and heavier
field maintenance equipment for use in the warm weather months. The current
practice of storing wherever space can be found will be eliminated allowing
better control and security.
The architectural design is being drawn up by Allan Schoenegge and
promises to be an esthetically attractive addition to the complex.
Project Manager Ralph Vitti will oversee the construction and conformance
to building codes.
While the Board of Directors have routinely budgeted funding for field
improvements, this construction will be far and a way the most ambitious
and costly project to date. The Association will be asking our supporters
to step up to the plate and provide assistance. We will be looking for
help especially in terms of materials and services in kind from the trades
and crafts. Of course, cash donations will be welcomed from those not in
a position to offer labor and materials.
A special account has been established for patrons wishing to make
cash donations.
Please make checks payable to :
West Side Field House c/o SYBSA.
Mail to :
SYBSA P.O. Box 612
Winchester MA 01890.
Donations of skilled labor or material can be made by contacting Ralph
Vitti at 721-5141.
In the earlier conceptual stages, we envisioned something of a traditional
barn raising by volunteers. The Town wisely insisted that professionals
erect the facility in compliance with all codes eliminating the possibility
of a substandard or unsafe structure thereby protecting the Town and the
Association. We now recognize that this is not a job for amateurs.
Other contributors including Aberjona Engineering, Inc. and EBM Inc.
have joined Vitti and Schoenegge in providing professional expertise in
structural and electrical requirements. We hope and anticipate that the
list will expand as donations of skilled labor and materials are received.
The Town has come through in its own right by committing to provide
the necessary water and sewerage hookups.
Baseball 101
As we promised in the inaugural issue, we will offer in each issue something
we hope will add to the enjoyment of baseball and softball fans as they
participate and spectate. This time we discuss some of the rules
you probably have heard of but may not understand as well as you’d like
because they are only invoked only every few games and as a result, they
are not as familiar.
Infield Fly Rule.
Consider the following situation: with runners on first and second
bases and no outs, the batter hits a routine pop up to the shortstop.
The batter trots to first base so he will be safe there if the ball is
not caught. But neither of the other two runners can stray far from
his base and risk being put out if the ball is caught. Recognizing
this, the shortstop might purposely drop the ball to treat it as a grounder
and obtain a double play by forcing the runners out at third and second.
This strategy, which trades a single out (the pop up) for an excellent
chance to make a double play was practiced in baseball’s early years until
it was outlawed in 1895 by an Infield Fly Rule. Of course, in the
early days, when gloves were primitive protective devices and not modern
catching tools, it was much harder to catch a fly ball.
The Infield Fly Rule says that if there are less than two outs (i.e.,
a double play is possible) and there are runners at first and second or
the bases loaded (i.e., there are at least two runners who are forced to
advance on a ground ball), the batter is automatically out upon hitting
a fly ball (not a line drive) which the umpire deems to be catchable by
an infielder with "ordinary effort." The automatic out removes the force
double play. However, the ball remains in play and the runners may
advance at their own peril (but seldom do).
Dropped third strike
A strikeout consists of two steps: the first is to get three strikes
on the batter (this is the actual strikeout); and the second is to put
the batter out. Usually the putout is routine and consists of the
catcher merely catching the ball after it crosses home plate. If
the ball hits the ground before it is held firmly by the catcher, the batter
is not out unless he/she or first base is tagged by a fielder holding
the ball before the batter touches first base.
Like the Infield Fly Rule, there is a certain situation in which the
defense could gain an advantage by dropping the third strike intentionally,
for example, when there is at least one runner in forced position with
less than two out. The dropped strike would require each forced runner
to advance and the catcher could throw to, say, second base to get a force
out and then to first to get the batter for a double play.
The Official Baseball Rules do not permit such a double play!
A batter who strikes out with less than two outs and a runner on first
is automatically out, even if the catcher does not catch the ball. Incidentally,
a foul tip caught by the catcher is treated as if it were a swing and a
miss and the ball is in play, even if there were less than two strikes
on the batter. A foul tip dropped by the catcher is an ordinary foul
ball and the ball is dead in order to allow any runners to return to their
bases.
Balk
In baseball, the pitcher is not allowed to deceive base runners in
order to keep them close to their bases or to try to put them out.
(In softball, since runners are not allowed to lead off their bases while
the ball is in the pitcher’s hand, balks do not apply, but other special
rules apply to the pitcher.)
A balk is such an infraction by the pitcher which is penalized by allowing
each runner to advance to the next base. A runner on third is allowed
to score.
When on the pitching rubber, the pitcher must either pitch to
the batter or step and throw to an occupied base, step and fake a throw
to an occupied base (but not to first base), or step off the rubber.
Any other action is a balk. Similarly, the pitcher may not perform
any action that would be legal from the rubber while he is not in
contact with the rubber. When pitching the ball, he may not make
any movement which is not in keeping with his normal pitching motion.
So a twitch of shoulder to cause the runner to think the throw is coming
to first base is a balk.
Depending on how you count them, there are twenty or so movements that
the rule book calls a balk. Some of them are quite technical, and
only seen on occasion in the highest leagues.
Interference
When a fielder is in position to field a batted ball, he has the right
to make the play without being hindered, impeded or confused by a baserunner,
whether such interference is intentional or not.
When a fielder is in position to field a thrown ball such as to make
a play at a base, a runner may not intentionally interfere (umpire’s judgment).
In most instances of interference, the offending runner is called out.
Sometimes another runner will be called out because of the action of the
interfering runner. For example, a takeout slide at second base
by a retired runner to prevent completion of a double play will result
in the runner at first base being called out for the action of his teammate.
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