From the President
We have just completed a very busy summer program and with more on-field success than in recent years. Our U14 girls once again captured the Babe Ruth Softball state championship. Congratulations to the girls and coaches for a job well done. Our U12 girls played great ball all summer and challenged for the league championship. Our 16-18 boys made the league playoffs and had a good season. Our U14 boys won a gold trophy in the second round. The 13-year-old boys won a first round gold and then qualified for the Tournament of Champions. Both the 13's and 14-15's went deep in to district play. We hosted the 12 year old districts and our team won and advanced to the state tournament. The team played very well in the States before bowing out. We hosted the 11 year old State Tournament. Our team finished second and advanced to the New England Regional. The 11's also went to the Tournament of Champions finals, picking up a silver trophy. We also fielded a second 11-year-old team that played well for the summer. For the first time ever, we fielded 4 10-and-under teams, 2 in Bay State and 2 in Greater Middlesex. That means we have a tremendous number of kids playing in the summer, and that number seems to grow every season. This is a wonderful thing. I want to thank all of the coaches for dedicating their time so that the players can enjoy and learn. Without coaches, there are no teams. I also want to thank the volunteers that staffed the concessions during the summer and particularly during the tournaments. Although we never seem to have quite enough help, we seem to make it all work. Lastly, I want to thank the board members that helped during all those weekends. Your tireless work allows us to host these events.
I have written many times about volunteering to help. This is the foundation that has built our program. Our overall program has grown at almost 10% and the summer program faster than that. We need volunteers! We need new people to join in and help out in order to continue the progress and growth of the program. Please sign up to help out. We have a great program and need to keep it moving in a forward direction. We need each person's help to achieve that goal.
I have been the President of this program for the past 5 years. This role has taken me away from what I really like to do, to coach baseball. This past summer I had the privilege of being named as the manager of a 9 and 10 year old baseball team. I admit to having been a little tired and disgruntled going in to the season. It had been a long year with the lights and all. But I want you all to know that this was one of the more invigorating experiences. The kids are simply wonderful. They restored my energy and faith. It wasn't about winning. It was about learning the game and having a good time. I think that we did that. I bring this all up in relation to the volunteering as well. The reason to fight for the lights or to coach is the same. It is all for the kids. You can have fun too.
See you in the spring,
Bob
Tryouts for Major League To Be Held Sept. 23-24
All Winchester baseball players who will be 10, 11, or 12 years old as of July 31, 2001, are invited to try out for the Major League teams at West Side Field on Saturday and Sunday, September 23 and, 24. The rain dates will be September 30-October 1.
Anyone wishing to be considered for the draft must submit his/her registration form and attend at least one of the sessions, but preferably both.
If you are unable to attend, need to come at a time other than that specified for your age group, or have any questions about the Cal Ripken Majors, please call Commissioner Nick Mitropoulos at 729-2619.The times will be as follows for the respective age groups:
| 12 year olds | Sat 2:00-3:15 | Sun 12:00-1:15 |
| 11 year olds | Sat 3:15-5:15 | Sun 1:15-3:15 |
| 10 year olds | Sat 5:15-6:30 | Sun 3:15-4:30 |
Please note that league policy requires that two 10-year olds be drafted by each of the eight teams.
All players not drafted for the 2000 season will be drafted by a AAA team before the upcoming season and, if of proper age, will be eligible for future major league draft(s).
Returning players on Major League rosters must also submit their registration forms before September 25 to hold their roster spots, although it is not necessary for them to attend the tryout.
Guest Column
By Joe Lang, Varsity Baseball Coach
The Middlesex School, Concord, Massachusetts
A resident of Winchester, I have been a high school baseball and football coach in the Greater Boston area for over 24 years. In that time I have gained a lot of baseball experience and as an educator have tried to impart those experiences to my student athletes.
In sports, there are many things you can't control, like the coach you have, the team you are selected by, or the competitiveness of your fellow teammates. But, the one part of sports you can control is your attitude. Baseball is probably the fairest sport that you can play, because there are no physical requirements. You don't have to be tall or big or exceptionally fast or even have a strong arm. There are nine positions on a baseball team and each requires a different skill. What this means then is that there is a potential for anyone who works at the skills needed for the position they may choose to excel at their chosen position. A short personal story will help illustrate this point.
Tom was a recent high school player of mine who was a very good third baseman, but unfortunately could not hit with any power. Although he was a solid contact hitter, opponent's played him defensively to the bat side of the field, where they were usually in position to make the play on him even if he hit the ball right on the nose.
Tom soon recognized his hitting strengths and weaknesses and approached me at practice about how to improve his hitting for power. We decided instead to take advantage of different types of pitch locations and develop his ability to hit the ball to the opposite field. This took concentration, discipline, and hours in the batting cage. Eventually, Tom became adept at hitting the ball to any field depending on where the opposing pitcher threw the ball.
Tom's strong will and hard work paid off. His average jumped 200 points and in his senior year and he was elected to his league's All-Star Team. Were there better power hitters in the league? Of course there were, but none of them wanted it more nor were willing to work as hard as Tom to achieve what they wanted most.
Good luck to all of the players in the Sachem Youth Baseball/Softball program this coming season. Remember from Mike's real life example to have dreams, maintain a good attitude, work hard, and develop good habits, and destiny will take care of itself.
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Registration Begins For 2001
Registration for the 2001 baseball and softball season is officially underway. Parents are urged to register their kids by mail using the enclosed form as soon as possible. An earlybird discount is offered to those who register before October 1, 2000.
Please make a copy if necessary for multiple children or acquaintances. If you prefer to register in person, the opportunity to do so this year will be on Saturday, September 16 at the Police Station Community Room from 9:00 AM to 12:00 noon.
All Cal Ripken Major League returning players and candidates (i.e., those who try out on September 23-24) must register before the tryout.
Also, this is a perfect opportunity for parents to volunteer to help our organization by checking off one or more boxes on the registration form. A description of the duties of each volunteer position is shown on the reverse side of the form along with a description of the available leagues.
We would like to remind all players and parents that in order to be eligible to play baseball or softball in the summer, the player must participate in the spring. This important restriction contributes to the quality of both the spring and summer leagues; exceptions cannot be granted.
Annual Meeting Set, Volunteers Sought
Sachem Youth Baseball/Softball Association will hold its Annual Meeting on Thursday October 26, 2000 at 7:30 PM in the Winchester Town Hall (Waterfield Room). The community is welcome to attend, make comments and ask questions. Officers and directors for 2001 will be elected.
Interested persons are requested to volunteer to serve on the Board. Your efforts will be rewarded by the hundreds of happy young faces you will help create for Winchester's kids and the enjoyment they will experience not only from playing the game but also from improving at it each week.
You may refer to the list of Director positions on the back page of The Rundown to get an idea of the jobs we need to fill annually. For further information or to volunteer, call Fred DeSimone, chairman of the nominating committee, at 729-4049.
Baseball 101 - A Contest for Our Readers
In the first issue of the Rundown, we ran an article entitled "Baseball: A Unique Team Sport."
It was the predecessor to this Baseball 101 series that has been a favorite feature of this newsletter.
That first article is repeated on page 3 for your enjoyment, but we also want to give our readers an opportunity to add to it. So to entice you to think about what to add, we are offering a free registration to play baseball or softball in our spring 2001 program to a player or to the child (one child) of a parent who offers the best suggestion to add to the list of the unique aspects of the sport.
*****ENTER TO WIN*****
To enter your suggestion, simply send it to
SYBS Contest
P.O. Box 612
Winchester, MA 01890
Please be sure to tell us who you are and what player will win a free registration for 2001.
The deadline is October 2, 2000. All entries will become the property of SYBS. And the decision of the judges will be final.
Good Luck. And enjoy reading about "Baseball: a Unique Team Sport" on page 3 of this issue.
Baseball: A Unique Team Sport
(From the Rundown Archives)
A major objective of the SYBS program is to promote the participation of youngsters in the sport of baseball and softball. Rich in tradition and governed by rules which anticipate the multitude of situations that can arise, baseball affords the spectator and player alike opportunities to ponder its many features.
In this issue, we highlight some of the unique aspects of baseball among America's most popular team sports which of course include basketball, football, hockey, lacrosse, and soccer. Although we truly love the game of baseball, we are not suggesting a value judgment here, but rather are pointing out how baseball differs in so many objective ways from the common threads that weave through the other sports. So here goes:
There is no clock in baseball.
Umpires, unlike referees, have no whistles.
In baseball, the teams alternately defend the same goal (home plate), while in the other sports, the teams simultaneously attack one goal and defend the other, each being at the opposite end of a rectangular playing area (nearly rectangular in hockey).
In baseball, a team scores when it safely moves a runner to home, unlike the others where a ball or puck is moved into or across the opponent's goal.
A baseball team can score more than once in a given play (unlike hockey, lacrosse and soccer), but each score results from a separate event (unlike basketball and football where more than one point can be awarded for a single success.
Each play begins with the defensive team in possession of the ball.
The offensive team never holds the ball.
The offensive and defensive teams may never have the same number of players on the field at the same time.
The defensive team may cause an offensive player to be removed from the field by successfully putting him "out."
A player may legally handle the ball when it is out of bounds (foul territory, or even in the seats).
Although they do not actually play, baseball coaches and managers are an integral part of the game, required to be within the field of play in some circumstances and allowed to be on the field in others.
Look for SYBS Email
You will notice that on this year's registration form, we request that you indicate the parent's email address, if you have one available. It is our intention to streamline our communication with the community by using cyberspace. In the not-too-distant future, we anticipate distributing not only virtual versions of this newsletter, but also confirmations of your registrations, team assignments game schedules, etc.
Last year we introduced our website at www.sybs.org, where you can get league information, game summaries, the latest on rain-outs, and the like. It was a humble beginning. Soon we will expand our site to allow online registration and payment and many other neat features.
So when you fill out this year's registration form, please be sure to tell us how to reach your family by email. And don't forget to watch for our timely messages. We want to make your baseball/softball experience as worthwhile as we can.
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