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Farm League Fun

I began coaching youth baseball back in the mid-1990’s. Over the years I have had more fun being a part of teams and interacting with parents, coaches, players, and opponents than I could ever recount.

Goffstown Grizzlies Baseball 2018: Season End

The media covered it all. Social media has shared it, posted it, messaged about it, commented on it, and talked up one side and down the other about the game. The community showed up. Little leaguers dreamt. Players past and future all ached for a big hit. Students were noticeably immense. Parents glowed, they wished the pain to carry, then they returned from the glorious trip’s end. Coaches planned, paced, and in the end tipped their caps. Town sports. Team sports. Competition. Ultimately, it was all about the kids. As it should be.

Goffstown Grizzlies Baseball 2018 Final Round

Goffstown got great pitching, some big hits, and was patient at the plate in earning a 5-1 win over the Kennett Eagles. With the win, the Grizzlies advanced to the Division II State Championship game where they will meet the defending State Champs from Portsmouth on Monday evening at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester at 7:00 pm.

Goffstown Grizzlies Baseball 2018 Semi-Final Round

#2 Goffstown was able to beat #15 Pembroke in the Preliminary round and advanced to play #7 Windham on Saturday. Goffstown got some timely hitting and great pitching en route to beating the Windham Jaguars… 

Goffstown Grizzlies Baseball 2018 Quarter-Final Round

#2 Goffstown was able to beat #15 Pembroke in the Prelims round and advanced to play #7 Windham on Saturday. The Grizzlies host Windham at St. Anselm College at 1 pm on Saturday, June 2nd.… 

To the Help

This one goes out to the help. The volunteers. The community. The common thread found among a group. Maybe it’s a passion that you didn’t realize you had, but you couldn’t stay away knowing that… 

We Weren't Done Yet!

Isn’t there another chance to learn that play? A chance to show the new skill being mastered? When can we cover this again? Why does it always have to end? Those who are closest to… 

It's Alright to be Impacted by the Game

Sometimes I stay up quite late just so I can let my mind run away from the real, and approach subjects that I would much rather touch, or certainly feel.

Then there are times when I lengthen the day just to wrestle free from the noise, you know, to get out from under the distractions, and that which just annoys.

So, what. So I can prove that, maybe, something good happens after midnight, and I descend to the depths of thought, just to get to the core, then I sit and write.

Engage

…Be engaged. Recognize the moments. Fully savor them and let them wash over you. For if you ask me, it’s better to have engaged fully with all of the senses even for a second than… 

The Last Day of the Season

To Coach Hartwell, Coach Dodge, our baseball community, and the parents and families surrounding the players on our team:

As gravity took over and the baseballs’ path fell from the sky and rested finally into the opposing left fielder’s glove, my hopes for a miracle comeback were replaced with the reality that I knew could come. Almost immediately, I found the softer, sentimental side of me taking over and countless thoughts and memories started messing with my mind. I mean, I was still just making my way on to the field to shake hands with our opponents, and my mind was flashing memories of my own personal collection of “The Last Day of the Season”. As we shook hands, and I congratulated the other team and wished them well moving forward, a coach from the other team asked me to make sure that Goffstown, please, put in a bid to host the State Tournament next season. This was a vote of confidence and a compliment to how well our community had run the District Pool Play Tournament over July 8-14 this summer. Then, as I turned away from the end of the line, back towards our dugout, I could feel that choking feeling rise into my throat, and my eyes started to water despite my best efforts to keep such things at bay.

To me, it’s still THE Game

The other night Albert Pujols hit career home run number 536 to tie Mickey Mantle for 16th on MLB’s All-Time Home Run List. This is quite the accomplishment as Pujols continues his Hall-Of-Fame level career. I am not sure how many baseball fans noticed this feat. I am certain that regardless of how many home runs Albert Pujols hits, he won’t be remembered like Mantle still is, and that’s not his fault.

Albert Pujols ties The Mick on the All-Time HR List

Thankful Because “It” Was

The winter season is still upon us here in New Hampshire. Yesterday’s temperatures actually made it into the 50’s here, and even though I love winter, it was a really nice day. It was a… 

Baseball Then and Now

For as long as I can remember, I have loved the game of baseball. I still do. I don’t just love the game play, but I love the strategy, the gamesmanship, the personal effect, the… 

Thank you Baseball

To Coach Hartwell and Coach Dodge: This morning I woke wishing we still had games left to coach, or even tournament games left to organize. Excuses for me to be at Allard Park are easy… 

Local Baseball Trivia ~ What town?

In 2012, during the NCAA Division II Baseball College World Series a player from this town hit the first home run of the tournament. Then, this year, 2014, during the NCAA Division III Baseball College… 

The Wide-Eyed Boy and The Game

This is a short story I wrote because even after all of my years in baseball, playing it, watching it, writing about it, coaching it, dreaming about it, and teaching it, I was genuinely inspired.… 

Goffstown in Baseball, and the NCAA Tournament

Yes, I have lived in Goffstown, NH for the better part of 20 years. I am quite proud of the sports teams in our small town (population of roughly 17,700), especially in baseball. New Boston, NH… 

Baseball – I

Close your eyes. I mean, really close them. Let yourself drift off to another place. Clear your mind. As Billy Chapel says in For Love of the Game, ” clear the mechanism.” You’re sitting outside,… 

Figure it out!

As the baseball season winds down and new names are written into the great history of post-season baseball, I can’t help but grow increasingly upset with the NHL. After all the momentum hockey has seen… 

A day of fall baseball at CCSU

Yesterday was the last day of fall baseball scrimmages at Central Connecticut State University. I went down to see Ryan (my 19-year old son) play. He caught all 12 innings of the intra-squad contest, as… 

Here we go, MLB style

This afternoon the baseball season continues, the post season. This season marks the first time in Major League Baseball history that 10 teams, yes one-third of the teams, made the playoffs. Now, for two of… 

Summer of 2007

  Fortunately, and unfortunately, at the same time, I came across this little email I wrote five years ago. It still brings tears to my eyes when I read this and reflect on that summer… 

Thank You to Youk’s Kids

On Saturday, August 4th, 2012, lightning struck Allard Park. It certainly wasn’t the first time lightning struck Goffstown’s hidden gem. For the most part the lightning strikes have been of a baseball nature when kids… 

These Sox don’t deserve the likes of Pesky

As if we needed any further proof of the character (lack there of) among this current Red Sox club, this week’s embarrassment takes the cake. This clubs collapse last season was tough to handle but… 

The End: They Left It On The Field

It didn’t really hit me until I was suddenly caught off guard after most everyone but the parents had left the ballpark. I had made my way over behind the dugout to say hi to Ryan and to congratulate him on his efforts. Then it hit me, finality, this final moment hit me, I realized that I did not have my camera, so I asked a friend if they had a camera to get a picture of Ryan and I. That’s about the time that things slowed down just a little bit and when the emotion really started to tug at me.

A Night at Alumni Field

Saturday night 19 of us (friends and family) made our way to Keene, NH for a night of fellowship, food, and collegiate summer league baseball. Oh, and yes there were fireworks at the end of… 

Goffstown In Baseball

Goffstown, NH was incorporated in 1761. Goffstown ranks as just the 14th largest municipality in the state of New Hampshire. The 2010 Census put Goffstown’s population at 17,651. Roughly 15% of the population is between age 18 and age 24, or approximately 2,648 people. I am going to point out some more details from this age group a little later on in this piece. There are roughly 4,000 folks in Goffstown that are under the age of 18, in this group, nearly 10% of this group play baseball in the Goffstown Jr. Baseball organization. I point these numbers out because I find these things interesting enough to share.

Goffstown is a small town. There are 202 municipalities in New England that are larger than Goffstown. For this piece I refer to Goffstown baseball based on the towns the school district pulls from. Goffstown, New Boston (2010 census pop. 5,321), and Dunbarton (2010 census pop. 2,758) make up the school district. I will also point out which town the individuals mentioned in this piece hail from.

Early reviews: Sox are a bust and have lost their way

Welcome to the circus that is Fenway Amusement Park and the 2012 performance of the Boston Red Sox Players as conducted by seemingly, mildly interested ownership. Lead Jester in this years performance is Bobby Valentine.… 

One slugger, one organization, Prince … Albert

I was watching the Brewers and Cardinals play Game Six of their series last night when my mind started wandering towards a thought I will be sharing here for the next few minutes. Albert Pujols and Prince… 

The Team

Baseball undoubtedly will fill lots of space on this site. It’s what I know, it’s one of the things I dearly love. Today is about team. Just team, baseball team, any sports team, work team,…