Here we go…on to the Semi-Finals

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It is Mothers Day and this is what I wake up to…

Isn’t he cute?????  Ok, so on to baseball! :)   We have a 3pm game so for Mothers Day we sort of sleep in, run to Denny’s for breakfast, and pack up our things.  We leave the hotel, which was extremely nice (the Courtyard by Marriott Waukegan/Gurnee … I’ll give you some props and some free advertising).  The staff was very pleasant and helpful and we only had to be hushed once while out in the courtyard chit chatting late night.  I loved the heaters and the comfy outside furniture.

We get to the field and we are ready to start playing.  Our first game was against the Wisconsin Wilmot.  We arrived at the field a bit early to see the Lake County Lightening win their game.  So, the winner of our game at 3, would play them.  We wanted to play them….BAD.

I took pictures of the game but they are still on my camera and I just wanted to get this post out there!  While we were getting ready to play the semi-final games, two of the “yellow” team kids were sitting on our side and said something to the effect that the Diamond Kings sucked…OH no you ditttttant just say we sucked.  Let it be known that we did win the semi-final game, 20-3.  The boys were on fire….they were out for blood (that sounds so bad, but it was true…I think we all wanted to win…bad).

AND NOW…WE ARE ON TO THE FINALS!!!!!!  It’s us against…”them”, the “yellow” team.
But first…a little pregame pump up…

The game starts and it was pretty neck and neck the first couple innings.  We’d score, they’d score to tie, we’d score, they’d tie…until we fully hit our stride…then it was as if the skies parted and we just took off!  The boys played so hard.   (you can’t tell by this photo cause it’s really ugly (what on earth was he reaching for)…but…hey, they can’t all look pretty)

During one of the inning switches I heard the little “yellow” team cheerleaders, cheering (and I don’t know the whole song, but it was to the effect of the Diamond Kings smell like butt… Oh, I’ll give you a {butt} alright….

After a little personal struggle during game 3, Scott came out of his funk and all the boys pulled together.  As parents, we couldn’t have been more proud.  They fought and they…fought…and {BUTT} we won!  See for yourself…. (just ignore my loud mouth..I just wanted to line up and get out of there lol).

We won 12-5 –it was a bittersweet win!

This trophy is now proudly displayed on my dresser in my own bedroom!

SO THERE….. {not sure who the artist was but you get props too}

I’m just sayin…..

 

 

 

Six Flags Mother’s Day Tournament

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I was a bit upset to find out we were playing on Mother’s Day…let alone in a city that required a hotel stay, BUT…after it was all said and done, it was one of the BEST tournaments we could have EVER played…and this is why.

First, if you have read in my previous post about my dislike for GameDay USA, then you can understand where this is coming from.  I am bitter and I’m not afraid to admit it.  But, it is what it is…

We were scheduled for an 8am game, followed by a 4pm game, followed by another game at 8pm.  Now, here is where I have my issue.  We were, I imagine, one of the farthest traveling teams and we get an 8am game?  Are you “effin” kidding me?  Not only that, but you also have a 6 hour wait, then followed by another 2 hour wait. Ugh…

When you are on a fixed budget, you can’t just pick up and stay at hotels left and right, so we left our house at 6am to arrive at the field by 7:30am to get a team practice in before the game.  I made sure everything was packed up for our one night stay and was ready to go so all we had to do was get three kids up and out by 6.  It was easier than I thought.  After traveling for an hour and a half, we arrive at the field.  The tournament was at the Waukegan Sport Park.  My other complaint, aside from the early start, was the stupid $5 a day parking fee that we had to pay!  I hate paying parking fees when we already play to take part in the tournament anyway!  Anyway, I digress….

We are at the field, which is very nice by the way and the boys do their practice thing.  We get ready to start the game and in the first inning, I cannot even begin to tell you what our team looked like.  From the first error, they just seemed to fall apart and got totally out of sync, to which they couldn’t get back into their own rhythm.  Lets just say they were bad…real bad.  They were slaughtered bad…. (15-3 against the Lake County Lightening) which I can’t say was a bad thing necessarily.  You can’t win every game, right?  So, after their butt whopping, we all went back to the hotels, checked in, got some food, did our things and met back at the field for game two at 4pm.  This time, the boys were on a mission.

Scott didn’t have that bad of a second game, but it wasn’t the greatest…this is a strike, eeks!

I don’t really know what this was (I am getting really bad at keeping track of how he does).

We end up winning the second game by slaughter 16-1 against the Huntley Red Raiders. On to game 3 which was at 8pm against the Lake Zurich Cougars.

Again, I am not really sure what this was, but the boys ended up taking this win too!  They won, 13-0 and we are on to the Semi-Finals!!!!!  They knew that they had to win both games in order to get that #4 seed spot and they did it!  We were all so very proud….

Next post…the Semi-Finals and what happens next!

Yes, that is Gianna. She is ready to take on the world, or at least the baseball world!!

Rockford Tournament

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It seems like it has been forever since I have updated this site so I am now trying to get it all caught up.  The team had a tournament in Rockford earlier in the month (April 28 & 29) but I wasn’t able to attend it so I can’t really report on it other than…yay…they won!  I don’t know the scores, the teams, how they did as a team, all I know is they won.  Here are a couple pictures that were sent to me.  I must admit, I was kinda sad I wasn’t there.  It felt as if I was missing something and I hate that feeling!

Scott holding his medal along with the standard number one finger!

A very blurry picture of Steve and Scott…and a team pic of them all huddled up trying to stay dry.  It had started to rain during their final game and because they were the highest seeded team, they won by default after calling the game on account of rain…or so I’m told.

So by now, I am not sure what their overall record is, but I’ll find out and share it in the next post! :)

GameDay USA -West Chicago-Part 2

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It’s now Sunday and we have a game to play at 11 and if we win, we move on to the Championship game. It is necessary for us to win. Yes, I can definitely say that us parents probably want this win more than the kids do!

We were playing the Horner Park Highlanders.  I honestly don’t remember what Scott did the first game. I was so cold that I couldn’t really write, yet alone stay focused on the score and what he did. I do remember his first at bat he got a single…but after that, I’m clueless.  I think this was his second at bat…where he may have struck out???  I can’t remember!  My bad!
It was also not that exciting in the outfield.  Although, Scott did back up center field well…

Game one…ovah…quick and painless.  We won 22-1…slaughter rule.  Time to move to on to the CHAMPIONSHIP game!  YAY DK’s!!!

The team we were up against was the Top Tier Red.  We heard prior to the game that they had a 3-0 record for this tournament.  Didn’t do much to scare us…cause we were in our zone and once we get there…it’s hard for the boys to lose that momentum.

It was a great game.  The boys played hard and it showed.  There were a few hiccups along the way between coaching staff and umpires, but over all, it was an exciting game to watch.  The other teams coaching staff was a bit shady…yeah, I’ll say it, they were shady.  But then again…what can you expect from a team that wants to win at any cost….sometimes you have to get down and dirty…right?  (So not cool)

Scott had a rough game though…personally.  He struggled with two strike outs and left him feeling not so good.  I’d say he was reaching for the stars with that strike… With a little …’get your head in the game’ pep talk by mom, he was out there playing again and the team went on to win, 12-7.  (making our record 11-1 yay team!)

Winning was so bitter sweet for us.  We wanted this win…BAD and the boys delivered!

Darryl, Billy and Scotty proudly show off their cuteness!

And Scotty, showing off the “big” trophy along with his individual first place trophy.

I must give a big hats off to our entire coaching staff and parents.  Something had to be said about the coaches when the players show a true sign of great sportsmanship.  While the second place team dilly dallied around, we had to wait for them…even though we didn’t want to wait…who holds up a trophy ceremony so they can talk to their team…the Top Tier Red team, that’s who.  We patiently wait…and wait…and wait.  Finally, the teams are lined up to receive their trophies and while the second place team is accepting their trophies, our entire team, coaching staff and parents are clapping…as a sign of a job well done…they fought a good fight, made some great plays…over all, when it’s all said and done, it was a good game.  While our team was accepting their trophies, the opposing coaches and team just stood there…like lumps on logs.  Not once did we hear a clap from them.  That is a true sign of unsportsmanlike conduct if you ask me.  But what do I know, I am just a mom…a baseball mom.  Their coaching staff chit chatted in ignorance which prompted me…(I won’t speak for all the parents) to cheer just a little louder.   As for GameDay USA…we go on record to prove that we do not need to remove our kids to play a baseball game, we can accept a forfeit with grace and dignity, and we can win (or lose) like true champions because as far as this baseball mom is concerned, no matter what happens…we are and always will be good sports, because that’s just the kind of people we are.

 

 

 

GameDay USA -West Chicago Tournament {Not Impressed} Part 1

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I don’t really want to start out this post with a complaint, but I will.  I know I have to bite my tongue just a little bit longer but it will seem like an eternity if I don’t just vent right here…right now.  Here in Illinois we have an organization, Game Day USA.  They host a great deal of youth baseball traveling tournaments.  This may seem one sided and for now, it is.

We were scheduled to play a game on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  The time on Friday was one that was not exactly convenient…for anyone, and especially, the Plainfield Diamond Kings.  Why?  Because the first game was scheduled at 4:15pm on Friday.  So, you are thinking, what is the problem, right?  Well, the problem is that our boys do not get out of school until 3:40pm.  We are about 45 minutes (on a good traffic day) from the field.  There is/was no way we would have made it there…even if we didn’t get a pre-game practice in there. We tried to get the time pushed back a little…we provided additional options, but the organization basically said, we can’t change the time….people like to socialize with friends and family on Friday….they actually prefer an earlier game…that they have to work with many different teams, blah blah blah and if you can’t make it…well then you are left with no other choice but to forfeit.  I am sure their sponsors (according to their website, Baseball Youth Magazine, Rawlings and a few others) wouldn’t be too happy to hear that they prefers to line their pockets instead of working with teams and setting reasonable game times.  After all…all schools are still in session!  And, much to my surprise, the team we were playing made a comment on their own website stating the time of the game wasn’t great….but that Game Day wouldn’t change it.   Instead of pulling our boys out of school early…we stuck to our guns *as it clearly would send a wrong message to our kids* and accepted our forfeit.

So…we move on to Saturday.  We had an 8am game time and then again at 10am.  We arrived at the field at 7:15am in the freezing cold (33 degrees to be exact) and watched the boys as they began to play the game they love to play…baseball.  All the parents were bundled trying to stay as warm as we could while being the best cheerleaders ever!

Game 1, we played the Wasco Warriors.  Scott’s first at bat he got a single and his second time at bat resulted in a walk.


It was a great game (even though the other team did an annoying clapping thing to try and distract our pitcher…sorry, it didn’t work with our boys…they brought their A game).  Even with their somewhat sly tactics, we ended up winning by slaughter, 16-1.

Game one…ovah!!!! On to game two.

Game two started at 10, and we played the Southside Rage.  The boys were just getting started.  And, it was still FREEZING!!!  We noticed a slight problem as the boys were running to home plate, that once they got there, if they didn’t slide on their own, their cleats didn’t catch very well and they ended up slipping and sliding on the plate itself which caused a few to stumble, twist an ankle and while none of our boys were seriously injured…they very well could have been.

Scott’s first time at bat…here’s what happened…(listen for the “thump”, lol)

And here he is getting ready to slide into home.
By this time, we were telling the boys to slide into home plate no matter what! Scott went on to get another single. It was pretty uneventful in the outfield today. However, we went on to win game two…slaughter rule…16-1.  It was quite the exciting time.  You see, because we were forced into a forfeit on Friday, it was essential for us to win both games to qualify for the championship spot on Sunday.  We were more than happy that they boys went there with a mission to win, and did.  We were some pretty proud parents, to say the least!

We all left the field, still cold, but I think that being so excited with our two wins, it warmed our hearts just enough to get us home…we had two victories under our belt and we needed one more in order to play for the big prize on Sunday…first place.

 

 

Lock ‘N Load Championship Day

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Back for a rematch, we played the Highland Heat once again this morning.  It was a nice, quick game.  We won as a result of slaughter rule, 17-0.  The boys took a little break to chill and then it was back on the field for them…and back to the stands for us parents.  We played the championship game against the Bolingbrook Rampage again and won in a tough game.  The final score was 23-7.   Our 10U Plainfield Diamond Kings now have an amazing record of 7-1.

I am so proud of Scott and the rest of the boys.  They have done an amazing job so far.  I know, I know, the season is still young, but I am very confident that they will have a wonderful 2012 season!  I am also very proud of all our coaches.  They have done a tremendous job molding these boys to become fine, young athletes.  They play with integrity, they play with their hearts, they all show great sportsmanship in wins and losses.  They are overall, a nice, well-rounded group of athletes that anyone would be proud to know.

 

{DIY Craft} Fleece Knot Blanket

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Sitting outside in watching baseball games in the beginning of April…here in the Chicagoland area…it’s pretty windy…and chilly.  You need to start the season off with a bunch of blankets and warm clothes.  However, this year, our weather has been a little goofy with it being 80 degrees one day and 50 the next. I brought my blanket to our Saturday game and was so happy I had it.  I was nice and toasty warm!

For this easy project, you will need two colors of fleece.  For a nice size blanket, I’d suggest using at least 2 yards of each color.  I only used 1.5 yards and while it’s perfect for my short 5’2″ body, for some, it might be too small.  What you want to do is just lay them both flat, one on top of the other. Start out by making about a 2″ slit (about 1″ apart) all the way down one side of the fleece.  Then go back to the beginning and start tying both pieces in a knot.  Do this all the way down until you have completed knotting the one side.  You will want to cut the corner out so that you aren’t pulling them funky and it lays flat.  Once you are done with the one side, repeat the process with the remaining 3 sides until you have tied your entire blanket in knots.

Your fingers will most likely end up hurting…but when you are sporting your spirit blankie…you’ll be proud and warm!

Lock ‘N Load Lockport Tournament

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Well, it’s now Saturday, April 14th and we have won two more games.  We started the day playing the Highland Heat at Hassert Park in Crest Hill/Lockport, Illinois.  We won by slaughter rule with the score at 21-0.  It was a cold, windy day and it was one of those days where you’d rather be inside nice and warm, but….when baseball comes calling, …you must play! You can see the clouds…doesn’t it look nasty out there?

Here Scott is on third and in scoring position after a walk at bat.  The ball is hit and here comes Scott…scoring a run… (I love this picture that I made using Instagram!)

After our morning win, we took a break, had some lunch at Pop’s and went back to the fields for game 2.  We played the Bolingbook Rampage and even though there was some taunting, we ended up winning the game, 12-5.  Our boys held it together and did what they went there to do…win!

 

{DIY craft} Baseball Wreath

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I found this DIY baseball wreath on Pinterest and I don’t remember where/how I stumbled upon it, but when I saw it, I knew I wanted to make it.  The one that was shown didn’t have the DK or the number 3 and as you can tell, I more or less customized it for my son’s team and used his number to show my support. It is also a little different, not sure if it was a sizing thing or what, but I ended up using a lot more balls than what I originally saw.

I must give you a warning prior to you attempting this craft.  You need to use a hot glue gun and though I thought I was being extremely careful, I did end up burning my thumb as some of the glue dripped right on it.  Let’s just say, it hurt like HELL!!!!

But, after it was all said and done, I was really happy with how the wreath turned out.  So, even after seeing my burnt thumb, should you wish to attempt this on your own, you will need hot glue sticks, a hot glue gun, a Styrofoam wreath (I used a green one), some ribbon (color of your choice) and some batting filled baseballs.  I ended up finding the baseballs at our local Party City.  They were sold in packages of 12 for something like $5.99 each.  I bought 3 packages and used each and every single baseball. I also picked up wooden letters (our teams initals) and my son’s number.  I painted them to match the team colors (obviously they are royal and orange).

Now that you have your supplies, wrap the ribbon all the way around your wreath.  Once that is done, you can begin to hot glue all your balls to the wreath.  I started out just going right around the circle down the middle of the wreath.  From there, I went on the outside of the wreath, and then followed it up in gluing them in the center.  I laid out different ways to glue the initials and number and found that the way I have it shown above was the best visually pleasing layout.  I glued the initials and wrapped some ribbon around the base of the wreath so I can hang it and wha-la…a baseball wreath has been made!

Cardinal Sin… I forgot my camera!

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I can’t believe I did it, but it’s true… I forgot to bring my camera to the rest of the tournament.  You will just have to visualize a bunch of 10 year olds playing baseball and having fun doing it.  Our second game was played on Friday, April 6 again at Inwood Park in Joliet.  We played the Illiana Chiefs and ended up winning again in a slaughter rule, 10-0.  I wish I had pictures from the game…dang!!  I did manage to grab a quick picture of Scott after the game…notice how clean his uniform is so far! :)

Since I forgot my camera, I will just go on to say that the boys played again on Saturday and won again.  We played the St. Joe’s Storm and won, 18-3.  We thought we were on a role until we met our match when we played the Lincoln Way Prospects.  We did lose the game 3-6 but we held our boys held their heads up high and lost with grace.  It was an amazing start to our tournament play.  The Diamond Kings are movin on up!