All In for the Blue Jays!

The view from behind the backstop at Ritchie Park Elementary School was less than picturesque thanks to cloudy skies, drizzle, and temperatures in the forties.

Undeterred, all 13 Blue Jays showed up and gave an excellent account of themselves before, during and after the game with the Dodgers on Sunday, April 15.

The kids worked hard at practice on Friday and deserved to be rewarded with a fun game on Sunday.

Kudos to Blue Jays Parents - those hearty souls whose commitment made it happen for their kids on a lousy day for baseball.

The players proved that they do not require perfect conditions to have fun and play a great game!

April 15 Game Report

Henry Goldstein is a great example of what the Blue Jays are all about.  Possessing zero previous baseball experience, Henry immediately went about learning all he can, improving his skills, and having fun.  Ten days ago, we weren't certain whether Henry should bat right handed or left handed.  After we figured out that he should bat righty, he practiced on his own.  Henry's hard work paid off handsomely on Sunday when he needed a total of four pitches to collect three legitimate base hits to the left side of the field!

Henry is always ready with the glove regardless of the position he plays.  He handled his assignments this week with awareness and aggressiveness.  A naturally accurate thrower, Henry continues to work on his catching skills.  We look forward to seeing what he can do with more opportunities as the season continues!

Niara Gupta reported that she had a "baseball lesson" on Saturday.  It should therefore come as no surprise that she was outstanding on Sunday!  After getting her feet aligned at the plate sans help from the coach, Niara took little time to belt three solid groundball base hits!  In the photo above, she appears pleased to know that her efforts resulted in three trips around the base paths.

Hey, guys, please throw the ball to Niara's mitt!  The lady can catch!  The coach warmed up with Niara at practice on Friday, throwing hard to her glove, and confirmed that she can handle accurate throws regardless of velocity.  The coach has a reason for playing her at 2nd base.  Niara is ready to make outs.  Throw her the ball!

Brody Gottfried does not like to be cold.  A true team player, Brody ignored his discomfort and came through with three great at-bats in the game with the Dodgers.  We were impressed with Brody's hustle to 1st base in the second and third innings.  Brody now knows the bane of the young left handed hitter; "pulling" a solid groundball, as almost everyone does at this age, can make for an easy out on the right side of the infield.  Brody is determined to not allow that to happen.

As Brody gets more opportunities to play in the infield, he learns that opposing batters can hit the ball hard!  That's why we must be ready for the ball not only on every pitch but also when the other team uses the tee.  When there is no infield grass, the ball gets to you rapidly.  Brody had a few hard shots come his way at left shortstop in Sunday's game.

Milen Hukmani plays baseball with a powerful bat and a great attitude.  Above, Milen smiles prior to crushing a good hit to the left side of the infield.  Milen had the misfortune of being the runner at 1st base when a teammate hit a fly ball that was caught by the Dodgers' 1st baseman.  We haven't learned about "tagging up" yet.  For the good of Milen and his teammates, we will introduce the concept at practice on Friday!

Milen impressed everyone by aggressively moving to the ball from the right shortstop position in the bottom of the first inning.  The coaches know that they can count on Milen to be quick to the ball and make good decisions in the infield.  Strangely, Milen did not get many opportunities to make outs at 1st base in the bottom of the second, when the Dodgers laid down what seemed like six or seven "swinging bunts" that were nearly impossible to convert into put-outs.

Peter Herdman wisely ran the bases while wearing gloves that made him the envy of coaches and teammates.  An excellent fundamental hitter, Peter has established his batting skills to the point at which improvement is a matter of small adjustments.  Focusing on keeping his hands high, Peter delivered a high-powered liner in the top of the first and a line drive up the middle in the top of the third.

The Blue Jays didn't get any cheap outs on Sunday - no grounders were hit directly to the 1st baseman or the 3rd baseman for easy force plays.  All four put-outs were assisted, which is profoundly impressive at this level.  Peter delivered the Blue Jays' final infield assist of the day in the bottom of the second inning, fielding a groundball at left pitcher's helper and making an accurate throw to 3rd base for a force play that looked a lot easier than it actually was.

Jacob Carle is a gamer who lends his best effort to the Blue Jays' cause every week.  Above, Jacob prepares to blast a line drive past the left shortstop in the top of the second inning.  Jacob collected three outstanding hits and ran the bases with the requisite gusto.

Jacob was on the receiving end of the assisted put-out in the bottom of the second.  Playing at 3rd base, Jacob did not hesitate to cover the bag and provide a target for his teammate at left pitcher's helper.  The result was a force play that a player of Jacob's caliber should consider to be routine.  Jacob also made great stops on some tricky groundballs at left pitcher's helper in the bottom of the third.

Noah Solovey is one of the more skilled players on the roster when it comes to making his own adjustments in the batter's box.  Remembering to start with his hands back toward the catcher, Noah pounded out two base hits to the left side and one up the middle.  A reliable contact man, Noah is beginning to add power to his offensive game.

Nobody has to tell Noah to get in "ready position" in the field.  Above, he wears a look of determination prior to manning the center field position in the bottom of the second inning.  Another example of a player who has improved by listening and working on his own, Noah is aiming to increase his speed to the ball in order to notch assisted putouts in the infield.

Josh Porter brings the element of speed to the potent Blue Jays lineup.  Above, Josh hustles to 1st base with steely determination in the top half of the first inning.  Josh also likes to swing a big bat, literally.  In the top of the third inning, Josh learned how to "choke up" to increase his leverage.  The ensuing line drive landed just barely in fair territory and might have been the best hit of the day by either team.

Josh impressed the coach with his hustle in practice and his quickness to the ball at right pitcher's helper in the game.  As he gains experience, Josh will learn that making a good stop on a well hit ball tends to provide sufficient time to turn and deliver an accurate throw to 1st base.  Playing baseball well requires attention to little details that often do not seem important.  Experience is the best teacher.

Dominic Delgado smiled broadly before taking off from 1st base in the top of the first inning.  He had reason to grin, having crushed a ground ball that bounced all the way to the outfield in his initial plate appearance.  A consistent run producer for the Blue Jays, Dominic also knocked a single up the middle in the top of the third.

Dominic made the most of his turn at left pitcher's helper, where he collected not one, not two, but THREE infield assists in the bottom of the first inning!  His back-to-back assists came with runners on 1st and 2nd; Dominic knew what to do before the ball was hit!  When he recognized the same circumstance later in the inning, he fielded a grounder and tossed another accurate throw to 3rd base to score the fielding hat trick!

Evan Phillips managed to deliver a solid single in the top of the second with a very large bat!  He then sampled a smaller bat and crushed a blistering base hit up the middle in the final inning.  Evan is working to reduce the distance of his stride prior to his swing.  We've noticed that many players employ that particular tactic at this level.  The problem is that it doesn't work when you move to machine-pitch and kid-pitch, where pitches get to the plate more quickly and do not allow time for long strides.  Evan did a nice job of listening to the coach's explanation and adjusting during the game.  That's why we're here!

Evan made his debut at right pitcher's helper and took advantage of the opportunity by playing heads-up baseball.  Demonstrating good awareness and making sound decisions, Evan learned that playing "up front" means being ready for both the rocket shots that get to you quickly and the "swinging bunts" that stop three feet beyond the plate!  This is a tough job, but Evan is up to the task!

You become a hitter when the coach no longer tries to hit your bat with a pitch.  Clark Roggie has officially graduated to "hitter" status.  In three plate appearances on Sunday, Clark hit pitches in three different portions of the strike zone.  He pulled a pitch on the inside corner to right field, grounded a base hit up the middle on a ball at the knees, and lined a single to the left of 2nd base on a pitch over the outer half of the plate.  Clark now hits the ball where it is rather than swing in the same place every time, a huge developmental step forward!

Playing at 3rd base in the bottom of the third, Clark proved that he knows how to handle the position.  He covered the bag and nearly pulled off a couple of unlikely assisted put-outs on "swinging bunts" that his teammates managed to chase down and throw quickly enough to make things interesting.  Clark also made nice stops on two very well hit grounders at 2nd base in the bottom of the first.

Adam Farber is a kid that coaches dream about, offering solid tools, good listening skills, and a great attitude.  When he makes mistakes, he focuses on correcting them!  Adam has had to work to eliminate the uppercut in his swing.  Above, he sports a smile on his way to first base after crushing a ball from the tee.  Making the adjustment to keep his hands high, Adam later walloped clean base hits in the second and third innings without any assistance.  That is how it's done!

Defensively, Adam sparkled at the hot corner in the first inning.  The ball was not hit to Adam, but that didn't stop him from making three put-outs!  Understanding that he must cover the bag when he has a force play at 3rd base and the ball is hit to a teammate, Adam did his job and completed three consecutive assisted put-outs.  To understand how rare that is, consider that the Blue Jays' first two opponents have combined to complete zero assisted put-outs in two games!

Wyatt Fotiades ran hard and reached 1st base safely in each trip to the plate.  Above, Wyatt rumbles to 1st base after knocking a groundball up the middle in the top of the first.  Having just two games under his belt, Wyatt has established a good baseline for success in the batter's box.  He exhibits consistently good foot placement and hand position.  Once he gets his vision and timing down - and he will - Wyatt will be ready to send opposing fielders scrambling!

Wyatt learned just how "ready" a player must be at the right pitcher's helper position in the bottom of the first.  Standing just 30-35 feet from the plate, players at RPH find that a hard grounder can go by pretty quickly!  Wyatt did a nice job of adjusting and moving to the ball as he gained experience playing "close up."

Let's give the Dodgers some credit for showing up, having fun, and playing hard despite the cold and damp conditions.  Assuming you really want to play baseball, you will play on some days like this one unless you plan to move to Arizona.

Shared Experience

The Blue Jays benefitted from the wisdom of BCC American League (second and third grade) coach Rishi Gupta at 1st base.

Navin Hukmani stepped up once again and worked behind the dish for three consecutive innings.

Brett Goldstein contributed to the Blue Jays' cause from the 3rd base coaching box.

Everyone appreciated that Adam and Wyatt Fotiades had the postgame snacks ready as soon as the game ended.  This was a day to get your snacks to-go, please!

Let's celebrate some parents who took one for the team and helped to keep the players warm.  Ryan and Josh Porter were all smiles.

Jaclyn Kanarish and Brody Gottfried opted for a blanketed approach.

Dominic's family engaged in an undercover operation.

Peter's mom and brother win the award for Best Rain Gear!

Shivani Gupta demonstrated that Montgomery County Moms take a back seat to nobody when it comes to toughness and endurance.

Not surprisingly, the kids proved to be resilient.  Do these guys look like they were worried about cold weather?

We think they had fun playing baseball!

That is not to say that they won't have even more fun playing baseball when spring finally arrives for good!

Coach Steve