Season begins with Spectacular Practice!

The storm clouds went away and the sun came out just in time for six stalwart Blue Jays to start the season in style at practice Saturday, April 2 at Westbrook Elementary School. Sam Berman, Jeremy Robertson, John Wyatt, Andre Schnider, George Roggie and William Amorosi showed up bigger, stronger, and ready to play!

The field conditions left much to be desired, but the skills on display were outstanding. These guys had fun, did their best, and demonstrated great sportsmanship and teamwork all afternoon.

William Amorosi was the first to arrive at practice. Shortly thereafter, he commenced swinging a very hot bat! Notice how William choked up on the bat. Doing this enables him to clobber line drives to left field.

William also showed us how much he has improved his throwing since last fall. The darts that he threw in the field had some serious velocity and accuracy!

This look says all that needs to be said. The BCC National League had better look out; William is serious about baseball this season!

Typically, Sam Berman leads the Blue Jays in bumps, bruises and abrasions. We suspect that this season will be no different. He's a gritty ball player who knows what to do when he picks up a bat. Sam smacked line drives to center field and left field, proving that he did not forget how to wield the aluminum over the long winter!

Sam always pays attention, preparing to track down hits in the field. Sam stopped lots of grounders and made some terrific throws to 1st base. He also did a great job in practice turning double plays. If the Blue Jays make an assisted double play during a game this season, Coach Steve will take the entire team out for ice cream!


Here, Andre Schnider admires one of Sam's accurate tosses to 1st base. These are two good players who work well together.

The Blue Jays are thrilled to welcome back Andre Schnider this spring following his fall sabbatical. We hear that he's been working on his game with his older brothers, and it shows! Andre crushed the ball so hard during batting practice that Coach Steve had to give him faster pitches.

Here, Andre adds to the Blue Jays' total during the fly ball drill. The team hauled in 16 pop-ups to end practice. Even better, everybody caught at least one fly ball! Andre made fabulous plays in the field throughout practice, demonstrating a reliable glove and a rocket arm!

George Roggie has been working on his game all winter. Here, he shows us how he keeps his bat back until the moment when he unleashes a fearsome swing! George laced line drives to all portions of the field.

George was a human vacuum on defense. He caught two well hit line drives at left pitcher's helper and scooped up more than a few throws at 1st base. George also contributed generously to the team's success during the fly ball drill. We can't wait to see more of George's golden glove when the games begin!

John Wyatt might look like a friendly fellow in the photo above, but don't be fooled. He wields a ferocious bat! John asked for faster pitches and then proved that he knows what to do with them. He crushed grounders and line drives past the shortstop on several occasions!

John collected two catches during the fly ball drill. In fact, his work with the glove was impressive throughout practice. Here, John delivers the ball back to the plate after nabbing another pop-up!

Here, Jeremy Robertson hauls in a fly ball to help the Blue Jays end practice. As usual, he did so with a smile on his face! We love Jeremy's attitude. We can always count on him to do things the Blue Jay Way - he has fun, does his best, and demonstrates great sportsmanship and teamwork!

He also happened to belt some fantastic hits through the left side of the infield. Jeremy also proudly led the team in the muddy knees department. Well done!

Gentlemen on the Diamond

The Blue Jays owe a huge debt of gratitude to Mark Amorosi, who spent an hour crouched in the mud behind home plate during batting practice. Catching Coach Steve's pitches is always a thankless task, but Mark went significantly beyond the call of duty on this chilly, damp day. Thanks, Mark!

We were also pleased to welcome back Marty Schnider, a seasoned veteran of more BCC seasons than we care to count. He did an outstanding job shagging balls in left field. Welcome back, Marty!

Suiting Up!

After practice, the Blue Jays in attendance took possession of their handsome new uniforms! Jeremy Robertson shows us his game day attire in the photo above.

The Blue Jays open the season against the Dodgers Sunday, April 3 at 3:30 p.m.

Those who already have their uniforms are asked to please arrive at Pyle Middle School at 3:00 p.m.

Those who do not have their uniforms should arrive at 2:45 p.m. so that they can suit-up before they warm-up.

We will bat first because we are the visiting team.

Go Blue Jays! Let's have fun, do our best, and demonstrate great sportsmanship and teamwork in our season opening game with the Dodgers!

Coach Steve