Game 7 (3/31) vs. Yankees

On a cold night at Las Lomas, though blessed with great pitching performances, the Cubs bats just did not heat up in time to prevent a 3-1 loss to the Yankees. On the mound, Sean, Mario and Kaden combined to hold the Yankees to just 3 runs. In the first two innings, the Yankees only put the ball in play once. On defense, Anon made a nice play at second base and Kanade made a nice play at third. Matthew B. turned in his usual stellar performance at first base and Kaden and Sean took turns behind the plate. In the outfield, Matt tracked down a ball in left-center field and Brandon stayed prepared in right. However, the two "Web Gems" of the night were: (1) Wyatt, who circumnavigated a tough spinning ground ball at second and then alertly dove onto second base for an inning-ending and run-saving force out (see photo to left); and (2) Zach, who sped to track down a long drive into right center field, and despite his coach's doubts about the throw, fired the ball all the way to home to catch a runner trying to score at the plate on a nice tag by Sean at catcher for a key run-saving out, giving Zach his second outfield assist of the season, leading the league (see photo to right). On Zach's throw, the Cubs' coach has to admit that he heard the sounds of his old basketball coach's voice as he shouted "NO NO NO ...... YES!!") Those were two of the top defensive plays of the year and both showed energy, effort and focus.



On offense, the cold air seemed to chill the aluminum (or space age composite material) of our bats, as we just couldn't seem to get going at the right time until the final inning when consecutive singles by Kanade and Mario were followed by a smashed double by Sean (his second hit of the game), and only a perfect throw for left field prevented the Cubs from pulling within a run with the tying run on third. Earlier in the game Anon legged out an infield single and Matthew worked an important walk.

Awards:
Energy: Zach, for turning on the jets to run down a ball in right center field, air-mailing the cutoff man to nail a runner at home
Effort: Michael, who came to support his teammates while he could despite being too sick to go to school (don't tell his teachers that you saw him at the game)
Focus: Wyatt, for knowing the situation on his great play at second base. That required him to know (1) because he was at second and the ball was hit hard, he had time to block the ball and pick it up; and (2) with a runner at first, he had a force play at second so he could just dive to the base rather than trying to make a play on the runner or at first. It also had the added benefit of getting dirty, always another plus Nice job.

Game 6 (3/24) vs. Giants

Once again, the Cubs fell behind 3-0 in the first inning, this time to the Giants. Once again, the Cubs came storming back, this time scoring 9 unanswered runs, allowing only two Giants to reach base after the second inning. The offensive highlight was Anon's two-run triple to the fence in right center-field, which drove in two-runs. Since the game ended, baseball officials, using images from a super-secret NASA satellite, have concluded that the "triple" was, in fact, a home run. The 9-3 comeback win marked one of the Cubs most complete performances of the season, showing focus, energy, effort and mental toughness.

On the bump, Kaden, Mario and Michael each threw two innings and combined to shut out the Giants over the final five innings, holding them to only one hit in that span. On defense, Anon made two stellar plays at second base. On the first, he recorded an unassisted tag play to end the first inning. On the second, he dove to stab a hard ground ball, then fired to first base, where Matthew B. did some multi-tasking: (1) scooping the ball out of the dirt; (2) while falling toward right field; (3) while keeping his foot on the base for the out; (4) while remember to hop up to hold a runner at third from scoring. Speaking of Matthew, moments before his multi-tasking play, he caught a towering, twisting, tantalizing foul pop -- a play so nice he caught the ball twice. Sean also caught a high pop up and had a nice assist at shortstop. Michael and Kanade each had nice plays at third base, with Michael's punctuated by a rocket of a throw to nail a runner at first by a half a step. Matt L. made a nice stop on a hard-hit ball to right, and Sean, Kaden and Michael each did yoeman's work behind the dish.

At the plate, Anon's triple-turned-dinger was perhaps the hardest hit ball of the season. Mario rapped a double and two singles, had two RBI's and scored a run. Sean got things started on the Cubs rally by ripping a double to lead off the game and singled later. Kaden reached base safely three times and scored twice. Matthew B had a nice offensive game, getting a single and a walk, scoring a run and driving in two. Wyatt walked twice and came around to score each time, the first on a steal of home marked by a super slide under the tag which really seemed to stir up the crowd and the team. Michael hit the ball hard three times. He only had one hit to show for it -- but two Giants' players had something else to show for it -- red seam marks. Kanade walked once and almost beat out a routine ground ball to first base. Brandon almost had an infield hit too on a ball that just went foul.

Awards:
Focus: Matthew, for his stellar play at first base, focusing on the ball, his glove, his foot and the game situation
Effort: Anon, on his triple/home run, who not only focused on speeding around the bases, but also focused on using his hand to keep his helmet on. We'll have to do some Willie Mays drills on how to lose your hat with style.
Energy: Wyatt for his steal and great slide into home
Teamwork: Zach, for showing up hurt to support his teammates

Game 5 (3/20) vs. Rangers

Well, for the last four innings of this game, the Cubs outscored the Rangers 3-0, with no Rangers baserunner getting past second base. Unfortunately, we have to count all 6 innings, including the first two, when the Rangers scored 5 runs to defeat the Cubs 5-3.

On the plus side of the ledger, Matt drew two walks, stole second in the third inning (photo to the left, courtesy of the incredible action shots taken by Amy S.) and came all the way around to score on an infield hit by Sean. Zach also walked twice, stole three bases and scored a run. Kanade had two hits, showing off his speed on both of them and by stealing bases and turning in an acrobatic play at home plate. Brandon reached on fielder's choice scorcher to third base. Matthew B. walked and grounded out on a hard hit ball. Wyatt also hit the ball hard and just got nipped at first base after running hard down the line. Mario and Anon each drew key walks. Kaden showed a good approach at the plate, hitting the ball hard to the right side. Michael and Sean each had a single and each flew out deep to center field.

On defense, Wyatt made a nice stop on a ball in left field and snagged a hot smash at second base for an assist (please see photo to right), Mario made a very nice play on a grounder in the hole at shortstop for an assist and recorded a putout on a lead runner on a head's up play by Kaden at pitcher, almost converting a 1-6-3 double play, Anon had a nice catch at second base, Kanade had a good assist at third, Matthew recorded five outs at first base, and Michael and Sean donned the "tools of ignorance" as Yogi Berra called the catcher's gear for two and three innings, respectively, and played valiantly back there on a hot, dry day. On the mound, Kaden retired the final four batters he faced, the last three on just 6 pitches and Michael threw two innings of no-hit ball, retiring 6 of 7, including 5 strikeouts.

Awards:
Energy: Kanade. His acrobatic leap over the catcher in and of itself was enough for the award, but his two hits and multiple stolen bases just added to it
Effort: Matt for his great job on the bases -- not just for stealing second and coming all the way around to score on an infield single, but also for his great job listening and knowing the situation by getting back to the base on an outfield flyout.
Focus: Sean, who stole two bases and scored on one pitch
Toughness: Kaden, who battled back from things out of his control to finish strong on the mound when his team needed him.

Game 4 (3/17) vs. Mets

Heading into the top of the sixth, the Cubs trailed the Mets by three runs and things looked bleak on a warm St. Patrick's Day evening in Irvine. However, the Cubs broke out the hitting Shellelaghs, with Mario, Michael, Kaden and Anon ripping consecutive singles, and came back to tie the game. After holding the tie in the bottom of the frame, the Mets were able to push across a single run in the bottom of the seventh, giving them a hard-fought 7-6 extra inning win over the Cubs.

On the mound, Michael got things started with two strong innings, including 5 strikeouts. Mario came in and threw two solid innings. Anon showed grit in his first stint at pitcher in the fifth, and Sean closed out the game, including shutting out the Mets in the bottom of the sixth to get us to extra innings.

At the plate, the sixth inning heroics of Mario, Michael, Kaden and Anon were not the only highlights. In the first inning, Michael and Kaden each stroked two-out singles, with Michael eventually scoring following walks to Anon and Matthew. In the second, Zach was hit with a hard pitch in the back, but got his revenge by stealing second, stealing third and scoring on a throwing error by the catcher. Mario led off the third by ripping a triple and scored on an RBI by Kaden. Kanade laid down two textbook bunts, including one for a single and one to move a runner. Matthew had an RBI walk and Matt drew a key walk. Wyatt put up a strong at bat in the sixth and Brandon nearly beat out an infield hit.

On defense, Matthew closed out the first inning with a great running stab of a liner at first base. Anon made a similar great snag on a screaming liner a couple of innings later at second base. Kaden made a great diving tag at home to catch a basestealer and Michael at catcher and Sean at pitcher combined to throw out a stealing baserunner from third in the bottom of the sixth inning to preserve the tie (photo). Michael also turned in an unassisted double play at first base.

Awards:
Effort: Kanade, with two bunts, one for a hit and one to move a runner
Energy: Mario, who hit the ball hard three times, scored two runs, and got the game tying rally started in the sixth
Focus: Michael and Sean, who recognized the potential game winning run on a delayed steal from third and combined to record the out, preserve the tie and end the inning
Physical Toughness: Zach, for wearing one for the team then creating a run on the bases
Mental Toughness: Anon, who while having a little trouble finding his control, told his coach "I still want to pitch" to stay in the game, and then delivered the game tying-single the next inning.

Game 3 (3/13) vs. A's

Wow! The Cubs' pre-game talk was about "mental toughness" and the Cubs put their mental and physical toughness on display in a hard fought 5-3 win over the A's.

Once again, Kaden got us started on them mound throwing 4 shutout innings with seven strikeouts, running his streak to 7 consecutive scoreless innings. Sean came in to get a 1-2-3 5th inning, and then fought back. In the top of the sixth and final inning, after the A's scraped for 3 runs, to finish strong with a strikeout of the potential tying run to end the game. A great mentally tough game on the mound.

In the field, the Cubs once again made the routine plays look routine and even made the spectacular plays look routine. In centerfield, Zach turned on the jets to run down a hard hit ball in the alley in right-centerfield, made a beautiful pivot and fired a strike to Mario who slapped down a perfect tag to nail a runner trying to stretch a single into a double (See Photo to right). It was a picture perfect play. Kanade made a nice play a third base, Anon caught a pop up and had an assist at second base, and Michael and Sean once again wore the gear with pride behind the plate.

At the plate, the Cubs did what needed to be done. Sean had two hits and scored two runs from the leadoff slot. Mario and Kaden and Zach each got on base and scored to round out the scoring. Anon showed good patience, walking twice. Kanade laid down a perfect bunt. Michael had an RBI and Matthew and Wyatt each hit the ball hard.

Offensively, the Cubs' strength in this game was on the bases. Smart and aggressive baserunning combined with good speed really paid dividends. It started with Sean legging out an infield single in the first inning and then making his way around the bases and scoring without the ball leaving the infield. In the third inning, Zach with walked with one out and then promptly stole second, stole third and scored on a wild pitch (See Photo to right). In a wackey fourth inning play, with Sean on first, Mario hit a ball which the right fielder couldn't handle. Sean started to go from first to third, but stopped when the throw beat him and found himself in a rundown -- which he seemed to relish. However, one wild throw later, Sean was back on his horse, rounding third on his way to home. He slid under the tag for the Cubs' third run. All the while, Mario alertly ran all the way to third, rounded the bag and broke for home when the throw back to the pitcher went awry, scoring the Cubs' fourth run. The final run came as a result of even more smart and tough baserunning that same inning. With Kaden on second and Anon on first, Matthew hit a tough ground ball. The A's went for the out at first, with throw pulling the firstbaseman into the basepath. On a bang-bang play, Matthew was called out despite running hard down the line. In fact, Matthew ran so hard that he collided into the firstbaseman who had stepped in front of him on the base to catch the ball. As a result of the play, Kaden came all the way around to score, Anon made it to third, and scouts for the USC and UCLA football teams were asking who #52 for the Cubs was and wondering if he had any eligibility to play strong safety.

Awards:

Energy: Matt, for running hard on and off the field despite his sprained ankle.
Effort: Zach, for his great hustle-play in CF and for stealing three bases; Kaden, for his four shut-out innings; and Mario, for coming all the way around to score on a bloop to right field.
Focus: Kanade, for his text-book bunt following the signs and Brandon for keeping our "in the hole" hitters on their toes about their jobs.
Physical Toughness: Matthew, for playing hard with no fear on his run down to first and in the field
Mental Toughness: Sean, for digging deep, focusing on the next pitch, and making sure the world knows who owns home plate.

Game 2 (3/10) vs. Angels

It's hard to even imagine a "perfect game" for offense, defense and pitching at the same time, but the Cubs almost had one tonight. On offense, we saw a home run, triple, double and lots of singles to combine for 10 runs. On defense, the Cubs flashed the leather like All Stars, with no runner getting past second base. On the mound, we faced only two batters over the minimum for a shutout. A tremendous all-around effort.

On the mound, Kaden got us started with three shutout innings and four strikeouts. Mario came in for the save. No runner ever got past second base and the ball was never hit past the infield. Tremendous job.

On offense, Sean hit a two-run home run. Michael had a triple and scored twice. Kaden had a double and a single, with three RBIs and scored two runs. Mario doubled and scored. Anon had a single and two RBIs. Wyatt singled and scored two runs. Matthew singled and scored. We also showed great speed and aggressiveness on the bases. Everyone contributed.

On defense, Matthew played another stellar game at first base, recording two unassisted putouts and making nice stretches and scoops on two more. Michael threw out four players from shortstop, Mario had a nice play at the bag at second base (and almost turned two), Anon had a nice assist at second base to end the game, Sean once again donned the gear and turned in a fine performance behind the plate and Zach was itching for a ball to come to him in the outfield.

Awards:
Effort Award: Wyatt, for turning on the jets, knowing the situation and listening to his coaches, scoring all the way from second base on a wild pitch to score our 10th run AND for legging out an infield single to start an earlier rally.
Energy Award: Brandon, who ran hard on and off the field, and backed up first base from right field like he was putting out a fire.
Focus Award: Kaden, who ran our second to third on a ground ball play to perfection.
Toughness Award: To Michael, Kanade and Brandon who all wore one for the team, each of which resulted in either them scoring or driving in a run.
Teammate Award: Matt who, despite a sprained ankle preventing him from playing, came in full uniform to support his teammates.

Great game, Cubs. Thanks to David N. and Jeff S. for covering for the late-arriving manager and thanks for Kathy L. for the pitchcount.

Game 1 (3/3) vs. Brewers

Tonight's game was played on 3/3 and ended in a 3-3 tie. But the Cubs showed, grit, determination and toughness and exhibited the three characteristics we have been working on in practice: Energy, Effort and Focus.

The Energy Award tonight goes to Kaden, who pitched two solid innings, got a hit, stole 2 bases and scored a run, made a really heads-up play to get a lead runner on a 3-6 putout from first to shortstop and made a diving game-saving tag to get the last out at home from his catcher's position to secure the tie.

The Effort award tonight goes to Sean for his legging out a double in the first inning and scoring, his four innings behind the plate (including a nice tag out at home and numerous nice stops) and his coming in to close out the game at pitcher and to Anon for his single to right in the first inning and his walk in the fourth inning. which, with his speed on the bases, enabled him to come all the way around to score our third (and as it turns out game tying run).

The Focus award is shared by Brandon for his heads-up backing up of a play from right field, knowing where he had to be and getting there in a hurry and Matt who, in his very first at bat in a baseball game, connected and fired like a rocket down to first base.

I'm going to add another award, and that is the toughness award, and it goes to Matthew B. and Zach who each "wore one" for the team, getting hit by a pitch. Matthew played exceptionally at first base and Zach saw a lot of action in centerfield, running down some tough chances.

On the mound, the combination of Kaden, Michael and Sean held the opposition to 3 runs in 6 innings. Kaden got us off to a great start, then Michael reitred 10 of the first 12 batters he faced, and Sean came in to preserve the tie. Nice game on the mound.

In the field, by my count, we recorded 13 defensive putouts (out of a possible 18). That is one of the highest percentages you will ever see in a youth baseball game and tells the story of how the defense played. Nice plays all around, including a nice catch by Wyatt at second for a 1-4 forceout, a fine play at second by Kanade, two very nice plays at shortstop, one by Mario in the first and one by Michael in the second, and a number of good plays by Matthew and Kaden at first base.

At the plate, Sean had his leadoff double, Kaden, Anon, and Mario all had hits and Michael had an RBI groundout.

Again, all in all a fine first game of the season by both teams. Thanks very much to Kaden's dad David for filling in for two innings for our late umpire and for David, Jeff S. and Craig B. for coaching, and for Celestine M. and Kathy B. for scorekeeping and pitchcounting. And in case anyone wonders why some of the Cubs players might have kissed their sisters on the cheek tonight, I game them a homework assignment of finding out whether a tie really is like "kissing your sister."