Two days left in the 2008 season. The end of the year is always tough. Even when you win the championship, the season is still over and we are all saying good bye to each other and to baseball until next season. (more…)
Tough times as of late for the Flying Tigers. The season is in it’s last week and wins have been hard to come by. We have been bitten by the injury bug all year and it continues to nibble on us this month. (more…)
Well, things have really turned south for the Flying Tigers since my last entry. We are currently 24-26 in the second half, 10 or so games behind Dunedin, who is hot as a fire cracker. It has been a combination of many things. (more…)
August will be here tomorrow. August can mean a few different things to different people, depending on the season you are having. It could mean, a pennant race, which is exactly what you want to have happen. We are currently in one right now. 2nd place, 4.5 games back with 35 or so to go. Our team has changed a ton since opening day. Our closer to start the season, Freddy Dolsi, is in the big leagues right now, doing a nice job. We have multiple injuries with our middle infielders this year. The third baseman, Santo DeLeon, is doing a nice job in Double-A right now. Our outfield, for the most part has stayed the same but we have two different catchers than the two we started with. I had to release one of our starters the other day. That was tough. He pitched in the all-star game! In this game, you never know, that is why being consistent is so important in this game. I wish young players would figure that out, but sometimes, they are more worried about being great! Just strive to be good, every time you are out there. Those players, end up having more value than those who are only great once and a while. And if you are great all the time, you are going to make a lot of money.
The other thing that can happen in August is being out of the pennant race. That is a different animal all together. The game turns very selfish. Players forget about winning games and focus on putting up numbers for the following season. That is why playing to win all year is so important. August is a big month. Finishing strong personally and as a team is critical for these guys. And, when a group of players are playing for themselves, it translates into a bad baseball team. Not fun to watch or be around. On the other hand, there is nothing better than competing to win. When the team wins, everyone is happy, or at least they should be. If they are not, they should be playing golf. That is all for now, we are headed to Sarasota for a three game series, Dontrelle Willis on the mound. Talk soon………
Strange to think that the season is in its final six weeks. Sometimes, it feels like we have been playing all year long. We are in second place, 3.5 games back with 6 weeks to go. We are over .500 for the year however; we have lost some real close games in the last couple of weeks. (more…)
A little over two months to go. The season is flying by. And it is about time the Flying Tigers take off as well. We are 6-4 to start the second half and 41-38 over all. Not bad, but could be better. We let one slip away against Clearwater tonight. An error on a routine play in the 1st inning cost us 4 runs but we battled back and tied it in the 8th. We then lost on a bases loaded single in the 9th. Tough one. It is hard to win championships when you lose games you should win. (more…)
The second half has begun and the Flying Tigers are 1-1. We have played well as of late, winning 2 of 3 to end the first half in Sarasota and winning the opening game of the second half. We are still hampered by injuries, but slowly, our injured players are returning. I expect big things out of this club in the second half. Even though we have bitten by the injury bug, we still have plenty of talent to win our division. (more…)
Things have turned around a bit since my last entry. The Flying Tigers are a beat up squadron right now. Our leadoff hitter, Scott Sizemore went down with a wrist injury on Monday night; he will be out for a few weeks. Our third baseman, Santo DeLeon, who has been hampered by injuries all season, broke his nose on Sunday and is out for a few weeks. (more…)
Wow! It has been a long time since my last entry. It has been busy to say the least. We have been on and off the road. Playing pretty well. I have been trying to spend every moment possible away from the ballpark with my family, so that cuts into my computer time. So, those of you who check in and read my blog, I apologize. We are 29-25, 7 games out of first place. That is not exactly where I wanted us to be, but I am very proud of the progress my players are making in their quest to the big leagues. Professional baseball is about development as much as winning. (more…)
Lost a tough one last night. It was a solid 2-2 game until the ninth inning. In the top half of the inning, their lead off hitter reached base. I was expecting the bunt, and bunt they showed. (more…)