The End: Scituate (MA) Buccaneers 10 Minneapolis Millers 5

Bad time for our worst game of the tournament. We played in the opening round of the bracket, and we hoped to play on until the 3rd round at least, but it was not to be.Scituate had a good team, but unlike the teams that narrowly beat us in pool play, if we played them 10 times, we'd win more often than not. We got in a big hole in the first inning, slowly crawled back, only to have Scituate pull away in the later innings. They did hit 2 HR in the 5th, one an incredible 13 pitch at-bat, but mostly Scituate waited for us to beat ourselves, with walks, balks, and lack of clutch hitting with runners on base. We were nailed by very suspect calls in the 6th inning, and perhaps less-than-mature displays of emotion (see photo above, in which unnamed player who may be related to me kicks dirt in anger) early in the game gave the umps an excuse to bust us for any little thing. Sam's pitching was our high point. After putting out the fire in the first, he pitched 4 1/3 innings of solid ball, by far our longest outing of the year.

The kids were disappointed to be done so early, especially when they heard Scituate upended a higher ranked team in their next game, but the experience was far from over. With no more baseball to play, we took our requisite pictures at the park entry, blew a few hours at a Cooperstown beach, and then bummed around the town for the rest of daylight, taking in a game at Doubleday Field.

After that, pins, pins, pins.

Thursday was dominated by cleanup, the parents' trip to Ommegang Brewery (I believe a few stayed behind to watch the kids, but as far as I know, the kids were left to wander the streets of Millford and beg for bread crusts), closing ceremonies (see the rings below), and some of the most feverish eleventh-hour pin trading known to man.

Parting thoughts? As a coach, this may well be the most tiring thing I've done since bringing a home a newborn baby. But it was worth it (not something I can say for bringing home a newborn). From a kid and parent point of view, if you get the chance to take the trip, you take it.

Better Know a Miller (Finally Over! Edition): Jacob Werle

Last, but certainly not least, BKAM profiles Jacob Werle.

Name: Jacob Werle
Number: 6
School: Annunciation
Primary positions: C, P

Jacob Ballgame was critical to the team for his catching, pitching, and pull-hitting skills. He also ascribed to the belief of "why say something in 5 words when 50 will do?". Ask him how his arm felt, and you get a treatise. If he swung and missed, a detailed explanation of why he swung and missed would follow. Also won the team title for Most Equipment Lost or Misplaced.
2012 season high point: All year, Jacob was an assassin behind the plate, gunning down runners at 2nd.
2012 season low point: As the team's primary catcher and worst impersonator of Usain Bolt, was pinch-run for many times, aggrieving Jacob greatly and causing him to launch the "Free Werle" campaign, through which he protested the mistreatment of Werle-Americans on the bases.
Weird habit worth mentioning: Did geography homework in the dugout.Specifically, asked for help labeling African nations on a map.
Most likely to get kicked out of Cooperstown Dreams Park for: Communism. At Cooperstown, there's only one country you need to know, and that's the good old US of A.

Better Know a Miller: Mike Wallace

Name: Mike Wallace
Number: 12
School: Lake Country
Primary positions: OF, P

Mike was our Cooperstown guest performer. He played with our team in 2011, was on the other 12AA in 2012, but joined us for Cooperstown. The highlights below are provided by him. Note that he tends to exaggerate.
2012 season high point: Hit 17 HR in one game despite coming to the plate 3 times. Throws his change-up 118 MPH. And that's when he's kneeling. The one time he hit a batter the ball went all the way through the guy's body.
2012 season low point: Was walked 4 times in a game, ending his hitting streak at 7028 games.
Weird habit worth mentioning: Insight is limited, he only played with us at Cooperstown. Despite many terrible questions being asked during the year, Mike quickly took the standard for bad questions to a new level. Example from the first night: Mike: "I have a question". Adam: "Well, I'm explaining substitution rules, and it's late. This had better be a good question. And based on last year, my hopes are low". Mike: (points to cases of water) "Are those for us?" Adam: (hangs heads, sighs): "Mike, that question is so bad I don't even know what to say". You get the picture.
Most likely to get kicked out of Cooperstown Dreams Park for: Hard to say, great kid. But he does like to hug. And Uncle Lou does not seem like the hugging type, in his mind, hugging leads to sex changes. A thank you hug from Wallace might be the beginning to the perfect storm.

Better Know a Miller (Go Back to Your Real Life edition): Sam Virnig

We would have posted Sam's BKAM profile sooner, but in honor of his base-running tendencies, we "got a bad jump"

Name: Sam Virnig
Number: 7
School: Breck
Primary positions: P, 3B, C

Sam was a new Miller in 2012 but you wouldn't know it from the results. He was a strike-throwing machine who hit for power. With his shaggy hair and incessant yawning, it often seemed like Sam was on the brink of falling asleep, but never did. Except on the base paths. That's a different story.

2012 season high point: After not striking many people out, fanned 7 vs. St Croix to set a team record
2012 season low point: Take your pick of baserunning gems: Hit a spectacular bomb, stopped to watch his  hit and turned a triple into barely a single. Picked off by the same EP pitcher 3 teams. Was once nailed by a half-hearted pickoff attempt at 2nd because he jogged back to the base. We could go on. Trust me. We could go on.
Weird habit worth mentioning: If he wasn't at bat or on the mound, Sam was yawning
Most likely to get kicked out of Cooperstown Dreams Park for: Caught stealing (sorry, couldn't resist)

Better Know a Miller (Why are you still at it? Edition): Nate Rivers

The team has been back 10 days, but it just wouldn't be right to close the book without finishing BKAM. Especially Nate, whose BKAM profile could easily be the size of Moby Dick.

Name: Nate Rivers
Number: 
School: Anthony
Primary positions: OF, P, C

Nate was constructed in 2000 from equal parts pipe cleaners, tendon, adrenaline and tear ducts. He is a what is known as "five tools x2" guy. Not only can he hit for power, average, pitch, run the bases, and contribute in the field, but he can come perilously close to total physical self-destruction doing any of the five. He has a deep unmatched love for the game which is expressed with all-out hustle in the field, enthusiastic cheerleading in the dugout, and uncontrolled crying jags during the time of strife.
2012 season high point: Many OF highlights, but against Mankato, after announcing all year he was physically incapable of throwing a changeup, uncorked a change that the hitter was so far in front of he fell over trying to stop his swing.
2012 season low point: The pursuit of the elusive triple was a painful saga. In his first attempt, he took a wide turn at second, ran through a "stop" signal and was gunned down at 3rd (see above). Lesson learned, later in the year he paused at second despite the "run" signal, ran too late, and was again gunned down. In between there was a homerun which was arguably a triple due to poor outfielding. Crueler members of the "triples club" declared in at a homerun and informed Nate he still was not eligible for the club, furthering Nate's anguish.
Weird habit worth mentioning: Believes everything. Especially when it comes to tips on improving his game. If next year you see a green, Incredible Hulk clone playing for MYBA, it's because someone told Nate that taking huge doses of gamma rays would increase his power at the plate.
Most likely to get kicked out of Cooperstown Dreams Park for: There's no crying in baseball.

A Day in the Life

Cooperstown publishes a generic "Daily Itinerary" of what a tournament day is like. It captures a little bit of what really transpires. For a blow-by-blow depiction of a day for the players and coaches, check out this attempt to re-create what our Monday was like, with 11 and 4:30 PM games

7:00 AM - Coaches wake up
7:02 AM - Coaches take anti-nausea medicine to counter the effects of being saturated in the smell of 12-year old feet
7:15 AM - Coaches begin waking players up
7:20 AM - Players out of bed, dressing, brushing teeth
7:40 AM - Jacob Werle finally wakes up, informed he has blown his chance to brush teeth
8:00 AM - Breakfast
8:30 AM - Back to cabin
8:40 AM - Laundry retrieved by coach and Player A, who did something stupid the day before to earn           laundry duty
8:45 AM - Laundry distributed
8:50 AM - Player B does something stupid to do earn laundry duty going forward
8:55 AM - Rousing game of "All Right, Who's Wearing My Underwear?"
9:00 AM - Down time - pin trading, or, sleeping in full uniform, if your name is Ollie Evenson
9:30 AM - to batting cages and practice fields for practice
10:30 AM - depart practice fields for game
10:45 AM - take field for game
11:00 AM - Game time!!!
1:00 PM - Game ends
1:01 PM - Players hector parents for money to get concessions
1:05 PM - Groveling unsuccessful, kids and coaches head to barracks, sweet, sweet freedom for parents
1:15 PM - Lunch
1:45 PM - Into uniform for game 2, kids sing team anthem. Of course, I am referring to "Baby Got Back"
2:00 PM - Down time - pin trading, whiffle ball, or, sleeping in full uniform, if your name is Ollie Evenson

3:00 PM - to batting cages and practice fields for practice
4:00 PM - depart practice fields for game
4:15 PM  - take field for game
4:30 PM - Game time!!!
6:30 PM - Game ends
6:35 PM - Depart for Pizza dinner at place where parents are staying
7:00 PM - First parent observes that "the coaches seem to be hitting the beer pretty hard"
8:30 PM - Parents notice house now smells like 12-year old feet, begin musing on how late it is, and shouldn't the kids be getting back?
9:00 PM - Players and coaches return to barracks, sweet, sweet freedom for parents
9:05 PM - Down time, pin trading, whiffle ball, glow in the dark frisbee, watching inappropriate videos on You Tube, or sleep if your name is Ollie Evenson
9:45 PM - Player B brought in side for laundry duty, complains it should have been given to Player C through L
10:00 PM - Coaches bring players in to get ready for bed, brush teeth, shower
10:10 PM  - Coaches shake off shock of how few players brush their teeth or shower
10:15 PM - Ollie Evenson confirmed to be in some kind of coma
10:30 PM - lights off, quiet talking OK
10:45 PM - quiet time enforced, coaches head outside to debrief on day
10:50 PM - "Shut up in there!'
10:52 PM - "I mean it!"
10:53 PM - "Next person who talks gets laundry duty tomorrow"
10:55 PM - Dead silence
11:00 PM - Coaches fall asleep sitting upright at picnic bench

Game 6: JCB Cobras 7 Minneapolis Millers 2

Another game where we didn't win but can hold our head up. Even though we were down only 2-1 through 4 1/2, this one never felt like we were on the brink of pulling it off, probably because we generated so little offense against JCB's wild but hard-throwing pitchers.

Still, the game was great because it showed more ways Cooperstown required the kids to step it up. Take Jake Rand for example. At the plate he is undersized, gets nervous against hard-throwers, has had trouble with 2 strikes in the count. So what does he do? Falls behind 0-2 against one of JCB's flamethrowers before crushing a ball down the right field line for his first double of the year and one of few hard hit balls for us in the game. Pitching was another improvement. Most of our pitchers this year have thrown primarily fastballs, with a changeup tossed in now and then. Before the trip, a Cooperstown stopped by and talked to the boys, and told them that approach wouldn't work, that the hitters would sit on the fastball. Many of the boys did not take this to heart, and in their first pitching appearance, threw primarily fastballs. Some survived unscathed, some did not. Jacob went with the fastball in his first game and got pounded. For this game, though, he had learned his lesson, threw a ton of changeups, and did a great job keeping a strong team off-balance for 3 innings.

Pool play ended with us 1-5 and in 89th place out of 104. We certainly could have won more and been ranked higher, and this was definitely below the goal of many players. Regardless, our play had left us with much to feel good about.