Baseball June 7 at 9:30 and awards ceremony

Dear Parents of Machine Pitch A's,

It has been a wonderful season for our children. Nobody, not even Coach John, imagined that our A's would play so well or win so many games. Saturday, 7 June, after the game, our team will receive the First Place Trophy and our girls and boys will receive Gold Medals. I know that Saturday is formally a work day, but I hope that you will all find a way to be at the game and see your child so honored.

Our final game will be against the Red Sox. We can lose this game and still be Champions, but I hope that every player will be well-rested and ready to play a good game. The Red Sox have been working hard. They are a much better team than when we played them earlier this season, and we owe it to them to play our best.

I do hope that your will urge your children to be good sports. They were very fortunate to be chosen to play on a remarkable team, and they should be gracious and kind to those who were less fortunate. We want to develop both athletic ability and character in our children. Becoming Undefeated Machine Pitch Champions will be a bad thing if it spoils their character.

Scheduling conflicts have required us to move the Team Barbeque to Saturday 14 June, at 3:00 p.m. at Rosinka. More details to follow.
See you at the game!

Todd Kerns
P.S. Steven Solnik's photos posted here are truly remarkable. For example, scroll down to the 11th and 12th images. Nick Hansen had his body placed such that he not only caught the ball, but kept the base runner from reaching the base. I don't know if Nick meant to do this or not, but it was perfect. In the 9th image, Emma has mastered the art of running through at first base. And in the 4th image, when Sean jumps to catch the fly ball that ended the game, note the joy in the background. The shots of Daniel at 1st require no additional comment, just a cover letter to the photo editor at Sports Illustrated. You may double-click to get larger images.

A's 10-Devil Rays 1

Great game yesterday against the second place Devil Rays. Both fielding and hitting went well for us. Many milestones were met as well. Three double plays, two home runs, excellent fielding all around and a very high baseball IQ shown by all.

With this win, the A's are now the Division Champions with one game left to go. Great result and great teamwork.

You will all get an email about next weeks game shortly. It is an important game as we may be down to only 8 or 9 players as some families take vacation so attendance is critical.

Baseball Saturday at 11:00

Dear Parents of Machine Pitch A's,

This Saturday we will have the classic "Big Game." If our A's beat the Devil Rays, then it will be mathematically impossible for us not to be the league champions. If we lose, then it is likely that we will share the title with the Devil Rays. The Rays have some older boys who are great hitters, but on the whole, I think that our younger, smaller team has consistently better players, and we will have a very good chance on Saturday. I encourage you to make sure your girls and boys are well rested, and that they get some practice somehow before Saturday.

I need a volunteer to bring snacks on Saturday.

Also, I think I left my clip-board at the last game. Can an AAS parent please check lost and found for me? It will be obvious, as it has a team roster on it which includes the name of your child.

See you at the game!

Todd Kerns

P.S. The final game of the season will a Saturday 7 June 9:30 - 11:30 rematch against the Red Socks. We are trying to work out the details of a barbecue and awards ceremony that day.

GAME CANCELLED

Dear Parents,

In order to avoid damage to the baseball fields, and to our children, all of tomorrow's games will be cancelled.

See you May 31.

Todd Kerns, the A's

Baseball Saturday at 9:30 against the Brewers. +New Pics!

Dear Parents of Machine Pitch A's,

We had a very tough game against the Orioles last Saturday, but our girls and boys played wonderfully. The A's won 10-5. The A's now lead the league with a 5-0 record, and we have beat every team in the league.

This week we return to a normal, Saturday 9:30 game schedule with our rematch against the Brewers. While we beat them in the opening game of the season, they are a much better team now. They have a name, uniforms that fit, and a lot more experience. They are the third-ranked team, and have beat everyone except the A's and the Devil Rays. So, let's make sure our kids get a good night's sleep on Friday night and are on Field #1 early to get some practice in before the game.

I still need a volunteer to bring snacks on Saturday .

See you at the game!

Todd Kerns

P.S. The final two games of the season will all be on Saturdays, but the times will vary:

Saturday 31 May 11:00 - 13:30 rematch against the Devil RaysSaturday 7 June 9:30 - 11:30 rematch against the Red Socks

A's 10-Orioles 5

The hardest game of the season so far which tested our fielding and general baseball knowledge. We came out on top 10-5 but it could have gone either way. The next two opponents are the 2nd and 3rd place teams in the league and have gotten much better since we last played them. I think they will be hard fought close contests.

Thanks to Tracy and Steven for the pictures and Hatice for the great cookies!