My Kids

[Julie Mathies]

John, your pictures are always so good!! Devlin looks so much like you (without the beard, of course!)

And let me tell you, it's been a scorcher here the last 2 weeks or so...I'd take a 70-degree high anyday. My air conditioner just went out in my car and I've been dying! You know how it is -- that Louisiana humidity makes it worse. Can't imagine what August is going to be.....

[jnichel]

John, your pictures are always so good!! Devlin looks so much like you (without the beard, of course!)

Denise calls him my, "Mini-me".

[jnichel]

Connor got to take the mound today in relief. His first time pitching.

1 ip - 0 h - 0 r - 1 bb - 2 k

[jnichel]

A day at the Buffalo Zoo

[Julie Mathies]

John, as always, these are AWESOME!!! Don't you just love the thrill of baseball?

[jnichel]

John, as always, these are AWESOME!!! Don't you just love the thrill of baseball?

These days, I think I'm going to stick to college baseball. The A's (and MLB as a whole) are leaving a bad taste in my mouth, and Connor's games are going to give me an ulcer.

First round playoff game this Saturday, so I'm going to stock up on the antacid. Tell you what, after the third game of the season, I thought we were going to be lucky to finish at .500. However, this guy went on the DL (and has since retired from pro ball), and with his son on our team, he's taken over as coach. Now, I don't see anything stopping us from winning it all.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/p ... yerId=4037

[JerryFish]

Never hurts to have a ringer....Good luck with it all. Let us know how it winds up....

[jnichel]

We made it through the first round weekend before last. They play a best two out of three series and the first game wasn't even close: 10-0. Our pitcher in that game went all 6 innings, gave up two hits, walked 4 and struck out 17 (that's right, 17 of the 18 outs). The next game was a bit of a nail biter. We won 9-8, and the other team had bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the sixth. Went through 5 pitchers and couldn't seem to throw a strike all day. Thankfully, our closer (the ex-pro ball player's son) was able to get the last batter to hit a nice, easy ground ball to third for the final out.

No games this past weekend because of a fast pitch softball tournament they were holding at the park. We play the A's in the next round, but the games aren't scheduled yet.

[jnichel]

The A's have been eliminated from the playoffs. In our best 2 out of 3 series, we went 2-0, winning by a combined score of 39-3. We tried holding our runners station to station once we got 10 run leads in the games, but even then, we kept getting hit after hit. Connor had one of his best games at the plate Saturday (game 2). He went 4-4 with a double, a triple, 2 walks, 6 rbi's and 5 runs scored. Two more series and the trophy is ours. Next series starts Thursday, but I don't know who it's against yet.

[JerryFish]

I wanna say good luck, but it doesn't look like y'all need it. You must have been proud after this weekend, eh?

[jnichel]

Tigers Rally For Trip To Championship

BUFFALO, NY (PP) - AUG 14, 2008 8:04PM

The Dallas Tigers, of the Hertel North Park Youth Baseball League - 2nd Minors, ended the upset bid of the Lincoln Dodgers by rallying from behind twice for a 7 - 5 win in the final game of their best out of three series. With both teams fielding their number one starting pitchers, the game was set up to be a low scoring nail biter.

Taking the mound for the Tigers in the top of the first, Barrington Brown, the league leader in ERA and strikeouts, the Tigers felt good about their chances. Manager (and former Major League pitcher) Joe Winkelsas said, "Barrington is a super-star in the making and with him on the mound, we are undefeated." The Dodgers had other plans for Brown. Capitalizing on some early walks, and two infield errors, the Dodgers were able to score three runs against the hard throwing righty. With the final out recorded in the top of the first, the thought going through the Tigers' coaching staff's minds was how would Barrington respond to giving up more runs in one inning than he has in any single game.

Lead off hitter, Nick Pace, drew a walk to start the bottom of the first inning for the Tigers. After a strikeout by Caleb Valeri for the first out of the inning, Mario Giarcobbi singled up the middle, moving Pace to third base. Jackson Winkelsas then scored Pace with a sacrifice up the first base line. Barrington, looking for a little redemption, was thrown out to end the inning.

After throwing a four pitch walk to start the top of the second inning, Brown found his rhythm, and struck out the next three Dodgers on ten pitches. Thinking the tide had turned in their favor, the Tigers were quickly shown that the Dodgers were here to play when Chris Jackson, Griffen Noah and Blain Brown were put down in order to end the second.

Striking out three, and walking one in the top of the third, Brown and the Tigers were hoping once again to gain ground on the Dodgers. Connor Nichel led off the bottom of the third with a single to left field and was advanced to second base when Josh Valeri was hit by a pitch. With two on and nobody out, the coaches and fans were ready for a breakout inning. After a pop-fly out by Pace, Caleb Valeri bunted for a single to load the bases. Not one to give into the pressure, Dodgers' pitcher Ebraham Areaiss struck out Giarcobbi and threw out Winkelsas after inducing him to hit a weak grounder back to the mound.

Feeling a little frustrated, Brown struggled in the top of the fourth, getting the first two outs and walking two, Manager Winkelsas thought about pulling him, but decided to let him work his way out of it. With runners at first and second, and two down, Brown quickly went 3-0 to the next hitter. Catcher Giarcobbi called for time and went out to talk to his pitcher. When play resumed, Brown threw two blazing fastballs to bring the count to full. On the next pitch, the Dodgers batter hit a slow roller up the first base line. Giarcobbi fielded the ball, but threw the ball high, over first baseman Noah's outstretched glove. With a runner rounding third, right fielder Chris Jackson made the decision to try to get the runner advancing to second, rather than throwing home. His gamble paid off when shortstop Caleb Valeri applied the tag before the lead runner crossed home plate.

The Tigers were happy to see a new pitcher on the mound, replacing Areaiss. Stepping to the plate, to lead off the bottom of the fourth, Barrington lined a sharply hit ball just over the Dodgers' shortstop's glove for a double. After Chris Jackson was thrown out at first and Noah struck out for the second out, Barrington's twin brother, Blain Brown, stepped to the plate. Blain, while an excellent fielder, and an accomplished pitcher, had been struggling at the plate, getting only 1 hit in his last 15 at bats. With the count 2-2, the new Dodgers' pitcher left a mistake up over the plate and Blain made him pay. Blain Brown sent the pitch soaring to deep center field for a two run home run, tying the game at three. The ball traveled so far, it interrupted the first minor's playoff game being played on diamond 6. Manager Winkelsas said about the hit, "I've been involved with baseball at this park for the last 26 years, and that is without a doubt, the furtherest ball I've seen hit at this level of play." Caleb Valeri stuck out with the bases loaded, after a singles by Nichel and Josh Valeri and a walk to Pace, to end the inning.

The Tigers' defense broke down in the top of the fifth, allowing the Dodgers to score two unearned runs. However, one defensive play kept the Dodgers from breaking the game open. With two outs, and runners at first and second, the Dodgers' hitter lined a scorcher down the third base line, glancing off the glove of third baseman Winkelsas. Coming in on the ball, left fielder Nichel bare handed it and threw a frozen rope to Giarcobbi who was standing a couple of feet up from home plate on the third base line. Giarcobbi applied the tag, ending the inning and holding the Dodgers to a 5 - 3 lead. Bench coach John Nichel said of the play, "Our left fielder has got a cannon on him and our catcher; well just look at him, the kid is a tank. Who's going to challenge him on a play at the plate?"

Down by two runs, with only six outs left, the Tigers huddled up and went over their game plan. Giarcobbi lead off the bottom of the fifth with a walk, and went to second on a fielder's choice hit by Winkelsas. Barrington Brown drew a four pitch walk and Jackson struck out for the second out of the inning. Noah doubled to the right side to score Giarcobbi and Barrington Brown to tie the game. After a walk to Blain Brown, Nichel cleared the bases with a triple down the first base line. With the Tigers now leading, the Dodgers brought in their closer to try to stop the bleeding. After walking Josh Valeri, the new pitcher got Pace to chase a high fastball for strike three, ending the inning.

Up 7 - 5, the Tigers' coaches discussed bringing in Winkelsas, their closer, but after much pleading by Brown, it was decided that this was his game to win or lose. Top of the sixth, last inning, and up by two. Three outs away from a date with the Madison Twins for the championship. Barrington Brown stepped on the mound, and for all intents and purposes, the rest of the Tigers could have stayed in the dugout. The budding super-start, reached back, found that extra something and threw nine pitches, all strikes. Game over. If the roar from the Tigers' side of the field didn't tell you, the dog pile at the pitcher's mound surely let you know who won.

Weather permitting, game one of the championship series between the Tigers and the Twins is scheduled for Monday, 18 Aug 2008 at 6:00PM on diamond 3 of Shoshone Park.

[Brenda Robinson Jenkins]

Tell your son and his team congrats John! Hope they win it all! That article was great - sounds like one helluva a game to watch! I would have liked to have been there - pacing a path in the grass! Gotta love baseball!!

The way the article reads, your son had a great game too - you must be very proud!

[shane]

Helluva game, Connor! Proud papa, indeed! Best of luck tonight!

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Now playing: The Beta Band - Dry The Rain
via FoxyTunes

[jnichel]

Championship - Game 1 Final
Dallas Tigers - 3
Madison Twins - 1

We're one win away. Game 2, Wednesday night, 6pm.

[jnichel]

Championship - Game 2 Final
Dallas Tigers - 9
Madison Twins - 0

Dallas wins series 2-0.

I'll post pictures and a more detailed account later.