I pour myself into all of the baseball strategy books I can get my hands on. To be considered a success, we need to make the playoffs. And to do that, we need to win our district. We play in District 10 and you have to win your district in order to advance to the 16 team, single elimination playoff tournament. The schedule is pretty straight forward. You play 30 games, and you have to play the teams in your district at least twice, one home and one away. The rest of the schedule is up the schools, but with one restriction. You can only play teams in your class. So, no picking on 1A teams, and no getting thumped by bigger 3A and 4A schools. It looks like our road schedule is pretty brutal early on, but if the team is good, they should be able to deal with the travel. We have 14 home games, and 16 games on the road.
It’s still basketball season, but it’s a small school, so I already know who my players will be when the time comes for baseball practice to begin. For those guys who aren’t playing basketball, I’ve started some drills to improve their skills. The season starts in just a couple of months, so I don’t have much time to figure out my team’s abilities. Here are a few of the players I think could do well for me this season.
SS Samir Shivers
He’s only a freshman, but this kid is ranked as the top shortstop in 2A. How lucky am I? Well, Samir has pretty good range in the field, but his abilities at the plate might need some work before the season begins. He has power, so he'll hit the ball hard when he makes contact.
CL Darius Turner
Another outstanding freshman. Darius, a lefty, throws a fastball and a slider. He can throw in the low to mid 90's. His control and movement are definitely above average for his age!
SP Doug Parlier
This kid’s a junior, and ranked 5th in the state at 2A. He throws four different pitches to keep hitters off balance; a fastball, a cutter, a changeup, and the forkball. His fastball can reach the low 90’s. Doug’s nickname is “The Bull”. I’m not sure if that should worry me or not.
The funny thing about going back in time and making different decisions is the ripple effect. Think about it. If I make a different decision, such as taking another job, then someone else didn’t get that job. Then they do something different, as so forth and so on. Well, the ripple effect has some far reaching consequences, as I find out when reading the newspaper. Bo Jackson signed with the California Angels in the offseason after two years with the White Sox. But then, the Angels turn around and trade Bo to the Dodgers for a pair of minor leaguers. 1994 was Bo’s last season in the Majors. I wonder if he plays longer with this trade. As Spring Training starts in the Majors, it appears Cal Ripken has just signed a 5-year, $21.9 million extension with the Orioles. Good to know he’ll stay with Baltimore to continue his consecutive games streak.