WITH THE SUMMER WINDS BLOWING, HERE IS AN IMPORTANT UPDATE REGARDING OUR MOSQUITO BASEBALL PROGRAM DURING THE LAZY HAZY DOG DAYS OF SUMMER
Royals catcher Mekai (14) prevents a base runner from advancing during a Mosquito Division game versus the A’s at the Bickford Park Diamond on June 25, 2015.
A Message to all Mosquito Division (2004-2005) Players, Parents, and Coaches:
The TP Baseball Committee is posting this important message as we enter the summer months of our Mosquito house league season in order to make sure that all of us are on the same page regarding how we will be proceeding through our season.
First of all, we like to say that it’s been a great season so far. We want to give a huge thank you to all of the coaches, players, and parents who have contributed to the success! As we move into the summer months, the Committee will be taking some steps in order to deal with the situation of players being away on holidays.
Firstly, we are asking all players and parents to, if you haven’t already, tell your coaches any dates that you know you will be away on holidays over the next two months. Obviously, other things may arise unexpectedly, but if you can please let your coaches know of the definite times that will be a great help. Coaches, we’re asking you to follow up with your players and parents regarding their vacation dates, and also to keep track of it so that you have an overall picture of anticipated summer attendance. This is important for games and practices.
Speaking of practices, the Committee would just like to make something clear. Contrary to what seems to be a nasty rumour circulating in some locations, practices are not optional in terms of attendance! When you sign up for a team sport, part of the “deal” is that you will attend all of the practices and games that you can…one of the responsibilities of being on a team is that you’re trying to develop your skill level as much as possible for (at least) two reasons…it makes you feel better and more confident about your own abilities (always a good thing), but also because it’s an important way to attempt to support your teammates. So, if you’re in town and available, our expectation as a league is that you will be at practice.
Now given that people will be away at various times during the summer, we would really like us to track the expected attendance for games and practices. Coaches, if you can let us know by Friday of each week what the numbers are looking like for the Monday practices, then we can decide if we need to combine practices (as we are tonight for a couple of teams).
In terms of the games, there are a couple of steps we’re taking. First of all, the Committee is going to offer the people on the waiting list the chance to sign up as “summer fill-ins”…they’ll pay a reduced fee, have the chance to play each week on whichever teams most need players, and they’ll get a hat and jersey from a previous season. They will not be eligible for the end-of-year tournament or receive a trophy.
Secondly, we’re going to invite second-year rookie ball players to come out and try playing in some mosquito games over the summer in preparation for next season. These players would also be assigned to whichever team needed players the most.
Now, just to make sure we’re being fair to our Mosquito players, we’re going to invite second-year Mosquito players to come out and try playing in Peewee games over the rest of the summer. These games take place on Mondays at 6:00 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. We will be sending out an e-mail prior to each Peewee game night as a reminder of the opportunity.
The Committee wishes to thank everyone again for your fantastic participation in our house league baseball program this season.
And please let us know if you have any questions at tpbaseball@gmail.com.