If the videos upload properly- check out some of their swings.
Next was making the walk from the Yankees locker room to the field. The view is something special. Roy Berger provided the commentary on just how special of a feeling it is.
Onto today's game action. The stadium is gorgeous. Again when you think of all the Yankee prospects and ultimately Yankee players who used this field to begin their careers, very fortunate to be here.
Like the shoes & socks combination? You are not allowed to wear your spikes into the locker room, so the shoes were a must. Tomorrow I will be showing off my new Nike's that we got, due to early registration.
I also won the Pirates daily raffle, which was the FCCS 2015 shorts shown below. It goes well with the FCCS 2015 long sleeve t-shirt, which was in our locker at the conclusion of today's games.
Our initial game was against the Phillies, who won the tourney, two years ago. They had a good club, with some big bats. However, we countered with a pitcher named Lester Beaird (lockers next to me), who kept them guessing for 7 strong innings. Between a fastball which overpowered the Philly hitters to a curveball which fooled them. He was in a word - dominate. Made playing the outfield, well, boring. The offense did the job, putting up 7 runs. Final score - Pirates 7 Phillies 0. I got 1 hit in 3 at bats, scored a run.
After clubhouse snacks. (PBJ & crackers) We headed to Himes Development Center. 4 fields in the shadow of Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bucs. (notice the common theme), The fields are nice, but not like the stadium. We squared off against Mets #2, who were beaten in their morning game. Spanky gave us a talk before the game, stating that after playing such a good morning game, the tendency is to have a let down, allowing the opponent to sneak a win. We had our chances in the first, but with some unbelievable fielding plays (diving outfield catches), we walked away with a goose egg. The feeling was - here we go. The Mets scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 1st, suddenly we were facing our first deficit. We scored 1 in the second and 2 in the third to tie the game. Somewhat of a turning point came when I was hit in the back by a fastball. I was slightly more than upset and had a little discomfort. The very next inning in the field a Met batter hit a flair down the left field line. I got a great jump on the ball and with the help of David Miller yelling - "go get it" I made a shoestring catch, that made Met coach Rodney McCray (the guy who ran through the left field wall in Portland - great You-Tube video to check out) say "nobody catches that in Fantasy Camp, great catch!"
After both teams trading runs and the score tied 4-4. I came up with 2 outs and a man on third. I haven't been hitting very well, I did smoke a line drive single to score the run. The eventual game winning RBI (sweet). We scored 2 additional insurance runs, final score, Pirates 7 - Mets 4. The big story though was the pitching of Duane Schifano. He relieved Thomas Brooks, after Brooks developed muscle cramps. Duane worked out a couple of jams, which put us in position to pull out the victory. This win wasn't pretty, but very effective. It showed how the team can pull together and get contributions from a multitude of personnel. I got 1 hit in 2 at bats (HBP no time at bat). Finally got to advance on passed balls - twice.
Much of the credit for this win also can be attributed to Ward "Wardo" Brigham, who made many tactical calls which contributed to the victory. The other acknowledgement goes to Mike "Spanky" LaValliere, who sees baseball like a professional. He is constantly making suggestions which the players are unaware of. Our aggressive base running places great stress on the defense, as predicted by Spanky, and made the difference in W or L in this game. Mike made adjustments to my hitting (hand location & stride length) which have helped me to put a charge in a few pitches. Many thanks!
Dave Miller summed the day up like this, "We won two games, it was fun."
Friday's Pool game at 10:00 am is against the Yankees #1.
Friday's Cross Bracket game at 1:00 is against the Mets #1.
Photos of Himes Field. Photos of the Yankees clubhouse, with the various team uniforms. Eddie and the clubhouse staff do an excellent job in preparing us.
Plenty tired from all the running & throwing today, ready to call it a night. One final note Rangers 2 - Penguins 1. Red Wings 3 - Tampa 2. Quite a day...
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