Because, sometimes a walk is as good as a hit! May 15, 2015

May 15, 2015

Parent & Sacred Heart Family,

Hard to believe that the regular season is just around the corner and the playoffs are just a couple weeks away. We have been very blessed with great weather and great volunteers this year, so I thank you for all the support you have shown our league. I would still really like to hear from people about cool things happening on our league……great coaches, a volunteer who goes the extra mile, a team that does something special, or anything that you think is news worthy! Please let me know if you see anything that is worth mentioning.

A few important updates below, so please read this very thoroughly (there will be a test when you finish reading)……thanks!!

SPECIAL TRYOUT 11 YEAR OLD TRAVEL BASEBALL:

We still have two spots open on our 11 year old Tournament Team. This is a great opportunity to play some competitive summer baseball and lock in your spot to go to Cooperstown in 2016! This special tryout will take place this Sunday from 1:00-3:00 on CYO1. All 11 year olds are encouraged to tryout and any 10 year old is also welcome to attend.

BASEBALL 7 YEAR OLD TRYOUTS:

Tryouts for the 7 year olds will still be Sunday, May 17^th at 5:00 on CYO2. I have had this in the Newsletter for three weeks and I am sure you are tired of reading about it, but there will be someone who says “I never was informed there would be a tryout”, so being redundant is a necessity. Please plan to arrive by 4:30 to register and warm up. Good luck to all the prospective players!

ALL tickets must be turned in by Saturday!!! We will draw the luck winners next week and contact the winners. Good luck to all and thank you for your patience……..but I really hope I win!

Thanks to everybody who bought tickets……will be a fun night of baseball, really bad fried food, and cold beverages! Game is Tuesday night…..any questions on tickets please contact Joe Kwiatkowski at joekwiat@gmail.com

So….this was a big “swing and a miss”…….we received a whopping 6 orders. We are going to keep the store open through the weekend…..maybe we can get up to 10?? At this rate, the stuff on here will become very “Limited Edition” and maybe worth big bucks one day…..so grab a tee when you can! www.co-store.com/shbaseballsoftball

This year, thanks to Melissa MacArthur, we will be running a “Play it Forward” program designed to help get the best use out of baseball and softball equipment that we may have grown out of. Please see below for the details and thanks again to Melissa for spear heading this program. We will begin this program on Saturday, May 16^th……not the 23^rd as previously erroneously reported. Donations will begin this Saturday and we thank you all in advance for your generous contribution.

Thank you for paying it forward!

Thanks to those of you who submitted your ideas. We are definitely working on fixing the giant holes when you enter the complex! We do not want any cars swallowed up when they enter our fields……..Please keep the ideas coming!

When I started this Newsletter, I planned to never make this about a Board Member…..however…..some things are just unavoidable. I cannot go another week without mentioning how much Mike Uscinowicz and his wife, Dorrie Uscinowicz, give to our program. Mike is our “Tournament Director”, which is a very labor intensive positon, but he also coaches two Rec teams, has three kids playing on Travel Teams, and spends more time that anybody I know at the fields. He also led our “Travel Tryout Committee” (any complaints about the tryout process should be directed straight to him!) and has just been one of the most positive influences I have seen in our league in years! You can always find Mike’s brand new 1977, bland green pick-up truck (a total chick magnet) at the complex....he is always willing to help with any

task and is just a genuinely good guy. He and his family are exactly what our league is all about. Thank you Mike (and Dorrie) for all your time and dedication.

SPONSOR OF THE WEEK:

Breeds Landscaping has been a partner of SHCYO for nearly 15 years. They maintain our fields, cut all the grass, and put it in the cinder paths prior to the season. They also are responsible for the dedicated are to the Delio Family on CYO1. John Breed (owner) is a former CYO coach and has several children play in our program. His wife, Laura, was also a very instrumental part of our Snack Bar for years. John is always a phone call away and always places our league as a priority in his very busy schedule.

As I have previously mentioned, last year our U8 District Softball Team won not only their District Championship, but the State Championship. And, as if that wasn’t enough, they went on to win the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship. This was actually our second consecutive Regional Championship at this age. With this type of success, there is always potential fallout. We did lose several key members of this team to local “club” softball teams, but we were very fortunate to keep five girls in our SHCYO Softball program. We are really glad they stayed with us! Below are the highlights from three of those girls who are still playing, and flourishing, in our program. Best of luck to all of them this summer!

Favorite Position – Lacey and Sadona love to pitch….Sara prefers 2^nd base.

Lacey’s favorite snack at the snack bar is the Ice Cream Sandwich (when we have them) and Sadona enjoys a good pretzel after a hard fought U8 game.

Favorite TV Shows…..Sara likes “Make It Pop” (I am getting old because I have no idea what that show is)…..Sadona likes “Survivor”…..I can see her doing very well on that show!

Both Sadona and Lacey likes to vacation in Riviera Maya, Mexico……as far as Sara goes, she would just rather vacation at home…… I bet that makes the Lontoc’s happy to hear that!

Sadona could have a catch with anybody it would be Jackie Robinson…..what a great response from a young kid!

Finally……both Sara and Lacey’s favorite moment in their tournament run was winning the Mid-Atlantic Championship…..an amazing accomplishment. Sadona just liked chilling in the hotel with her friends…….all three girls made memories that I am sure they will never forget. Congratulations to all the girls from this team!

PLAYOFFS:

Playoffs will start on Thursday, May 28^th…..always a fun time…..please enjoy the remainder of the season. We will get playoff brackets out ASAP.

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND:

In honor of the brave men and women who have served our great country, we do not play games over the Memorial Day Weekend. Please enjoy the weekend with family and friends and honor those who have sacrificed so much for our freedom!

Thank you to all the people who continue to make Sacred Heart such a great place to play baseball and softball!

Have a great weekend!