8 Days, 9 Games

It's been a busy week.  And there's quite a bit to get caught up on,  So... here we go.

Yes!  Back at it!

Cameron & Holden, 'AA' Heat - things have finally shifted into full gear for the season.  The 'AA' Heat got their season underway last Sunday splitting a doubleheader with the Delhi Eagles.  Today, Cameron & Holden lost two to the Bridgetown Sparks.  Some very nice play from Cameron & Holden... it just wasn't in the cards today.  But... now, all five boys are in full swing!

Griffin readies to t-up on one

Griffin, Delhi Bombers - the Bombers dropped a game last Saturday to the Hidden Valley Lake (IN) Storm by a score of 10-7.  And today, the Bombers took on the boys from Harris Auto Freight.  Today's victory, final score 9-8, raises the Bombers' overall record for the season to 5-3.  Griffin continues to make great contact at the plate while proving valuable in the field as well.

Duncan & Paxton man the infield

Duncan & Paxton's 'A' Heat continue to look for their stride.  They were on the wrong end of a 17-5 final score against Bridgetown BBA last Saturday.  However... this past week the Heat rung up their first win of the season against the Delhi Bulldogs, 12-4.  Today the Heat lost to Mack Fire.  The 'A' Heat are currently at 1-7 for the season.

At Least The Weather Was Nice

Paxton getting some pointers on-deck

The boys from Bridgetown BBA held batting practice this evening.  Unfortunately it was during an actual game against Duncan & Paxton's Heat.

Final score... a whole bunch to nuthin'.  The 'A' Heat are currently trying to figure out how to stop the bleeding.  Having started the season at 0-3, we're all just kind of scratching our heads.

But hey... it was a lovely evening for baseball (weather-wise).

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

Another Saturday allowing multiple games to be played.  That's two in a row!  Props to Mother Nature.  Here's how it played out...

The Good:  Griffin's Bombers hit the road traveling to Dillsboro, IN.  I know, right?... where is Dillsboro?  Well, get on route 50 and just drive west.  55 minutes later, somewhere between a couple corn fields and hidden behind a Baptist Church... there ya go.  The Bombers faced-off with the Dillsboro Cobras.  Coming into today's game, the Cobras were 4-0 and in first place.  Griffin's Bombers showed no care for either of these statistics and 10-runned the Cobras in three innings.  Final score, Bombers win 13-2.  Griffin had a great game splitting time on the field between 2nd Base and Right Field.  He struck out, walked and got nailed by a pitch (this last has really become somewhat of a specialty of Griffin's).  He also scored one of the Bombers' runs.  The Bombers improve to 4-2 overall, have scored 28 runs in the last two games and are currently on a 3-game winning streak.

The Bad:  Duncan & Paxton (shown in pic) and the 'A' Heat played the J-Taps BBA.  This one never really got off the ground.  Well, at least not from any Kelley Boy's perspective.  Duncan had a good game at 2nd Base, making a couple of nice fielding plays and walked once.  Paxton struggled a bit at the plate and in the field today --- just kind of an off-day in general.  The 'A' Heat are off to a less-than-stellar 0-2 start.  But, for reasons I can NEVER figure out... this group of boys has been slow out of the gate EVERY year for the past 4 seasons.  They ALWAYS turn things around though.  And nobody is terribly concerned at the moment.  Get 'em next time boys.

The Ugly:  The final score between Duncan & Paxton's Heat and the J-Taps BBA was 19-2...  'nuff said.

Big Smiles, All Around!

This evening's game pitted Griffin's Bombers against the Westside Bulldogs.  And what a game it proved to be...

Things were very tightly contested through the first four innings.  Going into the final inning, the Bombers found themselves down by a run, 6-5.  The Bombers started things of by loading the bases with no outs and then Griffin scored the tying run.  From there... the baseball gods smiled big upon the Bombers.  Plating a total of seven runs in their half of 5th inning, the Bombers took the field in the bottom half of the frame with a six run lead.  The Bulldogs managed to push across two more runs in their half of the inning.  But when it was all said and done, the Bombers won 12-8.  That's two wins in four days for Griffin's team, and they're now sitting one game above .500 at 3-2.  Great evening, Griffin!

Saturday Baseball... At Last!

After several weeks of rain-out Saturdays, we actually got a couple games in today.

Duncan & Paxton's Heat dropped their season opener to the Mack Fire.  It really was a very good game, regardless of the outcome.  Duncan and Paxton were both absolutely solid at Shortstop and 2nd Base --- recording 5 putouts between them.  And while it always feels better coming out of the gate with a win... the Heat walked away from this one feeling very good about things.

Griffin's Bombers took on the Bridgetown Storm.  This one was never really close, and the Bombers recorded their second win of the season --- 10-running the Storm, 15-5.  Way to go, Griffin.

After a sluggish start on Mother Nature's part, it feels soooooo right to have things fully underway with a great Saturday of ball.  Well, maybe not 'fully underway'... Cameron & Holden's 'AA' Heat look to get their season started sometime in the next couple of weeks.

Beautiful Evening For Baseball!

Griffin's Bombers took on the Dearborn County (IN) Rangers this evening.  This was the Bombers' 3rd game this season, and it was the SIXTEENTH for the Rangers.  Dearborn County came in with a record of 14-1.

The first 2 innings were pretty brutal.  And the Bombers took to the bottom-half of the 3rd inning down 16-1.  But... to the Bombers' credit, they refused to lay down.  In the bottom of the 3rd, Griffin's team plated 8 runs, closing the gap to 16-9.  The good news... this forced another inning (because the 10-run rule had been taken out of play).  The bad news... the Rangers got to bat again.  Final score of this evening's game was 24-13.

The Bombers now take their record of 1-2 into the weekend, and look to 'get well' this saturday.  Congratulations, Griffin.  Regardless of the score, you played a great game in the field and you got on base twice.  Hey --- sometimes, all you can do is try.

Rain... AGAIN!

Un-Freekin-Buhleeeevable.  Week 3 of the season, and the third rainout in a row.  Shades of the 2011 season are beginning to come to mind.

With only Griffin having officially started the season so far, things haven't gotten too far behind.  Griffin's Bombers have been able to make up both rain-outs so far, and are currently sitting at .500 (1-1).

The Cincy Heat 'A' team (Duncan & Paxton) is slated to begin its season next week.  And the precise start date for the Cincy Heat 'AA' team (Cameron & Holden) has not yet been determined.

After a couple months of practice for all the boys, we're kind of feeling like a plane all fueled-up and waiting for clearance to take off.  But it'll come.

Bombers Win!

Congratulations to Griffin and the D.A.A. Bombers!  The boys travelled to Harrison, OH yesterday evening to take on the Bearcats.  It was chilly.  It was windy (see picture... that's a view from the outfield, and if you look close enough you can see the infield, obscured by the big dust cloud).  But it was a win!

Griffin got a hit, made it to base three other times as well, and scored 3 runs.  The Bombers pulled even on the season (1-1) with a final score of 12-8.  After two consecutive road games to start the season, we'll open the HOME portion of this year's schedule next.  Looking forward to it!  Congratulations, Griffin.

Play Ball!!!

Griffin got the season underway this evening. The season was supposed to start this past Saturday, but it got rained out. So, better late than never, this evening marked the official opening of 'FiveKelleyBoys 2012 Baseball Season'

The Bombers travelled to Sunman, IN to take on the Outlaws. And true to everything we've EVER seen from Sunamn ball teams... these boys could play. Very well. Although, lots of credit goes to Griffin's Bombers... they hung in for a final score of 5-2. As a side note, this is the first time ever (over 3 years and 3 previous attempts) any KelleyBoy has made the 60+ minute trek to actually make it through an entire game. Dubious, perhaps. But an accomplishment none the less.

Congratulations, Griffin. Thanks for getting things underway. Looking forward to the season with all the KelleyBoys.

Knockin' Off the Rust - VIDEO

Here's a short video of some of the boys' practices this Spring.

Click here.

Update. And A Blast From The Past.

This is the part of the season that seems to be quite busy while nothing is 'really happening'. All the boys are practicing regularly throughout the week. And it's kind of like the military... a bunch of 'hurry up and wait'.

As great as it is to get back out on the fields and see all the boys in action, everyone is already primed for the official start of this season. Games are scheduled to get underway April 14. Until then, the boys will continue practicing.

For now, to help everyone get through... click here to see a video from last season's spring training.

Spring Training, 2012 - Trailer (VIDEO)

Feel the excitement!

CLICK HERE.

And Now... Some BASEBALL!!!

The boys are gearing up for another big Spring and Summer filled with baseball. Baseball. And more baseball. Practices have already gotten underway. Several Batting Practice sessions have taken place. And with the weather cooperating lately, the boys have been able to get in some Field-Time as well. So let's have a look at what to expect this season.

Cameron: Playing his 3rd and final season of 'AA' ball with the Cincinnati Heat, Cameron has hopes of picking up this season where things left off last year. This Heat team came storming out of the gate last year and seldom took their collective foot off the pedal. Cameron will once again man things from behind the plate.

Holden: This will be Holden's 2nd year of 'AA' with the Cincinnati Heat. Having spent most of his time playing 2nd base last year, Holden looks to get back to where he's more comfortable... manning the 'hot corner' at 3rd base. In addition, it looks like Holden will spend some time this year on the mound, hurling pitches to the afore-mentioned KelleyBoy.

Duncan: Stepping up to 'A' ball this year, Duncan returns with his Cincinnati Heat team. These guys had a great season last year, and everyone's looking to do the same and even better this year. Duncan spent much (99%) of last season covering 2nd base. He's always been an outstanding 2nd baseman and provides a great deal of consistency there for this team.

Paxton: Jumping up a level last year to join Duncan's Cincinnati Heat team, Paxton looks to have even more success this year as the team's 'rookie'. Paxton walked onto thas team last year, age and level aside, and hasn't looked back since. Proving to be right at home in the field as well as at the plate --- Paxton became a crowd favorite.

Griffin: Returning to the core of his Delhi Athletic Association team from last year, Griffin moves up to 'C' ball this year. And (like Cameron) he's also at his best behind the plate. In addition to being an outstanding catcher, Griffin has also already shown signs of significant improvement AT the plate with a bat in his hands as well.

There you have it... a brief glance at the '2012 FiveKelleyBoys Baseball' squad. Bring it on, boys. Let's have a great season. Play Ball!!!

Some Swimming --- FINAL

The Great Lakes Zone Swimming Championships were held this past weekend in Canton, OH. The very best swimmers from 5 states (OH, IN, KY, WV & MI) assembled for a weekend of heated competition. This meet closes the season for most. Only thing left for those still swimming... Nationals.

Paxton qualified throughout the season to participate in 3 different events in Canton. Along for the ride, two of his brothers, mom & dad all had a great time. Very exciting weekend!

Click here to see a video capturing some of the action in Canton this past weekend.

Paxton --- it's been an OUTSTANDING season. And we all consider it a very special thing to have been along for the ride. Thanks! You should be so pleased and proud of yourself! We love you, buddy.

Some Swimming --- PART II

Paxton participated in the 'AA Southwest Ohio Championships' this past weekend. Held at Miami University, this meet is one all swimmers spend their season trying to earn the right to swim in. Paxton competed in 6 different events. He had a GREAT weekend, advancing to the finals a time or two, posting several personal bests time-wise... and he POSTED ANOTHER 'ZONES' CUT! More about 'Zones' in the next post.

Click here to see a video capturing some of the action in Oxford this past weekend.

Congratulations, Paxton! This past weekend in Oxford was a huge success! One more meet before the season comes to a very successful close. Good luck in Canton this coming weekend.

But First... Some Swimming!

Paxton and Griffin swam in a huge Southwest OH Championships meet this past weekend. Both boys did VERY WELL. Griffin dropped time in almost every event he swam. And Paxton (swimming in '11 to 12' age group, '11 and older' moving on to Championships) qualified for multiple Championship heats.

Coming up, two final meets. 1st, 'AA's @ Miami University (Oxford) --- Paxton has qualified for 5 events @ 'AA's. And 2nd, 'Zones'. Zones takes place in Canton, OH this year and pulls the very best swimmers from OH, IN, KY, WV and MI. Paxton has qualified in multiple events for 'Zones' as well.

While all the boys are currently gearing up for baseball (batting practices, etc)... these last couple swim meets of the season are the icing on the cake to a very successful swimming season. Congratulations to Paxton and Griffin. We're very proud of you both.