What Little League means to me!

What Little League means to me! As I get ready to umpire in Bristol CT in less than a week. I think back to how I started to umpire and be involved with Little League. Takes me all the way back to a youth when I played in Laconia Little League. I started in tee ball and worked my way thru minors and majors. What most people may not know about me is I grew up having epilepsy. I could have a seizure at anytime, sometimes having two to three seizures a week. As an adult I have since had surgery to remove a scar in my brain and have been seizure free and off medications for 8 ½ years.  My parents did not hold me back and did anything possible to live a normal life. That included playing in local sports. As I look back, the coaches and members of Laconia Little League are what stand out and meant that most to me. Mr. O’Shea, Mr. Joyal, Mr. Canning, Mr. Tuttle, and Mr. Stafford are only some that stand out and I will never forget. Mr. Stafford was my major coach, I played on Elks. The chance that he gave me to play really left lasting impression. I played my minimum play for each game, and still felt like part of the team. Given that chance as a youth is what brought me back to coach a tee ball team when I was in high school. I have always enjoyed the younger kids and trying to teach them the basics. As my children were becoming league age I became a board member of Laconia Little League. Much to my surprise some of the very coaches and board members that were there when I played were still there. That showed me that once involved always involved. I later became League President and finally got into umpiring. I have enjoyed every step of my journey thru the Little League program and look forward to the future.    

7/20/11 NH D2 11/12 Final Ports vs LR

Just got home from umpiring the 11/12 D2 Final in Hooksett. I was part of 6 man crew and was on the Left Field Line. It was good to be a part of the game and be able to enjoy the game at the same time. Even had a few calls to make. When doing a fair/foul line you want to make sure you start in front of the outfielder. This way you may just have to turn and look so you can see the catch/no catch from the front. Had one great catch that the fielder dove for the ball and forced me to move up and wait to make sure the ball was not dropped. The ball was held and we had an out. I had thought that Portsmouth vs Lamprey River was going to be more of a home run game. Turned out that we only had one home run and Portsmouth wins game 6 to 0. Nice moving game. We had mixed crew of 2 Merrimack Valley umpires, (one behind the plate). MS did a great job there. Two Somersworth umpires RF line and 2nd base. Then 2 from Laconia, I was on LF line and DS at first base. Had no mix ups everyone was in good position for their calls. That is what you hope for so the umpires seem invisible on the field.
This was my last game until I arrive in Bristol CT for East Regional for 11/12's. I will be there two week from tomorrow for meetings then games start on Friday August 5th. I may try to get to Manchester this weekend to watch some of NH State Finals 11/12 it is Portsmouth and 9/10 it is Rye that will represent D2. Good Luck to both teams!

7/18/11 Break from Little League - 3 man Big Diamond

Tonight I had scheduled a 3 man crew on 90 foot diamond. It was a 15U Babe Ruth finals. This was the first time I have done a 90 foot 3 man. Have done plenty of 3 man on 60 foot (Little League) diamond. was a little nervous at first. If I had to rate myself for first time on 3man, I would say ok. If i had done these before I would have been awful. I was on first, had a few balls that i should have gone out on but in 2man I would be coming in. so... That is what i did, wrong! everything was covered and no issue but! started to settle in and really enjoyed it after had a couple innings under my belt. was a good break from the small diamond. Makes me wonder which i prefer more. Little League will always be enjoyable i think because of the confidence I have gained over the years and smiles on kids faces when they do something good or when I am trying to cheer them up. I think I will have one more game on Wednesday night. We are doing 6 man for D2 Final and I am scheduled for LF Line. After that, the waiting game starts.Headed to Bristol Ct. 17 more days. Not that I am counting or anything. I believe I am staying at the Marriott Courtyard in Farmington, CT.

7/18/11 Semi-Final Sunday 7/17

D2 semifinals were completed on Sunday 7/17/11. Only one of the 4 games went 6 innings. That was 11/12 Laconia vs Lamprey River. LR got out in early lead in first inning and I think just stunned Laconia. Bats for Laconia just were not there the way they were in qualifying. That was the one game I was able to watch. Next game was 11/12 Portsmouth vs Concord National. Concord Nat'l got on board early and seemed like it was going to be a game. Then Portsmouth bats woke up as usual. next thing I know there is 10 runs on board and a shorten game it is. I was a first base of a 6 man crew had a couple close calls but to be expected. The mixed umpire crew worked well together RL from Laconia had plate. Laconai umpires have a lot of expectation of how to act and where to be in between innings. Some other umpire look at us funny when we ask them to do it that way. I had plate for next game. 9/10 Portsmouth vs concord nat'l. by now it is 3pm and man it is hot out. Concord nat'l could not make the routine plays missing the can of corn catches. Portsmouth got the bats cranking and never stopped running the bases. A little to extreme at one point. it took us 2 plus hours for a 4 inning game. I think final was 25 to 2. I just wanted to get off the field on this one. Next game Rye vs Bow short names equal a short game. Rye won in 4th by mercy rule. Seemed like we were only on field for hour. Made up for some of last game. I was at third. Do not remember to many calls in that game. It was over before I knew it. Check out http://www.nhdistrict2littleleague.org/ for complete score and up coming games.

7/17/11 - NH D2 semifinals

7/17/11 - NHD2 semi finals. It has been a very long day. I umpired 3 out of the four games, one plate a first and a third base. my fellow umpire and friend RL treated me to dinner and adult beverages on way home since I drove and had waters and snacks for us. Thanks, great end to a good day. Here are the winners for the 11/12 Portsmouth and Lamprey River move to finals on Wednesday. And for 9/10 Portsmouth and Rye move to finals on Tuesday. not sure which crews or umpires will be working yet. I will post more info on games tomorrow. time to start washing clothes and hat I shower, pheww I stink! see you all tomorrow.

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7/16/11 - NH D2 Semi-Finals

Well the stage is set. Tomorrow is the Little League NH District 2 Semi-Finals. For each division 1 will play 4 and 2 will play 3. Winner of each game will play later in week in a one game final. The District Umpire in Chief (UIC) is not able to attend, so I will be helping out and be there for any questions and helping umpires. The 11/12 will be working a 6 man crew and 9/10 will work a 4 man crew. Scheduling this way gives the District a chance to Thank all the Volunteer Umpires for there hard work. I will be on the field for the 11/12, 1 plays 4, at first base. Then I have the plate for the 9/10, 2 plays 3. It will be a long hot day but that is what we live for. As long as everyone on the field is where they need to be on a rotation. Umpiring with 6 and 4 man crew is pretty basic because you have less to be responsible for. Only thing tricky about tomorrow is we are working with mixed crews. We have umpires from each town in the district. Some umpires have not worked on a crew like this. I may try to tweet and post on Face book some updates throughout the day. Check my next blog for complete recap.
Laconia is seeded in third in the 11/12. BEST OF LUCK LACONIA!! Do some damage!

7/14/11 Laconia vs Portsmouth 9/10 part 2

I got to Colby field about 4:30pm. The teams agreed yesterday to continue the game at 5:30pm. It was a great day for baseball. Clear skies and comfortable temperature. So we pick up where we left off yesterday. Score 0 to 0. Top of third Portsmouth at bat with one ball, one strike, and two outs. The only thing different to start was I now had a four man crew to umpire. DS had the plate tonight in Concord. I had plate, BS was at first, AJ was at second, and NS was at third. AJ another veteran umpire that has umpired in 5 upper level tournaments including a Word Series in Williamsport, PA. BS is another new umpire this year. He just may know more about the rule book then some of us, since he has been coaching for the past 5 or more years. We have been working this season to convert him to the dark side. I think he is enjoying it. As an umpire you react on where the ball is hit and get into necessary position to make a call. BS sometimes gets caught watching the play or the ball but has done great to learn the right positions and seems to always be there. Back to the game. Portsmouth came ready to play. Laconia takes field with 2 outs, Portsmouth rallies to score 4 runs in top of third; Laconia was just not making plays tonight. The one time Laconia was ready to rally, they were careless on the bases with bases loaded. Laconia did settle down in the field but was too late and bats were never there. Final was Portsmouth 5 Laconia 1. Not sure who that puts in Semi-finals for the 9/10's for full coverage check out www.nhdistrict2littleleague.com. I felt very comfortable behind the plate and all of our rotations when AJ went out were right on. It is fun and enjoyable to work with newer umpires that catch on to where they need to be and when. I believe I am umpiring on Sunday at semi-finals in Hooksett. Not sure of the teams playing or what my assignments will be. Stay tuned.

7/13/11 - 9/10 Laconia vs Portsmouth

Scheduled to umpire at Colby field tonight. Laconia hosting Portsmouth in 9/10 Division. Laconia needing a win to be in Semi-finals on Sunday. Working a three man, I was behind the plate, DS had first, NS had third. NS is new umpire this year and has been doing a great job. DS is a veteran and one of the guys I owe everything to. Checking the weather radar earlier in the day, and it did not look good. We were moving right along. Was turning out to be a great game. Then sure enough in the 3rd inning dark skies rolling in and the thunder and lighting came. Was in ready position to take a pitch and over the pitcher I see the brightest straightest lightning bolt I have seen. Call the pitch a ball, call time and get everyone off field. LL rule state that we must wait 30 minutes from last sight of Lightning. There was many more bolts after the first. We wait the initial 30 minutes and then the rain came in. So we suspend game until tomorrow night. We will start in the third inning with 2 outs and 1 ball and 1 strike on the batter. We will start at 5:30. So if we keep the pace we had tonight it will not be a long game. I was feeling really comfortable and having fun. In a Little League game that is what counts. Having fun!

On another note, I received a letter today from Bristol. I have my hotel accommodations, and time to be there for first meeting. Also found out that we are going to be wearing Black shirts. That is going to be HOT! 3 weeks from tomorrow me and the family will be there. Looks like they will have 10 of the games televised. Some on NESN, ESPN, I better get a hair cut! haha!

7/11/11 - Break from Little League

I was not scheduled to do any umpiring this past weekend. But I received a call on Sunday morning to see if I could umpire a Legion Game in Plymouth, NH.  Very happy to do it. I have about 25 days before I will be at the East Region tournament for Little League in Bristol CT. I want to be ready and have as many good games under my belt as possible. Doing a game on 90foot Diamond is the same but different as on a 60foot diamond. Those that are umpires, you now that during the play the mechanics are close to the same. But the starting position and what to watch for can be very different. It was a warm day to umpire behind the plate, but I know it will be a lot hotter in Bristol. My next LL game is Wednesday night at Colby Field in Laconia, NH. I will have the plate for the 9/10 year old. It will be a much different look on Wednesday then this past Sunday. Also hope to umpire some at the District semi-finals on Sunday 7/17. Games will be played in Hooksett. I just may have some of my pins for trading in Bristol at the semi-finals. Look for my blog after Wednesday 9/10 game.

7/8/11 Laconia 11/12

I was able to see some of the 11/12 Laconia play tonight. Being an umpire, and doing games on neutral fields with neutral umpires does not usually give time to watch the home team. Arrived to game at end of 3rd inning, Laconia over Somersworth 12 - 4. Somersworth scored a few and forced it to the 5th inning. Then the flood gates opened again and Laconia scored a ton. Final was 21 - 6 in 5 innings. Watching these neutral umpires lets me know how much pride umpires from Laconia take into doing a good job. Saw one umpire in tan shorts instead of Grey pants. No rotating or moving on plays in there 4 man system. Saw what I thought was an interference on runner from first to second and no call. Actually home plate umpire started to raise his arm as runner was out. They met after play and decide runner safe even though he knocked into fielder and no play was able to be made on batter runner. If you ever get the chance to watch umpire from Laconia NH LL D2 you will see that they do every effort to look and be professional while letting the kids have FUN!

7/7/11 game from 7/6 part 2

Was in Concord again tonight to complete our game we started last night and postponed after 1 and 1/2 innings played. At the start Concord National was up over Bow 1-0. Both Pitchers had thrown between 20 - 30 pitches. Which meant they could pitch tonight and start with pitch count they left off with. Had same four umpires as last night, DS, RL, BS and myself.  First play of the night a ball was hit down third base line over my head. I should have gone in to cover second because BS was going out. I froze like deer in headlights. Went further into foul because saw DS going down line like he should have and I wanted to get out of his way. Oopps not a good start. Settled in after that. a couple minor things the umpires could have done better but nothing that would have changed the outcome of the game. Every call was made right. Concord ended up winning 9 - 2, I think.

Personal notes

On a personal note. This has been a busy week. Had to work Sunday due to the holiday. Did have Monday off but umpired in morning and enjoyed friends and fireworks later in day. On Tuesday my Grandmother passed away peacefully, RIP Gram Rudzinski. Calling hours friday afternoon and service Saturday at noon. So my scheduled game for Friday night in Portsmouth will have to go on without me.

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7/6/11 11/12 game @ Concord National

Today started as a clear hot day. Anytime we have hot humid weather there is chance for thunder showers. Sure enough that is what we had in second inning. Concord National was playing Bow. DS was behind plate, RL @ first, BS @ second, and I was at third. It look like it was going to be good game, then half way thru 2nd inning we stopped for lightning. Then the rain came and the field would not be playable. So the four of us with the 2 teams will try it again Thursday night. The four of us headed to 99 restraunt afterwards and had a toast to Rich! That was our place to stop after doing a game. Had my first Sam Summer in a long time. Look forward to enjoying many more games with the guys that got me started into umpiring. Watch for follow up on this game tomorrow.

11/12 year old Game 7/4/11

This day I umpired in Belmont. They hosted a game and played Suncook. Ended up being a quick game. Belmont won in 4 innings. I think it was 19 to 3. I can not remember the score of a game 20 minutes after it is over forget 3 days later. Worked with RL behind the plate. I was at first. AJ at second, and CP had third. Had a couple rotations that did not go to well. But the one time we needed to be right on we were. CP had an out call at second and I was able to get to home and watch two runs score. Was a VERY HOT day. Usually umpires will go with the nothing in and nothing out theory. But this day the water was needed. Belmont looked very tough on this day.

LL All Stars 7/2/11

Was not scheduled to Umpire until Monday 7/4, But today, after working all morning, I rushed right to Colby Field and got there just as they were introducing the players for the 9/10's Laconia vs Belmont. I was at second base today. In a four man system 2nd base will go out to the outfield and call catch or no catch and other 3 umpires will rotate to cover bases. Worked with two guys that this is there first year doing tournaments. Had one play that we had 2 sets of eyes at home. Just so happened it was the other veteran umpire that got caught watching the ball. Oh well happens to the best. Game only went 4 innings due to 10 run rule. Name of the game was pitching and Laconia had a very solid pitcher on the mound today.  Day off from umpiring tomorrow. Next post after 11/12 game in Belmont.

I am an Umpire for District 2 in NH. I am from Laconia NH. I will be posting info on games that I am about to umpire along with views from an umpire after the game. In August I will be in Bristol CT, to umpire the 11/12 East Regional Tournament. Check back often for how the 2011 All Star season is going.
6/30/11 – Umpired in Concord and had first plate. Was a long game. 2 1/2 hours. Seemed like alot of pitches thrown. Wish I was able to have called more strikes. Had a player play catcher and he told me first time he had caught. But he did an awesome job. Saves me a few times. Next game on 7/4 in Belmont.