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Summer, 2008
OBAToday!
Dear Parents and Players, I hope you all are enjoying the remainder of the regular season and getting ready for the playoffs.  After a rough start, the weather has cooperated resulting in very few make-up games.  I would like to extend a special thank you to our great group of Commissioners, Greg Anderson (Pinto), Alan Metheny (Mustang), Mike Casey (Bronco), and Tom Downey (Pony) for all that they have done to organize their divisions and set the schedules.  Thanks to their tremendous efforts, this season has run very smoothly.    I would also like to congratulate all of our Memorial Day tournament teams on their performance.  The details are in this newsletter.  The managers and coaches of these teams deserve our thanks as well.  Many of them agreed to coach these teams on top of their regular season team coaching commitments.  The value they bring to our program, along with our other regular season managers and coaches, cannot be overstated.  Their passion for the game and dedication to OBA never ceases to amaze me.   Finally, I would like to recognize several Board members who will be stepping down this year:   Vicki Gallegos: Served on the Board for three years, overseeing our uniforms and eventually all of our general programs and services Tom Downey: Pony Commissioner for the last 2 years   Ali Wegener: Current Sponsorships, and former Handbook, Manager Erik Chan: Equipment Manager for the last 2 years Julie Whitsitt: Apparel Manager for the last 2 years Anna Duncan: Website Manager for the last 2 years   Genie Goodreault: Co-Manager of the Snack Shack (with Carolyn Anderson) for the last two years Gloria So: This year's Handbook Manager   Each one of these individuals has made contributions to OBA that are too numerous to list.  We will miss them greatly, and appreciate the professional way that they have carried out their respective tasks.  I also want to acknowledge the special contributions that Sandra McGonigle and Michele Armosino have made over the last five years or so.  Although they are both staying on the Board (albeit in different capacities), Sandra is winding down as our Administration Director and Michele is doing the same as our Communications Director.  Both truly defined their respective positions and brought many great ideas to both OBA and the Board.  With their experience, we are fortunate to have them staying on in any capacity!        This is my last letter for OBAToday as President.  The last two years have been a remarkable experience for me, and I have enjoyed this position far more than I ever imagined.  I had the opportunity to work with fantastic people both on the Board and on the field.  I'll never forget my all too brief stint at the helm of this wonderful organization.  Mike Casey will be taking over as President effective July 30.  Under his leadership, and with the help and support of the 2008-2009 Board (the new members of which will be announced in the next issue), OBA could not be in better hands.  Working with Mike on almost a daily basis for the last two years, he has become a valued friend and indispensable OBA colleague. I am always impressed by his sense of fairness and decency, his basic common sense, and his absolute devotion to our most important constituents, the players.     Good luck in the playoffs and I look forward to seeing you on and off the field.   Sincerely,   Rob Weikert		In This Issue Baseball and Safety Memorial Day Tournament Results Help Us Make OBA The Best Baseball Program For Our Kids! Please take a few minutes to complete the OBA Spring Ball Survey. Your feedback is important in helping us to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the OBA program. Past year's surveys  helped us identify a need for more communication about Tournament and All Star Team selection, uniform issues, player equipment needs and field improvements. Our goal is to offer a high quality baseball experience for your players and your feedback is critical to helping us do just that! All responses are confidential and we count on your honest feedback. To take the survey, click on the link below. The survey will close on Sunday, June 15, 2008. Launch the Survey Now! Quick Links www.obabaseball.com
Baseball and Safety Any time you have a 5 ounce hard ball thrown fast and hit hard with a metal or wooden bat, accidents and injuries are bound to occur such as "bad hops".  Some injuries are unavoidable and a natural byproduct of the game.  However, other injuries are arguably "avoidable."  To minimize the risk of injury, OBA encourages managers, coaches and parents to emphasize the importance of safety.   Some important basic principles:   1.  Players should be AWARE at all times when they are on the baseball field, whether it be in practice or a game.  Before they cross the "white line," they should make a note of where the ball is (or balls are) on the field, whether there is a batter at the plate, and the safest path to take to get to where they are going.  This is basic common sense.    2.  When playing catch, the "thrower" should NEVER throw the ball until she makes eye contact with the "catcher" and knows the catcher is looking for and expecting to receive the thrown ball.   3.  A player should NEVER swing a bat, or raise it above his shoulder, unless he has checked the area around him and determined that no one is currently in the range of his swing AND no one is likely to move into that range.  Bats should only be swung when a player is far removed from any other players or persons.   4.  No player intending to bat should ever be in the vicinity of home plate without having a batting helmet on.   5.  When "throwing balls in" after warm ups in between innings or following a practice drill, the balls should be "rolled in" on the ground towards the appropriate dugout and generally away from players, and NEVER thrown.   There are many other good safety principles, but if we can avoid ONE accident or injury by following these "fundamentals" we will have succeeded in making the game of "OBA baseball" safer.  Pinto Rebels Memorial Day Tournament Teams The Orinda Red Pinto team opened the tournament against the defending champions San Bruno and were tied through the first 2 innings but ultimately fell to the champs. The following game against El Cerrito went into extra innings but Orinda fell 13-10. The next day perennial favorite Fremont Blue prevailed 11-5 in a hard fought game and later that day Newark American outplayed Orinda and went to the semi finals while the Red went home down 0-4 but having played 4 of the top 5 teams strong.  Thanks to Manager Will Kronenberg and Coaches Matt Moran, Jim Pinto and David Reed for a terrific weekend! Pinto Outlaws The Outlaws won four straight games in pool play and earned the number two seed heading into the championship round. The scores:  12-8 over Newark American, 20-10 over Fremont Red, 11-9 over El Cerrito Red, and 16-3 over Newark Blue Jays.  The most impressive game was an 11-9 victory over El Cerrito. The Outlaws trailed 9-4 after four innings, but rallied with tremendous defense. Holding EC scoreless for three consecutive innings, while scoring five in the Fifth to tie the game and two in the top of the sixth to take the lead. The victory assured the Outlaws a place in the Championship bracket. In the Championship Semi-final, Newark American played a nearly perfect game to beat us 13-1.   Most important, was the sportsmanship displayed by the Outlaws. The boys represented Orinda Baseball at its best.  Congratulations to Manager Steve Cassriel and Coaches Scott Mollahan, Ken Petersen, and Mark Walker on a successful Tournament!  Mustang Spartans                                                    The Orinda Spartans had an extremely succesful Memorial Day tournament in Citrus Heights. The Spartans opened play against Piedmont. The first 3 innings was a pitchers duel with Piedmont leading 2-1heading into the bottom of the 4th. Orinda than began to get their bats going as they plated 5 runs in the 4th and 5th innings to win 6-2. Later that afternoon Orinda tackled Tara Hills. This was also a well played, tightly contested game. Orinda clung to a 4-3 lead through 3 innings before Tara Hills scratched across a couple of late runs to edge the Spartans 6-4. Sunday morning Orinda faced San Ramon. In a truly great baseball game, Orinda prevailed 3-2. Lots of great pitching, timely hitting, aggressive base running and solid defense keyed the victory. With the win, the Spartans clinched second place in their pool and a spot in the playoffs Monday. Again, Orinda had to face Tara Hills. This time Tara Hills jumped out to an early lead that Orinda couldn't overcome. Tara Hill s prev ailed in the 4 inning affair to eliminate the Spartans. Every member of the Spartans contributed to the team's success over the weekend both on and off the baseball field.  Thanks to Manager Jim Stehr and Coaches Dan Deaver and Eric Kaufman for a great weekend! Mustang Titans The Orinda Titans 10U Mustang tournament team enjoyed a thoroughly successful weekend in Citrus Heights over the Memorial Day weekend, despite winning only one of the three games they played.  Of particular note is the fact that all 12 players on this team pitched over the course of the three games played and all 12 players had at least one hitand one RBI.  Ten of the 12 players scored a run. In their first game, the Titans lost a slugfest to a highly regarded Pleasant Hill Hawks 10 year old team, 15-11.  The Titans held leads of 5-3 and 7-6 in this one, but couldn't hold on for the victory in the end.  In their second game, the Titans jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, but staggered in the later innings, falling 12-5 to a well disciplined College Glen squad.  In their final contest of the tournament, the Titans put all aspects of their game together and "slaughtered" Rodeo by a 15-5 score.  Congratulations to Manager Tom McConnell and Coaches Noel Murphy and Skip Tague on a great tournament! Bronco 12 Year Old Team   ORINDA REBELS BRONCO TEAM WINS CITRUS HEIGHTS MD TOURNAMENT!   The very talented Orinda Rebels 12-year old Bronco Tournament team went undefeated and won the Citrus Heights Memorial Day Tournament on May 26.  Managed by Doug Nelson, and coached by Jim Kirchberg, Gino Paoletti, Greg Anderson, and Toby Pieper, the Rebels got off to a strong start Saturday, beating the San Ramon Extreme 4-3 in the first game, and then later blanking Piedmont 16-0 in five innings.  On Sunday morning, the team hung on in a very tough game against the Tara Hills Bay Boys, winning 2-1.  Moving into Monday, the Rebels simply exploded, first beating Tara Hills Blue, 16-5, then knocking off the San Ramon Havoc, 7-0.   Although you have to wonder what they had left in the tank (and more importantly, their bats!) after these first two games, this team was not going to be denied.  Saving their very best baseball for last, in their third game of the day the boys defeated a top notch Rocklin team, 5-3, in the Championship Game and with that emphatically "grabbed" the title.  What a performance and weekend!    Bronco Outlaws (11 year old team)   The Orinda 11's placed third in a new 11u division in Citrus Heights. The team came on strong and played two great nail-biting games.  The Outlaws went back and forth and finally beat a very good San Ramon team 11-10 in the tournament opener on Saturday. They then had a fabulous bottom of the seventh come-from-behind 7-6 win over Piedmont in their first game on Sunday morning. The second game on Sunday was a very tough outing versus the eventual tournament champion Pleasant Hill, losing 14-7.  With 2 wins and 1 loss, Orinda went into Monday single elimination as the number two seed.  The team point ran into a buzz saw pitcher in a four inning game.  They battled hard playing great defense but falling 8-0 to a great pitching performance.  The team earned the third place slot and a great deal of respect from the tournament organizers and the other teams.  The Orinda Outlaws represented Orinda well.  Congratulations to Manager Jerry Armosino and Coaches Bob Wegener and Gordon Bizieff for a great tournament! Pony On Saturday morning, the Padres lost their first game 15-4 to a very tough Monterey Bay Pirates team. In the second game later that day against Carmel Gray, the Padres lost 8-0. And in the third game this afternoon against Watsonville #1, the Padres won 12-0.    Pony Broncos The Orinda Broncos played three very competitive games in the Fremont 14U tournament. Having a lead  one time or another the lead in all three games the Broncos ultimately went 1-2, beating San Jose Blue 4-1 and losing to San Jose Red 7-4 and Marina 3-1. The Bronco represented OBA very favorably in this weekend tournament.