Living in Contra Costa County: California: Walnut Creek

Walnut Creek Travel Ball Tryouts 2 -4-12

There will be Tryouts Saturday February 4 2012 at 11 AM for a 13 and Under Walnut Creek Travel Ball Team. Ball Players from all local communities are eligible. There are open roster spots and plenty of room for talented Baseball Players.

Tryouts are at the Ygancio Valley High Baseball Fields, starting at 11:00 AM.

Travel Baseball is an excellent opportunity for a young player coming out of Little League of other seasonally organized youth baseball to expand their skills and take things to the next level.

To register for the tryouts or if you have questions about Travel Ball call Eric Samuels at 925-671-7758 or e-mail emanlaw99@HotMail.com

Has this Happened to Your Kids?

Most of my kids go to School here in our Excellent Brentwood Schools. However, son number 2 goes to Middle School in Walnut Creek.

Now Walnut Creek is one of the more “upscale” communities in Contra Costa County. My son is an excellent student; primarily A's with some B's.

He was given a quiz in math where he was assigned with a team of 4 and each had to solve a problem. Then they were given a grade as a group. My son gets his problem right, the others do not. He gets a poor grade on the quiz and this drags down his semester grade. My ex is fighting this battle – I fight other battles for my older son who is with me in school.

I have seen similar assignments in my older sons high school, but not this extreme. But I wonder what the motive is.

My thinking is that the schools need to drag down those that are most successful to promote others that should fail or at least get remedial help. They can also avoid having to admit failure with some kids and it helps them to do social promotion.

I have not seen a lot of this but I note it is creeping in. I suspect teachers unions and liberal educators are slowly working on something to help them achieve the Socialist Agenda many desire.

Has anyone else seen this?

Bancroft Gardens in Walnut Creek

I caught this article in the Wall Street Journal On-Line and am providing a link here because it is a locally oriented article in a National Paper.

I have never been to Bancroft Gardens; but my two older sons both attended Bancroft Elementary School in Walnut Creek. I see the signs for the Gardens but have never been.

Maybe I ought to.

Well the Continental All Stars from Walnut Creek went down to defeat Thursday night in a 10-5 loss to South Oakland.

I wish they had gone on as the next night they would have played in Albany California and my son may have played on the same fields I played on 40 years ago.

Corbin made two great catches in center in the final game (and dropped a 3rd on the run).  He went one for three at the plate with no strike outs. 

Well now we get a break for the rest of the month and he picks up with Travel Ball in August.

I wrote Last Week About Corbin Being in The Allstars.  Here is the Allstar update for Walnut Creek California Continental Little League.

Well they got beat last night. Got beat bad 8-1. They did not look sharp. My hunch is they practiced too much the day before in the heat. Corbin made a poor bunt (right back to the pitcher) and the runner on first was thrown out at 2nd, but Corbin did get first on a fielders choice. Then he struck out twice.

Not much action in center field except to watch 2 home run balls sail over his head. He was brought in to pitch. In two innings he gave up 2 unearned (errors on the infield) runs - no earned runs. They pulled him to keep his pitch count down so he is available today.

Today is the first came in the loser bracket of the double elimination. It is do or die tonight.

Corbin Riemenschneider - Allstar

For those of you who read my post you know my Son # 2 Corbin is a great baseball player.  He plays First Base, Center Field, and does some pitching.

This year he was selected to the Continental League Allstar team.  In Little League the 12 year old Allstar team is the pinnacle.  It is the Allstar teams that play for the Little League World Series.

We are a long way from that.  They are just getting started in the District 4 Tournament - which is double elimination.  They won there first game on Saturday 4-0 and play again Wednesday. 

Corbin is a great First Baseman (I think the best on the team) but they have 3 left handed first basemen and they are all very good.  Corbin is also the best Center Fielder so he played 6 innings in Center the other day.

At bat he went 3 for 3 and scored from 3rd on a fly ball.

Any way I can hardly wait for the 2nd game Wednesday.

Well once again it is time for Baseball Playoffs.

Every year my son Corbins team makes the playoffs and plays in the TOC (Tournament of Champions).  In double A his team took the title.  In triple A and his first year in the Majors they were knocked out in the first round.

Tomorrow night they have the big playoff game in Walnut Creek to see who represents Continental Little League in this years TOC.  At first glance his team does not look as good as last years team.  However, I think with fewer dominating players and a tougher season it has given them more depth.  Depth is important in the playoffs and TOC.

Anyway between his little brothers games where I need to be to keep them from playing in the dirt and help them to focus on the game and other commitments I have only been to about 6 of his games so far.  But I will be there tomorrow night.

Corbin Starts in Center Field and will probably see some time at first base.  If they get to the TOC I suspect he might be pitching as some point too.

As any one that reads about my kids knows I keep them active in sports.  Much to my sorry only one has shown a real aptitude for Baseball.

Corbin is 12 and a great left handed baseball player.  He plays first base and outfield.  He has just started to pitch. He plays in the Continental Little League in Walnut Creek.

Saturday 4/2/11 they had an exhibition game against a team from Pittsburg.  He played great at 1st and in center with good at bats. 

He got one inning of pitching in and was excellent with two strike outs and another out to the field.  They were playing on a minor field which has a shorter mound and distance to the plate than he is used to so he was coming in a little high in warm ups, but he adjusted.

In the past I have written about my son Corbin.  He is my baseball player.  Two years ago while in East County Little League his AA Team, the Giants won the Tournament of Champions.  Last year he moved to Continental Little League and his team won the Title for Continental at the AAA Level, but lost the first game of the TOC's.

Corbin is the Good Looking one Right Front (there left)!

This year he is on another winning team.  The Diamondbacks at the Major League level in the Continental Little League went 19-1 and won the Major League Title.  Tonight they start the TOC's against Hercules/Pinole Little League. 

They have a very good team and suspect they can win it all. 

As an 11 year old Corbin has played a utility roll this season at First Base, Outfield and some pitching. 

Win or lose I am very proud of him.  Being on a winner 3 years in a row he is kind of like the Don Baylor of the Little League set.  Don Baylor played on 3 different Championship major league teams in the 80's.

No pictures and No names (at least not many) for this post.  I do not know the names of all the people involved.  It is a great and sad story.

My 11 year old son plays in the Majors for the Continental Little League in Walnut Creek California on the Diamond Backs.  He is a good player and plays first base and outfield.  The best player on his team (and maybe in the league plays 1st ahead of him.) when that player pitches (as he is also the ace) my son plays 1st.

Today the number 2 pitcher on the team went through 17 straight batters.  In Little League the games go 6 innings and 18 batters is a perfect game. A perfect game and any level of baseball is an amazing accomplishment.

The last batter on the other team came up (The Cardinals) and his name is Chris.  Chris is not the best player, but not the worst either.  He is scrappy and loves baseball.  He started in left field today and played the entire game there.  He also batted 9th.  Chris backed up my son who started at 1st on the Fall Ball team and I had watched him there.

In Chris's first at bat today he hit a sharp one back to the pitcher for a ground out, which was more than most people were doing.

As Chris came to bat today I was on my feet with a few others.  Some did not realize what was going on and I explained to them.  Some knew it was a no hitter, but did not know that we were on the verge of a perfect game.  To add more drama to the situation there was an issue with the pitch count and how much longer the pitcher could stay in the game (I think he only had 11 pitches left for the game.  This rule has changed some and I am not sure of all the details and how it would have played out).  

Chris hit a dribbler between 1st and the second basemen.  The pitcher might have been able to get it or the second baseman, they both moved to it, but so did the 1st basemen who got it and stumbled.  He may have been able to get up and run it over and get the out still,but he tossed it to the second basemen who went to cover first.  The toss was low and bobbled.  Chris tripped on first and got the wind knocked out of him, but was safe. 

The perfect game was lost.  The coaches took a time out and got the kids focused.  The next better flew out and the pitcher got a no-hitter.

I shook the pitchers hand after-wards and told him it was one of the finest games I had ever seen pitched.  I am 49 and have only seen one other no-hitter.  Nolan Ryan vs the Oakland A's.  I told him this, he is in good company. 

The pitcher did not seem happy and the first basemen seemed upset too.  It is a sad thing.  However, they are young men and will accomplish many great things yet in life.  There are old men whose only accomplishments in life that they talk about are what the achieved in Little League or high school, that is sadder. Failure at any age is something that can be built upon and turned into achievement, but especially at a young age.  It is also sad that what should be a great thing (a no hitter) will be overshadowed by what it could have been.

I am thankful for 2 things:

1. I am happy for Chris.  He will probably never play ball at the same level as the pitcher today or the first basemen on my son's team, but he accomplished something great for his team.  I hope they gave him the game ball.
   
   
2. My son was not playing 1st base when this happened.