Early Xmas present for Darren

A large-ish wolfpack turned out last night to present Darren with tokens of our appreciation for all his coaching. We met at Firefly, a very shiny bar off Clapham Common. Darren seemed very happy with the bottle of Jameson's we got him, and kindly shared round the Oreos and Hershey kisses. As always, we hung on his every word for tips and advice (squashing your glove under table legs etc is apparanetly good for breaking it in, and outfielders should either have good arms or be very fast). A good time was had by all, and the party didn't break up till chucking out time (where's 24 hour drinking when you need it, eh?).

I caught this morning morning's softball

A useful training session this morning for the faithful Wolves who showed up. Alison, Manjiv, Kate, Peter and Julian. A beautiful bracing frosty day. The brilliant Darren was there to help us practice throwing - much tougher than it looks to crack that.

The throwing warmed me up well and then during the game I froze again. Too much standing around - at least there were some gorgeous hunks batting.

Alison made a fine catch, Manjiv was her ever dependable and enthusiastic self. Julian hit the ball too high and got caught out All in all I enjoyed it very much in spite of the mud and the nippy weather. There is a lot for poor me and the rest to practice before next spring.

Broken finger

I missed this morning's training session, as I was off to A&E finally getting my injured finger from last time sorted out. Turns out that the ball broke it when it hit it end on. So when I returned to the game, I was in fact batting with a broken finger!
More details in my LJ.
Anyhow, it shouldn't take too long to heal up, so I should be able to train again by January. Hope those of you who could make it today had a good time.
Andy

There's a hole in my bat, dear Liza, dear Liza...

This morning, four wolves made their way to deepest darkest Clapham for the Sunday indoor development session. Uner the tutelage of Darren and Tim we started off with some basic skills, including different types of throwing and catching. The underlying rule seems to be 'pretend you are in a cheesey baseball film, and your throwing and catching will be better'....or at least that is what I found to work best!

As we were indoors we were using the softer softballs, and it took a bit of getting used to. They bounced and they don't take your hand off if you catch it wrong.

We then moved on to a really useful fielding drill, giving us practise at fielding at and to first base, before getting into more of a game scenario with three mini teams of 4-a-side. It is at this point that my morning started to go slightly off course as I couldn't bat for toffee! I have never claimed to be the best batter in the world, but I usually make some kind of contact - not today! Maybe it was the different ball, maybe it was the scaled down pitch, maybe it was the lights, maybe I was just naff today - but I was much more comfortable at the pitcher's plate or in the field than on the batting side.

The indoor game proved to be very good for practising the fielding skills, as the ball got into play more often, and the presence of the walls and ceilings meant that it never got too far out of play either.

This morning also marked the start of our media campaign. A photographer from the local paper came along to the session to take some publicity shots. I have obviously missed my vocation as a model (!) as I had to pose with the bat...and I think Manjiv was snapped in an action shot...I wonder if we will ever get to see them...anyone who lives near clapham - keep an eye out!

I hope I can safely say that we all had a good session, and I'm sure our skills will be that much better for it! Shame our captain didn't make it out of bed in time to join us! - lol ;)

Motto

Inspired by a dream that Richard had last night, the softball discussion in the Northampton Square branch of the pack turned to possible mottos for the team.

At the moment the following is proposed, based on the fact there is probably about an 80/20 ratio of the amount of time we spend discussing softball and all it entails, and the amount of time we spend playing....

"faeneror lupus ut sermo multus est laurifer"

For those who may be a little rushy on the old latin, this translates (we think) as

"The loaning wolf that talks a lot is victorious"

Comments please...

From Andy's LJ

My write-up of Saturday's session

Andy says....

Softball practice yesterday morning, in a muddy Finsbury Park - though once again we escaped actually being rained on, and even got some sun. Don't know how long our luck with the weather will hold as Winter draws in, though. Darren (the Mr Miyagi to our Daniel-San) had us practising throwing techniques and batting. Then a practice game.
There were a bunch of guys from a diferent team there, who were really into it, which made the atmosphere less relaxed (for me at least). Interestingly, they weren't always that much better than us - one of them made a great deal of practice swinging, and choosing which bat suited him best, then immediately got struck out by Kate.
Practice was good - my throwing distance is definitely improving. One of the drills had us kneeling to throw to our partners, so we had to twist from the hips, and with all the recent rain, the ground is pretty boggy. Dutifully, we all squelched down in the ooze. Except Ben. Ben, who Richard called "Super Ben", the ice-hockey player and serious athlete, ran off and came back with a plastic bag to kneel on. Maybe mud's his kryptonite.
I certainly blooded (or muddied) my new glove. Last week, I bought one of the only two softball gloves in JJB Sports in Croydon. It's nice to have your own kit. Getting a bat is going to be a harder proposition - they don't sell official softball regulation bats over here, and I'd like a slightly heavier one than the ones we have borrowed from the BSUK "development kit". The other purchase from JJB, a cheap pair of football shinguards, paid for itself at least twice over yesterday. It's good to know you can rush in to stop a ground ball without cracking your shinbone severely...
I didn't get to do much in the field during the game, sadly - balls just weren't generally coming in my direction (Right Field, then First Base, for a change from Second). Still, it was good to be out and doing something of a Saturday morning.
After the game, we went for a beer at the Finsbury. We decided that the reason it's so cheap is because it's so dodgy. Some geezer selling knock-off lighters (though last time was odder, with an old bloke trying to flog horrible china dolls), iffy clientele, and a sign on the door saying anyone bringing drugs in would get barred. Maybe next time, we'll go somewhere else...

Like wolves in mud...

I think someone up there must be on the loan wolves' side, as it was another sunny (if a bit chilly) session on Saturday morning in Finsbury Park. And, another fantastic turnout of Wolves and opponents - we seem to be growing every week - enough for a full game this time

After a warm-up throwing drill which had Darren get us all on our knees in the mud (A most notable moment as Ben ran to get his pre-prepared plastic bag to kneel on - we may have to rethink that 'super ben ' epithet) we got into some serious (and seriously needed batting drills). It is certainly much harder than it looks and the key is definitely keeping your eye on the ball.

After a short break we then got into a game. Our pitching is still pretty hit and miss (or should that be 'strike and ball') but we are definitely all improving and there were some pretty cool fielding moments once the ball got into play.

Each time we have a training session, my body seems to find a different muscle to cause me pain the following morning - this time it is my right forearm - so if anyone knows any exercises for strenghtening this part of the body, please let me know!

Hi to all Loan Wolves

I hope you all have a good training session tomorrow. I shant be with you this time as I am attending a friend's poetry reading down in Aldeburgh on the Suffolk coast

I think we are making significant progress and the commitment is certainly impressive

I am also a blogger on a book group blog and I have put my full profile on that. I have mentioned Softball as one of my interests. This links me up with people all over the world who are interested in Softball

All the best
Julian

From Jane

Our practice session on Saturday 22nd October went really well.
We are definitely coming together as a team. Fielding has especially
improved, although I personally have to do something about catching
at least one of those huge hits that come my way occassionally!

My muscles generally do not hurt as much the following day as they
did when we first began this softball malarkey - this I believe is a good
sign. The exception however is my buttock and thigh muscles! I'm
new to pitching and oh my goodness how they hurt Sunday morning.
But no pain, no gain as they say, and if I could just develop a bit of
consistency such as Kate has mastered then I shall be away laughing
(and there will be less of the 'moon throws'). Darren shared with me top
pitching tactics but to be honest I'm just trying to throw 'em roughly in
the direction of the batting plate at present.

Speaking of throwing, can I just apologise for the 'low blow' Ben copped
from my throw at short stop during the drills. Hopefully the family jewels
are intact. I have found that it can be just as effective to throw underarm
at close distances, and safer!

Can I put in a plea for us South Londoners that we have the odd practice
session at a pitch in Clapham Junction or perhaps Wandsworth? It takes
me well over an hour to get to Finsbury Park. I accept that Finsbury Park
is likely to be our 'home pitch' which is fine because for league matches
we'll be travelling from work. Other sides we'll be facing in the league
apparently have Clapham Common as their home pitches so it may be
worth us checking it out to be more comfortable with the games we'll have
to play there. And I'll get a longer sleep in. (Now that's what I call team spirit!)

Jane.

Howling in the park

When I was picked as second reserve in the class rounders b-team when I was 12 (the lowest position without actually falling off the bottom), I never thought I would voluntarily get out of bed on a Saturday morning in October in order to play Softball in a muddy park! Not only that, but I have somehow found myself assuming the role of pitcher for a good part most of the day - I didn't realise how tiring it would get, and how much my left leg and right arm would ache the next day. I have now realised that pitching is very much like doing lots and lots of lunges on one leg...very good for that leg's muscles...if you are used to it, that is.

All in all it was a pretty fantastic turnout in Finsbury Park yesterday morning, especially considering the less than encouraging weather forecasts. The Loan Wolves did it again, coming out in force for a fantastic day's practice.

Darren from the softball league came along to coach us and this was tremendously helpful. We worked through drills on ground throws, fielding big hitters, and double plays, and he was full of invaluable advice both during the training and afterwards in the pub.

People are starting to find there natural preferences in terms of positions and fielding techniques and although still shakey at times, our fielding is definitely improving! A great few hours were had by all.

Saturday 22nd October - from Andy's web journal

Had a good softball session yesterday. It was a mild, sunny day, despite the ominous weather forecasts. Ground muddy underfoot, and a huge puddle around the pitcher's plate, thanks to several days' rain, but we could live with that (well, Jane and Kate who were pitching weren't too happy about that puddle...). We had almost two full teams worth of players, including some from the other dev team, and Darren from BSUK was there to coach us. We practised fielding ground balls, throwing to cut-offs and double plays between short-stops and second basemen, then played a practice game. The practice drills Darren had us doing were great - really helpful.
Thanks to expert batting coaching, my batting has actually got worse. I was trying to improve my technique according to what Darren showed us, but thinking "is my elbow high enough...when should I twist into the delivery...is the bat straight...?" just distracted me from concentrating on the ball. Still, it'll be worth it if I start improving the distance I can hit the ball. Fielding still rubbish, though I am slowly improving a bit. I hope. Overall, the team played really well - Peter took an outstanding deep catch at Centre Field, and there were several outs at First Base. Kate's really getting good at pitching - she reckoned the photos of herself from the tournament had helped her see where she could improve her technique.
As we weren't covered in mud and drenched by rain, we went to the pub rather than straight home. Went to The Finsbury, which was surprisingly cheap, and sat outside (avoiding hassles about taking bats into pubs). Had a good drink and chat. Darren gave us lots of tactical advice, of which I can remember:
1. Pitchers should mix up deliveries as much as the rules allow - deliberately bowl the odd ball rather than strike, aim at different areas of the strike zone, etc.
2. Short-stop is a really important position.
3. Put the heaviest hitting batters at 4-6 or therabouts in the line-up. Put solid base-hitters at 1-3. that way, a home run from a big hitter bats in more runs than if there was no-one on base ahead of them.
4. Don't think you have to slide into base if you aren't comfortable with your ability to do so safely; "it's better to take the out than end up in hospital".
We can probably do some useful work on tactics, rules, etc over the Winter when the weather stops us practising. I managed to acquire a book on rules from the US, thanks to BookCrosser momofap. I've read it through, and passed it onto Richard to circulate round the rest of the team.
I really have enjoyed playing softball - it's good to be outside doing something on a Saturday morning, and it's been a motivator to try and take more exercise. Plus, it's a good game - exciting and engaging whether you're fielding, batting or running, and with a lot going on - you have to concentrate mentally, and, as we've learned, there's a lot of teamwork involved. It helps that the Wolves are a great bunch of people, and we value the social aspect of the game. And as a side effect, it has actually improved cross-site communication in City LIS!

Saturday 8th October

9 Wolves keenly made their way to Finsbury park, along with a few members of the development team and a couple of guest-wolves for what turned out to be a very enjoyable and productive session. The 9 included a newly recruited wolf cub, Alex, who straight away displayed his potential as one of the team's big hitters!

We started by dividing into two groups for some pitching and batting practice, before heading into the main section of the session - a game made up of three mini teams - one infield, one outfield and one batting. This gave everyone a chance to try out different positions and also to have a good old go at batting. We made it through 2 innings each, and as the session progressed our improvement was clear as we started to get more people out. Practising in a real game-type scenario is definitely the way to honeour skills, reactions and tactics.

Personally I enjoyed the chance to have a good go at pitching and to do a bit of shouting!

Some bitchin' pitchin'

Lone or Loan? Why it matters!

This is from the wolftrust.org.uk website:

Lone Wolves

What happens to dispersing wolves who cannot find a mate and territory? What happens to them if they do not return home? What happens to them if they return home but are rejected by their former pack? They become 'lone' wolves, not living in a pack but surviving on the edge of established wolf pack territories, waiting until conditions improve for them.

Lone wolves keep out of the way of resident packs, they risk being killed by them if they do not, while at the same time try to find enough food to live on. Many dispersing wolves are unsuccessful and simply die - like seeds scattered in the wind falling on stony ground. Lone wolves have low survival rates. In any wolf population some five to twenty percent of wolves are lone wolves.

and this is from the deep dark depths of my soul:

Loan Wolves
What happens to librarians who have too much time on their hands? What happens to them if they feel the need for team bonding, particularly with far flung cross site colleagues? What happens to them if they want the chance to exercise, talk tactics and discuss techniques in the pub? They become 'loan' wolves.

Loan wolves work together as a team, encouraging and supporting each other's attempts to develop and hone their batting, pitching and fielding skills. Even when they lose, they are still a success, and refuse to lie down and die. Loan wolves have a 100% survival (although occassionally suffer the odd injury) In any (cool) library population some five to twenty percent of librarian's are loan wolves.

More batting photos

Batting photos from Tournament

Team Photo

Vic's post-tourney tale

Vic says :

Manjiv and I decided that the pub in Wood Green was too far away for our tired and cold limbs, so we joined the rest of the tournament players in the local clubhouse round the corner from the park.

The beer was cheap and the other softballers were very friendly and encouraging. A number of the players from the better teams, including the Panthers, came up to us and congratulated us on our efforts. Some of the Panthers admitted feeling sorry for us at first, but told us that we certainly had potential and would get better the more we practiced. I got some good pitching tips whilst waiting to be served at the bar and we heard some great softball injury tales. We spent quite a lot of time chatting to the other development team players and we all agreed to keep in touch and keeping on training together.

The prizes for the 1st and 2nd places in each league were handed out as were the prizes for the winners of the tournament and all-star game. We weren't left out. Each team's MVP got a prize and we collected Kate's award on her behalf. Congratulations!!

I left the club after a few beers feeling tired, tipsy and a little sore but eager to go out there again.

Manjiv's post tourney tale

GO WOLVES GO!!!!!

Somehow I thought I would have gotten softball fever out of my head after the tournament…alas it’s steadily getting worse. I’ve been suffering from “softball withdrawal symptoms” all day yesterday, and despite sore aching muscles did make a brave attempt to go and throw a ball around the park. Unfortunately I had to admit defeat after a mere 2 minutes and return home to my comfy pyjamas and lots of tea…

So Saturday… both Vic and I went down to the clubhouse (great place for cheap beer and surprisingly (!) found ourselves surrounded by a lot of like minded softball enthusiasts). A great cheer for Kate (hip hip hooray) who received an MVP award for our team – she is now the proud owner of a New York Yankees baseball cap – I wonder what Colin will make of it?? Wear it with pride Kate!!

We spent a couple of hours in the company of members of the other development team, got chatting and one thing led to another and we thought it would be a good idea to continue our Monday night practices if possible. Would the wolves be willing to attend practice sessions at regent’s park playing against the development team. I think this may be a good opportunity to not only work on practicing our essential game skills but also improve how we work together as a team? Could I get an idea of interest so I can let the development team know – they are very enthusiastic to do this as well>

Could you also have a look at the link below regarding indoor softball and let me know if firstly, you’d like to be involved in this, and secondly if you’d prefer weekly or bi-weekly sessions?

Finally, could you let me know your late night duties for scheduling purposes?

http://www.baseballsoftballuk.com/gen_insert.php?from_level3=Articles&db_story=780&this_page=softballnews&back=Current++News

that’s all from me for now, Manjiv