Loan Wolves and Englishmen...

...practice softball in the midday sun.
Five of us got together for a practice this morning at Clapham South, for about three and a half hours. Hot and sunny weather, and no frisbee-throwers to distract us. We practised throwing, catching, hitting, base-running and outfielding. Ben came along at eleven and had some good ideas for drills. It was a fun session, and I think we all benefited from it. Good to see last year's MVW Alison moving steadily towards complete fitness after her injury, and Olivia, a relative novice, improving all the time. Tigger has come on in leaps and bounds due to enlisting her nearest and dearest for throwing/catching practice. For my own part, I'm better than I was, but still pretty dire, except maybe running bases with the wind behind me.
For some reason, at least six balls ended up going out of the park and into the road, leading to various Wolves having to play a kind of real-life Frogger to rescue them from the traffic. One important object lesson from this came when we saw a ball survived being run over by a car with no ill-effects at all. It's no surprise, then, that when one hits you in the hand, or shin, or face, the ball's not going to be the one coming off worse...
The team will still need to be extremely lucky to win any games this season - but then, as Gary Player said, "the more I practise, the luckier I get"....

Softball Lesson #9

So our 9th game and what did we learn this week.

9.1 We don’t lose all the time

Sometimes we draw! Well played everyone. And we discovered that a 6 or 7 game innings lasts quite a long time leaving us with less time in the pub. (I guess there's more advatages to the mercy rule than we first realised)

9.2 Gloves

When fielding or pitching remember to wear your glove

9.3 Shin Pads

When buying shin pads for Manjiv remember to give them to her before she gets whacked on the shin, not after. Sorry.

9.4 Gloves

When fielding or pitching really remember to wear your glove.

9.5 Use your Head

Use your head except to field the ball. It is the least effective and most sensitive part of the body to use when trying to stop the ball

9.6 E.R

We thought we had an impressive injury record with 2 visits to ER and countless injuries. The Raiders B have had 3 broken legs so far this season. Please read the comment for an important safety notice.

9.7 Softball is FUN :-)

A fantastic team performance with very few over throws (The only one I recall was by me!), very few mistakes and nobody getting caught out.
Top marks go to:-

Olivia for practicing leaving the pitches and batting superbly getting to first at least twice.
Mark for two massive home runs and bringing 3 people home to tie the game.
Kate for getting her first run.
Super ‘safe hands’ Ben for catching everything at first base.
Michael for reading last weeks lesson 8.2 and performing a perfect 'crouching tiger spring'.
Alison for standing at bat and not swinging at anything despite every fibre of her body straining to hit out.
Alex for some quality base coaching.
And my nomination for MVP,
Julian who pitched awesomely and still managed time to run people out on first. At one point a batter was 3 balls and no strikes, and Julian produced three great pitches striking them out!

But none of that would have counted without a great team performance
Well played everyone,
We're number 3 (from bottom) we're number 3 (from bottom)
Go Wolves Go

Loan Wolves 18 - 18 Raiders 'A'

Battle without honour or humanity...
Actually it wasn't - it was a mostly good-spirited fixture. The above is just what I'd been playing to psych myself up for the long-awaited clash with the only other team in the league to have lost all their games so far.
The weather finally settled into warm and not too muggy, after a day of heavy showers alternating with sauna-like humidity. Illness and holidays meant that we only just had enough women to field a legal team, with Alison playing as catcher and stepping up to bat hoping for a walk rather than a strikeout. Scores were close all through, with the Wolves gaining then losing a slight lead, until a great fifth inning for us gave a renewed lead and a real shot at victory. It was at this point that Tigger started jumping up and down, shouting; "we've won! We've won!", until it was pointed out to her that the game wasn't over - our games usually stop after the fifth only because we're losing so badly that "mercy" gets called. We had one more innings (bad light was threatening) to play. A home run with bases loaded for the bad guys left us trailing by three in the middle of the last (see how I unselfconsciously use the technical terms, now?). We scored three. Exactly three. So the ump called "tied ballgame!" and honours were even. And it is no longer true that the Loan Wolves lose all their matches. Also, as the Raiders had forfeited a game earlier, we are still one place above them in the league.
Could easily have been a victory (probably what the opposition were thinking, too). A lot more fun playing a game through to the end with both sides in it.

Game 9: Two Points = Good Job!

The Loan Wolves played a great match yesterday, ending with a morale boosting first ever draw in the side's short history. 18 all, against London Raiders A. The score sounds straightforward, but so much went on during the match, the drama, the tension with it being so close, heck it was better than some recent World Cup matches that I have seen.

First mention must go to our pitcher, Julian, who had a brilliant game, not only pitching consistently throughout the match (including a couple of times when he had forgotten to put his glove back on!) but getting multiple strike outs and assists at 1st Base 'outs'. The infield was pretty solid again today, with some good throws and catches being made between Shortstop, and 3rd/2nd and 1st, to get the outs the team needed to quickly put the other side away. The team's outfield was certainly put under pressure by the some of the opposition's heavy hitters, but they did well (perhaps boosted by Paul's kind gesture of buying the team shinpads) Also, with most of the team electing to wear tracksuit bottoms rather than shorts, we didn't get attacked by the Finsbury Mosquitos union as much as last game.

As the score suggests, we managed to get 18 runs in the game, our highest ever total. Much of this credit must go to a certain Mark Davis, who after rushing from football practice, and being subbed straight into to bat (no warm up needed evidently) proceeded to hit two home runs from two at bats, batting in about 4/5 others runs into the bargain. Team wise, it was really pleasing to see everyone contributing to the offensive side of the game, constistently hitting the ball, although being very patient and taking the walks if they were available. I think I am right in saying that Olivia and Kate got around for their first ever runs (well done), and the rest of the team too can be proud of their 'good wheels', running between the bases. A final mention must go to Alison, who continues her Loan Wolves style rehabilitation programme, involving kindly turning up to matches to play catcher, being extremely patient when batting at the plate, and socialising in the Finsbury afterwards. Thanks again to everyone who played for making it such an enjoyable match to be involved in.

Softball Lesson #8

So our 8th defeat... and what did we learn this week?

8.1 "Illegal Ball"

If while batting the Umpire shouts illegal ball, that means in their opinion the pitch is so pants and rubbish that it's called a ball and you can relax and ignore it.
However if you decide to ignore the Umpires 'good eye' and hit the ball.... RUN !!!!
Andy thinks if you swing and miss it's a strike.

8.2 Over Running the Base.

If like Michael you are really fast or a juggernaut like Mark, it's sometimes difficult to stop on a base. The best way to slow down is to slide but due to our intimate relationship with ER i won't advise that (this season)
So you need to get back on the base. Most often the fielder will be standing on the base with the ball... if so, they have to TAG you. So get any part of your body on the base without them touching you with the ball. I demonstrated the 'crouching tiger spring' to a select audience last night
This rule also applies if running back to your base if the ball is caught.
Once the ball is caught, the batter is out AND all forces are off, so every runner must be TAGGED regardless of which way they are running.
I would point out that our queen of second base Vic applied such a tag out after the normally 100% efficient and accurate short stop sold her short. The runner over ran and Vic tagged her and despite the runner thinking they were safe, they were OUT!! well played "Queen Vic"

8.3 Finsbury Flies Bite

My beautiful legs have been badly bitten. So in future I will ignore any comments about me smelling like a toilet duck and liberally apply insect repellent. I suggest people do the same.

8.4 SuperBen's Kryptonite

While there is no doubting the Superness of Super Ben, he unfortunately also has his kryptonite weakness. As soon as the ball hits the bat Ben's entire audio sensory equipment shuts down leaving him completely deaf and unaware of the shouts of fellow team mates. Whether we need to hold up signs or buy Ben a hearing aid is for a future discussion.

well played

Loan Wolves v Richmond Swingers 1-20

Another heroic night for the Wolves, playing at home and facing not only a team from the top of the table, but also blinding sunlight and hard ground causing the softballs to going bouncing all over the place. Well that’s my excuse for getting a softball in the face anyway! I am very disappointed not to have a huge bruise this morning. Just a slight yet very tender, bump on my eyebrow.
Despite the difficult terrain, some fumbled balls and some shocking throws (me most definitely included. I was aiming for 1st, honest), we fielded well, not getting the mercy rule till the 5th innings and even preventing the Swingers scoring at all in one innings. However their big hitters proved difficult to stop. At times this was a good thing. If Manjiv had managed to get in the way of the one that that flew past her at high speed at head height having bounced off the ground in front of her, it would have certainly stung a bit, in fact it would have probably knocked her out. Ouch.
Overall it was another good team effort all round. Michael was a real asset in the outfield, all the cricketing practice paying off with some huge throws in. A good first outing as a Wolf. Alison made her return, stepping in bravely as catcher and taking out some of her pent up softball frustration on the ball by going up to bat, proving that she is raring to go once back to full fitness. Julian produced some great pitching and had a good batting innings too. Jane C stepped up despite feeling a bit under the weather and made a fantastic hit that dropped right in the sweet spot between in-field and out-field. Jane A proved once again that she is a very safe pair of hands on 1st. Alex showed up, was subbed in and promptly injured his knee. Not a great night for him. At least he looked good doing it, going out in style with a slide into 3rd. Peter managed to cause confusion all round when he was unable to stop the swing he had started on a ball from an illegal pitch. There were lots of bemused fielders trying to work out what our silent hand signals to Peter meant. It’s hard to tell someone to run without the opposition realising. New rule learnt and duly noted. Well done to Ben for scoring our only run. Paul would like it noted that he got Ben round with his hit!
My personal highlights – getting tagged out twice in a row in one innings (so harsh), getting to first base (hurrah! That’s twice now!), and managing to tag out the runner on 2nd who though she was home and safe. Just goes to show you, always stay on your base!!!!

Practice at Clapham

Ben and I had some useful training on Monday at Clapham. Darren gave us some detailed coaching on batting. Also had us attempting catches in the out-field and the in-field. He is an excellent trainer.

Our thoughts today are with Richard, Tina, and Daisy Alice Hornshaw...

An argument with a softball...the softball won

I was roped into babysitting this weekend, and managed to cajole my brother in law to go out for a quick practice in return. I was feeling pretty good as my catching skills are slowly getting better...when the inevitable happened - I was ambushed by a softball in the face! Actually, scrap that...I'm going to say that I heroically managed to block the softball by any means necessary (sounds better). Worry not team - the ball actually deflected off my glove and hit me on the mouth. All I suffered was a slight cut and a swollen lip (which was looking very Daffy Duckish yesterday). There are lessons to be learnt here...and no doubt I will learn them sometime....Byeee

Loan Wolves 5 Cheetahs 39 - at Clapham

The score doesnt really reflect how hard the Wolves tried. The Cheetahs are an experienced team - they have been playing for 10 years.

The fielding and batting are both improving. There were some useful catches from Paul, Richard and Peter. Pitching of Kate, Manjiv and Julian is coming along well. Poor Andy turned up with his nasty injury just above the eye showing and did some scoring. Jane A. performed heroics on 1st base. New players Monica and Mark made great contributions in the batting department. Jane C. was a dynamo on 2nd base.

Afterwards went to the pub and had some interesting conversation with some of the Cheetahs. They seemed a very nice bunch.

In stitches (not for the squeamish)

Today, five Wolves took up an invitation to a training session and practice game with the Tornadoes (the side we only lost to by a point). Lovely day for it, and they were a friendly bunch. We practised throwing, pitching (Manjiv was doing well at that) and batting, then had a practice game. I was fielding in the outfield, and missed a catch. Well, didn't miss it exactly - it skipped off my glove I think, and cannoned into my face. I first noticed stinging pain, then blood, then realised that my sunglasses were somehow stuck to my head. I was thankful to find that I could see clearly from both eyes. The glasses had in fact smacked into my brow, opened a cut, and jammed the flesh between the frame and the lens (my sunglasses are impact-resistant plastic, and worth every penny of the extra I spent, as the lenses stayed intact and so did my eyes).
Now, as these things go, it could have been a lot worse. Not least that the Tornadoes had a qualified doctor and a paramedic among them, and first aider Jane was with us. I'd brought my first aid kit as usual, which was handy as no-one else had one. From the first, I could tell that aside from the nasty cut and inevitable bruising I'd suffered nothing serious. The paramedic and Jane freed my eye from the sunglasses, inevitably tearing the skin a little more, and dressed the wound, then Hoppo (the Tornadoes' captain) drove Jane & I to A&E.
We watched the Japan-Croatia game in A&E while waiting for me to be seen. Eventually, I was seen by a friendly practitioner nurse. She asked how it had happened and everything, plus a bunch of other required questions. "Any other sports or hobbies?". So I said medieval swordfighting. She insisted on putting that down on the form - "that's the only time I'll get to put that!" she said happily. The bleeding was still continuing, due to what PN Julie called "a persistent little bleeder" - a small blood vessel at the edge of the wound which wouldn't close. So I got sutures - five of them in total. Which meant that Manjiv won the sweepstake we were holding via text message as to who'd guess the number of stitches. It wasn't too pleasant an experience, but I didn't blub, and the little bleeder has now been stifled. It occured to me as I was being stitched that if I'd held on to the catch, it would have been the third out, and finished the other side's inning. We were winnning, too.
Jane used my camera to snap lots of cool pictures of me at different stages (face covered with blood, being stitched up, etc).
Interesting experience. Glad I always take that little first aid kit stuffed in my bat bag - I shall continue to do so, and the Tornadoes' professional medics said they'd be doing something similar from now on. They were great, and Jane's first aid and support, spending her Sunday afternoon in AE with me, were also really appreciated.

Loan Wolves 1 - 30 Glove Me Tender

The team was surprisingly up for this clash with the table-topping GMT. Manjiv in particular was so fired up and bouncing arund with excitement that she earned herself the nickname "Tigger" from Jane A. For once, we had no spare male players, and I was fielding at Second Base. I'd forgotten how much more involved in the plays the infielders are.
Weather was sunny, after a cold, damp, day (which meant that for part of the game, the setting sun was right in my eyes at Second), and the pitch had been mowed recently.
The scoreline reflects that the other side were better than us, but doesn't really do us justice. Our performace defensively was very tight for much of the game, and after three innings we were only 7-1 down. Sadly, their fielding, their infield in particular, was really sharp and we had a hard job to get runs ourselves. Then one big inning for them just about did for us. As Paul said, at higher levels it becomes very hard to get to First. I did at least manage that, but also got out at First from hits that in other games would have seen me safely on base. Meanwhile, GMT stole a lot of bases, and gave us plenty of work trying to keep the forces on and the run total down.
I managed to achieve one of my little goals for the season - tagged a runner out.
Darren's team were playing on the other pitch (they won), and we had a natter with him at the pub after the game. I got to wear my vintage letter sweater for the first time, too.

Regents Park Development Practice

A beautiful summer evening for our practice in Regents Park. Jane A. and Ben and myself plus others from various groups. The coaches were Kim and Ronnie. We practised our throwing and also did an exercise which involved one person running round the bases while fielders threw the ball from base to base - testing accuracy of throwing. Also had alot of batting practice using that pole like a golfing tee for hitting the ball off.

Practice

No game this week, but we got some practice in.
A bunch of us went to the Northwick Park batting cages on Wednesday. We booked three cages for an hour, and had a lot of fun hitting things with bits of metal. You press a button, and fifteen balls in a row are launched at you. I hit 105, I counted (well, I missed some of them, but I swung at them all). I think we all had fun, and it was nice to be able to experiment with trying to place the ball, or hit big pop-ups, without worrying about getting out. Shame that the machines tended to jam occasionally, though.

We also had a good practice on Friday evening, at Finsbury Park. The weather's been glorious, and for the first time I realised that it really is meant to be a Summer game. A nice evening wearing sunglasses, enjoying the heat and the park, hitting and fielding, and working on in-game situations.
I'm missing one of the softballs I had with me on Friday, BTW. If someone's picked one up marked "APJH", it's mine.

"I lettered in softball..."

I went to a really cool vintage clothing shop yesterday. Didn't expect to buy anything, but I am now the proud owner of an original 1940s high school jock's "letter sweater", complete with a baseball/softball badge (with original tiny wooden bat and glove). It's a bit moth-eaten, but it's in our colours - black, with orange letter and arm-stripes.

Tornadoes 16 - 15 Loan Wolves

[X-posted from my LJ, as usual]

Well, we had our best game of the season so far.
One that went all the way to the seventh inning, with no danger of the "mercy rule" being invoked. One where we made more runs than in all four of our previous games put together.
Played in Wandsworth Park, on a newly-mown pitch smelling of fresh hay (and why is it that everyone else's home grounds are nicer than ours?). Finally, we were matched with a team we could compete with. Despite being ahead at one point, and a "3 up, 3 down" inning where we got them out without a run scored, we couldn't quite nail that elusive first win. Some good pitching, excellent fielding, but we just didn't quite make the runs we needed. Perhaps we were confused by the opposition also wearing orange - I don't know. Afraid my batting, until the final inning, was below par. I'd cleaned my bat yesterday evening, and now it seemed I couldn't do a thing with it. Did contribute to our seven-run final inning with a second-base hit and a run, at least. In the field, a big hit in my direction escaped me, but I was saved by the fact that the batter had stepped out of his box and was therefore already out.
Three minor injuries for the team, so par for the course there. But it was good for our morale to know that we can give a decent account of ouselves when we have to.
Batting practice at the cages in Northwick Park next week. Looking forward to that.

Loan Wolves 5 - Private Is- 33

For our fourth game of the season the Loan Wolves took their first 'professional' trip south of the river to Earlsfield and the Battersea Ironside sports ground. Despite the almost continual rain up until Thursday lunchtime the evening was warm and bright and the pitch looked good.

Contrary to what the scoreline may suggest I think we all came away from this encounter will lots of positives. We warmed up thoroughly and it showed with an uncharacteristically strong start - several bases hits in a row resulting in 1 whole run which I think raised everyone's confidence.

I've not played catcher before, and it's a strange position. You are active in nearly every play, but you're not out there with the team, you are the only one with a full on view of the whole field and you are privy to the umpire's mumblings and the other team's discussion whilst waiting to bat. Very interesting!

Our first innings fielding went pretty well. Some sterling pitching by Ben got the game moving and we got the outs in a reasonable time. There was a great moment later on in the game when Jane C took a big catch and was straight away looking around for the next out. If we'd had anyone on base I feel sure that would been our first double play!

It was great to have Darren there shouting tips and encouragement, and the support from Ben's family and Vic's sister all added to the atmosphere.

After game drinks were slightly surreal, as we were sharing the club house with a group of dog trainers and their untrained muts - but that's the thing with the Loan Wolves - expect the unexpected!

Softball on Broadway

Hi All,

Bought a size 12 and a half glove in Paragon Sports on Broadway. It was $50 which was the cheapest I could find. It seems to be ok. I am very pleased to have my own at last

FAB evening

I was the sole representative of the Loan Wolves to take up the invitation to play with the Finance department's side "FAB" at Regent's Park this evening.
Played in a friendly six-a-side game with a pleasantly relaxed attitude to the letter of the rules. My side won 16-15 (having slipped from our 16-2 lead before the last inning). I made four runs (it's a bit easier than usual with only one outfielder), didn't get out, and took a couple of outs at First (and if I was fielding at First Base, you know the side was short of players). Then had a couple of beers with the others, at the Edinboro Castle. Bit busy, bit trendy, but OK pub. Enjoyed usual rambling post-game conversation.
Looking forward to playing a proper friendly vs these guys with the rest of the Wolves in June.

Loan Wolves 4 - 28 Italian Suede

[X-posted from my LJ]
Third match of the season. Third time we lost by the "mercy rule". One day, one of our games will go the whole distance. One day.
We were at the pitch in good time, and got a lot of practice in. The opposition didn't turn up till 7.15, having been held up coming from South London.
The ground was soft and it had showered heavily about half an hour before the game started, which didn't help our fielding. Manjiv did a good job as pitcher, and Peter got a game, taking several outs at First. I came on after the second innings, got muddy and scored a run, legging it from Second to Home. Earlier, while scoring, I noticed an immaculately dressed figure approaching, somehow making a crutch look like a fashion statement. It was Alison, turning out to support the team. Great to see her back. Sharon and Jane A both played again, and seemed to enjoy the game. Alex arrived late from work, and took over the scoring. We played out a last inning for practice after the game ended, then headed for the pub. Unlike last time, none of the Arsenal fan regulars at the Finsbury took against our Wolves colours. Sat outside till we started to go numb with cold, then went in. Conversation ranged in that random way from softball to indexing for image libraries to the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon series.

Loan Wolves 4 - 28 Meteors

Loan Wolves were playing at home, at Finsbury Park (not that that counts for much, with most teams having the same two or threee grounds as their "home" pitches).
Lovely balmy evening, with London looking beautiful in the sunshine.
The Wolves lost, despite playing well. First time players Sharon and "New" Jane bravely stepped up to bat and took their place in the field. Their heads must have been swimming with all the advice and tuition we were trying to cram into them, but they both took to the game well.
Harsh umpiring calls did our brave and hardworking pitchers no favours, but I saw at least three strike-outs reward their determination. Some great fielding, particularly in terms of players backing each other up and working well together.
I enjoyed batting, getting my first run of the season on the board, and fielded at Centre Right Field, then took over as catcher. Being catcher really takes it out of your knees, ankles and back, but it's an interesting position to play. I tried to shout encouragement to Manjiv, in the manner of a wicket keeper to a bowler. Managed to field a short-hit ball and throw it to Ben for an out.
Then drinks at the Finsbury. Richard's wife turned up later on. They're expecting their first little wolf cub in July.
And no hospitalised players this week. Bonus.

First Match of Season

The Loan Wolves struggled bravely against the more experienced Finsbury Dazzlers. Ben managed to get round for our solitary run.

The team improved during the course of the evening. There was some fine batting from Alex. Ben made a good catch. Kate did some good pitches. I quite enjoyed being the catcher.

I think it was helpful for us to play a good team.

The team shirt looked impressive.

A great shame that brave Alison was injured - I hope she'll be playing again soon.

Wounded Wolf

First game of the season, away to Finsbury Dazzlers. We all had our spiffing new team shirts - no logo or anything, but in the team colours (black, and a nice bright orange). And we lost. Didn't play badly, but the other side's experience told. The "run-ahead rule" (aka the Mercy Rule, or, less kindly, the Slaughter Rule) meant that the game was stopped after the third innings, as the bad guys were so far ahead (25-1), but the teams elected to play on for practice. We ended up wishing we hadn't. Running between second and third, Alison fell suddenly. She had dislocated her knee. One of those situations where all first aiders can do is call an ambulance and try to stop people doing more harm than good (a woman on the other team who reckoned she was a first aider herself was offering her painkillers - that's a bit of a no-no). The ambulance didn't arrive within the first half-hour. Still not one available. I regretted not laying it on a bit more heavily, and claiming it was more serious than it was - then I thought that if I'd claimed she was going into shock or unconsciousness, they might have diverted an ambulance that could have been going to someone with life-threatening problems, so it was probably as well I hadn't.
Alison's knee fell back into position, and she wanted to go home, and it was getting dark, and the ambulance still hadn't turned up. Alex and David carried her off the park, and we tried to find a cab. Eventually, the ambulance arrived before we could find a taxi, which was perhaps as well. Brave soldier that she is, Alison wanted to go home rather than to A&E, but her knee still wasn't right. Jane, a first aider, was trying to persuade her to go to hospital just as the ambulance turned up. The paramedics turned on their bedside manner, reassuring her (as Alex said, they seem to be trained in babytalk, but in a good way), and looked her over. they saw the swollen knee, and took her straight off to hospital. At any rate, she'll have got proper treatment for her knee straight away, and that's a good thing. Rotten luck for her, though.

Going batty at Northwick Park

Today, after seeing the weather brighten up, I decided to head off to try out Northwick Park Golf club's batting cages. http://www.northwickpark.com/playgolf-northwickpark-baseball2.htm

I had been told by Manjiv, that they were worth a visit, so I went trekking the whole way across London on the trusty Bakerloo line. Once there, after a short walk from South Kenton tube station, I discovered that they have a really great set up. There are 3 baseball cages (1x Fast, 1x Medium and 1x Slow), and most importantly for us softballers, 5 softball cages (3x slow pitch, 1x medium pitch and 1x fast pitch)

The main building was reminiscent of the 'hub' in Regents park (where Andy, Alison and I did our Softball umpiring course) and inside I stumped up my money to buy 5 tokens. I even managed to get 10% discount for mentioning 'Baseball Softball UK', and signed up for a permanent discount card.

The way it works is each token is used to feed the machines in any of the batting cages (I wimped out and headed for the slow pitch softball one). Once inserted, a button is pressed, and then you have 10 seconds before the first of your 15 balls is launched at you. I must admit the first one did take me by surprise, but from then on I did do fairly well in cracking a good percentage of balls into left field (mostly with line drives or ground balls). Speaking with an experienced softball player in the next cage, he told me to try and take the ball as late as possible over the plate, so as to enable me to hit into right field. After taking the advice, I started hitting them straight back from where they had come from, but eventually I did manage to pull a few to right field.

The other thing to mention is that the machines don't use proper softballs, or even indoor ones. They launch hard, dimpled plastic ones, that although feel strange at first, are still substancial enough to jar your arms, if you miss hit one.

After exhausting my first lot of tokens, as it goes pretty quickly when you get into it, the bug had definitely bitten, and so I felt the need to count up my change and get another couple of tokens. By then the other cages were filling up, with everyone from dad's and their children to amateur baseball players, to professional looking American's who were ripping the balls into the back fence with regular aplomb. I stood and watched the someone in the 'Fast' baseball cage in wonderment as each ball rocketed out of the machine at great speed, whacking into the backstop mat, before the poor baseballer had a chance to wave his bat at it. I think eventually after a couple of tokens, the guy was getting a nick on a ball or two, but I thought that he should probably try his luck with a 'Medium' speed machine at least to get his morale up.

Before leaving, I was asked by one of the staff there to sign a petition to keep the batting cages from being removed by the local council. I signed and would recommend anyone reading this who is thinking about going, to sign it (see me for a form). It is such a great resource and it would be a real shame to lose it so soon after discovering that it existed.

"introductory" umpiring course - 22nd April

Jane and myself pitched up bright and early to the 'Hub' in Regent's park for what we thought was going to be a gentle introduction to the whys and wherefors of softball umpiring. It turned out that instead we were getting the full 2-day course squeezed into one day! Ok, a few of the finer details were left out and we didn't do very much 'practical' but still.....my slightly hungover head was ready to explode by the end of it.

All in all though, it was very useful. I think we have picked up some hints and tips which will help with our game - for example, when you have more than one forced out, always go for the runner who is furthest around first and work your way back to the first base runner. Not only because they will be first to score, but also to avoid taking the 'force' off the other players. Also, in order to get an out the ball has to make it to the base before the runner. Therefore, if both ball and runner get there at the same time, the runner is safe as the ball has not beaten them.

We were both quite surprised and intrigued by the 'in-field fly' rule....which I think I just about understand the logic behind...but am not going to attempt to explain here.

Informally, it seems that the umpires let a lot more go in division 4 games, (for example, I don't think they enforce such rules as 'if one player is wearing a pink cap then the whole team must also wear a pink cap!) and the trainer admitted that he is as much a coach as an umpire at these games.

It was good to meet people from other teams, and reassuring to know that even players from teams in divison 2 were unsure about a lot of the rules!

The trainer explained that it is the umpires job to 'look for the out', get the game 'over with as soon as possible', and stay in control. In other words, don't mess with the umpire, they can remove or eject you and they are always right - much like librarians!

Barn Elms tournament (Xposted from my LJ)

Demonstration softball tournamment, as part of a "touch rugby" and netball event. As it turned out, the expected four teams didn't make it - just us Loan Wolves and the Barracudas, plus a couple of guys from Oblivion (both experienced sides). We ended up with the Oblivion guys on our team, as we were short-handed (our captain having decided to go sailing).
Weather was good - mostly sunny, though somewhat chilly, but not the overcast and rainy day which had been threatened.
We had supporters, which was nice - Ben's dad and brother were there to encourage us from the sidelines.
The "tournament" effectively became a series between the two teams. We lost the first game conclusively, paying the price for our relative inexperience (only three competitive games played before yesterday). The second game, however, was much better. We were actually ahead by two runs after the first innings, then level after the second. The Barracudas pulled ahead, but we managed to level the scores again (with 10 runs made in one inning), though in the end they won in the bottom of the last.
Third game, after lunch (£2.50 for a sausage in a bun), soon became a practice session for both sides, with no meaningful result. Some of the Barracudas, and the Oblivion guys, had left, and various rugby and netball players came in to try the game for twenty minutes at a time, with spare players (and organisers Darren, Tim & Wendy) filling in for whichever side was short of players at any given point.
Acting-captain had Ben put in a lot of work drawing up team lists for each game to try us out at different fielding positions, and working out a batting line-up. I played at second base, then short stop, then at left field. I was also lead-off batter, opening our batting line-up. We had Julian, Alison and Manjiv as our pitchers for the three games, all gaining vital match-play experience. Manjiv was flattered to be told by Darren that she had "real potential" as a pitcher. Paul, our most experienced player, was a real asset in the field, and Jane did some tremendous batting. Alex made runs, and, importantly, batted a lot of other runners in, and Julian learned that he favoured a lighter bat, and did well with it. I think we all did well, individually and as a team. We scored runs (including a home-run made with my bat - though not by me], took catches, made double-plays, struck batters out (nice work Alison, who also proved to be very much at home at third base), and were far more aware of the game and how to play it than we were six months ago. We also became less self-conscious about shouting out where the "play" is (which bases to throw to for forced outs), and shouting encouragement to each other, like the other teams tend to. e.g.:
[batter swings wildly at a pitch and misses]
Runner on base [to batter]: "Nice swing!"
Me [to Julian, the pitcher]: "Nice pitch!"
Runner [to me]: "Touche!"
Having novice players in the last game meant we got to be the "experts", which was fun. It was quite gratifying acting as base-coach to a rookie player, and getting her round to score. Explaining how to use the glove to catch safely, I found myself comparing broken fingers with someone who'd fractured hers playing netball. Sport, eh - why do we do it?
My fielding contibution was nothing special (what a surprise), though calling out plays from short-stop was cool. I did enjoy batting and base-running. Put a line drive cleanly through the infield, ran to base, and the baseman commented ruefully; "you found the hole there!". Also was complimented by a scorer on my speed running in to home past a fielder going for the ball. Also managed to trip over the bat when setting off at one point, but somehow scrambled to my feet and reach first base.
The pre-season game experience was really valuable for us all, in many ways. Not least that in that second game we were able to give a credible account of ourselves against a superior side in a competitive environment.

Barnes tournament day

The Loan Wolves fielded 8 for this excellent day of match practice. Alex, Ben, Alison, Manjiv, Jane, Julian, Andy, Paul.

There werent enough people there to have a tournament but we were able to have a series of matches playing people from the Development team and I think there were some there from a group called the Barracudas.

It was an extremely useful day for working together as a team. There are real signs of improvement. Alison, Manjiv and Julian all had a go at pitching. Andy gained some experience as a base coach. There was some fine batting from Jane and Alex. Ben was a real livewire organisng everybody. Paul, Alex Ben and Alison all made some great catches. Also thankfully there were very few injuries apart from Alison making a brave stop.

The weather was fine all day although chilly when the sun went in.

Umpiring course

Went on umpiring course this weekend, along with Alison & Ben.
write-up from my
LJ

The library can't afford home-run hitters...

Unshelved strip from yesterday

Saturday training (cross-posted from my LJ)

Softball practice at Clapham yesterday.  We had ten players - a good turn-out, possibly the best this year.  Also had four bats between us. The threatened rain held off, though it was bitterly cold.  Worked on grounders, cut-offs and relays, and played a practice game.  Interesting how a couple of people pointedly walked through the game, giving us dirty looks, as if we had no right to be on their lovely British common playing our wretched American sport - even though we were on the designated softball pitch.  Darren reckoned this happens quite a lot.  The frisbee-ers were back, too - no-one won the extra "Wolf points" Richard offered for hitting one of them with a ball, though.
Afterwards, went to the George, identified by Darren as a bat-friendly pub, for a natter and drink.

Softball training at Clapham Common

Very good session on Saturday at Clapham. Ben, Richard, Kate, Alison, Jane, Emily, Manjiv, Julian, Paul all present. Practiced throwing, catching, pitching and managed to play some small scale matches as well. Useful drills organised by Ben. Afterwards some of us adjourned to the pub.

Another Bat for Team Collection

This cheeky 4 oz bat, was given to me recently by my brother. He didn't bother to scour the depths of the internet looking at US or Dutch sports equipment websites. No, he apparently picked it up for £1 at the local 'Pound store'. Thanks Matt.

Seriously, I'm not sure if it would even survive hitting an indoor 'training' softball, let alone the real thing. However, I believe that it may be useful as a training aid. One can work on the batting stance and correct swing, even using it indoors without risking smashing anything valuable.

In print

The article I wrote for City News ended up in print, after some editing.
The article.

"That's a good weight!"

The opinion of coach Darren on my new bat.
Softball practice on Clapham Common yesterday. A sight easier for me to get to than Finsbury Park (one bus ride away). The softball pitch isn't as obvious as at Finsbury, and it's a little more exposed, but it's good. Better class of mud, too. Nowhere near as squelchy. did some good drills on cut-offs and throwing, got some useful coaching on how to field high balls coming to the outfield. I have to get into the habit of stepping back whenever a high ball comes towards me. My throwing was woeful, I'm afraid. But batting was fun as always, especially using my very own bat.
A load of people turned up at mid-morning to practise frisbee throwing, and colonised over half the softball field. Very odd. We managed not to bean any of them with long balls, though.

[X-posted from my LJ]

Nicknames!

We need nicknames folks! Why not try the "Which Star Trek character are you?" personality test which Andy links to on his Livejournal?

Yours,

Geordi LaForge

Batter up!

My softball bat finally arrived at work today. I'd ordered it from a Dutch company, specialising in US sports, Forelle. They sent a 23 0z fastpitch bat by mistake, so I had to send that back, but the 30 oz one I ordered has now turned up, with a "one big sorry" apology. I was arriving at work just as the courier turned up with it.
Also, an American friend who's over here for work brought a cool-looking book on baseball for me to a BookCrossing meet-up last night. It's occured to me that we as a team have more books on baseball/softball than we have gloves of our own. True to our natures as librarian Loan Wolves, I guess.

[X-posted from my Livejournal]

Training at Latchmere

Andy Ben and Julian went along on Sunday 5th February for a 3 hour training session. We practised throwing and catching and some in-field work on trying to get runners out between bases. Played a number of games which enabled us to pratice pitching and batting. Ben hit the ball high up and hit the roof of the sports hall dislodging a loose bit of the structure with near fatal results for those of us underneath.

Indoor training, and how I avoided decapitation.

Good training session at Latchmere yesterday afternoon.
Three Wolves (Ben, Julian, myself) in attendance. Good coaching from Darren (in-game tactics) and Tim (playing techniques). Played a very tiring practice game. Enjoyed batting, tried pitching, and somehow struck several players out despite (or somehow because of) my wild inaccuracy. Managed to tag Darren out in a rundown drill.
I was in the field when Ben hit a pop-up that dislodged a 2' long metal ceiling slat from the roof and sent it hurtling down towards me. I stepped back, with as much dignity as I could muster, so the overall effect was more Buster Keaton than The Omen. Thankfully.

Practice in the cold (X posted from my LJ)

Softball practice on Saturday. Got up, made porridge, dressed warmly and set off for Finsbury Park. The ground wasn't too squelchy at first, but that was only because it was frozen solid. When the sun came out, it thawed into goo. The sand they’d put down at the bases just made it stick to your boots more. Very cold, but once we'd warmed up with a run and some throwing practice it wasn't too bad. Lots of throwing, played "pepper" (batter hits ball softly to a semi-circle of fielders, catching fielder throws it back to batter, lather, rinse, repeat), and did fielding and batting practice. My catching's still my weakest thing, but I had a pretty decent, and fun, turn at bat. Some decently placed grounders, a few big hits, none of them caught out.
The guys from the other dev team were there again, and doing much chest-beating. Sometime we’re going to have a closed training session, without the “Cobra Kai” in attendance.
Good beer and chat at the pub afterwards. We all felt we'd earned it.

Softball Practice

Saturday was very very cold but things improved after a warm up. Lots of throwing practice and batting. Jane, Peter, Kate, Ben, Richard, Andy, Vic and Julian all turned up. I had a go at pitching. Ben and Peter made some good catches, and I think Vic did as well. Richard's batting looked good and also Jane, Ben and Peter. I found batting using the equivalent of a golfing tee rather difficult and managed to miss the ball altogether on a number of occasions. Also I need to improve my fitness.

My New Glove!

Well I won the bidding for the glove I was after on ebay. It was very satisfying to be crowned the winner! (there's some very subtle consumer psychology going on there I think - I can see how people get addicted to ebay)

Here are some pictures.




The guy I bought it from is an established ebay trader from St. Louis, Missouri. Here is a link to his online shop if you fancy a look.

The glove cost me $41 (about £24) and the p&p was $22 (about £13). The guy was directly selling these gloves for $47.99 (with the same p&p on top) so I made a slight saving through the auction.

Now I can't wait for that package to arrive!

Going batty in NYC!

I can officially declare we are the proud owners of a softball bat!

(Or rather I am until I get some money....)

My 2005 award for "most intimidating stance with a softball bat on

the public transport system" was given a workout in New York, as

I took the newly purchased bat onto New York City's subway and

into various shops along Fifth Avenue. Karen and I walked into

one electronic goods store where four men promtly stopped their

conversation mid-sentence as I walked in with the bat. In addition

I discovered the bat was too long to fit in my suitcase, and Karen's

too, and so I rang the airline and asked if they'd mind if I carried it

onboard. Their reply: "Are you crazy?! A softball bat?! In these

times of heighened security?!" So I had to purchase some

packaging and check it in to the hold....

I got us a bargain too, price-wise! Paragon Sports on Broadway

had a 40% post-Christmas discount on DeMarini bats! So I'll let

you know once I've worked out the exchange rate. Manjiv - do you

think Brendan would pay for it for us on production of a receipt?

So we should all meet up some time to celebrate the New Year and

for the official presentation of our DeMarini bat. (And colour highlights

on the bat might suggest a uniform colour should we wish....)

Cheers,

Jane.

Birthday

Thanks to Julian, Benjamin and Peter for turning up to my 40th birthday bash yesterday. Good to have a Loan Wolves presence there - and sorry about my friends repeatedly asking accusingly ; "was it you who broke Andy's finger?"

Softball training at Latchmere - December 11th

Three Wolves turned up this afternoon for a pretty intensive indoor session. Peter, Ben and Julian. We practiced catching, throwing, fielding balls running along the ground and batting. Learned some more about tagging. A batsman who leaves a base when they dont have to is called Unforced and the only way a fielder can get them out is by tagging.

We played some actual games as well and I was able to have a go at pitching - although indoor pitching is very different from the real pitching as you do not have to throw anything like as far.

It was a very useful three hours.

Softball Party

Really enjoyed the meal in Islington on Friday evening. A good turn out by the Wolves. I was very pleased with my certificate. Thank you to all concerned for taking so much trouble.

A group of us repaired to a local pub afterwards where probably because I wasnt sufficiently plastered I got rather cold. Headed home about 11.30pm - no trouble with the trains

Shall be turning out for the training on Sunday in Battersea

Simpsons

The old Simpsons episode with the works softball team was on C4 last night. I found myself taking the sports side seriously, watching to see how they animated the pro baseball players' throwing movements.
Also spotted that they were playing fastpitch:
9 a side. No women playing. When Homer gets hit by a pitch, he gets a walk (and wins the game) - in slowpitch, it's just counted as a ball if a pitch hits the batter.
And enjoyed Mr Burns's managing style:
"Strawberry, hit a home run!"
[Daryl Strawberry hits a home run]
"I told him to do that!"

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

Tournament - Andy's story

Our team has only been going for about a month, in which time we've attended three or four development sessions run by the Greater London Softball Mixed League. We hadn't played in a real match before yesterday. So this was to be the Loan Wolves' blooding. And not the "Lone Wolves", as we were listed in the tournament schedule. That would just have been a stupid name, rather than our clever library pun. The day started chill but bright, and soon warmed up to be surprisingly hot (certainly felt it on the outfield during our last match). I've been so lucky this year, in that all the outdoors weekend events I've been involved in over the Summer - the bicycle opera in Trafalgar Square, swordfighting display, the treasure hunt and now this tournament - have been blessed with sunny weather. Maybe next year, I'll get rained on from May to September...

We assembled at Finsbury Park cricket and softball pitch, some of us having had to get up very early (why couldn't they have picked a South London venue?). We soon realised that this "development tournament" was being played between teams who were mostly well-established and had been playing in Division Four all last year. The other "dev team" was peppered with experienced players to make up the numbers. We had our "uniform" on - red T shirts and tops. Alarmingly, everyone else seemed to have matching shirts with squad numbers, logos, and even their individual nicknames on the back. I had my grey "Wolves" baseball hat - Wolverhampton Wanderers that is, but the wolf's head logo still fitted. We had several supporters - family, and members of LIS - who turned out to see us play, which was really heartening. There were also a couple of friendly dogs about, baffled by seeing so many balls and sticks, but none being thrown for them. One large, amiable German Shepherd decided to wander onto the pitch for the All-Star game. We considered adopting him as the Wolves' mascot. Some of our players got in an extra game, as two of the other teams were short of women players. The rules are quite strict about having 50-50 male-female teams and field positions - I supose to create fairness in a mixed sport. I didn't play in our first match, as we had 11 players and wanted to give everyone a game. So I was checking the batting line-up and attempting to make sense of the score-sheets and scoring system. I deciphered how the scorecard works, but found it tricky keeping track not just of the current batter but also of up to three runners at once, with any one or more of them potentially getting out during any play. I have a feeling that baseball/softball scoring must appeal to the US sports statistician every bit as much as cricket scoring does to English stattoes.

We had some great moments in the first game against the other development team, scoring runs (including a home-run to captain Richard) and taking catches, but sadly we soon realised the gulf in our experience and that of the opposition. With only a few hours training and zero match experience, we were never going to win the tournament. The second game (and my first) was against the Panthers. I'm afraid that my contribution at 2nd base was pretty poor, certainly in our first fielding innings. However, in the course of this game, we started to come together much better as a team, and our final innings in the field resulted in 2 outs for no runs, two of them coming from improved teamwork between Jane at short stop and myself at second base. The Panthers were Division Four champions this year, and way out of our class. They definitely played for us, giving us chances (and a lot of tips and advice), but again we were not as victorious as we'd have liked.

Game three, against Glove Me Tender, saw us encountering some really big-hitting batters. I was in the outfield as rover, and saw a lot of balls soar over the players at left and centre field. The only time I was at bat, I managed not to get myself struck out, but didn't make it past second base. In this game, for the first time ever, I wore a baseball hat turned backwards - I noticed that I was out in the field with my back to the sun, and my neck was starting to get a bit warm. Is this the start of the slippery slope to Americanisation? We noticed the enthusiastic shouting and catchphrases form the teams playing (many of which had a fair few US players), and the obligatory high-fives and cheers. At the moment, we're still a bit British and reserved by most teams' standards. We couldn't even bring ourselves to do a team howl, despite being called the Wolves. We then had a few drinks and watched our batter Emily fill in again in the "Plate" final. She did well (with the other Wolves as her own personal cheering section), and the Dazzlers won. Don't think they even bought her a beer for her trouble, though.

We then watched the All-Star game between chosen players of the top two divisions, and were really impressed by the throwing and catching skills they brought to the game. Then on to a pub in Wood Green, where we had a bite to eat and another beer, then made our weary ways home (I was so weary, I fell asleep on the Tube - thanks for waking me up at Victoria, Peter). Injuries for the day included Richard's impressively-grazed knee, Alison's wrenched knee, my pulling something in my leg trying to reach third base, and Julian, who stopped a very fast-moving ball and hurt his hand. The first-aiders gave him a bag of ice for it, to stop it swelling. When this melted, he was left with a plastic bag of cold water - "where's the goldfish?" comments abounded. Overall, the day was a real learning experience for us. We saw the difference that practice and experience make, for one thing. We managed to improve throughout the day, but even though we have some very good players (I am most definitely not one of them) we need to train seriously and regularly if we are to be able to compete.

I must say, my team-mates played with real commitment and determination, and no little skill. I am impressed by the courage it must have taken to pitch against teams of seasoned batters, by the hitting which brought our runs, and the fielding which got some very good players out. I think the match experience was definitely worth having, as we now know what we should be aiming for over the WInter if we are to try joining the league in May. One thing that struck me was how much we've all learned about the game, which is quite complicated, already. We sounded quite knowledgeable as we explained it to our supporters. I wonder if, next time I see a baseball movie, it won't all sound like a foreign language.

Be interesting to see how the Loan Wolves have improved by next season, anyway.

Wednesday 21st September

A pack of seven Wolves for tonight’s session. Some more throwing and catching (big improvements all round here I think), featuring several mammoth long-distance moon probes from Ben, guaranteeing him one of the outfield berths for the "tourney" Saturday. We also did some pitching and gentle batting practice in well-drilled groups of three or four players.

Some of us are getting used to the nervous looks from fellow tube- and bus-travellers as they notice the dangerous metal bats sticking out of our bags. They might come in handy if we start doing Library patrols again…

Hey, check out the link opposite (or here?) Softball UK News :our media saturation plans are coming together!

If only they spelt our name right...

:-(

Tuesday 20th September

A small but perfectly formed gathering of four took to the field to practice a few skills. We mainly concentrated on building confidence in throwing and catching, but also took a bit of time to have another go at pitching. (Although it now seems that we measured the distance wrong, so we will have to try and induce muscle forgetfulness for the pitches that went well!) It felt like we really improved over the hour or so we spent practising and if we carry on like this world domination is well within our sights!

Monday 19th September Training Session

A good turn out tonight with a full team compliment of 10 wolves making it to Regent's Park. For a couple of us it was the first session, and a bit of a baptism of fire, as we got into a game more or less straight away. Once again more and more mini and micro rules emerged in the course of the practice, but bit and pieces are gradually sinking in (I hope!).

Emily has already distinguished herself as a bit of a big hitter, and several of us had a go at pitching. Personally, I now see pitching as a kind head to head duel between pitcher and batter - balls versus strikes - who can hold out the longest....or maybe I am taking it all a bit too seriously!

We then followed the session very entertainng pub visit, where we talked tactics, worked out batting orders and considered the nickname possibilities - Fordo, Evesy, Woodsie...being just a few of the more obvious examples. Nothing like a good nickname to intimidate the enemy!

Favourite Positions

Jane says:

Here are the field and batting decisions we made at the pub.
Everyone has a first choice and a second choice. Some made
no choice at all on account of not being at the pub. (You see
it pays to drink!)

Remember the first choices are just for the first game of the
tournament and can be changed in subsequent games if we feel
like it! There are 11 people listed so 2 people have 'outfield
somewhere' down as a 'choice'.... And the pitchers of course
will change around within the first game!


ALISON 1st outfield somewhere 2nd 1st base
ANDY 1st centre field (right) 2nd centre field (right)
BEN 1st centre field (left) 2nd short stop
EMILY 1st left field 2nd centre field (left)
JANE 1st 3rd base 2nd left field
JULIAN 1st right field 2nd outfield somewhere
KATE 1st pitcher 2nd 2nd base
MANJIV 1st catcher 2nd 3rd base
PETER 1st 1st base 2nd pitcher
RICHARD 1st short stop 2nd catcher
VIC 1st 2nd base 2nd pitcher


And then we have our batting line-up. Thanks to Fordo for volunteering
to bat first!

1. Alison
2. Richard
3. Emily
4. Peter
5. Kate
6. Ben
7. Vic
8. Andy
9. Jane
10. Julian
11. Manjiv


Yeh!!! Go the Lone Wolves!

Spontaneous Softballing!

Ben says :

We had five softball enthusiasts turn out for throwing and catching practice in our new training facility, King's Square Gardens (Congratulations to Jane, Peter, Alison and Manjiv). Our only problem was that between us we only had 2 gloves (including 1 small baseball glove) and 1 softball. We warmed up by playing throwing and catching then switched to some much needed pitching practice, using my Tupperware lunch box lid as a make shift batting plate. I am still in awe of anyone who can consistently pitch well, because it is so hard to get it the right height, length and direction to get those valuable potential strikes rather than wayward 'balls'.
After this, we changed to a training drill created 'on the fly' by yours truly. I conceived it would involve all five of us, taking into account the equipment shortfall. The following may become a little technical, but hey that's softball, a complicated American game. We had two people on bases (made up of our coats/bags etc.) two fielders and a 'batter'. I say batter, but their job was to start the play by throwing the ball out into the field (loosely simulating a batter's strike). Next the fielder's had to field the ball working out which one was going for it by shouting out their name. Once under the fielder's control (which often involved retrieving the said ball from the bushes) they threw it to either first or third base. Meanwhile the batter jogged around the roughly set out diamond, to keep up the 'game' feel to the practice. I think we all learned how difficult it is throwing the softball accurately to the person on the base, so that they can stay on base ready to get people out, as opposed to just doing regular throwing and catching practice.
We all switched around positions to get some valuable fielding, and base practice, although the batting simulation was a little energetic for all of us who at the start had expected to just come to a gentle 'throwing and catching' session. That's softball fever ladies and gentleman.
Hope to see more of you at the practices next week and remember to try to round up some support for the Loan Wolves first tournament on Saturday 24th September.

Learning the lingo

Peter, I've upgraded this to a full blown post - so that people don't miss it.

Everyone, feel free to send anything to me, if you want me to post it as a separate post.

Peter says:

I think it's important that we start trying to master "softball-speak". Screaming some knowing phrases at one another might just be the sort of thing to put the willies up our opposition in the tournament.

I'd like to share a couple of phrases I've picked up from the coaches in the Regents Park sessions to get the ball rolling (so to speak) with this:

Firstly, "Where's the play?": shouted by a fielder and meaning, if I have understood correctly, "if the ball comes my way next time the batter hits the ball, where in the name of all that is holy should I throw it?" A typical answer would be "third base", meaning that there is a batter standing at second base and there's every chance of getting him/her out if we throw to third. (Please anybody correct me if I'm wrong with this.)

Secondly, the almost totally pointless "We have a batter!" apparently shouted out at the beginning of an innings meaning, roughly, "Ladies and gentlemen, please take your places. Play is about to commence". What a palaver...

Have any other readers had similar experiences, I wonder?

Training session Monday 12th September

Another Monday, another victorious training session. This time we spent a good amount of time practising throwing and catching and then we moved on to all have a go at pitching. It is certainly more difficult than it looks and balls were going all over the place. It seems to be a matter of getting the length, height and line all right at the same time. However, a few of us seemed to show a little promise...and allowing for lots of practice time, we may just be able to cope.

We were then split into teams and given the chance to take turns batting and playing both outfield and infield. Once again the game scenario allowed us to get our heads around a few of the more subtle rules. For example I learnt that it is perfectly ok to stop during your run from one base to another, turn around and run back to where you started - as long as no one is directly behind you that is, and bearing in mind that someone can chase you back to tag you with the ball.

There is talk of meeting up over the next few days for sessions where we can practise the basic skills...watch this space!

Training session Monday 5th Sept

A great time was had by everyone who attended yesterday's session at Regent's Park. We went, we pitched, we batted, and we ran. We may well have found our star pitcher in Ben (no pressure Ben), Julian proved an enormous asset in centre field, and both Inhee and Alison demonstrated their swift reflexes on second base. And me? I think I may have found my calling as "catcher" although full body armour may be needed -- does that softball hurt or what?

The tournament is fast approaching and I wonder if we should think about honing up our skills. During Richard's absence should we take the plunge and see if we can beg, buy or borrow some basic equipment and start practicing basic skills i.e. throwing/catching/running? Any views on this??

Next introduction session is Monday September 12^th at the new time of 6:30pm - hope to see most of you there (especially those playing in the tournament). Vic - good luck trying to get your late night swapped!!

Keep on blogging....

Manjiv

The results are in!

Democracy has worked its magic, and we now have a team name and a team colour! Henceforth (or at least until we think of a better one) we shall be known as The Loan Wolves! Now the endless possibilites for themed slogans, mottos, logos and team songs open up before us. <- Here is an image of a wolf for your delight and consideration. Red was also voted as our offical team colour. So now our entry to the tournament can be sent off and we are on our way to world domination.

I was quite relieved to read on the tournament application form that there are likely to be experienced players there to help us out with base coaching and the like, so it should a good opportunity to improve our skills as well as get our wolvish teeth into the competition.

"Bring me home, May, bring me home!"

Opposition Beware!