News Archive 2007

This coming Sunday, May 6th from 4 to 6PM is the time for make-up photos of your player if you missed your chance during regular photo day!

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Marek Ramilo continues to pitch great for the Yankees as he struck out 7 in four and a half innings of work. Yanks took an early lead 3-0, then the Reds fought back getting 3 in the 4th and 3 in the 5th. Baylor Beck and Miles Mallory each had big extra base hits for the Reds.

The Yanks got hits from Ramilo, Andrews Owen, James Burton, Fletcher Malloy and a game winning double by Sam Perley in the bottom of the 5th to pull it out.

Salwen and Seaman were locked up in a great pitchers dual until Geoffrey Neville broke up the 1-1 tie with a a lead off HR in the 6th. Drew Williams and Conrad Cornell added 3 hits each for the Sox.

In an exciting comeback victory, the Yankees win in the bottom of the last inning in the nightcap Wednesday night against the Reds. Final score 7 to 6.

Astros and Dodgers slug it out for the 2nd time in four days. Nathan Shultz pitched 4 strong innings for the Dodgers allowing 3 runs and striking out 8 and retired from the mound due to the pitch count. He added a double off the right field wall offensively. The 6 thru 9 hitters on the Dodgers team have been impressive in the last two games. Neils Nicholas pitched three strong innings for the Astros then was relieved by Conrad Kinzey who pitched well allowing 3 hits and 1 run in two innings.

The Dodgers led 5-3 starting the top of the 5th. The Stros loaded the bases with 1 out. On a 1-2 count Nicholas Cancellaire hit his second grand slam of the season to put the Stros ahead 7-5. In the bottom of the 5th the Dodgers had started a comeback and scored one run. One of the best plays of the game occurred with the tying run on 2nd. The next batter hit the ball to centerfield and Neils Nicholas fielded the ball and rifled the throw to Nick Cancellaire at 3rd base to cut down the runner trying to advance from 2nd for the second out of the inning. Despite sharply hit balls by the Dodgers, the Stros defense held.

Wes Anthony pitched a good game and the A’s paired up some timely hits to win the game.

Friday , May 4th is Movie Night at Buckhead (Friday , May 11th is our rain-date)Bring your family and stretch out on the lawn and watch a movie under the stars!

Buckhead's own Guy Fulwiler will be grilling hotdogs and hamburgers...until they GONE!!!

Bring a side item or an appetizer to share and you could win BUCKHEAD BASEBALL SPIRIT WEAR!!!!!

The fun starts around 7:30 and the movie starts when the sun goes down!!!! Your family will not want to miss this night!

In The Majors, the Astros take a significant lead going into the the last month of the season. Tonight the Dodgers fell by a score of 7 to 6 to the Stros with a 10 and 3 record to the Astros 12 and 2.

In the AA league, the Riverdogs have the narrow lead over the Muckdogs by having one additional victory.

In A league action, the Wizards have a big 6 point lead over the second place Muckdogs.

Pirates bats awakened somewhat and the Bucs held on at the end with bases loaded on a "web gem" catch by James Sanders in deep right center off the bat of Schouest . Reds Jackson hit blast HR. Pirates Sanders and McDaniel go 3 for 4.

Spencer Garrett hit 2 HRs and Joey Ferrugia has a huge 2 strike hit to drive in a couple for the Sox. Merritt Huber made two great plays in the 5th. Thomas Black hit a towering Homerun that may have knocked a kid off the slide on the play ground. The Voyles twins both pitched great for O's.

Red Sox squeak by Yanks on late rally including HR by Sean Davis. Clutch hits by Kyle Murphy, Jack English and Max Kemether key to comeback. Andy Culley kept game close in mound relief. Strong effort by Spencer Lee on the hill for the Yankees.

Pearce Howell continues to lead with 8 taters so far this season. Black is right behind with 7. Seaman is at 6.

Of note, Cancelliere hit his second Homer tonight and again it was a Grand Slam!

Through 67 games this year we have 70 homeruns…that is 20 over the pace set last year and 28 over 2005.

The AA Riverdogs sold the most tickets in AA and earned the right to walk around Turner field before the game!

Martha Payne will be set up at the UPPER PAVILION ABOVE THE MAJOR FIELD between the hours of 9:30 and 1:30 on SATURDAY, APRIL 28TH.

The boys from the Piedmont division jumped out to a big lead and withstood a strong last inning rally from the the Peachtree division to hold onto the win. Player of the game for the Piedmont division was Charlie Schouest and the player of the game for the Peachtree division was Ben Brown. Ben Brown missed a home run by 6 inches on the right field fence. Even though this game started off a little lopsided, much improvement of player skills was noted by the coaching staff. Great game boys!

Winn Martin and Joseph Salwin pitched 4 more great innings in a continuation game that tied earlier in the season. Sox continue to struggle at plate only getting one hit off Winn. As win 5 to 4.

White Sox Parents gather on Saturday night to celebrate Coach Weber's birthday! Quite obviously, a good time was had by all!

The Dodgers won against the Reds 8 to 1 on Saturday to stay locked in first place in the Majors with the Stros. Bunting's 3 run long ball in the top of the 6th broke open a close game with good pitching and defense on both sides. The Astros played later in the day on Saturday and we are awaiting their result.

The individual winners for each league (who win a ball signed by Braves players) are:

And the grand prize winners who sold the most tickets overall - for the second year in a row (!) are:

Major player, Everett Joiner, with 128 tickets sold will be the batboy for Georgia Tech!

Rookie player, Thomas Joiner, with 52 tickets sold wins a jersey signed by John Smoltz, Tim Hudson and Jeff Francoeur!

Congratulations to all participants who helped raise money for Buckhead Baseball and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta – two great causes!

Connor McDaniel scored the winning run, went the distance in a six inning battle with Marek Ramilo, and survived a 6th inning bases loaded situation to preserve the Pirate win. Garrett Chapman hit a solo homerun for the Yanks for his first this year. Final score 3 to 2 Pirates

Buckhead Baseball Photos are IN!!! Martha Payne will be set up at the UPPER PAVILION ABOVE THE MAJOR FIELD between the hours of 9:30 and 1:30 on SATURDAY, APRIL 21 and again at the same hours on SATURDAY, APRIL 28TH.

Please pick up your team's photos, or assign someone to do so, during these hours. If you can't make it, you will have to get in touch with me to set up another time to pick them up either at the field or at my home. Please email me ONLY if this timing is a problem-- chopmarth@aol.com.

Buckhead Nation! There will be police security at Frankie Allen Park to watch your car so that you can use the Park to meet for carpooling to the Ted on Tuesday April 24th for the Spring Classic.

Parents of Buckhead Baseball players who are interested in post-season play should fill out the following survey. Please be aware that in order to be considered for post-season play parents should fill out the survey! Click on the link below to find the survey. If the link does not take you directly to the web site. Copy and paste the address in you browser in the address section. Make sure the entire address is present in your browser window. Do not paste in the search area of your browser. Use the address section.

In the Majors, the Stros have a half game lead over the Dodgers as of Friday night. The Astros have played 10 games losing only one. The Left Coast boys have only played 9 with one loss and look to even things this weekend.

In AAA, it is still a dog fight with the Riverdogs leading by a full game over the Muckdogs. Look to May 1st when the leaders will square off to see who is top dog.

In AA, the dogs remain the leaders in this league too with the Muckdogs over the Riverdogs by one game.

In A ball, the Rattlers have the lead despite losing two games. The Wizards have no losses but have only played 5 games and trail in the point total by two points to the Snakes.

In the Astros vs. White Stockings game on Thursday, there were some fireworks leading to a 11-3 Astros victory. Pearce Howell continues his power surge with his third two home run game of the season. Nick Cancellaire hit his first homerun of the season, a towering grand slam to right center. Alec Sard got the homerun monkey off his back with a shot into the left field net. Conner Wright Snow turned on a great pitch (low inside fastball) and hit it into the left field net for his first career homerun. Conner Quirk continued hitting great with a 3 for 3 night.

Balls continue to jump out of the park with 17 dingers hit this week so far (Mon-Thurs). We are still out pacing last year in HRs. In 2006, through 49 games, there were 35 HRs and this year thru 49 games we are at 50.

Pearce Howell of the Stros is the new leader for round trips with 6. Pearce is followed by Black and Seaman at 5. The Dodgers Bunting and Schultz are the owners of the 3 dinger zone.

The Astros lead with 13 in the team totals followed closely by the Dodgers and Red Sox with 10 homeruns.

In AAA, John Livaditis has popped two over the fence so far this year! In the Majors, a review of the homerun totals is posted in the league standings section of the web site. Black (Os) and Seaman (Red Sox) lead all comers with 5 each. The Red Sox lead the team totals with 10 followed by the Dodgers with 8 dingers.

While there have been a few games since my recent posting due some minor technical problems with the web site, the Astros and Dodgers sit on top of the league in the Majors.

Red Sox put 6 on the board in the first then added three more to take a 9 to 3 lead into the final inning of the game. Seaman pitched lights out for four innings. Until the final at bat for the Stros the only offense had been a homer by Pearce Howell. In a miraculous bottom half of the 5th inning the Stros clawed back into the game on a combination of walks, errors, and a few hits. The biggest hit of the inning came when the score was 9 – 8. Pearce Howell on a 2-2 count hit a three run walk off homerun to win the game. It was a highly unlikely comeback, because the Red Sox had a big lead and had out pitched, out hit and out fielded the Astros the entire game. Another great pitching exhibition by Seaman!

Westminster and Lovett squared off in a recent baseball game. Below are pictures of the players who played at Buckhead and NYO during their youth baseball days. Incidentally, Lovett won 5 to 1.

Front Row (Westminster): John Stelling, Keller Carlock, William Linginfelter, John Egan, (Lovett): Hunter McGranahan, Paul Austin, Zach Boden, Neil Ratigan.

Back Row (Westminster): Baylor Banks, Drew Orman, Matt Payne, Dallis Joiner, Henry Portwood, Charles Warren. (Lovett): Grant Sebastian, Ian Campbell, Thomas Patton, Hunter Budd, Kinman Bailey.

Front Row (Westminster): John Stelling, Keller Carlock, William Linginfelter, John Egan, John Hyland. (Lovett): Hunter McGranahan, Paul Austin, Zach Boden, Parker Whitlock, Neil Ratigan, Davis Milians.

Back Row (Westminster): Baylor Banks, Drew Orman, Connor McCleskey, Morgan Stevens, Matt Payne, Dillon Jeffay, Chris Teratus, Dallis Joiner, Henry Portwood, Charles Warren. (Lovett): Grant Sebastian, Daniel Bouck, Ian Campbell, Thomas Patton, Hunter Budd, Kinman Bailey.

The story is told of the manager of a minor league baseball team who became completely disgusted with his center fielder's performance. From where he sat in the dugout, all he saw was a lot of running around and missed catches - activity, but not much productivity. The center fielder always seemed to have "faded" to the wrong side of the field - he was there, but not having any effect. The manager eventually ordered the player to the dugout and assumed the position himself! The first ball that came his way took a bad hop and hit the manager right in the mouth. The next hit was a high fly ball to center, which the manager lost in the glare of the sun. It bounced off his forehead. The third ball that came his way was a hard line drive that he charged valiantly, only to have the ball soar just above his outstretched glove. At that, the manager ran back to the dugout, grabbed the center fielder by his uniform, and shouted, "You've got center field so messed up that even I can't do a thing with it!"

As a coach myself, I can really relate to this story. I still have the desire and "know how", but, painfully, my ability is no longer there.

The moral of this story is that efficiency is not a matter of excessive motion. Many times, the key to success is doing only the motion necessary to get the job accomplished. I enjoy watching Andruw Jones play center field for the Braves. He is sometimes criticized by well-meaning fans for not trying as hard as he could. In reality, he is so good, is so blessed with talent, and is so well prepared that he makes it look easy, as though he is not "really" trying.

I have been involved in many conferences recently where parents are concerned with their child's lack of effort in academics. This frustration by parents can result in some very real tension at home. We as parents sometimes do not understand why our kids don't try harder. Like the coach in our story, we forget that it is a little more difficult than it appears. We well-meaning parents can also make learning more difficult for our children if we make it a mandatory obligation. Perhaps the most valuable result of education is the ability to make ourselves do the things we have to do, when it ought to be done, whether we like it or not. If learning appears to our children to be an imposition, a surrender of their own willpower to external direction, a type of enslavement, we have made a serious mistake!

AA Wizard Sam Malone with Georgia Tech All American and Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek at the recent GT baseball dinner.

Orioles held on to beat a very scrappy Reds team last night by a 8 to 4 margin. Jack Shelton and Daniel Topping were both 3 for 4. Daniel Topping had his 2nd HR of the year. Brant Wells had a double and a triple to lead the Reds at the plate. Richard Jackson led the Reds on the mound and added a couple of very hard line drives.

Majors home run leader is James Seaman with 4 long ones. He is followed closely by Thomas Black with 3 round trips. The Red Stockings have a commanding lead in the team totals with 9 followed by the Stros with 6.

In the Majors, the Astros and the Os are leading with the Dodgers a half game back. AAA has the Muckdogs, Riverdogs, and Thunder in a 4 way tie. The AA league is led by the Muckdogs. A league show the Wizards have a thin lead over the Lookouts and Rattlers.

4-11-2007 Wednesday

Majors Updates From Monday

Joseph Salwen threw 4 no hit innings to lead White Sox over A's by a score of 6 to 2. Salwen and Garrett hit doubles for the Sox. A's made it interesting in the 6th breaking up no hitter and then allowing Sox pitching to walk the house bringing the tying run to the plate. Drew Williams added several great plays at 2nd base.

The Astros conquered the Yanks 19 to 3. John Comer gets a 2 out, 2 strike single that scores two key first inning runs. Pearce Howell pitched well giving up 1 hit. Yankees third baseman makes a great play to take a hit away from Conner Quirk. Yankees right fielder makes a running grab on a ball tailing away in deep right to take away a sure double by Neil Nicholas.

The Reds win a close one with the Cardinals 4 to 3. Brant Wells and William Smith both pitch strong games. Wells hits two doubles and scores the go ahead during a run down to close the victory.

Majors Updates From Tuesday

Dodgers come back from a deficit to tie and eventually win in a game with the Red Sox by going to extra innings by a score of 4 to 2. James Seaman of the Red Sox pumps a two run tater to score the Sox runs. Kyle Murphy shoots a highlight double. The Red Stockings' infield get Kudos for outstanding defensive play.

The Bucs take one on the chin from the Birds by a 4 to 2 result.

Play Ball!

I love baseball - both as a spectator and participant. Growing up in Indiana we played two sports only - baseball and basketball. Any other sport only prepared us to be better baseball and basketball players. I always looked forward to baseball season. It meant the end of Winter. The grass was green, and it was time to get outside and play. You have probably heard the old saying, "Baseball is life". I agree there are many analogies that link baseball with life. The following "baseball is life" stories concern two of my favorite characters.

Charlie Brown comes up to bat. He is determined, as always, to do well. Someday, just maybe, his team will win a game. And someday, just maybe, he might be a baseball hero. Strike Three! Charlie Brown has struck out once again. He returns to the sidelines and slumps down on the bench. "Rats! I'll never be a big-league player. I just don't have it! All my life I've dreamed of playing in the big leagues, but I know I'll never make it." Lucy turns to console him in her inimitable way. "Charlie Brown, you're thinking too far ahead. What you need to do is set more immediate goals for yourself." Charlie looks up, appearing to brighten at the prospect of something positive that might come from all the negatives he has been experiencing. "Immediate goals?" "Yes," Lucy advises, "start with the next inning. When you go out to pitch, see if you can walk out to the mound without falling down!

On opening day of the 1954 baseball season, the Cincinnati Reds hosted the Milwaukee Braves. Two rookies began their major league careers in that game. The Reds won 9-8. Without dispute, the star of the game was Jim Greengrass, the rookie who hit four doubles in his first major-league outing. Sports commentators almost immediately began hailing him as the next superstar. Plus, he had a made-for-baseball name! The other rookie that day had a dismal start. He was 0-5, but he kept swinging, kept trying, and kept playing. His powerful batting performances over the years eventually earned Henry "Hank" Aaron a place in Baseball's Hall of Fame!

Charlie and Hank never gave up. Being knocked down is not the same as being out, unless you stay down.

~With Permission of Ed Notestine,

Headmaster, Middle School of Woodward Academy

In the Majors, there is a three way tie for first. The Astros, Dodgers, and the Os are locked at 4 and 1. The Stockings, Red and White, both have 3 wins and are close behind the leaders. The Piedmont division leads with 4 of 5 of the top five teams.

In AAA, the Thunder is leading all alone with a 4 and 1 record. Just behind is a 4 way pack with the Bulls, Muckdogs, Riverdogs and Storm at 3 and 2.

In AA, the Riverdogs are all alone at 4 and 0 with the Muckdogs and Wizards right behind with 3 wins.

In A, the Lookouts are at 4 and 1 and sit atop the heap. The Wizards and Rattlers are not far away with 3 wins each.

There are a lot of games to go and certainly there will be some changes as the season goes along. Keep an eye on the standings to see how your squad is doing in the race to the championship.

The first long ball totals are posted for this Spring Season. Look in league standings off the Homepage Left Sidebar and click on the tater totals for the Majors league. There is a big group bunched at two. The Red Sox lead the team totals with 7 just ahead of the Stros with 6.

The 2007 Majors are currently on a pace above the last two years by dates. The per game totals are not much higher due to the rain delays last year.

Thank you very much to all of the Buckhead Baseball families who have helped us support the family of Tim Berta. Tim is the Bluffton Baseball team student/coach who remains in the Intensive Care Unit of Grady Hospital. As a group, we have delivered meals every evening and visited with the family. Many of you have been several times and this has meant so much to Rob and Karen Berta. They are over 500 miles away from home and have remained at their son's side for the past 5 weeks. Our love and support has truly touched them.

If anyone is interested in delivering a meal to the Berta family, please email Kim Cornell to coordinate. cornellk@bellsouth.net

Managers, I just talked to Gene and due to the cold weather and the work that was done on the Majors Field this week; it will be closed for all activity through Sunday.

For who aren't going to be in Augusta tomorrow and were planning to use the Majors field -- use the Loyd Center during your practice timeslot.

Thanks to everyone who responded to the Congress Agenda Survey. Your input will go with the delegates next week as they represent you in Houston.

We now have a new survey up on the site - we would like your input about how your State Association can help your league. This information is important in planning our education programs.

Please encourage everyone in your league to participate in the survey - the more information we gather, the better. If you have more information than you can convey in the survey, email me and I will pass the information on. If you have a league web site, put a link to the state web site on it and an article about the survey.

John Smoltz ask Buckhead to support the Spring Classic for Kids by selling tickets to the upcoming GA vs GA-Tech game at the Ted.

The Buckhead WS at the Ted Friday night as the Braves take on the Chicago White Stockings. Our White Sox bring the soon-to-be-famous "Buckhead White Sox girls" cheerleaders along with a tag along little brother. A great time was had by all.

A tight game tied 4 to 4 heading into the 6th, Red Sox score 4 on a double by Seaman, HR by Davis and a 2-out single scoring 2 by Max Kemether. Jack English also added a 2-run HR for the Sox. Sean Davis makes a outfield web gem shoe string to stop a possible triple with the bases loaded!

Dodgers were fortunate to scratch out a 2-0 victory Friday night, in a classic pitchers duel between McDaniel and Bunting. Double digit strike-outs by each guy in a wonderfully played contest. Pirates made only 2 errors, neither of which was consequential. The difference was a booming double by Winborne in the 3rd, a catcher's interference in the 6th, and no clutch hits by Pirates, (the Bunting factor).

On Thursday night early, Pearce Howell and Neils Nicholas step up with a solid pitching performance to hold two of the WS big sticks. Spain Short hit his first homerun of the year and was robbed of his second by a 40 mph wind blowing in. WS centerfielder made a fantastic fully extended diving catch to take away a sure double from Neils Nicholas.

In the late game, the As and Reds were locked in a close one 3 to 2 until the 6th when the Athletics broke it open scoring 7 runs to finish 10 to 2. Christopher Ferandel had a monster shot in the 6th for the As.

In the Wednesday night opener the Cardinals face the Os. Orioles Jim Voyles and Jack Shelton combined to shutout the Cardinals through strong pitching performances. Conor Pilch continued his hot streak going 2-2 with a 2B and 3B. William Burge also was 2-2 with two 2B's and 3 RBI's. He and other Majors newcomers Jack McGranahan, Gabe Phillips and Matthew Hennessey combined to lead the O's by going 5 for 5 with 3 doubles and 6 RBIs. Graham Powell hit the ball hard for the Cardinals but was robbed by great defensive play at first by Ed Voyles. Final Score Orioles 11 and the Cardinals 0.

In the late game, Dodgers score 7 in the first to hold on for a 7-5 win against a feisty Yankees' team that had bases loaded with 2 outs in the last inning when Bunting came in to get the third out.

If you have pictures, please send them to the webmaster at their highest resolution with captions and I will post them on the web site.

In the opener between the Red Stockings and the Stros, Kyle "shock n' awe" Murphy lit up the night with a Grand Slam in the center field net to get things rolling for the Red Sox. James Seaman tacked on his second tater of the season as well as being solid from the hill. Max Kemether and Andy Culley brought more artillery to the show with both contributing several hits. Final score of the contest 11 to 4.

In the night cap the White Sox faced the Reds. The Sox ended on top by a score of 10 to 0. Spencer Garrett put another one out of the park for tater two. Salwen added two doubles and Ryan Foster was 3 for 3. The White Sox used four pitchers: Salwen, Williams, Huber and Neville, holding the Reds to two hits.

Note: Not cited in the Reds - Red Sox game is Jack English having a 3-run HR that was not previously reported.

Joey Ferugia and Guy Fulwiler receive top honors as the Piedmont team players of the game. They are instrumental in the "comeback kids" victory on Sunday this week during the ESPN Zone game two.

Daniel Topping starts off the Orioles with a lead off dinger in the Yanks game. The Os win 12 to 1. Pirates down the As with leadership from Wilson Morgan who goes 3 for 4 and does magic on the defensive side. McDaniel and Bridges throw strong from the mound. Score is 10 to 5.

Bill Lellyett, coach of the Piedmont team, was down going into the final inning. Reaching deep for inspiration to spur his team on, he gave Capitalism's baseball equivalent of the Knute Rockne speech. Paraphrased, if you guys go out there and win this game, I will buy you anything you want at the concession stand. Never have more powerful words been spoken in a dugout. The Piedmont boys went out there and won, thereby evening the series 1 and 1 as well as emptying Coach Lellyett's wallet. Bill got his victory and the boys got their dip n' dots. God Bless America and Buckhead Baseball!

Due to some emergency maintenance work that is required on the Majors field, the practice schedule is updated for next week.

Check out the current league standings off the homepage. At press time, the Astros led the Majors with a 3-0 record with the White Sox a half game back. The Pirates played the Athletics at 5:30 tonight with the Birds and Yanks in the night cap.

Come see an ESPN Zone game. These games have been a great addition to Buckhead and a lot of fun! Today's game starts at 2PM at the Majors Field. Come see a classic coaching match-up of Gene Warren vs. Bill Lellyett on the diamond.

The Little League International Congress is approaching quickly - April 13 - 19. Your District Administrator will be voting on Rule and Regulation Changes that will affect your leagues.

We would like your input - and those of your board members and all families in your program - into the changes.

Please take the time, if you have not already done so, to take the survey on the Georgia Little League web site.

In the Saturday game between the Red Sox and the Reds, James Seaman and Kyle Murphey go tater in the Red Sox victory 12 to 9. The Dodgers hold off the A's 8 to 6 with two round trips from Bunting and Sheft.

Matt and Bill at the scoreboard while Corey belts out some of his favorite show tunes.

The Astros and the Orioles are both 2 and 0 and will face each other tomorrow at the Majors field at 2:30PM.

Check out the standings for the leagues as they are updated through today. Currently the Orioles and the Astros lead the Majors going into the weekend. The Bulls and Riverdogs pace the AAA league. In AA, the Muckdogs and Riverdogs are top dogs. A league is led by the Lookouts, Muckdogs and Scrappers.

The Dodgers vs. White Sox game turned on some great pitching from Salwen for the Sox. Spencer Garrett (Sox) sent one long for his first one this year. Bunting has some good hits for the Dodgers but it was not enough. The Sox won 7 to 3.

The Astros had a good evening defeating the Cards 14 to 1 in last night's action at Buckhead. Pearce Howell paired up a couple of shots downtown and added on a bases loaded double later. Nils Nicholas also went long with a opposite way dinger.

The Voyles brothers, Jim and Ed, combine their twin efforts on their birthday Tuesday from the mound to lead the Orioles to a victory over the Reds 12 to 2 allowing only two runs on two hits. Happy Birthday! Thomas Black produced a 5 Ribbies including a 3 run blast to the top of the right center net to join the Tater Club. He tacked on a line drive in the same inning. Conner Pilch reached safely 4 times on 4 attempts scoring each time. Jack Shelton went 2 for 3 to round out the offense. All in all, a good night for the Birds.

James Topping playing with the Bucs smacked a 4 bagger with two on to power the Pirates in a close one 6 to 5 with the Red Stockings.

There has been a rash of armed robberies involving women having their jewelry stolen at gunpoint in the Buckhead area. None of these events have occurred at the Baseball Park. Our security personnel, including Buckhead's finest Officer Barry Miller at the park, will pass along any further information to the Buckhead family to keep us aware. All of the events have occurred with women wearing expensive jewelry in the shopping areas around Buckhead and were without another adult present. Some of these women were alone, with their children or pregnant. Police are cautioning women to be careful when wearing expensive jewelry, traveling without another adult and to be vigilant about their surroundings while shopping or traveling in the Buckhead area. They also recommend hiding jewelry inside their hand when traveling to and from their cars. An email containing further information will be sent to all the Buckhead families.

Andrew George of the 2006 Majors Athletics and winner of the 2006 Sportsmanship Award leads the Little League Pledge at Opening Day. The sportsmanship award is given to the Majors player who best exemplifies by his or her character and behavior the best that sportsmanship has to offer. Players are nominated by the Majors coaches and voted on by the umpires. Andrew has graduated from Buckhead now and we wish him well.

Looking for a fun outing with family or friends? Visit ESPN Zone in Buckhead every Saturday and Sunday from April 7th - May 20th, 11am until 1pm and receive unlimited game play in the Sports Arena for only $1 per person. See ESPNZone web site for further information.

Buckhead owes a great debt of gratitude to many of its volunteers for making opening day a super success! In particular, Martha Payne put together our opening day ceremony this year which was not only an outstanding start to our season but well organized and on time! Krist Voyles, our roster book coordinator, worked very hard to produce our essential roster book and get it in our hands by opening day. This is no small task! Paige Lee, merchandise coordinator, was on the spot in very cold weather doing a wonderful job getting our Buckhead gear out for everyone to enjoy. Last, but certainly not least, is our Coach Loyd. He did a superlative job getting our fields in picture perfect condition for opening day. Many remarked that the fields looked as good or better than the Brave's spring training facility in Orlando! Thank you to the finest volunteers in youth baseball!

Coach Ellis (left) Congratulated By Past-president Gene Warren (right) On Hall Of Fame Designation.

Many of your know about the outstanding coaching talents of our Coach Ellis over the years at Buckhead Baseball. A special honor was bestowed on him this year for his dedication to teaching the skills of baseball and sportsmanship to the youth of Buckhead Baseball. He is not only a role model for how to run a team but he is also a very successful leader winning all but one on the post-season contests available to our league. Thank you, Thad, for your contributions to Buckhead over the years on and off the fields. The Coaching Hall of Fame at Buckhead Baseball is a very select group with Thad being only the 10th coach selected in the history of Buckhead Baseball since 1952.

The tireless Martha Payne has posted the picture day schedules for the upcoming photo opportunity which will be on March 24th! Check out the schedule by going to the Homepage and looking under Announcements for the Picture Day link.

Nathan Schultz goes long in his first game of the season. Reportedly a bomb by all accounts, and was backed up by a line drive screamer by Morgan Bunting that caused damage to the Capital Cadillac sponsor sign. Conrad Kinsey also sent a message downtown during the Astros - Yankee game for his first career homerun. Congrats!

Buckhead Baseball official league standings are posted on the left side bar of the homepage under latest news. These will be updated as soon as possible as the standings change.

I would like to thank all at Buckhead Baseball for my recognition at the opening ceremony this year. My association with Buckhead has been one of the highlights of my life and this honor from my Buckhead friends is a wonderful gift. I hope that in some way I have given back to the Buckhead Nation a small part of what Buckhead Baseball has given to me and my family. Go Buckhead!

The 1^st ESPN Zone Game ended with an exciting finish played by very enthusiastic participants. All players were into the game and were having a lot of fun.

With 1 out in the bottom of the 6^th, Will Rucker (Pirates) doubled to RCF. With Ben Brown on 2^nd and Will Rucker on 3^rd, Alex LaRosa (Yankees) laid down a picture perfect bunt to score Brown to win the game. What an exciting finish!

Will Rucker came through with clutch hits and pitched well for the Red Team and Drew Einbender robbed several Red Team hits with stellar defensive play at 2^nd base.

This is the day we have all been getting ready for at Buckhead. Today games start and we really get underway. Dress warm! The temperature at start time will be 37^oF! The weather is not inviting. The game schedules are up to date and the fields are ready. See you there.

AA has been updated as of today with the latest information. All leagues have their information up to date. Note: game schedules change and we will up date them on the web site as soon as we get the information.

Be sure to review the Opening Day information on the homepage under announcements. Be aware that parking is a premium. Carpooling is recommended and be sure to be early if you must park at the park.

Check out the Picture Day information posted at the announcement section of the homepage. Team and individual pictures will be taken on Saturday, March 24th.

All of you have heard about the tragic Bluffton University Baseball Team's bus accident that claimed the lives of 5 players, the bus driver and his wife. What you might not of heard about is Buckhead's efforts to reach out and help the families involved. So many Buckhead Baseball Families called the hospitals and the school, that the AJC and Red Cross called to find out more about our willingness and ability to help the Bluffton Baseball Team. Kim Cornell offered to be our point person on this effort. Once she heard about the Team's need for some clothes, since all their clothes were ruined in the wreck, she went into our store room and brought the team Buckhead Baseball sweat shirts and other items. Since then she has coordinated meals for the families with players still in critical care (unfortunately one of the players passed away today). The families still need some help, and Kim is still coordinating the meals. If you would like to help, please give her a call (404) 290-3211.

All of us should be proud to be a part of an organization that cares enough to reach out to others in their time of need. Thank you to all of you that have offered to help and a special thanks to Kim for taking the lead in coordinating our efforts to help!

Donal Ratigan

Buckhead Baseball is asking everyone in the Buckhead Nation to step up and offer assistance to the families of the Bluffton University Baseball Team who were injured in the I-75 bus accident. Many of these families are unfamiliar with the Atlanta area and need our help to be with their injured family members. Buckhead is coordinating with the Red Cross to provide assistance while the families help their loved ones recover. Call our coordinator, Kim Cornell, at the contact information below to be of assistance. Go Buckhead!

See the link off the homepage under announcements about opening day instructions.

For today, the Infields are closed to any practice activity due to an overwhelming water load from the passing storm this morning. They cannot be dried and made stable for play by the scheduled practice times today. In addition, the A cages are closed as they are underwater making use of the pitching machines unsafe.

In 2007, Bill Melvin is hosting two sessions of baseball camp onthe playing fields at Buckhead Baseball.

The cost per session is $225 for each participant. All players between the ages of 5 to 12 are welcome. The ratio of players to coaches is less than 10:1.

There is a State sponsored Umpire Clinic scheduled for Marc 2, 3 & 4 in Smyrna. This will be an expanded three day clinic. Friday night will be at the Smyrna Community Center and will cover Rules. Saturday and Sunday will be field work and will be at Chuck Camp Park on Benson Poole Rd in Smyrna. Please pass the word to your umpires. Managers and coaches are encouraged to attend the Rules portion and are welcome for the Mechanics portion as well. Check out the State Website for contact and registration information.

The games schedules for Majors to 6YO T-Ball are posted in the game schedule section off the left side bar of the web site.

The games schedules are posted on the left side bar of the homepage for the Majors, AAA, AA, and A leagues so far.