Elizabethton Part Deaux

Elizabethton is a commuter trip for the Flyboys. The team boards the bus outside the home ballpark at 245 for the 50 minute trek. The walk from the clubhouse to the bus is uphill, probably 200 yards. By uphill I mean an estimated 15% grade, carrying my equipment bag, These old knees don’t appreciate it but hey, burning more calories. The team arrives one hour before the pregame routine begins. This arrival allows ample time for the players to get dressed into batting practice attire, receive treatment from the athletic trainer if needed as well. It also allows time for the staff to write and post hitting groups and to peruse the opposing team roster, stats, lineup, etc. The team caters a box lunch for the players and staff before and after the game. Without opening the box I know we are having a wrap, a bag of kettle chips, a fruit cup, tiny donut hole things and cinnamon butter dipping cup. I rarely eat it so I can’t say the quality. I am gluten intolerant and every day there is a flour tortilla staring at me. The catering group also delivers gallons of sweet tea and lemonade of sorts. The post game box meal is a variety but often has pasta so I leave mine on the table.

The pregame routine on the road is fairly consistent. Stretch, run and throw followed by batting practice. We divide the position players into three groups of four hitters. Each group hits for 12-15 before rotating back to the field. The batting practice is thrown by the coaches. The hitters have a strict daily routine, that’s announced before the hitting starts. While one group is hitting the other players are working on defense. The infielders take ground balls hit by the fungo hitter and make throws to 1st base or 2nd base. This is a great time to gauge how the infield plays, fast, slow, true or bumpy. Each park has different grass and the clay can be hard as concrete or damp and smooth. Outfielders can play balls off the bat. This is a time to test the wind, the grass , the warning track and to see how balls bounce of the outfield wall. Pitchers during this time help shag the balls. They might have bucket duty, which is where the batted balls are thrown and placed in the large plastic bucket. The bucket of balls is used to replenish the balls thrown by the coach. Generally when one gets near the bottom of throwing balls a yell of “Balls” can be heard around the diamond.

The starting pitchers and I usually head out 45 minutes before the game. Pre game routines have become more elaborate and involved than they were a decade ago. The starting pitcher generally goes through a total body warmup. We never want to use the throwing arm to warm up the back and legs. The majority of pitchers use weighted balls( heavier than a baseball) to warm up. The hurlers usually throws these against a sturdy wall. Exercise bands that clip to a chain link fence are also used and are a great way to get the throwing arm warmed up to compete. The pitchers need a good pre game routine, a precise one. Some of my guys start throwing at 20 minutes before the game and some are 22 or 17 minutes. So the coach needs to know the time of day and the scheduled time of the first pitch of the game. The pitcher warms up with the starting catcher in the outfield so the pitcher can long toss some to get maximally lubed up. Long toss means, to me, over 90 feet. Some pitchers toss to 150 feet, others out to 200 feet. The average pitcher throws for 8-9 minutes in the outfield before heading to the mound. The number of throws in that time period is 32-35 throws. The pitcher and catcher then walk to the bullpen mound to prep for the game. The pitchers works on each of his pitches from the windup as well as the stretch. Most pitchers need to be reminded to throw from the stretch but truth is 50% of pitches in a game are made with runners on base. A good bullpen routine is 30-36 pitches thrown. Most of the kids here throw much less than that but they will learn. The pitcher wants to give himself a five minute break between finishing up in the bullpen before the game starts, There is that time thing again, time management and starting pitching is a must for creating a fantastic routine. Routines lead to consistency.

Game one of this series saw the Flyboys fall in the last inning. We did battle back to tie the game in the top of the 9th. Too many wasted opportunities in the game to come out victorious. The pitching staff had no walks in this contest for the first time all season. The Flyboys also had 12 strikeouts. Two throwing errors gave the River Riders the extra bases to win, 3-2. Game two of the series was all Flyboys. The pitching staff was dominant. The Boyz from Eastern Michigan combined for 7 innings, 1 hit and 9 strikeouts. I look forward to watching the pitching future of Russo and Wagoner. Overall we allowed 3 singles in the game and 2 of those were not hits but the official score keeper loves the home town team. The Greenville Flyboys head home for a weekend series with the Turtles, who have a potent lineup. For now, it is post game shower, skip the non GF meal and drive back to Tusculum for a cerveza and gluten free chips and salsa. diggity!

Boys host the State Liners

The Greenville Flyboys host the Bristol State Liners for a two game set at Pioneer Park on the campus of Historic Tusculum University. Bristol is an hour Northeast of G’ville. The city is home of the Bristol Motor Speedway. This track is one of the most popular on the NASCAR schedule mostly due of it’s distinct features. The popular track includes extraordinarily steep banking, an all concrete surface, two pit roads. The track is billed as “The world’s fastest half mile”. Thunder Valley, as it is sometimes called, highlights the city of Bristol, Tn. Not to be confused with Bristol, Va- a sister city across the state line. Oh, State Liners, now I get it.

We have good weather for the first time in a week. The Flyboys staff strikes out 15 but we drop this game to Bristol. We need to split the series Wednesday and we will send Greenville’s opening night starter, Bryce Mayer, to the hill. On this night Bryce dazzles through four innings. He strikes out a season high 9 batters. On the night the FlyBoyz pitching staff strikes out a season high 20 Bristol hitters in a one run nail biting victory . The art of pitching could be debated for days, especially in this age of social media pitching circles. But, the fact is, the pitcher needs to get ahead in the count, expand the strike zone and make the batter swing at his or her pitch. The act of getting ahead becomes more refined as the competition improves. Expand the zone doesn’t mean doing so in 0-1 and 1-1 counts but refers to when the pitcher is in favorable counts. The ability to measure ball spin and pitched ball movements has made it simpler for the pitcher to discover who he is as a pitcher. The pitchers and coaches here utilize Rapsodo and Trakman to enhance player development. These tools aid the catchers in calling the correct pitch in the correct location,as well.

Hitting philosophies have also changed in recent years. First pitch of the at bat swings have soared over the last view years. With that data also comes with chases of pitches out of the strike zone on the initial pitch. Remember how important getting ahead in the count is to the pitcher? First pitch of the at bat swings amd misses has also increased substantially. Hitters are trying to “do damage” but honestly the group is going about it the wrong way. This isn’t my opinion, look at the rising batter strikeouts and the descending batting averages.

Well, the Boys are off to begin a two game set at Elizabethton. Let’s see if they fixed the scoreboard. The team sits in first place currently but it is early in the season.

Home Opener in Greenville

One week after arriving at the Tusculum University campus the Flyboys of Greenville will have their home opener. The town of Greenville has a population of about 15,000 people. It was named after a civil war figure, Nathanael Greene. It is also the second oldest city in Tennessee. Pioneer Park sits on the campus of Tusculum University.

Greenville has a long history of Appalachian League baseball dating back to 1921. The team has partnered with the university for the baseball stadium which is the finest in the Appy League. The stadium was built in 2004 and is shared between the Tusculum Pioneers and the Flyboys Tusculum University is the second oldest college in the state of Tennessee( founded in 1794.The outside of the stadium is a nice brick wall facade and the concourse inside is wide, very spacious. Stadium capacity is about 2,600. There are even four luxurious rental suites to watch the game from up behind home plate. For player and fan alike. this stadium works well.

The home opener features an interdivisional game against the Doughboys of Johnson City. The initial game was a little chippy between the two collegian league teams. This was a back and forth battle with a lot of scoring opportunities early in the game. Our starting pitcher worked out of several jams and the bullpen held them down over the later innings of the game, The game was a little sloppy tonight. A constant drizzling rain did not help the quality of play. As the great Jim Hoff once stated, it generally is not the runs your starter gives up that beats you but the runs your bullpen gives up. That was the case tonight as the Flyboys out bullpenned the Doughboys. Fly Flyboys Fly. A robust fireworks show followed the game. Fans and players alike enjoyed a really good show. We go for the sweep in this two game set tomorrow night!

Flyboys – A True Story of Courage is a book written by James Bradley. This riveting book, Flyboys, is a story of war and horror but also courage and friendship. The story includes a Flyboy who escapes captivity, also a young Naval pilot named George W. Bush who later became president of The United States. The book details a World War II incident of the miserable execution and cannibalism of five of eight POWs held in the Pacific island of Chichi-jima. The author researched the Incidemt which was covered up by the Japanese government.

There is also a 2006 movie coined Flyboys. The story occurs around the time the U.S. entered World War I. Several American youths volunteered for the French military. Subsequently, they became the first fighter pilots and formed a squadron known as the Lafayette Escadrille. Their heroism and exploits have became legendary.

These Flyboys of Greenville are in reference to an old airfield at the site of the stadium where the city’s previous baseball players took the field.

Historic Plane at Greenville Municipal Airport

Road Trip to Bluefield

The Flyboys made their first overnight road trip of the season. The 1-1 club loaded the team bus Saturday morning for the 146 mile trek from Greenville to Bluefield, Va. We will play a two game set against the Ridge Runners. The city of Bluefield sits along the Bluestone River and is home to Bluefield State College as well. The town has a population of about 5,000 and I think all of them were at a carnival that was snuggled up to the baseball stadium. The stadium is called Bowen Field. The park was originally built in 1939 during the Great Depression. It was renovated in 1975. It holds 3000 and the seats were once those of the Anaheim Angels. The backdrop here is rather unique, surrounded by trees.

I mentioned the carnival earlier and it was kind of nice to smell the delicious aroma of funnel cakes from the bullpen. The aroma of corn dogs and carnies was not that impressive, however. One could see the towering rides in the short distance and hear the screams of those who ventured on the carnival rides. Oh yea, the games. The Boys fell in the first game as the Bluefield team simply outslugged us. Over the course of a season one third of the games you out slug your opponent and one third they out slug your team. The difference is those remaining one third of games where the team who defends better and executes situational baseball wins. This is what championship teams do – they win a high percentage of close games. Game two of the series the Flyboys adjust on the fly, get it? Our scheduled started is suspended shortly before the first pitch. Readers, he did nothing evil but it is what it is. The the remainder of the pitching staff step it up and we shake hands and have a happy flight home. Wait, I mean bus ride. Home opener on Tuesday after a needed off day on Monday. LG Flyboys.