LinkedIn Group

Hi Everyone -
Looking to see if anyone is interested in establishing a group on LinkedIn to find people in the Boston Area that are wanting to set up a network that provides information on opportunities from playing on a team all the way to helping coach a team. I myself am interested in doing this and would like to get a few others who can serve up some good content about opportunities.  I have a profile set up for myself that expresses my interest in finding other baseball players in the area:  http://www.linkedin.com/in/kessellpsu

Even if you’re like me and the body only lets you play softball anymore i still think it is a good idea to provide this opportunity to others so that they don’t waste their talent!  After playing ball for 20 years, it is hard to get back in the swing of things but leagues are starting up and friends are starting to look for players so I’m getting that itch again!  I signed up for a group on LinkedIn (Baseball – Let’s Play Ball) so if anyone else has others out there, let me know.  hoping to get a good idea of the type of reach/exposure i can get in these types of groups.

Let me know,

Bryan

Local events/Tryouts!

Hey guys – wanted to provide some updates on the happening around the area that you all can take advantage of if you’re interested. Special thanks to Bret Rudy over at Boston Baseball for keeping us all informed about what’s going on. First thing up is a league tryout on the south shore. The 2010 Cranberry Baseball League tryouts are happening the weekend of May 15th from 10-1pm at Rockland Stadium in Rockland, MA. Registration is $25 if you pre-register and $30 day of. The tryout will consists of a one hour workout to be reviewed by the coaching staffs and scouts then a full 9 inning game. The interesting thing here is that all participants are considered free agents and are welcome to play for any team – there will not be a draft associated with this league. There was a contact provided: Joe Paolucci @ 339-440-3417 or Phillies@cranberryleague.com

Also happening TONIGHT is a webinar aimed at helping amateur improve their mechanics, velocity, control, conditioning and how to best protect themselves from injury. I will most likely be attending this because I used to pitch when I played for Penn State and I believe that you can really improve your skills by focusing on the little things that so many people ignore…..an extra MPH or 2 can go a long way in winning a game or getting that crucial third strike. The event is sponsored by BABN and Duquette Sports Academy’s Dan Duquette (former GM of the Red Sox).
Timing is 8:30 to 9:30 tonight and you can watch online. Please RSVP here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=374249704848.

Hopefully this was helpful and if you attend either one, please leave a comment.

Bryan

New Ideas

I wanted to put this post out there for those who have comments on other things that I have not necessarily blogged about yet so please post them here and I can start a new section within the blog!
Bryan

MABL Update

Hey Guys, wanted to provide some information i found through my friends on facebook about the MBAL League…..it’s that time of year so if you’re interested, turn on NECN and see what they have to say!

(From Boston Baseball)”Tune in to “Style Boston” tonight at 7:30pm on NECN because multiple Boston Amateur Baseball Network members are featured.

On the “Detour” segment, Chris Talanian takes in batting practice with Frankie Niles at South Shore Baseball Club, and learns to play the field with Frank Alexopoulos, President of the Massachusetts Independent Baseball League.”

Softball/Baseball League divisions

Just spent the weekend in Dallas with some friends and come to find out they are involved in a very competitive softball league.  I was told that they are able to play year round and there are a number of different divisions they can qualify for depending on the strength of their teams.  This particular group of guys plays in the C division and are currently trying to get enough points to qualify for the “worlds” but aside from points, they need to win a major NIT tournament first.  You accumulate points by playing throughout the year so they incorporated the tournament win requirement to make sure.  To keep it competitive, they do not allow players from better divisions to drop to a lower division and play which i think is only fair.

I was looking for something like this here in the Boston area but i have been unable to find anything other than this league in Boston: http://www.bostonwestcoedsoftball.com/  they seem to be really competitive and have there stuff together but there is no mention of any divisional alignment.  I also looked around for a similar thing to this in hardball but again they don’t mention anything about state division/classes (check this out http://www.bostonbaseball.com/massachusetts.php).

Is it the fact that we cannot play year-round and therefore cannot compete with the other teams?

If anyone knows more about this or can point me to a website that explains it I would appreciate it!

Thanks, Bryan

Update on Southie Softball!

Each year we try to keep our league competitive and weed out any teams that do not want to play or that cannot always field a team (no one likes a forfeit) so earlier this month i initiated a conversation with our league managers because I was approached by a friend who wanted to enter a team.  Received as a great idea, entering a new/younger team, we were optimistic that at least 2 of the teams would bow out after forfeiting numerous games and getting smashed at the games they showed up to but they did not. 

I was looking around at some other leagues to try to steer them to but it really seems like a popular sport in the Boston area as most leagues are full!  I’m going to continue to look as i would be interested in playing in another league myself.  if anyone knows of an opening, please leave a comment!

Bryan

Men’s Amature Baseball League

Wanted to share some information with everyone on a baseball league I heard about this weekend.  Two of my friends refered me to their baseball league, www.mabl.com.  It is the men’s adult baseball league and they are part of a national organization with 325 affiliates and over 3,200 participating teams.  The Boston Men’s Baseball League is the local chapter of the national Men’s Senior Baseball League and Men’s Adult Baseball League. In 2009, the league had 47 teams across three age divisions to satisfies the needs of amateur players of all ages and abilities. The BMBL is the largest league in New England.  My friends Tony and Dan both say that this league is very competitive and very well run.  I have been considering trying out for the local team but haven’t decided if i have enough time this year.

Anyone  have any experience in these leagues?