A Look to the Future

Thursday was a special day for the St. Mary's baseball program and even more special for six of our team's eighth graders.

Denis Douglas, Palmer Douglas, Chris Lenear, Alec Anderson, Bradley Miller and Carson Simmons were called up to play for the Aquinas High School JV team on Thursday for a game on the road against Jefferson County.

Palmer Douglas started for the Irish and played second base and third base, and was impressive in his high school debut, going 2-for-4.

Denis Douglas entered the game in the fifth inning in right field and went 1-for-2 with a double.

Bradley Miller entered the game in the fourth inning at catcher and went 1-for-3.

Chris Lenear also appeared in the game, playing left field for the final three innings.

Carson Simmons and Alec Anderson did not get in the game, but Aquinas JV coach Joe Galvin said he expects both to see action in Saturday's doubleheader at North Augusta.

As we work hard to build St. Mary's into one of the most respected middle school baseball programs in Augusta, one of our goals this season was to form a closer bond with Aquinas and become a true feeder program for the high school and to develop our young men into players who will be able to step right in at the high school level.

We have been working closely with the Aquinas program all season, and Thursday was a big step for St. Mary's baseball.

St. Mary's players will continue to play with the Aquinas JV in the Irish's remaining games, including Saturday's doubleheader at North Augusta.

For the chance to play for Aquinas, we selected players based on ability, but also on their commitment, attitude and work ethic. For Thursday's game, we called up only eighth graders out of respect for these players who have paid their dues.

Other St. Mary's players, including our seventh and sixth graders, will have a chance to move up to the Aquinas JV in future games. This should be another great incentive for our players to work hard and prove something every time they step on the field.

Congratulations to the St. Mary's players for making our program proud. And a special thanks to Aquinas head coach Mike Laney, JV coach Joe Galvin and Aquinas assistant coaches Tony Garren and Mike Paul for working with us this season and helping our program step up to the next level.

Team Victory

Maybe it was because the St. Mary's players were mad at the coach for being so hard on them, especially at practice on Wednesday.

Maybe it was because they realized they really do have something to prove, and that they weren't going to just show up at Riverside Park Thursday afternoon and have Westminster hand them a victory on a silver platter.

Whatever the reason, the St. Mary's Saints came to the ballpark with a sense of purpose, with a sense of pride and a sense of passion, and they got the job done in a 9-2 win over Westminster.

No, it wasn't perfect. We're still not swinging the bats as well as we should. We're still not doing all the little things or taking care of all the little details that helps build an average ballclub into a championship-caliber team.

But the good news is that every single player on our ballclub made a contrbution Thursday.

Everyone.


Tyler Williamson — Solid contact at the plate, solid defense at second

Denis Douglas — Two walks, two stolen bases, two scoreless innings of relief. Lots of twos; maybe that's why they call him "Double D"

Collin Oliver — Big two-RBI single in the sixth to blow the game open

Jeremiah Schaeffer — Two hits, two runs scored, and his usual outstanding defense at shortstop

Palmer Douglas — A hit, a walk, two runs, and a couple of nice plays at third

Ben Agee — As a pinch-hitter in the fifth, draws a two-out walk, and scores a big run with two outs to give St. Mary's a 5-2 lead

Chris Leonard — Keeps the fifth-inning rally alive with a pinch-hit, two-out walk to set up Oliver's key base hit in the inning

Chris Singletary — Steals a base as a pinch runner in the second, draws a pinch-hit walk in the sixth, and scores a big insurance run

Bradley Miller — Robbed of two base hits, but does a solid catching job behind the plate and stops a Westminster run on a bang-bang play at the plate in the sixth inning on a perfect relay throw by Jeremiah Schaeffer

Zach Pace — Makes a solid defensive play in right field in the sixth inning, throwing a strike on the relay throw to Schaeffer, who then nailed the baserunner at home plate with a perfect throw to Miller

Brendan Douglas — The sixth grader is the offensive catalyst, going 3-for-3 with two doubles and two runs

Chris Lenear — Goes 1-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored, and makes a stellar catch in right field in the seventh inning, then throws to nab the runner at first base for a game-ending double play

Carson Simmons — Draws a walk in the second, steals second, and scores the Saints' second run

Alec Anderson — Turns in a strong performance on the mound in his first start, allowing just three hits and two runs with six strikeouts in five innings

Sam Few — Our injured captain in the dugout and proving to be the ultimate 10th man on the field

Fifteen players. One total team effort.

Have we seen the best of the St. Mary's Saints this season? No, not even close.

But Thursday is what it's all about. Every single man on our ballclub did at least one thing to contribute to this victory.

On Wednesday, I gave our players a little dose of "tough love." I questioned whether our players truly believed in the concept of BIG TEAM LITTLE ME, or if it was merely nothing more than a catchy slogan.

After a 90-minute practice that clearly wasn't your best effort, I demanded you all pay the price at the end of the day Wednesday. And, as a result, I'm sure I wasn't the most popular guy around the ballclub Wednesday evening. But I hope you all realize we, as coaches, are only hard on you sometimes because we care and because we know we have yet to see the best of what you all have inside.

But Thursday afternoon, the St. Mary's Saints responded and showed that maybe they really do believe in BTLM after all.

There's still a long, long way to go. Again, let's not get too excited about one victory.

But without a doubt, this was a big step in the right direction.

And I owe you some Ring Pops on Monday.

Have a great weekend. You all earned it. We've got First Academy on Monday. See you then.

Something to Think About

In light of what was discussed at our meeting at the end of practice Thursday, I thought of an article I read several years ago.

The article was written by an avid baseball man named Raymond Angelo Belliotti, who is a philosophy professor at the the State University of New York-Fredonia. I was able to find it on the Internet and I thought it fit in perfectly with many of the things we have been stressing to our players over the past two months.

It especially ties in with many of the points we've been trying to make this season, especially over the past week since our loss to EDS. And I believe many of the points in this article can be something our players can take with them for the rest of this season and the rest of your baseball careers.

It may seem like a long article, but I think you will get a lot out of reading it. I hope you all will take time to read this great article and think about it a bit. And I'm looking forward to seeing which St. Mary's team shows up Thursday vs. Westminster.


NINE PRINCIPALS OF BASEBALL AND LIFE
by Raymond Angelo Belliotti

Baseball is about parents taking their children to local fields and teaching them the sport. Baseball is about the bonding of parents and children in the context of 150 years of history and the excitement of the infinite possibilities of summer. Baseball is about preseason practices, with everyone playing a variety of positions, no one keeping score, everyone energized, yelling, and engaged. Baseball is passing down an American legacy, reinforcing family love, teaching values and a way of life, sharing joy and triumph, sorrow and defeat. Baseball can illustrate and enhance the meaning in our lives. Baseball is only a distant cousin to organized games, all star tournaments, or names appearing in the local sports pages. My Sicilian parents taught me values about life that are applicable to playing baseball. My father made it clear: if I acted inappropriately on a baseball field, no umpire, no coach, no league official would have to intervene. He would run onto the field himself and physically drag me off. He was not in attendance to be embarrassed by a son who had not learned proper values. The most important rule: approach any task with great enthusiasm, a positive attitude, and with appreciation for the opportunity to participate. My 9 principles of baseball are more fundamentally 9 principles of living a rewarding life.


1. NO EXCUSES
Do not blame teammates, umpires, coaches, fans, or the position of the moon for your performance. Take responsibility for what happens on the field. Stand up, make no excuses, refuse the excuses that others might offer you. Excuses get in the way of learning because mistakes are denied. Be accountable. Remember you are not expected to be a perfect performer. No one is. Baseball is not an easy game to play.

2. PLAY WITH HONOR
Always hustle, run out every ground ball and pop up, encourage your teammates, especially after an error, bad pitch, or a strike out, carry yourself with pride and dignity. Do not in frustration throw equipment. Do not ridicule another team or an opposing player’s name, physical appearance, skill. Do not taunt. Do not distract an opposing player with low-level antics. Be positive with teammates. Never ridicule or criticize your teammates. They need your encouragement the most immediately after they have made a mistake. Show your teammates, your opponents, the entire world the values you hold dear by how you play.

3. BE RELENTLESS
Never Yield. Never Yield. Regardless of what the scoreboard says, you are never defeated unless you give up, unless you go belly up. No opponent can make you do this. Giving up is something you do. Regardless of what the scoreboard says, no opponent can extinguish the flame in your heart or crush the intensity of your will without your consent. Never surrender.

4. SLAY YOUR OWN DEMONS, THEN SLAY DRAGONS
Ignore those things outside your control: the judgments of umpires, the conduct and ability of other teams, the weather, your amount of playing time, the final score (this is a tough one). Do not show frustration or disappointment. Do not allow your opponents to gain joy from your inability to cope with self-pity. Do not throw equipment or whine in anger or slump your shoulders. Such behavior impresses no one. Maintain your poise. Learn, prepare, and focus on the next event. We cannot change the past. Instead, we should focus on the next action with determination, joy, and resolve.

5. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THOSE THINGS UNDER YOUR CONTROL
Your effort, your attitude, your commitment, and your approach to the game are under your control. Be enthusiastic, play with great effort, conduct yourself appropriately, meet this opportunity with great joy. Listen to your coaches. Be alert, play smartly, know the signs. You are always accountable. How you react to situations and circumstances reveals the person you are and the person you might become.

6. PLAY THE GAME ONE PITCH AT A TIME
Focus on the current pitch. If you are a pitcher, what are you throwing now and where? If you are a fielder, what are you going to do if the ball is hit to you? If you are a base-runner, what are you going to do on a fly ball, line drive, ground ball, to the right side, to the left side? If you are a batter, what are you trying to accomplish on this pitch? If you are on the bench, how are you helping your team be successful?

7. FOCUS ON BEHAVIOR, NOT OUTCOMES
The results of your performance are not fully under your control. The other team may be very good, or very bad. The bounces may go your way, or not. But your behavior and approach are under your control. At the end of the game, you, perhaps only, know whether you gave 100%, whether you did all you could to help your team. Those players who did are winners, those players who did not are losers, regardless of what the scoreboard says. Winners take care of the things within their control, enjoy their participation, and are justifiable proud of their effort. Losers make excuses, lose their poise readily, wallow in self-pity, and surrender at the slightest sign of adversity.

8. THE BEST PLAYERS ARE THE BEST LEARNERS
Players who are coach-able are always trying to learn more about being successful ballplayers and people. They listen and apply what their coaches and teachers suggest. Are you coach-able? If you are, you are a winner. If you are not, you are a loser, regardless of what the scoreboard says.

9. BE A JOYOUS WARRIOR!
Be enthusiastic, positive, give 100%, understand that relentless effort in the pursuit of excellence is its own reward. The joyous warrior exemplifies the slogan “No Retreat & No Surrender.” Win with humility, lose with dignity.

Searching for the Ultimate Answer

It's been a week since our last update and, to be honest, I still don't know where to begin when it comes to our 7-4 loss to EDS last Tuesday, March 13.

Before our practice Monday afternoon at Eisenhower, I was in the batting cage throwing BP to my son, Jake, when Carson Simmons' dad, Joel, came over and struck up a conversation about the state of our team.

Joel asked me if I had figured out the reasons for our loss to EDS. I rattled off several thoughts, but I honestly couldn't give a definitive answer, even though I've spent a whole lot of time over the past week analyzing the game and thinking about the things we could have done differently.

If this were any other year and any other team, losing one game early in the season wouldn't have hurt so much. And it certainly wouldn't have been something to stew about for a whole week.

But, once again, this 2007 St. Mary's team isn't an ordinary bunch. The potential is there for something very special with this team. Something extraordinary.

For whatever the reason, though, extraordinary didn't show up to play EDS last Tuesday afternoon.

Maybe we all were too cocky. Maybe we thought we would just show up and go through the motions and win that game on talent alone.

As a team, we've talked over and over again about not being overconfident, about not taking anything for granted, especially after our mini-collapse for three innings against Tutt.

But to anyone who's asked the question "What Happened?" with the EDS game, I've told them all the same thing. From the moment the players started arriving at the ballpark for our pregame last Tuesday, I knew it in my heart. We were flat. We did not show up at the field with a sense of urgency. It was crystal clear once we took our pregame infield. We were sloppy and simply did not look like we were ready to play an important ballgame.

I had a sick feeling in my gut that we were going to lose that game. Unfortunately, my instincts were correct.

From the first pitch, EDS outplayed us. No, they don't come close to matching up with us talent-wise. But talent alone doesn't win ballgames. Tuesday was proof of that.

We got solid pitching from Palmer Douglas, Alec Anderson and Denis Douglas, but made a few costly errors and had a few mental breakdowns defensively that killed us. We swung the bats well, at times, and finished with nine hits, but couldn't get the big hits in key situations. We missed several signs in key situations and made several mental mistakes on the basepaths.

On the flipside, any time EDS needed a big pitch or a big hit in a key spot, or needed a defensive play to get out of inning, they got the job done. On this day, their heart and passion beat up on our talent.

The good news is we still have a lot of baseball left to play. If we had to lose a game this year, Game 3 of the season wasn't a bad time to do it. It wasn't a bad time to get it out of the way.

But when you're as good as we are, we shouldn't accept any loss. I hope we all have learned from this setback, and it seems like our players all are committed to using the mistakes as a tool for growth. In practice over the past week, we've been able to focus in on some of the mistakes we made and make the necessary adjustments.

We still have a lot of work to do, but already, I am confident we are a better, stronger ballclub as the result of this setback.

At the start of our season, our team set five goals for ourselves. One of those goals now is unattainable as the result of the EDS loss. But the ultimate goal is still well within our reach, and I feel better than ever that our players have resolved themselves to making that final goal a reality.

Again, there is still much work to be done. And, again, there is good news. It looks like every player on our ballclub finally understands that nothing is going to be handed to us. I believe our club will come away from this setback better than ever. I truly believe the BIG TEAM LITTLE ME mentality is back.

Now, it's my job to make sure what happened Tuesday doesn't happen again.

And it's up to our players to prove BIG TEAM LITTLE ME is more than just a cute little slogan on a T-shirt.

Only then will the 2007 St. Mary's Saints find the ultimate answer we are searching for.

Saints Update – March 12

There's a popular expression in sports – "A team is only as good as its last game."

By this time tomorrow, we will know just how good the 2007 edition of St. Mary's baseball really is.

You can throw out our 2-0 start to the season – our 11-0 win over Augusta Christian and our 20-9 win over Tutt Middle School last week. And you can definitely throw out our 22-0 win over EDS in our preseason exhibition game two weeks ago.

Tuesday's game vs. EDS will literally be a whole new ballgame. And come Tuesday evening, we will truly have an accurate gauge on just how far this St. Mary's team will go in 2007.

Our players and coaching staff all know that the EDS team we saw two weeks ago is not the team we will see Tuesday. This is a quality ballclub, with lots of talent, led by Henry Rowland and Will Few, and they are a well-coached club led by Jacque Hawk.

And we are also a different team than the ones that played EDS in the preseason. The loss of captain and staff ace Sam Few again is a big blow for our ballclub.

But by the end of our practice Monday at Aquinas, for the first time all season, there was a sense of urgency with our players that we hadn't seen until now. For the first time since we began in January, there was a tremendous sense of pride surrounding this ballclub and a sense that our 14 remaining active players had truly bought into the concept of BIG TEAM LITTLE ME.

We saw at Aquinas Monday evening 14 players working as hard as they have all year long, hungrier than ever and ready step up to and take charge of their own fate.

By this time Tuesday, we all will know just how special the 2007 edition of St. Mary's Baseball really is.

Are we ready to MAKE A STATEMENT? We'll find out tomorrow.

Saints Update – March 11

After two big wins to open the season and a few days off late last week, St. Mary's got back to work Saturday morning to get ready for two more big games this week vs. archrival EDS and First Academy.

But near the end of practice Saturday, we got another scare as another of our key players went down with a freak injury.

Less than a week after we lost captain Sam Few to season-ending knee surgery, Carson Simmons was involved in a collision while playing first base during "12 Outs" – a drill that simulated game situations and that requires a defensive team to record 12 consecutive outs without an error.

Simmons was hit in the mouth in a collision at first base and suffered a nasty gash to his upper lip. He ended up going to his orthodontist and then to an oral surgeon Saturday afternoon, and needed 10 stitches (10 to the inside of his upper lip and two to the outside of his upper lip). But the Saints pitcher/outfielder/first baseman said Sunday he will be ready to go for practice Monday and for our game Tuesday.

The thought of losing another key player made for some uneasy moments this weekend, so hearing that Simmons would be OK was great news.

Speaking of great news, Sam Few appeared to be feeling much better Sunday as he continues his recovery from knee surgery Thursday, Over the weekend, many of our players stopped by Sam's house to visit and hang out with our captain, and the visits definitely seemed to have lifted his spirits. Sam and his family send their regards and appreciation to everyone who has stopped by to spend some time with Sam at their home.

Sam said Sunday he hopes to return to school on Tuesday and is planning on being on the sidelines with us Tuesday when we take on EDS.

Check out the St. Mary's Baseball photo galleries for photos of several players at Sam's home over the weekend, and thanks to all the players who stopped by the Fews. The friendship and camaraderie is a testament to how special a group we have with the 2007 St. Mary's Baseball team.

Friday Night Update

I had a chance to visit with Sam Few Friday night, and coach Marc Williamson also stopped by to see him on Thursday.

Sam is in good spirits, but he is in quite a bit of pain as he begins his recovery from knee surgery Thursday morning. He said he had a pretty rough night Thursday and was still struggling Friday. The first few days after such a procedure are the toughest, but in true Sam Few fashion, he's been a trooper through it all.

Please continue to keep Sam in your thoughts and prayers. Your visits, calls and emails mean a lot to Sam and the Fews, and your encouragement will help Sam through the recovery process.

Losing Sam is also a big blow for our team, so as we get back to work Saturday at practice after a few days off, let's get back to focusing on the task at hand. Everyone will need to step it up the rest of the way to make up for the loss of a such a key player in Sam, so let's get back to work Saturday and get focused on our next big test Tuesday vs. EDS.

Thursday March 8 – Sam Few Update

Sam Few underwent successful knee surgery Thursday morning at Doctors Hospital Surgery Center in Evans, and was back home Thursday afternoon doing one of the things he loves best – watching college basketball on TV.

According to his mom, Indee, Sam had several bone fragments removed and had the stretched and damaged patella tendon in his right knee stitched up tightly to pull the kneecap back into place.

Fortunately, doctors did not need to insert screws into the knee, which obviously is great news. His mom says Sam obviously has a rough road ahead of him in rehab, but that he should be back to 100 percent in three months.

Here is the email Indee sent out to SMS baseball players and families Thursday afternoon:

Sam is so thankful for all the prayers! WE are home from surgery and on the way to recovery – Thanks to all of you for all the phone calls and visits – that is really what is keeping Sam going strong during this heartbreaking time for him. What wonderful friends we have in all of you! He is also enjoying checking the website and reading the newest information – what a great way to build this team strong! Sam is a true believer in this team and knows his buddies will pull the wins this season – he wont be playing on the field but he will be there on the side cheering and coaching!!!

Thanks again to all of you – prayers are so powerful please continue to remember Sam. Specifically for strength, determination and a positive attitude while recovering. He will have a hard 3 months of therapy but will rebound strong! P.S. He cant wait to show his pictures of the bone fragments Dr. Duncan gave him – really cool! Feel free to stop by anytime – Sam cant go anywhere...... except to watch the SEC basketball tourney on TV.

Thanks, Indee, for sharing those sentiments with us, and for keeping us all posted on Sam's progress.

Let's all be sure to keep Sam and his recovery in our prayers. This obviously is a huge disappointment for him, and he definitely has a difficult road ahead of him. But in the grand scheme of things, St. Mary's baseball is only a small blip on his radar screen. Sam has a very bright future ahead of him, and there is no doubt he will overcome this setback.

On behalf our team, we will no doubt miss you on the field in a Saints uniform, Sam. But you're our captain, and you will continue to be an important part of the ballclub the rest of the way.

We're behind you 150 percent, because that's what you always give to your team on the ballfield.

Sam Few Update

The news was worse than first hoped for St. Mary's captain Sam Few.

Sam will undergo surgery Thursday morning to repair his damaged right knee and will miss the rest of the baseball season.

After a follow-up visit with renowned orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Jewell Duncan on Wednesday, it was determined that Sam has bone fragments in his knee, as a result of the dislocated kneecap he suffered in St. Mary's season opening 11-0 win over Augusta Christan on Monday, March 5.

There also is a chance the patella tendon is damaged, meaning the surgery may also include replacement or repair of this tendon, which holds the kneecap in place. There also is a possibility that screws will be inserted into Sam's knee to hold the patella in place.

The good news is that doctors say Sam will make a quick and full recovery and that, in many similar cases, the knee comes back even stronger.

Sam should be able to begin rehab in around 10-12 days. Though he will miss the remainder of the SMS baseball season, doctors believe Sam will be able to return to full sports activity by late June or early July. Just in time for summer baseball and the start of football practice for Aquinas.

While he is obviously disappointed about the turn of events, Sam was in good spirits Wednesday night as he was hanging out at home watching college basketball on TV. He will undergo the procedure in a day surgery center in Evans, and is expected to be back at home by Thursday afternoon.

Like a true captain, Sam will continue to be an important part of our team. He'll be with us in the dugout at our games to provide his leadership, and will most definitely be a help to our pitching staff. We can't wait to see Sam back out at the ballpark when we take on EDS on Tuesday, March 13.

Positives and Negatives

We blew a nine-run lead.

This is what has been sticking in my head over these past 24 hours or so following St. Mary's 20-9 victory over Tutt Middle School on Tuesday. This is what had me losing sleep last night, replaying the game in my head at two in the morning wondering about all the things we still need to do to get better as a ballclub and achieve our goals.

Call me crazy. Tell me my expectations are simply too high.

But here's the bottom line. We got lazy. We got complacent. We made a bunch of mental mistakes on the basepaths, made some errors on routine plays, missed a bunch of signs, and pitched behind in the count all day. And for three innings, our potent bats went silent.

Basically, we took a vacation for three innings. We stopped hustling. We stopped caring. We took things for granted. Big time.

When you're the 2007 St. Mary's Saints — a team that may very well be the most talented group of 15 middle school players in the entire CSRA — that's what you get. This team is scary good. As a result, the expectations are going to be high.

As a ballclub, our players no doubt should be proud of what we accomplished Tuesday. We redeemed ourselves with a 10-run sixth inning, and we tightened up defensively and on the mound over the final two innings. We showed we have a devastating lineup. We pitched well, at times, and we played solid enough defensively.

In the end, that was enough to get our record to 2-0 on the young season. In the end, it was enough to defeat a team that hasn't lost a game in five years and has won five straight Augusta-Richmond County public school championships.

But, again, for three innings, we were sloppy and overconfident. And it almost came back to haunt us. Tuesday proved that anything can happen over the course of a ballgame. No lead is safe. Like legendary New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra once said, "It ain't over 'til it's over."

If the games were played on paper, they'd hand us the championship trophy right now, because St. Mary's is by far the most talented team in our league.

But anything can happen in baseball — that's why they play the games.

Remember that on any given day, any team in our league is capable of beating us. Remember the second Curtis Baptist game last season? Remember the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey team against the Russians in Miracle? Remember what happened to St. Mary's in the basketball championship game against EDS this past January?

When all is said and done, we're proud of what our players accomplished this week. We opened with two straight wins against two of the best teams we will face all season.

But we're better than this. We're better than what we showed Tuesday.

From this point forward, let's not take anything for granted. Let's get back to work and make sure we don't lose sight of our ultimate goal.

Our team just defeated a local powerhouse by 11 runs without even giving it our very best.

How scary is that?

Keeping a Great Start in Perspective

You couldn't have scripted a better story for Opening Day of the 2007 baseball season for St. Mary's.

On this beautiful March afternoon at the ballpark, we had our newly-appointed team captain and staff ace Sam Few on the mound shutting down a talented Augusta Christian team. We had our lineup swinging the bats and generating runs, we had a defense taking care of business, and we had players executing in important spots in the ballgame. After more than six weeks of hard work in the preseason, everything came together Monday afternoon, as St. Mary's opened with an 11-0 win.

But then, everything we had done on the field that day was put into a whole new perspective in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Sam Few did what he's done tens of thousands of times in his life: swung a baseball bat. But this time, something went wrong. When Few hit a high fly ball to right field in the fourth, everyone looked up to watch the baseball. But when we didn't see him running, and we looked down and saw him collapsed in the batter's box in obvious pain, everyone at the ballpark held their breath. Some of us felt sick to our stomachs.

Suddenly, it didn't seem to matter that St. Mary's was winning the ballgame big at that point, about to put up victory No. 1 of the season.

We all feared the worse, that Sam had suffered a torn ACL and would be done for the season. Or worse, that the promising athletic career of this awesome young man was now in jeopardy.

A few hours later, the news was much better than we thought. Sam's dad, Trey, took him to the best "knee guy" in town, Dr. Jewell Duncan at Sports Medicine Associates of Augusta. Turns out Sam only suffered a dislocated patella (kneecap). ONLY a dislocated kneecap. I know, this doesn't sound good, but it actually is great news for Sam. It is minor, compared to a torn ACL. As long as there are no ligament or cartilage tears, Sam will begin rehabbing his knee as early as Wednesday, and could be back on the field in 2-3 weeks.

For selfish reasons, we all want Sam back in a Saints uniform as soon as possible. He is our captain, and we clearly are not the same team without him.

But losing our captain yesterday also was a prime example of what our team is all about in 2007 — BIG TEAM LITTLE ME.

After the game, we prayed for Sam, and then talked about the task ahead of us. We may have lost a very important piece to the puzzle Monday. But the team is bigger than one player. The team as a whole will determine our fate on the field in 2007, not 15 individual players.

Again, I'll quote coach Herb Brooks from Miracle: "The name on the front of the jersey is a heck of a lot more important than the one on the back." — To me, this is exactly what BIG TEAM LITTLE ME is all about.

And Monday, we showed BIG TEAM LITTLE ME on the field. We got contributions from many different players yesterday. Sam Few pitched the best game of his middle school career, allowing only one hit with 10 strikeouts in four innings. Palmer Douglas came on in relief in the fifth inning and struck out the side. Tyler Williamson broke out of his mini preseason slump to go 2-for-3 with three RBI, steal two bases, and score two runs. Carson Simmons and Jeremiah Schaeffer each had two-hit games. Brendan Douglas, Bradley Miller and Collin Oliver each had a hit. Nine of the 10 players in our lineup reached base at least once by hit or walk. Nine different players scored a run. And, our defense was solid, while we executed to near perfection on the basepaths, with Ben Agee and Denis Douglas executing a delayed double steal to perfection in the third inning to steal us a run.

But we still have a lot of work ahead of us. Today comes the next big test, and it is huge one as we take on Tutt Middle School — a program that hasn't lost a game in four years. Though this is a non-league game, it is a game that we all want. It is a game for West Augusta bragging rights. And it will tell each and every one of us a lot about the heart and character of this ballclub.

This is Your Time

Thanks to everyone for attending our preseason party Sunday, and an extra note of gratitude to Indee and Trey Few for hosting the party, and for their generosity and hospitality.

Well, here we are. OPENING DAY! Tomorrow, we open the 2007 season against Augusta Christian.

After lots of hard work these past six weeks, this is what it's all about.

Tomorrow, we begin our quest for the goals we've set out to achieve. I'm proud of our players and coaching staff for paying the price these past six weeks. I know you are ready. And, just like coach Herb Brooks told the USA Olympic Hockey team in 1980, THIS IS YOUR TIME!

Remember, there have been many great players who've played an entire career without ever winning a championship -- Ted Williams, Ty Cobb, Ryne Sandberg, Tony Gwynn, Ernie Banks, Robin Yount and Don Mattingly, to name a few.

In other words, you just never know if this season will be your best and last chance to win one.

No, this isn't the big time. This isn't the big leagues, or college baseball, or even high school ball. But this is a very important time in your lives -- a time I guarantee you will never forget.

THIS IS YOUR TIME. SEIZE THIS MOMENT. STARTING NOW!

Looking back at our final weekend of the preseason, Saturday's exhibition game against the Augusta Heat was a good test for us, although the 4-3 loss was a disappointment.

We saw a lot of good things again Saturday. We got solid pitching from top to bottom, with six different pitchers giving us a quality outing -- Denis Douglas, Alec Anderson, Palmer Douglas, Bradley Miller, Brendan Douglas and Jeremiah Schaeffer -- proving we will have some much-needed depth on the mound this season. We executed a few of the things we've been working on, including the sacrifice bunt and delayed steal. We also played solid defensively and had a bunch of quality at-bats.

But we also had our share of mistakes -- a few botches on the basepaths, a few missed signs, and a few defensive breakdowns, especially during a crucial fourth inning that allowed the Heat to score a pair of unearned runs and waste a solid pitching performance by Palmer Douglas.

However, Saturday was the right time to make these mistakes, when it doesn't count in the standings. I hope we all learned from these mistakes and got them out of the way. I feel confident we will do exactly that.

So, after six weeks and about 70 hours of practice, the real work begins Monday. Remember the five goals we set for ourselves on the first day of practice.

Goals No. 1-2:

1. We will be the hardest working team in our league.
2. We will be the most fundamentally-sound team in our league.

I believe we have done a good job trying to achieve these goals. As for the other three goals we have set for our club, we will not publish them here in a public forum, but you all know what these goals are. And I know deep down you all are ready to pursue them. STARTING MONDAY -- BECAUSE, THIS IS YOUR TIME.

One final note: because a few players left early, we decided not to announce our captain. We wanted our whole team there for this. So, we will name our captain on Monday before the game.

See you at the ballpark.

THIS IS YOUR TEAM!
THIS IS YOUR TIME!
SEIZE IT!