Closing Ceremonies

Well - more then half the team went home Wed. after the last tournament game. Several stuck around to watch more play on Thursday and to participate in the Closing Ceremonies. However, the weather was WET WET WET!!!! Thurs. games were postponed, started, suspended, postponed, and postponed again. Coaches finally gave up and headed out with the few players they were taking back late Thurs. afternoon/early evening. Jordan and I went down to check it out but it was Wet and miserable and in another delay so we didn't hang around either. We are now in the airport waiting to get home and overheard a Mom on her cell phone saying that the championship game finally concluded at 3:00 a.m. this morning! Team Rattlers from Texas took out TABU from Calif. 4-3. Sounds like it was a nail bitter! Glad 'I was blissfully asleep!! Airport is filled with ball players and their families. Looking forward to getting home! Take Care!

Last Pictures from 2nd Tournament Game vs. Cincy

Here are Polly's pics from the 2nd Tournament Game vs. the Cincy Flames. Note the "sock" change!

Thanks to ALL the FANS! Here and at Home

We wanted to thank all of our Fans - both here and at home - where ever home may be! We had Moms, Dads, Sisters, Brothers, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Friends and more in attendance at our games. Some were here in person while others couldn't be here but were watching on the Internet or getting updates by text or phone! No matter how they attended, they were cheering the Grays on. Others were new friends we made here from around America. We will take those new friends home in our hearts. These friends include many of the teams that bunked near the boys and those that we played. A special shout out to the Ewa Canefires from Ewa, Hawaii and their wonderful fans. Most of these boys were 10 and 11 playing in the 12 and under league! They went 3 and 3 in pool play and one their first tournament game 2-1 before falling in their late game last night to the Lapeer Outlaws from MI. Their fans cheered our boys on and returned the favor in a couple of games. Here are some pics of our fans who were here in Cooperstown with us! Thanks again for everyones support!

Tournament Game 2 vs. Cincy Flames

With a quick turn around and change of Jerseys from Red (Home team) to Blue (visiting team), we got game 2 of the tournament underway. We got off to a quick start with 2 runners on base! But, wait we had not a rain delay but a "sock" delay!! Seems that we needed to not only change our jerseys from red to blue but we had to change our socks too! Well, since we were only told we had to change jerseys, we didn't have the socks with us! So, after Coach Tommy and Eric made a quick run to the bunk house for blue socks - game resumed!! We took an early lead and kept it for awhile and put a scare into the Flames, but they eventually got their bats going and playing 8 games in 4 days finally caught up with us and our pitchers! The boys played hard and made some good defensive plays in this game but eventually fell to the Flames late 19-6. However, the boys had their heads up and in post game wrap ups heard the Coaches tell them how proud they were of them and their efforts all week, especially in their last 3 games. Although several left, some are still here and will be participating in the Closing Ceremonies. I'll try to post a "post game" wrapup from the Closing Ceremony but it probably won't be posted until later this weekend as Friday will be a travel day for Jordan and I then Sat. is the 4th of July. Thanks for the Memories boys! We are all proud of each of you!

WE WIN!!! 7-6 in bottom of the 6th Rally

Our first game in tournament play was against the Argyle Eagles from Texas. What an awesome game! We took an early lead in the bottom of the first but this game was always close and the lead was traded a couple of times (as I recall!). The Eagles took the lead in the top of the 6th but our boys didn't hang their heads. They had one more at bat and they proved they weren't going home from Cooperstown without a win! Thanks to several players doing what they needed to do to get on base and move the runners around, we managed to score the needed runs in the bottom of the 6th to take the game 7-6! Way to go Grays!! There is no rest for the weary though here in Cooperstown once you get to tournament play! So, with about a 15 -20 minute break the boys made a quick Jersey change and grabbed a quick bite to eat at the concessions stand before taking the field for game 2.

Tournament Play Begins!

Okay. Tournament play begins in just a short period (like 10 minutes). We ended up ranked 99th and we start play with a team out of Texas with the same record and runs allowed average. We are the home team in Red. Unfortunately, the game will not be available to watch on the Internet! If they win this game, they turn right around and play again at Noon. Keep winning and you keep playing. Lose and go home! So, we hope to be here late today but we'l let you know! Good Luck guys. Go Grays! We'll try to keep you posted as quickly as possible. However, the quickest update can be gotten from the official Cooperstown Web Site. www.cooperstowndreamspark.com

Tues. Night's Game versus Kentucky Team

Oh wow! What an AWESOME game. All of the boys played a great game. We were the visiting team and we scored early to take an early lead. That always helps! Only problem was that we started the game with only 3 fans in our "stadium". There was a mix-up with the start time with all the changes due to the weather and most didn't get the word that they had bumped it up to 8:00 pm and not 9:00 pm. However, that quickly changed when a HUGE FAN base from Hawaii came looking for the "TENNESSEE" team! Seems that some of the boys had been chatting with them earlier. The Hawaii team had the late game so they came to cheer us on! Thanks so much Hawaii. That was a great boost to the boys. Of course, this was a little confusing for the rest of our fans as they arrived and thought they were at the wrong place for a moment!!

The game was touch and go through out as the lead changed a couple of times. It wasn't decided until late when the Bucs got a late homer with a couple on base. Final score was 8-5. However, the boys played like champions and were so excited by their new fans! We then went over to cheer on the Hawaii team after our game but unfortunately, they too lost. However, Hawaii finished pool play at 3-3! Way to go Hawaii! Good Luck to you in the tournament play. We'll be pulling for you as well.

I'll have to post pics from this game later! I have to get mine figured out and get some from Polly! But its GAME TIME!