Baseball News
Youth sports is at a crossroads, mainly due to the expense that is associated with the various sports kids participate in. This article takes a look at the state of the game, the growing income inequality gap that seems to be rapidly expanding the ability (or inability) to play baseball. It’s a good read, but more importantly it’s a reminder to all of us associated with the program that we can do more to ensure we are not inadvertently leaving kids behind.
Aces News
We were lucky to get some air time this Saturday morning with Mike McGivern on the Youth Sports Show on 105.7 the Fan. In the rare event you missed the discussion about baseball in Menomonee Falls, you can check it out via this link. Mike was such a gracious, knowledgeable host, it really made for a fun conversation.
We have added one more tournament to the schedule, this time for the U14 squad, who sold the most Kringle during our pre-season fundraising event. Details can be found on our Schedule page. This is a unique, one day tournament in Sussex that allows our program to gauge how well the tournament is run before committing all of our teams to an event. Based on the experience of the U14 squad, we will see if 2020 is a good year for all of our teams to compete in it.
Training Updates
Wednesday night, our local Menomonee Falls High School baseball coaches led a training session with the Falls Aces coaches. Led by 2-time State Champion Varsity Coach Pat Hansen, the MFHS staff covered a number of drills and skills needed to be a better catcher, pitcher, fielder and hitter. Our coaching staff was very appreciative of their time, and graciousness in delivering this valuable training.
Camps, Clinics, and Lessons
In case you missed this great deal last week, you can now get up to 10 private lessons at a discounted rate by using the code “ACES2018” during checkout. This is an exceptional value reserved only for families who are on our email list.
Players get 1-on-1 time with a qualified coach to improve their fielding, hitting, pitching or catching. Hurry, this offer is valid on lessons reserved through 1/31/2019 only!
We have released a series of training starting after the New Year. Our Friday Fielders and Sunday Swings programs work on basic infield play and hitting mechanics to help build a solid foundation before our more advanced camps come out later in Winter. You won’t want to miss them! Registration is open now, and available here.
Notes
Wow, what a week we have had! Besides the normal activities taking place, we also had the great opportunity to learn how to better develop our Aces by the experts of the Menomonee Falls High School baseball coaching staff. We spent over 90 minutes learning drills and techniques to help our young dudes become stronger baseball players. Coach Pat Hansen and his team dove pretty deep into their areas of specialty while copious amounts of notes were taken by Aces coaches.
As mentioned earlier, Larry Hanson – our U11 Head Coach – and I spent an hour hanging out with Mike McGivern talking youth baseball on the 105.7 WFAN Youth Sports Show. Mike is a total baseball dude, and the conversation really was fun to be a part of. Thanks also to our Aces (Cayden Schnickle – U14, Luke Bliemehl – U11) who joined us on air to tell their stories about MFLL, Aces, and everything else. Those dudes rocked it!
One last update: if you recall a couple weeks ago we posted a quick hit about growing the game of baseball in Ireland. While there are not full details to share as of today, we are working to provide them with equipment, technology, and training to help the sport thrive on the Emerald Island. If you’d like to donate some time, equipment, or other resources just let me know.
See you at the Pad!
-Coach Aaron
Questions about any item in this newsletter can be sent to fallselite@fallslittleleague.org