|
Mustang News
Mustang News Archive
"There is a different kind of excitement about this
game, because this time you are a player, not merely a fan. You proudly put
on your jersey, your pants, your stockings, shoes and cap in a pregame
ritual that is performed by ballplayers from tee ball to the big leagues. As
you walk onto the field you look around. The other players on your team are
all wearing the same uniform as you and you feel a sense of belonging and
camaraderie. You are a member of a baseball team and these are your
teammates."
-- 'Your First Baseball Game', National Baseball Hall of
Fame
The Boys of Summer
----------
Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star
Team is Covering All The Bases
October 22, 2004
By LUCIA ANDERSON
Stafford AAU helps out Irish players
When Irish youngsters go out to play ball, they're heading for the soccer
pitch, not the baseball diamond. So when Dave Dilegge of Stafford County ran
across a Web site for a youth baseball team in Northern Ireland, he was
intrigued.
"I'm a rabid baseball fan," said Dilegge, a former Little League and AAU
coach. Now he acts as Webmaster for the Virginia Mustangs, an AAU team based
in Stafford County. His son, David, plays second base and shortstop for the
team.
Wanting to know more about baseball in such an unlikely spot, Dilegge
e-mailed the Eagles' coach, Gene Powers.
"I was impressed with his enthusiasm," Dilegge said, "what he was doing
to promote baseball."
Powers grew up in the United States, and played baseball here as a child.
"I wanted my kids to know the same joy of playing baseball that I had
experienced when I was growing up," Powers wrote in an e-mail.
Three of his children, 15-year-old Hannah, 13-year-old Rory and
11-year-old Colin, are playing on his team, along with 35 to 40 other boys
and girls ranging in age from 6 to 16.
Powers said the original players were friends or classmates of his
children.
Then children playing in the park where the Eagles practice would linger
and get invited to play.
"Once the kids play the game, many are hooked," Powers wrote.
"I don't know what it is about [baseball], there's just something inside
you that springs to life when you hear that one word, 'baseball,'" Hannah
Powers said in an e-mail. "Maybe it's the thrill when you hit a double and a
run scores. Or when you catch a fly ball, and you hear the voices of your
team cheering around you. You just feel this one different emotion inside
you, that no other sport can cover."
But finding equipment is always a problem, Powers said.
"Gloves usually come in two sizes: too big or too small. Both are too
expensive for starters. Balls are virtually nonexistent."
He has gone on eBay to get equipment, he said.
Finding other teams to play is also a problem.
"Currently, as far as I know, we are the only youth team playing in
Northern Ireland," Powers wrote. "Our nearest competitors are literally in
another country, the Republic of Ireland, a 31/2-hour drive away. Mostly we
mainly divide up our team and play a game ourselves every Sunday."
Inspired by the sister-city program, Dilegge suggested the Mustangs adopt
the Eagles as a sister team.
The Stafford boys thought the sister-team idea was a good one, and so did
the Eagles.
"It teaches our kids more than baseball," Dilegge said.
The Virginia boys decided that they could help their Irish counterparts
by sending them some equipment.
"As my son got older he would outgrow his equipment," said Jim Sullivan,
the Mustangs' head manager. His 12-year-old son, Jake, plays first base and
pitches for the Mustangs. "Everybody [on the team] had the same situation."
In addition, Sullivan said, he had some found gloves left on the field
from time to time without a clue as to whose they were.
So this spring the Mustangs collected 13 bats, 16 new baseballs, a dozen
gloves, catcher's gear, a couple of batting helmets, two pairs of cleats, 18
equipment bags and some glove-conditioning oil, and sent it off to Ireland.
"It cost us $250 in postal fees," Dilegge said. "The parents chipped in."
All together, it was almost enough gear to equip both the Eagles and a
new team forming in neighboring Portrush. As a token of their appreciation,
the Portrush team has taken the name "Mustangs" in honor of the Virginia
team.
Powers is grateful for the support provided by the Virginia team.
"Not only have they provided equipment, they have also provided moral
support to us as we have developed," Powers wrote.
To reach LUCIA ANDERSON: 540/374-5405
----------
Virginia Mustangs' Notes:
In YMCA League action, the Mustangs are 6-0.
The MATB tournament in Maryland
is cancelled. As a result, we will be playing a doubleheader Saturday
against the Virginia Bruins at Forest Park High School in Woodbridge.
The games are at 11:00 and 1:00. So, lets meet at the field at 10:00.
The uniform for Saturday will be white jersey, blue pants, blue hat, gray
socks and gray belt.
Forest Park High School:
I-95 North, exit 152 (VA Rt. 234) towards Manassas. Make a left onto
SR-234 (Dumfries Rd.). Make a right onto Spriggs Rd. (15721 Spriggs
Rd.).
Schedule Note: We are planning to extend our Fall
season through the second weekend in November. This will enable us to play
in an AAU tournament in Fredericksburg on the weekend of November 6-7, and
finish our season with a tournament on November 13-14. This final
tournament will either be an ECTB tournament in Virginia Beach or a MATB
tournament in Maryland. If anyone will have trouble making it to these
events please let me know as soon as possible.
JLS...
A Couple of Mustang Thanks: To Dave and Gail
Brooks for the outstanding practice field and to Jeter Morris for the bucket
of first class baseballs - Coach Sullivan especially likes the padded top to
the bucket;-) Thanks again to all the Mustang family!
----------
Coach Sullivan's Corner
----------
Coach's Corner:
Fall Training Camp 2004
- The Mustangs' Fall Training Camp got underway Friday with a solid
practice at the YMCA and a good round of batting in the cages at Putt-Putt
Golf. The team then rolled into the campsite at the Bowling Green KOA.
After settling into our cabins, Rob and Steve arrived with a van full of
pizza. Our pizza feast lasted for a while, and then the boys took a nice
relaxing swim while the coaches planned out our practice strategy for the
weekend. Although the fun was just getting started, we stuck to our
schedule and settled in for the night.
The 6:45 wake-up came
early, but everyone enthusiastically made it through a challenging hour of
PT that concluded with a nice relaxing jog through the camp. Prior to PT,
the team was introduced to Mr. Smiles, a yellow smiley-faced volleyball who
would oversee all activities for the rest of camp, and whose care and
nurturing became the responsibility of the team. We all then enjoyed an
awesome breakfast prepared by the camp cook, Mr. Dilegge.
After a little bit of down
time, the team worked hard in our first practice of the day, a grueling 2
hour and 15 minute defensive workout, again supervised by Mr. Smiles. We
finished up by raking the field as a tired and hungry team anxiously awaited
lunch.... another Mr. D feast consisting of burgers, dogs, brats, and
beans. Once the feasting was done, we cooled off in the pool and recharged
our batteries. Of course that included a little pool football, water polo,
and a round of chicken fighting.
The team then suited up
and headed back to the field for our second practice of the day, a 2 hour
and 15 minute batting session. Unfortunately, the practice was cut short by
rain. However, we did manage to get through one round of batting as Coach
Hunt, Mr. Smiles, and the boys endured the steady rain while the rest of the
coaching staff evaluated the session from the covered dugout. We tried to
wait it out for a while, but finally packed it in and headed back to camp.
After a little down time and contingency planning, the rain stopped, leaving
behind a cool comfortable evening.
Things got rolling again
as we enjoyed our third feast of the day. This time Mr. D got a little help
as the Morris gang dropped in and helped prepare barbecued ribs and chicken,
with corn on the cob, and a big pot of beans and bacon. Then it was time to
work off some of this feasting and a little built-up animosity towards Mr.
Smiles with some team volleyball. After the coaches gave the boys a quick
volleyball whoopin', I mean lesson, we broke into two teams and enjoyed some
very competitive games. The volleyball ended as the sun went down, so we
headed for the pool one more time. After a nice long swim, the boys weren't
ready for the night to end. So, we hit the showers then gathered around Mr.
D's campfire for some ghost stories. We wrapped up the long day by tossing
some "old stuff" on the fire, and then settled in for the night.
The next morning the
coaches decided to reward the boys for all of their hard work by letting
them sleep in until 7:30. PT consisted of a good round of stretching
followed by some more competitive games of volleyball and another beating
for Mr. Smiles. After working up a good appetite, the team was ready for
its last feast of camp. Mr. D did not disappoint as the boys tore into
scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast. It was then time to clean-up,
pack-up, and break camp, as we were scheduled to kick-off the Fall Season
with an afternoon game against the Stafford Pistols.
The Mustangs' Fall 2004
Training Camp was a great success! We worked hard, played hard, and
everyone seemed to have a great time, even Mr. Smiles who got to go on
vacation with the Heflins. I know this has been a long newsletter, but I
would like to conclude by passing out a few words of gratitude. First of
all, thanks to the Mustang players for having a great attitude, and for
giving a great effort in all of our camp activities. Thanks to the Tyree's
for arranging the team's use of the ballpark. Thanks to Bill Morris, Bailey
Morris, and especially Dave Dilegge for setting up the camp chow hall and
cooking up some wonderful feasts. And, thanks to the Mustang coaches and
coordinators for helping make it all happen. See you at practice Tuesday...
if I'm recovered by then.
JLS...
----------
12U Season Ends - As the Mustangs 12U spring season comes to an end I want to thank everyone
for all of the help and support along the way. The team has really started
to come together and our improvement is beginning to be validated with
positive results. By finishing no worse than fourth in our last four
tournaments we are well on our way to reaching our goal of fielding a team
that can consistently go deep into tournaments with a realistic opportunity
to win. I truly believe that the players are embracing the team-first
concept, and that has been the main catalyst to our recent success. I am
very proud of the boys, and am very much looking forward to preparing for
the fall.
And..... it's now time for that fall preparation to begin. We will be
having a team parent meeting next Sunday (July 18th) at 4:30 PM to wrap up
the spring/summer season and to start planning for the fall. The location
is the Boston House of Pizza
) located in Leeland Plaza off of Leeland and Deacon Roads in
Stafford. Here is a link to a map showing the location.
In an effort to strengthen the team and fill our open position, the coaching
staff has added David Brooks to the roster. David has practiced with the
team on several occasions and brings the skills, experience, and positive
attitude that we were looking for as coaches. Dave and Gail Brooks have
been very supportive members of the Stingers organization, and we look
forward to their participation and support as part of our organization.
Please join me in welcoming the Brooks' to the Mustangs family.
Again, I would like to thank everyone for his or her patience and support
throughout the season. The team is moving in the right direction, and
everyone has played an important role in that. As always, if you have any
questions or concerns feel free to call or email.
JLS... ----------
Virginia Mustangs - Cooperstown Baseball World - June
28th, 2004
Oneonta, New York
Virginia Mustangs - Cooperstown Baseball World - June
26th, 2004
Oneonta, New York
CBW Tournament -
Week One 12U Stats - All Teams
CBW Official Photographer's Web Page
----------
The Mustang "Family" Promotes Baseball in Ireland - The
Virginia Mustangs collected up new and used baseball equipment recently and
sent it off to our sister team - the Portstewart Eagles.
Equipment included bats, bags, gloves, balls, catcher's gear and helmets to
be used by both our sister team and by other newly forming baseball teams in
Northern Ireland and Ireland. We wish you guys the best of luck - Irish eyes
are smiling!
In honor of our special relationship
the newest team in Northern Ireland has been named the Portrush Mustangs.
Portstewart Eagles Thanks!
----------
Portion of the Gear Prior to Packing
----------
Gear Finally Arrives in Northern Ireland!
----------
 
Mustang News Archive
Support our Troops!
 
|
