My coaching staff on the Cotuit Kettleers just completed our final meeting for the season after the 2009 Cape League Play-offs. Even though we had lost to the Bourne Braves in the Championship series the team had accomplished a great deal and many players improved their skills during the season. The team finished 2nd during the regular season in the Western Division then won a 1 game play-off vs. Wareham that was necessary due to the expanded league play-offs. The Kettleers then defeated the Y-D Red Sox (who had the best overall record in the league during the regular season) 18-4 in the final game of a 3 game series to move onto the finals vs. Bourne Braves where we lost the 1st two games in a three game series. Congratulations to Coach Harvey Shapiro and the Bourne Braves in winning the 2009 Cape League Championship!!
Our main goals are always to Lead the league in pitching as a team, steal the most bases, and play excellent defense. We struggled defensively but were very good in the other categories.
Base Stealing: 1st in Team stolen bases with 109 in 44 games. (All time Cape League record is 134 set by a team I coached at Wareham in 2000)
Base Stealing by Individuals: Chris Bisson led the league with 36.
Pitching: Jake Buchanan led the league with 0.84 era in 43 innings and only 6 walks
Play-offs: Finals for 2nd year in a row
Finally: The Kettleers only had 9 position players for the 6 play-off games. Those young men, along with a very competitive pitching staff, held the team together, competed every inning like it was their last of the season, and carried the coaches on their backs to the Championship series. The coaching staff is so appreciative of the effort put forth by these student/athletes from around the country. The “Cotuit 9” will go down in history as a team that loved the game, played the game with respect, and gave the Kettleer fans a “Play-off Season to Remember!”
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Cape Cod League All-Star Game and Recognition at Historic Fenway Park –
Home of the Boston Red Sox!
The Cape League All-Stars were recognized today at Fenway Park in Boston before the Red Sox and Oakland A’s game. The Cape Cod League All-Star game was played on Thursday July 22nd in Fenway Park as well. I was privileged to be the head coach of the West Squad which won the game 3-0 (Game was shortened to 4 ½ innings due to rain). Zach Cox, from the University of Arkansas and my starting 3B on the Cotuit Kettleers was the Most Valuable Player for the West Squad and Chris Sale – LHPitcher from Gulf Coast University in Florida and plays for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox was the MVP for the Eastern Division team.
As I spoke with the players during batting practice, the home run hitting contest, and the game it was very obvious how much they enjoyed the opportunity to play in a historic major league stadium. Many of these All-Stars will play professional baseball but few will actually have the opportunity to play in the major leagues. The memory of pitching or hitting at Fenway Park will always be a day in their baseball career they will remember.
The Cape League All-Stars were recognized today at Fenway Park in Boston before the Red Sox and Oakland A’s game. The Cape Cod League All-Star game was played on Thursday July 22nd in Fenway Park as well. I was privileged to be the head coach of the West Squad which won the game 3-0 (Game was shortened to 4 ½ innings due to rain). Zach Cox, from the University of Arkansas and my starting 3B on the Cotuit Kettleers was the Most Valuable Player for the West Squad and Chris Sale – LHPitcher from Gulf Coast University in Florida and plays for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox was the MVP for the Eastern Division team.
As I spoke with the players during batting practice, the home run hitting contest, and the game it was very obvious how much they enjoyed the opportunity to play in a historic major league stadium. Many of these All-Stars will play professional baseball but few will actually have the opportunity to play in the major leagues. The memory of pitching or hitting at Fenway Park will always be a day in their baseball career they will remember.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
“The Double Steal”
The Cotuit Kettleers pulled of 3 sets of “The Double Steal” in last night’s game (July 14th) vs. the Orleans Firebirds. The Double Steal is a fun play to see executed. However, the runners must understand how the timing works from 2nd and 1st base, what the runner at 2nd base must do to have an excellent jump, and the runner at 1st base must key in on what to look for to make sure the lead runner is definitely making the break for 3rd and does not pull up when they do not have a good jump.
First, both runners must get the signal. Next, the lead runner should shorten their lead, decoy the pitcher by leaning on their left leg as if returning to 2nd base, and then explode onto their right leg so their legs are fired and at full speed within three steps. The runner at 1st base must have a good lead so when the runner at 2nd does decide to run they do not get throw out on the back side of the double steal.
The last double steal had Kevin Keyes, Univ. of Texas outfielder on 2nd, and Cameron Rupp, University of Texas catcher on 1st, of which neither has outstanding speed. But, Kevin has very quick feet and had a great jump toward 3rd base and Cameron read Kevin’s jump very well and both slid in safely without a throw. The steal of 3rd does not require great speed but does require “Excellent Baseball Instincts.”
First, both runners must get the signal. Next, the lead runner should shorten their lead, decoy the pitcher by leaning on their left leg as if returning to 2nd base, and then explode onto their right leg so their legs are fired and at full speed within three steps. The runner at 1st base must have a good lead so when the runner at 2nd does decide to run they do not get throw out on the back side of the double steal.
The last double steal had Kevin Keyes, Univ. of Texas outfielder on 2nd, and Cameron Rupp, University of Texas catcher on 1st, of which neither has outstanding speed. But, Kevin has very quick feet and had a great jump toward 3rd base and Cameron read Kevin’s jump very well and both slid in safely without a throw. The steal of 3rd does not require great speed but does require “Excellent Baseball Instincts.”
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Chad Bell pitches a NO HITTER!!!
Chad Bell pitches a NO HITTER for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Collegiate Baseball League: Sunday night July 12th in the Cape League the Cotuit Kettleers players and coaches had a unique opportunity to play in and witness one of our pitchers, Chad Bell who just completed junior college at Walters State CC in Morristown, Tenn. And is headed to the University of Tennessee this fall, throw a NO HITTER vs. the eastern division leader Chatham Anglers. I have not been on the field to witness a NO Hitter since Greg Norris pitched one when I was coaching the University of North Carolina in 1978 vs. East Tennessee State University at J. Fred Johnson Stadium in Kingsport, Tn. Chad threw 116 pitches with only 11 curve balls in the mix. On our Cotuit team, we utilize the old fashion pitching philosophy of “Push and Pull” and Chad did this with his fastball and change-up extremely well. Most young pitchers of all ages should develop this philosophy. Hitters have a lot of struggles making solid contact against pitchers who keep them off balance with fastballs and change-ups.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Getten Cranked Up!!
Cape Cod Baseball is really cranking up now!
The fans are beginning to fill all the ballparks, the scouts and agents are arriving with USA baseball try-outs over and the College World Series completed. The remainder of the best players in college baseball are now headed to the cape and the really great competition begins between the 10 franchises. The final rosters will be set on Wed. July 1st and players will begin the battle to see who makes the Cape League All-Star game in Fenway Park in late July broadcast live by NESN (The Red Sox Network). What a thrill for the college guys to play in such an historic ballpark. If you love the sound of wood bats, like to watch great pitching prospects, and see exciting close games you can watch it almost every night on all five fields. From the new “Field of Dreams” in Cotuit to the picturesque remodeled ballpark in Chatham, tremendous entertainment for “grass roots” baseball lovers. The Kettleers are still 2 points up in the western division and Chatham is leading the east. Check capecodbaseball.org for all the standings or kettleers.org for the team I coach.
The fans are beginning to fill all the ballparks, the scouts and agents are arriving with USA baseball try-outs over and the College World Series completed. The remainder of the best players in college baseball are now headed to the cape and the really great competition begins between the 10 franchises. The final rosters will be set on Wed. July 1st and players will begin the battle to see who makes the Cape League All-Star game in Fenway Park in late July broadcast live by NESN (The Red Sox Network). What a thrill for the college guys to play in such an historic ballpark. If you love the sound of wood bats, like to watch great pitching prospects, and see exciting close games you can watch it almost every night on all five fields. From the new “Field of Dreams” in Cotuit to the picturesque remodeled ballpark in Chatham, tremendous entertainment for “grass roots” baseball lovers. The Kettleers are still 2 points up in the western division and Chatham is leading the east. Check capecodbaseball.org for all the standings or kettleers.org for the team I coach.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
My Presentation on Base Stealing to the ABCA Convention
Head coach Kelly Nicholson and an assistant coach from the Orleans Firebirds team in the Cape League and I had an enjoyable discussion before our game this past Friday night about the presentation on base stealing Brian and I gave at the ABCA convention in front of 3000 coaches in San Diego on Jan. 3, 2009.
The coaches stated how much they enjoyed and learned from the presentation through the details we gave.” I know their coaching staff took from the presentation the challenge of holding our runners closer and they did a good job. We only stole 3 bases that evening which was below our game average of 5.
The Cotuit Kettleers now have a total of 42 steals in 51 attempts in 8 games. The ABCA presentation can be seen on coachmikeroberts.com
The coaches stated how much they enjoyed and learned from the presentation through the details we gave.” I know their coaching staff took from the presentation the challenge of holding our runners closer and they did a good job. We only stole 3 bases that evening which was below our game average of 5.
The Cotuit Kettleers now have a total of 42 steals in 51 attempts in 8 games. The ABCA presentation can be seen on coachmikeroberts.com
Monday, June 22, 2009
Cape Code Times Article about this season by Russ Charpentier
I am very excited about my team and this article by Russ Charpentier reciently published in the Cape Code Times….
Enjoy!
Coach Roberts~
Looking for a reason to get excited about the first week of Cape League action? Take a peek at what’s going on in Cotuit. Kettleers infielder Chris Bisson has 11 stolen bases in five games through last night and been caught just once.
The league record is 48, set by Roy Marsh in 1993. Everyone knows Cotuit manager Mike Roberts loves a running game, but Bisson’s early efforts take that to the extreme.
“Coach Roberts is really aggressive,” said the Ottawa, Ontario, native, who had just 13 steals in 15 attempts at Kentucky. “At school, we had a lot of good hitters and we were a little more passive on the basepaths. We didn’t want to run ourselves out of an inning.”
Not the Kettleers under Roberts, who have 29 team steals and are threatening the record of 134, set by Wareham in 1988 and again in 2000. Bisson, who has stolen second and third on several occasions, had six steals before he had his first hit.
Bisson was headed for the Northwoods League going into the college season, but as he picked up his game (he hit .373), the plan changed.
“Coach told me he’d work hard to get me a shot here. It took forever. I had a temporary contract, and coach Roberts decided to give me a shot.”
Getting a shot is a big thing for a baseball player from Ottawa. “A lot of good players are starting to come out of Canada right now,” Bisson said. “I’m really excited about that. If I wasn’t at the University of Kentucky, I wouldn’t be here. I’d be home studying at Ottawa University.”
In 2005, Emmanuel Burriss, now of the Giants but then an Orleans Cardinal from Kent State, was ahead of Marsh’s pace deep in the season but finished with 37 thefts as pitchers started paying much more attention.
“We’re only a few games in,” Bisson said after stealing six bases in the first two games. “Pitchers will start holding on. First time through, nobody knows who anybody is. They’re going to figure out who can run and who can’t run. I imagine pitchers will start holding on pretty good.”
NAME GAME: Chatham manager John Schiffner rolled up his pants leg before Tuesday night’s game against Cotuit at Veterans Field and said, “Look at this.”
Schiffner was sporting a colorful tattoo of the old Chatham A’s logo on his right calf. Chatham changed its name from the Athletics (A’s) to the Anglers this season rather than pay Major League Baseball and buy from MLB’s suppliers.
“They can take my name, but not my leg,” Schiffner joked.
It was good to see the longtime Chatham coach laughing. Schiffner, in his 25th year in Chatham and 17th as head man, was hospitalized twice for a medical condition he wouldn’t specify between Memorial Day weekend and a few of days before the opener. He missed the first game of the season at Chatham last Saturday.
“They are narrowing down what the problem is. I’ve got some new medications and I’m fine.”
The tattoo was the result of a bet he made more than a decade ago.
“I told the ’98 team if they made the playoffs I’d get a tattoo. Some of them were still asking me if I’d gotten it yet. So I got it in March. “My wife (Martha) loves it,” he said.
AROUND THE DIAMOND: It’s not uncommon for a player to change teams if he plays a second summer on the Cape. Relief pitcher Russell Brewer set a Hyannis record last year with 12 saves and was named the league’s Outstanding Relief Pitcher, but this year is coming out of the Anglers’ bullpen. The Vanderbilt right-hander was draft eligible this year as a redshirt sophomore, but wasn’t selected. He went 1-2, 2.96 at Vandy with four saves and 39 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings … Cotuit general manager Bruce Murphy believes the Yankees’ unsigned No. 1 pick from 2008, Gerrit Cole, now at UCLA, will pitch for Team USA and not wear a Kettleers jersey.
Enjoy!
Coach Roberts~
Looking for a reason to get excited about the first week of Cape League action? Take a peek at what’s going on in Cotuit. Kettleers infielder Chris Bisson has 11 stolen bases in five games through last night and been caught just once.
The league record is 48, set by Roy Marsh in 1993. Everyone knows Cotuit manager Mike Roberts loves a running game, but Bisson’s early efforts take that to the extreme.
“Coach Roberts is really aggressive,” said the Ottawa, Ontario, native, who had just 13 steals in 15 attempts at Kentucky. “At school, we had a lot of good hitters and we were a little more passive on the basepaths. We didn’t want to run ourselves out of an inning.”
Not the Kettleers under Roberts, who have 29 team steals and are threatening the record of 134, set by Wareham in 1988 and again in 2000. Bisson, who has stolen second and third on several occasions, had six steals before he had his first hit.
Bisson was headed for the Northwoods League going into the college season, but as he picked up his game (he hit .373), the plan changed.
“Coach told me he’d work hard to get me a shot here. It took forever. I had a temporary contract, and coach Roberts decided to give me a shot.”
Getting a shot is a big thing for a baseball player from Ottawa. “A lot of good players are starting to come out of Canada right now,” Bisson said. “I’m really excited about that. If I wasn’t at the University of Kentucky, I wouldn’t be here. I’d be home studying at Ottawa University.”
In 2005, Emmanuel Burriss, now of the Giants but then an Orleans Cardinal from Kent State, was ahead of Marsh’s pace deep in the season but finished with 37 thefts as pitchers started paying much more attention.
“We’re only a few games in,” Bisson said after stealing six bases in the first two games. “Pitchers will start holding on. First time through, nobody knows who anybody is. They’re going to figure out who can run and who can’t run. I imagine pitchers will start holding on pretty good.”
NAME GAME: Chatham manager John Schiffner rolled up his pants leg before Tuesday night’s game against Cotuit at Veterans Field and said, “Look at this.”
Schiffner was sporting a colorful tattoo of the old Chatham A’s logo on his right calf. Chatham changed its name from the Athletics (A’s) to the Anglers this season rather than pay Major League Baseball and buy from MLB’s suppliers.
“They can take my name, but not my leg,” Schiffner joked.
It was good to see the longtime Chatham coach laughing. Schiffner, in his 25th year in Chatham and 17th as head man, was hospitalized twice for a medical condition he wouldn’t specify between Memorial Day weekend and a few of days before the opener. He missed the first game of the season at Chatham last Saturday.
“They are narrowing down what the problem is. I’ve got some new medications and I’m fine.”
The tattoo was the result of a bet he made more than a decade ago.
“I told the ’98 team if they made the playoffs I’d get a tattoo. Some of them were still asking me if I’d gotten it yet. So I got it in March. “My wife (Martha) loves it,” he said.
AROUND THE DIAMOND: It’s not uncommon for a player to change teams if he plays a second summer on the Cape. Relief pitcher Russell Brewer set a Hyannis record last year with 12 saves and was named the league’s Outstanding Relief Pitcher, but this year is coming out of the Anglers’ bullpen. The Vanderbilt right-hander was draft eligible this year as a redshirt sophomore, but wasn’t selected. He went 1-2, 2.96 at Vandy with four saves and 39 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings … Cotuit general manager Bruce Murphy believes the Yankees’ unsigned No. 1 pick from 2008, Gerrit Cole, now at UCLA, will pitch for Team USA and not wear a Kettleers jersey.
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