Union Bank Indians Take 2nd

March 17 - Union Bank Indians AAA once again faced Next Level Sports Hornets in the semi-finals of the Little Oaks 9U Live Pitch pre-season tournament in Mabelvale, AR. Boston Heil pitched a strong 3-inning game. Manager Joe Johnson was sending the boys to the plate with hitting on the agenda. "You're not looking for a walk!" Nathan McFarland hit a long fly ball to center field that would have left the park but for "that stinky net thing" extending six feet above the outfield fence. Indians 4, Hornets, 3.

The Indians weren't so fortunate in the second game of the night against Thompson Electric A's. Starting pitcher Nathan McFarland seemed to be somewhat mental due to a pre-game change in pitching technique to stop throwing screwballs. ("Daddy, my wrist hurts.") After walking four batters, Nathan was relieved by Myers Buck, who closed the inning and pitched the remainder of the game. Although the Indians were hitting better than previous games, the A's strategy of walking and stealing seemed to pay off. A's 5, Indians 3. The Indians took second place in the tournament.

Photo Albums

I have started cleaning up years of digital photos and uploading to Shutterfly. It seems they are one of the better photo services still offering unlimited storage. Picasa, Photobucket, and Flickr all have limits. But Shutterfly is still unlimited - for now. And I can get 4x6 prints for $0.10 ea, which is almost as cheap as Wal-Mart online ($0.09, I think.) Also, Shutterfly has a flexible, feature-rich, user-friendly utility for not just sharing photos, but for building an entire photo album web site.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

McFarland Photo Album

Nathan's First Pitch

Tuesday, March 10 - Union Bank Indians AAA played their second game of the Mabelvale Pre-Season Tournament against some team with blue uniforms. In the third inning, I was surprised when team manager and grandfather Joe Johnson sent 8-year-old Nathan McFarland to the mound for his pitching debut. It seems the family members in the stands were more nervous than Nathan, for he struck out his first batter - a lefty - and his second batter. The third batter hit a high fly ball to left field, which was unfortunately mishandled, resulting in a base hit. Nathan walked batter #4 before striking out the fifth batter. I've seen experienced pitchers do far worse. Good job, Nate!

Eagle Rock Loop

Dennis and I hiked this trail back in October.

Bryant 6U All-Stars Win Regional Tourney

Bryant 6-year-old All-Stars remained undefeated in the Cal Ripkin Southwest Regional Tournament this past Monday in Maumelle, AR. Bryant defeated the Sylvan Hills Travellers to secure the Regional Championship Title. Bryant defeated both Cabot Storm and Sylvan Hills Travellers, who placed first and second to Bryant's third in the recent State Tournament.

Nathan's first words after the game: "Can I go play on that playground now?"

We Are The Champions!

Saturday, July 14 - The Bryant 8-Year-Old All-Stars defeated Cabot to win the Cal Ripkin Arkansas South State Championship. The championship game had been postponed 5 days due to rain. Bryant came to the championship game undefeated, having sent Cabot to the losers' bracket two days prior. Cabot took advantage of a sluggish Bryant team to win Saturday morning's game 4-1. Bryant woke up and won the second game 11-1 in four innings to secure the title.

Samuel got on base 8/16 times in tournament play.

Congratulations, Bryant 8's!

The team now advances to the Southwest Regional tournament in Abbeville, LA.

Bryant 8-year Old All-Stars

One game away from being state champions.

First Row: Dylan Hurt, Landon Smith, Aaron Orender, Chase Kincaid, Jake East, Logan Allen.

Second Row: Garrett Misenheimer, Drew Brown, Hayden Knowles, Chase Fox, Samuel McFarland, Jake Roedel

Third Row: Mark Knowles, Jerry East, Rusty Misenheimer