Putting the IN back IN the INsider

Nah man, Not quite finished yet, so let's get right to then as its time to put the IN back IN the Softball INsider as the season is almost here. 

The first piece of INsider news is that everyone has been INside because March has been unseasonable cold. The INclement weather may have stopped the action on the field, but what it has done is made the softball hot stove blazing hot. The hottest INsider Information has been emanating from the creme of the creme leagues - Central Park Big Apple.

You your read that right, the Big Apple League is back on the blog and I ain't holding back. Despite the idiotic, self absorbed  political, manipulative, back stabbing nature of their pitching rules being jockeyed back and forth among league members at nausea, with the cunning and deceit of a tobacco Industry lobbyist on capital hill, I still love this league. It's the competition, the bragging rights, the history, the friendship, the enemies, the venue. Like a loyal sucker I keep coming back year after year.

But let's forget their pitching mess for now (they have been warned for years) let's get down to the real INsider worthy issue driving the league right now - Recruiting. I've long said that when it comes down to Recruiting Ethics you can forget it  and this year it's been no holds bar gangsta style recruiting IN the Big Apple League.

For years poaching players policy IN this league has been taboo, but not this year. Why? Many reasons

• Egos -  Players think they are Josh Hamilton Represented by Scott Boras
• Everyone wants to Win at all costs. Any cost. Fuck Loyalty. Win
•  Existing Teams folding - talent pool expands. Divide and Conquer
•  New Teams joining - Divide and Conquer 
• Familiarity Breeds Contempt
• New Champion - teams smell blood
•  Charter &Legacy Franchises don't like losing and are IN all out recruiting assault mode
• Age - We ain't getting any younger
• Ghetto, Goons, and B96 business make player movement a nature process.
• All the Above

Hell I am one the most ruthless cutthroat recruiting bastards out there. IN this league you have to be as softball remorse gets you nowhere. The competition is stiff and your competing against dynasties, money, loyalty, narcissists, and liars. I like it, that's just the way the game is. However, the longer the off season has gone the more I realize like a small market team in baseball I cannot compete against the big market teams as :

1. I have never won - Close only counts in horseshoes and handgrenades
2. Personal factors - loyalty, convenience, morons
3. Economics - $$$$$$

These factors are stacked against me and gives others the INside track, So instead of staying on the outside, it's time to look for solutions from withIN and think differently.

More on that on another edition of the INsider. 

It's going to be a great season.

Till next time

My Greatest Moment

Every great player was a signature play in their career.Whether it be the Jeter flip.

Comeback Recovery No Hitter for starved Met fans like Johan Santana

or Hitting an emotional meaningful Home Run like Piazza


Great Moments define athletes.My my greatest moment as a player has come off the field. The day I met and then eventually Married Astrid.

 True M.V.P.


Happy Birthday Love - Your My Greatest Moment. I look forward to many more with you

The After Look.. Hudson Baseball Center.. worth the wait

Thirteen months ago I previewed Central park legend's Raf Hernandez 

Before picture Jan 2012

Before Jan 2012

Before Jan 2012

new small business venture. The insider has long has been proponent of small business and his dream 

Feb 2013

Feb 2013

has been up and running for a few months now

FEB 2013

FEB 2013

FEB 2013

FEB 2013

Raf has been teaching players for a living professionally long time, knows what he is doing, and I highly recommend him. Upon touring the facility I liked the following:

(1) The Tunnel Space - you could take live BP


(2) Instructors - As Raf would say we teach “Our way”

(3) Fair pricing

•  Article
• Hudson Baseball Center Information

(4) Emphasis on Player development rather than just mindlessly sticking tokens in a machine
2

(5) Most importantly - Feel - by feel it wasn't too commercial - yes it is a business but it had the hard core old school player development feel that I look for in a place.

I highly recommend.

Not to many people get to do what they love for a living. Raf does. That's very cool. The insider  wishes him the best of luck. Check his spot out - Insider approved

Valentine's Day feel the Love .. Announcing my 1st New Team of 2013

Hope you're all having an awesome Valentine's Day as the Insider and Mrs. Top Ten


wish you much love. Yes I am a sucker and bought Astrid a card on this fake commercialized holiday, always will. Love you.

As many of you are aware recently I completed my 11 part series detailing my memorable 2012 season, but with Valentine's Day love in the air and pitchers and catcher's reporting this week, I can think of no better day to announce my first new team for 2013.
My team's name is "The Twins"and I have my uniform

A Manager


Special senior advisor

A dugout

Gear for my new 2013 teammates


and of course we have 2 promising rookies on the roster who are developing everyday

 

I am going to be a Father in 2013. Finally!!!!!!!!!

I'm everything right now:

• Scared
• Excited 
• Nervous
• Happy
• Everything

While I know I only have easy uncle and godfather


experience, I also know that I've always been a late bloomer and at almost age 44 (June) that I can still do the job. I'm looking forward to playing with, developing, and teaching this new team everyday for the rest of my life.

Yes I know less softball, less sleep, more worrying, more bills, but this is special. Astrid is almost 20 weeks pregnant with twins, and my championship dream of seeing her hold our children in her arms is coming true. She so deserves it as she is beautiful inside and out. She will be an awesome mother.

As for senior management, she had a hunch something was in the works

, but was still very surprised about Twins


 and of course, pumped up


for the new season and acquisitions.Even my former club partner, best man at my wedding, and long retired softball friend Ed "Liberace" Garcia is looking forward to seeing my new team

(Ed finally made the blog and he lost at poker that night - how awesome is that )

And of course you my softball family, thank you for sharing this with me. Like every parent I want my children to avoid the mistakes that I've made and become more in life than I ever attained. I also don't want a rift to exist between me and my kids like I experienced with my father for many years before patching it up. Hopefully my kids will read the blog one day and will understand

Patience at the fatherhood plate will be needed as it's going to be hard, but worth it.

Another new great season lies ahead. In more ways than one.

Holler!!!!!!!!!!

Season Review 10 of 11 .. Old School Inwood Fall Ball - "More than One Way to Win a Championship"

In 2012 I was committed to and played on 11 softball teams. Yes 11. You read that right. This is the tenth of an eleven part season review series that provides a review of their trials and tribulations (yeah I skipped number 10 yesterday as it deserved it's own championship day)

Season Review: Old School - Fall Ball 

Record : 16-3

Final Standings : Inwood Morning League Champion

Insider Analysis: I wanted to bring a team back to Inwood this season, but I need someone to run the team. I needed a manager with the following skills on his resume:

• Organized - emails, lineups, knew how to do book, order shirts
• Dedication and prompt - he had to be committed every week till the end
• Warrior - good player who you wanted to play for and could play himself 
• Winner - no substitute for that experience 
• Confident - if you don't believe in yourself in this game, then find something else to do. 
• Softball Smart - knew the X's and O's
• Interpersonal skills - someone that could manage egos and characters - this isn't fantasy baseball
• Recruiter - knows how to get good players that will show up
• Had played above 96th street

I picked a guy that met all those qualifications Michael Peckins

He got the job done on the field as a player, recruiter, and manager as we dominated the so called "Inwood B League".

What I didn't expect from Mike was his managing style which was different and in some ways better than mine in the following areas:

• He doesn't change things unless broken. If the team is winning he makes very few if any changes on both sides of the ball regardless of performance. 
• Accounts for egos and personalities more in his decisions  He knows which guys motivate themselves and which guy needed coddling. "I like my players happy" was his quote even though he couldn't make everyone happy. No one can
• He places more emphasis on statistics, but not at the expense of the points I mentioned above.
• Longer leash on his starting pitchers. 

While at times I didn't understand or agree with some of his decisions, I did respected them and him. It was time for me to swallow my ego/pride. I reminded myself that "maybe I don't know it all. It's his team and maybe there is more than one way to win a championship." I also reminded myself that the name of our team was Old School and There is No School like the Old School. Old Schoolers don't wine, bitch, and make excuses. We play. And play we did, as in end his style, produced a winning formula.

I definitely hired the right guy

   

Best Line of the Season : In a game Mike was getting hit hard and I went out and told him "Mike maybe it's not your day" and he responded "I'm pitching well they are just hitting me hard". Funny. I laughed, said "OK", and went back to my position. Gotta give him credit, the man has confidence. That's what makes him successful. To his credit he then settled down and we would have won, if the defense would have made some routine plays.

Best Dramatic Moment of the Season: In a late season match up against one of the leagues better teams, Hell's Kitchen "HK", we were down by one with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. Mike reached base and then Christians blooped a single  Not only did Mike score to tie the game, but Christian miraculously came all the way around the bases as HK wildly threw the ball.

Last Word: The team will be back to defend with Mike at the helm. The insider salutes Mike who knows how to live life both on and off the field.

HOLLER!!!!!!!