You are a member of the Pelham Pirates Girls International Softball Team! This is very exciting!
I am your coach. My name is Blake Bell. You can call me Coach or Coach Blake or Coach Bell. We have five other coaches: Stephen Broege (Alexandra's Dad), Tom Roksvold (Kristina's Dad), Ed Petti (Bridget's Dad) and Gary and Kathleen Rothschild (Phoebe's Mom and Dad).
The great thing about this team is that everyone's Mom and Dad can be a coach or can be with us just to watch the fun! We are going to have lots of fun together. We are going to run and play. We will learn to throw balls the way the big ballplayers do. We will hit balls with our baseball bats the way Major League ballplayers do and will practice on batting tees also the way Major League ballplayers do. We will have our own uniforms and will learn to catch with our baseball gloves the way we are supposed to use those gloves.
Most importantly, we are going to make fnew riends while we play! We are going to learn lots of wonderful things together. I can hardly wait!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
To the Parents and Fellow Coaches: Hello and Allow Me to Introduce Myself
I am thrilled to be part of this team and to have an opportunity to work with each of you to introduce our youngsters to the joy of playing softball! You can see the team roster as it now stands by clicking here or by clicking on the link in the right column of this page. Below is a little background on my baseball and softball teaching experience.
I managed a team in this Division last year and have played on and have managed men's softball teams for nearly three decades. I have been attending and assisting as necessary as a catcher at a weekly girls' softball pitching clinic since last December. For the last two years I have managed one of the Pelham Little League's Fall Travel Baseball Teams. Likewise, for the last several years I have coached various of the Pelham Little League's Summer Travel Baseball Teams. I just finished coaching a ten-week indoor baseball clinic in Elmsford, NY every Sunday morning from 7:30 until 9:45 a.m. I also have coached multiple teams in the Pelham Rec Baseball program including teams in the Boys Majors, Boys Minors, Boys National, Boys American, Tee Ball (Instructional) Divisions and, as I noted, in the Girls International Division. I also have coached West Side Little League baseball in Manhattan. I played baseball for many, many years principally as a catcher, but also on the left side of the infield as needed.
I have loved every minute of coaching in Pelham. The Pelham Little League program is a marvelous program. I want to make sure the season is a lot of fun for our players. At the same time, however, I want to use the opportunity to teach them the correct fundamentals of hitting, throwing, catching, running and fielding!
Please read the "Manager's Memo" either by clicking here or by clicking on the link in the right column of this page.
Here are a couple of quick things. First, although this site is not being indexed by search engines so it will not appear in Web search results, soon I will further protect this site by password-protecting it. I will send each of you access instructions at that time and I encourage you to follow those instructions so you can access the site since it and email will be an important means of communicating with the team regarding games, practices, rainouts and more.
I do not yet have word on when uniforms will be distributed, but they will be ready shortly. More information will follow. As soon as they are ready, I will schedule a "gathering" / practice to distribute them.
Throughout the season there will be six different ways that you will be able to determine whether a game or a practice is rained out or canceled due to field conditions. They are:
(1) If you sign up at the PelhamLittleLeague.org Web site for the email blast list, you will receive league emails announcing field closures;
(2) You can call the Little League office and listen to the message on the answering machine - 914-738-7555;
(3) Check your email because I carry a Blackberry and can send you email messages on the go as soon as I know field status;
(4) Check this Web site where I also will post rainout announcements as soon as I can get Web access after learning of field status;
(5) Check the Pelham Little League Web site at http://www.pelhamlittleleague.org/ where there might be a rainout announcement; and
(6) As a last resort, go to the field -- if there is a red flag on the field, the event is rained out.
Finally, my contact information is as follows:
Blake A. Bell
Home: 914-813-0221
Office: 212-455-2935
Email: B_Bell@stblaw.com
Blackberry Cell Phone: (646) 283-1809
Home Address:20 Beech Tree Lane
Pelham Manor, NY 10803
Office Address:
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
425 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10017-3954
I know it will be a great season and we will have a lot of fun. I will be posting copies of all email communications to this site so that each of you will have a running record of such materials.
I managed a team in this Division last year and have played on and have managed men's softball teams for nearly three decades. I have been attending and assisting as necessary as a catcher at a weekly girls' softball pitching clinic since last December. For the last two years I have managed one of the Pelham Little League's Fall Travel Baseball Teams. Likewise, for the last several years I have coached various of the Pelham Little League's Summer Travel Baseball Teams. I just finished coaching a ten-week indoor baseball clinic in Elmsford, NY every Sunday morning from 7:30 until 9:45 a.m. I also have coached multiple teams in the Pelham Rec Baseball program including teams in the Boys Majors, Boys Minors, Boys National, Boys American, Tee Ball (Instructional) Divisions and, as I noted, in the Girls International Division. I also have coached West Side Little League baseball in Manhattan. I played baseball for many, many years principally as a catcher, but also on the left side of the infield as needed.
I have loved every minute of coaching in Pelham. The Pelham Little League program is a marvelous program. I want to make sure the season is a lot of fun for our players. At the same time, however, I want to use the opportunity to teach them the correct fundamentals of hitting, throwing, catching, running and fielding!
Please read the "Manager's Memo" either by clicking here or by clicking on the link in the right column of this page.
Here are a couple of quick things. First, although this site is not being indexed by search engines so it will not appear in Web search results, soon I will further protect this site by password-protecting it. I will send each of you access instructions at that time and I encourage you to follow those instructions so you can access the site since it and email will be an important means of communicating with the team regarding games, practices, rainouts and more.
I do not yet have word on when uniforms will be distributed, but they will be ready shortly. More information will follow. As soon as they are ready, I will schedule a "gathering" / practice to distribute them.
Throughout the season there will be six different ways that you will be able to determine whether a game or a practice is rained out or canceled due to field conditions. They are:
(1) If you sign up at the PelhamLittleLeague.org Web site for the email blast list, you will receive league emails announcing field closures;
(2) You can call the Little League office and listen to the message on the answering machine - 914-738-7555;
(3) Check your email because I carry a Blackberry and can send you email messages on the go as soon as I know field status;
(4) Check this Web site where I also will post rainout announcements as soon as I can get Web access after learning of field status;
(5) Check the Pelham Little League Web site at http://www.pelhamlittleleague.org/ where there might be a rainout announcement; and
(6) As a last resort, go to the field -- if there is a red flag on the field, the event is rained out.
Finally, my contact information is as follows:
Blake A. Bell
Home: 914-813-0221
Office: 212-455-2935
Email: B_Bell@stblaw.com
Blackberry Cell Phone: (646) 283-1809
Home Address:20 Beech Tree Lane
Pelham Manor, NY 10803
Office Address:
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
425 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10017-3954
I know it will be a great season and we will have a lot of fun. I will be posting copies of all email communications to this site so that each of you will have a running record of such materials.
Welcome to the Pelham Pirates in the 2009 Girls International Divison of the Pelham Little League
The following email was issued to the team on Thursday, Mar. 26, 2009 at 10:50 a.m.:
_____________________________________________
From: Bell, Blake A
Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2009 10:50 AM
To: 'Janice.F.Ingram@gmail.com'; 'sjbroege@yahoo.com'; 'allytemp2002@yahoo.com'; 'applejesuit@mac.com'; 'dlk.ny@verizon.net'; 'bethbraun@yahoo.com'; 'marymcgowan@optonline.net'; 'epetti@optonline.net'; 'cmaruccia@aol.com'; 'roksvold@yahoo.com'; 'kmh3@optonline.net'
Subject: Welcome to the Pelham Pirates in the 2009 Girls International Division of the Pelham Little League
Hello All:
Last night the Pelham Little League provided me with the roster for the Pelham Pirates in the Girls International Division. Attached is the team roster as it now stands. Since the league has only provided me with the players' names, contact email information and telephone numbers, I had to do some sleuthing to locate parents' names, addresses and the like. Please forgive me if I have made errors and please let me know of any corrections.
The team has a Web site to which I already have posted a tremendous amount of information and links to educational and training videos. It will be one of our principal means of communication. It is located here: http://pelhampirates.blogspot.com/ Please add that address to your favorites or write it down.
Also attached is a "Manager's Memo" with important information. Both the Manager's Memo and the Team Roster also have been posted to the team Web site. The roster likely will be updated as I receive additional information from each of you.
To play it safe, I would be most appreciative if, when you have time, you would hit the reply button and provide me with the following information (some of which will confirm or correct what I already have included in the draft roster):
Parents' Name(s):
Home Address:
Home Phone:
Cell Phone Number(s):
Parent(s) Email Address(es):
I apologize for the length of this message, but I need to include the following brief announcements:
1. The League conducts an annual mandatory coaches clinic for all managers and coaches. That clinic will be held on April 14, 2009 with time and location to be determined. For the first time, that clinic will be open to parents of all players.
2. The Little League Parade will be held the morning of April 18 with the gathering to begin at 8:30 a.m. in front of the Pelham Art Center I will provide you with further information in that regard as soon as it becomes available.
3. Managers have not yet received uniforms for the players. I will communicate with you again as soon as I have received the uniforms to arrange distribution.
4. The schedules have not yet been set, but it is possible that games will begin on Saturday, April 18 shortly after the parade.
5. The Commissioner has informed me that each team in the Girls Softball International Division likely will be able to obtain field permits to conduct "one or two" practices before the season begins. More information is expected shortly and I will try to convey it to you -- typically by email and by the team Web site -- as soon as I receive it. In the past I have held some informal "non-required" practices just for the fun of it throughout the season. I will let you know as things develop this year.
6. You will note from the roster that we have ten players (unless the roster changes in the next two weeks). That is terrific since everyone will play all the time! The League has tried to keep the teams small this year so everyone stays busy!
I look forward to a great season with each of you!
Best regards,
Blake
_____________________________________________
From: Bell, Blake A
Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2009 10:50 AM
To: 'Janice.F.Ingram@gmail.com'; 'sjbroege@yahoo.com'; 'allytemp2002@yahoo.com'; 'applejesuit@mac.com'; 'dlk.ny@verizon.net'; 'bethbraun@yahoo.com'; 'marymcgowan@optonline.net'; 'epetti@optonline.net'; 'cmaruccia@aol.com'; 'roksvold@yahoo.com'; 'kmh3@optonline.net'
Subject: Welcome to the Pelham Pirates in the 2009 Girls International Division of the Pelham Little League
Hello All:
Last night the Pelham Little League provided me with the roster for the Pelham Pirates in the Girls International Division. Attached is the team roster as it now stands. Since the league has only provided me with the players' names, contact email information and telephone numbers, I had to do some sleuthing to locate parents' names, addresses and the like. Please forgive me if I have made errors and please let me know of any corrections.
The team has a Web site to which I already have posted a tremendous amount of information and links to educational and training videos. It will be one of our principal means of communication. It is located here: http://pelhampirates.blogspot.com/ Please add that address to your favorites or write it down.
Also attached is a "Manager's Memo" with important information. Both the Manager's Memo and the Team Roster also have been posted to the team Web site. The roster likely will be updated as I receive additional information from each of you.
To play it safe, I would be most appreciative if, when you have time, you would hit the reply button and provide me with the following information (some of which will confirm or correct what I already have included in the draft roster):
Parents' Name(s):
Home Address:
Home Phone:
Cell Phone Number(s):
Parent(s) Email Address(es):
I apologize for the length of this message, but I need to include the following brief announcements:
1. The League conducts an annual mandatory coaches clinic for all managers and coaches. That clinic will be held on April 14, 2009 with time and location to be determined. For the first time, that clinic will be open to parents of all players.
2. The Little League Parade will be held the morning of April 18 with the gathering to begin at 8:30 a.m. in front of the Pelham Art Center I will provide you with further information in that regard as soon as it becomes available.
3. Managers have not yet received uniforms for the players. I will communicate with you again as soon as I have received the uniforms to arrange distribution.
4. The schedules have not yet been set, but it is possible that games will begin on Saturday, April 18 shortly after the parade.
5. The Commissioner has informed me that each team in the Girls Softball International Division likely will be able to obtain field permits to conduct "one or two" practices before the season begins. More information is expected shortly and I will try to convey it to you -- typically by email and by the team Web site -- as soon as I receive it. In the past I have held some informal "non-required" practices just for the fun of it throughout the season. I will let you know as things develop this year.
6. You will note from the roster that we have ten players (unless the roster changes in the next two weeks). That is terrific since everyone will play all the time! The League has tried to keep the teams small this year so everyone stays busy!
I look forward to a great season with each of you!
Best regards,
Blake
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