Playoff Game #2

Jax Finishing a Pitch
June 6, 2018

Tonight is playoff game #2 for the GORC Dodgers. Earlier in the week they earned the right to play another game by pulling off a stunning comeback win over the Orioles, 10-9, to earn a spot in the semifinals. 

Me Coaching 3rd and Sending a Runner Home

I was late getting to the game against the Orioles because I had been attending Chris' retirement party. When I arrived, the team was down 8-0 in the third inning. But that is when the boys began to turn it around. The pitching solidified with Jax taking the mound and the bats began getting runs back one-at-a-time. The defense also woke up and one of the game's highlights was a picture-perfect pickle-drill run down of a runner attempting to come home from third base.

Jax had a great night. He pitched 2 innings, struck out 5 and allowed only 1 run. His batting line was similarly impressive. At the plate he was 3-3 with a double and 3 RBIs.

Discussing Strategy with Jack Schaecher at 3rd Base

Post Game Meeting
We Have At Least One More Game

Baseball is a great game, especially when the pitching and the batting come together and create the magic that propels a team deeper into the playoffs. 

Tonight's game is no small task. The team is playing the Cardinals who are 12-1-1 (yes there can be ties in our league). We lost 14-4 the only time we played them, but that was after an almost two-week layoff due to the rains. 

What is on the line? Tonight's winner advances  to the league championship game tomorrow. 

No matter the outcome of tonight's game, it has been a fun season and I can see the baseball improvement in each player on the team. 

Most of all, it has been fun! And baseball should be fun!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Significant Life Event - Retirement

Chris at
Her Retirement party

Yesterday was a day about one of those significant life events.

Chris Speaking at Her Retirement Party

I attended the first of four retirement parties for Chris who is retiring as a special educator after 22 years. It is amazing that she was able to put together a whole multi-decade career while I was doing the Air Force officer thing moving the family across the world.

I was happy for the nice words that were said about her long and fruitful career, but most importantly, I was impressed by the love that her bosses and co-workers showed for her. Some people came to the party who work at other schools or have already retired, just to celebrate Chris and her career.

It was a very nice party and it is great that she is going out on top. I am very excited for her and a bit jealous. But this is not about me, it is about Chris and the long lasting contributions she has made as an educator.

I'm just waiting for someone to stick a microphone in her face and ask her what she is going to do next. I'm afraid it will be something like, "I'm going to Disney World!" Well, that's not far from the truth, she is going on a cruise later this summer.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Cool and Clear

A Beautiful Day for Flying
June 5, 2018

After the rains and gray of the past weeks, the crisp clear skies of the mornings have been enjoyable.

Me and Sara Watching Radio Flyer
June 5, 2018

It was a bit cool this morning as I took the dogs out, but the clear sky after the overnight rains was encouraging.

I was able to get Radio Flyer up yesterday for a short 12 minute flight. IT had been over a week since its last flight mostly due to the bad weather. I was encouraged at the amount of green surrounding our house, despite the loss of many ash trees.

My neighbor, Sara, came over to see Radio Flyer and what I was doing and she seemed very impressed with its ability. I took a picture of us, but for some reason I am almost always looking down at my controls when the image is actually taken. I need to work on that. Yesterday's flight was really intended to check out the wind conditions. I could see the wind blowing the trees and I wanted to get an estimate of whether he winds were above the suggested threshold. Turns out they were not as I never received a high wind warning, good to know.

According to my flight logs, Radio Flyer has 60 flights totaling 8 hours and 44 minutes of flying time. Not too bad! I am looking forward to taking it on my weekend trip to Charlottesville to get some nice images of different territory. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Longer Days of June

As the days draw deeper into the newly minted month of June, I am noticing the longer available daylight. Sadly, just as the temperatures start to get hot, the days begin to shorten after the solstice.

Morning Breaking
June 4, 2018

Last evening, Chris and i were out last 8:45 PM and there remained some available light to brighten the outdoors activities. It is a far cry from the days of winter when darkness descends at 4:30 PM, it seems.

The dawn is breaking clear and true this morning as well. There is not a cloud visible, which is a very rare thing lately. The day should be fantastic, but the forecast provides for afternoon thunderstorms! Too bad have to go to work.

Coach Mike and I with our All Stars
Matthes, Jax, Preston, and Martin

The rains truly have subsided and the ground is beginning to dry. I flushed out the gutter system around our deck last night. It had become clogged. Flushing it is no easy task as I have to lift a couple of boards to remove the collected debris and then get a hose to encourage the remaining lighter collection of leaves and twigs to make their way down the drain to the ground.

Tonight is the GORC Dodgers final practice. The playoffs begin tomorrow and hopefully the team cam make a good run. I hope the thunderstorms do not interfere with practice. The team needs to get ready.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - June 4, 2018

1. It is the first Monday of June and the temperature this morning was 53 degrees. Definitely not pool activity weather.

Jacob and Jax with Finn in the Dugout
May 31, 2018

2. Two of the Orioles  four-game series with the Yankees were rained out during the past couple of days. That is how rainy the weather has been. 

3. The most exciting thing Chris and I did yesterday was try to determine when there would be a break in the torrential rains to dash out for dog food.

Me and Matthew at Third Base
May 31, 2018

4. The arrival of June has brought with it the impending beginning of the summer vacation season.

5. Sometimes definitely non-baseball related things happen in the dugout during GORC Dodgers games. 

6. I have really enjoyed coaching third base during the GORC Dodgers games this season.

7. Due to the weather and my schedule, Radio Flyer has not flown in over a week. I almost got it airborne Saturday afternoon, but didn't quite get it out before the storms arrived.

8. As the dawn breaks this morning, the rains have stopped. I called Noah and advised him to stand down in his ark construction project. Maybe we won't need it after all. 

9. Where are our nation's leaders hiding?


Headlines

New Hampshire Police Charged and Arrested a Man for Criticizing Them on the Internet - The Slate

China increasingly challenges American dominance of science - The Washington Post

Mourning America: What my father, Ronald Reagan, would say today - The Washington Post


Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

"You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. 

We'll preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we'll sentence them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness."

A Time for Choosing Speech

October 24, 1964

Los Angeles , CA

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sunday Rain-out

Yes, it is Sunday.

Dead and Dying Ash Trees
The Former Canopy Behind My House
June 3, 2018

I was supposed to tee-off this morning with the boys for a Sunday round of golf, but, due to the pervasive rains, we canceled our outing. 

It would have been too wet to enjoy.

So I get to enjoy watching the rain from the warmth and dryness of my living room.

It is very wet outside. I probably won't be able to mow the lawn.

In other news, we received the diagnosis on our dead and dying trees yesterday. The Emerald Ash Borer killed them. It is sad that the beautiful ash trees are going the way go the American Elms. I wish the local government had done a better job advising home owners of treatment options for the trees before the borers arrived, it is possible that I could have saved them. As it is now, it is going to cost a small fortune to have the trees removed. 

And in the "always one-more-thing" department, my automatic pool cleaner expired. It lasted a long time, maybe 15 years, but replacements are not inexpensive. 

Always one more thing!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The All-Star

Jax Walking back to the Mound
GORC All Star Game
June 1, 2018

Last evening the GORC Under 10 Intramural Baseball League held its All-Star game and four Dodgers, including Jackson, made the team. Representing the National League, they competed against boys from American League teams in a generally well played game.

The American League lost 15-9, but that score was not the important part of the game. Watching the best players from each of the teams play together was rewarding for me. The boys are beginning to understand some of the important points of the game. Some really great lays were made int the field, including catching some well hit deep balls--which is partly why the American League lost, they had some deep well hit balls that were caught and that prevented runs from scoring and ended innings with the bases loaded. 

Jax was awesome at the plate. He reached base every time that he was up and was involved in a number of plays in the field. He also pitched a strong inning.

With the All-Star game complete, there is one regular season game remaining for the GORC Dodgers and then onto next week's playoffs.

Summertime is coming!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

June Arrives and Hopes Soar

Happy June.

May is gone. The NHL and NBA are playing their finals. Baseball is getting into mid-season. The Orioles were rained out last night, but there is still a lot, maybe too much, season left to enjoy or suffer through depending upon the team involved.

The Belmont Stakes are next weekend.Maybe there will be another Triple Crown winner! Justify will race for the opportunity.

Summer starts on June 21st. Officially, that is. 

School ends. Graduations are everywhere. Fun stuff and parties are found in almost every neighborhood.

June is starting off with thunderstorms and rain. I still feel as if I have been relocated to Seattle. It rains almost every day.

Hopefully the weather will clear soon and we can get on with the summertime activities.

Well, it is time to get the summer parties planned and rolling along. Soon the local strawberries will be ripening and the cherries will be falling to the ground. Don't forget the fireflies! 


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Thursday Orioles Update

The season is largely over. The Orioles are miserable. They are not the worst team in baseball, but they are the second worst, by one game.

Amazingly, three have been no major changes to the coaching staff. Given the line-up of hitters the team possesses, one would expect the hitting coach to be out the door soon. 

The Orioles are 17-39 .304 and have no where to go but up. They are potentially on track to set a franchise record for losses at and might finish as bad as 51-111. 

The team has the third worst batting average in the American League at .233, which is 15 points lower than the league average. But what really hurts is they'll have the worst on base percentage at .295 which is 23 points below the league average. One of the few brighter spots is that the team sits at the league average for home runs at 64.

Base running situation awareness is also a problem. For instance, last evening, with the team losing 2-0 in the bottom of the ninth, the Orioles got two men on with no outs and Manny Machado coming to the plate. During Machado's at bat, one of the base runners decided, for some obtuse reason, to attempt to steal third and was caught stealing in a run down. Suddenly, the opportunity to win the game with one swing of the bat was gone. After the base running mistake, both Machado and Scoop, the next batter, failed to get a hit and the O's lost 2-0.

The fan base is unhappy and eroding and we hear nothing but crickets from the Orioles front office. I have tickets for tonight's game against the Yankees and I will likely not bother to go. Who wants to see a complete baseball team deliver another crushing blow to my favorite team in our home park. I do expect lots of homers tonight. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Another Dodger Loss

Jax Hoping for Better Fortunes

The GORC Dodgers have once again lost two in a row. Last evening, they lost a close contest 9-8. The team had the lead twice during the game but could not hold it. They had the opportunity to force the opposition into the bottom of the sixth, however, the bats were not as crisp as they had been recently and the team just could not get the needed runs across the plate despite having the bases loaded. 

The season is coming to a rapid close. The team has one more practice and one more regular season game before the playoffs. 

At least the weather has moderated and we are actually playing some of the games. 

Despite the loss, the boys played hard and made some good plays in the field. It was fun to coach a close game and we knew that every run would count. Sadly, they wound up with one more than our guys. But, it was a learning experience. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD