Long Island Chiefs Baseball

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2008 Summer Chiefs Team

Congratulations to the 14 year old Long Island Chiefs.

National Tournament Baseball Summer League Champs

Long Island Chiefs Baseball Champs: Coaches - Ed Baldwin, Joe Ruvio, Darren LiVecchi, Bobby Cummings: Players Top Row - Phil Remi, Andrew Maione, James Agolia, Chris Duffy, AJ Mastrantonio, Matt Tamborrino: Bottom Row - Brenden Cummings, Brandon LiVecchi, Jeremy Baldwin, Mike Ruvio, Donald Grupski: Missing - Kevin Bruckner and Wyatt Russo

Leadership, synergy, empowerment, and potential are common themes in team environments. Facilitating and directing mindsets of young teenagers into these complicated themes is a challenge for even the most educated people. Four parents with very busy schedules successfully met the daunting challenge to facilitate a baseball team of 13 kids. Although it is never stated or documented, measuring success of a youth baseball team is not as simple as winning. The environments that have evolved over youth sports seem to point in that direction. Winning is an indicator of success however it is only one of several, which include sportsmanship, friendships, a sense of accomplishment, teamwork and competition. To meet these requirements of success the Chiefs met once a week at Mckenna to practice a mindset that would synergize their efforts and bring this team to its full potential, and hopefully make the playoffs.

For the first three weeks of the season we showed some team progress, but it was not until the chiefs played the Warriors where we witnessed a team metamorphism. Although the score ended in a 6-6 tie it was definitely the turning point in the season. This was the game where the team started to jell. The coaching staff watched empowered kids take charge of plays. We saw leadership, communication, and the desire to compete. The missing piece to success was a week away. With the schedule pushing us to play 4 games in 5 days “game repetitions” were on the way.

For the most part the kids eliminated mental errors from the game. They learned how to play the game at an advanced level and operate as a unit. The only obstacle to victory would be they. The coaching staff’s responsibility at this point moved from teachers to mentors. We reminded the kids to play their game, stay focused and trust themselves. Throughout the playoffs the Chiefs dominated on defense and consistently put the ball in play on offense. Play execution was for the most part flawless. A championship victory ultimately was the result. The boys pushed themselves to reach their team potential and the coaching staff was quite pleased not only with the victory but with the overall results of the team's success.

Thank you parents for:

- letting us teach the kids how to play baseball

- bringing the kids to practice

- bringing the kids to the games

- and your support

Sincerely

L.I. Chiefs Coaching Staff

Bobby, Ed, Joe and Darren

2008 Stats

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