Arrows 18 Bulletin Board

9/1/20112011 Season Ending Bulletin

My end of season message to the team has been slow in coming. I wanted to take my time and put extra thought into it for this season.

I can’t tell you guys how much I appreciate the way you stepped up and performed.

It was a terrific season, but not without it’s ups and downs. It started out with some of the lousiest spring weather we’ve ever had that required the toughest schedule we’ve ever played and this team thrived.

We had some memorable games. The laser show you put on in the first inning of the Dodger game was incredible. The confidence you showed in the come from behind win when we were down by 5 runs to the Braves showed me what you were made of. The makeup game with the Mustangs that we won with all pitchers in the infield was pretty amazing. And of course the Championship Game when we won it in our last at bat.

It was a season of accomplishment, but also a season of loss. We started with the loss of Drew Furry so he could spend more time with his family. Then we lost Ryne Foster and Clay Slaughter to new opportunities. We lost Jim Bob when he had to shut it down for the season. These were all the kind of losses that we’ve experienced in the past. As always, when we lost a player someone stepped up to fill the void. But the tragic loss of Brad Everett left us with a hole that will always be there. There is nothing to be said that will lessen that blow, but I believe we can all take something positive out of our too brief friendship with Brad.

It is good to remember that as much as we love it, and as great a game as it is, baseball is a game. We make it important, but other things are more important. Your family, your loved ones and your community and and the contributions you make to them are what's really important.

I think Jim described this Arrows team best when he and I were talking about how to handle the catching on Sunday. When he said “We’ll make it work”, I knew we had nothing to worry about.

Thank you for the outstanding season. This was so much fun, we need to do it again in 2012.

Good luck to everyone, and be safe.

John

8/30/20102010 Season Ending Bulletin

Arrows

I know there is a lot of disappointment out there, but you need to think about the positive things we accomplished.

Even though our regular season was kind of a struggle at 11-7, you guys stepped up when you needed to and got to the championship game. Getting there was not an easy task, but you did it in decisive fashion and took the title game right to the wire.

In the playoffs we faced the best teams in the league and faced the best pitching this league has to offer. The pitchers we faced in the playoffs had a combined record of 23-4 with a 3.33 ERA, AND WE LIT THEM UP!!

Look at our numbers for 3 games: .402 Batting Average, 31 Runs on 49 Hits. The pitching was solid as well, allowing only 11 Earned Runs, and holding the opposition to a .219 On Base Average. You guys showed a lot of character and fortitude and you played like the champions that you are. I am extremely proud of this team.

I know we'll come back strong next year. As much as I'd like to have everyone back for next season, I've been at this long enough to know that a lot can happen in the off season and not everyone will be able to make it back. For those of you who will return, I want you to start now with a resolve to yourself and a commitment to your teammates to winning it all in 2011. With our talent and level of dedication I have no doubt we'll be back on top.

Take a break, shake off the loss, forget any negatives, and dwell on the positives. Before you know it, opening day 2011 will be here.

Thanks to everyone for an exciting season.

John

8/31/20092009 Season Ending Bulletin

Baseball can fatigue the body.

Baseball can tax the mind.

Baseball can not stop the heart of a competitor.

Baseball can not deny the dreams of a man’s soul.

Our bodies were fatigued.

Our minds were taxed.

But our heart still pumped!

Our d reams would not be denied!

We were down when a homerun to put the Braves up 6-5. The heart was still pumping. We were in a pinch against the Dodgers when we had to make a pitching change with two men on and no outs. The dream still lived. We fell behind early against the Hurricanes and couldn’t push the runs across. The heart continued to pump. We faced the bottom of the ninth in a tied game with aching bodies. The dream would not die!!

Tonight we are short on adrenaline and our bodies are sore, but we are CHAMPIONS!! Our heart and soul never lost sight of our goal…our desire!

One of my fondest memories of this season will be looking into the dugout in the top of the 10^thand seeing 12 other men thoroughly excited to play this great game. We were a solid=2 0team all year and the championship game proved nothing less. Every week, every game, the Arrows had a new horse, a new hero. The team won 17 games this year. The team finished with a batting average approaching .400. The team posted an ERA of 3.26. The team played spectacular defense, especially in the playoffs. The team, the Arrows, won a CHAMPIONSHIP.

I would love to spend time pointing out all the amazing accomplishments of each of you, but it would take to long and would not do you justice. I am very proud to have been your manager this year. I could not have hand selected a better group of guys. I thoroughly enjoyed every week and look forward to defending in 2010!!!

Congrats!!!

Drew