What a WIN!!!!!

Great Job Tribe! What a game that was played by all you little guys on 10/20/09! After losing the lead, tying the game back up, and then scoring six runs in the last inning to clinch the game....our hats go off to the players and coaches!


Never, never, never GIVE up!

We are so proud of you!

Almost....

It is always hard to lose a game, but when the players give it their "all", losing becomes a little easier!

The Brownsville Blasters have been around for over three years; the Tribe has just entered their second season as a competitive baseball club. Although we would like to win all the games, someone has to lose....perhaps though....tonight is the night for the Tribe to put away the Blasters again!

Go TRIBE!

October 19-23

This week's games are scheduled for the following days and times:

October 19th: 7:15 pm (be at the field no later than 6:45).
October 20th: 7:15 pm (be at the field no later than 6:45).
October 22nd: 6:00 pm (be at the field no later than 5:30). Double Header

Let's go get 'em TRIBE!

Fundraiser Updates~ Way to go Tribe!

The Tupperware Fundraiser was a success! Thanks Marie for all your work and organization!

The T-shirts are going....going....almost gone! Thanks Bridgett for your dedication and willingness to get out there and sell! Keep it up!

Sell those raffle tickets!

Take orders now for our December Boston Butt sale!

Don't forget about Munford Celebrate on October 17 and our Golf tournament on October 24!

Fall Ball ~2009

Well, it seems as if we are never going to be able to "Play Ball" because the rain just will not go away! The Covington League, which was supposed to begin last week, will hopefully get under way in the next couple of days, maybe even tonight.

It is hard to believe that our team survived last spring season and are more than ready to tackle (for lack of a better word) this fall endeavor. With the addition of several new players and a completely new attitude and demeanor, I believe that the Tribe is ready to POW WOW with the best of those other teams.

I am probably the worst (and most enthusiastic) critic / fan of all, but I am going to TRY to remain positive in the midst of those "close" calls and those "ever changing" rules that seems to go against our favor. I have to keep telling myself that our boys are still "boys" and are not on a MLB team just yet!

Encourage all players through your support; it does go a long way! GO TRIBE!

FALL BALL~ Tryouts

Anyone interested in trying out for the 2009 Tipton Tribe 7 Year Old Fall Team should attend the following try out sessions: August 1, 2009 at Centennial Park, Munford, TN and August 8, 2009 at Centennial Park, Munford, TN.

All players must be seven years old or must have been seven years old as of April 30, 2009. Any questions should be directed to Coach McBride by email, rodney.mcbride@att.net or by phone 901-389-7854.

Go Tribe!

State Tournament....Father's Day Weekend

Well, we started out right tonight, but the bat just was not our friend! It is so hard to keep things upbeat and positive, but I just know that the boys are going to come out really strong tomorrow!

Remember to bring all their uniforms! We are allowed to bring in two coolers, one for towels and one for drinks. I am bringing the Gatorade mix and Coach Mitch is bringing the big cooler!

Let's get ready to WIN! GO TRIBE!

Apology....:)

I have to apologize for a couple of things....
1. I am sorry for not updating the blog as frequently as I would like, but I have no computer at home:( So, I will try to do better for the rest of the season!

2. I am sorry (not really) for being a little mouthy at the tournament last weekend. But....I feel very strongly about rules being set and followed by all teams. I do not approve of the changes that took place all weekend and the way our boys were treated. For an umpire to directly say that we were not going to come back and win.....whoa.....who is he and what horse did he ride in on to the field? NO ONE is going to assume anything about my son (and his teammates). NO ONE is going to set my son (and his teammates) up for failure without given the proper opportunity. We were the home team and did not get to bat last and the fourth inning marked the start of unlimited runs......I was HOT and I know it, but I am passionate about fairness and optimism.....if we fail to BELIEVE in our children, we fail them!

So, if I embarrassed or upset anyone, I am sorry! I would, however, do it all over again!

We are going to have a great tournament this weekend, I just know it! GO TRIBE!

ESPN magazine sale

Remember to sell your magazine suscription.....all checks should be made out to the Tipton Tribe! The more we sell....the more we make!

If you are unsure of who to sell to, call your doctor's office, your denist's office, your sports loving relatives, etc.

Let's try to wrap this up in a couple of weeks!

A Great Win....I mean, Weekend!

Walking off the field as winners definitely feels better than walking off as losers! Congratulations to the team and coaches for a great weekend (despite Saturday's rainout)! Overall, we had an improved showing.....and we took away a win!

It all seems to be coming together! Although we have had to make some player changes, the boys are playing better and better each game! We sure surprised the green and white team when we almost beat them......Final score...8-9 "How'd ya like me now?" .... All joking aside, the Tribe's hard work is paying off and winning more games is in OUR future!

Highlights:

Garrison: You played like a true warrior! Despite being hurt, you assisted in a double play at second, caught the ball in the same spot several times for outs, and hit the ball hard. You had a fantastic tournament and you made your mama proud.

Joshua: You are such a trooper! That stomach bug caught you, but you did not let it stay around for long. As our lead off hitter, you set the tone for our hitting game on Sunday; you did a great job! Thanks for playing when you should have been home in bed.

Blane: That arm of yours is on fire! We are so glad that your hitting has surfaced again.....keep swinging! Nice catching at third and fabulous double play.

Miller: You made us all smile when your little scare tatic threw the batters for a loop! You have so much enthusiasm! Don't be so hard on yourself though! You made some awesome catches and your throws were on target.

Jake O. : Man, you can throw that ball! It says a lot about a player when he can play many different positions; you are such a fighter! Making those catches and throws are an essential part of the game---great job.

Jacob S. : Way to catch those balls, Jake! You played hard and made some much NEEDED outs! Your contact hitting saved us a couple of times too! Keep up the good work.

Parker: All I can say is.....nice catch behind the plate! WOW! I wish that I loved the game as much as you do! Nice fielding and hitting.....a great combo!

Kyle: If I had as much optimism as you do, I would never have a worry in the world. You always give 110%....and that is what it is about! You did a nice job getting the ball infield and you hit that ball hard! Thanks for always seeing the sunshine through the rain!

Jonah: Thanks for helping us out in tight spot! Your knowledge of the game is priceless. Your hitting and fielding skills were very impressive! What a great swing you have too!

Ethan: Way to hit! You bailed us out several times in yesterday's games! Your sweet personality only added to the Tribe's win! Thanks for sharing yourself with us (especially on Mother's Day)!

Caylob: You have to be the fastest kid I know (besides Maddie Moo)! Keep working as hard as you did this weekend! Keep your eyes on the ball and swing hard!

Coaches: We know that this has been a tough season so far, but the best is yet to come! The TRIBE is ready to claim their victory and "scalp" their opponents!

Parents: Your support is appreciated so much! Moms, thank you for spending "your" day at the ball field! Great parents = great kids!


One more note......"CALL the ball, boys.....CALL the ball!"

Tournament Information.....5/8 - 5/10

We are scheduled to play in Covington this upcoming weekend. Details for the tournament and confirmation of actual play will not be available until later this week.

The weather is supposed to be much like last weekend's; therefore, tournament adjustments might have to be made.

Action Shots.....

Mr. Malone from Malone Action Shots took some great pictures of last weekend's tournament; go to the website and select "Baseball Spring 2009". You will be able to view the players' photos!

Be prepared to order....some of the pictures are definitely worth buying!


http://www.maloneactionshots.com/

What an improvement!

Last weekend was a struggle for our team....and probably, our parents as well. Friday night's game was a good one; our boys did not get intimidated and played fairly well. Saturday was a different story.....the first game started out okay, but then our players decided to go on vacation!
By the time we played the second game, our boys had not returned from Disneyworld:)

The ship came in on Sunday with a great first game and a respectable effort during the second game with the Tigers. I know that my #10 was sure proud of his bobble headed trophy.....and third place!

Seriously, thank God for Sunday's win! It is so easy to get down when we are losing so many games, but if their biggest fans give up, then our players give up too! I am probably one of the biggest competitors around and I am used to winning.....in rec ball.

I keep reminding myself of some things as I tote the baby stroller, the ride-on toy, the monster truck, the big bag of junk, and the other two children: we are a NEW team who has only been together for almost six months, we are not in rec ball anymore, we are playing against teams that have been together for YEARS, we are seven years old, we are still learning some of the fundamentals of the game, we are going to lose some games, and lastly, we are getting better!

When our boys played their first tournament in Covington, I thought to myself....."It is going to be a long season." However, the more games that we play, the more confident that I feel about our boys' progress.

My favorite basketball teams have always been the Lakers and the Bulls......The Lakers tend to always have a good team, but the Bulls......they are a different story. Anyway, after Jordan left the Bulls, the team suffered; but, thanks to perserverance and the NBA draft :) , the Bulls made it to the Playoffs and are competing against the defending champs! Long story, shorter.....our TRIBE has come a long way already! I look forward to the rest of the season and the progress that is to come!

We have to encourage our children to believe in themselves and God......if a person has a lot of faith, anything can happen.......Let's keep the faith and keep cheering!

This week's tournament: May 1- May 3

The weather is looking a bit hairy, but as of right now, the tournament is still on for the weekend!

Friday: 7:00 p.m. game / wear white uniform with black socks and black belt
Saturday: 8:00 a.m. / uniform choice will be announced (probably, grey pin striped).....

Remember to keep Saturday plans open until after the ranking of the teams has been determined!

If we do not place in the top eight teams, we will continue play on Sunday!

Let's go TRIBE!

Tournament.....4/24/09 -4/26/09....Bolton

The tournament brackets have been formed and the times are set for this weekend's games:

Friday: 8:00 p.m.
Saturday: 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
Sunday: TBA

Please be at the ball field one hour prior to scheduled game.

Pinstriped uniforms on Friday.....white uniform on Saturday!

It was a great practice game on Wednesday......hopefully, it will be a great winning weekend!

We really need to rally together and cheer our team on to VICTORY this weekend! It is really hard to keep the players thinking positively after a few losses, but we, their biggest fans, must keep smiling even during struggling times!

Go Tribe!

Practice schedule.....

Since practice was cancelled on Tuesday, it will be rescheduled for next week. The coaching staff KNOWS that TCAP tests are next week and plan to shorten the length of the practices in order to accomodate the boys' school schedule and the importance of these tests.

Please bring report cards to the next practice (if possible). Each player is responsible for talking to Coach Rodney about his grades and academic expectations!

Have you checked out the action photos? Some of the shots were pretty good.....

Pullovers can still be ordered; the deadline has been extended since practice was not held this week! Have a great weekend!

Car decals will be available to order at the next practice as well; the cost per decal is $7.00 each or two for $12.00!

Go TRIBE!

Much better....

Our outing at First Tennesse Fields proved to be a much better experience than last weekend's tourney! We finished in third place again which gives us a record of 2-5 right now! The boys showed a lot of improvement in just a week's time; I cannot wait to see how much the team improves as the season progresses!

Highlights:

Blane: Who would have thought....an unassisted double play turned into a triple play at first.....WOW!
Kyle: Nice catch in the outfield.....
Joshua: Way to watch that ball.....nice hitting and fielding.....You have got it together!
Jake O: Nice catching.....those outs at first really do matter!
Jacob: Boy, who taught you to run that fast? Nice work at second!
Garrison: Nice hitting......even though your homerun was on errors....great job!
Morgan: Way to know your position and back up first....Amazing!
Caylob: Way to focus on the game!
Daniel: Nice hitting..... you did a great job running it out!
Miller: Nice recovery on those long range hits to the outfield....you did a good job getting that ball back into play!
and to our catcher, Balfour, you did a stammering job stopping the ball at home.....nice hitting, too!

It was soooo nice to be on the winning side this weekend; furthermore, we are only getting started. The TRIBE is well on its way to a first place trophy SOON!

There will be practice at 5:30 P.M. on Tuesday in Covington. If it rains, players will be notified about practice cancellation and/or location change.

Remember, if anyone wants a pullover, please be ready to order and pay for it on Tuesday night!

Go Tribe!

Tribe Attire....pull overs

If anyone is interested in purchasing a TRIBE pull over*, please place your order with Jaime Stark or Becky McBride.

Cost: $40.00 (includes Tribe Baseball monogramming on front)
Sizes available: Youth and Adult (these run a little bigger than usual)
Last day to order: March 24, 2008
Orders must be pre-paid!


*as seen on Coach Rodney........

Oh well...you win some (not yet) and you lose some!

Even though we could not play our games on Friday and Saturday, Sunday seemed like the perfect day to play all of the missed games....NOT!

It was chilly, muddy, and rushed! At least that is the way that I felt about the first outing for the TRIBE! Although improvements were made from game to game, it was a little depressing to lose all three games. BUT, on a positive note, we did pretty darn well for our first tournament on some pretty bad fields!

Some highlights......

Morgan...."Great catch! Great job backing up first base!"
Miller....."You are so tough. You took a couple hard hits and kept on playing. Awesome!"
Garrison...."You looked like a pro throwing those two outs at first!"
Blane....."Nice throw from third to second for the out!"
Jake O...."Keep catching that ball on second...wow!"
Jake S....."Way to stop that ball and be where you are supposed to be!"
Joshua....."Fantastic catching going on at first!"
Daniel...."Way to hustle after the ball!"
Kyle..."What a way to hit that ball! You really worked hard behind the plate!"
Balfour..."Nice contact hitting! Way to run it out every time!"
Caylob..."You are as fast as grease lightning!"

I know more than anyone that it is hard to remain positive when our team is on the losing end, but we, the biggest fans, HAVE to support our guys no matter what! I have a feeling that after some practice this week, the TRIBE will do much better next weekend!

Michael Jordan says "I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed. "

Let us remember that a little failure equals little success, but a lot of failure equals a lot of success (simply because we CAN'T give up)!

GO TRIBE!

Friday's Game Status.....

It looks like the game is cancelled for today due to the field conditions.

Saturday's playing time is uncertain as of right now! As soon as we get a schedule for Saturday, I will update the blog!

Enjoy the warmth of your home tonight....

About Blogging....

If you want to follow and comment specific blogs like this one, just create a google account (it is free) and you are well on your way!

Practice...today!

The weather sure looks terrible right now. Jennifer will contact everyone if practice is cancelled this afternoon. I am assuming that the field will be too wet, but then again, I am just an English teacher:)

Baseball Tourney.....this weekend!

Even though the weather is not supposed to cooperate, we are scheduled to play at 5:30 Friday night. We will play Haywood County!

Be sure that your player is dressed is his blue pin-striped uniform with the long-sleeved Under Armour underneath it. If your player has not received his cleats, he may wear his own until receiving his new pair. Please arrive at the ball field in Covington no later than 4:45 P.M.

If you have any questions, text or call Rodney McBride, Mitch Lavelle, Alex Olivette, Jaime Stark, or Jennifer Smith for details.

Go Tribe!

Huffman Arrangements

If you have not heard by now, visitation for Alicia Huffman will be held at the Covington Funeral Home from 5:00-8:00 P.M. tonight. The funeral will be held at 2:00 P.M. tommorrow.

The team has sent a beautiful cross with royal blue and white flowers. If possible, we are collecting ten dollars per player to cover the cost of the arrangement. You can give this money to Jaime Stark.

Please continue to remember the entire Huffman and Timbs family in your thoughts and prayers!

We extend our sympathy to the Huffman Family!

How heartbreaking it is to hear of an unexpected death of a wonderful woman in our community, Alicia Huffman! After receiving the phone calls from a parent, our hearts were broken. Alicia was such a sweet spirit who was willing to do anything for her family, her friends, and her baseball/softball teams. She will be missed greatly!

We, as a baseball program, will plan to do something nice for the Huffman family during this time of grief. Please keep them all in your thoughts and prayers!

Welcome to the Tipton Tribe blog!

Because baseball season is well on its way, I thought that it would be a good idea to start a blog in order to post announcements and pictures and to create an atmosphere of a true baseball family!

Our first tournament is scheduled for the weekend of March 13-15; I will post important time and uniform information as soon as possible. Since we only have one full uniform right now, we will probably be wearing the grey pin-striped one with the blue Under Armour. If you have not received your short and long sleeved Under Armour, don't worry; you will get it at the next practice along with the pin-striped vest (They look AWESOME)! Also, for those who had to order a different cleat size, your cleats should be available as well.

Each player should have the following items: 1 1 pair of cleats, blue ball bag, 1 white hat, 1 blue t-shirt (TRIBE on the front), 1 white mesh jersey (MISTAKE), 1 pair white pants, 1 pair pin-striped pants, 1 pin-striped vest, 1 short sleeved blue Under Armour, 1 long sleeved Under Armour, 1 blue belt, 1 black belt, 1 pair of blue socks, 1 pair of black socks, 1 practice jersey, 1 practice hat, and 1 white mesh jersey (coming soon)! If anyone is missing anything other than the items already noted, please let Jaime Stark know as soon as possible.

If you have a digital camera and would like to help update the blog, please let me know as soon as possible. I would love to get some practice pictures on our blog as soon as possible!

The Boston Butt sale was a great success; everyone who was asked "How was your butt?", stated that the meat was soooo tender and fell straight off the bone. I know that we made barbeque pizza last night with some of ours and it still tasted fantastic! Many thanks to our coaches/cooks!