Christian finally finds his swing in tonight’s game against Harbor Square. At his first at bat he was a little slow swinging through hit the ball but got caught by the pitcher. His next at bat was in the 3rd inning and he got a single. Video down below.
The one thing that has been really missing with this team has been the kids talking to other and cheering each other on. Coach Kevin was always great at getting the team in to the game and my mission tonight was to get that team spirit going. At the top or middle of each inning I got all the guys together in a huddle and came up with a cheer. I also got them fired up in the field with the ‘Phatoms Ready?’ call. Still needs work, but it was a great start.
Christian let the ball get away from him on defense this game…Sometimes the old habits die hard. Still need to work with him on that, but he’s only had a couple lapses this year. He almost had a 4-6 combo with Zach in the 2nd, but Zach dropped the ball. All in all I can count on him to know the right defensive play.
It was pretty cool to see former teammates Sam and Reece on the other side. They each played positions that they wouldn’t have played on the Padres. I think I got Sam into the game by calling him ‘wiggles’ and he had a nice hit to left center field…Which then started a rally to get 5 runs in the inning to put them over the top.
Our next game is a late one, Monday at 7:00 pm on field 2 against Brock and Kameron’s team Olympic Paving. See you there!
In the winter months of 2008 I worked on a recording project with Seattle artist Lars Katz. The project was a solo album called ‘The Veil’ and I’m honored to have worked on it. This selection from the album is called ‘Flare’. The Veil is available on iTunes, Amazon, etc… for purchase.
It’s a fairly obvious first reaction, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself uttering a similar expression upon hearing Lars Katz’ latest full-length, The Veil.
If you’re wondering where Katz has been all your life, you’ve probably heard from him without even knowing it. The very definition of a finger in every pie, Katz’ private consulting and contract work has led to appearances on albums such as Anberlin’s Cities (gang vocals on “Godspeed”), Fair’s The Best Worst-Case Scenario (acoustic guitars on “Pause” and “Confidently Dreaming”), and even the soundtrack of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (guitars on “More Than It Seems” by Kutless). He’s also helped to engineer and/or mix many of Tooth and Nail’s recent releases. I swear, the man doesn’t sleep.
Oh-and-did-I-mention: that voice!
Pairing Katz’ stratospheric pipes with all manner of straining strings, jubilant bells, and anxious guitars, The Veil sets its arcing melodic rock to the key of existential philosophy. Tackling the truth inherent in our own awareness is no light task, but it somehow feels easy in Katz’ deft hands. Each track is massive and miniature all at once, layering wistfully self-conscious lyrics across walls of soaring sounds.
Our introduction is somewhat rude as “Alive” sets the electronic strings a-humming with almost no warning and then throws some uncharacteristically aggressive screams our way (they fortunately only appear again briefly in “The Reaper”). All is forgiven, though, when Katz absolutely launches himself into the lyrics “Brightest night skies/ Fall and give rise to/ Everything I see in your eyes.” His ability to jump octaves, combined with the precise beauty of the album’s vocal harmonies, is stunning.
Katz’ extensive musical experience is apparent in the execution of The Veil and each of the instruments he plays (guitars, bass, and drums) clearly benefit from years of practice. There are times, however, when the delicate framework gets a bit smothered by digital elements. The sea of strings and bells fits at some moments, but at others, it threatens to drown the listener in its programmed depths.
The Veil is at its best when it hands the reins to Katz’ voice. Tracks like “Flare” and “Hearts Pour Out” gently usher the instruments to the background, allowing the exquisite vocal track to hold center stage. That said, one of the major successes of this album is that despite the obvious power of his voice, Katz doesn’t hold back from pushing the tempo and rocking out. At no point is The Veil slow, nor will it likely ever be accused of being “sleepy,” and yet its elegance is undeniable.
It’s tough to call Lars Katz a secret. He’s had a hand in a lot of the music you’re probably listening to and he doesn’t fall into that vast and mysterious category of “unsigned.” Still, with one of the strongest voices in operation, both he and The Veil deserve much more of our attention.
After our game was rained out on Saturday, we were able to reschedule the game quickly the next day. What a beautiful day it turned out to be for baseball…the sun was out and we got to play on field one!
Christian again has been solid in defense. He played pickle at second base and got a 4-6 out with shortstop Zach in the 2nd. I can always count on those 2 players to call out every play on the field. The rest of the team has started talking later in the game…Hopefully we’ll see more. Christian also got to play the catcher position since our number one guy Jackson is out because of spring break.
The Coldwell Banker Phantoms is a team that hasn’t gelled yet. We have a couple kids that are brand new and it shows on the field. A couple times routine plays were blown because players were out of position…the right fielder was at 1st base when the ball was hit hard into right. Us coaches and parents were wondering what happened to our right fielder.
In another instance a runner that was running from 1st to 2nd and our 1st basemen was confused on who to throw to. The left fielder was at 2nd base with both our shortstop and 2nd baseman close by. Unfortunately what should have been an easy out also got bobbled.
The main thing is that we need to get out players alert and have them play their position. We gave team Sparta’s too many opportunities to score with our defensive errors.
I’m hoping that Christian will find his swing at the plate. He’s been tentative and not swinging at close pitches. I’d rather he go down swinging than watching the ball go by. This game he managed to walk both times he was up. Christian scored in the 2nd by stealing home and made it to second base in the 5th but got stranded.
Our next game is Tuesday evening on field 2 at 5:00 pm against team Harbor Square. See you there!
Christian has been solid at defense and got an out at 2nd base throwing the runner out at 1st in the first inning. He also got an out in the 5th inning catching a pop fly in right field and started a double play 9-1-6.
The 3 3D Roofing pitchers all pitched in the minors last year. They shut down our our entire lineup. No one was was able to get any hits. Although the bottom half of our lineup did manage to get on base.
This was Christian’s first game pitching. He had a couple control issues, but was able to pitch pretty straight. His arm got tired as the inning continued and started throwing the ball short to our catcher Jackson. He walked a couple batters and gave up 5 runs. A couple adjustments and I think he’ll do fine his next outing. His official pitch count for the inning was 35.
He was pretty down on himself after the half. But his teammate Zach gave him encouraging words and tried to cheer him up. He even said that he hit 2 players and hit the ump twice his last game…and it wasn’t Zach’s first game pitching. All in all, I was proud of him to go out there and give it his best.
It’s a start of a new season and for the first time in a while Christian is on a brand new baseball team. I’m saddened that we were not able to keep our team together, but it’s exciting to see how he fits in a new situation. This is the first team that Christian hasn’t had Zach W. as a teammate in baseball. (They played together since t-ball.) Minors teams are put together in a blind draft…although he is joined by 3 Seaview kids and Zach P. from the Padres is on his team as well.
Today was the 1st game of the season and positions become more solidified. An infielder still needs to play at least one inning in the outfield and an outfielder needs to play at least one in.
Christian started this game at 2nd base and will probably play this position a lot. He along with Zach were field generals out there calling out the plays. It’s nice to see the communication skills that we taught them in the lower levels are being used. He is probably the most vocal of the bunch when calling plays out.
This is his first year seeing live pitching instead of machine pitch and it will take him a few games to adjust. He’s got a new bat to get used to as well. He made contact his first at bat, but popped it up and was caught by the pitcher. He was able to get to a full count at his 2nd at bat, but struck out. He walked to 1st on his 3rd at bat.
The team looks good with only having 6 practices under their belt. I think they could be a really great team once they have a couple more practices and games behind them. Our next game is Monday at 5 pm on field 2 against 3D Roofing. I’ll try to have some video of that game on the next post. See you there.
