St. Louis Diamond Cats

(12/09/05) - It is with much sadness that we inform everyone of the passing of Laura Adams. Laura was the mother of Holly Adams, one of the newest members of the St. Louis Diamond Cats. Holly has a sister, Ashley, and her father, Mike, to share in her sorrow. Laura passed away on Friday, December 9th, after a long battle with cancer. Holly and her family are relatively new to our team, but some of the team members have known them for awhile. Bill Amos sent this really nice tribute to Laura by email... "We had the pleasure of knowing Laura for several years. Lori & Holly played softball together on the Tornadoes; and Holly and Lori still play outdoor and indoor soccer for the Angels soccer team. The first thing that struck us about Laura and Mike was that they were two of the happiest people we had ever met. When we were traveling out of town for softball, they always found time to catch a flea market (one of Laura's passions) along the way and visit their favorite restaurant. Laura was also an eBay junky. It got so bad at one point that Holly and Ashley were afraid to let her come into their rooms because she was selling all their unused belongings on eBay. When her illness struck (about a year and a half ago), Laura had to chose whether to fight it, or let it run its course. Laura & Mike chose to fight it, and both remained brave and optimistic to the very end. Being there for her family is what kept Laura going. We will miss her greatly." We offer our heartfelt sympathy to Laura's family, and we will keep them in our thoughts and prayers.

(11/06/05) - The Diamond Cats Fall Classic was held November 4th - 6th at Bridgeton Municipal Athletic Complex (BMAC). We earned a first place finish by going 6 - 0 over the 3 days. We had some awesome defensive plays and great team hitting. The girls played hard and had some great success. Way to go, D-Cats! Friday, November 4th 7:30 pm vs. St. Louis Damage on field #6 WON 4 - 3 Friday, November 4th 9:00 pm vs. Missouri Maniacs on field #4 WON 12 - 3 Saturday, November 5th 5:00 pm vs. Illinois Sluggers on field #6 WON 3 - 2 Sunday, November 6th 12:00 pm vs. Rockers on field #4 WON 8 - 2 Sunday, November 6th 4:55 pm vs. Illinois Sluggers on field #4 WON 9 - 0 Sunday, November 6th 7:10 pm vs. Missouri Heat on field #6 WON 7 - 4 Thanks to all the parents that worked their concession duty. It was tough after the rain delay, but we managed to cover our shifts, anyway. Thanks, also, for braving the cold! We had a great time cheering the girls to victory! We will let you know about winter hitting and indoor practices as soon as we have the details.

Softball's Fundamental "Commandments"

1. Know How Many Outs There Are: You'd be surprised how often a fielder catches a fly ball, puts her head down and starts jogging to the dugout…. Only to discover it's just the second out.
2. Throw To The Right Place: Whether it means hitting the cutoff person or throwing to second after a single to the outfield. Be decisive.
3. Move The Runner Over: When there's a runner on second with no one out, a simple grounder to the right side usually gets the job done.
4. For Pitchers, The Best Pitch Is The First Pitch Strike: It's much easier to stay ahead in the count this way.
5. For Hitters, Understand the Count: With 2 strikes choke up and try to make contact. When it's 2-0, swing at your pitch. When it's 3-0, check with the third base coach, you might get the green light.
6. Call For It: If you're going to catch a pop fly, let your teammates know by yelling, waving your arms or both. If there is a pop behind the infield, the outfielders should take charge... It's easier to catch a ball coming in than going back.
7. Back Up The Play: When softball is played the right way, there's a lot less standing around in the field. If a runner is stealing second, the center fielder should be charging in. Everyone moves on every play.
8. Know When To Run: If you are a lone base runner on second base and a grounder is hit to the right side, take off, if the grounder goes to the left side, stay put.
9. Never Make The First or Third Out at Third Base: Making the second out at third is not encouraged, but at least it doesn't have the same rally killing effect.
10. Keep The Ball In Front Of You: For catchers, that means dropping to your knees to block a low pitch. For infielders, it means getting in front of a grounder and letting potential bad hops bounce off your body.
    

(10/18/05) - We have a schedule for this weekend's tournament... October 21, Friday @8:00 pm vs. Wolverines on Field #1 WON 11 - 0 October 22, Saturday @11:00 am vs. Invasion on Field #3 WON 11 - 1 October 22, Saturday @6:30 pm vs. Outlaws on Field #3 LOST 1 - 6 October 23, Sunday @2:00 pm vs. winner of Unity Elite/Doom on Field #2 CANCELED SLEET! This is the first tournament I have ever seen canceled because of sleet! Crazy weather! We finished in the top 6 teams in this tournament! The Outlaws and Illinois Shock tied for 1st with the Shock winning the tie breaker on points allowed. The Doom and Unity were in the 4th inning of a tied game when their game was called for the weather. So, that means that D-cats, Southern Illinois Impact, Doom (Cjecka) and Unity Elite are tied for 3rd. The NSA State Director decided to grant all 4 tied at 3rd berths to Nationals! So, girls, we have one berth to Nationals all tied up! We had some really good games and one game we looked a little rough. However, we looked much better than at this time last year. Way to put together a nice tournament, girls! See you all in a couple of weeks! Thanks to Bree, Devon and JJ for playing with us this weekend! They braved the weather and helped us out immensely! Results: Illinois Shock - 1st (on tie-breaker) Outlaws - 2nd Diamond Cats, Legion of Doom (Cjecka), Unity Elite, Southern Illinois Impact - tied for 3rd