For the second year, Granby baseball will participate in a multi town Fall baseball league beginning in September. All players aged 8-11 (ages as of April 30, 2008) are invited to play. Please note we will have 1-2 teams in each of the following age groups dependent on space available - 8/9; 9/10; and 10/11.

The league expects to offer 12 game per team plus playoffs with all games to be played at Enfield's Asnuntuck Community College. Games will be played on weekends and possibly some weekdays. Please note that Asnuntuck does have lights! Costs are still being finalized.

Please contact Fall Ball Commissioner Bryan Morytko (bmorytko@cox.net) as soon as possible if your son is interested in playing on one of these teams and note that we are looking for coaches in each age group as well. We would like to finalize our rosters before August 11th for planning purposes with the league.

Granby is working to field a team in the Simsbury Babe Ruth fall baseball league for players Little League age 12-14 (as of April 30, 2008). More information about the league can be found at www.simsburybaseball.org but please contact Dan Dean (ddean@remsales.com) if you are interested in playing on the Granby team (which will likely include East Granby and Hartland players as well). Registration is $200 and must be done through the Simsbury Babe Ruth web site.

As of Tuesday, July 22nd there were 90 registration spots still open in the Babe Ruth fall baseball league.

Congratulations to the Granby 9/10 softball team for winning the District 6 Championship.  The team went 3-1 in the round robin, and then beat Avon 7-3 in the Championship game.  Great job girls!

The Snack Shack will be open for business during the summer.  Come on down to Salmon Brook Park, watch an exciting baseball game while enjoying a tasty hot dog and finish up with a cold icy/frozen treat!

See you at the Park!     

Please find the 2008 Granby Little League Evaluation form under the "hand-outs" section of the website.    Our goal is for each participant to have a fun and enjoyable experience.  This form is the best tool we have as a league to communicate with the baseball and softball community.  Therefore, players, parents, and umpires, please take a few minutes to fill out the evaluation form.  We want the feedback, and welcome all comments, ideas, suggestions, etc... 

A drop box will be set up at the Snack Shack through July.  After that please mail the form by September 4, 2008 deadline to Granby Little League, P.O. Box 115, Granby, CT  06035. 

Finally, please check back during the summer months.   Thank you.

It was a blistering hot day but the many Granby LL players who turned out to support their league had plenty of fun staying cool on the giant slip and slide and dunking their coaches at the 4th annual Hit A Thon.

The event featured some great hitting in all the baseball divisions while the late afternoon thunderstorm chased away the softball divisions. Regardless of the weather, the kids had fun and the monies raised will go a long ways towards some need capital improvements at our park and equipment improvements for our teams.

Once again the league and all its players owe a hearty congratulations to Samantha Gilbert as the top overall fundraiser. Now a three time winner, Sam raised $650 andis looking forward to a trip to Fenway Park courtesy of Simsbury's Mitchell Auto Group and Granby LL. Nice job Sam!

Winners of the Hit A Thon distance competitions were Rowan Heinze of the T-Ball Bats; Brandyn Garcia of the Farm Bats; Trevor Smith of the AA Rockies; Bryce Alexander of the AAA Dodger; and Zach Rivera of the Dark Green team in Juniors. The Majors baseball winner is still to be determined as Curt Field of the Rays has the longest hit and the Majors Yankees are left to bat having gotten rained out at the Hit A Thon.

It should be noted that a trio of AAA players hit the fence on the roll in the Hit A Thon, highlighting a power packed session at Field 4. Cole Beach, Quincy McGee and Joe Nichols all had tremendous hits which rolled to the fence and should be recognized for their excellent hitting. The winner of the AAA competion, Bryce Alexander, was determined by Hit A Thon rule as the player who hit the ball the furthest on the fly.

Special recognition also goes out to John Bayersdorf of the AA Cubs who forced a Hit Off after a tie was declared in the original Hit A Thon. John and Trevor faced off in a special competition before the AA All Star game Monday night...

Thanks to all the kids and parents who supported this important fundraising event and also to the many volunteers who made the day a success.

Any girl that participated in Granby Little League this Spring in the Farm Division through Juniors Division is invited to register for Fall Softball.  Please contact Karen Viets, VP Softball at Kviets@cox.net as soon as possible for a registration form and fee information.  Thank you.

As the 2008 Granby Little League season is about to begin, I wanted to take a moment to update you on some enhancements, changes and important guidelines that we’ve put in place in 2008.  All are designed to continue to improve the baseball and softball experience of Granby’s youth.

First of all, we have listened to your requests.  One concern was registration fees.  As mentioned in our 2007 pre-season message, our goal is to cover all of Granby Little League’s operating costs with the revenue generated from the registration fees. Granby Little League is a self-funded, not-for-profit organization.  We do not receive financial assistance from the Town, State or any other entity.  We are happy to report that registration fees did not change in 2008.  Our hope is we will not need to increase registration fees for the foreseeable future.

Second, we heard you loud and clear that working the Snack Shack (another key revenue source), or more specifically, finding volunteers to work the Snack Shack, was a challenge.  This year, for the first time, we are not asking for Snack Shack volunteers.  Instead we have decided to utilize the skills of a few of Granby’s young adults to help us out behind the counter.  Of course, if you do feel the need to help out in the Snack Shack, we’ll be happy to take you back.

A third suggestion clearly heard concerned the length of AA baseball games.  The AA division is the first year of more competitive games and “live” pitching.  Generally, the kids are 8 and 9 years old.   Oftentimes, a 6 inning game would take over 3 hours, leaving little time for schoolwork on a weeknight.  To improve the experience, we’ve made a couple of changes.  We have set a time limit for games, specifically stating that an inning cannot start after a certain time.  We’ve also added more time for “practice” games, putting more emphasis on instruction and less emphasis on game scores.  Of course, the kids do want to play real games, so the second half of the season will be used to apply their improved skills.

With regard to improvements in the Parks, you should see several.  Thanks to the Town’s Public Works Department, and the many Field-Prep volunteers, the fields are in fine shape.  Much time and effort was spent improving the new Field 5, to make it a regular field for all league games.  New hand-operated scoreboards have also gone up on Field 3 and 5, now allowing spectators at all fields to be able to know the score at all times.  Our Juniors field, over at Ahren’s Park, also continues to improve.  A sprinkler system was installed in the infield, and additional fencing, clearing and drainage systems (along with the efforts of many volunteers) have helped turn that field into a beautiful facility in a few short years.

While we’ve listened and tried our best to respond to your requests, we have one request of our own.  To maintain an enjoyable atmosphere for all, we are initiating a “Zero Tolerance” rule with respect to the treatment of umpires.  The vast majority of umpires are Granby kids and young adults – possibly your neighbors, your friends, or someday, even your son or daughter.  Some are new at the job; others have been umpiring for a few years.  In all cases, umpires are the authority with respect to game rulings, game stoppage, etc.  Managers and coaches have been instructed that they, as well as their players, are not allowed to argue or speak negatively towards umpires.  We are requiring the same conduct from all spectators.  Those that choose not to comply with this request will be asked to leave the park.  The game will resume once the spectator has exited. 

We do not anticipate any problems with managers, coaches or spectators.  We are fortunate to live in a small town where respect, enthusiasm and good sportsmanship are natural tendencies.  However, we want to be sure all participants, including umpires, have the chance to improve their skills in an enjoyable, supportive atmosphere.

Finally, we welcome your comments and support.  Check back to our web site for news and information.  Come down to the Park to watch a game while enjoying a hot dog, hamburger or grilled chicken sandwich from the Snack Shack.  Granby Little League is run entirely by volunteers looking to provide an enjoyable baseball and softball experience for Granby’s kids.  From coaches, team parents, field maintenance, league coordinators and snack shack helpers, we are all volunteers.  For all of those parents who have provided their help along the way, on behalf of Granby Little League, Thank You.  To all the kids playing in Granby Little League, have a great season!

Bill Noyes
President
Granby Little League

Granby LL has opened a sportswear store on its web site! The site offers more than 400 different products customizable with your choice of designs and colors. You can even put your child's name and number on many items! Designs for coaches and parents are also available. 

For Granby Baseball items, please click on the Sportswear tab on the left side of our home page. Granby Softball items are available by visiting our Softball team store at  www.prepsportswear.com/schoolmain.aspx?schoolid=1280852

Keep in mind that 15% of all sales being returned to the league's Capital Improvements Fund. The fund is designed to pay for needed upgrades to our fields, other facilities and equipment. Get that cool t-shirt or hoodie for your son or daughter and help Granby LL continue to improve for your children!