In this issue:

Welcome/ Text messages 1

Important Dates 2

Age verification 3

Picture Day Schedule 4

On behalf of the Centennial

Youth Baseball-Softball

Associat ion (CYBSA),

welcome to another great

season of youth baseball

and girls fast pitch softball.

Practice begins the week of May 14, Managers

(head coach) have been provided with both the

practice and game schedules for his/her team.

Game schedules are visible on the CYBSA

website when you login (green button) to your

account. (Do not sign in - top right corner)

W e l c o m e

Special points of interest:

Welcome/add ext messages to your account

Dates to keep track of

CYBSA requires copy of Birth Certificate

Chart by Coach Name

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BSA

NEW

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M a y 2 0 1 2

New for 2012, now

receive CYBSA text alerts on

your mobile phone.

Official notice of game

cancellations, reschedules,

field changes, etc. can now

be received on your mobile

phone in the form of a text

message.

A copy of the notification is

also sent to the email

address provided on player’s

registration. Receive up to

date information directly from

CYBSA instead of waiting for

a phone call from the coach

or team mom. If interested in

utilizing this notification tool

please check the box to

receive text messages on

your registration form

(profile page) and using the

drop down box select your

cell phone carrier.

It is recommended to utilize

this option so you are not the

one who drove all the way to

the field only to find out the

field is closed and practice or

the game was cancelled.

R e c e i v e t e x t a l e r t s f r o m C Y B S A

Important Dates

May 12 CYBSA “Shop Day” at Dick’s Sporting goods (Arapahoe & Parker)

May 14 Cal Ripken (4-12) practice begins, Babe Ruth (13-15) games begin, begin fundraiser.

May 19 CYBSA Opening event / Picture Day at Village Greens Park , CYBSA League

Appreciation Weekend (Sports Authority Southlands Mall)

May 29 Cal Ripken Games begin

May 31 Fundraiser ends turn in orders and monies to Team Mom

Rockies ticket orders and monies due to Team Mom

June 1 Team Mom turn in fundraiser and Rockies Ticket orders 5-7pm at Dove Valley

June 8 Team Mom pick up fundraiser and Rockies Tickets 4:30-6:30pm

June 10 CYBSA Youth Day at the Rockies Arrive by 11:00 am to participate in the pre-

game parade

June 18 & 19 Minor 9 and Minor 10 All-Star tryouts.

June 20 & 21 Major 11 & 12 All-Star tryouts.

July 2 End of Season tournament begins

July 6-9 District All-Star Tournaments

July 6-8 Minor 10 District Tournament hosted by CYBSA

July 14 Absolute last day for Championship games

July 14 & 15 Equipment return

CYBSA

P.O. Box 4913

Englewood, CO 80155

Baseball: 303-380-2505

Softball: 303-380-4004

Fax: 303-632-6346

E-mail: cybsa@msn.com

CENTENNIAL YOUTH

BASEBALL-SOFTBALL

ASSOCIATION

We’re on the web.

www.centennialbaseball.com

CYBSA must verify date of birth (DOB) for every player participating in the program.

Age verification is necessary to ensure players meet age requirements for participation and

participating in the correct age division. Once a player’s DOB has been verified by Randy

Seifert, CYBSA League Manager, a Babe Ruth League, Inc. ID card is purchased by

CYBSA to serve as an “Official Birth Document” throughout the player’s CYBSA and Babe

Ruth/Cal Ripken career. CYBSA retains possession of the ID Cards except when used as

part of an All-Star team credentials book, which travels with the team until the conclusion

of the tournament trail. ID Cards are used in lieu of the Original Birth Certificate

requirement. The ID cards are returned to CYBSA upon conclusion of the team’s All-Star

Tournament Trail. NEW PLAYERS DOB verification will be done during CYBSA’s

Opening Event on May 19th at Village Greens Park. To verify, please show your original

birth certificate and leave a copy of the original with Randy at the League Managers tent.

The copy of your player’s birth certificate is required to be kept on file.

Send Copy of Birth Certificate

Scan and email to: cybsa@msn.com

Fax to: 303-632-6346

Mail to: CYBSA POB 4913 Englewood, CO 80155

Mail to: CYBSA P.O. Box 4913 Englewood, CO 80155

Our CYBSA family of

sponsors is growing.

Please see www.centennialbaseball.com

for a list of our sponsors

and let them know

you’re from CYBSA

A g e v e r i f i c a t i o n

Carmine Lonardo's

Italian Meat Market and Deli

15380 E. Smoky Hill Rd

(S.E. Corner of Smoky & Chambers)

303-699-4532

CYBSA will seek to implant

in the youth of the

community ideals of good

sportsmanship, honesty,

loya l ty, courage and

reverence, so they may be

finer, stronger and happier

youths who will grow to be

good, clean, healthy adults.

Veterinary Skin & Allergy Specialists

at the

Helping your pets with skin, coat, ear, nail, allergy

and itchy problems

M a y 1 9 P h o t o g r a p h y s c h e d u l e

CYBSA

5/19/2012

8:30 Gudridge T-Ball Nov 8:30 Rex Nov T-ball 8:30 Linn M9

8:45 Gudridge R7 8:45 Scanlon R7 8:45 Burke R8

9:00 McDowell M9 9:00 Makowka M9 9:00 B Padilla R8

9:15 Parker 8U 9:15 Davoll/Hemphill 8U 9:15 Siler M9

9:30 Denning T-ball Nov 9:30 Wead T-ball Adv 9:30 Melun T-ball Nov

9:45 Sumner R7 9:45 Cruz R7 9:45 Phillies T-ball Adv

10:00 Joyce M9 10:00 D.Davis M9 10:00 Boushele R8

10:15 Joyce 12U 10:15 T.Seifert M9 10:15 Mallory M9

10:30 Hagen 10U 10:30 Reasbeck T-ball Adv 10:30 Barnes 10U

10:45 Linn R7 10:45 ReasbeckR8 10:45 Delp/Cook T-ball Adv

11:00 Hoerl R8 11:00 Radz R8 11:00 B Johnson R7

11:15 Betschart M9 11:15 Maranville M10 11:15 Green M9

11:30 Cortez 10U 11:30 Carter 12U 11:30 M. Seifert M10

11:45 Johnson 10 comp 11:45 C Davis M10 11:45 Qualman 12U

12:00 Badini T-ball Adv 12:00 Crandall T-ball Adv 12:00 Fox R7

12:15 Signorile R7 12:15 Colvin R8 12:15 Romero R8

12:30 Poole M9 12:30 Heintz M9 12:30 Vanwormer 10 comp

12:45 Wortmann 10 comp 12:45 Fenstermacher T Adv 12:45 Garver T-ball Adv

1:00 Kaprelian R7 1:00 T Sullivan R7 1:00 Heisinger R8

1:15 Brown M11 1:15 Litvin M11 1:15 Petrie M11

1:30 Eddy M11 1:30 Linn M11 1:30 Kennedy M11

1:45 Anderson M11 1:45 Maloney M11 1:45 Eckhardt M12

2:00 Robles M9 2:00 Wells M9 2:00 Smith M12

2:15 Evenson M12 2:15 Wiederspan M12 2:15 Schwarz M12

2:30 Rodriguez 13 Prep 2:30 Hamilton 13 Prep 2:30 T Sullivan 13 Prep

2:45 Struhs 13 Prep 2:45 Martin 13 Prep 2:45 Owens

3:00 Sparks 13-15 3:00 Meador 13-15 3:00 Julian 13-15

CYBSA

We’re on the web.

www.centennialbaseball.com

Y o u r C a t c h e r i s Y o u r Q B

By Cal & Bill Ripken

In many ways the catcher is the quarterback of the baseball team.

A complete catcher has enough knowledge of his team’s

pitching staff and a comprehensive enough under-

standing of the game’s various situations to call pitches

and team defenses.

The complete catcher also has the luxury of being able

to see most of the action that occurs on the field during

a game. This allows the catcher to give his or her team-

mates direction about whether or not to cut off throws,

which bases to throw to and who should field bunts or

pop-ups.

This alone sets the catcher apart as a leader, but what really makes the catcher stand

out among his or her teammates is the unselfishness that it takes to be a good

catcher.

By far, a catcher’s body takes more abuse than that of any other position player on

the team. When it comes to catching, the most important thing to remember is that a

catcher who can catch and stop pitches effectively can prevent the opposing team

from advancing base runners.

One who throws well is an even bigger bonus.

A good catcher makes the other team earn its runs instead of giving the opponent

opportunities to score, which often makes the difference in a game’s outcome.

Although the importance of the catcher is undeniable, most coaches don’t feel they

know enough about the position to spend much time instructing their catchers. If

they can find a kid who is willing to sacrifice his body for the good of the team, that’s

enough for them. Once the catching position is filled, that’s one less headache for

them to concern themselves with.

But look at it from this perspective: If someone is willing to squat behind the plate

and get beaten up, that player probably has the mentality to want to become the ab-

solute best catcher that he or she can.

Continued next page>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Finding somebody with the right personality traits and unselfish attitude is half the battle. If you can find that per-

son and provide them with even a little bit of insight about the position, you’ll be amazed at how much better it

makes your team.

Here are some basic key points that can help your catchers improve:

T h e G e a r Catcher clearly is the most dangerous of all positions on the baseball field. Therefore, it is imperative that your

team’s catching equipment be in good working condition, be the proper size and be worn properly.

All players – not just catchers – should wear an athletic supporter and a protective cup. In addition, catchers need

a helmet that covers the ears and has a mask strapped to it or a hockey goalie-style mask. The helmet and mask

should fit snugly enough so that the player can move his or her head up and down and from side to side without

having parts of the helmet or mask obstruct vision.

The throat area must be protected – either with a throat guard or by a mask that has a throat extension. For

younger players, the chest protector should have a flap that covers the groin/upper thigh area. Older players usu-

ally prefer a shorter chest protector that extends to the waist and provides more mobility, but this is only safe for

experienced catchers who, of course, are wearing a cup.

Make sure that the chest protector isn’t so loose that it leaves certain critical areas exposed or makes it too difficult

for the catcher to throw.

Shinguards are always worn so that they are hooked on the outside of the leg. You don’t want hooks on the inside of

the legs rubbing together and coming undone. The shinguards should cover as much of the top part of the foot as

possible without restricting movement.

Catcher’s mitts can take a long time to break in. The catcher should find a glove that he or she is comfortable with

during the off-season and spend some time breaking it in before the season starts. Using a brand new glove during

the season can lead to a lot of dropped pitches and frustration on everyone’s part.

B a s i c S t a n c e Even young pitchers might have signals for two-seam and four-seam fastballs and/or change-ups. For a catcher,

the basic stance is how you set-up before the pitch is thrown.

Get in an athletic position (feet shoulder-width apart, weight on balls of feet, knees slightly bent) and squat

Foot width in squat to be determined by comfort.

Squat should be comfortable, balanced athletic position with knees just far enough apart for pitcher to see signs

Give sign with hand placed close to protective cup L e g s t o o f a r a p a r t o r s i g n s h e l d t o o l o w c a n a l l o w o p p o s i n g t e a m t o

s t e a l s i g n a l s

R e c e i v i n g S t a n c e The receiving stance is how you set-up once the pitcher has decided what to throw and has gone into his motion.

Be comfortable

Find a relaxed stance so that you can receive the pitch with soft hands

Elbows outside of shinguards and wrists loose

Weight on insteps, not toes

Keep weight out in front

Your Catcher is Your QB continued

Continued next page >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

R u n n e r s o n B a s e / T w o - s t r i k e S t a n c e With runners on base or with a two-strike count, your catcher needs to stand in a slightly adjusted ready position,

with the legs flexed and the rear end raised a little higher in order to quickly transition into a throw or a block on a

ball in the dirt.

Adjust stance to get in good throwing position

Athletic position with weight forward on balls of feet

Rear end up higher so you can throw or drop to block a pitch - if rear end is down, first movement has to be up

and not toward where the throw will go

Knees pointing toward second base

Left foot slightly in front of right

Throwing hand placed behind mitt, balled up loosely to protect fingers F o l l o w t h e b a l l a s i t t r a v e l s w i t h b o t h h a n d s ; w a t c h t h e b a l l t r a v e l

a l l t h e w a y i n t o t h e m i t t

B l o c k i n g P i t c h e s Blocking is what separates good catchers from great catchers; and it's also the toughest skill for catchers to master.

Anticipate the ball in the dirt, especially with two strikes on a batter or runners on base

Throwing hand behind mitt and glove placed between legs to keep balls from rolling through

Butt as close to the ground as possible

Curl shoulders and swing hips around to create angles parallel to the plate and help guide the ball in front of

you

Try to smother the ball with chest protector; mitt stays in position on the ground between the legs

Keep chin down to avoid getting hit in neck

Take your mask over the spot where the pitch bounces

Try to block ball into fair territory

Whichever direction you have to move to block, turn that shoulder in toward home plate

Block wild pitches to the sides of home plate at 45-degree angle to deaden the ball around home plate

Move forward and down on balls in the dirt; get to knees as quickly as possible P i c k u p b a l l w i t h t h e b a r e h a n d a f t e r b l o c k i n g

T h r o w i n g "Pop time" is a familiar term to most catchers - it's the measure of how quickly a catcher can receive a pitch and

deliver the ball to second base. Pop time indicates how good a catcher is at stopping runners from stealing bases.

But the clock starts as soon as the ball hits the catcher's mitt. To reduce their pop time, catcher needs to work on a

lot more than arm strength.

Footwork is key; anticipate a steal on every pitch

Catch the ball first, but don’t reach for the pitch; get the call for the pitcher first and foremost

Catch the ball as close to body as possible so you can get it out of the glove more quickly

Use a four-seam grip

Get momentum toward the base you are throwing to, pointing front shoulder toward target

Release the ball as quickly as possible, but try to stay balanced. These tips should give you a good start toward helping make your catcher – and your team – better.

Your Catcher is Your QB continued