Reaching the community

Allentown is so supportive of this organization, even if they do wear the neighboring city Philadelphia on their jerseys. For this effort and continuous fan-base, the Force makes their greatest effort to give back to the community.

This weekend was packed with team involvement. Friday kicked off the weekend as the team took on the NE All-Stars. This was an awesome opportunity for both teams. After a week off, and with the upcoming series against the Chicago Bandits, it was important for the team to get back on the field and shape-up. More importantly, however, how cool is it to get the opportunity to play against pros when you're in college? The NE All-Stars were a group of local stand-outs from colleges that played an eight inning scrimmage against the Force. It was a great game, and I hope it gave the NE All-Stars a little boost to keep working hard, since there is an opportunity to go pro.

Saturday had huge promise, but the rain got us. There was a showcase tournament in New Jersey that four players were planning on attending. At the end of the tournament day, the "unverballed" (which totally isn't un-ver-ball-ed, it's un-verbal-ed... unsigned/committed) players were going to come together to play for college scouts, and the Force players were going to coach. Sweet in theory, until the rain came. Look out for that game to be rescheduled, though. Way too cool of an opportunity to let go out the window because of rain.

Sunday was awesome. Newbees (rookies) Alex Newton, Kristin Erb and myself (woo hoo I got to play!) took a trip to Shamong, NJ for a clinic. The clinic consisted of 26 girls, the three of us and three hours of instruction. The girls were great, they listened to what we asked them to do, stayed on task and really seemed to have a good time. Kudos to Erb too, who took 19 girls by herself to instruct both pitching/catching, while Newton and I worked with six infielders and one outfielder.

One more day, today! One of the coolest things the Force does, and definitely the best of the weekend, is hospital visits. Six of the teammates traveled to Philadelphia to support the recovery of hospital patients. They reported that they had a great time. It's something that the team is planning on doing throughout the season; paying forward some of the support they get from loved ones.

Keep your eyes peeled for happenings throughout the community all season long. Also, if you have any requests please let us know; we would love to help. You can either call the stadium or e-mail me. I hope to get suggestions soon!

I'm hoping to get pictures soon of Saturday's clinic, and a picture of one of the pit-stops we took. You will have to see to understand.