Season kicks off at Chicago!

Yay for the season starting! Hope all you bloggers caught the game on mlb.com last night (all pictures were captured during the stream). Although the outcome wasn't exactly in our favor, there were a lot of good things that came out of last nights season opener in Elgin, Ill. against the Chicago Bandits. 

Let's back track a second and talk about what was posted in the dorm before the team left for Chicago. We, the interns, created a chauffeur service for the team, having picked them up from the dorms after their early practice, and then dropped them off at the Lehigh Valley Airport. My favorite part was when rookie utility player Danielle Kinley came back out of the airport asking me to take her back to the dorm for her ID; quality, Danielle. 

Later on, when the interns were nestled all snug in their beds, I returned to the dorm to find an awesome picture that had been posted to pump up the team. On Birk's classic board, she had posted a still shot of two Bandits players that had been caught at an awkward moment and looked disgusted. The caption above it was from a reporters perspective, as if the question had been asked how the Bandits felt getting beat by the Force. It was hilarious. I wish I had taken a picture of it, but silly me forgot. Sorry everyone. 

The live streaming was cool. If you have access to internet on game nights, you should really tune in to watch. It is an awesome opportunity for the country to watch games that they cannot get to in person. However, you should take the chance and make it to a game. Especially at ECTB Stadium, if I can insert a plug here. We are working hard to make this stadium the best experience for all the fans, on and off the field. 

Moving back to the game, it looked like there are the normal beginning of the season kinks to work out, but there is huge potential for this team. A lot of good defensive plays were made, balls were put into play offensively and people were running hard. Pitching struggled early, but after the first inning, Sallinger really settled down and looked good. Birk was excellent in her two innings of relief pitching, which is huge for depth of the staff showing early. 

Tonight is game two, and I have a feeling things are going to turn around for the Force. I am a big supporter of the small ball game, and that putting consistent balls into play is better than hitting a couple bombs. Take a lesson from the University of Florida's performance in the WCWS. If they could have kept momentum by getting a few singles, a double or two, in a row rather than waiting on the long ball to pull them out of a situation, their team morale and dynamics would have instantly changed. Back onto my point, I think that last night the hard swings and ground balls will find their way through and this will be an excellent hitting team. I'm keeping my positivity, and I know they are too! 

Last note...

GO FORCE!