Blountville at the Bat

(with all due apologies to Ernest Lawrence Thayer)
The outlook was bright and rosy for team Blountville Blue that day;With eye black on and bats in tow, this team will surely play.
So round their coaches gathered, each eager All-Star lad,And as their voices joined in ’team,’ a victory was sure to be had.
The umpire stood poised upon the mound to awaken the machine,And behind him stood ten gloves flashing leather in a manner seldom seen.
And upon the brows of the opposing team grim melancholy sat,For after putting them down 1-2-3, ‘twas Blountville at the bat.
First up was that freckled speedster who goes by the name of Tanner,Laid down a bunt and then flew to first in a furtive, flash-like manner.
Then came the mighty Christopher, bat gripped firmly in his hand,And promptly sent that tater a flyin’, safe on second he did stand.
Two on, no outs, and who in the batter’s box did appear,But Isaac and his freshly bandaged finger and a bat he’d nicknamed ‘fear.’
A whack belied a screamer down third and the runners quickly sped,A play at the plate and a cloud of dust---“2 to 0” the umpire said.
And now the defense faced Evan with a look of complete despair,A stand up triple for the shortstop in blue, and all they could do was stare.
Mighty Austin was next in the order and he ripped one to the gap,Not even a well-placed throw to second could stop that mohawk beneath his cap.
Thomas strode proudly to the plate with his game face firmly set,And promptly ended the home half of the first---the run limit had been met.
So back to the field went those energetic young lads, tit-tat;Let’s get ‘em boys, three up and three down, then it’s Blountville at the bat.
Then from the visiting dugout came a sigh, a groan, not a shout,For their leadoff man met Darien’s quick glove and the line score read ‘one out.’
But then came a shot to left center that the batsman he did lace,And if you looked closely you could surely have seen a sly grin upon his face.
And he stood and admired his ball truly struck and slowly made the turn,But when he trudged into second base there a shocking lesson he did learn.
For CJ tracked down that long shot, and spun and let it fly,And as ball met mitt, and mitt met batter, a tear welled in the coach’s eye.
A nubber toward third gave a glimmer of hope, a baserunner ready to bust,He leaned off the bag then darted to second, a ball that kicked up in the dust.
But Parker espied that white scuffed-up ball, and plucked it up off the ground,He tossed off his mask and let fly a dart, “he’s out,” the umpire did sound.
First up in the second was Brady, his bat head tried and true,After fouling one off, he lined it up straight, and up the middle the ball it flew.
Then Kody faked a bunt, pulled it back, and roped one to right,Blake followed suit and drove Brady home, as the ball slowly drifted out of sight.
And then came that pesky lefty named Hayden to the bat,And he promptly slapped one past second and loaded the bases fat.
With excitement in the air, and the bases fully juiced, the opposing dugout was heard to say,“Oh no, not number 11,” that hard-hitting youngster they lovingly call G.A.
The first pitch that he saw was not quite to his taste and the count was quickly one strike,But the second was straight, a little inside, and he quipped as he swung “now that is what I like.”
And off flew the ball up and over the outfielder’s glove, and deftly through the grass,One by one they came storming across the plate, and the runs they did amass.
Now the dugout is empty, no more mud caked on their pants,The field sits eerily quiet, devoid of their rally chants.
But the camaraderie and memories will live on each time they don their hats,For there will always be joy upon the field, when it’s Blountville at the bat.
By: Will

Blountville Loses first game in tournament

Blountville lost tonight to a good Johnson City team. The game was back and forth until Johnson City pulled ahead and hung on to win 13-7. We play tomorrow night @ 8:15.

Blountville Takes on Johnson City Majors

Blountville plays tonight Wed. July 23rd @ 8:15 against the Johnson City Majors. Good Luck Blountville!!!

Blountville Takes Home a Win

We had a very exciting game in the first game of the Blountville tournament. We played Johnson City America Blue on Saturday night. This game was all Blountville from the beginning. Our defense was absolutley in control and our bats were hot, hot, hot!!! We only played 4 innings because the score at the end of the fourth was 12-1. We move on to play Johnson City Majors on Wed at 8:15. Good game Blountville!!!

Congratulations!!!!

Congratulations to Isaac for being selected to the all tournament team at the Bristol Western Tournament!!! We are very proud of you.

Blountville Tournament Begins July 19th

Blountville Blue all stars will practice tonight, Thursday July 17th at 6:00. We will be playing Johnson City American Blue on Sat. July 19th at 6:00. Go Blountville!!!

Letter from Coach Whitehead

7-8 BLOUNTVILLE MINOR LEAGUE ALL STARS

Gregory, Tanner, Christopher, Kody, Austin, Hayden, Darian, Thomas , C J, Blake, Evan, Brady, Parker and Isaac

To all the Blountville Blue 7-8 All Stars:
I would like to begin these comments by saying how special each of the above listed all stars are to me. I have had the opportunity to know and become great friends with each one of these young men. They are a great group of athletes but more than that, they are tremendous kids both on and off the baseball field. I know I am not always as patient with you as I should be, but even when I may seem impatient or disappointed, I want you to know, there is no one more proud of you than me.
Congratulations on another good tournament at Bristol Western LL. Even though our bats cooled off somewhat, our defense remained solid and true all star level. Your intense play and determination is to be admired. To make the final 6 out of 20 teams is an awesome accomplishment, plus add a 2nd place finish at the Fairview LL tournament…..WOW – way to go!!!!!!!
With the excitement of both tournaments behind us to build on, I look forward to the opportunity to be in the Blountville LL tournament. I am so very proud of each one of you and thankful to be a part of your team.
Your Manager,
Keith Whitehead

Blountville Blue out of Western Tournament

Blountville played a nailbiter to a good Unicoi blue team. We showed outstanding effort. This game came down to whoever hit last was going to win. The game went back and forth at the end. We missed several key plays and wasn't able to connect on much needed bats at critical times. We come up short with a 13-12 finish. However finishing in the top six teams of a tournment with 20 teams shows what kind of team we are. A great one!!! Austin was player of the game as given by tournament officials. We are going to recollect our thoughts, get in some more practice and get ready to play our last tournament on Saturday at home in the Blountville 7 & 8 year old invitational tournament.

Blountville Blue takes first lost in Western Tournament

We played Honaker tonight for a chance to stay in the winner's bracket. This game didn't quite turn out the way we hoped. Final score being 8-4. Several boys made great defensive plays but our hitting was not up to par. Darian was named player of the game by tournament officials. One of the strong points this all star season is that the boys are learning to play as a team. Another thing we are learning is that the team who does the little things right takes home the win. Although we took home a loss we are going to use it as a stepping stone and get ready to play again on Tuesday @ 6:00.

Blountville Blue advances

Blountville played a great game. They had an outstanding defensive game which helped them overcome a strong hitting Bristol, Va team. Several boys made key hits to score much needed runs. Our player of the game as recognized by the tournament officials was Austin. He had an outstanding game at 3rd tonight. At the end of the night it was Blountville 13 Bristol, VA 7. Good Job Blountville Blue!!!! We play Honaker on Sat. @ 6:00.

Tournament at Bristol Western

Waiting for the rain to quit.
They all were so pumped and then it began to rain and rain and well you get the picture.
Coach Whitehead giving his after game talk to the team.
Thanks Coach for all that you do for the team!!!!

After a very long rain delay on Saturday the All stars got to finally play Bristol Western. The boys got off to a sluggish start but finally came alive in the final inning to win 14-4. They did this in the fourth inning and the game was called because of the slaughter rule. We even batted around in that inning. This win put us in the winner's bracket therefore we play Bristol Eastern on Wed. @ 6:00. Everyone put up a great effort to get the win.

Fourth of July parade/Western Tournament begins

Saturday July 5th Blountville began their first game against a talented group of all stars from Western and was pleased to pick up a win 14-4. Isaac was named player of the game by tournament officials. He played a great definsive game which included an unasisted double play and seven rbi's. Great job Isaac!!

Getting the float all decorated for the parade.



The boys loved being in the Fourth of July Parade in Blountville. They all had lots of stuff to throw to the crowd. Even their biggest fans were at the parade to cheer them on.

Pictures from first Tournament at Bristol Fairview

After placing 2nd in the tournament the boys take a victory lap.
The team with their hardware.
Resting up between games.
Coach Whitehead and Isaac.
Austin, Evan, C.J., Isaac and Parker posing with their trophy.
Congratulations Blountville Blue!!!!!
Waiting for the next game.

Final score of first game. We were the visitors.