Annual Park Clean-up and Leaf Removal

Mark your calendars... Our annual park clean-up and leaf removal day will be December 10th. This event calls for any and all supporters, including moms, dads, coaches, board members, current or former players and siblings.  This is also a great opportunity for students or service clubs to log volunteer hours, or parents and kids who just want to show their appreciation for all the hard work our volunteer grounds crew does throughout the year.  We encourage anyone who has enjoyed our great park to give some time back to help us maintain it. 

Volunteers should bring gloves, rakes and/or gas-powered blowers. Work will begin at 8am and go into late afternoon. Come as early and stay as long as you can. Email Paxton Hollar if you have any questions. phollar@suncappg.com. 

MP Leaf Days 2014

The leaves have fallen. It's time to pitch in and help keep our park beautiful. Saturdays, December 6th and 13th are our annual MPTLL Leaf Cleanup Days at the fields at Randolph Park. The fun will begin each day at 9:00 a.m. and continue into the afternoon. This event calls for any and all Myers Park Trinity supporters - moms, dads, coaches, players, siblings, board members - anyone who can work a rake, gas blower, tarp, etc. The more the merrier. We encourage anyone who has enjoyed our great park to give some time back to help maintain it. This will be a great opportunity for students or service clubs wanting to log volunteer hours, or parents and kids who just want to show their appreciation for all that our hard-working volunteer grounds crew does throughout the year.

The work we accomplish on these Saturdays will pay dividends down the road and free up time for other projects. Please plan to attend and bring the whole family. Don't forget to bring any rakes or other tools that may be helpful. We will especially need as many gas powered blowers as possible. Make sure to mark your name on anything you bring.

If you would like to volunteer to help clean up the park on the 6th and/or 13th, please CLICK HERE and select the times that work for you. Thanks!

The Loss of Demonta Gaither

You may have seen the sad story in the news this week about the young man from Grier Heights who drowned in the pond behind Randolph Park. This is a particularly sad event for MPTLL because the young man, Demonta Gaither, was a popular player during the years he spent playing baseball in our league. Demonta played in the AL, NL, Majors (Carolina Pad) and in our Senior League. In his final season with Carolina Pad in 2007, he was selected by the Major League coaches as the recipient of the Billy Rice Award, which is given to the player whose enthusiasm and love of the game exemplify the best in Little League baseball. Demonta’s nomination for the Rice Award included the following excerpt, as written by his coach, Robert Griffin, who served as a mentor to him both during and after his time with MPTLL:

 

“Demonta loves the league and loves our team. He is a happy boy who likes to compete, who doesn't like to lose, but who bounces back and is eager for the next game or practice. He is interested in his teammates -- he cares about them. He is enthusiastic at all practices -- giving as much effort as he gives to games, and enjoying the competition. He pays remarkably close attention to everything going on around him. He notices the flaws in the technique of his teammates and offers encouraging suggestions to "keep your eye on the ball" or "use two hands" and stuff like that -- in a way that is positive and helpful. He notices players on the other teams, too. He may know more about the players on the other teams than anyone on our team. He's just been a wonderful part of our team for these two years. He's only a pretty good player, but the MPTLL experience has been a good one for him, and he's made the experience better for me and for his teammates.  He's already looking forward to playing at Independence Park next year. All of this comes from a boy who doesn't have a great home environment in the Grier Heights apartment where he lives.”

 

Demonta’s death is a tragedy. His story can be a reminder to us of the needs of so many young people in some of our nearby neighborhoods, and of the opportunities that we have to try to help them, with guidance, encouragement, friendship and love. The relationships we build with these young people are greatly important, and there is much that we can do to influence their lives in a positive way.

 

Calling All Volunteers

MPTLL is run 100% by volunteers. We are always looking for additional help. Currently, we are seeking a Photography Coordinator, an Assistant Treasurer, an Assistant Sponsorship Coordinator and a Tryout Coordinator. We are also in need of additional grounds crew members and marketing help for our upcoming registration drive.

Please send an email to mptllpres@gmail.com if you would like more informtion about these important roles. Thanks!

Leaf Day 2013

This Saturday, December 7th, is the annual MPTLL Leaf Cleanup Day at the fields at Randolph Park. The festivities will begin at 9:00 a.m. and continue into the early afternoon. This event calls for any and all Myers Park Trinity supporters - moms, dads, coaches, players, siblings, board members - anyone who can work a rake, gas blower, tarp, etc. The more the merrier.

The work we accomplish on Saturday will pay dividends down the road and free up time for our volunteer grounds crew to work on other projects. Please plan to attend and bring the entire family. Don't forget to bring any rakes or other tools that may be helpful. Make sure to mark your name on anything you bring.

The weather forecast for Saturday is iffy. Any changes will be announced on MP Twitter, Facebook or Blog. If necessary, the make up date would be the following Saturday, December 14th.

Much To Be Thankful for in 2013

2013 has been a big year for Myers Park Trinity. We are truly blessed to have so many great people supporting our kids. A big "thank you" goes out...

To Tony and Boyd for always being there, morning, noon or night, working hard to make our park so nice; and to Paxton, Harrison, Kip, Hank, Preston and our entire volunteer grounds crew for their help that often goes unseen;

To Kaaren and Ashley for ensuring the continued service of our concession stand, whether or not their kids are playing games at the time; and to Barbara for doing it for so many years;

To Rich, Steve and Kris for guiding our ship with a steady hand;

To Tom and Kip for representing MPTLL behind the scenes to ensure that we have a firm footing in our community for years to come - we wouldn't have our park without these guys;

To Jake, Robert, Barry, Barbara and others for holding us true to the traditions that have made our league work for over 60 years;

To Rex and Kevin for being our tech guides and creating so much convenience for us all;

To Lauro for placing a priority on taking the MP experience to our closest neighbors and the kids who need it so much;

To Steve for keeping us financially secure today, and to Ed, Rich and Joe for leading us into the future;

To our loyal sponsors for believing in MPTLL and providing for our players;

To the coaches for, whether they know what they're getting into or not, becoming dedicated and passionate teachers of the game and positive role models for our children;

And to the parents, for entrusting their kids with us, cheering them on and supporting us all in so many ways;

It takes a village... so that moments like these are possible....

Keep Battling, Adam

We have a parent and coach in our league who has taken a turn for the worse. He has been fighting cancer valiantly for two years. He is a great guy and has a nice family, like we all do. But he has been battling for two years, although holding his head high with a smile on his face. I tell my players, "Keep your head up." Adam Schmitz has done that.

I've spent time with Adam and his son at the batting cages. Adam watches closely as his son hits ball after ball, making an adjustment here and there. Adam's eyes are bright and wide. He soaks it all in, loving every minute of it - just as he does any time he's at the park, either watching Zeke play or just talking to friends. He has the perspective on life that allows him to take in and appreciate his experiences. He wants more knowledge, more friends, more swings, more time.

Adam loves to talk and he is a good listener too. We discuss hitting and pitching, Majors and Minors, McGwire and Sosa, the Mets and Yankees, dogs and cats, whatever. We want to talk for longer, but I can't match his enthusiasm. And it's getting dark and the lights aren't coming on.

It's hard to know that someone like Adam with so much goodness in his heart and so much enthusiasm for life is struggling. It doesn't seem fair. But he is battling. That's another thing I tell my players: "Keep battling. Battle to the very end. No matter the outcome, you'll be proud that you did." Adam Schmitz has done that. He will continue to do it. And we are all proud.

Adam's family needs our help. Myers Park Trinity is a larger family of sorts. We support our own when they need us. If you would like to help the Schmitz family, please go to the following link and show your support. Show them how much we all appreciate Adam. Please visit:

The Adam Schmitz Cancer Fund

12's District Tournament Hosted by MPTLL

The 11-12-year-old NC District 3 Little League Tournament is being hosted by MPTLL. Games begin Saturday, July 6th. The updated bracket is here. Myers Park begins play vs Dilworth at 12:00 on new field on Saturday.

Join us in supporting the 12's as they try to defend their district title from last year. Come watch a game, or volunteer to help man the concessions tent by the field. MP needs your support. We are also hosting the 11-12-year-old NC State Tournament beginning July 20th.

Best of MPTLL #6: Fields and Facilities

Myers Park Trinity Little League is blessed to call Randolph Park its home. The Marshall-Caudle Little League Complex is the result of a little luck and a lot of hard work. It began to take shape after three decades of play on borrowed land across Randolph Road.

Here is what the area looked like in 1961. In that satellite image, E.C. Griffith Field is at the top left section of the photo. Caudle Field would be built just to its north many years later. What we now use and call "Grier Heights #1" is top right, directly across Randolph Road. At the bottom left is the old Culp Field, our Pony League / Babe Ruth field, before it became overgrown with ivy-covered outfield fences. And at the bottom right portion of the photo is the farmland that would become Randolph Park. Wade Field now sits directly across the street from where Culp Field once was.

When Lloyd Caudle, Tom Marshall and other volunteers secured the use of the Mecklenburg County land that is now Randolph Park in the early 1980's, it was originally constructed with two Little League fields and a Babe Ruth field. The Little League fields had dirt infields, no mounds and no outfield fences. Their were no bleachers - only a long concrete slab on each side of the backstop for fans to sit on. The dugouts had no roofs. There was a two-sided wooden scoreboard between the fields along a dirt walking path, which led to a small cinder-block concession stand (now "Billy's Building"). The fields were called Randolph East and West (later Kiser-Chapman) Fields, and they are still in use today.

Best of MPTLL #5: Volunteers

Myers Park Trinity is one of the largest youth sports leagues in Charlotte. It fields over 50 teams each spring regular season, plus about another 30 throughout the Fall Ball, Challenge and All-Star programs.

It takes a large group of dedicated people to fill the diverse roles necessary to run such a large, growing and improving organization. There are obviously the coaches. There are division coordinators. There is the grounds crew and concessions staff. There are league officers and a board of directors. There are people to manage things like sponsorships, registration, marketing, websites, tryouts, tournaments, fundraising, construction and - being in a county park - government relations.

All of these people are volunteers. Many of them do not have children in the league. Some of them put in a handful of hours nearly every day for the benefit of Myers Park Trinity. Why do they do it? Because they know a good thing when they see it. They are passionate about it. They know it's good for the kids and they want it to last. They also know it's refreshing and energizing to be around baseball and softball, and to spend time good people.

So get involved. As they say, the more you put into something, the more you get out of it. That's certainly true at Myers Park. I can't think of a better organization to be a part of.

In case you missed it.....

Best of MPTLL #1: Community Atmosphere.

Best of MPTLL #2: Dedicated Coaches.

Best of MPTLL #3: Versatility.

Best of MPTLL #4: History and Tradition.

Independence Park Work Day: Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013

From our Junior League Coordinator, Mark Mensheha....

MPTLL is seeking volunteers - both players and families - for some preseason field work at its home field for 13s and 14s, Independence Park, this coming Saturday, January 26, between 9am and 5pm. We’re proud to have a great facility like Independence Park as our 13/14 home, but the facility is in need of a little clean-up work before the 2013 season can begin.

We’ll hopefully have more volunteers than we have available equipment at the field, so if you can bring with you any of the following, the equipment will likely come in handy:

Work gloves
Rakes
Shovels
Gas-powered leaf blowers
Leaf bags
Circle hoe (to help pull weeds around the backstop area)
Cable ties (to close off openings in the fenceline)

In addition to the general facility clean-up work that the above tools will make possible, we’re hoping for some assistance with some “heavy-lifting” work. This includes work on our mound and catchers circle, as well as edging work around the infield.

We also have a potential painting project that will be available to us. If you’d be interested in that work, specifically, please let us know of that interest through the contact information below.

If you can offer a couple hours of your time on Saturday, it’d be greatly appreciated.

Questions: Mark Mensheha (mmensheha@yahoo.com)

Independence Park Work Day - January 26, 2013

MPTLL is seeking volunteers - both players and families - for some preseason field work at its Junior League diamond at Independence Park on January 26. The MP 13's and 14's have a jewel of a home field at Independence Park. But our home is in need of a little clean-up work before the 2013 season can begin.

Check back here for additional details in the days to come. In the meantime, save the date, and hopefully you can help the league and our Junior League teams by spending some time with us on the 26th.

Best of MPTLL #2: Dedicated Coaches

Jake Wade, Harry & Bryant
Manager, 1957-Present

The eight Major League managers at Myers Park Trinity Little League have over 150 years of cumulative experience coaching their teams. The Minor League division has a few dedicated coaches of its own who return each year. The same can be said for our 13 and over MP Academy teams and some of the other areas of our league. You would be hard pressed to find many leagues in the world that can make those statements.

Myers Park Trinity is fortunate to have many parents that are willing to coach a team or help the league in some other capacity. Volunteer organizations depend on these types of valuable participants.

But being a parent with a child on the team is not a requirement for coaching at MPTLL. In our Majors division, it is the exception to the rule. Some of our longest serving coaches' children aged out of the program many years ago. Others do not yet have kids old enough to play. And some have kids who aged onto their teams after more than a decade of coaching. Volunteering to coach at Myers Park Trinity is a choice we make based on our dedication to our teams, the league and the game. We are caretakers of our teams and we strive to perpetuate the positive effects that youth baseball has had on our players for generations.

We do not coach our teams in order to create an ideal situation for our own children. We are here to stay, so we think long-term regarding what's best for our teams and the league - not just what makes our own kids have an enjoyable experience. "Daddy-ball," as it is often called, is a problem in many areas of youth sports. That is why many people have advocated for non-parent coaches. By having dedicated, full-time coaches in these divisions of play, Myers Park Trinity takes "daddy-ball" out of the equation for most of its players aged 10 and up during the regular season and all-stars. That is extremely rare these days, and it is one aspect of our league that sets us apart from so many. It is one of the fundamental reasons that MPTLL is a great league.

In case you missed it......

Best of MPTLL #1: Community Atmosphere.

Leaf Pickup Day - Saturday, December 1

Please mark your calendar and plan to volunteer some time on Saturday, December 1st for the annual MPTLL Leaf Pickup Day at Randolph Park. The festivities will begin at 9am and continue into the afternoon until the leaves are gone.

Our volunteer grounds crew does an amazing job for the kids of Myers Park Trinity, spending countless hours at our park on a year-round basis. Baseball doesn't stop for them, and they are the main reason we have the best park around. But for a project this large, they need our help. Collecting the leaves now will allow them to work on other needed projects over the winter. So please support them with at least a couple of hours of your time, hopefully more, on the 1st.

Volunteers are encouraged to bring work gloves, rakes and gas-powered leaf blowers if possible. Snow shovels and tarps also come in handy for scooping large amounts of leaves off the ground. And a pickup truck or two would be useful for transporting leaves to where they need to be gathered. Remember to mark all tools that you bring with a name so nothing gets lost.

Please join us on December 1st. I hope to see the MPTLL community in full force.

Coaching Your Own Kid

If you are planning to coach your own son or daughter's team this season, I highly recommend that you read this article by Janis Meredith:  6 Steps to Successfully Coaching Your Own Child. 

Meredith offers the following advice for the benefit of all involved - the child, the parent, the team and the league:

1. Get objective opinions about each child's abilities from your fellow coaches.
2. Give fair treatment to all. Don't treat your child better or worse than the other players.
3. Do not coach at home unless your child brings it up.
4. Prepare your kids for peer pressure they may encounter because you are the coach.
5. Remind your child that you are their coach on the field, not just their parent.
6. Be an unconditional coach. "If you are going to volunteer to help coach your child's team, commit yourself to doing what's best for the entire team, not just your child. If you can't do that, don't coach."

So many leagues have been negatively affected by "daddyball." The "what's in it for me and my kid" attitude

Volunteer for Grier Heights Registration

Walk-up registration begins this weekend at the Randolph Park Concession Stand, at Grier Heights Community Monumental Park on Sam Drenan Road, and at the Food Lion on Wendover Road. Registration continues online through February 19th and remains the easiest option for signing your child up for spring baseball, softball or tee ball.

If you would like to volunteer to work a shift at registration in Grier Heights, please contact Brandon Merchant. Our efforts in that neighborhood are a very important part of our league. Here are the sign up times:

Concession Stand:
Saturday,  February 4,  10:00-2:00.

Grier Heights Community Monumental Park:
Saturdays,  February 4, 11 & 18,  10:00-4:00.
Sundays,  February 5, 12 & 19,  1:00-5:00.
Weekdays,  February 13-17,  3:00-5:00.

Food Lion:
Saturdays,  February 4, 11 & 18,  10:00-4:00.
Sundays,  February 5, 12 & 19,  1:00-5:00.

Park Cleanup Day - Saturday, Dec. 3rd

Please join us this Saturday, December 3rd, for our annual fall park cleanup day at the MPTLL fields at Randolph Park. It begins at 9am and will last most of the day. There will be leaves and other debris to collect, as well as other projects that need helping hands.

We are truly fortunate to have one the the finest youth baseball and softball facilities around. And there is a reason - our volunteer grounds crew does not have an offseason. There are routine maintenance tasks (like grass cutting, debris cleanup, equipment maintenance and dirt replacement) and special projects (like field construction, sod cutting, painting, tree removal, concrete pouring and drainage control) all year long. I think one of the greatest challenges for our grounds crew is simply how to prioritize all the work. But they are always committed to getting it done.

I've been associated with Myers Park Trinity for most of my life and I have never seen the park looking so great on a consistent basis like it has in recent years. Nor have I seen such a hard-working and dedicated volunteer grounds crew. Regardless of the weather, the season or the time of day, I see either Tony McNay, Boyd Correll or another member of our grounds crew working at the park almost every time I go out there for lessons or practice. Their commitment is really amazing.

Occasionally they ask for our help, and we need to deliver. So please try to find some time this Saturday to lend a hand. And spread the word to other parents and coaches about this event so we can get as many volunteers as possible. You can send them a link to this post.

It starts at 9:00 am and will last all day. So even if you have basketball or some other activity to attend, hopefully you can spend a couple of hours before or after at the park. If you have a gas-powered leaf blower, please bring it. If not, bring a rake. A couple of snow shovels will be needed too for debris removal. Hope to see you on Saturday.

Walk-Up Registration Volunteers Needed

Myers Park Trinity walk-up registration will resume this weekend and continue every day through next weekend (Feb. 12-20). Lauro Diaz is overseeing signups in the Grier Heights Community and continuing the efforts begun there years ago by Zan Copeland. Our efforts in Grier Heights are important to the children of that neighborhood and a vital part of our relationship with the county.

We are set for this weekend, but several volunteers are needed next week (3:00-5:00 Feb. 14-18, 10:00-4:00 Feb. 19 and 1:00-5:00 Feb. 20). If you can contribute two hours of hours of your time to help Lauro work a shift in Grier Heights, please let me know what day and time would work for you. Thanks for supporting MPTLL.

MPTLL Featured at Hot Stove Dinner

Myers Park Trinity played a prominent role at the 4th annual Hot Stove League Awards Dinner on Saturday night at CBC. The highlight of the evening for the MP folks was Zan Copeland being posthumously honored with the Contributions to Youth Baseball Award for his 42 years of dedicated service to our league.

New Trinity manager, Bill Flye, received the award on behalf of Zan, and gave an outstanding acceptance speech. He said of Zan: "Most importantly, he taught his players life lessons through the game of baseball, and every kid learned many things in addition to the game." Bill urged the coaches among the 600 attendees to "make an effort to reach a kid and make an impact on his life. That's what Zan would want you to do, and that's what he did do for 42 years."

Our 2010 11-12-Year-Old All-Star team was presented as a finalist for Youth Team of the Year, but was not chosen as the award winner. The SouthPark 10-Year-Old All-Star team took home the hardware instead, and was called up to accept their award. Unfortunately the crowd therefore missed out on my own shorter, but more entertaining acceptance speech. Oh well - we had plenty of fun, and this night provided some good exposure for MP.

MPTLL To Be Recognized at Hot Stove Dinner

February 5th will be a big night for Myers Park Trinity. That's when the 4th Annual Greater Charlotte Hot Stove League Awards Dinner will be held at Carolina's Baseball Center (CBC). Hosted by the South Charlotte Sports Report and CBC, the Hot Stove Dinner is a celebration of youth baseball and softball in the Charlotte area. Awards are presented each year to the finest high school and youth players and teams the city has to offer.

This year our own 2010 District 3 Champion 11-12-Year-Old All Star Team has been selected as a finalist for Youth Baseball Team of the Year. This is the only age group to go through our Little League program and win two district titles (2008 and 2010). The team became Myers Park's first 11-12-Year-Old Major League District Champ in 23 years.

Even more special, the Hot Stove Committee has also voted unanimously to recognize the late Zan Copeland with its Contributions to the Game of Baseball Award for his lifetime of service to youth baseball. Zan proudly represented Myers Park Trinity for most of his life. He was a player for the Hotpoint team; a manager for the Trinity team; an All-Star manager for dozens of teams including district champions; he was a longtime board member; he created our Fall Ball program and Baseball Fever summer camp; he was a passionate and tireless advocate for the children of the Grier Heights community.

Zan died tragically in a house fire in June. He will be missed tremendously by the people of our league for years to come. But it is nice to know that he will be remembered, not only by Myers Park Trinity, but by the entire youth baseball community of Charlotte.

For more information on the Hot Stove Dinner, visit their website. Tickets for the February 5th event are being sold online. Finalists for all the awards will be announced in the days to come, and I will post more information here as I get it.