Aug 26/09
~Our FABULOUS photographer Wendy MacDonald is finding spare moments in her busy schedule to sort throught the 1000's of pictures she took during our trip.  Our photo section is constantly being updated with her TERRIFIC shots so check back often!~

THANKS A MILLION WENDY!

If anyone else has primo pics they'd like to share please.. forward them on!

Aug 24/09
ARIZONA WINS JLWS!!! In an uneventful final game the boys from Arizona defeated the Arubans 9-1 to take the championship title.  Aruba obviously was short in pitching after a long 10 inning affair the previous night, and the West was thriving after a win earlier that morning.  With 2 bombs by the Western squad they walked all over Aruban pitching and never looked back.  A slightly satisfying outcome for our Coquitlam boys after a 24-1 rout earlier in the week, Team Canada showed class and cheered for both sides during the performance. 

Receiving medals and certificates during closing ceremonies the Canadian boys were restless as their trip home loomed.

After many hours of travel (5 in a commuter bus and 5 on a plane), numb bums and tired eyes Team Canada finally arrived at YVR to cheers from their families.  Our boys battled hard this season and deserve credit as they defended their national title and represented Canada again in the Junior League World Series.  Now we begin our wrap-up and look forward to fall ball!! WOOOOT!!

Aug 22/09

Winning the American Pool semi-final this morning the boys from Arizona have advanced to the JLWS final tonight.  The hotly contested American playoff concluded with a 6-2 West victory over Central.  The table is set, and the cameras are rolling.  Check out the Junior League World Series tonight on ESPN!!  First pitch 5:05pm ET.

Aug 21/09

The A's took the field today in their final game of the JLWS against the Southeast champs form Easely, South Carolina.  Both Teams were looking for their first win this morning in a battle for 9th and 10th place.  Sticking to baseball "stupid"-stition the Coquitlam A's looked for something to change to bust out of their slum, and the consolation crossover gave just the opportunity.  Turfing their white pants the boys wore their hometown greys but opted to keep their Canadian blues.  The coaches walked onto the field wearing a familiar black with green and yellow trim sporting our hometown colours of CLL!!

Hoping the new look would give him an edge, the A's sent right hander Brandon Becking to the hill in his second start of the JLWS.  He again gave the A's a strong start, shutting out the Southern champs for the first 3 innings, gibing the A's offence a chance to put some runs on the board.  Team Canada answered the call early plating runs in the first and second to break out with a 4 run lead.  However, in the top of the 3rd South Carolina tied it up as Becking began missing up in the zone and was tagged for 3.  It then fell apart for the A's.  Two relievers in the inning and multiple throwing and fielding errors proved costly as the A's continued to give their opposition extra outs.  South Carolina capitalized and plated 9 un-answered runs over the next 4 innings.  Losing thier final game of the Junior League World Series 12-4 the Coquitlam A's finished with a disappointing 0-5 record.

Facing tough pitching and free swinging ball clubs the A's also battled themselves throughout the tournament.  Key errors and not being able to support their bullpen, the Juniors have to take this as a learning experience, to know what it takes to bring their game to the next level.  Taking a page from the opposition's playbook, the A's need to keep up their intensity through 7 innings regardless of the score.  While holding a lead our boys needed to keep the pressure on with add-on runs, and when behind, we needed to pick up the intensity to be able to come from behind.  Unfortunately the A's were unable to do either, as we seemed on our heels throughout the tournament. 

Finishing 10th overall, the A's will head home with their heads high knowing they are the best in Canada for the 2nd year in a row.  A learning experience for this young team, these boys now know just how much work it takes to play this caliber, and the drive that is needed to win.  10th best in the world doesn't sound too bad!

The Junior A's coaching staff would like to thank every player for making such an amazing experience possible, and for sharing it with them.  It's been a long and hard fought road as we look back to our first practice on June 17th, the train has finally come to a stop.  We made it through the heat and 2-a-day practices, battled through the U14 tournament in Oliver, and fought through the weekend in Blain.  The provincial tournament was a blast as we came out winners in a nail-biting 2 game battle with White Rock, and we came out tops in Canada with a gut-wrenching win over Medicine Hat for the 2nd year in a row!  These boys have done it all, come as far as they could, and Wes Larry and Tyler would just like to say THANK-YOU!

Our team parents, fans and support back home all deserve a HUGE thanks as well! Your boys could not have done this with out you!! cheers have morphed from GO COQUITLAM GO! to GO BC GO! to GO CANADA GO!!! as we pushed our way through to the end.. THANKS A MILLION EVERYONE!!

International Semi-final:

Puerto Rico squared off against Aruba in a gut-wrenching edge of your seat battle last night to decide who will advance to the JLWS final.  This game showcased the best of the International pool, and had a little bit of everything as they went above and beyond to determine a winner.  A near tournament record 4 hour and 5 minute game not including the 1.5hr rain delay had the Latin American champs, Aruba come out on top 7-5 after 10 innings!

With a MASSIVE shot to left-centre the Puerto Rican clean-up hitter and team ace, gave his mates a 5-1 lead into the 6th, but ran into trouble as he approached his max pitch count.  Loading the bases twice in the inning Aruba managed to score 4 on a single and a double knotting it at 5 and forcing extras.  

Each side had opportunities to put the game away, however it wasn't until an errant throw by the Puerto Rican 3rd baseman that allowed a run to score.  Heads up base-running moved the batter -all the way to 3rd on the throw and he scored on a pass ball.  Aruba took a 7-5 lead into the bottom of the 10th and they shut-down the Puerto Rican offence to take the victory!

American Semi-final:

Because the international game went to extras, and was also delayed by rain, the final out was not made until 10:17pm ET.  The tournament TD moved the American semi-final to Saturday morning at 10:00am ET.  The winner will be forced to play a double-header as they take on Aruba in the Finals at 5:00pm ET.

Tournament Update

International Pool:  In an a clash of JLWS powerhouses the evening match-up last night featured Puerto Rico and Aurba, both of which are undefeated.  Living up to the hype, it was an exciting game (including the singing dancing and exhuberant throw arounds) with Puerto Rico coming out on top 6-4.  With the win the Puerto Ricans advance to the International semi-final on Friday evening holding a 3-0 record.  Their final game of the round robin is today at 2:00pm ET versus Saipan.  Aruba's record falls to 2-1, however barring an upset they too will advance to the semis.  Aruba takes on EMEA in the 11:00am ET game today.  With wins by both Saipan and Italy today (obviously MAJOR upsets) Aruba would be knocked out and Saipan would lock up the final playoff spot. 

American Pool:  The boys from Jersey defeated the Southern champs yesterday to improve their record to 2-1 as they look to advance to the semis.  The South drops their record to 0-3, and it is likely that the 9th/10th consolation cross-over will be your own Coquitlam A's versus the boys from Easely, South Carolina.  The Western champs from Arizona improved their record to 3-0 with a win over the Southwest regional champs.  New Mexico falls to 2-2 with a playoff birth still a possibility depending how the Jersey boys finish today.  Today's games showcase East versus West, and South versus Central.

Aug 19/09
After completing the final game of the round robin portion of the JLWS the A's have come up short and finished winless.  The A's put their ace on the mound today looking to play spoiler against the Asia-Pacific regional champs.  A victory today would be the A's first in the tournament, but would also eliminate Saipan's chances of making it to the semi-finals on friday barring any upset by EMEA.  It was not in the cards for the A's though as they battled hard and retained a lead from the 2nd to the 6th falling JUST short of victory.

The scouting report on Saipan also tagged them as a free swinging ball club, but are unable to handle any junk, so the A's coaching staff gave the ball to their lefty Jeff Heidema.  Heidema possesses the power to throw heat, but has a devistating curve and a back door slider in his arsenal that could be deemed un-hittable.  A little shaky in the first Heid-s gave up back to back jacks to allow Saipan to jump ahead early with a 3-0 lead.  However the A's offence offered huge run support as they came back to score 3 in the top half of the 2nd.  Finally settling in to play their own game, patience at the plate paid off in dividends as the Asia-Pacific pitching staff failed at finding the strike-zone, and when they did find it, Team Canada put the ball in play.  The Canadians jumped ahead in the 3rd on a MONSTER home run by #5 batter Mark Trimble.  The solo-shot jumpstarted the A's offence as they scored 2 more to obtain a 3-run lead.  Sticking to the game plan Heidema dialed in his curve and retired batter after batter limiting Saipan's scoring chances and allowing the A's retain the lead into the 6th.
Close to reaching his max pitch-count Heidema looked to retire a quick out in the bottom of the 6th giving way to the A's bullpen to manage the save.  Trouble began as the lead-off man reached base on a 0-2 count.  The A's ace then attempted at fielding a comebacker with his bare hand deflecting the ball, and with the speed of the batter the A's 2nd baseman Ajay Mistry was unable to record the out.  Left index finger swollen from the impact left him unable to continue pitching as the A's coaching staff gave the nod to centre bringing in the young right hander Javeed Khankashi.  Khankashi impressed the A's coaches in the Canadian National Championships and with a short pitching staff for today's games he was asked just to put the ball in play and let the defense do the work.

After recording a quick out, the A's defense fell, committing un-timely errors and allowed Saipan to plate 4 unearned runs as they took the lead.  Scoring another the Asia-Pacific champs took an 11-9 lead into the top of the 7th.  Even through recording 2 quick outs, the A's offence didn't quit and they managed to get 2 runners into scoring position before the final out was made.

A victory was in the cross-hairs today however it wasn't meant to be.  Finishing 0-4 in the round robin puts the A's in the 9th/10th place consolation crossover on Friday where they play an American team.  Having played many American teams in previous tournaments, the A's know what it takes to win against these opponents.  Looking forward to a game NOT resembling a circus act (which was the case with EVERY international opponent except EMEA) the A's feel they can win their first in the JLWS.

A day off tomorrow allows the A's to take in the sights and sounds of local attractions.  With a tour of Joe Lewis Arena planned, as well as a Tiger's game or the possibility of a day at Ceder Point Amusement Park the boys will take their minds off baseball for a day.  The game of the day to watch pits Puerto Rico against Aruba in the evening time slot.  Updates will follow.

The Junior A's players and Coaches would like to send out a BIG THANK-YOU to everyone who is supporting us back home.  Tremendous support from our league executives has allowed the team to maximize their enjoyment of the JLWS experience.  A special thanks goes out to Gerald Otterman and Steve Tickner for their work behind the scenes. 

Aug 18/09
The new day brought on blue sunny skies over Heritage Park, but storms kept brewing in the A's dugout this afternoon.  An extremely disappointing loss to Aruba (Latin America) had Team Canada's coaching staff LIVID at the circus that Aruba brought with them.  Throughout the game the Aruban dugout sang and danced rubbing salt in the wounds of the struggling A's as they blew out your hometown heros 24-1.  Understadably the Latin American champs were excited about improving their record to 2-0 in the JLWS, and that their antics are probably accepted in thier respective league, but the A's thought it was an international un-written rule to shutdown the offence after developing such a commanding league. 

The Arubans are a free swinging club, able to put the bat on anything and everything thrown at them, and they were able to find holes in the A's defense all over the field.  Tomahawking high pitches, digging out balls that could have hit the dirt, and driving canned heat the Arubans drove the ball deep scoring in every inning.  The A's were only able to counter in the 3rd, plating Roman D'Alissandro on an errant throw. 

By the 4th the Arubans were up by 15+ and continued to find holes in the field, stretching singles into doubles, and scoring runners from 1st and 2nd base.  At his breaking point in the 5th as the Aruban coach continued to wave runners around with a 20 run lead, Coach Tyler Olinyk let the opposing team know his feelings.  Cooler heads would prevail as the game came to completion and everyone shook hands and went to dinner. 

The A's look to break-out tomorrow morning in the Wednesday nooner at Heritage against Asian-Pacific champs Saipan.  Heidema gets the ball, first pitch 11:05am ET.

Tournament update
International Pool:  Puerto Rico trumped the Italian champs 4-1 in the first game of the day bumping their record to 2-0.  Saipan had the day off and looks ahead to the Canadian champs your own Coquitlam A's tomorrow.

American Pool: New Mexico defeated Indiana this afternoon 6-5.  They improve to 2-1 as Indaina falls to 1-2.  At the publication deadline the game featuring the West vs the South was still in play.  Last night New Jersey defeated New Mexico 15-2.

Aug 17/09
Storms brewing to the North and to the South of Taylor, games today were threatened by rain and by lightning.  Umpire in Chief George Glick kept tabs on the storm with his PLD (personal lightning detector) and occasional spurts of rain kept the infield damp.  Perfect weather for our BC boys!  Taking the field at 4:35 for a shortened inny-outy the A’s were almost FLAWLESS putting the Italians on their heels before the game even started. 

After a steller outing against Langley in our National Tournament, Brandon Becking moved his way up in the rotation getting the start for game 2 in the JLWS.  He was effective early, shutting down the Italian bats in the first 3 innings only letting up two hits!  Knowing it was going to take more than pitching to get by the Italian champs the A’s looked to get ahead early.  Their bats finally came alive in the 3rd with a big double by Austin MacDonald, Team Canada had runners on 2nd and 3rd bringing their biggest bat to the plate.  Giving coach Larry Park a simple OK, when asked to hit the ball hard, Jeff Heidema jumped all over the first pitch sending it deep to left.. back, back, back… GONE!!  His first round tripper of the post-season came at an opportune moment putting the A’s ahead 3-0. 

After scoring 2 more in the 4th, the A’s needed to shut down Team Italy, however Becking ran into some trouble.  With holes in the A’s defense and the heat finally getting to him Becking’s arm ran out of gas and the Italian team touched him up for 4 in the bottom half giving way to Daulton Smith to finish the inning.  A slim 1 run lead did not leave Team Canada’s coaching staff sitting easy and they urged the boys to tack on a few more for security.  The boys didn’t disappoint as Mac and Heid-s both crossed the plate on Daniel Strukoff’s massive double. 

As the A’s took the field in top 6, Smith maxed his pitch count at 20 and Austin MacDonald came up big entering the game on short notice.  Shaky defense let in 2 unearned runs tying the game at 7 setting the stage for one of the longest games in JLWS history (3:07).  Knotted after 7 complete, the teams headed for extras.  Each had key chances to end it, but came up JUST short with runners in scoring position.  FINALLY in the top of the 9th the A’s plated the go ahead run on a circus like toss around by the Italian team.  Heads up base-running by Becking allowed him to score, however Smith was tagged out at 3rd base on a controversial call by 3rd base umpire Greg King.  This killed the A’s offensive rally, and they had to set out to defend a 1 run lead. 

Unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be as the Italians scored the tying run on an A’s error.  With 1 out the 6 batter for the Italians hit a high fly-ball to centre.  Heidema camped under it tallying the 2nd out as he came up throwing a 1 bounce strike to Jordan Pettie for a flash finish at the plate!!  An unluckily bounce in the soft sand allowed for the ball to scoot past the A’s catcher as the run scored.  The A’s dropped a heartbreaker this evening to fall to 0-2 in the tournament.

Keeping their heads high the A’s look forward to the Latin American regional champs, Aruba.  Daulton Smith takes the mound tomorrow evening looking to blow his heat past the Latin American bats.  First pitch 5:07pm ET

Aug 16/09

   On a VERY warm afternoon, your Coquitlam A’s took the field in their opener versus the Puerto Rican champs.  With the thermometer pushing 38C the heat would prove to be a big factor in the game as the A’s struggled against an unfazed Puerto Rican squad.  Taking the hill to start the game was Coquitlam’s ace Jeff Heidema who looked to shutdown his opponent’s offence early.  In the first Heidema recorded 2 K’s, however he let-up a solo bomb on his first pitch to Puerto Rico’s #3 hitter.  With a smile on his face Heidema knew he left one up but he had confidence in the A’s bats to even the score. 

Unfortunately Team Canada struggled at the plate this afternoon, managing just a single hit through 7 innings.  He A’s struck out 6 times the first time through the order, managing a single base runner with Jordan Pettie’s walk in the 3rd. 

   Heidema settled down after the homerun, and managed to K his way through the bottom half of Puerto Rico’s lineup until he again faced the Puerto Rican ace.  On a 2-1 count the #3 batter launched another monster shot to centre putting the Puerto Rican champs up 2-0.  Finding trouble in the 4th the A’s defense committed a number of errors allowing for their opponents to capitalize scoring 5, putting them ahead 7-0.

   It wasn’t until the A’s had 2-outs against them in the bottom of the 5th that they managed to plate 2 runners on bases loaded walks.  One against Puerto Rico’s starter, and one against their middle reliever who lasted a mere 13 pitches.  With 11 K’s on the day the A’s need to fire up their bats and get some runners on base!

   Unfortunately the A’s dropped their first game of the tournament 8-2, however in the eyes of the coaching staff this was surely a win.  Any team from Central America is going to be a VERY tough team to beat (it IS summer year round) and history has proved they can all hit EXTREMELY well.  Holding off a mercy loss, and scoring 2 runs while chasing the Puerto Rican ace proved the A’s can hold their own, and in the minds of Team Canada’s coaches, Wes, Larry and Tyler facing any other Puerto Rican pitcher in that game would have a much different outcome.  The boys vowed to stay hydrated tomorrow morning and afternoon, looking forward to game 2 versus the Italians.  With Brandon Becking on the hill the A’s look for a performance to follow his semi-final outing versus Langley.  First pitch 5:05pm ET.

Plays of the game: 

1)  Daulton Smith selling an obvious missed tag for an out on a pick-off for a 1-3-6 putout. 
2)  Ajay Mistry slapping a tag on a Puerto Rican’s face on a pickoff for a 1-4 putout.  Sucking up a shot to his knee Mistry remained in the game.
3)  Daulton Smith K-ing the Puerto Rican ace after Heidema gave up 2 HR and an intentional BB 

Aug 15/09
Day 2 in Taylor, Michigan is now history as the boys bed down for the night.  This was an exciting day for Team Canada as we FINALLY were able to pick up our team colours!  Looking sharp in their brand new uni-s the boys posed for team photos and individuals (of course updated right here at your home for the Coquitlam Jr A's!) and then goofed around for a bit before practice.  FINALLY being able to hit the field the A's found a local Little League diamond that closely resembled the Sandlot (minus the big fence and killer dog) where we were able to throw, hit and take and infield.  Photos from practice can be found in our photo section.  After practice the boys came back to the hotel for a quick change and were headed back to the field for opening ceremonies!  A quick coach's meeting re-affirmed the A's coaching staff's philosophy that "its not about us.. its about the kids."  Manager Wes Taylor won his first coin-toss of the post season and the A's will be the home team for our first game tomorrow!

As dusk rolled over Heritage Park opening ceremonies began with introductions of each of the 10 teams.  The international side walked onto the field with their national anthems in the background flying their nation's flag.  The U.S. side strolled in flying their state's colours, to country music by the likes of Martina McBride and Miley Cirus (snicker snicker).  As the City of Taylor and Little League International thanked all of their sponsors and congratulated each team, the boys were eaten alive my mosquitoes!  Smaller than the suckers at Blue Mountain, these little guys packed a punch resulting in not tiny little bumps but huge welts on many of the players and coaches!!  Off is definitely a necessity for any fan wanting to take in a game or 2 at Heritage Park. 

Fireworks and the first pitch.. These boys are ready to PLAY-BALL!!!

With Heidema on the hill, first pitch tomorrow is at 2:45pm ET.

Aug 14/09
Travel day #2 is in the books as the team arrived in Taylor, Michigan this afternoon.  A LONG night and a LONGER bus ride has taken its toll on many of the A's, in which can only be described as the perfect KO.  Within half an hour of setting foot on the bus EVERY player had passed out.  The team was split to accomidate travelling on 2 commuter buses and the coaches were able to kick back and catch some Z's of their own while the boys slept.  Crossing the boarder was an interesting experience as the A's saw a man get pulled from his truck and handcuffed as the boarder patrol boarded our buses.  Everything checked out fine and we were wished good luck as we crossed into Detroit.  Nervous banter erupted in the bus as the guys looked around seeing run-down buildings and graffiti along the streets.  Apparently Vancouver has no such problem.  The hotel isn't the nicest digs on the block, however the boys are together, and will be able to make life-long friendships with players from Saipan, Italy, Puerto Rico, Aruba and the US during our stay.  Against better judgment coach Tyler has let the team take photos on their own so check back regularly for new uploads. 

No jerseys tonight.. just a welcoming BBQ at the park.  Tomorrow Team Canada will be picking up their colours and getting team photos so our roster photos can be updated!

Aug 13/09
Travel day... Team Canada left beautiful British Columbia bright and early along with the teams they battled throughtout the National Tournament.  Tired and lazy the team has made it to their hotel in Toronto safely with all of their gear intact.  Repping Coquitlam the entire way these boys took over the plane, slapping C-Star stickers on the fusilage, and pinning up the flight attendents and pilots with Coquitlam green and gold.  Pre and post-flight announcements also congratulated our boys on winning the Canadian title.  In high spirits the guys are anxious to get to the field to see what is instore.  Bus leaves tomorrow at 9am sharp!

Please note: All times on this website are now in Eastern Standard time.  The schedule for our games is posted, and regular updates will be provided.  Please check out the City of Taylor's website at www.cityoftaylor.com/worldseries.  Hopefully in the next few days websites for each of the other international representatives will become available.

Aug 12/09

WE ARE CANADIAN CHAMPIONS!!!

2 HUGE games today!  The A's mercied the host Langley 10-0 after 5 complete to get to the championship game.  They faced rivals Medicine Hat in a tight ball game defeating the Prairies champs 4-3!!!! The boys are now frantically packing for their flight to Toronto tomorrow morning.  More on the games to come!

Remember to check back here for updates throughout the World Series!!!

WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO way to go boys!

     Langley at A's, Championship Semi-final

In a pressure filled semi-final matchup with the host Langley the Junior A’s stepped up to the plate and mashed.  Keeping calm, cool and collected the A’s leaned on the experience they gained playing a tough White Rock squad TWICE in the Provincial finals.  Surprising many, the A’s coaching staff elected to give the nod to their number 3 Brandon Becking, knowing the young starter’s potential to fool opponents with his arsenal of pitches.  Showcasing his ability in the Spooner Creek Tournament Becking earned his way on to the starting rotation and was pumped at the opportunity to start the semi-final.  The move proved to pay off in dividends as Becking held the Langley All-Stars to just 3 hits in 5 innings in the A’s victory.  Though Becking doesn’t possess an overpowering fastball, his teammates and coaches noticed some extra pop in his heater, and with his deuce and change-up Becking managed to limit himself to a mere 66 pitches over 5 innings. 

Coquitlam’s starting lineup was prepped and focused from the 1st pitch as they pulled out to an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first.  Continuing with patience at the plate the A’s were able to knock Langley down another notch by scoring again in the second.  Solid defense in the field shut out the Host inning after inning, as the A’s turned a STUNNING 5-4-3 double play in the 3rd and a BEAUTIFUL 4-6-3 double in the 4th.  The disheartened Langley All-Stars showed weakness in the 5th and the A’s took advantage as their bats EXPLODED chasing Hougwater (the Langley starter) from the game.  In an attempt to curb the A’s offence the Host brought in Mike Billows, but the A’s showed no mercy as they lit him up as well. Perhaps the most exciting play of the day goes to Jordan Pettie at the dish as he laid down a “squeeze” bunt with the bases loaded.  Unfortunately he was the only one in the park that knew what was goin on and, miraculously Jeff Heidema was able to slide across the plate.  In an interview after the game Pettie described what went through his head at the plate, “I talked to Larry before my at bat and he told me he might call on me to lay one down.  But then I didn’t see the sign so I thought he was being sneaky!”  Contributions from everyone on the A’s bench allowed your Coquitlam boys to cruise through the semi in quick fashion. 

The first big game of the day was in the books early and the A’s set out to compose themselves and prepare for the Championship game at 6:05pm.  The A’s will face the winner of the second semi-final match-up, Medicine Hat vs South Windsor.

     A's at Prairies, Championship Final

As Medicine Hat scored a huge afternoon win over the South Windsor Canadians, the table was set for the Canadian Championship.  A rematch of last year’s final the Coquitlam A’s faced off against the Medicine Hat Surveys Mets in what was billed to be the most passionate, most intense, the most exciting game of the tournament.  Similar to their round robin match-up earlier in the tournament coaches from both teams pulled out their aces looking to shut-down opposing offence.  Jeff Heidema struggled early throwing 36 pitches in the first as the Mets plated 3 runs early.  However, he quickly found his form and cruised through the next 5 innings maxing out his pitch total at 95.  A repeat performance of his start earlier in the week Heidema showed composure and control throughout his start as he blew fastball after fastball past the Medicine Hat batters. 

A slow start for the A’s bats, our boys struggled early going 3-up 3-down in the 1st and 2nd, and only managed 1 or 2 runners in the 3rd or 4th, unable to plate anyone.  Finally in the 5th the A’s bats EXPLODED on the Surveys Mets’ starter.  A huge leadoff single by Curtis Taylor got the A’s on base, utilizing the special pinch runner, Daniel Strukoff put speed on the bases.  Following up with a massive double Jordan Zazulak has the A’s crowd booming and kept the inning rolling.  A walk by Anthony Natino loaded the bases for a clutch single to left by Daulton Smith which plated the A’s first run of the game.  Roman D’Alissandro walked and Austin MacDonald came up big with a 2 RBI single to tie the game.  Keeping the inning alive A’s starter Jeff Heidema helped his own cause with another RBI single to give the A’s the lead.  It turns out that 1 run was all the A’s needed as Heidema’s pitching dominated the 6th.  In what was most likely a game saving catch A’s starting right fielder Daniel Strukoff laid out on a blooper somehow managing to hold on to the baseball.  The BC Champs were JACKED as they could now taste victory only 3-outs away. 

A’s #2 Daulton Smith was warm and ready as he walked onto the field looking for his first save of the postseason in the biggest game he’d ever played.  Unfortunately the Mets managed to get their leadoff batter on base through a rare Coquitlam error, and the temperature rose on the field by a noticeable degree.  Smith kept his cool and K’d the Mets 2nd batter with a 3rd strike bunt.  The 2ndout of the inning came as the Mets batter laid down a bunt directly back at Smith which he fielded cleanly and tossed the runner out at 2.  The BC crowd erupted as they too could now taste victory only 1-out away.  Chants of BC! BC! BC! rocked McLeod Field and reportedly could be heard in the A’s hometown Coquitlam! On a 2-2 count Smith forced an infield pop-up for an unassisted put-out to end the game!  VICTORY!! The A’s bench erupted and parents and fans for the Coquitlam boys flooded the field in celebration.  4-3 the Coquitlam A’s again defeated the Medicine Hat Mets in the Canadian final to become the BEST 13/14 year olds in Canada!  Back-to-back Junior titles catapults Coquitlam Little League into the elite and these boys have raised the bar yet again for future CLL-ers.  A HUGE thank-you goes out to all our boy’s parents, the CLL fans that came out to support us and to Langley Little League for hosting the National Tournament.  They boys worked their butts off to get where they are and they REALLY DO appreciate the time and effort by everyone behind the scenes. 

Now the Coquitlam boys have to go home and quickly pack cause our flight leaves at 9:10am tomorrow morning! For the 2nd year in a row Coquitlam is off to Taylor, Michigan and the Junior Little League World Series!!!!

Aug 11/09
Following along with the regular debachery surrounding McLeod Field this week, the A's were surprised with a game this evening.  Because of yesterday's rainouts Coquitlam and Langley were told they had the night off, as the outcome of their match would not affect the final round robin standings.  However, due to protests by the Eastern teams and a phone call to Little League Canada, the match was required so that the local teams did not receive more rest than the out-of-towners.  The outcome tonight would place Coquitlam in 2nd with Langley in 3rd, or visa versa, either way they would be set to square off in the first semi-final match tomorrow morning.  The game was expected to be long and drawn out as neither team wanted to showcase their best game, nor burn pitching for the playoffs.  Skipper Wes Taylor put forth a 20-20-20 game plan but because of the short pitch-counts the A's pitchers were unable to find a groove, and they seemed to struggle early.  Brandon Becking got the nod, giving up the ball to Daulton Smith, followed by Jordan Zazulak, Javeed Kahnkashi, Jordan Pettie, and Javeed Kahnkashi.  The only pitcher unavailable for tomorrow's matchups is Javeed after relieving Zaz AND Pettie.  Continuous pitching changes seeemed to keep the Langley batters off balance and the A's were able to secure victory!  The star of the game, receiving Defensive Player honours for the 2nd game in a row was Javeed Kahnkashi!  Throwing absolute gas, Javeed surprised everyone, including 1st base coach Tyler Olinyk who coached him during the regular season.  Stepping up to the plate Javeed shut down the Langley batters one after another striking out 4 throwing a hook no one knew he had!  Wtihout any hocus-pocus Javeed earned his Player of the Game honours as the crowd chanted 4! 4! 4! after the final out was made. 

At the plate the boys continued to be selective as walks and timely hits played a big role in scoring their 7 runs.  Big hits by Jeff Heidema and Austin MacDonald scored the majority of the runs, with props going out to Ajay for finally hitting the ball hard!  Jordan Pettie had some beautiful sac bunts, and the A's were ALMOST able to pull off the most exciting play in baseball... the suicide squeeze!  The A's bats are hungry for more as the boys get to bead early tonight for the early one tomorrow.  First pitch 10:05am PT.

Noteworthy info after today's game... the team is striking up a collection to change Jeeks' middle name to Ched.  At just 13 years old, who knew he had a high 70's fastball in him?   

With an Ontario win and an Atlantic loss, team Ontario locks up the final playoff spot tomorrow.  The playoff draw has your Coquitlam A's vs the Langley All-Stars in the first game 10:05am PT, and Medicine Hat vs South Windsor at 2:05pm PT.  The championship final is set to go at 6:05pm PT.  All games are played at McLeod Field.

Aug 10/09
Defe'A'ted... 
The Senior A's squad has been eliminated from the National Championships with a loss early this morning 10-2 to team Regina.  Battling injury, untimely errors and lack of hitting the A's couldn't find their game and drop to 0-4 on the tourny.  Be sure to check out their websitefor a more detailed tournament summary.  Despite the game versus the Quebec champs tomorrow meaning nothing to either team the A's have vowed to finish with a bang and erase their goose egg in the standings.  First pitch 1:07pm ET.

Its official.. today's a washout.  The A's game tonight versus Langely has been cancelled as the outcome will not affect the final standings.  The other 2 games on the day do however bare significance as a win by Sydney Mines and a loss by South Windsor would put the Ramblers into the playoffs and send the Canadians packing.  Both clubs posess 1-3 records.  These games are scheduled to be made up tomorrow with the semi-final match-ups being pushed back to Wednesday morning.  Both semis will run at 10:05am PT, Coquitlam vs. Langley at McLeod, and Medicine Hat vs TBA at City Park.  The championship game remains scheduled Wednesday evening at 6:05pm PT.

The Coquitlam A's are recieving a night off tonight and have scheduled a practice at Blue Mountain at 1:00pm.  Practice is rain or shine so bring a change of clothes for the ride home! Everyone is expected to bring 2 extra pairs of socks (NOT KIDDING).

Aug 8/09
The A's took out yesterday's frustrations today on the NDG Lynx.  Firing on all cylinders the A's came up with a HUGE win 16-2 over the slumping champs from Quebec.  Every player in today's lineup contributed with a hit, and the A's OBP (on base percentage) SKYROCKETED as they were again very selective at the plate.  Props go out to Jordan Pettie for breaking out of a slump with power shot to right field.  Unfortunately the A's were already up by a ton and he was held to a single.  The A's bats were on fire today scoring big in every inning of play finally chasing the Lynx starter in the 3rd.  Also noteworthy was the BC champ's speed on the basepaths as they continued to steal bases uncontested in the early innings.

Getting the start this afternoon was Daulton Smith who pitched 43 into the 3rd, good enough for defensive player of the game honours, and left it to the bullpen to round it out.  The coaching staff elected again to go 20-20-20 in relief to save arms for future match-ups. 

Also on the menu for today was the Junior Canadians skills competition at McLeod Park.  Your own Coquitlam A's arrived early to prepare for the unexpected as the debacle unfolded throughout the morning.  First up was a timed relay, positioning outfielders in left, centre and right as Grant MacDougal; (manager for the Langley All-Stars) hit fungos so the boys could relay the ball home.  The A's finished top 3 in the event, Coaches Larry Park and Wes Taylor had the boys clocked in finishing 1st overall.  The second event was a timed run from home to first, however the runners only needed to be touching home plate, NOT start in the batter's box. Daniel Strukoff finished 2nd overall with a time of 4.25 only needing a miraculous 5 steps to get to first base!!! Roman D'Alessandro also ran for the A's in a timed round trip around the bases.  Finishing first overall Roman locked up the second event for the A's.  The final event was a 10 out homerun derby which the A's sent Austin MacDonald and Jeff Heidema out to mash.  Unfortunately MacDonald finished with 0 HR mostly due to ineffective pitching by Coach Tyler Olinyk.  After using Austin as a warm-up Olinyk was dialed in throwing to Heidema and was lit-up for 6 HRs, 2 of them MONSTOR SHOTS into the trees.  Heavy hitters from Quebec, Medicine Hat and Ontario came close but choked under pressure and could not surpass Heidema's homerun total.  The randomly set up overall point system had the A's tied with Medicine Hat despite top finishes in every event, however Coach Kevin Friesen (manager for the Surveys Mets) withdrew from the coach's trivia tiebreaker thanking the A's for putting on such an amazing Canadian Championships last year at Blue Mountain.  The Junior's added new helmets and a shiny new bat to their gear bags as prizes.  

The Junior A's would like to thank Kevin Heidema and Nikiel Mistry for showing the Langley Majors how to play outfield during the homerun derby!!

Overall a great day for the BC Champs.  They look forward to the early game tomorrow morning.  First pitch 9:05am PT.

Senior Canadian's Update
Today the Senior A's opened their National Tournament with a 10-1 loss to Glace Bay (Atlantic).  Unfortunately the A's bats were silenced by an amazing 15K pitching performance by the Glace Bay ace.  Controversial calls by blue didn't help the A's cause as they fell to 0-1 in the round robin.  The boys look forward to a double dip tomorrow 10:05am ET at the Cornwall Black Sox (Ontario), and 4:07pm ET at the Host Saint John.

Good Luck boys, make Coquitlam proud!

Aug 7/09
Breaking News from New Brunswick... WestJet misplaced 1 bag of gear and sent it back to Vancouver.  Cross your fingers for the player who's without a glove and cup!!

The game today turned out to be an intense pitcher's duel right to the bitter end. Jeff Heidema got the start this afternoon, with 13 K’s walking just 1 through 97 pitches into the 7th inning.  The surveys Mets countered with a mastery pitching performance of their own as their chucker baffled the A's hitters with a good fastball and a steady mix of junk. The battle of the starters both teams were held to just 2 hits a piece through 6 complete.  The young guns both pitched their way out of jams in the 5th, and Medicine Hathad to bring in relief in the 6th due to pitch counts.  Unfortunately the A's bats came up short as they loaded the bases but were unable to score.  Taking a 1-0 lead into the top of the 7th the A's looked to shut out the Surveys Mets with Heidema on the mound to face a final batter.

Falling behind in the count Jeff let up a lead off double and was pulled for relief after maxing his pitch count. Brandon Becking came in to shut down Medicine Hatwith a nasty diet of junk.  Unable to pitch ahead in counts the surveys Mets waited for Becking to hit THEIR zone and they mashed.  The A's couldn’t back up their pitcher and with 3 errors in the inning Medicine Hat capitalized to plate 5 runs taking a 5-1 lead. The bottom half of the inning the Junior A's had 2 quick outs bringing Austin MacDonald to the plate. For the second year in a row MacDonald was called out on a controversial call by the SAME umpi re! Clearly avoiding the tag at first he was called out by blue with no avail on the appeal by first base coach Tyler Olinyk.

A tough game to lose the A's look to our strong points and are keeping their heads high coming into another tough one versus the NDG Lynx.  First pitch 4:07pm PT

Tournament Update:
The Windsor South Canadians were victorious in their nooner versus the Sydney Mines Ramblers today.  Final score Ontario 6 Atlantic 2.

The Langley All-Stars were also successful in their second game of the tournament coming back to defeat the NDG Lynx 5-3.

The Junior A's would like to wish their Senior counterpart a safe trip to New Brunswick.  The Sr. A's take off tomorrow morning at 7am for their Canadian Championships!

GOOD LUCK GUYS!

Be sure to check back here for regular updates on their progress, and check out their website www.ballcharts.com/senioras for tweets from their games!

Aug 6/09
THE A'S OPEN WITH A WIN!!!

On an overcast afternoon at McLeod Park the A's took the field looking to take it to the Sydney Mines Ramblers.  After nearly 2 weeks of steady practice the Juniors were straining at the bit, hungry for a game.  And what a game it was! Daulton Smith got the start and had an effective 2 innings of work throwing 45 pitches.  It turns out this is all he would need for the win as the A's managed to plate 12 runners in the first 2 frames!  Looking ahead to future match-ups the coaching staff decided to pull Daulton from the mound after reaching the 45 pitch limit, and in relief the A's used 5 pitchers throwing 20 or less a piece to shut down the Atlantic and come up with a big first game win. Brandon Becking and Mark Trimble had minor struggles at finding the zone, which seemed to give the Ramblers some life as they plated 4 and 3 in the next 2 innings, however that would be all they could muster as Jeff Heidema came in to throw 18 pitches striking out 2. Curtis Taylor and Austin MacDonald also were effective in their closing roles and left Sydney Mines batters baffled at the plate. Combined the A's pitching staff struck out 8 and walked 5.

Defensively the A's were on their game showing their stuff with not 1 but 2!! pick-offs at second base.  Daulton also had a great game at short showing off his range and arm.  The outfield let nothing past them and the only hits Sydney Mines could manage were bloopers that our stud outfield just couldn't reach.  Perhaps the most magnificent of all was Jordan Pettie who took honours for defensive player of the game because of his skill blocking anything and everything behind the plate. 

Aug 5/09
What a night for opening ceremonies!  Out in full uniform the boys arrived plenty early to take in the surroundings for the battle of Canada's best.  They were able to check out the facilities, playing field, player's lounge, but most importantly they got to eat first!  After filling their faces with turkey (WITHOUT GRAVY) Trimble and Becking participated in the first inaugural slug fight tossing banana slugs at each other until unfortunately the slug lost an eye.. while the rest of the team looked on in disgust.  

Arriving fashionably late the teams from the Prairies, Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic regions strolled in also in full uni's to show off thier team colours.  Best of show may have to go to Sydney Mines in their throw-back retro red and blue with Coquitlam green grey with yellow trim a close 2nd, and Langley surprising everyone ditching their all yellow for a stylish black and white with yellow trim.  The Winsor Canadians were wearing a familiar blue white and red, and the NDG Lynx were rocking their pinstrips!

The most important info resulting from the coach's meeting has your Coquitlam A's as the home team for our first 2 games, while we will be the guests for our remaining 3 in the round robin.  Come out and support your A's but remember which side to sit on!

A BIG thanks to all the parents that made it out to cheer our boys on during opening ceremonies, the applause-o-meter showed the Coquitlam green cheering louder than the host Langley! WOOO-HOOO THANKS GUYS!!!  As the Junior A's players and coaches re-kindled old friendships with the Medicine Hat Surveys Mets made during the Canadian Tournament last year, we look forward to making new lasting friendships with the Lynx, Canadians, and Sydney Mines.  

Perhaps the most exciting part of the night for our boys was the gift bag they received as we left the field after a grueling 4 hour affair.  Packed full of coupons, toothbrush and paste, squishy ball and waterbottle the guys were most pumped for the bag.  Leaving our mark at the park the A's departed with an intimidating 1-2-3 A'S that was heard across the complex.

Way to go boys! Lets get pumped for tomorrow's game!

Game time: 1pm 
Players are expected to arrive at 11am at the McLeod parking lot

Aug 4/09
Breaking news.. Rumor has it that teams from all 5 regions across Canada have finished their respective playoffs and that the final table has been set for the National Championship!  Representing BC is your own Coquitlam A's!!! Repeating for the Prairies is the Medicine Hat Surveys Mets!!  Representing Ontario is South Windsor!!  Also repeating from Quebec the NDG Lynx!!  The team hailing from the Atlantic region has not been posted online as the internet hasn't made it that far across Canada yet.. and finally the host, dressed in yellow Langley City!! Please check out the link to the Langley Canadian's website for regular score updates for all the games played at McLeod and for updated info and pictures of the tournament.  They also hope to broadcast games through a live feed through their webcast link. 

This site is your home for all A's info, including regular score updates and game summaries for our games, as well as updates on our Senior A's team as they battle their way through Canadians in New Brunswick.  Check back regularly for updates and photos as they become available!

Also noteworthy information... Do NOT accept singing lessons from Jordan Pettie, Mark Trimble or Daulton Smith.  Their off key voices can be heard daily during practice signing everything from LMFAO to the Black Eyed Peas to Justin Timberlake, and it is not a pleasent sound.

MAJOR PROVINCIAL UPDATE
Unfortunately the host Major's squad did not make it through their Provincial Tournament falling to White Rock in an exciting semi-final match-up.  Finishing with a respectable 3-3 record the Major's put forth a great effort finishing the tournament in 3rd place.  Heartbreaking for players and fans of CLL we look forward to seeing many of these all-stars representing our league next year in our Junior program.  A great thanks to all the volunteers who put in a tremendous amount of time putting together a truely great tournament.  And a special thanks to all the boys John, Gareth, Adam, Cameron, Jordan, Allen, Yannick, Brett, Kevin, Hayden, Nolan, Nikiel, and Josh as well as their coaches Jeff Honeyset, Manu Mistry, Richard Speller and Ray Jaco. 

THE JUNIOR A'S ARE PROVINCIAL CHAMPS!!!
Congrats to all the players for leaving it all on the field to come up with a 5-3 win over White Rock!  Every player contributed to the win.  A big thanks to all the boys for their hard work, to the parents for all their support, and to the coaching staff for making this the best team possible!

As provincial champions we have taken the first step.. we now look ahead to a national title...

GOOD LUCK BOYS!!

BIG LEAGUE UPDATE
Our Fraser Valley boys finished 4-1 in the round robin but unfortunately fell to Cape Breton in their semi-final game.  Cape Breton went on to defeat the host Windsor in the finals to represent Canada at the Big League World Series in Easely South Carolina.  Well done boys! You represent Coquitlam well!!!

JR. PROVINCIAL UPDATE
Now the Junior A's look to complete what has been coined the "Blue Mountain Sweep" with representatives from every level of Little League played at beautiful Blue Mountain Park headed to the Canadian Championships

SENIOR A'S BECOME PROVINCIAL CHAMPS
Congratulations to the Coquitlam Senior A's on their provincial title! Going undefeated in the tournament the host team took the provincial championship in quick fashion defeating D5 Central 14-6, D5 West 13-6, and D5 Central with a come from behind win 6-4! 

BIG LEAGUE A'S HEAD BACK EAST FOR CANADIANS
The D3 Fraser Valley team which took on a number of Big League A's including coach Bill Letcher is heading to the Canadian Championships in Windsor Ontairio... GOOD LUCK GUYS!!