Can't Send Your Kid to Flordia for Spring Training?

When my kids were younger, there was no place in the area where they could practice baseball in the off season. By the time the weather got nice enough to practice outdoors, the season began. In 2007, my buddy, Jim Price changed all of that by opening Bash Sport Academy. Jim is a long time Welles Park Youth Baseball guy, who served as president of the WPPA for four years. Bash has a large staff of professional instructors but is also a great place to take some swings and throw the ball around.

Jim Price

Check out Bash's website www.bashsportsacademy.com.

Umpire Training Starts Wednesday March 6th.

 

Umpire training for Welles Park Youth Baseball starts this coming Wednesday, March 6th at 7:00pm. Training will be held this year at the West Rogers Park JCC located at 3003 W. Touhy (corner of Touhy and Sacramento. The first three sessions (Wednesdays March 6, 13, 20) will be held at the WRPJCC and the fourth session Wednesday March 27th will be held at time and place to be announced. If you or someone you know would like to take the training please to  www.wppabaseball.com for more information or call me at 773-719-5985.

 

Lane Tech Baseball Coaches Hold Winter Break Clinic

Lane Winter Break Clinic

Welles Park Youth Baseball Sign-up Soon

Reprinted from Center Square Journal

Welles Park Youth Baseball Gears Up For 22nd Season

Posted: Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:14:56 +0000

WPPA baseball in Welles Park. Photo from WPPA.

Every spring over 1,100 kids between 5 and 18 grab a glove, bat and ball and hit the diamonds in Welles Park, 2333 W. Sunnyside Ave. The squads playing Abner Doubleday’s game are participating in the Welles Park Parent Association’s Youth Baseball League, one of the most popular in the city.

Registration for returning players begins January 3 and new players can sign up on January 14.

It all started, says WPPA board member and Registration Chair David Nemeroff, when the Chicago Park District cancelled its own youth baseball league. Since then, it’s grown more and more successful every year.

“Last year, says Nemeroff, “we had a waiting list of 250 to get in.” While WPPA doesn’t keep information on all the participating players, “We keep track of the waiting list and about 80% of the people were from the 47th Ward, a smattering from everywhere else. So we estimate 66-70% of our players come from the 47th Ward.”

Practices start in April. Games start to be played in May and are played through the month of July when playoffs are held.

Each team plays 14 games plus playoffs, which are single elimination with every team qualified to participate. Typically, says Nemeroff, teams play three or four games to get to the league world series, in the higher age groups they play a best of three in the world series. There’s also a consolution round, kind of like the National Invitational Tournament of youth baseball.

While the program hasn’t graduated any famous players, plenty of major leaguers’ offspring have played in the league, including the kids of former Cubs manager Dusty Baker and former Cubs shortstop Ryan Theriot.

Most of the program is paid for by sponsorships, which run $550 per business to get a business’s name on a jersey. Think “Chico’s Bail Bonds” in The Bad News Bears, and you’ve got the idea.

The high number of sponsorships make it possible for the league to keep player fees down, says Nemeroff, so that players pay between $125 and $160 a season, depending on their age.

Both boys and girls play, and the league has a policy to place at least two girls on each team.

On January 3 registration for returning players opens online. If kids play one year and have a sibling, the league will guarantee a spot for both, so long as they register by January 13. On January 14, online pre-registration opens for new players.

“Once that closes we have a lottery system where we literally pick a number out of a hat to choose who gets priority to get in the league,” says Nemeroff. “At the 5-6 year old league, when people sign up they get a number and then we file that in chronological order.”

Lincoln Square Wine Stroll! November 3, 2011

Please join the Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce as we transform the streets of the Lincoln Square Community into our very own "Wine Country."  The Annual Spring and Fall Wine Strolls are one of the most popular events in the Square!  While meandering through the business district you can expect to taste some great samples of seasonal wines, paired with delicious hors d'oeuvres at several different Lincoln Square establishments.  These highly anticipated evenings of sipping refreshing wines are a great way to get more familiar with the businesses of Lincoln Square, while spending quality time with family and friends!

To stay up-to-date with the Lincoln Square Wine Strolls join the Wine Stroll Mailing List.  Sign up through the "Sign Up" box on the right side of your browser.

*Fall Wine Stroll Tickets will go on sale Friday, October 14th at noon.

Buy tickets for Lincoln Square Fall Wine Stroll

2011 Fall Wine Stroll Details

Date: Thursday, November 3, 2011

Time: 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Location: Various Lincoln Square Businesses

Price: $40 for one route, $60 for two routes

The Grape Route:

1. Bad Dog Tavern

    4535 N. Lincoln Avenue

2. Bistro Campagne

    4518 N. Lincoln Avenue

3. ENJOY, an urban general store

    4723 N. Lincoln Avenue

4. Gene’s Sausage Shop

    4750 N. Lincoln Avenue

5. Paciugo Gelato

    2324 W. Giddings Street

6. Pizza D.O.C.

    2251 W. Lawrence Avenue

7. Provenance Food & Wine

    2312 W. Leland Avenue

8. Savvy Seconds & 1sts

    4724 N. Lincoln Avenue

9. Steve Quick Jeweler

    4710 N. Lincoln Avenue

The Vine Route:

1. Barba Yianni

    4761 N. Lincoln Avenue

2. LM Restaurant

    4539 N. Lincoln Avenue

3. Gene's Sausage Shop

    4750 N. Lincoln Avenue

4. Granville Picture Framing at LSQ

    4757 N. Lincoln Avenue

5. Pizza D.O.C.

    2251 W. Lawrence Avenue

6. Planet Access Company Store

    4727 N. Lincoln Avenue

7. Provenance Food & Wine

    2312 W. Leland Avenue

8. Sacred Art

    4619 N. Lincoln Avenue

9. Steve Quick Jeweler

    4710 N. Lincoln Avenue

*Venues Subject to Change.

Halloween in Lincoln Square

Halloween Happenings

Bring the children out to Trick-or-Treat along the business districts of Lincoln Square. On Saturday, October 29th from 11am to 4pm participating businesses on Damen, Lincoln, Rockwell, and Western Avenues will provide candy or a small give away to area children.

In addition to trick or treating several other activities will occur at area businesses and within Giddings Plaza. Check below for complete details.

Event Details

Date: Saturday, October 29, 2011

Time: 11:00am - 4:00pm

Location: N. Damen, N. Lincoln, N. Western, N. Rockwell

*Events subject to change.

Trick-or-Treat Participants

Art in the Square | Bellybum Boutique | Bloom Yoga | Cafe Selmarie | Chicago Printmakers Collaborative | Davis Theatre | Degerberg Academy of Martial Arts | ENJOY, an urban general store | Fleet Feet Sports | Gallimaufry Gallery | Gene's Sausage Shop | Granville Picture Framing @ LSQ | Havana Spa | Homemade Pizza Company | Huettenbar | jookie, a portrait boutique | Lincoln Square Athletic Club | Little Green Baby | Marbles: The Brain Store | Merz Apothecary | Paciugo Gelato | Pickle's Playroom | Piggy Toes | Planet Access Company Store | Provenance Food & Wine | Richochets | Ruff Haus Pets | Salamander Shoes | Savvy Seconds & 1sts | Spex | Stanley Brown Jewelist | Steve Quick Jeweler | The Book Cellar | Timeless Toys | Trattoria Trullo | Sacred Art

Umpire Training Starts Wednesday March 2nd!

New and returning WPPA umpire training for 2011 will be conducted as follows:
Wednesday, March 2

Wednesday, March 9

Wednesday, March 16

Wednesday, March 23

All session will be begin promptly at 7:00pm and will end at 9:00pm. The sessions will be held at Amundsen High School Gymnasium, 5100 North Damen

The 2011 Umpire application can be found at
http://www.wppabaseball.com/images/docs/2011umpireapplication.pdf

Welles Park Youth Baseball Registration January 22nd and 29th

The Welles Park Youth Baseball program is holding their registration the next two Saturdays, Jan. 22nd and Jan. 29th. This Saturday's registration is ONLY for returning player. The second Saturday is for new players. Please go to their website for complete details. http://www.wppabaseball.com/

Andy Lowenthal Steps down as WPPA President.

Andy Lowenthal ends his term as president of the Welles Park Parents Association tonight. He will be replaced by John Anderson, who is currently serving as one the associations vice-presidents. Jim Coffman and Tony Pellikan will be the new vice-presidents and Mike Bernard will serve as secretary. These four and Andy, as president emeritus, will make up the executive committee.

Unless you have been president of this league, or worked closely with the president, it is impossible to imagine the time and effort required to do this job. Andy has handled the job with grace, diplomacy, and humor.

I'm sure John will do a great job.

Thank you Andy and good luck John.

12 Year Old Travel Team Goes to Cooperstown!

The Welles Park 12 & under travel team is head to Cooperstown. They will spend a week playing baseball against teams from around the country and visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame. The team is made up of players from the house league teams, who tried out last fall. They have played a number of games this season against other area travel teams. They used fundraisers to raise money to help defray the cost. I wish them a lot of luck and hope they have a great time.

World Series Winners by League!

Junior League Champs-The LA Dodgers
Minor League Champs-The Colorado Rockies
Major League Champs-The NY Yankees
Senior League Champs-The Ohio State Buckeyes
Liberty League Champs-The Corpus Christi Hooks

Congratulations to all of the players and coaches.

Season Ends with Exciting Minor World Series Game at Picnic!

For the first time in more than a decade the final game of the season was played on the day of the league picnic. As a huge crowd looked on, the Minor Rockies defeat the Minor Red Sox in the third game of the World Series. The Red Sox furious seventh inning rally fell just short, as the Rockies held on.

Thousands of players and parents packed Welles Park for the traditional season ending league picnic. Trophies and other awards were handed out to all of the participants. Great food and a lot of fun was enjoyed by all.

Thillens Was a Success. Liberty League About to Start

The WPPA had a great weekend at Thillens. The weather was super and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. There were many thrilling games in all of the leagues. Attendance was great!

The Liberty League had its draft on Wednesday evening and games should be starting in about 10 days. All of the Liberty games are played at Rogers Park. This is a great league with some fine young men playing some top-notch baseball. If you get tried of watch the Cubs and Sox lose games, come to Rogers Park, at least you will get your money's worth.

The WPPA Drafts have happened and practice will begin soon!

All of the leagues have held their drafts, except for Liberty. Soon the coaches will be notifying the players on their teams and they will start to hold practices. You should hear from your child's coach by April 10th. Let me know if you haven't and I will see what I can find out.

The Snow Has Melted!!!

Finally after months of snow cover, the fields at Welles are bare. Now they are just muck, but that is an improvement. Won't be long until the grass is green and the first signs of kids returning from hockey, basketball and soccer are seen. Great time of the year, especially after a very long winter.

Umpire Training Starts Wednesday March 3rd!

The WPPA umpire training starts Wednesday March 3rd. The training will be held at the Amundsen High School gym from 7:00pm-9:00pm on the first four Wednesdays of March. Training is open to anyone 13 years old or older who wants to umpire in any of Welles Park's baseball leagues this summer. The training is free but you must sign-up prior to attending. The course will be taught by professional umpires Josh Locks and Dave Ducat. Call me to sign up (773-719-5895).

Travel Team Tryouts Schedule

Tryouts for the 9 and under Travel Team will be held Saturday Feb. 20th, 2:30-4:30 at Amundsen High School Gym and Sunday Feb 21st, 12:30-2:30 at BASH Sports Academy.

Tryouts for the 12 and under Travel Team will be held Sunday Feb. 14th and 21st, 6:30-8:00 at the Bulls and White Sox Training Academy, 6200 River Bend Drive. Lisle, IL. and Sunday Feb 28th, 9:00-10:30am at Bash Sports Academy, 2617 W. Fletcher ST. Chicago, IL.

For details, contact information, and other Travel Team information go to the WPPA website.

Still some openings in Major, Senior, and Liberty!

As expected the Welles Park youth baseball's three younger leagues Rookie, Junior, and Minor filled up fast on Saturday. The three older leagues Major (11 & 12yr olds), Senior (13 & 14yr olds) and Liberty (15-18yr olds) still have some openings.

New Player Registration this Saturday 10:00am-1:00pm

New player sign-up is this Saturday (Jan. 30th.). For the younger leagues this is your one and only chance to register. Rookie, Junior, and Minor will fill up very quickly. Starting at six o'clock in the morning, WPPA representatives will pass out wrist bands to people in line. A wrist band does NOT guarantee your child will get in the league, but it does hold your place in line so you can go home until 9:00-9:30. Because of the large number of returning players, the number of open spots in the younger leagues is very small. The WPPA does everything it can to help the people who want their children to play, but it can only accommodate a limited number new players.

The WPPA's Mount Rushmore

In its twenty year existence, the WPPA has had four presidents. They are (from left): Gene Sims, founder and president first six year; Andy Lowenthal, current president; Jim Price, 3rd president for four years, and Max Griffin, 2nd president for eight years. All three of the former president at still active in program.