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Saturday's Internet Edition, 11:5 PM, July 31, 2010.
Baseball accolades and memories for RM four
Rancho Murieta Commentary
By Kathryn Brodrick
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Since my two grandsons, both phenomenal pitchers, have aged out of Little League, I’m finding myself starved for baseball this summer. Of course, we have the Giants on TV - but it’s just not the same as rooting on a team of 12 and 13 year olds playing their little hearts out.
The fans at AT&T Park can’t hold a candle to the screaming parents in the stands. This especially applies to my daughter-in-law, who literally cannot watch when the game is tight and her son is on the mound. The drama of the game is heightened by the pounding of the hearts of the watchers. Win or lose, there’s always an adrenaline hangover the next day.
Rancho Murieta has much of which to be proud this year. Four members of the Cosumnes River Little League took first place prizes in the Major League Baseball Pitch Hit and Run Competition on June 13. The championship games were held at AT&T Park, where 14-year-old Brett Elgin, 12-year-old Davis Elgin and nine-year-old Sam Whiting came in first in their respective age brackets for baseball. Twelve-year-old Quinn Ammaturo won in her age bracket for softball.
The skills competition for kids ages seven to 14 showed off talent in the three areas of the sports. Although the four advanced to the national finals, the competition was keen and margins were narrow. The thrill is, of course, in the competition itself. All four said they had a real sense of accomplishment.
Little League baseball is just one of many leagues offering competitive sports opportunities to young people. In the latter part of the 20th Century, there were some who thought competitive sports like Little League led to unhealthy compulsions in children. They proposed less intense activities in which everyone won and nobody lost. Of course we know that’s just not how life works, and children need guidance in dealing with all the twists life’s roads can take.
My son and his wife have guided their boys through Little League from T-Ball though Western Regional Playoffs in the Majors, always emphasizing the spirit of fun on the field, importance of practice and polishing skills and the cohesive pleasure of each boy rooting for the other. They’ve thereby avoided competition between the boys and fostered a love of the game that the boys will carry with them for life.
Dealing with winning and losing is an important part of every child’s education. It doesn’t have to come from sports, but playing as part of a team yields a number of other lessons as well. That old saying, “There’s no 'I' in team” is a big part of fostering the spirit of cooperation. Being part of my grandson’s trip to San Bernardino and the Western Regional Playoffs last year was a real eye-opener. It was clear that the teams who made it to that level were intensely bonded as partners in an enterprise, closer than brothers. That’s the real magic of team sports—winning is nice, but it’s the playing of the game that matters most.
After their loss to Southern California (who went on to win the Little League World Series), not a single boy said they would rather not have played. The thrill was in the game, where it will remain as long as they live.
Our four Rancho Murieta finalists ended up with a final national ranking of fifth. They got to show off their skills and play on a big league field, not to mention see a Giants game. Cosumnes River Little League is well supported by coaches and parents, and the kids are getting vital life lessons.
So I guess I’ll have to wait for August for my “real” baseball fix, when my younger grandson starts high school baseball practice. He’s a pitcher - and an excellent one. Since his high school district plays American League rules, with a designated hitter, he has decided to go out for a fielder’s position. He says he wants to play every game, not just the ones in which he pitches, like his brother did. Then he can be a relief pitcher if they need him. I think he’s very wise for 15, already strategizing his new career.
River Valley gardening tips for July and August
Sloughhouse Commentary
By Mindy Cecchettini
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Wow, what happened to July? Here we are in the last week of the month, and I haven’t taken the time to give you the garden tips for the month. So much of what needs to be done in July can be done in August, so this list is good for both months.
For all you veggie and fruit growers out there, harvest your zucchini when the fruit is no more than 8 inches long. If you miss picking for just a day, the squash grows too rapidly and becomes too large. Young, smaller squash is much more flavorful.
Do you want to increase the amount of summertime tomatoes and peppers at harvest time? Use a fertilizer now with more phosphorus and potassium than nitrogen, such as an 8-10-10 formulation.
For those of you who plant your own sweet corn, plant your last section of sweet corn when the crape myrtle is in bloom (that’s now). Always plant in sections or blocks so the corn can easily be pollinated. When it looks like the corn is ready to pick, press your fingernail into a kernel of corn; if the liquid is milky and not clear, it’s ready to eat.
Train new raspberry and blackberry canes on a trellis or fence. Cut to the ground the old canes that bore berries this year. Whenever you spot a fruiting blackberry cane now, mark it with a dab of white paint to remind you to prune it out after you’ve picked the berries. For new canes on trailing varieties, peg them to the ground to ease your pruning chores.
August is the time for planting seeds of winter vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale and lettuce. Be sure to keep these new seed beds moist.
In the orchard, fallen fruit may be harboring next year’s pest problems. Clean up and discard these unwanted fruits. Fruit and nut trees would enjoy a bit of fertilizer this month including almonds, apricots, citrus, peaches and nectarines, cherries and walnuts.
New research shows the benefits of summertime deciduous fruit tree pruning to keep trees at a manageable height and the fruit within easy reach. Cut back or remove branches above that height. If you are uncomfortable pruning your fruit trees, pick up a good fruit tree pruning book at your garden center or bookstore to give you some pointers.
If you don’t grow veggies or fruit but lavish in flowers and ornamental shrubs/trees, here are several tips to help your landscape look the best it can be:
• Do you grow gladiolas and irises? If so, now is the time to cut off any dry foliage on the spring-blooming bulbs; divide and replant any crowded clumps. Also, if you grow Shasta daisies, August is the time to divide crowded clumps of this beautiful perennial.
• Looking for colorful flower additions for shady areas? Try impatiens, begonias and fuchsias. Keep them cool in the shade, damp and pinch the fuchsias for bushier growth.
• To increase the number of blooms of marigolds, celosia, cosmos, zinnias, petunias and impatiens: remove the dead flower heads so the plant can put its energy into new growth instead of seed production. Additionally, apply a fertilizer with more phosphorus and potassium than nitrogen - perhaps a formulation such as 5-10-10. Marigolds and zinnias can bloom well into the fall; it’s not too late to plant more of these seeds.
• Late August is a good time to plant seeds of winter-blooming flowers such as sweet peas, snapdragons, Iceland poppies, pansies, violas and primroses. Be sure to keep these new seed beds moist to ward off the drying effects of our warm afternoon breezes.
• Do you grow azaleas and rhododendrons? If so - and they have set their flower buds for next spring’s bloom - switch your fertilizer to an 0-10-10 to boost the flower size next year.
• Keep your roses cool during July and August. Water deeply and add mulch around the root zone. To keep them blooming, dead head the spent blooms and, if possible, make your cuts down to the first five leaf node facing away from the middle of the plant.
• For larger chrysanthemum blooms this fall, disbud them now. Stake and tie the plants to prevent drooping and breaking.
• Potted plants on a hot porch need to be watered thoroughly. Dunk the pot into a bucket of water or slowly water the container with a hose. Looking for houseplants that don’t need much care? Try philodendron, the Chinese evergreen or the peperomia. All of these can take low levels of light and only need a thorough watering once a month.
• Last but not least, check the soil moisture around stressed shrubs and trees. Dig down a foot and take a handful of this dirt. If it is dry or muddy, it indicates the plant is underwatered or overwatered. It should be moist, not dry or wet.
• If you have aphid problems in your landscape, attract ladybugs by planting dill, golden marguerite, coriander and Queen Anne’s lace. They will help you battle the problem.
Make your visit to the nursery the last stop of the day; if you have any gardening questions, contact me at mindyc@wildblue.net or phone 354-1805.
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Online publication, Copyright 2005, The River Valley Times.
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