News and Announcements
JUNIOR DIVISION TRYOUTS CHANGED TO SATURDAY, MARCH 10TH AT 10am
Try Outs for Junior Division players have been changed to Saturday, March 10th at 10am. They will be held at Prince Park. This will also be the final opportunity to register for the 2007 season.
PTown's Major Leaguer, Jonny Gomes, Wishes PALL Players A Great Season!
The Tampa Bay Devil Ray 's Designated Hitter, Jonny Gomes, began his baseball career right here at Petaluma American Little League! Jonny knows that the 8-12 year olds just finished Try Outs, the older players are gearing up, and that the new 6 and 7 year olds are looking forward to learning who their teammates are. He asked me to get a message to all of you: "Play hard, eat your greens, and I'll see everyone in Oakland soon!" The Devil Rays play the Oakland A's the last weekend in April at the Coliseum. I'll let you know soon how you can sit in The Gomes Zone and cheer for Jonny.
If you'd like to wish Jonny a great season, just have mom or dad help you sign our PALL Website Guest Book. When I see some good luck wishes for him there, I'll let him know! Maybe he'll write back!
If you don't know much about Jonny, he was an All Star at Casa Grande High School. His road to the pros wasn't easy, but when he got there, he stormed through the Minors winning awards for his bat and fan support for his determination and work ethic. He finally made it to The Show and "stuck" with the Rays for good in 2005 and quickly became a fan favorite. He racked up amazing stats and was just a few votes shy of winning the American League Rookie of the Year that season. He won the hearts of lots of PTown families last February when Petaluma recognized his accomplishments here at PALL with "Jonny Gomes Day". Jonny's sophomore season in MLB started out with a bang. He led the American League in home runs through the end of April when a shoulder injury began to hamper his swing. By August, he made the decision to have season ending surgery so he could get back to top form. If you read Jonny's story, you'll see that he's battled back before. The Rays and Jonny's friends and fans know he'll "light it up" in the A.L. East again this spring. You gotta believe.
Read more about Jonny by following the PALLs In The Pros link on the left. Jonny is sponsoring a AAA Team at PALL this year as well as a team in Petaluma National and Petaluma Valley Little Leagues.
"Spring Training" Mini Clinics Offered By Two P-Town Pros
Are you a Major or Minor Division player that wants to tune up for the season?
Are you a Junior or Senior Division Player that wants to look sharp in Try Outs?
Are you a parent that wants to just help your player get better?
Chad Fillinger, a pitcher in the Seattle Mariners Minor League Organization and Joey Gomes, a free agent most recently with the San Diego Padres Minor League Organization will be offering small pitching and hitting clinics in early February. Each session will be one hour and will be with one other player. The pitching and hitting sessions are separate hour long clinics. Players can sign up for either the hitting or pitching or both sessions. All ages are welcome. If you don't have a partner for the session, one will be scheduled. Parents will pick up lots of tips and observe drills that will help them encourage their player's development during the season.
When: February 10th
Where: Casa Grande High School Varsity Field
Cost: $55 per session (hitting and pitching are separate sessions)
Contact: Chad Fillinger 707-763-4160
Note: Sessions on the 10th are nearly booked so Chad and Joey are also booking a few sessions on Sunday the 11th.
Work Party At The Junior Div Field At Prince Park This Saturday
It's gonna be awesome with your help!
Date: This Saturday, February 3rd
Location: Prince Park (Baseball field A)
Time: 8am
Equipment to bring: Shovels (flat and pointed), Rakes, Wheelbarrows, Trucks for loading and unloading dirt.
Questions? Call PALL Jr/Sr Division VP Barry Jones at 707-776-4917 or email him at bjones455@yahoo.com.
Thank you!
Prince Park Junior Field Has Never Looked Better! Thanks Volunteers!
The crew added new base pads and home plate for an alternate 80 foot diamond and moved a dozen sprinkler heads. They also removed the lip that had formed between the infield dirt and outfield grass which acted as a big dam after a rainstorm. Now the infield will drain properly and the surface is much improved from an infielder's point of view. We are hoping this will give Prince Park a minimum of 4 years before any major work would have to be done again.
This work was prompted by some exciting developments in the Junior Division this season. Junior teams play an interleague format, facing teams from all three Petaluma Little Leagues during regular season play. The three Leagues have addressed a widely held concern about the sudden transition 13 year old Junior players must make from the 60 foot Little League diamond to the 90 foot regulation diamond. This year, the Junior Division will play roughly the first half of the 2007 season on an 80 foot diamond. The shorter distance allows player's arms to develop gradually so they will have more confidence and success on the bigger field while still preparing them for the 90 foot diamonds that All Star Tournaments are played on. We hope this change will help our Juniors repeat as D35 South Area Champions this season! A related decision was made to allow 14 year olds to either play a second year in Juniors or "play up" to the Senior Division on the 90 foot diamond in preparation for high school baseball. These changes have players "fired up"... PALL will field at least 5 Junior/Senior Division teams this season!
Thanks again for an amazing overhaul of our Junior Division Home field!