Where can I find field A? Who is our Umpire this matchday? Or when will the Minor League teams start playing? And when does my shift in the Snack Shack start? Ask us! The ALLBB Board usually takes care of all matters of the club in the background. But since last week the members of the boards are also recognizable by their blue T-shirts on match days and are always happy to help.

Next Saturday, May 11th, the remaining photo shootings of the teams Padres, Twins and Giants will take place. There will also be two replacement photo slots for players who were unable to make it to the 4 May date. But only portraits will be taken here, no team photos!

Sat. May 11th	08:00 – 08:30	Padres (TB)
	08:30 – 09:00	Nachfotos TB
	09:00 – 09:30	Giants (ML)
	09:30 – 10:00	Nachfotos ML / LL
	10:00 – 10:30	Twins (LL)

One of the special highlights of the ALLBB season are the photos that all players receive at the end as a reminder of the great summer: The individual single photos and the team photo. On 4th and 11th of May the time has come again. The photographer comes to the field. Here is the schedule with the slots for all teams. A big request: Please arrive on time, the schedule is very tight! Questions will be answered by the coaches or the board at info@allbb.de.

Btw see here for Gameday Schedule: 4th May 2019

 

ALLBB season 2019 – photo day scheduling
	time	team	has to be finished until
Sat. May 04th	08:00 – 08:20	Brewers (TB)	09:00 h
	08:20 – 08:40	Nationals (TB)	09:00 h
	08:40 – 09:00	Red Sox (TB)	09:00 h
	09:00 – 09:20	Mets (ML)	10:15 h
	09:20 – 09:40	Cardinals (ML)	10:15 h
	09:40 – 10:00	Pirates (ML)	10:15 h
	PAUSE
	10:30 – 10:50	Braves (ML)	12:30 h
	10:50 – 11:10	Blue Jays (ML)	12:30 h
	11:10 – 11:40	Rangers (LL)	12:30 h
	11:40 – 12:00	Rockies (LL)	12:30 h
	PAUSE
	12:30 – 12:50	D`Backs (LL)	14:45 h
	12:50 – 13:10	Reds (LL)	14:45 h
	13:10 – 13:40	Astros (LL)	14:45 h
Sat. May 11th	08:00 – 08:30	Padres (TB)
	08:30 – 09:00	Nachfotos TB
	09:00 – 09:30	Giants (ML)
	09:30 – 10:00	Nachfotos ML / LL
	10:00 – 10:30	Twins (LL)

 

We waited a long time with a lot of excitement, last Saturday it was finally time: With the Opening Day on April 13^th, the 14th ALLBB Baseball Season started at the Sachtlebenstraße field. Around 200 children from ten nations – USA, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, France, but also Japan, China, Spain and the United Kingdom – will be taking part this year. They will practice in four T-Ball, six Minor League and six Little League teams until the end of June and play against each other in the ALLBB.

Although the weather was snowy and bitterly cold in April, for many volunteers the day began early in the morning: The baseball field was prepared, the snack shack stocked and the barbecue set up. Already at eight o’clock the first T-Ballers arrived, their games (the first of the day) were scheduled before the official Opening Ceremony. For many it was the second season, so the reunion joy among the youngest players was correspondingly high. Some of the 4- to 6-year-olds, on the other hand, are there for the first time – also great excitement for kids and parents. Finding yourself as a team, getting to know the field, grasping the basics of the game and above all having fun – that was the goal of the first T-Ball games this morning.

After the T-Ball games, the official part of the day began at 10 a.m.: The traditional Opening Ceremony, where all ALLBB teams present each other on the baseball field. Following the year to year tradition, the Color Guards marched onto the field. The Bees Knees sang a-capella interpretations of the German and American national anthem as well as the classic “Take me out to the ball game.”

Florian Schlehofer, President of ALLBB, welcomed all players and their families in his speech. He admitted: “I know that we parents and coaches have a two goal approach – to see our children and their teams win”. But he reminded us that it is much more important to give the children the desire to play baseball and teach values: fairness, team spirit, courage, discipline and above all – lots of fun. “Let’s all work towards that,” he reiterated to the children, parents and volunteers. The ALLBB President thanked the latter and pointed out that ALLBB would not exist without the outstanding commitment of many helpers and volunteers: coaches, referees, team moms and many, many others. The guest of honor at this year’s Opening Ceremony, Scott Robinson, also underlined this. The deputy cultural affairs officer at the US Embassy has been associated with ALLBB for many years through his sons Ashton and Jack. It was therefore a great honor for his son Jack to catch the first “pitch” of the season which was made by Scott. For the record the pitch was definitely a strike and a great catch!

While the Minor League and the Little League started their season after them Opening Ceremony, many T-Ballers and their parents could already enjoy the first hamburger, cheeseburger and hot dogs of the season. What makes the ALLBB so special quickly became apparent: the great atmosphere with the best of the American “way of life” combined with German traditions: Family time on the baseball field, meeting friends, the best barbecue and lots of baseball on or off the field. Conclusion of the day, which only slowly ended in the early evening: Being out on the field again was great, an exciting opening day. Just to say it short: a great start for ALLBB 2019!

Here you go for Presidents adress: presidents_address_ALLBBopeningday_final

 

 

 

What a great start to the new season! Today many volunteers, parents and children came to the traditional Clean Up Day in Sachtlebenstraße in the beautiful sunshine and springlike temperatures. Raking leaves, pruning bushes, cleaning paths, preparing baseball fields and dug outs: there was plenty to do all day. But there was still also plenty of time for reunions, nice German-English conversations and many new contacts. The Concession stand team provided chilli con carne, drinks and – of course – all kinds of sweets for our hard-working volunteers. A great day for young and old!

By the way: If you want to register your child on short notice, you still have a few days left. Info here. Next Saturday, March 30th, the Try Outs for Minor League and Little League will be held.

Play ball!

Baseball season is almost here and we have a number of events planned to finish our preparations. In addition to try-outs and our annual umpire clinic on Saturday, March 30^th we have added a “scorekeepers clinic”.

Our very own Melissa Wiltzius has been studying for her scorekeeper license through the BSVBB.  Melissa has graciously offered to teach these skill at a one-hour presentation to be held from 2 to 3 p.m. From 2 to 5:00 p.m. we will have our annual umpire clinic. Hosted this year by Christopher Purrington.

Scorekeepers play a vital role beginning in the Minor League continuing through the Juniors. Specifically,

• Provide the umpire and coaches a ‘real time’ picture of where the game is. Believe it or not, the umpires, coaches and even players can lose track of simple things like the strike count or number of runs scored. This helps the game to proceed without arguments.
• Coaches find the information on the scorekeepers record a great way to replay the game. They can spot who their dependable hitters are. Who can score a run if they get on base. Who excels in RBI’s. This information helps a coach to manage the team to  a winning season.
• You can enjoy the satisfaction of being a part of the game instead of just a spectator.

Are you interested in attending? There is no pressure to actually score games but if your child’s coach asks for someone to help on game day you will probably feel confident to assist the team.

Please RSVP to reg@allbb.de and we will add your name to the list of attendees. You only need to bring yourself to the clinic.

Thanks for taking the time to consider this request. We look forward to seeing everyone on March 30^th for try-outs and our umpire/scorekeeper clinics.

Just a month to go until the season starts and all leagues are almost filled up. If your kids are interested in playing baseball this spring, it’s time register. Everyone from T-Ball players (4-6 years old) to Minor League (7-9 years old ) to Little League (10-12 years old) and up to Juniors (13-15 years old) is welcome to come and have fun. Players practice once a week and have games every Saturday. Everyone welcome!

For more information check out here or send us an e-mail: info@allbb.de.

 

The American Little League Baseball Berlin (ALLBB) is a community of volunteers which works together to provide children ages 4-15 the thrilling experience of American baseball in the heart of Berlin. This youth experience of teamwork, discipline and enthusiasm would not be possible without the devotion of our numerous volunteers: Coaches, Parent-Volunteers, Snack-bar Assistants, Board Members and Umpires. In particular, we continually require volunteers who are willing to prepare themselves for the task of umpiring by familiarizing themselves with the special rules developed for our Little League circumstances, entitled 2019 ALLBB RULES APPENDIX.

If you are 12-years-old or older, you can join our group of volunteer umpires this season. If you write to our Umpire Coordinator Jackie Pocklington at umpirecoordinator@allbb.de, he will place you on circular email list for umpires, explain how you can prepare for umpiring and sign up online for specific games of the season. Your volunteering will assist us enormously in realizing this season for our community of children.

Thank you for your support for Little League Baseball in Berlin!

 

ALLBB season is almost here, we have a few spots left but they are filling up fast. If you wanted to join us for baseball fun go to: http://allbb.de/registration/

You can send your form to: reg@allbb.de

Make sure we can read it. 🙂

 

Here you go with a quick view on our time schedule for next season:

Saturday June 22nd 2019, @ Sachtlebenstrasse – Last day of the season 2019

Here are some important ALLBB dates to mark in your 2018 calendar, check back regularly for updates. Times to be announced.

 

April 7th, 2018 – ALLBB Field Clean-up day

April 14th, 2018 – ALLBB Player Evaluations

April 21st, 2018 – ALLBB Opening Day – Week 1

June 23rd, 2018 – ALLBB Closing Day – Week 10