Last Updated:
12/29/2008
News
& Announcements
12/29/2008 - Happy
New Year! - New Year
Quotes
An optimist stays up until
midnight to see the New Year in.
A pessimist stays up to make
sure the old year leaves.
- Bill Vaughan
Then sing, young hearts that are
full of cheer, With never a
thought of sorrow; The
old goes out, but the glad young
year Comes merrily in tomorrow.
- Emily Miller
Ring out the old, ring in the
new, Ring, happy bells, across
the snow: The year is going, let
him go; Ring out the false, ring
in the true.
- Lord Tennyson, 1850
We meet today To thank Thee for
the era done, And Thee for the
opening one.
- John Greenleaf Whittier
Youth is when you're allowed to
stay up late on New Year's Eve.
Middle age is when you're forced
to.
- Bill Vaughan
Now there are more overweight
people in America than
average-weight people. So
overweight people are now
average. Which means you've met
your New Year's resolution.
- Jay Leno
A New Year's resolution is
something that goes in one year
and out the other.
- Unknown
11/27/2008 - Happy
Thanksgiving! - A game
warden was driving down the road
when he came upon a young boy
carrying a wild turkey under his
arm.
He stopped and asked the boy,
'Where did you get that
turkey?' 
The boy replied, 'What
turkey?'
The game warden said, 'That
turkey you're carrying under
your arm.'
The boy looks down and said,
'Well, lookee here, a turkey
done roosted under my arm!'
The game warden said, 'Now
look, you know turkey season is
closed, so whatever you do to
that turkey, I'm going to do to
you.
If you break his leg, I'm
gonna break your leg. If you
break his wing, I'll break your
arm. Whatever you do to him,
I'll do to you. So, what are you
gonna do with him?
The little boy said, 'I guess
I'll just kiss his ass and let
him go!'
11/9/2008 - Blue Devils
Brawl Team Wilson for 7 innings
3 – 4 - Playing Team Wilson
again at far eastern Gwinnett
County’s beautiful 178 acre
Lenora Park, Norcross brawled
and battled to a 3-3 tie after
the Grand Slam Shiloh Wood Bat
Fall Brawl Tournament regulation
6 innings.
Starting pitcher Jesse
Vaughan held the Woodstock team
to a single run for 3 innings
capped by a catcher Griffin
Ramsey throw out of a Wilson
runner at 3rd base.
Blue Devil wood bats were
cracking in the 4th inning with
a Jacob Gassert RBI double to
the left field fence followed by
a Zack Walch RBI bunt that put
Norcross up 3-1 after 4 innings
of play.
4th inning reliever Sam
Grosswald played his heart out
for the Blue Devils, getting
spiked in the leg blocking home
plate tagging a Wilson runner
out, then making a diving foul
ball catch coming up throwing to
first base for a 5th inning
ending double play out.
Team Wilson managed to cross
a run in the bottom of the 6th
inning to force what Skip Carey
loved to call “free baseball”
extra innings. The Blue Devils
finally succumbed in the 7th
inning as a Team Wilson runner
came home on a weak infield
ground ball.
As usual, the Norcross team
enjoyed tremendous fan support
including Cole Mannion’s
grandmother Barbara Erwin who
was in attendance with daughter
Lisa, celebrating her wedding
anniversary, married to Cole’s
Grandfather Larry Erwin for 50
years!
After bringing home large
second place trophies from the
Shiloh Brawl, the The 11U Blue Devils plan to
make a final 2008 appearance the
weekend of Nov 15-16 in the
Gwinnett Fall Classic played at
the “Beutiful” E.R. Snell
Baseball Complex and at Lenora
Church Park, competing for the
now famous GRAND SLAM SIX FOOT
TALL 4-REAL WOODEN BAT 30-POUND
CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY!
Details to be announced.
11/9/2008 – Norcross
Knocks Out Next Level Bulldogs 6
– 1 - After going 1 – 1 in
the Saturday opening day bracket
play of the Shiloh Fall Brawl
tournament, the Norcross 11U
travel team played into the
final 2 team championship round
at Lenora Park, five miles past
Snellville (“where everybody is
somebody”) on a cool 58 degree
Sunday afternoon.
Mikey Olson and Andrew
Thunhorst (no frightening pink
scarf today!) struck quickly in
the first inning with RBI’s to
put Norcross up by 2 runs.
Three Norcross pitchers
muzzled the Bulldog bats for 6
innings giving up only one run
on the bright sunny cool
afternoon. Starter Griffin
Ramsey was coasting with a 2 run
lead in the 3rd inning needing
to toss only 4 pitches to send
the Bulldogs back to their
house.
Former Atlanta Falcon Michael
Vick was said to have phoned in
from Leavenworth, Kansas
requesting that the Next Level
team be allowed to leave for
Suwannee, not wanting to see
dogs treated this badly.
11/6/2008 - Norcross 11U
Plays Wood Bat - Norcross
will play at 11am and 1pm on
Saturday in the Shiloh Wood Bat
tournament. For complete
tournament information see the
Tournament Page. For
Directions to Shiloh, see the
Park Directions Page.
10/26/2008 - Panthers
Spook Norcross 8 – 3 -
Facing the familiar Parkview
Panthers in the “final four”
single elimination 4th game of
the Boo Ball Tournament,
Norcross was scratched by the
orange cats for 8 runs in a 6
inning game. Norcross threw 3
pitchers against the cats in the
game but the Panthers clawed
their way on base and around the
diamond to score in 4 of the 6
inning contest.
Norcross scoring was light
but memorable. With a lead off
runner on base in the 3rd
inning, Ty Burns crushed a
Parkview fast ball over the
center field fence for a tape
measure 2 RBI home run to bring
the Blue Devils jumping out of
the dugout and to within one run
of Parkview.
Inspired by the Dominique
“Human Highlight Film” pre-game
meeting, defensive play gems
abounded in the game starting
with a 1st inning Zack Walch
center field running catch,
right fielder Cole Mannion
throwing out a batter at 1st, a
Mikey Olson diving catch in left
field coming up to throw out an
orange runner at 2nd for a
double play to end the 3rd
inning, with bases loaded
pitcher Sam Grosswald striking
out the final 4th inning batter,
and catcher Jesse Vaughan
gunning down a threatening
Panther runner at 3rd base.
The 11U Blue Devils plan to
reconvene the weekend of Nov 8,9
for the Shiloh Wood Bat
Tournament, more details to be
announced.
10/26/2008 – Blue Devils
Scare Collins Hill 10 – 0 -
After going 1 – 1 in the opening
day bracket play of the
prestigious 6th Annual South
Gwinnett Boo Ball Invitational
Tournament, the newly minted
Norcross 11U travel team played
into the final 4 team round at
the tradition rich Snell Park
Field in Snellville (“where
everybody is somebody”.
Starting with a pre-game
photo session with UGA / Atlanta
Hawks basketball great Dominique
“Human Highlight Film” Wilkins,
the Blue Devils proceeded to
“run rule” the Collins Hill
Eagles in a 4 inning no hit, no
error, 1 walk spooky game.
Alan “Bionic Arm” Carter was
as untouchable as a ghost on the
mound for 3 innings delivering
an 8 – 0 lead to Mikey Olson in
the 4th who threw 3 pitches for
3 outs by great defense to leave
the Eagles grounded.
7 Norcross sluggers haunted
the Eagles with RBI’s in the
game including Griffin, Sam,
Cole, Alan, Drew (3), Mikey (2),
and Andrew.
10/22/2008 - Norcross 11U
Boo Ball Tournament - The
schedule for this weekends Boo
Ball Tournament has been
released - please have a look at
the schedule on the
tournament page.
Please
wear Navy Blue Jersey's for
entire weekend.
