You’re sitting dead red. It’s a hitter’s count, 2-0, and you’re ready to jump all over that fastball. The pitcher winds up, and for a split second, everything looks right. But then the bottom falls out. The ball dips, your front foot is already down, your bat sails through empty space, and you’re left staring back at the mound, wondering how you got fooled again.
Continue reading “How to hit a curveball”
Whether you’re playing in the 18+, 32+, 50+, or Classic Division, accurate scorekeeping is essential for maintaining clear, reliable statistics throughout the season. With hundreds of players competing each year, precise scoring helps enhance player experience, track performance accurately, and even resolve friendly debates on the field.
Continue reading “How to Keep Score in Baseball”
Baseball is a timeless game, loved by players of all ages. Whether you’re in your 20s or your 60s, staying in shape for the upcoming season is essential to make sure you play your best, stay injury-free, and enjoy the game to its fullest. Each age division in men’s adult baseball presents different fitness challenges and needs, and understanding how to stay fit for your specific group can make a world of difference. Here’s a guide on how to stay in shape for the upcoming season, tailored to the 18+, 32+, 50+, and Classic (60+) divisions.
Continue reading “Baseball Off-Season Conditioning”
Below are the officially sanctioned tournaments scheduled by the national MSBL.
Continue reading “2025 MSBL Tournament Schedule”
The Yonder Travelers won the 2024 World Series (National League 55+ Division) in Arizona this year. The CNCMSBL was well represented by the following guys from our league.
Continue reading “National MSBL 55+ World Series Champs”
On October 6th, the Classic Division was finally able to get together to play their All-Star game. After several attempts to play due to rain outs, the good Lord blessed us with a good day to play and fellowship.
Continue reading “Classic Division All-Star Game”
The Raleigh Oaks (16-4) and the Flying Squirrels (12-6-2) faced off in the best-of-three championship series for the 2024 CNCMSBL 18+ Championship at the old historic Durham Athletic Park in Durham, North Carolina.
Continue reading “Oaks Sweep Squirrels for 18+ ‘Three-Peat’ Championship in Central North Carolina MSBL”
The CNCMSBL has grown to the point that the playoffs required us to expand to two divisions for the 18+ Division. New to the league are the RDU Bulldogs, who struggled early on but found their footing to knock off the Trash Pandas for the 18+ American League Championship on September 8th at beautiful East Clayton Community Park.
The RDU Bulldogs are managed by Rich Sosa. The Trash Pandas are managed by Jamie Agusta.
The CNCMSBL 32+ division has expanded to six teams this year and the race was tight. The newly expanded team, Athletics, managed by Ryan Bonner, did an excellent job and was favored to win it all but came up short in the championship game versus the Raleigh Red Sox. The entire championship series was held at historic Durham Athletic Park (the original home and filming location of ‘Bull Durham’).
The Red Sox have a long history in our league and came out on top with great pitching and timely hitting. Managed by Jason Angel with help from Jamie Lee and Chris Budnick, the Red Sox were able to return the franchise to the top after a several-year drought. Congratulations to Jason and the Red Sox!
Steve LaMontia, Director of Communications at the national MSBL website wrote up this story.
Christian Lupo is one tough, focused, stubborn, and truly amazing 56-year old baseball player. His 16-year journey has been a long one, thanks to lung disease, surgical setbacks, conditioning predicaments, and the simple issue of handling everything mentally, as he yearned to continue the fight to feed his love of baseball.
Continue reading “Christian Lupo, Dedicated Baseball Survivor”
What better way to celebrate Father’s Day than playing baseball!
The CNCMSBL decided to try something different this year for our annual all-star games. The suggestion to hold the game on the Saturday before Father’s Day instead of post-season was put in place and appears to have been a success.
Continue reading “2023 All Star Games”
You’ve spent countless hours on the field, honing your skills and refining your game. Now it’s time to up the ante and master one of the most beguiling pitches in baseball: the curveball.
A well-executed curveball can be a game-changer, leaving even the most experienced hitters flailing at the plate. In this guide, we’ll delve into the intricate art of throwing a curveball, drawing from the wisdom of major league legends and offering insights on grip, mechanics, and technique. So, tighten your laces, dust off your cleats, and let’s get started on the path to curveball mastery.
To throw an effective curveball, there are five main elements you need to focus on.
Continue reading “Throwing a Curveball”
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the world of Major League Baseball (MLB). You may have heard of ChatGPT (which is a language model) from OpenAI mentioned in the news lately, but there is much more to modern AI. From player performance analysis to in-game decision-making, AI is revolutionizing the way coaches, managers, and scouts approach the game. With advancements in data driven technology and data analytics, AI is providing deeper insights into player performance, pitch tracking, and fan engagement. In this article, we’ll explore the ways AI is shaping the future of MLB teams and the impact it’s having on the sport. We’ll also examine the potential implications of AI on baseball and what the future may hold for this ever-evolving technology. Unlike other trends, you don’t need to be a big market team in New York or Los Angeles to take advantage of this technology to help you reach the World Series, in fact there are now many high schools leveraging it.
Continue reading “AI in Baseball”
When the Central North Carolina Men’s Baseball League decided to start a 60+ age division, they knew that the crazies that are still playing baseball at that age are special.
It got me thinking about what major leaguers are available for a 60+ division?
Continue reading “Stars Who Are Over 60”
As Satchel Paige stood behind the pitcher’s mound facing the outfield, his mind likely raced with excitement and a sense of accomplishment. With two outs in the ninth inning, the African American hurler and his Bismarck (North Dakota) teammates were on the brink of the first-ever national semi-pro baseball championship.
Continue reading “Interracial Baseball from 1920-1935”
It’s no shock that you get hot and sweaty playing baseball in North Carolina during the summer. As Kyle Davis wrote about feeling for baseball players playing the game during the heat, “…they do it while wearing like, full-length pants. In uniforms made out of polyester, and dark hats made of wool covering their heads. MLB players walk around in sweltering, unforgiving heat, basically wearing a heavy sun and warmth absorption costume. And they still run around and swing bats and throw baseballs just fine. They stand out in the middle of a grass and dirt field with literally nowhere else to go and no escape. They just have to stay there, flesh afire. It makes no effing sense!“
Continue reading “Avoiding Heat Exhaustion & Heat Stroke”
Some parts of baseball’s rules are more obvious than others. Earned Runs are one aspect that can be a little bit squishy.
Because of human mistakes, sometimes runs score that probably shouldn’t have. Differentiating between earned and unearned runs is baseball’s effort to be fair.
Continue reading “The Mystery of Unearned Runs”
Part of what ties us to baseball is our memories. Our memories are tied to specific events that trigger the associated emotions.
As a lifelong Red Sox fan, I have lots of memories that are tied to specific images from the past.
Continue reading “Take More Baseball Photos”
Baseball is much easier to practice when you have a bunch of guys, but it is possible for you to get in some good practice even when you’re alone.
The Covid-19 Coronavirus is keeping baseball players away from each other, but you can still get some work in if you really want to.
Continue reading “Solo Baseball Practice”
While looking through the statistics at Baseball-Reference, I noticed something that I wouldn’t call surprising, but a bit overwhelming. It seems that baseball’s best players peak in their late 20’s. Pitchers, batters, fielders, it doesn’t matter – at 27ish, they’re as good as they’re going to get. Why is that?
Continue reading “Some Amazing Baseball Statistics”
