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Cody Blake, Diamond Backs.
 
 
 
2009 breakdown
 
After a an 8-11 season in 2008, Cody set out to get better any way he could in 2009. As early as he could get out and take some BP and throw pitches he was.  It looked as though the hard work would pay off early on. Cody Started the year out with a 3-1 record and was hitting for average and power early on.  Unfortunately for Cody, a 5 game losing streak in mid-season and losing 8 of his last 11 games found Cody 3 games under .500 for the 2nd year in a row.  He do manage to get a #7 seed and make the playoffs for the 3rd year in a row though.
 
2009 High Point
 
On July 20th he helped his own cause hitting a solo shot in the top of the 6th to lift him to a 1-0 win over Seeatch. Finshed the year with a career low 9 losses and was 2nd in the league in HR's. ( 39 )  
 
2009 Low Point
 
After starting 3-1, Cody went 3-8 to finish the year. Had a 5 game losing streak that started with an 11-4 loss to Zack on May 25th.
 
Playoff Chase
 
Cody starting off looking strong for a top spot in the playoff's with a 3-1 record. Then hit a wall and a 5 game losing streak. Despite that Cody rebounded to go 3-3 down the stretch and get the #7 seed. Although he made it into the playoff's Cody was bounced in the first round for the 3rd straight year. He was beat by a 1 hit performance from 2009 runner-up Elliot.
 
2010 Outlook
 
 If he can learn to win the close games consistantly he should again be back in the playoff hunt for the 4th straight year.   Offensively look for Cody to continue to improve at the plate. He has been patient over his 4 years and will again be in 2010. If Cody learns to use the whole field and hit pitches that may not be the "Ideal Pitches" then he should be a .300 hitter and 40+ HR guy. 
 
 
Hot Stove Interview with Cody Blake.
 
HS: You made the playoff's for the 3rd year in a row. You have only come away with with 1 win in those 3 appearances. What do you think you will have to do in 2010 to get back to the playoff's? Also what do you need to do to win a series and get by the first round?

Cody: In 2006, a +.500 win percentage would be what you would need to get in the playoffs. Last year, I believe Zack made it in with a sub .300 win percentage. So as far as getting back to the playoffs, if things stay the same, then I should have no problem finding my way back. As far as getting past the first round of the playoffs, I will need to continue to work on the pitches I already have, because I feel I have an effective group of pitches. However, I need to locate them better and gain more accuracy with those pitches in order to improve myself enough to get past the 1st round and beyond.

HS: You won your 2nd Wiffle Warrior award in 3 years in 2009, what does that mean to you?

Cody: Wiffle Warrior is a great award. I really take pride in my dedication to this league, as well as the game of wiffle ball itself. Besides from my dedication, I think that my determination has also played a role in winning this award. When someone picks me for their team, they know that I am going to give 110% regardless of who’s team I am on and what the score of the game is. So,it means a lot that other players see that I am really dedicated and I hope to try to defend the award with pride again next year in hopes of winning it again.

HS: Your record has been steadily improving over the last few years. You have yet to finish with an above .500 record. What do you need to do with your pitching to get the wins and have an above .500 record in a season?

Cody: When last year began, I really thought I had a chance at getting my record above .500. But as the season progressed, I noticed that not only did I improve, but many of the other guys in the league improved tremendously as well. I know I have some good pitches and I lost a lot of really close tough games in 2009. I very well could have gotten that .500 percentage already if those close games had swayed in my direction. But for 2010 it’s just a matter of maybe finding one more solid strikeout pitch, and developing the pitches I already have in order to be more accurate with them.

HS: You recently were given a high position in the HRL offices. What "New" things have you been working on to help the league continue to grow?

Cody: I am working very hard right now on getting a lot of things done for 2010. With The Steve’s help, I think we can get our website loaded with a lot of new content for our players in 2010, which is something they should definitely be looking forward to. Aside from the website I have been basically in charge of our facebook page and new myspace page (both can be viewed/clicked on from the hrlmass.com home page). I also will be getting a good video camera which I plan on using at the field every time I am there so I can get videos uploaded on the site as well as footage for our 2010 DVD!

HS: What goals do you have for the upcoming season?

Cody: Well I definitely think I am fully capable of improving my pitching enough to be in the hunt for a championship. So winning a championship will be goal #1. But another goal for me is to play a bigger part in helping this league succeed. I really want to be “the Marketing Guy” who really gets the word out there and finds new people to join the league. Because the bottom line is, we can’t have a league if we don’t have the players. So I really hope to get a lot of new faces to our league this year. As far as my hitting goes, I would love to see my batting average finish above .300. That was one of my main goals last season, and although my hitting did improve drastically, I wasn’t able to reach the .300 mark.

HS: Is there anything you would like to say to the league or player for the upcoming season? Maybe an opening day Challenge?

Cody: My opening day challenge is still in question, so I will not challenge anyone just yet. However, I would like to take this time to congratulate Randy Leblanc, who to my understanding has retired from the HRL. Randy had played in the league for all 20 seasons, and to see a player like that leave will be a big loss for the HRL. He definitely has been a huge part of this league, as well as one of the best hitters I have ever witnessed at Pops Park. Even after 20 years, he still had it in him to crank out plenty of homers and win himself the 2009 Home Run Derby (Not that he was that old! Sorry Randy, I’m not trying to call you old here!). The next player I would like to address is Mink. As 2009 Most Improved Player award winner, I just want to say that I definitely expect Mink to continue to improve, and look for him to get his share of upsets in 2010.

HS: Are there any changes that you would like to see the league make in 2010?

Cody: If there was one thing that I would like to see changed, then it would maybe be to help out the batters a little bit more. I know I improved a lot in 2009, but with that being said, it seemed so much more difficult to hit last year, than it did in previous years. I’m not sure if the speed of the pitchers is to blame, or just the fact that the pitchers have improved so much that something needs to be done to help out the offense. I think we need to fix something in the rules in order to give the offense a boost. With the boost in offense, I think the league can have a perfect balance of hitting and pitching.