10. I will learn AND REMEMBER every kid’s name on the team BEFORE the end of the season.
9. I will only say “come on blue” once per inning. (Will probably be the first one to be broken)
8. I will maintain my cool when one of my players runs full speed to the next base on a caught line drive for the 5th time in the game! (Probably not, but again, sounds good)
7. I will be on time to every practice.
6. I will have a plan for every practice. (Yeah right)
5. I will focus on the field and not the pretty moms in the stands! (Again, unlikely)
4. I will draft kids for their commitment to team and not their ability…(sure)
3. I will not argue with anyone from a city who’s name starts with D…(anyone believe this?)
2. I won’t let uniformed parents with nothing better to do with their lives than complain bother me. (This one I will keep)
1. I will remember that 10 years from now, none of this will really matter except the impact I have on the kid’s lives.

Now don’t go gettin’ your panties all in a ruffle…just a little fun for the end of the year.

What’s your resolution?

That’s right. Rick the Giant Ass tried to play nice-nice. And what did it get me? Nothing. The ones I tried to appease left angry anyway, and the ones that stood by and believed in me paid the price. Don’t get me wrong, I had nothing but good intentions.

Had I written all year about the daily activities of the league, my teams, and my players, I would have had to of called out a lot of people for behaving badly. Character would have been questioned, doubt raised, and conflict would have been inevitable. Funny thing is, those same people fought with me all year any way! And now, they have removed themselves from my life. All I did was compromise my principles in order to delay inevitable conflict!

My wife said it best, she said, “Why are you trying to make everyone happy all of a sudden? Go back to being an a**hole and at least then you are true to yourself and your core beliefs”. Wow! Sometimes we simply need a smack in the face don’t we? Don’t get me wrong, I feel that I am a fun loving great guy, but not everyone sees me that way. Go figure.

One of the coaches I respect a great deal told me like this. I asked him how he dealt with the irate, the disrespectful, and those with total disregard for authority. His reply? “I’m pretty much a ‘my way or the highway’ kind of guy”. He added, “I will tell them, ‘yeah that’s one way to do it, but it’s not how we are going to do it here’”. I love it!

Of course this doesn’t mean I am not open to new ideas, creative concepts, and individual motivational mechanisms. In fact, I am the kind of guy who likes to delegate authority and sit back and enjoy how inspiring the human spirit can be! There is nothing better than teaching a kid how to do something and then sitting back and enjoying watching them succeed. The same applies to coaches and parents. But from this point forward:

-I will NEVER compromise my integrity again.
-I will stand strong and believe in all my positions.
-I will be open to new ideas but decisive about whether to institute them.
-I will empower all those around me.
-I will praise extraordinary effort.
-I will not accept sub par effort.
-I will not permit disrespect of any kind.
-I will give those that earn it respect.
-I will not tolerate insubordination.
-I will have a plan and execute it.
-I will be honest and straight forward when delivering information someone may not want to hear.
-I will be true to my players, my league, my team, and myself.

Even with 20 years of experience, it is possible to fall into a self inflicted trap. At least I recognized the error of my ways and hope to never repeat it.

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OK, I have to admit, I am a Directv lover! I have had the service now for 10 years and love it. They have kept up with technology, offer all you need for High Definition and, of course, best off all, EVERY FOOTBALL GAME!

As a Washington Redskins season ticket holder transplant, there is nothing else I would have. I get to see every one of their games. This can be a curse at times, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I have had Dishnet as well for Satellite, and it was not bad, but no football.

Kaptain Satellite compares directv vs dish at http://www.kaptainsatellite.com/compare_satellite_dish_tv.htm
So make your mind up yourself!

So go ahead, Compare Satellite TV Providers, and enjoy!

Following is the 2009 Television schedule for all the divisions of the Little League All-Stars. Should be exciting!

2009 TV Game Schedule
(All games are Eastern U.S. time)

August 5
Big League Baseball World Series Championship Game: 8 p.m., ESPN2

August 12
Little League Baseball Mid-Atlantic Region Tournament – Pennsylvania vs. Maryland, 10 a.m., MSG/NESN
Little League Baseball New England Region Tournament – New Hampshire vs. Rhode Island, 1 p.m. MSG/NESN
Little League Baseball New England Region Tournament – Connecticut vs. Massachusetts, 4 p.m. MSG/NESN
Little League Baseball Mid-Atlantic Region Tournament – New York vs. New Jersey, 7 p.m., MSG

August 13
Little League Baseball Southwest Region Championship Game, 8 p.m., ESPN2
Little League Baseball Mid-Atlantic Region Tournament – Semifinal No. 1, 2:30 p.m., MSG
Little League Baseball New England Region Tournament – Semifinal No. 1, 5:30 p.m. MSG/NESN

August 14
Little League Baseball Mid-Atlantic Region Tournament – Semifinal No. 1, 2 p.m., MSG/NESN
Little League Baseball New England Region Tournament – Semifinal No. 1, 5 p.m., MSG/NESN
Little League Baseball Southeast Region Championship Game, 8 p.m., ESPN2

August 15
Senior League Softball World Series Championship Game: 11 a.m., ESPN2
Little League Baseball Midwest Region Championship Game, noon, ESPN
Little League Baseball New England Region Championship game, 2 p.m., ESPN
Little League Baseball Great Lakes Region Championship game, 7 p.m., ESPN
Little League Baseball Northwest Region Championship Game, 9 p.m., ESPN

August 16
Little League Baseball West Region Tournament Championship Game: 8 p.m., ESPN2

August 17
Little League Baseball Mid-Atlantic Region Tournament Championship Game, 8 p.m., ESPN2

August 18
Little League Softball World Series Semifinal – No. 1, 7 p.m. ESPN2
Little League Softball World Series Semifinal – No. 2, 9:30 p.m., ESPN2

August 19
Little League Softball World Series Championship Game, 7 p.m. ESPN2

August 21
Little League Baseball World Series
Mid-Atlantic vs. Northwest, 1 p.m., ESPN HD
Asia-Pacific vs. Europe, 3 p.m., ESPN HD
Midwest vs. Southeast, 5 p.m., ESPN HD
New England vs. Southwest, 8 p.m., ESPN HD

August 22
Canada vs. Mexico, 11 a.m., ESPN HD
Caribbean vs. Latin America, 1 p.m., ESPN HD
Southeast vs. Mid-Atlantic, 3 p.m., ABC HD
Senior League Baseball World Series Championship Game: 3 p.m. ESPNU
Junior League Baseball World Series Championship Game: 5 p.m., ESPNU
MEA vs. Japan, 6 p.m., ESPN2 HD
Junior League Softball World Series Championship Game: 7 p.m., ESPN Classic
Great Lakes vs. West, 8 p.m., ESPN2 HD

August 23
Midwest vs. Northwest, Noon, ESPN
Great Lakes vs. Southwest, 2 p.m., ABC HD
Asia-Pacific vs. Canada, 3 p.m. ESPN HD
West vs. New England, 6 p.m., ESPN2 HD
Caribbean vs. Japan, 8 p.m., ESPN2 HD

August 24
Europe vs. Mexico, noon, ESPN2 HD
Latin America vs. Japan, 2 p.m., ESPN2 HD
Southeast vs. Northwest, 4 p.m., ESPN HD
Caribbean vs. MEA, 6 p.m., ESPN2 HD
Mid-Atlantic vs. Midwest, 8 p.m., ESPN

August 25
MEA vs. Latin America, noon, ESPN2 HD
Europe vs. Canada, 2 p.m., ESPN2 HD
Great Lakes vs. New England, 4 p.m., ESPN HD
Mexico vs. Asia-Pacific, 6 p.m., ESPN2 HD
Southwest vs. West, 8 p.m., ESPN2 HD

August 26
Senior League Baseball World Series Championship Game, 2 p.m., ESPN2#
Little League Baseball International Semifinal, 4 p.m., ESPN HD
Little League Baseball U.S. Semifinal, 8 p.m., ESPN HD

August 27
Little League Baseball International Semifinal, 4 p.m., ESPN HD
Little League Baseball U.S. Semifinal, 8 p.m., ESPN HD
Junior League Baseball World Series Championship Game, 10 p.m., ESPN2#

August 29
Little League Baseball International Championship, noon, ABC HD
Little League Baseball United States Championship, 3 p.m., ABC HD*
(* Or 45 minutes after the conclusion of the previous game)

August 30
Little League Baseball Consolation Game, Noon, ESPN HD
Little League Baseball World Series Championship, 3 p.m., ABC HD

September 11
Junior League Softball World Series Championship Game, noon, ESPN2#
(# taped replay from Aug. 22)

-Do you have kids going back to school that wear prescription glasses?

-How many pairs a day typically break or get lost?

-How much do you spend each school year on glasses for your children?

-Wouldn’t you like to be able to afford new fashionable glasses for your children?

When I was in sixth grade I had a crush on a girl with braces, a perm and humongous Sally Jessie Raphel Red glasses. When I look at photographs of that time I cringe. However, at the time she was on the cutting edge of fashion, everyone in my Middle School was envious of our relationship, I’m quite certain. I do remember how she begged her mom for those glasses, she just HAD to have them, but they were expensive. If zennioptical.com had been around at the time her mom would have been so happy to have an affordable option for her insatiable desire for high fashion eyeglasses.

Affordable eyeglasses can be found at zennioptical.com Starting at only $8!!!

They also offer free anti-scratch coating, free UV protection, and free polishing and beveling. This is an amazing place to purchase your spectacles from!

Just when you thought you could get rid of me, I am going to be coming home in your child’s book bag! (I will pause now while everyone sighs) Yup, it’s true, the Volusia Parent Magazine, published by Brady Publishing, is coming in October! Originally, it will only be distributed on the east side of the county, but expansion to the west is planned as well.

For those of you who don’t know, I have been writing for the Flager Parent Magazine in a column called The Coach’s Corner. It is similar to this blog, but with more focused and longer articles. I am very proud to be part of such a fine publication and thankful they asked me to contribute. Humbled actually.

Anyway, if you are an advertiser wanting to reach into the homes of the families of Volusia and Flagler County there is no better way to accomplish this. Drop me a line and I will be happy to reserve some space for you. 386.837.5300.

Check out the Flager Parent Magazine and Brady Publishing. This is really cool stuff!

Today our Junior Softball All-Star team played a fun pick-up game against our Major’s softball team. It was a blast as all the girls from both of the teams are good friends, the score, irrelevant really, was 2-0 and not because of pitching, but because of fantastic defense played by both teams!

As I stood in the coach’s box at third base, suddenly it hit me. With the exception of one girl, I had coached every one of these players, most for multiple seasons. This was the fruits of my, and many others labors, coming to fruition. The smiles on every one of their faces made this a very proud moment for this humble coach.

To understand you have to know a little history. About 5 years ago I moved here to this small town. The place was recovering from being hit by 3 three massive hurricanes in a row, over 40 inches of rain in less than a month left hundreds of houses flooded. There were messes to clean up everywhere with trees down and parks destroyed.

The season, though it started late, still went on though. Volunteers pitched in and cleared trees, mended fences, and got the sites playable again. Though challenged, peopled pulled together as they often do in times of crisis, and worked to get things back to normal.

It was that fall I had my first experience with softball in DeBary. Our team? 0-16. Did it matter? Not one bit. I could see the raw talent that existed, and I knew that there had to be a ton of other players out there that would love to participate if given the opportunity.

Tonight, there were 19 girls on the field, 18 of them I had coached before. Most for many years, all for many seasons. It was a proud moment. Four years ago we had one minor softball team, one major softball team, and one senior softball team. That was it. This year, we had four minor softball teams, two major softball teams, and a very large senior softball team. Our league grew from 275 players to 333.

Standing there it suddenly hit me how far we had come. There was only 1 error in the game, every player made the correct play at the correct time, and both teams hit the ball hard. I want to take a second to thank every coach who helped, every parent that tolerated our long practices, and every player for believing in each other and in our philosophies.

It was very obvious, the hard work and dedication of so many was paying dividends ten-fold. Thank you for allowing me to be a small part of this fantastic transition and it will be interesting to see how far we can go.

I received a letter today from Anthony Gonzalez, the Acting City Manager of the City of DeBary. The letter is welcoming me to the “DeBary Strategic Planning Steering Committee”. As a member of the committee we will help the city council and mayor determine their strategic planning for the city. The first meeting will be held Saturday the 20th, at 9AM. I guess I am about to get an education in local politics!

From the Little League’s perspective, the number one priority in my mind is making sure that the new parking lot gets built at Sullivan Park. Do you have any ideas for what direction the city should be steered into? I would love to hear about it.

I was reading an article the other day on a girls fast-pitch website that was discussing the options for a player, boy or girl, once the Little League spring season was over. The article, titled That Time of Year, told the plight of a parent who was looking for options once the spring season of Little League ended. He went on to tell about finding a fall program that was less than stellar and then discovering the hyper-competitive, and VERY expensive travel ball. Unfortunately, he says, there is no “middle ground”.

I have discussed this with many friends on a regular basis, and he (Dave) is dead on here. There are no middle options. Don’t get me wrong, travel programs have their place, and as kids get older and are serious about their careers showcase teams are a must, but for everyone 12 and under, why do they have to end their life for the game?

My 9 year old son this year kept a schedule that every week included 2 Little League games, one Little League practice, one pitcher-catcher practice, one travel ball practice, and a travel ball double header on Sunday. And our travel team wasn’t really all that active compared to the others!

Why do we do this? Because we want more than Little League and travel ball is the only option. Don’t get me wrong, I bleed red and blue of Little League. My son had way more fun playing against his friends in Little League than against strangers in travel ball. Even though the talent level was much less.

But how about creating a middle ground? I hear about parents not wanting to leave on Friday night for a tournament and return Sunday evening every weekend. Little League is uniquely positioned to offer a solution that suits the middle ground kids.

Face it, the extreme kids that love the game and are potential college or professional players are going to play extreme level travel ball, as they should. But in any Little League, those kids comprise less than 1% of the players at most. Little League cannot meet their needs, if they play, that is a bonus, but there is no way to offer a solution to them, they are where they want and need to be.

But, what about the stars that don’t want to play baseball or softball 7 days a week and twice on Sunday? Where do they turn? Right now, the answer really is nowhere, that’s where Little League comes in. Little League can fix this problem!

Currently for 12 and unders, Little League offers their competitive program, Majors, an instructional program, Minors, and a t-ball program. After the season ends, most District managers hold some version of a Tournament of Champions, and then on June 15th All-Stars are announced and begin practicing.

Why not add one more division? Call it “elite”. In my Little League hometown of Sterling, VA, where I cut my teeth, they have one of the best softball programs in the country. But it is Pony League. Or at least it was when I lived there over 10 years ago. They actually host the Pony National Tournament and World Series there, or they did then.

The structure of their league is a majors/minors equivalent, with a travel program as well. The top players in the league play on one team and travel and play against other teams in the area, while the rest of the kids play in the local version of the league. Additionally, the travel players are spread amongst the local teams and play there as well. Bingo, problem solved!

What positions Little League uniquely to accomplish this, and better than any other program in the world, is their District alignment setup. They already have hundreds, if not thousands, of districts set up all over the world that include 10 or so teams in them. It is the first level of play during the all-stars.

Why not have each league put together an “elite” team that plays against all the other league’s “elite” teams during the season? This provides the league structure that travel programs lack, the ability to still play with all your friends, a truly competitive environment, and a commitment that doesn’t cost you $10,000 a year or your entire life!

Little League could impliment this next year if they wanted. They have the structures in place and the lines of communication from Williamsport to the local leagues are impecable.

So what do you say Little League International? How about an “Elite” division for the spring of 2010?

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I know I have written posts like this before, but every now and then we all need a little reminding why we put in these long hours and endure the abuse that becomes a Little League coach. The other day I had a lesson w/ a young girl. She was filling in for her cousin who had taken ill.I really didn’t think much of it.

She is a great student. She pays attention, does what you tell her, but really doesn’t show much emotion either way. At times I feel as though she is bored and unattentive, but then she repeats back to me what I told her 15 minutes prior. So I know she is listening.

Anyway, so I get this email from her mom the other day. Here’s how it went:

“So I promised my daughter I would send you an email. And knowing her, she will ask you the next time she sees you, so I have to live up to my word.

She had her first game after your one on one with her. She followed every step you taught her. I could see her doing the steps in her head.

She hit off the machine, of course straight between 1st and 2nd and got out at first, but it was a great hit. That is a huge improvement from the first couple of games.

She wanted to call you last night, but I said no.”

So this girl grounded out and was so excited she wanted to call me! This is the girl I thought wasn’t even paying attention!

I have since had another lesson w/ her and she definitely remembers every word I said in the prior lesson. Again, we need to remember that these kids hang on our every word and it is important to chose them wisely. Lord knows I have been on the wrong end of that equation more times than I would like to admit. At least this time, I had a positive and lasting effect on a young girls career.

What is the most positive thing you have taken away from an encounter with a youngster? We would love to hear.