Make Them Better
Tonight I had dilemma. We have a travel pitcher that can dominate a game but we were playing against the other team in our division and it is fall ball. I don’t want to be accused of wanting to win at all costs, but I want to get her work and the team as well. Do I pitch her the whole game? Do I pitch her a few innings and bring someone else in? What to do, what to do.
Then I had an epiphany (Like that word E. Peevie?). What is the objective of the fall season for Little League? To make every player better of course! Would I be doing the other team any justice if I pitched a slower pitcher and let them hit the ball all over the place? Of course not! Why not challenge them, let them face the best, and succeed! A few of them got hits, they had huge smiles and provided inspiration for the others.
This division goes straight to the state tournament in the spring all-star season. They will face this level of pitching the entire tournament. Why not get as many players accustomed to it as soon as possible? That was my thinking. I think it was right looking back on it.
By the end of the game all the girls, (whom I love as much as I do my own team I might add) had sped up their bats up and were making contact. Additionally, my catcher was able to gain valuable experience with a pitcher that can “bring it”. The score of the game? Who cares! It’s fall ball! Everyone on the field improved, that’s all that matters! The girls on the other team probably improved more than we did as well. And isn’t that the point?
What do you do when you have a stud pitcher in a game that does not matter? Do you pitch her to get the work or do you give your other pitchers some work?
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Nice vocab, there, Coach.
What are your thoughts about providing an opportunity for your less-talented pitchers to get some playing time? If your goal is to make every player better, are they getting short-changed because they happen to be on the same team with a major pitching talent?
And one more point: You said, “I don’t want to be accused of wanting to win at all costs.” This points out to me the fallacy of judging another person’s motives. No matter which decision you made about the pitcher, your process had integrity.
We don’t know what goes into another person’s decision-making process, and so should tread very carefully before making judgments about motives.
How’s that for a life lesson?
Ahhh…Again, I am one step ahead on this as well. The travel pitcher does not pitch 2 games in a row. Additionally, she misses quite a few games because of her travel commitment. I doubt many other teams do this, but on her off day I pitch 3 different pitchers, all 13 year olds, gaining them valuable experience.
I could not be more with you on judging peoples motives. You have no idea what I am thinking if you are a parent or other coach or umpire or spectator, no idea. Usually, you know just enough to be dangerous, you haven’t been at every second of every practice nor heard how we have outlined our goals and objectives. You don’t usually have as good an understanding of the intricacies of the game and you comment based on your limited knowledge as if it is gospel.
Sit back, enjoy, and trust that I know what I am doing. I have taken the smallest league in our district to the championship game two seasons in a row, maybe I might just know a little.
One of my favorite sales sayings is “God gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth for a reason” so shut up listen and learn, then comment. I utilize this sometimes to a fault.
Is it me, or does it seem like people are quicker to pass judgment these days?