Let The Games Begin!
- Image by Getty Images via @daylife
I will admit it! With my son making his first all-star team and my girls playing again on the Junior Softball All-Star team practices every night from 6PM to 10PM have completely exhausted me! I was ready for it to be over. I sat in my favorite watering hole last night and could barely hold my eyes open much less think of answers to the challenging trivia questions being posed!
Then came today. 100 degrees in the shade and I am in full umpire’s gear umping a Little League Division Softball All-Star game. The first of the international tournament that ends in late August with the crowning of the Champion of the World! You would think I was miserable wouldn’t you? Completely exhausted, nothing left, practice after grueling practice, but no! LET THE GAMES BEGIN!
Time to get fired up! Reinvigorated! This is what we work so hard all year for! So to every Little League team out there, GOOD LUCK! All your hard work has paid off and it is time to show your stuff! And to every Little League volunteer out there who thanklessly give of themselves so our children can enjoy this experience, THANK YOU!
LET THE GAMES BEGIN!
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Honored to Serve the City
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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.
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An Open Proposal to Little League
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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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A Day in the Life
7:45 Alarm went off, beat it into submission, it gave in (or so I thought)
8:00 Realized alarm was very sturdy as snooze went off
8:00-8:30 Fought a losing battle w/ snooze button
8:45 Finally gave up and got up and showered
9:15 Began Real Estate Work
2:30 First Hitting Lesson w/ girl who just came from the dentist. Was pretty entertaining watching her try not to drool when she swung
3:30 Next lesson w/ girl who was allowed to leave school to attend lesson! Now I feel important!
4:30 Rewarding lesson w/ boy I have worked w/ now for a year and he is one hopping the ball off the 300’ fence when before he couldn’t hit it out of the infield. His mother told me “you are worth much more than this” when she paid me, I replied, “I am happy to take more!”….lol
5:30 Joined my son’s minor baseball practice already in progress. I think the manager was mad at me for missing the first 1/2 hour for a lesson.
6:30 Thought I was done, thought wrong! Got a call from the Umpire in Chief telling me his umpire for the Junior Baseball game did not show. Aaaarggghhh…3 hours more on the field!
7:00 I arrive at the Juniors game in the middle of the first inning dead tired. I realize I didn’t eat today! Oh well, at least I am losing weight and getting exercise right? I will look good when I need to look for a new wife because mine just left and I didn’t even realize until 2 weeks later…..(a joke people, calm the gossip train)
7:30 Thinking this game is going fast, hope I get out of here early.
8:30 Realize we are already in the 5th inning! Woohoo!
9:30 Wondering if this game is ever going to end! I am really tired and it’s starting to show I think.
10:00 Finally the game is over!
10:30 I get to eat!!!!!
11:00 Check emails
11:30 Write blog post
That’s the typical day in the life of the coach! What’s your typical day like?
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Paying Umpires is Wrong
In our area an umpire’s “association” has popped to serve the local Little Leagues in the area. Now if this association were formed with the kids in mind, as Little League is, then they would simply organize the best staffs, perform the proper background checks, provide training and equipment, and distribute the talent where needed. Unfortunately, this is not the case. As with any organization, profit is the motive.
The Little League guidelines specifically prohibit paying umpires. Umpires that want to get paid can join associations that provide officials to high schools, travel programs, and various leagues that are not volunteer community based. Or basically, anything that isn’t Little League!
Of course, where does this association go to get their officials? They dip into and steal the local umpires that are so generously volunteering their time for their community. The kicker is the small stipend they pay for a game. Yet, umpires are shunning their local league and entering other league’s boundaries just for a few dollars. Have we forgotten that every $1 we give, we receive $10 in return? This is truly the case.
I am the first to admit that I accept every paying umpiring job offered to me that is NOT Little League. I have no problem w/ that, those organizations have no desire to be volunteer organizations, nor do they pretend to be. I have umpired USSSA and AAU, but have not had time for High School. This association tried to recruit me as well, I told them, “I will never accept pay for umpiring a Little League game”. It is wrong on so many levels.
Not only is it wrong, I have a couple of issues that must be addressed by the association, though I know they won’t reply in public.
1. If Little League’s are boundary specific, how can umpires cross those boundaries?
2. Every volunteer “in regular contact” with the children MUST have completed a volunteer application. How does the association accomplish this since the local league performs the checks?
3. Am I being asked to put my children on fields w/ umpires who have not been properly screened when we visit other locations? This troubles me as the parent of teenage girls and young boys. Is there any proof of this documentation?
How can I know that my children are safe on the fields, in the parking lots, and in the bathrooms of Little League facilities if proper due diligence is not the norm? Are you as a Board of Directors that pays an association to provide you with umpires willing to accept the personal liability that comes with an incident God forbid? It would be “easy pickin’s” for even the least experienced of attorneys.
What we must do:
1. Terminate any league membership of any umpire that gets paid to umpire a Little League game.
2. Not allow any umpire that gets paid to umpire a Little League game to umpire ANY all-star or special privilege games.
3. Terminate all relationships with any associations as Little Leagues.
4. Recruit and train volunteers within our organizations to be the best they can be. You will be surprised who will say yes if you simply ask them.
5. Inform existing umpires if they leave for pay, their membership in the league will be terminated. This means they will never be able to coach, manage, serve on the board, umpire, vote, or volunteer in any way, shape or form, within the organization.
6. Recognize and embrace those willing to volunteer. Award them, provide them gear, drinks, and a pat on the back.
7. Do not antagonize or constantly criticize their work. They are doing the best they can.
Hey, don’t get me wrong. One of my best friends is our Umpire in Chief, and I hear every day about the struggles he goes through to get our games umpired. I don’t envy his position. But paying umpires is NOT the solution. Besides, we are a small league, but we play more than 10 games a week or so at home. That means $350/week for umps or about $3,500!!! How can you say you are being a proper steward of the people’s money if you are simply taking the easy road?
How do you feel about paid umpires in Little League?
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And you thought the Triple Play was the best play in baseball!
OK rules nerds, here we go! Let me go down into the basement put on my bifocals, pull my shorts up over my belly, and demonstrate my nerdness. Every year I read both the softball and the baseball rulebook cover to cover. And there is a phrase that is used in the rulebook about the potential for umpires needing to “recognize an apparent 4th out” in order to enforce one rule or another.
Sunday night in Dodgers and Diamondbacks game, were I the manager, I would have looked like a genius! (I already do look like a genius in my bifoculs, in the basement, w/ my shorts above my belly, but sometimes genius’ rule! Just look at Bill Gates!) Anyway, I would like to think I would have caught this and would have gotten the apparent 4th out.
Check it out, good reading:
Pretty cool huh? Anyone actually seen 4 outs in a Little League game for real? I never have in 20 years.
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DialMyCalls.com is one of my favorite programs for Little League
Ever get tired of making calls to your team? Those days are over! Now w/ dialmycalls.com you can quickly set up a small broadcast list, make one simple call, and have it delivered to all of them! It’s just that simple! And it’s free for coaches to use!
We use it for the following:
-Call our league to remind them about registration
-Call our league when we have major changes or rainouts
-Call our league to remind them about all-stars and update them on how our teams are doing
-Final registration notice
Since we have started using dialmycalls.com we have virtually eliminated late registrations. Everyone knows when registrations are so they come, they no longer forget.
Last fall during tropical storm Faye our fields were out of commission during tryouts. We have to move them to a secondary location. We used DialMyCalls.com to let them know about the new location and it worked perfectly! I love this program!
Have friends that could benefit from this? Businesses? teams? other sports? Sign up to be a dialmycalls.com affiliate and earn 15% of every $$$ they spend!
This is a great product that I truly believe in. Go to dialmycalls.com right now and sign up for free.
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Little League Bulletin: Bat Markings
Little League sent me the following bulletin regarding bat markings. This will be a big issue come all-star time.
NOTICE TO PARENTS, PLAYERS AND LEAGUES: IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING THE PURCHASE OF A NEW COMPOSITE METAL BAT FOR USE IN LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL (Major Division and below), BE SURE THAT THE BAT YOU ARE PURCHASING HAS THIS MARKING: BPF 1.15 ON THE BARREL OR HANDLE OF THE BAT. IF NOT, IT WILL NOT BE ALLOWED FOR PLAY IN LITTLE LEAGUE GAMES.
Little League officials are aware that there are bats for sale in stores, online or that may have already been purchased that are Little League approved, but do not have the required bat performance standard (BPF) markings. In fact, some of the bats on the Little League approved bat list may not carry the required BPF 1.15 marking on the bat, depending on when they were manufactured and licensed. Currently manufacturers are conducting an inventory and re-testing of all approved bats. The results of this study / retesting is to be finished by March 31, 2009. We are building a list of certain bats that are approved, but do not have the BPF marking due to special circumstances. For these bats, we are extending eligibility for play until December 31, 2009. As we are made aware of bats that meet our criteria for this extension, we will add them to the list. Please check this list regularly for updates. HOWEVER, ONLY BATS WITH THE BPF 1.15 MARKING AND THE BATS ON THIS LIST WILL BE ALLOWED FOR PLAY IN 2009.
Bats with the special exception include the following:
Adidas Vanquish Blue design (There is a newer model of this bat, also named the Vanquish and it has copper and black markings. It contains the proper labeling and therefore is not subject to the one-year rule).
DeMarini - Black Coyote, Rogue, Distance, Rumble, Tengu, Mach 10, Patriot
Easton - LZ-810, LZ-800, Stealth Optiflex LST 1,
Louisville Slugger - YB31
NIKE - Areo
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Just because someone criticizes you doesn’t mean they hate you.
I am a controversial figure. My entire life has been spent in controversy. I don’t know why, maybe because I speak my mind? Maybe because I think I know everything? Maybe because I can quote the entire rulebook word for word? Maybe because I demand respect from my players and they know it from the glare I give them when they lack it? Maybe because I don’t tolerate mental errors, not paying attention when a coach is talking, or missing signals? Maybe I am really just an ass, that’s entirely possible, but just because someone criticizes you doesn’t mean they hate you.
Those who serve on Little League boards, or any boards for that matter, soon come to understand that anything anyone thinks is wrong w/ the organization quickly becomes your fault. You get blamed for everything. As the information officer of my league, and therefor the public face of the league, I receive and inordinate amount of the criticism for things in disarray, controversial decisions, or accusations from the rumor mill.
But lately I have noticed a trend that I find upsetting. My theory on this is we all communicate way too much. In the good ole days (feeling like grandpa now), you used to go to work, go to a game, and go home. You saw people along the way, said hi, were cordial, but went on about your life. Of course there was plenty of gossip, but it was contained to face-to-face discussions and the occasional telephone conversation. Which included talking to ONLY one person at a time. Everyone else got a busy tone when they tried to call if you were talking to someone else.
Therefore, if you said something like, “I don’t like the way Rick spoke to my daughter tonight”, the other person said what they had to say, and then went home. Well, in today’s world, little comments like that are exaggerated big time!
How many times have you heard a parent talk about all the “drama” going on w/ their kid at school, on the field, or in the local play? It is like gossip on steroids these days. The ability to say something, instantly text it to thousands of people, or post on your facebook account for the world to see is mind boggling! I really don’t know how the teenagers of today cope w/ it. We had it much easier than they do.
That said, just because someone doesn’t agree with you, says something derogatory about you, or gossips about you, doesn’t mean they hate you. Everyone seems to focus on the negative statements because they are more flamboyant. How boring is it to tell your friend that “jane said you are a good coach”. It is much more sensational to say, “Jane said you yell too much, she hates you”. How do those two statements coexist?
Let’s assume that the first part of the comment is correct. “Jane said you yell too much”. Maybe you do yell too much, I think my wife yells too much, does that mean I hate her? Of course not! I love my wife dearly, she is the finest piece of booty on the planet! That doesn’t mean I have to approve of everything she does. So how do we make the connection from the criticism of yelling too much, to the part where hate comes in? There is none to be made.
So, I choose to believe everyone loves me, because deep down inside, how could you not? I am good looking, personable, funny, witty, and a fantastic friend! At least that’s the way I see it!…lol. So no matter how much you criticize, how many stones you throw my way, how much aspersion you cast, you can’t break me down, I am stronger than that, and once you get to know me, you love me unconditionally. I feel the same about you, no matter who you are, I will find good in you.
Roger Waters of Pink Floyd said it best, “all it all it’s just another brick in the wall”.
What keeps you positive in the face of adversity? How do you stay focused?
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The Kids Don’t Care
If you only read this headline, you would think I was about to write an article about how the kids don’t care any more, they are selfish spoiled brats, they only want to play video games, and don’t care about quality or performance or anything. But those of you that read this regularly know that isn’t my view of today’s youth. The parents, however, are a completely different story.
This weekend our league hosted the First Annual Spring Break Slam softball tournament using the new modified Little League Special Games Rules. The rules allow teams to play up to three games a day and relax pitching restrictions so you can stay competitive. Their are also other minor rules changes, but that is not important at this point.
My seniors team was eliminated in the first round of the elimination brackets so this afforded me the luxury of being able to sit back and watch games from an unbiased perspective. One I am rarely afforded. One thing stuck out to me more than anything else, the kids don’t care about anything except the game! The parents on the other hand.
For the most part, everything ran smoothly. All in all, the tournament was a huge success. But there were a couple of games where the coaches began arguing with each other, umpires, and spectators. While all this was occurring, I decided to focus on the field and watch the kid’s reactions. Guess what? They couldn’t have cared less.
The kids had no idea what the adults were arguing about, didn’t even care what they were arguing about, and at one point one of the older girls said to her dad, “Be quiet and just let us play the game”. Wow, amazing! And profound.
Meanwhile, while the coaches from one team were arguing with each other, the players were picking each other up, politely handing bats to one another, and showing professional courtesy across the board. Don’t get me wrong, they were playing hard and out to win, but they did it with dignity and a level or respect for each other that can only be learned through years of spirited competition.
Bottom line, the kids had no idea, nor did they care, what was happening outside of the lines, all they wanted to do was have fun, compete, and win or lose, they weren’t going to let it impact their lives.
I ask this to all the coaches out there, Does it really matter if you win the game tonight or the tournament next weekend? Will the sun still come up tomorrow? Will anything in your life be dramatically effected because the team of kids you coach aren’t champions? Of course not, so why do we act as if our lives depend on victory? Ironically, it is when you focus on fundamentals, sportsmanship, and teamwork, that victory soon follows.
Quit arguing, sit back, enjoy the action, provide guidance when needed, and focus when lost. There is no place for bickering on the field, it simply isn’t worth it.
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