A Very Special Day! Her First Softball Home Run!
Today was one of those days. You know those days, one of those days when it’s all worth it! Today was one of those days. Why? One of my players hit her first home run today! Big deal you say right? Yeah, you are right! It is a big deal! Unlike baseball, where we see plenty of home runs, home runs in softball are far and few between. In fact, this is the first one I have ever had the privilege of being on the field as a coach to witness! We have given up a few, but never had one. And this one was extra special.
What made it so special? Well, the fact that I have been coaching this girl off and on since she was 7 years old during the years our daughter’s ages crossed. I coach her on every team she plays on and have been working on her swing for years. She is a strong girl, it was inevitable, but she has spent the last year dedicated to becoming a great hitter. And today she hit her first home run! It won’t be her last.
Don’t get me wrong, as with every player, I simply point, it is up to them to make the changes and do the work, and to quote her tonight, “I have been focusing really hard in practice to do that.” That is the understatement of the century! She was a long time coming and should be proud.
I won’t go into the details about how we had to completely change her entire swing, she had to work on getting through the ball, and she had to believe in and commit to her efforts. But know that she had a long way to go and she made sure to dedicate herself to success.
Today, I am a proud coach, and I know she is sitting at home with the ball in her hand and, as her mom puts it, “a glow about her.” And I have to admit, I kinda have one too!
Congrats Rylea!
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Get off Your Butts and Help
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So our little guys had a minor machine pitch game today against a very good team. About half way through the game, I looked up and saw that the coach of the other team was operating the pitching machine, shagging the missed balls, running his batters, policing the dugout, and running the kids in the field. I asked him, “where is all your help?” figuring he was missing a few coaches. His reply, “I’m it”.
So I looked into his stands and there sat about 20 or so parents doing nothing. Could they not see he could use a hand? It was obvious to me. Maybe he is not the kind to ask for help, but if you are sitting there and a coach looks like he needs help, he does! Just ask, he or she will say, “sure, can you ……..”.
Even if you don’t know what you are doing, simply shagging the missed balls and getting them back to the machine would have been a great help to this coach, anyone could have done that. He obviously was a major benefit for their kids as they played very well. Why not repay the favor he is doing your children by giving him a hand?
By the way, at the end of the game, he packed up all his gear, cleaned up the trash after their kids, broke down the pitching machine and put it away, and carried all his gear to his car. Should we be surprised?
Have the Courage to do What is Right
I challenge any of you to walk into your boss’ office today and tell them, “Hey Boss, thanks for teaching me everything I know, investing your personal time in me, and making me the exceptional employee I am today, but, I have a second job that is going to take priority over this one now. Don’t get me wrong, I will be here when I can, when the other job doesn’t need me, but that job is going to come first from now on.” I am certain your boss would ask you to pack your things and immediately show you the door. However, this is exactly what we are teaching children today. Then we are surprised when the real world smacks them in the face?
I challenge every coach, at every level, in every sport, to implement the following policy as it relates to attendance on your team:
Practice Attendance Policy
All players are expected to be at ALL games and ALL practices. Of course, there are times when conflicts will arise and you will not be able to make games or practices, we understand that. The following are acceptable reasons to miss a practice or a game:
-Illness
-School Function or event including High School Practices
-Religious event or Special Family Event (Wedding, Baptism, etc….Birthday parties do not apply..lol)
There are no other legitimate reasons to miss practice or a game. If the player is going to be absent, it is the player’s responsibility to let me know when and why. If a player misses a game or practice for any reason other than what is stated above, the penalty for the absence will be:
-Will not start next played game. (There may be times when more than 2 are absent and this is impossible, but when possible, it will be strictly enforced)
-Will play mininums during that game (6 defensive outs and 1 at bat)
The Little League Mantra is
Loyalty – Character – Courage
Loyalty
Definition: the state or quality of being loyal; faithfulness to commitments or obligations. (dictionary.com)
It is important in any relationship to have loyalty. From simple friendships, to complex business relationships, without loyalty, the foundation upon which to build cannot withstand the pressures that will be placed on it. Rather than allow our children to develop bad habits, we must teach them loyalty by demanding loyalty to team. If they chose otherwise, then it is our duty as leaders to demonstrate what happens to those whose loyalties lie elsewhere.
We must remain loyal and true to those who are loyal and true to us. Every day our loyalties are tested and every day we must make decisions that impact those around us, often substantially. The kids that are loyal to our teams must be rewarded and taught that loyalty and trust are something that cannot be taken for granted, they are character traits that result in rewarding circumstances.
Character
Definition – the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing. (Dictionary.com)
I write about character in just about every article I write, both here and in the Volusia/Flagler Parent magazines. My position on the impact of sport in the development of a child’s character are clear. Sport builds character. What character it builds is directly attributable to the manager and coach as well as the support system at home.
Do you want the character of your team to be one of integrity, or one of sacrifice? Ten years from now nobody will remember if the Giants beat the Red Sox or the Heat beat the Diamond Gems, but they will remember their coach didn’t reward their loyal character, so why should they provide it to their boss, company or customer? Maybe we need only look in the mirror to figure out why dedication to cause and commitment to quality are lacking in our country today.
Courage
Definition – the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery. (Dictionary.com)
How many times have you stood in the box and watched a kid walk to the plate with fear in his eyes? What did you do? You encouraged him of course, and how often did he or she reward you with giant smile standing on second base after a line drive over the shortstop’s head? Why do we find it so easy to instill courage in others, but so hard to find it within ourselves?
I challenge you to have the courage to play those players loyal to your team. The ones who come to every practice, every game, don’t complain when they sit out, and give you 150% when you insert them in the order. As always, I think you might be surprised how well they perform when the pressure is applied. Then, you will be teaching two life lessons.
1. You can do anything you put your mind too
2. Nobody is irreplaceable.
Life is about choices, make good ones.
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A Proud Day in the Coach’s Life
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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.
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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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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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What our Readers are Saying