More Thoughts on Little League Baseball

Last night our team lost 13-12 in OT.  But it was a great game.

What made it great?

• The kids were smiling
• The kids played hard without being pushed to do so
• Nobody was injured
• The umpires were awesome
• The coaches on both sides were in it for the kids
• The weather was nice
• The parents were supportive and behaved on both sides

A note about the umpires:  We typically have the same 5 or 6 officials at our field every week.  But this week we had visiting officials from Umpire Heaven (a fictitious place I refer to as being where awesome umpires come from).  These 2 guys knew the rule book cover to cover.  I’ve never seen that.  They applied the rules thoroughly, but without sacrificing the goal of the game: to have fun and compete.  They took time to inspect the equipment for both teams before the game: bats, helmets, catcher’s gear, balls, even shoes.  Never once showing any signs of nit-picky attitude or resentment.  Their calls were clear and direct.  When a player slid into home, the ump cleared the area with his entire being focused on the action in front of him. A plane could’ve crashed in the next field and exploded and this ump would not have missed the call.  It was professionally done.  Kudos!

I’m an assistant coach, so I spend a lot of time on the field with players and other coaches and officials.  I absolutely love it when the atmosphere is positive and coaches joke with each other on both sides of the field.  When coaches joke and laugh with officials.  When coaches loan other teams a helping hand.  It’s what the game is all about.  And it rubs off on the kids.  This is more true in the 9 to 12 year old range than younger or older kids.  It’s a special transformational age range when they’re seeing beyond the casual attitude of T-ball and Minor leagues to the game itself and what it means.  They start to understand the importance of how they work together and they see what the league above them does and it drives them to push themselves to be better, work harder and enjoy the good times more.

Best moments I’ve experienced yet:

• When the shy-est kid on the team hits a home run for the first time
• Umpiring a game and telling an obnoxious parent to behave or be ejected along with forfeiting their kids game, and the parent settled down.
• Watching the 4-5 year olds chase down a foul ball to get a free drink
• When a player shows up down and out and makes a great play and turns their whole day around
• Watching a group of kids show up on day 1, struggling to make things work and figuring out what to do, and at the end of the season seeing them work together as a team and gain confidence and self-realization
• Being a base coach and hearing the kids joke in the dugout (ok, well, sometimes)
• When a runner is laughing and talking with the baseman during a game.

Dear Baseball Parents…

I posted this on my Facebook page also, but I thought it might be suitable here as well…

Here's a few tips for baseball parents attending their children's games.

- Before shouting obscenities at the home plate umpire, watch the catcher's arm. The strike zone isn't just high-to-low, it's also inside the batter's box lines. If you see the catcher reach across or reach out, it was probably a ball. Get over it.

- If you don't like how your team is coached, coach it yourself. Otherwise: STFU

- If you don't like how your games are officiated, volunteer to be an umpire or ref. Otherwise: STFU

- Don't park near the field borders if it's even remotely possible to hit a ball out there (unless you don't care about your windshield).

- A great player is a "utility" player. Not someone who insists on playing one position all the time. It's definitely not someone who has a tantrum if they can't play that position even one time.

- Keep your kid's age in mind at all times. Don't stress them out about statistics and averages and performance when they're 9, 10 or 11. Encourage them. Support them. But make it fun. Remember FUN? You do remember FUN right?

- Baseball practice is not Daycare. Stick around. Show them you care.

- If you can't make it to the game or practice, call or text someone so they know.

Thank you!

Rays are the Rockies

Watching the World Series this year has reminded me of the Red Sox vs Rockies.  Everyone.  I mean EVERYONE was blabbering about how "youthful" and "energetic" the Rockies were.  They were all swearing that they would "crush" Boston, because they would be "overwhelmed" by the sheer younger exhuberance or whatever.   Totally wrong.

The Rays look like they're doing the same thing this year:  They're choking.  Maybe you could argue they're caving in.  Whatever.  The Phillies are just a more mature organization.  Even with the players hopping around like prostitutes on a Saturday night, the management and ownership structure is more mature.  Don't get me wrong, the Rays are indeed a good team.  It's just a matter of timing.  I really hope the Phillies win tonight.  It's the top of the 9th and they're up 4 to 3, so who knows.

EDIT:  The Phillies won!  I just watched the final pitch and strike-out.  Dang!

WS Game 5 - Officiating Screwiness

Great games so far, but man have the calls been crappy.  As far as the World Series games I've ever seen, this ranks as some of the worst calling ever.  I'm all for the Phillies in this one though.  They seem to have more class and maturity than the Rays, but that goes with being around so much longer I suppose.  And Phillies fans are pretty mature compared to Dbacks fans or Mariners fans, as far as I've seen on TV.  Not nearly as emphatic as Red Sox fans, like me, but who cares, right?  Blanton and Hamels are sure fun to watch.  The real test will be how the teams stick together next year.  One thing that sucks in pro sports is how unattached players are to their teams these days.  They follow the paycheck, not the team spirit.  It's getting hard to root for a team when their roster shifts around like shoes in a woman's closet.

The rain may suck, but anyone remember the ALDS game between Cleveland and the Yankees?  That was one of the strangest games I ever watched.

Edmonds Homers twice!

After all those years in St. Louis, Jim Edmonds nails it today. Watching the White Sox play the Cubs today, and Edmonds nails two homers in the 4th to lead 10-4 (in the 5th now). Outstanding. And his first foul-out was followed by a scarry limp on his left ankle. Then he returns to the plate and nails it. Fantastic. I've always admired his playing. He's not diving for outfield catches like he used to, but he still manages to amaze the crowd.