... except for the grownups

I took our dog for a walk yesterday. Went by our brand new park, Homer Field at Willie Mays Park, which opened last week with Willie Mays and a number of the Giants front office in attendance.  What a great day and beautiful new little league park.

Was watching a AAA game with a really good little lefty on the mound.

Kid comes up to hit and his coach yells out to him "Either hit the ball or don't swing!"

Rest of the walk was nice!

 

Yesterday, I went by the local Cal Ripken field for the final of the 12yo year end tourney.  Beautiful day for a game, players doing well, lots of folks enjoying the game.  But there was that one guy...  this time a vocal and animated supporter/dad/coach?  of one team, would come out and pace and yell his "way-to-go"s from the fan area and then jump back onto the field to pump up the players between innings.  The transition happened every half-inning.  It was bizarre.  I was told the on-field, off-field would usually not be allowed but there were a couple 13yo kids doing the umping and, of course, they were not the right ones to expect to reign the guy in a bit.  He was all positive and I'm told had good intentions but he definitely attracted all of the attention and really took it away from the kids.  Yup,except for the grown-ups.

My son plays for one of the premier high schools in Idaho, and they started the season 27 and 0 before dropping the last 2. It was painful, and the opponents seemed over the top in their celebrations.  Big moments for them, no doubt; but I started to think, why don't we as fans ever think about the team on the other side, whose dreams were just crushed?  We only think about ourselves, and forget about the other young men that have poured their hearts into their season, and now it abruptly comes to an end.

Is this post a joke?

My son played a 12u game this weekend where a runner slid nicely into third, somehow he was called out...um, I was sitting right there, he beat it, the coach said something like "aw come on blue"...then we all heard from the other side of the field "Yeah we got a bad call too just enjoy the moment of knowing you are right"....and we all just sat their agape at what the other teams 12u head coach had just yelled clear across the field...I'm with your lady friend RJM, it's not the kids that are the problem!

Maybe my least favorite baseball memory.  11U and my son is trying to steal 3rd.  The 3rd baseman drops his shin to block the bag and receive the throw.  My boy checks up and kind of makes an awkward slide to the back of the bag and is thrown out.

 

From across the field I hear this voice - "GO IN HARD AND BREAK HIS LEG NEXT TIME!"....yep it was me and as soon as it came out I was beet red and embarrassed.  I also had about 50 sets of eyeballs on me that all had the same...what's wrong with that guy look to them.  It was a terrible feeling that thankfully never was repeated.

That's by design.  He was "talking" to the umpire. 

Doesn't sound like a good design...calling the umpires out in the first inning for being inadequate at their jobs, and sounding EXTREMELY unsportsmanlike to the 12 year olds.  Just sounds like a donkey to me!

Go to any youth game where you know no one, and don't care about the outcome. 10-12U is perfect.  Watch the calls and then listen to the parents yell and complain about the umpires.

 

luvbaseball, thanks for sharing.  I'm sure at times I was that guy.  Since I wasn't born pure, here is my most embarrassing story.  12U, son is a lefty facing a really tough lefty.  Takes FB, CB, FB all on the black for a strikeout.  I am right behind home plate. As my son walks jogs back to the dugout, I yell "SWING THE BAT!".  It gets real quite as everyone looks for the crazy dad.  My son stops, turns around and looks at me and shakes his head back and forth and sighs.

 

On that day, I was THAT guy.  I think it was a turning point towards enjoy the ride.

My wife and I went and watched a little league game on Saturday.  There were certainly some future MLB managers in the stands.

I have had a couple run ins with refs/umps that I regret.  Over 20+ years if coaching it is bound to happen.  And yes I can be that guy calling out 'encouragement' to our pitcher such as "put it in the teacup" or "hit the postage stamp" etc.  Some of this is just the nature of the game.  When it gets personal or demonstrative then it becomes a greater issue.  Have I done that too?  You bet, but then thats when I feel really bad and stupid afterward.  Fortunately it has been many years since I have been ejected or given a Technical with one exception.  The only time for me in the last ten years was when an umpire actually referenced my pitchers race in a negative way.  I was stunned.  I was more than happy to take that ejection.

Unfortunately, the attitudes of some parents and coaches caused my 13 year old to stop umpiring AAA and AA games.  I witnessed it and it wasn't worth the trouble for $24.00.  The end result is that many games do not have 2 umpires and parents have to step up and be a field umpire or get behind the plate.  Many parents arrive after the game has started so that they are not the ones asked by the coach.  In the end, their own kids suffer.

My 20YO son refuses to do any games below the 13U level.  As he puts it "the parents ain't trained yet"

 

 

My daughter tried umpiring 11/12 rec softball when she was in high school. It frustrated her coaches didn't know the rules. Parents on the sidelines were worse. She was doing the games herself. I went to the fourth game she umpired. In the middle of the game she told me this was it. I never allowed my kids to quit anything until I saw the abuse she took that game. Coaches who didn't know the rules tried to intimidate her into changing her calls.

 

My son reffed soccer for one Saturday when he was in high school. After a day of games being yelled at by parents of 9/10s, who didn't know the rules he said, "Never again."

At least you realize it, luv baseball!

 

Last fall 2019Son was on the mound in an elimination game in a big tournament in Vegas, two 3-0 teams trying to advance. He was having a good day, his team went up early, and in the third inning a batter for the other team hit a hard shot up the middle. 2019Son almost got it, but it hit off his glove and went for a single -- the opposing team's first hit. Parent in the opposing team's stands yells, loud enough for everyone to hear: "GOOD! NEXT TIME HIT HIM!"

 

Did a couple years after getting out of coaching and parenting as a Blue Man.  You have to have the balance between letting folks vent and losing control.  Being a grown adult is easier than being a "kid" to keep things in check.

 

12U rec game in the 1st inning a couple outs.  Coaches son in the box, 1-1 comes in close to the corner - STRIKE!  The kid turns to his father in the 3rd base box with his hands in the air.  Next pitch was 2-3 inches off - STRIKE 3! 

 

Team was in the 3rd base dugout and the 1st base coach coming by says to me - Too much on Strike 2 as he was smoothing the dirt in the batters box...I gave him an emphatic YEP.  No more problems. 

 

I was new to calling games and was inconsistent and knew it.  I hustled and was getting better with each game.  My job forced me to quit calling games but I am sure I would have worked up to the HS games eventually because I cared and learned from my mistakes.  I am convinced that being a 45 year old man working up a sweat and hustling around the field gave me some benefit of the doubt as well. 

 

When things got tense and they tried barking you had to let it go right up to the point it became something effecting the kids or parents.  When that happened you'd wander over between innings and say quietly - that's enough we need to bring it down a notch without facing the coach.  I had a few back to the dugout discussions while fiddling with my mask.  Let him have his say quickly and moved away. 

 

If that didn't work then the very next problem in the game -  TIME!  Coach please come over here.  Say it again quietly with enough eye contact that let them know you'd do it.  And close with - Let's let the kids play the game.  Never had to chuck anyone and had a couple guys riding me in the first that said a non sarcastic - Good Game Blue when it was over.

 

Every coach I ever knew (including me) wanted a guy who was hustling to get in position, knew the rules, was reasonably consistent and looked like he wanted to be there.  In the association I was in if you didn't do this they drummed you out.