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As many visitors know, I coach a youth baseball team. We had our tryouts last weekend. Over 220 10, 11 & 12 year olds tried out for baseball last Saturday and Sunday. The tryouts help coaches to draft "even" teams and group players according to ability. The kids run the bases, field grounders at the shortstop position then throw to first, and they hit balls pitched from a pitching machine. As a coach I look for kids who can throw well and who "hustle." Every player on my team has hustle. It's not an easily identifiable trait, but I know it when I see it.
I remember baseball tryouts when I was a kid and I always wanted to show the coach that even though I may not be the most talented kid, I was a hustler. I would expect any kid trying out to give his or her best effort.
Unfortunately, that didn't happen in one case last weekend. There was one kid, a kid who is an excellent ballplayer, who purposely "dogged it" at tryouts so he would drop in the draft in order to be picked by a specific coach. This kid was easily the most talented athlete at the fields either day last weekend: he had played exceptionally well during summer ball last year and his summer ball coach made it no secret that he'd love to draft him. Unfortunately the coach had the fifth pick in the draft, so there was a good chance another team would pick him.
Apparently the kid's parents wanted him to be on that particular team because the kid was CLEARLY advised to "dog it." When running the bases he practically jogged. When fielding grounders he'd normally get to easily he purposefully bobbled the ball. When hitting he stood in as a lefty (he's a righty) and batted with a right hand grip! While in the batter's box he was seen to be grinning and staring out as his dad-as if they were both in on the joke. It was obvious to all the coaches and to the folks who were running the tryouts that this kid was "dogging it."
The coaches who wanted to pick him were mortified-both guys are not the type to engage in such chicanery. Other coaches thought the display was disgusting and voiced their displeasure in a variety of ways. Now I am not one to believe that a 10 year old kid can be so diabolical-he had to have gotten the idea from somewhere. One look at the SEG on his dad's face and it was obvious where he got the idea. What a piss poor example for a father to present to his son! If my kid did something like that, I'd be wicked angry at him, I believe you should ALWAYS give your best effort.
Now I coach in this league, I run the league website and compile all the schedules and I am on the Board of Directors. I spend hundreds of hours (along with many other dedicated people) making our league the best it can be for our children. When someone makes a JOKE out of what we do like this dad and his kid did, it pisses me off. It shows disrespect for the league, the coaches and all the other kids who were out there trying their hardest.
4 teams passed on the kid in the draft and he was eventually picked by the team that wanted him (I wouldn't want that kid on MY team because he showed he doesn't want to play by the rules-not easy to coach). We decided not to punish the kid by disqualifying him-but there are many dissenting opinions. I personally don't think the kid could have come to the decision to "dog it" on his own and knowing the history of the kid's father, (not the first time he's acted like an ass in youth sports) I can make the leap that it was HIS idea. You can't punish a kid for who his parents are.I am not sure how the father will be received once the season starts-I for one have very little respect for what he apparently advised his son to do. I can't imagine the move will be held in high regard by most parents with kids in the league.
On the plus side, it looks like I have a good group of kids and I can't wait to get out there and get them practicing. We got snowed out last night!
Please leave your thoughts on the kid "doggin it."
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Tryout Review: Bad Parenting Revealed
Kids and Sports
I came accross this article while perusing the Sunday "paper" online. I couldn't have said it better myself!
By Meredith O'Brien
GateHouse News Service
Mon May 21, 2007, 09:07 AM EDT
It's hard to be a good sport.
A parental good sport, that is.
Especially when you're in the midst of youth sport insanity. Sure, you may sometimes have the urge to tell your son, "You could grow up to be Tiger Woods some day, rake in millions in endorsements and have your life chronicled on sports pages worldwide." Or to wax enthusiastic to your daughter, "You could be the next Mia Hamm, what with your drive, determination and talent. World Cup look out for you!"
But there's a fine line between being an optimistic parental cheerleader and someone who has lost one's grasp of reality, the person who reasons that because Tiger started playing golf before he could read, that if you push your kid to spend quality time at the links at age 2, he'll be set for life. There's a line between maintaining a reasonable limit on how much of a grade schooler's time should be devoted to organized sports, and pushing a youth athlete and her entire family to the brink with non-stop sports activities before said athlete has even entered puberty.
I'm of the mind that giving my kids breaks from sports serves an important purpose to give them a broader perspective. But I've found that the moderate approach of limiting grade school-aged child's sports activities to one a season, makes me look like an undedicated stick-in-the-mud in the youth sports world. You've given up. You look like a spoilsport because other parents are letting their kids play multiple sports, and play some of them year-round, despite the admonitions of pediatricians and youth sports experts that it's bad for young children to repeatedly play a single, organized sport.
Case in point: My 8-year-old son Jonah loves soccer. But, sadly, he's not likely to be the next David Beckham. And that's fine with me; I don't expect him to be a super-jock. He's simply playing the sport because he likes it and because teamwork and physical activity are good for him.
However, the second grader and I butted heads this past winter when he wanted to sign up for baseball AND soccer in the spring. I said no. After conferring with my husband, we told Jonah that he could play one spring sport. "You're going to take a break from soccer," I told him, noting that he'd played soccer throughout the fall, as well as for several sessions in an indoor league (that was my husband's idea).
However Jonah knew that many of his peers were going to be playing both sports and worried aloud that he'd fall behind his schoolmates skill-wise, and that, come September, Jonah would pay a price for not playing in the spring or in the summer, as I'm planning on putting the kibosh on summer soccer as well.
Did I mention that Jonah's in the second grade? And he's already fretting over his athletic future. Sadly, it's not unreasonable for Jonah to worry that some people might think he's not dedicated to soccer or think less of his skills if he, at his tender age, takes two seasons off. I've heard coaches and parents question the commitment and/or skill set of children who "skip" a season of a sport. I've heard parents whose own children are involved in sports, question why, for example, a 9-year-old would want to take up a new team
sport given that the other kids have been playing it since they were barely out of their Pull-Ups.
I feel as though I've fallen through the rabbit hole. Aren't these "athletes" still children? Shouldn't their parents strive to help them lead well-rounded lives, with time for school, sports, religious worship, recreational reading, pointless games, goofing around with friends and, oh yeah, maybe some unhurried moments for that oft-overlooked thing called family time? (Time spent in vehicles furiously dashing around - parents fueled by quadruple-espresso-shot lattes – while dropping off and picking kids up at various practices and games doesn't count.)
Why is there societal pressure to specialize in a sport at age 8? From where did this notion arise, a notion that would prompt a second grader to fear falling behind his peers if he doesn't play three consecutive seasons of soccer?
I know that the folks who enroll their kids in year-round sports, the ones who commit family time and money to trek to tournaments, sports camps and leagues galore, are well intentioned. They want their children to be happy, to thrive and succeed. And if there are all these opportunities and leagues out there designed to sharpen children's skills in a sport, well then, there must be a reason why they're available, I imagine them thinking.
When I'm in the middle of all of this, it's sometimes hard for me not to recognize that I'm developing tunnel vision and that I need to see the larger picture. It's alarmingly easy to get sucked into the vortex of youth sports.
I have three children, all of whom currently play a sport. Between having three kids playing one sport per season (the exception being my daughter who also takes gymnastics classes which run the length of the school year, in addition to soccer), coaching, volunteering to teach at our church's Sunday school and work, my husband and I find that our free time is very limited.
Even with the one-sport-per-season-per-kid restriction, I'm frequently overwhelmed with trying to manage three sets of practices and games. But, because my husband and I haven't allowed our kids to play a single sport year-round, we're the odd parents out.
So imagine my delight (and smug sense of satisfaction) when I happened upon
Brooke de Lench's book, “Home Team Advantage: The Critical Role of Mothers in
Youth Sports” and read her admonitions that "early specialization reflects an
adult-, not a child-centered youth sports system."
"The enthusiasm and passion a child may show for a particular sport is not enough to justify excessive training or participation on a select team," de Lench, the founder of MomsTeam.com, wrote. "After all, you don't hesitate to limit the amount of time your children spend on other activities they enjoy, e.g. television and video games. Why shouldn't you also place appropriate limits on the amount of time they spend playing ultra competitive, super organized sports? Such excessive parental control promotes a youth sports structure reflective of the values and expectations of adults, not of
children."
So I'll clutch my copy of Home Team Advantage and let my son blame me for thwarting his budding soccer career by saying, "No" to spring soccer. I'll take my lumps. And try to be a good sport about it. And I'll tell him, "There's always next year."
The original article appears HERE.
Weekend Washout
What had promised to be a hectic weekend was made far less hectic by rain. Two soccer games, two baseball games (the same game actually-Saturday's rainout became Sunday's rainout), and a school picnic were cancelled. What had promised to be a weekend of running around ended up being more of a sitting around weekend.
My wife still had to coach, but someone had the forsight to build indoor swimming pools, so she was at her meet all weekend.
I ended up watching The Sixth Sense with my oldest and she was surprised by the ending. Remember all the "hush hush" about the ending when that movie came out? It was fun to watch her figure it out. The Red Sox had a good weekend, taking 2 out of 3 from the Braves-I wouldn't have seen any of the games had it not been for the rain.
So now we'll have a "scrambling weekend" some other time.
At least I saved about $50 in gas!
How to Coach Youth Baseball: Book Review
As anyone who has been to this site or my truck knows, I am a youth baseball coach. I've published articles on my baseball coaching and league website admin experiences here as well as a paper I wrote for one of the Master's Degree classes I took last fall. There will undoubtedly be many Little League stories in the coming months as our tryouts are March 31 and practice begins April 4. Coaching a Little League team is an all consuming task if the coach takes it seriously and I do.
Apparently an author (with incredible good taste) named Beverly Carroll noticed my passion for coaching Little League and asked if I'd give her book a read. I received the book, How to Coach Youth Baseball, in the mail on Monday March 19 while in the midst of preparing schedules for our league, setting practice plans for my team, preparing for our annual Little League Auction and praying all this snow will go away before our tryouts! Since the weather is looking grim, I'll be able to read it quickly :o(
It is written in a very simple, easy to understand style. The author makes no assumptions that the reader knows anything about baseball (who really does) which may frustrate more experienced coaches, but overall the style does not distract from the content.
The book is divided into sections that address fundamental drills for each baseball discipline. It's chock full of drills and practice ideas. The drills are explained in detail and many have accompanying photographs to illustrate the proper execution. Incorporating lots of repetition with fundamental drills while varying the activities and keeping the kids engaged is tantamount to the success of any youth baseball squad and the drills outlined in this book will help a coach accomplish this. I was surprised and delighted to find many drills I use in my own practices described. I also got some good, new practice ideas which to me is the measuring stick for a good coaching book or lecture: "did I learn something new?" If I did, I consider the book or lecture a worthwhile endeavor! All the skills need to be covered and taught in practices, so having several different exercises for each fundamental is important. You'll probably find you don't have the time to do all the drills in the book in your practices, but it sure is nice to have something new up your sleeve if you do have some extra practice time.
The practice outlines in the book are invaluable, particularly to a new or less experienced baseball coach. Having a plan for practice is important- I like to set up 6 or 7 stations at my practices and rotate the kids through each station in pairs every 5-10 minutes. This keeps each kid engaged and actively working on skills and fundamentals for over an hour of each practice. The drills in How to Coach Youth Baseball are very well suited to this sort of practice organization.
There are things I do at my practices that are not in this book (maybe I'll write my own...), but there are more than enough fundamental drills to fill any team's practice season. I had one problem with the book-they actually cover throwing a curve ball! Kids should NOT throw curve balls until their teens and coaches who need to read this book shouldn't be teaching them to throw it!
I've read many books, attended many lectures and coach's clinics and searched for hours online to help me be a better coach and to help me make my practices productive and educational for my players. When I think back to that first tee ball team I "coached" years ago, I wish I had How to Coach Youth Baseball then.
If there is one book a coach, particularly a new baseball coach, should read, this is it. The season starts soon, get your copy today!
My Thoughts on Adsense
While surfing the other night, I came upon this article, more of a question really:
"Pay Per Click (Google AdSense to be even more specific) is the greatest business model ever devised. Why? Check out Google’s financials and you’ll see why. PPC is the most efficient, most profitable business model ever created.
That’s just my $.02. What do you think?" For the full article and all comments, click here.
Here's my comment:
For $.02 worth, you must have a low eCPM!
I have had blogs up for 23 days and have made about $30.00 from Adsense. My best earning site is actually my Little League Blog and my Little League team Blog. My “main blog,” The Hot Dog Truck, gets more views but does not earn like the two “extreme niche” baseball sites. I am new to this, but here’s my thoughts on the subject. Google (and others) have increased the ability of the regular schmuck to publish on what interests them, or, as in the case of my baseball sites, what serves the needs of their small but targetted audience.
My Little League site has relevance to about 1200 families of kids who play LL baseball in our community and possibly a few other folks scattered around the country (grandparents, folks who’ve moved, etc). The team site has relevence to 14 families-and maybe some team alumnae in town. Both sites are/will be used for communicating, allowing people to do game write-ups, posting coaching tips and posting photos in a more open (and FREE) platform than the League’s main site (which I administer).
The sites are already getting hits due to the links from our main site and the fact that there is increased traffic from the League site due to registration form downloads for the upcoming 2007 season.
This is a win-win-win Google has created in this case. They get to sell their ads into an extremely targeted, geographically specific, niche audience. The advertiser benefits because there is less “clutter” than from a broader reaching “tips on youth baseball” site or on a site that’s pitching products to a broad reaching audience. The publisher (our League) benefits from a complimentary (in both senses of the word) internet presence and an opportunity to earn some money for the League. My modest goal for the League and Team blogs is to be able to cover the costs of administering our main League website and to pay for the software we just purchased to do our scheduling.
Google’s going to win in any scenario but what makes this a win-win-win is the niche aspect. Our niche is small enough to be able to provide value to the advertiser but large enough to create value to the publisher.
Now if I could only get more clicks for the Hot Dog Truck…….
Coaching Little League: Setting Expectations for Players and Parents
I have coached Little League for 7 years (soon to be 8) and I am often asked why our team is always successful. Success to me means: the kids have fun, the kids get to try out different positions, the kids have a positive baseball experience, and the kids win more than they lose.
Obviously, as a coach, I can't play the game. My job is to put each kid in a position to succeed so the team will have success. The following is a handout I give to each kid and parent at the beginning of each season:
Little league is a competitive league. We have umpires, we keep stats, we keep score, publish scores and standings on the web and hand out trophies to the winner of the World Series. The goal of the Team is to win. The goal of each boy is to do his very best to help the Team win. Remember these three things:
Safety: Nobody swings a bat or throws a ball without checking to be sure that everyone around them will be safe;
Fun: We are here to have FUN. If anyone is not having fun, let the Coach know and he will work to remedy that;
Winning: "Winning" is an Attitude. If you are Safe, having Fun, and have a Winning Attitude, the Score will take care of itself!"
We will be putting an emphasis on pitching and would like to get as many kids on the mound as possible. You must demonstrate the ability to throw from the mound to the plate with consistency to get into a game. For the first few games kids will pitch one inning. Then they'll pitch one and "earn" the next inning. Over the course of the season, pitching ability will become evident and the kids who can really shut the other team down will get 3 or possibly more innings in an outing- it will depend on the game situation. We will throw in a few "pitching potpourri" nights where we'll revert to the one inning philosophy for all or part of the game. This becomes necessary when we have games that are bunched close together. We will use the walk rule: walk 3 in a row and you come out, walk 4 in an inning and you come out. This doesn't mean you won't get another chance-it just means you can't help the team that particular day with your pitching. Getting the boys to understand the importance of the team will be an underlying theme in everything we try to do.
We'd like to do as much scrimmaging at practice as possible and I am working on a pre- season scrimmage or two. We'll also devote time to all the skills through a variety of drills and exercises. Infield and outfield defense can only be improved upon by getting a lot of reps and we will get as many as humanly possible. The boys will have baseball homework: they must play catch for 10 to 15 minutes every day until the start of the season. Good arms come from thousands of hours of throwing, SO GET STARTED. On game days, at least one of us will be at the field an hour prior to game time. I do infield before every game. Come early for extra practice.
Base-running and Batting:
Base-running: Little League allows you to steal a base once the pitched ball crosses the plate. You can continue to steal bases as long as the ball is live. The ball remains live until the pitcher has the ball in his glove AND his feet are on the mound. Team base-runners will EXPLODE off the base as EACH pitch crosses the plate and will decide to continue to the next base or return to the starting base from about two strides out. The runner will SLIDE into any base where there is the possibility of a play. AAA rules state that if you do not slide into a base where there is a play, the umpire will call you OUT for creating an unsafe condition - (possibly colliding with the defensive baseman). The Team will become expert at sliding and stealing bases! Therefore, you must always wear long pants. Sliding pants (worn under your long pants) are a very good idea. Your outer long pants will get dirty and torn. Expect to get dirty at every practice and game.
Batting: We will emphasize Pitch Selection, Batting Discipline, Bunting, and drawing Walks. The purpose of an At-Bat is to get On-Base. You cannot score from the Dugout!
Pitch Selection and Batting Discipline: We will learn the difference between a Pitcher's Pitch and Batter's Pitch. A Pitcher's Pitch is outside of or along the edges of the Strike-Zone. A pitcher is trying to strike you out. A pitcher will try to get you to swing at a (lousy) pitch that is either too high (pop-up into an out), too low (ground out into an out), or too far inside or outside (foul off for a Strike). We will not swing at Pitcher's Pitches unless you already have two strikes. If you have two strikes, you will learn to Foul-off Pitcher's Pitches until a Batter's Pitch comes along. A Batter's Pitch is a pitch pretty much down the middle that you can readily put into play to get on base and/or advance a runner.
Bunting and drawing Walks: Hitting a Home-Run is glamorous and exciting. You may think that bunting or drawing a Walk is not so glamorous and exciting. However, the 2005 Giants got into the playoffs because the smallest kid on the team drew a walk to get on base, and then ended up stealing home to win the final regular season game with two outs at the bottom of the 6th inning. The Giants then went on to win the 2005 World Series.
You will often hear Coach say: "If you bunt or draw a Walk to First, you can Steal Home on the NEXT Pitch, and you better be Home on the Third Pitch!"
Team Rules and Expectations
1. All league rules will be followed, NO EXCEPTIONS. We will go over the League rules in person.
2. All kids will play each game, sometimes they'll play 3 innings, sometimes more. Kids who are at games and practices consistently, do their homework and work on their skills will have the best opportunity to play more.
3. If your kid can't be at a game or practice, please let the coaches know ahead of time. Please review the practice and game schedules and alert us of conflicts as far in advance as possible. If something comes up last minute, please call
4. Uniforms are for games only. Wear comfortable baseball clothes to practice. NO SHORTS! You will not be allowed to practice in your uniform, you will not be allowed to play in a game without one. Uniforms will require a $25 deposit this year. You can keep the hat and socks.
5. Players are expected to remain in the dugout during games unless enlisted to shag fly balls or coach a base. If a player must leave the dugout, they must ask the coach first.
6. Parents and siblings are not to be in the dugout. NO EXCEPTIONS.
7. All trash must be cleared from the dugout. You bring it in, you carry it out. Spectators please keep the field clean.
8. No batting or bats in hand unless you are at bat or on deck. Safety is important! a. We will not swing a bat near any other people; b. We will not throw the ball if there are any people behind either player in case of a missed catch.
9. ¾ walk rule in effect at all times-3 walks in a row or 4 walks in an inning and the pitcher will be replaced.
10. ALWAYS be respectful of teammates, opposing players, coaches and officials. Disrespectful behavior by players or parents will not be tolerated. Umpires are Human. If there is ever a disputed call: Players will talk to the Coach; Coach will talk to the Umpire.
11. Wear a cup!
12. Show up at the field ready to play ball!
13. PARENTS PLEASE keep the on field commentary to the "attaboy" variety. Conflicting instructions from a coach and parent in a game situation undermines the team. Say it with me "ATTABOY_______"
14. WE ARE A TEAM, I EXPECT EACH KID TO BE PERFECT. ("Perfect" means you always try your hardest-if you can look your teammates in the eye and know in your heart you did the best you could, then you're PERFECT)
That handout has evolved over the years and will most likely be revised for this year's team. I believe setting the expectations from day 1 of practice so everyone knows exactly how the season will progress. In the past, I have handed this out at the parent’s meeting before the first practice. This year I am posting it on a team Blog before the parent’s meeting and telling everyone that nobody plays or practices until I get a reply comment stating they read it with their kid!
When we practice, we have 6-8 stations that cover different skill areas. We have 2 kids at each station for about 5 minutes and we rotate until each pair of kids has run through each station. I always keep my kids moving so they don't have time to get bored. I like to have as many pitchers as possible so each kid feels he's contributing to the success of the team. Bunting is also huge on my teams and the kids who aren't the best hitters will bunt a lot. This gives them the opportunity to get on base and be involved in the games.
Aaah Baseball season...
Yeah I know pitchers and catchers reported Friday. Baseball began for lots of youngsters today too as our Little League had sign-ups this afternoon. Seeing all the kids we'll be looking at in a month and a half at tryouts and giving them pointers is a sure sign SPRING is on the way.
The parents are funny too. Some think their kid will be a Little League All Star while others question whether their kid should even bother trying out. I say let the kid try out. Little League tryouts are a right of passage for 10-12 year olds.
There aren't many folks buying hot dogs at this time of year. My truck is embedded in a snow bank! Making money is not happening, but the die hard hot dog lovers still come out-I just hope they tell their friends so they'll come out in the warmer weather!
Youth Sport League Web Solutions
One thing your youth sport league league should consider is a league website. Having your league online helps you streamline the distribution of information to your league's participants. Schedules, standings, directions, forms, FAQs, sponsors and much more can be viewed on your league site. A monetized site can even pay for itself and be a revenue generator as well. You could even elect to make online registration an option for your league.
There are many free options for...READ MORE
Youth Sports, Academic Achievement and Self Esteem
In every school community there are students of all ages who participate in youth sports. Many kids begin playing organized sports beginning at age 5 or 6 and kids play sports throughout their entire school career. There are different reasons kids play sports. Initially parents usually introduce their children to a sport or sports and as the children get older, their interests dictate continuing in a given sport. Participation in youth sports at all levels has an effect on the participant's self esteem and the children who continue to be involved in sports through their middle and high school years are more likely to have higher academic acheivement, fewer discipline problems and a more positive view of their school and community. READ MORE
BRRRR Chilly Dogs!
On a day like today, its tough to be a hot dog man. The temperature was 15 degrees at my truck but it felt like minus 10 with the wind. A few hearty souls braved the cold to get their fix of Hot Dog Harvey's famous dogs, but many more opted to stay inside and order delivery :o(
The wind was brutal too! My trash barrels blew over a half a dozen times and the over head awning kept getting blown closed. After gaining a high score on my cell phone Tetris game (not a good sign of a busy day) I shut down at 2PM, one hour earlier than normal and focussed my energies for the remainder of the afternoon on collecting items for our Little League Auction.
Only 5 weeks until spring......
