Youth Baseball a Time of Fun and Lifetime Learning

Here it is the middle of January, in a few days the youth of  Pleasant Hill, Creswell, Dexter, Lowell and the surrounding areas will start to train and register for the 2010 Spring season of the Babe Ruth League baseball league. In Oregon’s Willamette Valley organized youth baseball is much more than just a fun kid sport. Babe Ruth, Cal Ripken and Little League baseball is a time for families to participate together as they support our youth and the community.

Coaches and other adults involved in youth baseball carry with them a great deal of responsibility. Not only is coaching an opportunity to help a youngster learn about baseball or become a better baseball player, it is an opporutinty  to to teach and model positive attitudes that can leave a lifetime impression on a young person. Look at the following real life example.

The situation in a baseball game being played by nine year olds. The score was tied in the bottom of the last inning with 2 outs and the bases empty. A routine ground ball was hit to the shortstop who made a good throw to first base, apparently in time to put the batter out and send the game into an extra inning. However, the play was close and the umpire called the batter safe.

Parents in the stands protested the call loudly. The coach and numerous players also verbally expressed their disbelief. The coach called a timeout. In the meeting at the mound the coach told his young players to forget about the umpire’s call at first base and to concentrate on the fact that they only needed to get an out at second or first base to end the inning. The coach advised the players to relax and to focus on the next batter.

Unfortunately, the pitcher made a low pitch that the catcher could not handle. The young catcher tried to make his best throw to second base to stop the base runner, a throw that a more experienced player would not have attempted. The throw got past the second baseman and the runner was able to slide into third base safely.

The coach called another timeout and held another meeting at the mound. He reminded the team that they were still OK and that three good things could still happen. They could get a strikeout, a goundball out at first, or a fly ball out to end the inning. They were still in control. Further, and to the coach’s great credit, he reminded the team that no matter what happened they were all still winners and could be proud of themselves.

As you might guess, the team did not win the game that day. A pitch sailed high over the catcher and the runner on third was able to score in a cloud of dust and to the excited cheering of his teammates. As the losing team came off the field the coach greeted them at the third base line for a final meeting. He told the young players that they should not feel bad because they played their best and they they would beat the same team the next time they played. He congratulated the players for being good sports and that to show their sportsmanship they should give their opponents a loud cheer. Which they did enthusiastically.

After cleaning up their dugout and a final meeting with the coach and numerous parents, not a single young player cried or spoke a negative word about the outcome of the game. And all the players got ice cream.