Thinking about Little League baseball

I think about my coaching days so often, usually sitting around someplace with Ryan and Corey or when a former player speaks to me, usually at a Suns game or somewhere else in the community.
I look back quite fondly at many things, not so fondly at others, and quite bitterly at a few.

But few things make me feel better than when a grown man tells me how much he enjoyed playing for me or how much they learned about the game from me or even in some cases that they hope that I would make a future comeback and coach their children.
I have given thought to it, but on each occasion, two things come to mind-I have never lost a game since joining the autograph game and having to tell the lovely Cherie that I am stepping back into that pit.
She remembers the downside to coaching without the joys of it-disgruntled parents, board of director types that know little about the game other than pushing their kids for undeserved All-Star squads in return for their efforts, losses that eat at you, and the time that you need to put into your team in order for them to be their best.

These things popped up today when Battlin' Bob sent me this link to an article in the Hagerstown Herald-Mail about a fight during downtime at the Maryland state tournament for 11 and 12-year-olds.
Full disclosure-I coached for years at Halfway little league (the league that this team represented) and I know personally one of the gentlemen involved, so I could be claimed to have some sort of bias.
I have no more information about this incident than what you read and I have spoken to no one from Halfway that could be involved with the league, but I will say this-I know Les Martin, he is a good baseball man and more importantly- a good man.

Managing baseball can be difficult and managing All-Star baseball is the toughest of the bunch.

First of all, I have stated many times over the last 16 years this fact-Usually there are 10 players that could be justifiably picked for the final two spots on any All-Star roster and it really is that close for those final spots.
And often those spots go to an undeserving player that played on a team with a dad for a manager or someone that had a parent on the board of directors.
That not only screws over a more deserving player (Funny, how that never is placed on those blurbs on the Little League World Series broadcasts: Joey Smith age 12, favorite team Detroit Tigers, likes Dirtbikes, should have never been on the team to begin with because he hit .176, but mom was the concession stand manager, so Bob Jones, who batted .612 stays home because his parents aren't in the same bowling league as the league player agent) but hamstrings the manager as he now has to find playing time for the player somewhere and a better player pays the price-like it or not.

Plus that player often has the parent complaining about the manager "Colton played third base every inning for Ledo Pizza and now you play him two innings in right field".
No mention of Colton playing every inning on a 3-17 team or that he would have been a part-time player on a good team, just that you are a moron for not playing him enough as the geniuses at Ledo that won three games knew how to use him!

Dealing with parents and league officials was the worst part of the job.
The same bunch that always spins this longtime line "It's all for the kids" were the same people that were upset if you didn't win enough games.
The coaches are never safe-win championships, then "my kid didn't play enough", lose games "How much can you know, we ARE 4-16 you know".

Perhaps Les Martin shouldn't have stooped to the level of the fans and slugged it out with Mr.Downes (Parent's name), but I can understand his frustration and I can certainly say that I wished I had done that (In that moment only) a time or two.

I had my share of issues, never to that degree because I always remembered from day one this old Buddy Ryan line-"Listen to the fans and you might as well sit up there with them".
I ran the club, not the fans and I had my share of fans and quite a few detractors (many from other clubs, but some on mine as well) just like Buddy did, but things had to be done my way, and success or failure could fall on my decisions.
Now that I think about it, there was a lot of Buddy Ryan in my coaching days!

In any event, little league baseball isn't as pure as it likes to put on, not that makes them any different than any other organization and even though the fight doesn't cover anyone with glory, it is surprising to me that it doesn't happen more often than it does.
The changes that I would make in that would be astounding, but I'll keep quiet for now, one never knows-I get a few requests a year to make a comeback, you know!!

Until tomorrow with Pirates-Rockies...
P.S.-If any of this interested you in the slightest, there are stories about youth baseball that could fill MANY slow news days in the fall and winter when they are more prevalent, just let me know.