Week 4, May 1-2, vs Tigers, Westchester High School
Coming off our first two wins of the year (and my first win ever as a coach), the Eagles were feeling pretty good about ourselves. And trying to take advantage of the winning streak, Coach Jeff scheduled a non-league game on Saturday instead of practicing. We played a team from one of the other organizations in the city. And fortunately for us, we knew even before the game started that we were going to be in great shape. How? I'm psychic. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCLgC4Bp-x8) Well, when the head coach asks if we could end each inning after 3 runs have scored, you pretty much know who you are facing. And I am happy to report that, excluding the first inning, the Eagles hit the max in every inning, winning 15-2.
It was a great confidence booster for the kids and it was great to see us swing the bats and score so many runs. And hey, we were on a little winning streak, having won 3 in a row. Of course, the game was not without a little humor. We decided to have Albert catch the final inning. His mother was not too happy about that.
"You're going to do what??!! He's going to get killed!! No way. Absolutely not. No. No. No."
She actually used the word "killed". It was so bad, Albert's father had to console her by walking back and forth behind our dugout with his arm around her telling her not to worry. Jeff and I had a pretty good chuckle over this, but that was nothing compared to the belly laugh we got when we saw Albert with the catcher's gear on. He doesn't have his own, so he had to use Ned's gear. Ned is about 6 feet. Albert is about 5 and weighs about 80 pounds. He looked like Iron Man with the gear on. I wasn't even sure if Albert was actually in there. And since the game was so out of hand, we let Jay pitch. Jay's nickname is Horeshack because of his little "Jew Fro" and how he resembles the former Sweathog from Welcome Back Kotter (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZmlBTgaLEI&feature=related)
On Sunday, we played at one of the nicest facilities I've been at since my high school days. It was about time too. I was getting tired of playing on these all dirt infields that Central Park and Randall's Island has. Don't get me wrong, I love playing in the park and the island, as the backdrops are fantastic, but when you get to this level of baseball, playing real baseball rules, from real baseball dimensions, the fields should be the same. A grass infield makes everything complete. And here in Westchester, not only was the field legit, but the backdrop was also picturesque. A running track encircled the field with a set of elevated bleachers perched behind the 3rd base dugout. Looking out towards the outfield was the school, with a clock on the top that reminded me of Doc Brown trying to send Marty back to 1985. I was hoping that with the big win the day before and the top notch facility today, the boys would find a way to produce the 1.21 giggawatts of power necessary for a couple of victories. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5cYgRnfFDA&feature=related)
There was a short bench just outside the dugout for the coaches to sit that reminded me of a Spring Training field. The one real negative, from a coaching perspective, was, although the dugouts were not underground, the field was elevated. Sitting on the bench just behind the On Deck circle, it was difficult to see my players to be able to position them defensively. I did a lot of jumping up and sitting back down throughout the day. Overall, the field looked huge, much bigger than any of the other fields we'd played on up to this point. Not sure if it was the big building in the background, the fence with the 400FT sign in straightaway centerfield, or the fact that our 12 and 13 year olds were just...well...small. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lag73IP2CPY&feature=related)
Not sure if it was the size of the field, the stadium style bleachers, the flashy uniforms of the Tigers, or the sign displaying the years of dominance of the baseball program, but the boys played intimidated from the beginning. I keep having to remind myself that they are only 12 and 13, but so are the other teams right? The laziness and absence of the little things returned. We just can't seem to get any consistency with those aspects of the game. It's very frustrating. There is no effort and sense of urgency with these kids. And no mental fortitude. They expect perfection, which is respectable and not a bad thing, but you must be able to deal with NOT being perfect. Baseball is a game based on failure. Even the best hitters will fail 7 out of 10 times. But it's how you deal with that failure that says how good you are. Our pitchers try to strike everyone out. And when they don't throw a strike, they act very defeated. Sometimes, pitching to contact is the right way to go. These kids need to learn that. They will, in time. But for now, it's our job as coaches to teach them. And we will.
Ned got the ball in Game 1, and got off to a great start, actually. After the 2nd inning, we were down 2-1, after having a runner thrown out at the plate in each of the 1st two innings, and Ned hadn't given up a hit yet. Of the 6 outs he recorded, 3 were Ks and 3 were ground balls back to him. But yet, because we were losing 2-1, he looked like the world was ending. His passion and desire to win is outstanding. But again, he needs to learn how to deal with adversity. Jeff and I do our best each week to keep the kids up with energy and confidence. That's all we can do. Hopefully, it will sink in eventually. That's one of the reasons why we keep wanting them to do the little things, like backing up throws, creep stepping, hustling, and the bench players yelling "BACK" on pick-off attempts. I was never a fan of coaches telling us to do that when I played, but now I understand the reason. For one, it helps kids stay in the game, by not only helping their teammates, but by also staying focused on baseball. Not to mention that when they get on base, they are more prepared having watching the pitcher's move multiple times. We're trying to develop talent and win games, sure, but, as coaches, we are also trying to give these kids the values of unity and teamwork.
So anyway, Ned's pitching great and we're in the game. But then the roof just collapsed and we couldn't get an out and the Tigers scored 20 or something runs. OK, it wasn't that many, but it felt like it. In between games, we didn't focus too much on the negative play. Instead we tried to motivate the boys by telling them what an opportunity it was to be playing on such a nice field. We told them we needed to take advantage of that opportunity. I told them that when I was their age, I would have killed to be playing on a field like this. It was true. I also said that up until high school, I played on horrible dirt bowls. Also true. Their lack of effort and enthusiasm was not showing any appreciation at all.
During Game 2, however, it was more of the same. And, I'm not proud of it now, but even I let my frustration get the best of me. Trust me when I say that errors do not bother me. But a lack of effort and having to repeat myself for 5 weeks drives me absolutely nuts. After countless times of asking the team to yell, "BACK" on pickoff attempts were flat out ignored, I lost it. And I'm usually a very mild mannered guy. A mild mannered guy who loves coaching baseball and finding clips on YouTube.
This was the first time our dugout was on the 1st base side. So, when we had a runner on 1st, I expected to hear some voices in addition to mine. Sure enough, the pitcher throws over, I yell back, but no one else does. So I said to the dugout, calmly, "Everybody is yelling BACK right, guys?" Two pitches later, the pitcher throws over to first again, I yell, but no one else does. I said nothing this time, just looked at the bench. Our assistant coach, Mike, says to the kids, "c'mon guys, everybody stay in the game, help your teammate out with the pickoffs." Pitcher throws over again, nobody yells. In my best Myles Raymond impression (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiOuroHPxRQ), I lost it.
"ARE YOU GUYS SERIOUS??!!! FOR 5 WEEKS WE'VE BEEN ASKING FOR YOU GUYS TO YELL BACK!! GET IN THE GAME!!"
Again, I'm not happy about that moment, but it happened. And you also have to remember that yes, these are just boys, but this is not a Rec League. After the second game, Jeff and I addressed the team like we usually do, and we talked about their lack of effort.
"How long have I been asking you guys to yell back?", I asked them. A few of them said in unison, "Since the beginning of the season."
"So how come nobody does it?" Nobody answered.
"It's not a rhetorical question, guys. I really would like to know why?" Nobody answered.
"Well, I'll tell you what I think it is. I think you guys are just ignoring me, and that is something I will not tolerate. So I'm not going to ask you anymore. Instead, we'll just run. Everybody on the line. You sprint to me, and you jog back." (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9AajQn7b18)
I had a number in my head of what I thought was sufficient to get the point across, but immediately, Larry asked, "How many?" This was the first time they were running out of discipline. We run after every game and in practice, but we always make it fun for them. We joke around. We laugh. Jeff and I weren't laughing this time. I answered Larry by saying, "When we're done, I'll let you know." They were not long sprints, probably only about 25 yards. After the first one, Rod, who has a history of not listening, walks back to the line. "Guys, it's a sprint to me and a jog back. I'm not going to say it again." After the second one, I look over and see Rod again, walking. This time briskly. "Hey guys, I really have nowhere to be today. We'll stay out here all day until everyone does it correctly." Albert, one of the captains, says to Rod, "Dude, JOG!!!" Rod answers with, "It's the same speed, the only difference is you are bouncing up and down." I laughed at that.
After about 5 more sprints, I figured one more ought to be enough. Then Larry says, "How many more?"
"This was going to be the last one, but since you asked, it won't be." Albert didn't like that.
"Shut up, man!!! Just keep running."
That's why Albert is a captain. I like him a lot. We ran 3 more sprints, and after the last one, I just said, "That's all." Now let's see if it makes a difference.
Umpire update: No arguments again. And no complaints. One of them looked like he was 80, no joke. In fact, he looked a little like this guy. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0jB7NJ87Js)
Next episode: April Showers Brings...Old Man Winter??!!
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