During these years, I have learned a great deal about kids’ sports. I wouldn’t coach baseball if I didn’t find some reward in leading a group of boys in the world’s greatest sport. But being a coach also has its distractions: namely the pressure placed on young players by adults.
I’m going to do this as gingerly as I can, but these are words that need to be written. I’ll call it my plea to parents (and fellow coaches, too) of kids who participate in sports, and not just baseball.
1. The boys (and girls) you come to watch and cheer for are not miniature major leaguers. They are children, and are often clumsy, uncoordinated, and prone to make mental mistakes. Please do not yell at them. You can show a kid his mistake and the way to fix it without being a jerk.
A few years ago, I was the assistant coach on a team where one of the fathers berated his son without mercy, often for no apparent reason. The boy was a pretty good ballplayer, but usually performed poorly when his dad was around because he was under so much pressure. He was a different player those times when his dad wasn’t there. I’ve never seen child’s performance improve through mistreatment.
2. We play to win, but not at the expense of developing players. At this age, players develop faster when they are allowed to play more than one position. I have occasionally been made aware of whispers from the parents as to why Johnny is playing third base when he is used to playing center field or catcher.
Trust me, your coach knows the limitations of every player, but also knows that Johnny will never learn to play third base unless he actually plays third base. A team benefits when its players are as versatile in the field as possible.
3. If your child shows little desire to play baseball, then the best thing you can possibly do is not show up. You can chalk this one up to common sense, but every year there seems to be one or two players per team who would rather be somewhere else. Not every child is a ballplayer, and it’s okay if yours is not.
Forcing a child to play baseball when he doesn’t want to benefits no one. The child ends up bored. The coach ends up frustrated. And since the other kids are perceptive enough to know who’s not giving much effort, they are likely to look down on him.
As a coach, I would much rather coach a player who’s short on talent, but long on desire than to have player who may be a decent athlete, but also ensures he gets his time on the bench. Believe me, if a player ever asks me if it’s his turn to sit out an inning, he will sit out as much as the rules will allow.
4. Let your coach coach. Back in the days when we used a pitching machine, I had a player who liked to stand out the back of the batter’s box — too far back to be able to handle a pitch on the outside part of the plate. So I motioned for him to move closer to the plate. No sooner had I done so than his dad yelled “Leave him alone!” So I had to stand there helplessly and watch the kid swing and miss.
During that season, I had an opposing coach and an umpire both point out that the kid was standing too far back from the plate. All I could offer was “I know it, you know it, but his dad will chew you out if you try to correct it.”
Fortunately, I’ve usually had a good group of parents and a good group of kids. Still, one or two bad apples usually show up during each season, and you know what they say about bad apples.
I have found that if you treat your players with respect, show them you trust them by trying them out at different positions, and that if you keep an even temper no matter the score, they will literally go to the ends of the earth to try and win a game.
So, parents, encourage the kids and coaches. The kids are out there for the pure enjoyment of the game, and the coach is there to provide instruction, leadership on the field, and protection, as well. It can be frustrating at times watching our kids play, all of whom are far less than perfect. But it is important for adults to keep themselves in check. If you find yourself wanting to win more than the kids do, you might be missing out on one of those pleasures parents only get to enjoy for a short time. They probably won’t be playing baseball forever, and it won’t matter for very long whether they won or lost. I can tell you from experience as a former Little Leaguer that what they will remember most is the way they were treated.








