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Suffering From Neglect
by Dave
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
I don't know why it had to come to this but it did. If I think about the various skills needed to play softball, I'll run through a series of things like throwing, fielding the ground ball and pop-up, knowing where to go with the ball in situations, bunting, hitting, etc. If I prioritize things, as I do when I lay out a practice, I might think of things in terms of 1) pitching - which we don't do to any great extent in practice since pitchers go to pitching coaches but we do try to find time to get the pitchers and catchers working together; 2) defense, beginning with throwing and moving through fielding fundamentals before proceeding to defensive situations; 3) bunting with an emphasis on the sacrifice; 4) hitting; and 5) anything and everything else. What have I missed? Plenty!
A very wise, old hand said, "baserunning wins softball games yet is the most neglected facet." My first thought upon hearing that was "guilty" and then I thought to myself, baserunning doesn't just win softball games, it loses them. Like when that girl was supposed to steal second during a bunt attempt and she stopped halfway because the hitter missed her bunt. Or how about the game I watched the other day in which 3 runners were nailed at third during the course of a game which was ultimately lost by the team with the picked off runners, 4-3. Or maybe I need to look into my own backyard where my team had a rally going in the first inning of an elimination game with runners on first and third and just one out but had the runner on third picked off during a play in which the runner from first was trying to get the defense to try to throw her out. That broke my girls' spirits because they then felt the other team was superior. We weren't nearly ready for that play though we clearly saw it coming. It was like bad theatre. We knew the outcome before the play we were expecting even developed but couldn't stop it from happening because we weren't nearly drilled enough. That's unforgiveable.
I should have seen this shortfall in our preparation long ago. I should have recognized the problem when we were playing a young team, had a runner on third, and we watched both the pitcher and catcher turn their backs on the baserunner, while the pitcher was a good five feet from the circle and the catcher walked casually over towards the dugout to tell the coach something. I wanted our runner to recognize the opportunity and do a delayed steal of home but she didn't really know how or recognize when the opportunity existed. I could have yelled "GO" but not only would the catcher and pitcher been alerted before the girl broke, also, she would probably have broken right back to third base! We hadn't prepared for the opportunity.
Finally, when I see runners on second and third and, with two outs, there is a basehit to right center, fielded by a rightfielder with a relatively weak arm, and the girl from second doesn't even attempt to score, I should know that baserunning is far too neglected by far too many coaches. I should recognize that this is an area of our game which is sorely lacking and easily rectified.
Let's break this "baserunning" category down a bit and see if we can make some sense of it. I want to start by saying that when we work defense, what we tell the girls is to know the situation and know what you are going to do with the ball if X happens. That's sound advice. You just do not have enough time to think it out once the ball leaves the bat. The same is true for baserunning.
My second thoughts on the subject are that we practice defensive situations and talk to the girls during games so they don't have to think, at least not think hard. We strive for automatic response or patterned response based upon pre-game, pre-situation drill and discussion. The same has to be true of baserunning.
Finally, we work fundamentals and drills of everything else in order to teach what the right response is in situations and to make certain reactions automatic. The same is absolutely required of baserunning.
I'm not certain why we get into this quandry of not teaching and drilling baserunning but I think it is a throwback to our days as players. If we're dads who played baseball, baserunning was never really taught before high school, perhaps not even then. If we're moms who maybe played softball before the term fastpitch was in common usage, we didn't play the game the way it is played today. If you're like me, you learned to run the bases by watching major leaguers or other kids do it well. Then you emulated them when you played your own games. Most of us never thought all that much about baserunning so we never broke it down or planned drills to support the correct actions. So let's take a couple of situations and discuss them.
Run to FirstYou're up at the plate and you A) walk, B) strikeout, C) get a basehit, or D) hit a grounder someplace. What should you do? I like batters upon receiving ball four to drop their bats and immediately race for first. It's a good habit to get into from the earliest ages. And as you approach the bag, it is important to realize that you must stop. You can't round first after walking, stop and then go back to the bag. Usually, by the time you reach first, the pitcher is back in the circle with the ball, getting ready to make the next pitch. If you round first and then go back, the umpire should call you out. This isn't nearly called enough but you ought to make a habit of it because it will be called when you can least afford to lose a baserunner.
When our girls strike out, I like them to immediately drop their bats and begin running to first. I don't want them to look to see if the catcher dropped it. If the pitch was low, chances are pretty good that it hit the dirt or the umpire thinks it may have hit the dirt. By the time the hitter turns to see if the ball is on the ground, she has lost two steps towards first. And the catcher may have already picked up the ball, in which case, the batter won't realize it was on the ground. I want my hitters to just run and let the first base coach tell them to stop. If you just struck out and the catcher caught the ball cleanly, what have you lost by dropping your bat and running to first? Nothing.
If you get a hit, just about every runner knows to run to first. Where this gets complicated is when perhaps the runner doesn't have the greatest speed but the rightfielder, sometimes even the centerfielder, just happens to be very quick and has a great arm. I have seen far too many batter/baserunners thrown out at first on what should otherwise be clean hits. They get caught running at 80% speed or less because they're pretty certain they've got themselves a hit. They're certain until they see the outfielder charge the ball and come up throwing. But by then, it's too late. So, what I want to see is girls running like mad anytime they hit the ball. Again, let the basecoach stop you if the ball happens to roll foul or should somebody make a great catch. Otherwise, run like there is a man-eating tiger behind you.
This same policy is true of running out grounders. There are so many times in this sport that a fielder who just made a great play reaches into her glove and comes out with a hand full of not only the ball but also dirt. Often balls are bobbled briefly on otherwise clean plays. Sometimes, the kid with a strong arm pounds one into the dirt and the first baseman just can't handle it. Sometimes that kid with the major league arm gets a little crick in it and makes a bad throw. If you wait too long to watch and see what happens, they'll get you out anyways.
It is also important that we let our runners know that while we do want them to run like heck to the bag, we do not want them to "run through it" the way so many coaches suggest to young girls that they should. The old drill is to put the base coach ten feet down the line and then have the girls run hard until they slap his or her hand, then curl towards foul territory. That's a great way to teach 8 year olds to run out a grounder but as soon as you get them to do that, you have to unteach the skill since that doesn't lend itself to real world situations.
In the real world, what we want girls to do is run all out to first and then upon touching the bag, immediately break down and determine what to do next. This is where the value of the first base coach really comes into play since he or she should be watching and instructing from that moment on. But even if the first base coach has an "event" and loses his or her ability to think or speak, we want the girls to know how to determine what to do next. I like girls to turn their heads toward foul ground because if the ball has been overthrown, they can see that. And if it bounds away down the rightfield line, they can see that too and make for second, perhaps third, if they happened to notice the rightfielder picking her teeth on the otherwise routine play.
At this juncture, I'll just point out that it is not necessary to turn in towards foul ground in order to not be put out by the quick-thinking first baseman. You could turn in towards the field (on your left) and not be considered to be in play. I actually watched a field ump make this call the other day because the first baseman said "she turned the wrong way." The very smart plate umpire questioned the field ump as to why he called the girl out and then over-ruled the call because the field ump obviously forgot to read the rulebook before taking the job. Let me say it again so it is clear. You do not have to turn towards foul ground after running through first. That's a fallacy. I advise turning towards foul ground because you can see the play better. But you're not liable to be put out because you turned inwards, towards the field. You are liable to be put out, however, as soon as you make a motion which, IN THE UMPIRE'S JUDGMENT, can be interpreted as a break towards second.
As an aside, in terms of why you should run hard on every hit ball, while there aren't very many double plays in fastpitch, there are some and they sting like a Japanese giant hornet. The worst thing that can happen to you when you hit with a runner on first who steals is you get what you think is a hit up the middle but then the shortstop, covering for the steal, just happens to be in perfect position to field your grounder, step on second and throw you out at first because you were dogging it. I've seen this happen several times at differing play levels and invariably, the result for the offensive team is not good. They get down and sometimes can't rebound. Very possibly, a batter/baserunner who ran hard to first could have avoided this calamity.
Get a proper leadOK, so you ran out that hit, reached first on an error or dropped third strike, or walked and sprinted all the way to first. What do you do now? Well, after you make sure you get the sign from the third base coach before every pitch, you also want to make sure you get the situation from the first base coach. Two outs. How many runs are we up (or down) by? Know the outs, know the score. Know the count. I started to say this as an aside but if you're on base, any base, you are in position to be forced out at the next base, there are two outs and the count is 3-2, you have to run on the pitch. There's no reason to look or stop to ask questions or for directions, just RUN. Too many girls take the information 3-2, 2 outs and think, "OK, that's nice, I know the situation" and then when the pitch is thrown, they act like it is 2-1, no outs. Every player on a well coached team must know that 3-2, 2 outs, force situation, "I MUST RUN."
Probably your biggest concern upon reaching first safely is getting the right lead. Some players don't seem to realize that they should leave the bag as the ball comes out of the pitchers hand rather than waiting for it to cross the plate. I didn't want to remind anyone of that but it must be said to all players. Nobody should ever not know when to leave the base.
The second part of getting a lead is to be in the right position to get one when the pitcher releases the ball. If you're a baseball dude and you're watching high level fastpitch for the first time, one of the first things you'll notice is the runners don't take up the same athletic position you used to do when on base at first in baseball. That's because in baseball, you lead off the base and must be prepared to go in either direction as needed. In softball, what a runner at first should try to do is get in basically a sprinter's position. I like left foot on the outfield facing, field side corner of the bag. The right foot is behind the left on the dirt behind the bag. The runner holds her arms up as if getting ready to punch or run and as the pitcher winds up, she swings back and gets "negative torque" before swing out towards second base as the pitcher comes into her downswing, and then pushes off with the left foot from the bag as she releases the pitch. This is a timing thing and must be practiced.
The lead itself has to be sensible. Let's not forget that the catcher is just 60 feet away and with a righty up to bat, has a very clean angle to throw out the runner at first. The runner can, most likely see the first baseman in front of her, guarding against the bunt, but she may not be able to see second or even rightfielder sneak in behind her. An excessively big lead is a good way to get picked off. That's a rally killer, especially with -0- or 1 outs. I've heard some experts say a three step lead is ideal for everyone at first. I don't disagree unless something else about the situation dictates a more aggressive posture. Maybe you would like to get the catcher to try to throw you out so the girl from second can advance to third. Maybe the catcher is a little shaky or has a weak arm. Maybe you have a lefty batter up and there is no way for the catcher to get a clean throw down to first without providing you a chance to do a delayed steal. But in general, a 3 step lead is just right for most. That's one (running stride) with the right, one with the left, then half a stride with a firm planting with the right foot. Now you want to be in the position of a baseball player leading off first. Now, you want to be able to move in either direction quickly.
Any runner on first should be equippped with some knowledge about when to run and when not to run on PBs. A good general rule is to take off for second when the ball is five to ten or more feet away from the catcher. That assumes you have average running speed and the catcher has no better than average quickness or throwing arm. In other words, you take off for second, based on A) the catcher's abilities, B) your abilities, and C) the distance the ball rolls away from the catcher. The key is, the runner must have a preconceived notion of when to go. Then she must go without hesitation, without second thoughts, when the decision to go has been made. If she hesitates, she increases the likelihood of being thrown out. If she has second thoughts, she very well may be picked off first. Baserunning is a commitment exercise. You decide, then follow through. There isn't much room for thinking once a play has begun.
In scoring position!So you got to first and then made it to second on a passed ball. Good work. You've made yourself into a valuable commodity - a runner in scoring position. Now it is critical that you don't make a fatal mistake. You never want to make the first or third out trying to make third base. That's because A) if there are no outs, you have several chances to be hit home by the batter; and B) if there are two outs, you're more valuable to your team at second with a chance to be hit in than you are risking it all to make third when only a hit is going to score you - you can't score on a ground out or sacrifice fly.
At second, you can get a far bigger lead. The shortstop is probably interested in getting to third to put you out on a steal or bunt. The second baseman is interested in being ready to cover first on the bunt. The centerfielder has a long way to come to cover the bag. So what you want is a five pace lead, again right, left, right, left, right foot planted firmly and ready to go in either direction. Second base is a great place to be but not only because you can get the biggest lead and nobody is covering to get you out, also you get to harrass the catcher. The catcher is afraid you are going to make her look bad by performing a delayed steal so everytime you come off the bag, she's going to come firing out to push you back. Then the second baseman is going to have to run to cover or if the pitch was a missed bunt attempt, the centerfielder is going to have to come running in from her comfortable spot in the outfield. Everybody hates a runner on second!
If you've done your job properly, you are in a good position when the ball is hit. You're somewhere between pushing off the bag and getting that five-running-stride lead. Now you've got to be ready for action. If the defense has put a play on to try to pick you off, I'd say you probably have an even money chance of being able to make third, assuming you are a good runner and slider, and the defense isn't really good. You're also ready to become the only thing more hated than a runner on second. That is a runner on third.
If the ball is hit to the first base side of second base, you're ready to go. What you're looking for is the downward motion of a grounder off the bat. You have to get yourself to the point where you recognize a grounder to the right when contact is made. If you see bat over top of ball, that's a good indicator that the ball just hit will reach the ground before leather. If you see ball over bat right after contact, you have to hold unless there are two outs. Experience will teach you whether the ball is coming right at you, to your left (the right side of the infield) or is hit in front of you. If the ball is hit in front of you and you are not forced to third, you step back and cut your lead down until you can see the ball go past the infielders before running. If the grounder is going to the second or first baseman, you break for third and most likely make it easily, hopefully drawing a throw since that will make the runner at first safe also.
This running on the hit ball while at second isn't necessarily always automatic. It is experience and situation determined. You don't allow yourself to be the first or third out at third. You have to make a judgment on the ball hit hard right at the second baseman. But you need to have a preconceived notion in your head before the pitch is ever thrown on what will cause you to go to third.
In real scoring position!!!At third base, you are the second most precious commodity in the game, a runner who can score while also throwing the defense off. You are so valuable that you cannot be risked and you simply must pay attention at all times. You have to be aware of the possibility of the catcher throwing you out. You can't get doubled off on line-drives. Your lead should be shorter than at second and you really don't want to draw a throw. It seems as if drawing a throw would be great since the defense might blow it and cause you to score on an error but the risk is not worth the rewards except in certain limited situations. You have to keep self-preservation in mind while at third.
The old baseball admonition while on third is down in foul, back in fair. The first consideration is you are awfully close to the hitter and if she drills a ball at you in fair ground which hits you, you're out. And as you come back to the bag, you want to block the catchers throwing lane. I don't disagree with that approach in softball. In fact, I've said it often. But I heard someone else, someone far more knowledgeable than I, say down in foul, back in foul. His belief is that catchers generally do a drop-step behind the righthanded batter when they throw down to third. So the throwing lane is in foul territory, not fair. Also, he is so concerned about a runner at third getting hit by the ball that he doesn't want her concerned about getting into fair territory after the pitch. He also says that if you have to get back to the bag and the catcher throws to the fair territory side, he'd rather have you hit the far corner of the bag with your foot as you slide in.
One of the reasons why a runner on third is so valuable is because she can dictate so much about the game from that position. For example, a runner on third can force the defense to not play to put out the batter/baserunner. If the batter puts down a bunt or hits a slow hit in the infield, the defense has to be worried about the runner at third unless they have a huge lead. A smart runner on third can force the defense not to put out the batter/baserunner. We're not talking high quality high school or college ball here but rather run of the mill travel ball. Most of the time a runner on third yields runners on first and third unless the girl on third is inexperienced. Most of the time first and third ends up being second and third, if the situation is handled properly.
First or Second and ThirdI really don't want to go into detail about either the ole "continuation play" or stealing second with a runner on first. With respect to that, let me just say that I don't like continuation because it so seldom draws a throw. I prefer a delayed steal where the runner from first looks like easy pickens. But enough said about this part of softball which usually plays out cleanly after 12U ball. Most often a runner on first and another on third, with less than two outs, ends up being second and third. So let's fast-forwards to that.
While a runner on third is an opportunity, runners on second and third is a GOLDEN opportunity. Obviously one runner aboard is good and two runners aboard is better but second and third is unique enough to boldly proclaim as your best opportunity. Why is that? That's because if the batter puts the ball in play on the ground, your runner from third can attempt to score. That's an absolute. Why? Because the worst case scenario is the runner from third is put out and now you have runners on first and third which should easily be turned back into second and third. In other words, you;re no worse off than you would otherwise have been.
Let me say this again because it is important and I often see this blown. With runners on second and third, the runners should attempt to advance on contact once they realize that the ball has been hit on the ground. Bases loaded is not nearly as good as 2nd and 3rd since there is a force play at home. Runners must move once they see the ball is going to hit the dirt because you have a chance to score and if you fail, you're no worse off than you would have been. The runner from third ran on contact and was tagged out by the catcher, if the fielder made a clean play and throw, and the catcher made a clean catch and tag. If the put out was not made, you've got a run and runners on second and third again. If the runner at third was put out, your runner at second, who realized she should go too, is on third and the batter is on first from where she'll most likely steal second. You have to play aggressively with runners on second and third. It is your golden opportunity to force the action.
If there are runners on 2nd and 3rd and the ball is hit into the outfield as a basehit, you really should be able to get the runner from second in, unless the ball was hit really sharply or there is a future Team USA player in that outfield position. From second, your runner must get a good lead. If she does that and recognizes a ball through the infield, she should be rounding third before the fielder comes up with the ball. Unless the fielder is very close or has a plus arm, she ought to be able to make it home most of the time unless she is a minus runner. In that case, I suppose it is OK to hold her and try to make the 2nd and 3rd thing happen again. What shouldn't happen is repeated instances of bases loaded with multiple hits into the outfield. If that is happening too often, your runners at second are not getting adequate leads or are not recognizing balls hit through the infield soon enough. You have some work to do.
Running fundamentalsI've said it before and I'll say it again, kids today don;t get to play like we did. They just dobn't seem to be able to run as naturally as we did as kids. When I was 10-13, I didn't much care whether I had my bicycle with me or not. If we were at point A and moving to point B, a half mile away, I would run alongside the kids who did have their bikes. Running was as much a part of being a kid as breathing was. But kids today do not know how to run. They get very few informal opportunities to run so they just don't do it. I'm no expert on running fundamentals but you ought to at least watch people who can run and notice how they do it, in the mechanical sense. Then you should correct your players running habits with the same vigor that you correct their throwing habits. You must also provide them with lots of opportunities in practice to run.
DrillingI am coming to a close on this piece and all I want to add is that you spend an hour doing fielding drills and situations. You spend another hour maybe doing batting practice. Ask yourself how much time you set aside at each practice to do baserunning drills. Now consider the words of the very wise, old hand whose comments caused me to write this. Add to that my coro0llary. "Baserunning wins softball games yet is the most neglected facet." Baserunning loses softball games. Think of games you have lost in the past. What cost you the game? Was there ever a game which you lost entirely because your kids did wrong things on the bases? Do I need to say any more than that?Labels: baserunning
Permanent Link: Suffering From Neglect
 
Side Benefits
by Dave
Monday, June 18, 2007
There does not appear to be any personal benefit to the "softball tan" I currently wear on my body. You know what I'm talking about. That is the swarthy complexion I have on my arms, beginning at the sleeve line, the line between milky white and mocha-java where my shorts end - the brown extends to the place my tube socks begin, and the angular version of a summer tan which extends from my meager hairline to anyplace depending on the type of tee-shirt I've been wearing. There are other elements of this softball life which do carry side benefits and I want to discuss these today.
I do not know what possessed me when I allowed team members to write all over the glass on my SUV with that car paint stuff on Memorial Day weekend. I made the wrong assumption about it washing off in the next good, hard rainstorm. It doesn't work that way. Once that stuff sets, it is there for the life of the vehicle unless you apply significant elbow grease or get yourself the "magic eraser" and work like a dog to remove it. I haven't quite gotten up the will to remove that stuff yet but sometime this week, that's on the to-do list.
Several times recently, I nearly got into car accidents, or at least I think I did. Everybody is honking there horns at me and it has caused me to swerve several times to miss something that wasn't there. After weeks of this, I finally figured out why this was happening. Yesterday as I walked towards my car, parked quite a distance away due to the cramped situation at the tournament we were at, I noticed an explanation. One the side of the car I never see except when I look through the passenger side mirror, there was something written which told me why everyone has been honking their horns at me. It read, "Honk for (our team name)!
There is one benefit, however, to having your car painted. I always seem to buy a car which becomes a hot item. I don;t try to do this but whenever I buy a new car, everyone else seems to get the same make, model and ... color. On several occassions, I have found myself lost in a parking lot and jabbing my key into the wrong car. More than once, someone has screamed bloody murder at me because they thought I was trying to break in or steal their car. I nearly died once of a fatal cardiac event as a woman with a very loud and shrill voice called out for the police to "stop that man, he's stealing my car!" Since the team "decorated my SUV, that has not happened!!!"
There are any number of things about fastpitch tournaments which get under my skin. The worst of these is the chants or cheers the girls do in their dugouts while at-bat. I woke up this morning with a pretty bad headache and the sound of some of those ringing in my ears. I'm not sure the chants caused the headache but they certainly didn't help. Unfortunately, the past several days we played at places where the dugout configurations caused me to sit with my one good ear facing our girls, just 5 feet away. There was no good way to get clear of the annoying noise 12 or more girls can make when they have adrenaline flowing. But I got to thinking about these cheers and a couple things became evident to me.
First of all, I was raised in baseball where the players in the dugout usually all pay attention almost all of the time. Our "cheers" were far more innocuous. We often yelled out things like:
"Come on now buddy, pick me up"
"Hey now kid, you got this pitch, drive it"
"Come on now (insert name of batter) don't leave (insert name of guy on second) hanging, bring him home"
"Hey number 24, RBI sittin out there."
and other things along the same line. I never recall anyone ever chanting, especially not anything like:
"L ... E-A ... D-O-F-F, she's our leadoff ..."
"H-O ... H-O-M ... H-o-m-e-r-u-n ... Homerun ..."
"Ball, ball, ball ... Goodeye ... Ball, ball, ball, Goodeye ... Ball, ball, ball, ball, ball, ball, ball, Goodeye ..."
In fastpitch, the girls chant. There's almost no getting around it. I;ve watched Women's College World Series games in which organized chanting was done throughout the whole game. So, please don't tell me that eventually it stops. Some teams don't do it but they are few and far between.
It isn't just the din of the chants which has gotten to me from time to time. Sometimes, it is the inappropriateness of what is being chanted. For example, on one occassion, we were getting slaughtered something like 7-0 in the 5th or 6th inning. Our batter finally broke through the perfect game with a walk, then headed down to first. On the first pitch, she broke for second and, because the shortstop dropped the ball was safe. I heard the chant begin and I cringed.
On the bench, one girl - the one with the biggest voice - began, "while you were pickin your nose, she was up on our toes, she stole on you, she stole on you ..." Once the cheering stopped, it occurred to me that we had not, of course, given this girl the steal sign because we were far behind and needed to get something started with the bats. We couldn't afford to lose our first baserunner of the game trying to advance into scoring position. That would have been stupid. Aggressive baserunning was not on the agenda that inning. And had the shortstop, squeezed her glove, we would have had one out and nobody on.
Another example of when my dander gets' raised is when we're in a game and the "ball, ball, ball thing starts." usually this occurs in games when we've had two or three girls strike out looking against a pitcher who throws little movement or location, and not particularly fast but gets the ball over. She throws nothing but batting practice strikes and we hand the other team three outs because we are too picky up there against a pitcher who hasn't thrown a ball yet! And the chant begins, ball, ball, ball, goodeye ..." I feel my bloodpressure rise and I make a point to talk to the next batter before she goes up there. "Swing the bat," I say, don't let me watch you go down looking. Invariably, the count goes 0-2, the pitcher throws a ball, and the chant begins again, ending only as the batter returns to the dugout after having watched a lobbed "fastball" come right down the middle!
Another chant that gets on my nerves is the one where a foul ball is hit. I don't recall it exactly but yesterday I heard two or three versions of it. It goes something like "F-O ... U-L ... BALL, foul ball, straighten it out." That's pretty lame but when our team does it, it's usually right after a bunt attempt on 0-1 and we have blown the opportunity to move the runner along. I don't mind the foul ball chant but I'd rather it be on 3-1 after the hitter has just taken a good hack but missed hitting one over the fence by two feet to the wrong side of the foul pole. After yet another blown bunt attempt, I just cannot take it.
Still, this morning, as the extra-extra-extra strength Advil or Tylenol kicks in, I am reminded of something. I coach a young, very inexperienced team. Most of their time in the dugout has been, up to this point, spent discussing matters with no relation to softball in general or our current game in particular. They talk about everything girls like to discuss and I try to get them back into focusing on the game. I am not generally very successful. But with these cheers, the girls are actually paying more attention than they were before. They can;t discuss boys, teacher, homework, or video games over the din created by the chants. And anything that accomplishes that just has to be considered a good thing. I'm willing to endure the headache, etc. which comes with the territory if I can get the side benefit of my team paying more attention to the game.
The other day as I sat in the dugout trying to gather my thoughts over the buzz of some chant or other, I looked over at the father of one of the girls on the team who was keeping the book for us. We were playing a superior team, one that would win the tournament the next day. The father looked pretty miserable and when the chanting stopped, he yelled something to the girls about stopping all this fooling around stuff and get focused on the game. I could tell he had had enough of this chanting nonsense. I got up from my perch and approached him. I suggested to him that I'm suffering from the same headache he is and I fully understand where he is coming from. "They're louder and more energetic today than usual, aren't they?" I asked. He replied, "they certainly are and I just can't take it anymore. They need to get focused on the game." I smiled at him and asked, "what's the score, anyway?" He said, "we're up 5-1, ibn the fifth inning, the bases are loaded and we've got just one out." So, I said, "let's let them chant."
Permanent Link: Side Benefits
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