White Sox Lose!!! (OK, this isn't a World Series Game - Very Long OP)

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Ok, this isn’t the White Sox that you are thinking of, but I have to tell you a story about a great comeback that a Little League team did last night…

I coach a team of 12 kids, ages 8-10, mostly 9 year olds including my son. I did not plan on coaching this season, but this season (as with other seasons), there was a shortage of coaches in the league and parents were asked to volunteer. Rather than let my son and the rest of the team wallow through the season, I decided that somebody HAD to step up and do something, even if I had limited knowledge of the actual sport itself. My knowledge came only from spectating the sport by going to a few Angel games (maybe no more than 6) and one Dodger game on my 13th birthday back in '76. I only played little league once in my life at the age of 9. It was alright, but not my favorite sport at the time, since football was king in the city of Fontana, CA back in the 70’s and 80’s. So with limited knowledge of the sport and no other volunteers, I was awarded 11 kids plus my son to teach and groom them in the culture of baseball. Sounds like fun, right?

The batch of kids range from a pair of twins who can do it all, to a couple of kids who are playing for the first time ever. As a parent first, and a coach second, I had to get our beginner players up to speed with the more experienced players, with fielding and hitting drills, and situational play/practice, to build a level of confidence in all of my players, and to play the best they can and still have fun. The twin brothers are awesome, not just because they can hit, field and pitch, but because they were ALWAYS talking up the other players on the team, not down to them. They are quite the gentlemen, and I give credit to their father who did more than just teach them the game, but how to show proper sportsmenship. That in itself spilled onto the other kids, and they started to follow their lead. My job became easier because of them.

Batting and fielding practice was last Monday night, and I was working with 3 players who were in dire need of batting skills. Two of the players would always back away from the pitch, no matter if it was a strike or ball. If a player backs off of a pitch during a game, usually the ump will call a strike no matter if it’s a ball unless the pitch was wild and coming right at the batter. So, with little coaching experience, I make up stuff as I go and hope for the best. I told each player as I took a bat and drew a line in the dirt about a foot away from home plate…“This is the edge of a 100 foot cliff and the shark infested ocean is below you on the other side of this line…Do not take a step back! Now, go in there and hit the ball!” Sounds stupid and unprofessional, but it worked. Now all I have to do is get them to swing at the ball, and at the right pitches. Repetitive At-Bats was the only solution, so I kept them there for the whole practice. It helped somewhat, but it’s gonna take more time than just one practice.

Last night (Wednesday), we (Angels) played the White Sox. We have played 6 games before with a 4-2 record, and we had beaten the White Sox in our first game, 9-4. I really don’t keep any records of our team’s games and it’s usually the kids that remind me of the score and our record. Fall ball is usually less stressful than Spring baseball and records aren’t usually kept in the Fall…the season is meant for instructional purposes only. But the kids (and some parents) who have already been exposed to Spring baseball at this level (minors) are keeping score in their heads and comparing teams and whatnot…they tend to drag coaches in to keep track of everything…including Win/Loss, scores, hits, etc…it is interesting, but not crucial for the development of the team. So, here I am…a parent who happens to coach, on one of the top two teams in the league, the other team…the White Sox. Hell, I didn’t think we were the best team until the coach of the White Sox told me and that both teams are 4-2. “Sounds like the teams are pretty even”, I thought…“that’s cool”.

Typical October evening in the high desert of California, game started at 5pm and temperature was about 72 degrees, slight breeze…very nice for a game of baseball. The White Sox was light on players…they had 5 and I had my 12, so I asked for 3 volunteers to play on their team. Three of them raised their hands and off they ran towards the other team…another one of their players showed up, so it turned out that we had 9 players v. 9 players…at least we can play the game! The three players that went over kind of crippled my team, my 1st baseman, a kid that’s a streaky player, and a utility player that can do anything. Ah well, what’s done is done.

Then the Sox batted first, and two of my players on that team helped post a 5-0 score in the first inning. DAMMIT! Sir Streaky did a tomahawk chop on a high pitch and rolled that line drive to the fence for an in the park homerun. Mr. Utility drove 2 runs on a nice gapper, opposite field. First basemen was gonna be up next, but we got the third out before he came to the plate, thankfully. How would my guys respond? By striking out, one-two-three, in order. DOUBLE DAMMIT! Ok, that Sox pitcher was pretty good, but come on, he ain’t no Freddy Garcia. I also found out from my pitcher’s father, that his son had been overpracticing pitching at home and his arm got tired real quick. “Now ya tell me!”

I picked one of the twins (#4 Twin) to pitch the next inning and he fared much better, allowing only 1 run to score. 6-0. Better yet, two more White Sox players showed up, which released my Utility guy and my First Basemen to come back to our team to play. But Streaky player stayed on the Sox team and he was killing us when he played first base for the Sox. He had caught two pop-flys, 2 grounders and 1st base tagouts and a shortstop to first base throwout. With him and Sox Pitcher, we were pretty much silenced. My #9 Twin hit a solo home run in the second, but that was it. 6-1 after two. #4 Twin pitched again in the third inning and allowed 2 runs, that started out as two walks that stole some bases and were driven in by another Sox player. 8-1. Things look bleak when the bats are silent. Sox pitcher came back and kept the lid on us. 8-1 after 3 innings. The only thing to be happy with is that a minor pitcher can only pitch up to 3 innings in a game. Sox pitcher is done!

Now I decided to put #9 Twin to pitch. #4 Twin was doing allright, but I figured we had time for 2 innings more, and possibly a third, so I thought #9 Twin should be put in now. Well, let me just tell you that his nickname is “Tourniquet”. No runs in the 4th for the Sox while we scored 2 (#9 Twin strikes again!) off their new pitcher who was a little more erratic and the speed wasn’t an issue like with the first Sox pitcher. 8-3. Fifth inning, #9 Twin allowed one run, and we get that run right back when #4 Twin belts the ball between outfielders with a player on base. Score: 9-4.

#9 Twin pitches the sixth and last inning. Beautiful…three up and down batters. I pulled the team together in the dugout and looked at the line up for our batting order…Utility player #14, Never Showed up to practice player #6 (and then to the top of the order), Dire Need of Batting Skills #8, Overpracticing Pitcher #14, My Son #12, Twin #9, and so on. “Team, we need to find any way to get on base…any way.”

Utility player #14: Double
Never Showed #6: Walk
Dire Need of Batting Skills #8: Walk
Overpracticing Pitcher #14: Walk (1 run scored)
My Son #12: Double (1 runs scored, #8 got thrown out at home)
Twin #9: Triple (2 runs scored)

The score is now 9-8, Sox, with the tying run at third (Twin #9), and only one out…I would just be happy with a tie, so I told Twin #9 to steal home on the first wild pitch that he sees that goes behind the catcher. Then the ump drops the bomb…“Hey, Coach…we are running out of time…This will be your last batter.” WTF!?! My last batter! You’re killing my Comeback Buzz, Quimby! I look to see who my next batter is and it’s…Dire Need of Batting Skills #3…<INSERT LONG PAUSE HERE>…Sox Coach knows whats going on and he immediately switches pitchers. As I was watching this kid warm-up, I realized he should have pitched the other 3 innings…he’s that good. Ok, he can still throw a wild pitch and Twin #9 can still steal home and tie it up. All is not lost. I also pulled at Dire Need of Batting Skills #3, and told him…“WHEN you hit the ball, just keep running…don’t stop at any base, no matter where the ball is…just keep running until you reach home or get tagged out. Use those wheels of yours, man.” He nodded approval and then went up to bat.

First pitch: Ball
Second pitch: Strike (Swinging at a high pitch)

“#3, don’t swing at those high ones!”

Third pitch: Ball
Fourth pitch: Foul ball
Fifth pitch: Foul ball
Sixth pitch: A HIT!!!..a bouncing grounder, between 1st and 2nd. A good 2nd basemen would have knocked down that ball and tossed it to first to end the game, but some Og-like intervention happened and both players went to their respective bases and the ball trickled out to right field. Twin #9 crossed the plate to tie up the game. The two Sox outfielders stood there, thinking that the 1st or 2nd basemen was gonna go chase the ball and by the time DNoBS #3 rounded second, they decided that they should go get the ball and throw it to the pitcher…one of them got the ball and threw it to the pitcher as #3 rounded third and headed home. The pitcher smiled as he threw the ball to the catcher, knowing that there was plenty of time for the tag. The Catcher snatched up the ball and readied himself at the plate waiting for #3’s slide…but Og wasn’t finished…#3 slid into home and the Catcher missed the tag, since #3 curled his LEFT leg around to reach the plate instead of his right, where the catcher was holding the ball. The ump gave the “SAFE!” signal and our team went apeshit.

Final score:
Angels - 10
White Sox - 9

Game balls went to the Dire Need of Batting Skills but Running Skills are Excellent #3, and #9 Twin Tourniquet with 5 RBIs. Streaky player #13 got honorable mention for making our game a nail-biter.

I am now Coach Scratchy Throat.

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This is just an Excellent Post. Kudos to the team for winning, and to you for coaching and sharing this most excellent story with us.

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I love little kid baseball! I’ve seen some of those games, and I’m sorry if this embarrasses you, but you’re the kind of coach we all need out there.
Have you told the twins’ dad what you told us about him and his kids? Please do. Somebody stopped us in the parking lot at the park once and told us how good it was to have our son on the team. Still makes me smile. Parents who do it right need to hear about it.
Good job, Coach!

4

My Dad played ball for years and coached my talented older brother who played 4 or 5 sports.

Then I came along. I was really excited about little league and then dire realization came along. I have a few problems and lack of skills. I can’t seem to be able to catch, throw or hit a ball. Little league was miserable for two years until I could quit. Over the years I came to love baseball. I miss watching it with my Dad.

Fast forward almost 20 years to this spring. The gaggle of neighbor kids were half playing a pick up game next door. None of them had played any organized baseball and were never shown a lot of the little things like stopping a grounder by going down on one knee. The one girl has a cannon for an arm and was pitching but had no form whatsoever. I had a blast showing them a few things.

I have no kids and am waiting for a nephew to grow up and see if he’s interested in playing ball. Coaching sounds like a maddening/hectic/fun/frustrating/rewarding thing to do.

Good on you Rex and I like the nicknames.

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Congrats, Yeticus!

I’ve coached little league baseball and softball for the last 10 years, and I love it! I started coaching my son in T-ball. He’s now playing on a school team, so I coach my daughter’s softball team (I have 2 daughters, so I alternate which I coach for). I’ve coached some certified blue chip players over the years, but the ones that make my season are the kids who, initailly, don’t have a clue. To watch their face when they get that 1st hit or catch their 1st fly ball - that’s what makes it all worth it.

I’m going to take this opportunity to brag on my fall team. We just wrapped up a 13-0 regular season! Our fall season, like yours, is an instructional league. We do keep score, but the games are much more informal and we take this time to develop players and get them experience at as many postions as possible. No matter where I placed these girls in the field, they always came through. It has been truly amazing. We had one game where, due to illness, only 8 of my players were there (in softball you play 10). The two missing were among my best players. We won.

In our closest game of the year, against the #2 team in the league, we had our version of the miracle comeback. We had already beaten them once this year and they were out for revenge. We were home team, down by 1, bottom of the last inning, 2 outs, nobody on and the bottom of my order coming up. Batter #8 walked. Batter #9 hit a slow roller that resulted in an infield hit. My #10 batter stepped into the box. The first pitch was wild and both runners moved up. Now I’ve got runners on second and third with 2 outs. At this age group (9-11) we cannot steal home, so we need a base hit to win. From my 3rd base coaching position I called time out, motioned the batter over to me, and in my best coach’s voice told her “Look, we have runners on second and third. Their third baseman doesn’t have a great arm. What I need you to do is swing early and hit the ball toward third base. You can beat the throw to first and we’ll score the tying run - OK?” She, who had not gotten a hit all season, nodded gravely and said “OK”. The next pitch was right down the middle. She swung and connected solidly. I watched as the ball scooted along the ground, right down the third base line, right over the bag, just out of the reach of the third baseman and into the outfield. Both runners score and the batter ended up at second. Game over, we win! But even better than that was watching the grin on the batter’s face as her team mates tore out of the dugout and swarmed her at second base.

I don’t always know alot about my players home lives but I do know, for that moment, she was the star. A real, genuine, game winning star. The center of attention - and she earned it. How many more times in life will she get to be the star? I don’t know, but it happened once and I’m proud to have been a part of it.

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Big woot to Coach Scratchy Throat and his intrepid team!

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Thanks guys for the stories and acknowledgement. After a couple of days to think about it, that game really made my week. That particular game is far more satisfying than laying a 10-0 shutout on any other team, because it had quite a bit of adversity, self-doubt, and a kid with very few skills who became Rudy for one night, and erased all of our other faux pas of the game. Both of his parents were just beaming and I usually don’t give out game balls after the game, but I couldn’t see myself NOT doing it that night. The night became a stage for a boy who took a huge leap in self-confidence that may just last him for a lifetime…and I had a hand in it. That is why it made my week.

I saw a little bit of me in him, 30+ years ago.

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After typing these 3 lines, I am now experiencing a kind of “deja vu”; reminicsing about the coaches I had as a kid, and all the things they taught me and the confidence they instilled (including my step-dad)…to the point of being misty eyed. It’s like completing a circle, yet realizing that there is a definite purpose in that circle.

Completely satisfying.

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Had another game this last Saturday…against the Yankees. Dire Need of Batting Skills #8 hits a double with 2 runners on bases! Another game ball was earned by my DNoBS Crew! Final Score: Angels - 9, Yankees - 6. Maybe I should patent my “100 Foot Cliff Over a Sea of Hungry Sharks” batting training method. :smiley:

But something else happened that is worthy of The Pit…I may consider posting it and linking over to it. I will stew about a little longer.