It's Been A While

We were school clothes shopping at J.C. Penney.  It's a nasty assignment, but we do it every year.

After the choosing of the clothes, the argument thereof, and the paying of the bill, we were exiting when I saw the familiar face, outlined with a baseball cap.  It was a face I saw daily while learning to love baseball again.  He taught me to love the game again and how to teach it with joy.  It spilled into softball, taking the echoes of what I learned from him.   It will echo through history from the young men and women I and other players coach.

Dick Patterson was the baseball coach at Bethel College, among other things throughout his tenure at the school.  He coached Women's Basketball.  He taught physical education, including officiating, which I passed in Volleyball, Basketball, and Baseball/Softball.  He helped build College Park, Bethel's home field.

The effect even extended to the Soccer and Softball programs.  The plot of land serving as soccer's home field was not level, and the baseball and softball field's were adjacent to that land.  Coach Patterson located a program with the Army Corps of Engineers that would level a piece of land for the asking and , of course, proper forms being completed.  It improved the facilities and laid the groundwork for the success those programs enjoyed.  Baseball won a National Championship under Patterson in 1990, a team I student managed.   His 1986 team was national runner up.  Softball won one under the tutelage of a player Patterson recruited, my friend, Drew Peterson.  Soccer has been relevant in the NAIA over the last decade.  Even the Women's Basketball program has won several National Championships in the last 15 years.  Dick Patterson's fingerprints are on every one.

The long shadow hides a humble and generous man who shows more smarts than you might suspect. He knew how to find a bargain, treated his programs with great stewardship.  He could tan your hide with the words and make you laugh at the same time.  He had a sense of humor and a knack for landing very good, but overlooked ball players.  He was a pretty fair game manager, too.

Today, he's 82, and still looks like he did 24 years ago when we won that championship.  He still works, a starter at a golf course, but that is just to spend some extra winter time in Myrtle Beach.  The twinkle is still in his eye, and he still loves the game.  He would like to see Bethel's program have a bit more success.  Not bad for a guy who's gone three rounds with GI cancer.

I got the pleasure of introducing him to my son.  I got to introduce him as a Freshman Varsity Letterman from ECA, and told him how he as affected my coaching style.  He invited me to call him when Robby was playing.  It means a lot that he has some interest in my son.  I wish I would have thanked him more directly.  Hope I get another chance, soon.  May have to drop by his golf course.  Not like I don't know how to play.

So...am I off base?

The Big Goodbye

I said goodbye to my last Little League team last Saturday.

I have said this in the past, and I'm starting to sound like Brett Favre.  This time is really the last time through.  I want to discuss the last team before telling why it's over after 11 seasons.

On the field, this was a team with talent, but not much pitching.  We had five pitchers, a nice problem to have.  Let me rephrase: we had five girls who could throw strikes.  Pitching involves more than one pitch, locations, strategy.  We just didn't have that.

It's not the girl's fault.  I didn't teach enough over the years to teach a second pitch.  We didn't have enough coaches who taught pitching: we taught throwing strikes.  It was gratifying to teach some of these girls from scratch.  It was frustrating to not get them to the next level.

However, we made plays.  We learned about adjusting to the hitter and sometimes the situation.  We learned about getting the bat out early and trying to get bunts down.  We improved, but not enough.

To me, it was what other people said about us that hits right in the heart.  A fan approached me after a game and said he wished his daughter reacted like we did to mistakes: smile and resolve to learn from it.  Another fan, whose daughter helped us reach nine players one night, talked about how our girls accepted her daughter, a fantastic pitcher, when that didn't always happen with her regular team.  Every coach, even from one team that we didn't get along with, remarked what a great bunch of girls we had.  Character still counts for something.

It is time to move on from Little League.  My ability as a coach is good, but when it comes to teaching higher levels, I don't have enough.  Unless I can learn huge amounts this summer, I shouldn't be in charge.  Stats, assistant for defensive purposes, maybe comic relief, but high level coaching, no.

The biggest reason my daughter and I aren't returning have to do with administration.  We were scheduled for 12 games by the District, and due to my schedule, the weather, and the overall scheduling by schools and other organizations, we played 8 1/2.  It was disappointing.  Especially after the original schedule had 15 games on it.  Enough games would have salved the wound and maybe even improved the players.

I did everything I could to get more games.  Doubleheaders, rescheduling around concerts and vacations, we got to 15 scheduled games.  The weather took away the rest.  Shouldn't have had the problem.

I must say at this point that I appreciate the volunteers that put the time and effort in to make things happen.  I have spent time on our board.  I understand how hard it is to make this work.  I also understand how adults have exploited the Little League system over the years, creating a rule system that sometimes contradicts itself, always works in the advantage of the Little League and no one else.

However, Little League seems more interested in protecting it's television money that feeds the monster than growing the game.

Locally, I saw too many things done halfway.  I've seen good kids left to rot by the politics involved.  I've seen good coaches given hopeless teams, driving people to other programs.  My daughter, ever the optimist, said it looked like a kid who did half of the homework and tried to go with it.  The best players decided to play elsewhere, and it's a matter of time until the quality shows at the highest level, the International Championships.  When it does, the TV money will be gone and we lose an American Icon.  Gotta wonder if it could ever happen.  Poor work at the local levels could definitely make it happen.

So...am I off base?

Random Thoughts-July 14

Random thoughts while working on my excuse for missing my thirty-five year class reunion.  Hope it's as good as the excuses for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 years.

-The World Cup provided entertaining soccer for it's month long run.  Didn't get to watch as much as I like while coaching, but what I saw was generally well played, high skill level, and entertaining soccer.  I might have run out of superlatives had I watched more.

The Final, however, wasn't exceptionally well played.  Two teams, deservedly the best, basically showed a lot of Maxwell Smart Soccer: "Missed me by that much."  One goal washed out by an offside call, Messi missing a tremendous opportunity early in the second half, and the Germans creating opportunities down the touchlines, but not much in front of the net.    Palacio's mishandling of a well played cross off his chest lead to an agonizing miss.  Gotze handled the cross to his chest and made no error on a play that left Romero with no chance.

The second half appeared absolutely exhausted, worn down by pressure and expended energy.  It took a connection by the substitute of a substitute (Schurrle for Kramer) to another substitute who had fallen out of favor with his coach (Gotze).

While the tournament is long enough, maybe a full week between the semi-finals and finals would improve the quality of the Final.  The complexion of the Final might have been different with DiMaria on the field for Argentina, and a lack of injury to Khedira for Germany.  More energy might have been available in the second half and the quality of play better.  It could have made the consolation match better soccer to have been played a couple of days later.

-Saturday evening, I said good bye to my final Little League team.  It was a bittersweet experience to see these young ladies, some I coached when they were approximately 7 or eight years old.  I bawled like a baby for the young ladies I will not get to influence further.  I hope I had some good influence, and we'll see what can happen.  After all, I coach for the game that starts at age 18.  Sure hope they win.

So...am I off base?

I Have a Life!

I am on vacation this week.  Just chilling around the house, waiting for the rest of the week to get here.  Spent most of a day with my son, playing disc golf, and talking about life as a teenager and what we expect.  It was a really good day.

Tomorrow is a day with my daughter.  We will do what 13 year old girls do, and I will wonder what to do next to embarrass her.  It will be a good day until I have to go to the Little League as a Tournament Director.

Went to the gym this morning, and got a good workout.  I will do it again tomorrow.  I like working out.  It is so different from my life as a 265 pounder with high blood pressure and high cholesterol.  It was like waiting for the stroke or heart attack while having extra cheese on everything.  It's more like my life as skinny youngster.

I did have coaches duties, however.  Got the final details for our postseason celebration, but could only do one day.  Some people will not be able to attend, which is a disappointment.  Wish I could make it magically work for everyone.  The limitations of my own and my daughter's schedule make it what it is.

This is my life without coaching.  I will be in this for the rest of my days.  I expect to be involved where my kids are, but not where they aren't.  No more Little League.  No more travel ball.  No more wishing for the coaching job at an orphanage.

It will be interesting to watch a game from the stands with my wife.  Maybe I'll be so obnoxious, or wanting to coach that she'll sit somewhere else.  She knew I had this tendency when she married me.  It didn't go anywhere in those 23 years.  Guess we'll have to live with it.

Tomorrow is another day, until I have to run a Major Baseball game.  Then I go back for a few brief moments.  Another game on Friday, and a final gathering on Saturday.

Should be a good day.

So...am I off base?

July 4-Birth of a Nation

Two hundred thirty-eight years.  It is a long time for one form of government to remain in power.  It is the description of how long the United States of America have remained a republic.  It is a testimony to what can happen when God is in it.

It was based around the desire placed in the Founding Fathers to separate from government of England.  It was symbolized by a flag of red for the blood, white for purity, and blue for the bruises of battle.  It was bought with the blood of soldiers.  The flag flies on the last breath of the soldiers who died earning and protecting it.  It continues on the hope of the people who yearn to be free and have the opportunity to succeed or fail at what ever was placed in them.  It will be maintained by protecting the individual rights of citizens.

I believe in this country.  I was fortunate enough to be born here, and I choose to stay.  God bless the U.S.A.

So...am I off base?  In the U.S.A., you are free to disagree with me.

Random Thoughts- July 1

A couple of random thoughts while Praising The Lord for air conditioning.

-The United States Men's National Team was outclassed by the talent on the Belgian side of the field. The level of heart was undeniably equal, especially in, arguably, the most key position on the field, Keeper.  Tim Howard played at the highest level of his life and needed every bit of it to keep his team in the game.  American children found some new heroes in Howard, Julian Green, and Jermaine Jones.  Can the game sustain the momentum afforded by the World's Most Watched Event?

As a fan of the game, I hope so.  It is "The Beautiful Game" for this reason: anyone can play well if they hone their skills, maintain their conditioning, and never, ever give up.  You don't have to be freakishly sized or outrageously talented, a similarity to baseball.  My suggestion is to keep watching.  The best games of the most interesting and well played World Cup in my lifetime are to come.

-I need to give a shout to a best friend for many years, Drew Peterson.  Drew and I met at Bethel College, he was a baseball player, I was helping revive the golf program while doing media relations for the basketball program and announcing home games for the baseball team.  He played two seasons and moved into coaching while still a student, taking over the softball program.  The year was 1990.

Almost a quarter century and over 700 wins later, he just completed his fourteenth year at the helm of Campbell University's softball program.  His teams at Campbell played in the NCAA tournament twice, winning an Atlantic Sun Conference Championship.  Last season may have been his best coaching job, still breaking .500 and qualifying for the Southern Conference Tournament while seeing his best players in the dugout with injuries.  While his teams accomplished  success on the field, Drew quietly passed the credit to the players and the honor and glory to God.   He hasn't changed much in that aspect over the last 25 years.

Campbell chose not to renew his contract for the next school year, always a possibility in the life of a coach.  Deep down, I know he is disappointed and hurt, but we are interested in seeing what is next.  Wherever he lands, watch out.  When God is for you, who can be against?

-Will somebody check the Dodgers' pitching staff for something illegal?  Two no-hitters and one-hitter in the last few weeks?  When did A-Rod start pitching?  Seriously, it has been fun to watch.

So...am I off base?