Youth Basketball: The Will to Win

I like watching basketball. It's a more intimate game than soccer, baseball, softball or football. The fans are so close to the action. What I like the most is that I can see the determination on the faces of the players who are in it to win it.

Games 101 and 102

I watched my daughter play basketball on Thursday and Saturday this week. On Thursday, her 4th grade team was playing against all 5th grade team. The difference in size between the two teams was considerable. The 5th grade team intimidated CC's team and beat them by a wide margin the first time they played two weeks ago. The final score, however, did not tell the entire story. In the second half of that game our scrappy girls outscored the 5th grade team and gained some confidence.

In the rematch Thursday, our girls came out fighting early and led the entire game. The excitement in the stands was incredible. The 5th grade parents were complaining that the 4th grade girls were fouling too much. The parents of the 4th grade team were yelling back. They felt compelled to remind the 5th grade parents that the 4th graders are much smaller. They should have just ignored the other parents. The parents were trying to ruin an incredible game.

I was most impressed with my daughter's will to win. I was also impressed with the will to win from the twin tower twins on the other team. Both girls a full 12 inches taller than my daughter, clearly did not want to lose to a younger team.

My daughter played the entire game because several girls including the backup point guard were on vacation. Her energy level never diminished when it counted even though it looked like she was going to throw up. Her desire to drive the lane never diminished even though she was getting beat up. She clearly wanted to beat the older team. You could see it on her face. I could feel her will to win every time she made eye contact with me as the game went to overtime.

The 5th grade team had tied the game at the end of regulation and then won on a free throw with 2 seconds left. CC's team lost but it was a moral victory against a much bigger team.

Saturday morning CC played against the best coached team in the league. The two best girls on that team are her teammates on her elite soccer team. It was fun to watch them battle each other. My daughter wanted to beat her friends just as badly as she wanted to beat the 5th grade team.

Unfortunately, her team was no match for the other team and CC's team fell behind 18-0. The well coached point guard from the other team schooled our team. She would pass the ball then break for the basket for a classic give and go. My daughter's attention was diverted in the direction of the pass. Finally, I yelled to CC to cover the passer instead of the player receiving the pass. The coach heard this and reinforced this concept. CC understood and marked the passer. The coach also worked some pick plays to free CC to shoot more. These two tactics turned the game around and CC's team ended up outscoring their opponent 11-8 in the second half. CC scored 8.

The Main Point

Basketball is a great game for parents to watch. You can see the sweat. You can see the dogged determination of the kids who want to win. Some kids want it more than others. As the game gets longer and the gym gets hotter, the kids with the will to win are easy to pick out compared to the other players. I believe that the will to win is innate. Some people are born with it, most were not. My daughter has it.

Youth Softball: All Star Playing Up

Our daughter, CC, played up in softball this year so that she could play with and against girls of her skill level. During the regular season, she did particularly well in the field. She held her own at the plate, but was not a standout in her first full season in facing kid pitchers.

Regardless, CC was one of only two players from her team who played on the All Star Team. During the All Star Team Tournament, CC did very well in the field, but she was over matched hitting against the very best All Star pitchers.

Games 98,99 and 100

CC walked 3 times and stuck out 3 times against pitchers who threw pitches faster then she has ever seen. She played great in the field.

CC is going into 4th grade while some of the All Stars were going into 6th grade. Girls really grow a lot during these two years and the size difference was very apparent as you can see in the pictures.

We have decided to move her back down next year if she decides to play softball again.

The Main Point

Confidence is an important success factor for both baseball and softball. We played our daughter up in softball so that she could play with and against girls of her skill level. We noticed in the All Star Game that the better players were bigger and better.

We have decided to move our daughter back down to her age group where she can be a star and where her confidence can soar.

Youth Baseball: Elbow Injury (Part Two)

The results of my son's MRI were very encouraging. No surgery is needed. Thank God. The doctor said that the ulner-nerve is extremely inflamed which is causing the pain and the occasional numbness in the hand. He prescribed some anti-inflammatory meds, 4 weeks of rest and a compression sleeve to keep the nerve in place during activity.

Tryouts for the 2011 season are in two weeks. There is a lot of uncertainty around the future of his current team so he was planning on trying out for several teams this year. We are hoping that the coaches of the teams he is going to tryout for will remember him because his arm will not be ready in time for the tryouts.

The Main Point

Tryouts are based on skills displayed during the tryout, but we all know that politics are involved too. My son has been on the short end of politics before so maybe he can benefit from it this year. My son has a great reputation for hustling and hitting. He is also a catcher that the other teams do not run on much, so coaches must know him. Maybe a few phone calls will do the trick.

Youth Basketball: My Daughter is a Ball Hog

As my daughter's confidence in basketball increases the amount of passes to her teammates decreases. She is the point guard for her summer league team. I am slightly embarrassed to say that she gets the ball from her teammate and then goes full speed weaving through traffic to the basket for a shot on almost every possession.

In her defense, she plays on a summer league team that only plays games and does not practice. It's more like streetball and the team doesn't have any set plays. Still I know that it must be very frustrating to be the kids who never get the ball or their equally annoyed parents.

Game 97

CC's 4th grade team lost to a much bigger 5th grade team 21-9. CC scored 7 points and took 80% of the team's shots. My wife and I were yelling for her to pass the ball the entire time. I think we did this to relieve our guilt.

Before the next game, I am going to work with my daughter on the art of passing. I'll teach her to use her speed and dribbling ability to penetrate into the lane, but then bounce pass the ball to a teammate when the defense converges on her.

The Main Point

It's fun to watch your kid takeover a game, but it is also a little embarrassing when your kid is a ball hog. I am going to teach my kid to be a great passer like Magic Johnson, John Stockton or Steve Nash.

Youth Baseball: Elbow Injury

Two years ago my son broke his elbow pitching. The fracture was in his growth plate. The elbow injury happened because he was compensating for an injured shoulder. The elbow healed very quickly and rehab strengthened the shoulder. He returned to play that year but was prohibited from pitching.

Last year, he had mild discomfort in the arm off and on all year. He did a much better job with pre-game stretching. He was the primary catcher and did not pitch in many games it was a successful injury free year but there were some indications late in the year that an injury was looming.

When the 2010 season started back in January, my son Nic experienced some moderate discomfort in his shoulder. We immediately started him on the shoulder exercises needed to strengthen the muscles around the rotator cuff. My son loves baseball and feared that he would not be able to play ball so he faithfully did the exercises everyday. The shoulder was strong by the start of the season and the discomfort in his shoulder disappeared.

Midway through the season, my son started experiencing elbow discomfort. As a catcher he throws quite a bit, but the problem started when he made a rare appearance in the outfield. A ball in the gap went to the wall. He hustled after the ball and threw the ball all the way into infield without the proper technique. He immediately felt pain. We iced it and continued with the shoulder exercises and got him feeling good again. So good that he wanted desperately to pitch. Smartly, the coach did not allow him to pitch because my son was experiencing temporary discomfort after the games he caught that required lots of throwing.

In the last game of the tournament last weekend, with a runner on and one out. Nic tried to throw out the base stealer. He felt a pop in the elbow and could not finish the throw. The ball sailed into right center field. He was immediately taken off the field for ice.

We went to the doctor the next day. X-Rays were negative which was bad news. Bone breaks heal naturally and quickly in growing boys. The doctor ordered an MRI. We hope that it is tendinitis or similar that can be cured with meds and rehab and not a tear that would require Tommy John surgery.

The Main Point

I allowed my son to dictate whether he played or not. Only he can tell me what the arm feels like. I think that I should have been more proactive and shut his season down earlier. I fear that I violated my pledge to prevent these types of injuries. I will post about the test results on Wednesday.

Youth Softball: Coaching is a Big Commitment

When you volunteer to coach it comes with responsibilities. It also comes with an expectation for a certain level of commitment.

My daughter's softball team basically completed the regular season two weeks ago. I say basically because we did not make up several games that were postponed due to rain. Rainouts are a pain in the butt for coaches. The home coach needs to coordinate with the visiting coach and find an agreeable time to play. Then the home coach needs to coordinate a field and umpires for the selected time and date. It can be an long iterative process. I have coached baseball before and know that this takes time and effort. My daughter's team had several rainout games that were not made up this season. That was disappointing. We paid the league fee for a certain number of games and associated practices. We also want our daughter to get as much experience as possible during these developmental years.

Furthermore, we qualified for the end of season playoff tournament but the coach opted out of it because he had a family commitment one of the two weekends of the tournament. He made this decision unilaterally. He did not ask the parents. He did not seek an alternative solution. This was disappointing too.

Luckily, my daughter, CC, made an All Star tournament team. Although she is clearly one of the best players on the team, we were a little surprised that she made the All Star team because she plays up.

CC participated in several practices with the All Star team last week. That team had a really strong coaching staff and she learned a lot.

The Main Point

If you decide to coach remember that it comes with responsibilities and a certain level commitment. Make sure you are up for all the sacrifices you need to make.

Youth Sports: Five Tips for the End of the Sports Season Party

My daughter recently went to an end of the season pool party for softball. The end of the season party for any sport is an expected tradition. Some coaches do it right and others do not. I have been a coach and can honestly say I did not do a great job of it in the beginning, but learned what worked and what did not over time.

Here are my tips for the end of the season sports parties.

1) Pick a location that is big enough for the group. Typically the player will come with their parents and some siblings. If you have a team of 12 kids expect 40-50 people to show up at the party.

2) There are several options for the location of the event. Each has its pros and cons.

• Your house. Pros: this is the inexpensive option for the families of the players. You can control the entire event. Cons: This is the most expensive option for the coach. It would be difficult to ask for money so likely you will be the one footing the bill for all the food and drinks. By the way, I would not serve alcohol at the end of the season party at my own house. You do not want a parent drinking at your house and then getting in the car with kids. Finally, you and your spouse will also have to clean the house before and after. I think that the negatives out weigh the positives which brings us to option two.
• A pavilion at a park. Pros: Lots of room for a big group.  The kids have plenty of space to run around. You can have a parents vs kids game in a park. These always go over well until some out of control dad takes out a kid. It happens every time. The park option can be inexpensive, if you have everyone bring their own food. When I have done this, I usually provide the hamburgers, hot dogs, ketchup / mustard / relish and charcoal. I have had the parents bring cups, dishes, a side dish, dessert or chips and their own drinks. They can decide to bring alcoholic beverages or not. Again, I would not buy and serve alcohol to parents who are going to be driving their kids home. Cons: This can be an expensive option if you foot the bill for the food and drinks.  The weather is unpredictable. You might need to coordinate permits to use the park.
• A restaurant. Pros. The least expensive option if you have the parents pay for their own meals. If you want to be generous, buy the pizzas for the kids and let the parents buy their own food. Find a restaurant with a party room that can be closed off for a trophy ceremony. You are not responsible for parents that drink and drive. Cons: Is there is not a party room you may find that it is too loud to do the player speeches (see Tip #4 below) with any effect.
• Neighborhood Pool - same as Park Pavillion except you have the added stress of watching your kid in the pool.

3) Have your spouse take pictures of the kids through out the year and have these pictures projected on to a screen during the party. Many parents do not take pictures of their kids during the games. These are the parents who love to see their kids in action shots most. This is always a hit at my end of season parties.

4)  Prepare a speech. Notes for each player should be written prior to the event. You do not want to forget a player. Talk about the great things that each player has done. It is not hard to find the positive contributions of each kid, even the ones who struggled compared to the studs. Again preparing notes will help make each kid sound special. I do a recap of every game throughout the year and send the recaps to parents every Monday. I reread these recaps to remind me of the great things that happened on the field during the year as I prepare my speech notes. One of my son's soccer coaches had a powerpoint presentation with highlights, stats and pictures for each kid. The kids and the parents loved it.

At the end softball season party, my daughter's coach gave a little prepared speech about each kid. He call my girl CC a natural. I sadly did not attend the party due to work, but when I got home my daughter ran up to me and said, "Hey dad, coach Geoff called me a natural. Mom said that means that I was born with mad skills. He also announced that I made the All Star team."

5) Buy your kids trophies if they finished 3rd or better in the league. I do not believe in giving kids trophies for mediocre performance. At the beginning of the year, I collect $10 per player to buy end of season trophies and to put the names on the back of the jerseys. Trophies cost anywhere from $4 to $10. If they win a league trophy or finish below 3rd, put the trophy money toward the party.

The Main Point

The end of year party is a time to celebrate a great season and to make each player feel great about their contributions to the team. The impact of your words will last a long time.

Youth Baseball: Cooperstown Dreams Park Tips and Tricks (Part 10 Series Recap)

I have written 10 posts over the last couple of weeks with tips and tricks to make the most of the Cooperstown Dreams Park experience. I have created some quick links below to help you find the info you need. I would also appreciate any comments or additional tips that you have to help the readers of this blog. Thanks

Here is the list to help you find the information you are looking for:

1) Tips for the drive to Cooperstown
2) Tips for lodging, restaurants and golf
3) Tips for registration night and trading pins
4) Tips for the Opening Ceremonies
5) Tips for fans for game days
6) Tips for coaches on how to manage parents during the tournament week
7) Tips for coaches and parents on what to bring to Cooperstown Dreams Park
8) Tips other places to eat
9) Tips to get DreamsParkTV up and running so people who couldn't make the trip can watch the action.
10) Tips from a player to other players on what to bring

Additional tips
11) More Tips for coaches -  from a coach
12) Tips for coaches - special competition rule you need to know


The Main Point

It is a great experience. These tips will help you enjoy it even more. Enjoy your trip and good luck.

Youth Baseball: Cooperstown Dreams Park Tips and Tricks (Part 10)

Tips for players from a player

Baseball Equipment: 


Here a Top 20 list of baseball equipment things you will need for Cooperstown Dreams Park.


1) Fielders Glove(s) - If you play more than one position like catcher or first base make sure you have all of your gloves. Note to kids flying to Cooperstown: I would pull your glove(s) out of your baseball equipment bag and carry it on the plane. If the baggage is lost, you could borrow a bat without much concern, but you would not want to play without your trusty glove.
2) Bat - If you are flying you will not be able to carry your bat on the plan you will need to check it.
3) Cup
4) Sliding pants - bring several pairs
5) White baseball pants - no pin stripes. No side piping. The pants must be all white. Bring at least two pairs.
6) Cleats. (Note if it rains it would be nice to have a back up pair, but not necessary. My cleats were wet the entire week)
7) Batting gloves if you use them.
8) Baseball belt - Red or Blue would look best. 
9) Batting helmet
10) Fielding helmet if your team uses them
11) Catching gear - chest protector
12) Catching gear - shin pads
13) Catching gear - helmet
14) Extra pair of shoe laces - mine broke in a game recently (not in Cooperstown).
15) Eye black if you use it
16) Sunglasses if you use them
17) Sports Necklaces - they say you cannot wear them, but many kids do.
18) Water cooler bottle
19) Case of Bottled Water
20) Your confidence


Entertainment


Here a Top 10 list of entertainment things you will need for Cooperstown Dreams Park. There's lots of down time. You'll need to bring some form of entertainment.


1) IPod - don't forget the charger and headphones.
2) PSP or similar hand held gaming system (with games). Don't forget the charger.
3) Books if you can read with lots of distractions
4) Playing cards 
5) Your team pins
6) Team towel to collect pins on
7) A list of all the teams to reference when you are collecting team pins.
8) A vinyl bag to carry all your pins and the towel. Our team bought vinyl backpack bags with our team logo on it. Side note: You will be amazed how heavy all the collected pins will be.
9) Money for the arcade, concession stands, team trip to Cooperstown and the Cooperstown Dreams Park Store.
10) Cell phone - My cell phone broke right before I was leaving for Cooperstown. There were lots of times that I wanted my cell phone to contact my parents but could not. (From StatsDad: There were lots of times I wanted to contact my son but could not.)


For the Barracks

Here is a Top 25 list of things you will need for Cooperstown Dreams Park barracks. 








Put your name on everything.


1) Sheets for a twin size bed
2) Pillow and Pillow case
3) Sleeping bag
4) A clip on fan
5) An extension cord

Youth Baseball: Catching Every Pitch Counts with Runners On

Catching is a demanding position. At this point in the season with 50 games in the books catchers are sore, bruised and tired.

Game 87

I noticed the other day that my son was starting to feel the effects of catching so many innings. I noticed that he was taking pitches off.

When a runner is on base. The catcher needs to be in position 2, the ready position. The catcher's butt is slightly up, weight on balls of feet and the throwing hand is behind the mitt for a quick transfer.

The other day, it was hot and I could tell my son was tired. When a runner would get on base, he would assume the proper position as seen above. But I noticed that when a runner did not run early in the count my son would assume the kid was not running at all and he would revert to the more comfortable position 1, the relaxed position (below).

As soon as he did this, the runners would take off and steal the base. A sign of a well coached team.

I talked to my son about this after the game. I asked him if he was tired. He said that he was. I said regardless, you cannot take any pitches off when there were runners on. Your team is counting on you. He said that he did not realize he was doing that.

"Well" I said, "this is a good learning experience. Take this knowledge an improve as a catcher and use this knowledge to become a better base runner too. Watch the catcher. Take advantage of the tired or lazy ones. You will find that they give you lots of information about the pitch location and speed and if they are poised to throw quickly or not.

The Main Point

Catchers cannot take any pitches off.

Youth Baseball: Cooperstown Dreams Park Tips and Tricks (Part 9)

Tips for Parents and Grandparents 

If you simply cannot go to Cooperstown Dreams Park to see your son or grandson play then you can watch some of the games on DreamsParkTV (WebTV).

There are 22 fields at Cooperstown Dreams Park. Currently, fields 1-10 have cameras set up directly behind home plate to capture the action. You can watch live or recorded games from the CooperstownDreamsPark.com website. How cool is that.

My dad, who was disappointed that he could not go and see the action, was thrilled to discover that he could watch some of the games live.

Unfortunately, I didn't know about the DreamsParkTV coverage prior to my visit to Cooperstown. I actually found out about this feature 15 minutes before our first game on Monday. I immediately called my mother and father and my wife called her parents too. While it is really easy to do, none of them could figure it out in time to watch the game. It caused them great frustration. It also caused lots of calls back and forth during the game which is not what I really wanted to concentrate on at the time.

Avoid the frustration. Help the fans of your son get set up on DreamsParkTV prior to your trip.

Tips to set up DreamsPark TV

1) Go to CooperstownDreamsPark.com and CLICK ON Click here to enter the site

(Don't judge Cooperstown Dreams Park from their website. I am in the business and I can tell you that this website does a poor job representing the high quality of the park and the experience. From a navigation standpoint it is one of the worst websites I have used but once you know where things are it works.)

Youth Baseball: Cooperstown Dreams Park Tips and Tricks (Part 8)

Tips for Parents

Your kids are getting three meals per day in the barracks, but you need to find places for you other family members to eat.

We grilled out at the lake house a few nights, but we also found some great places to eat.

For lunch or for take out, I would strongly recommend Dimaggio's which is directly across the street from the Cooperstown Dreams Park. They are famous for hot dogs, but I think that their pulled pork sandwich is the best I have ever had. They also have great french fries. My wife got a huge salad with chicken that was also very good.

One day we went to Cooperstown with a large group. We spoke with a women at the information booth and asked her were a large group could meet with lunch. She recommended several places like Sal's Pizza, but that was crowded. We ended up going to the Tunnicliff. This restaurant is in the basement of the Tunnicliff Inn. There is nothing special about the place, but the food was pretty good and the Yuengling beer was cold.

Other places to consider.

Youth Baseball: Cooperstown Dreams Park Tips and Tricks (Part 7)

Tips for coaches

1) The biggest complaint that I heard from the coaches was back pain. The bunks are not comfortable for full grown men and there is no place to sit. There is a lot of down time, take a comfortable sports chair with you so you can take a load off.  Many of the coaches had collapsible sports chairs and sat outside of the heat and smell of the barracks.

2) The water in the dugouts does not taste very good. We went to the Price Chopper to buy bottled water for the team several times during the week. Some teams required each player to bring one case of water. They stacked them up in the corner of the barracks. Water is the only food / drink item that you can bring into the complex. Players can buy sports drinks and soda at the concession stand in the barracks area.

3) Bring a few bottles of Febreze Sport to eliminate sports and other odors. It really works. Make all the boys spray their sleeping bags, linens, towels every morning before you leave the barracks for the games and their sports bags every night after the games.

Tips for Parents

1) Bring an umbrella and put it in the trunk of your car. The Cooperstown Dreams Park store has umbrellas, but if it rains there is a run on the store for ponchos and umbrellas. The store sold out of rain gear by the second day of our tournament week.

2) Bring jackets. Cooperstown Dreams Park in in the mountains of upstate New York. During the early weeks of competition it gets chilly at night and when it's cloudy and rainy.
 
3) You do not need chairs. Each field has a fan boxes up the right and left field lines. The fan boxes have plenty of green plastic chairs.



4) The fan box has a covered area if you need relief from the sun, but I would recommend that you bring suntan lotion.

4) No food is allowed on the campus. Bring cash for the concession stands. There is a concession stand in each field area. The food is very good and affordable.

5) Make sure you son has a cell phone for the week. My son lost his cell phone prior to the tournament. The players are locked behind a metal fence with lots of security. Only coaches and players are allowed in this area after the initial camper drop off time. We wanted to get reports from our son but could not because he did not have a cell phone. It was somewhat frustrating.

6) Make sure you son has a clip on fan.

The Main Point

Be prepared so that you can enjoy the experience.

Youth Baseball: Cooperstown Dreams Park Tips and Tricks (Part 6)

The Cooperstown Dream Park Tournament is a special experience for the kids, the coaches and the umpires. It is also a memorable experience for the parents. Hopefully, a good experience.

Tip for Coaches

Coaches. I think that it would be a good idea to have a meeting with the parents to set expectations. There are some special rules in the Cooperstown Dreams Park Tournament that the parents should know. One such rule concerns the EH (Extra Hitter).

Extra Hitter (EH) - (coach's discretion: 0, 1 or 2) - If using an extra hitter(s), you may use one or two players. The extra hitter(s) MUST hit in the TENTH and ELEVENTH POSITION and CANNOT enter the game defensively to play a position. Only one (1) player may occupy each EH position per game. You may remove your EH(s) for the duration of the game at any time, without penalty. You must notify the plate umpire prior to removal. Extra Hitters must be announced prior to the start of the game; no mid-game entry is permitted.

Our coach made it known to the team that every kid would play EH at least once during the tournament and would sit out one of the six pool play games. My son told me this prior to the first game so I knew what to expect. The unexpected fuels emotions of parents.


Tip for Parents

This is a memorable experience. If your son is batting last when he usually bats up in the order do not be alarmed. Try to contain your emotions in the stands so that you are not the one who is remembered.

The Main Point

Coaches should set expectations with the kids and the parents. Parents don't be the reason that the experience is memorable.

Youth Baseball: Challenging the Official Scorer - No hitter or Not.

In the second game of the Cooperstown Dreams Park tournament, the pitcher for our team pitched a no-hitter. We were the home team, so I was the official scorer for the game.

Game 79

In the 4th inning, our pitcher walked a batter then gave up what looked like a hit when an Illinois player ripped a line drive to left field. The left fielder charged it and quickly threw the ball to second base. The base runner was forced out nullifying the hit.

Crazy Youth Parents Series

After the game, I was telling the parents that our pitcher threw a no-hitter. To my surprise, I was immediately challenged on this by a family friend fan who also keeps a score book. She keeps the book to keep herself in the game and to provide a keepsake for her friend's son.

She claimed that there was hit. I asked her if she was referring to the line drive to the outfield that resulted in a force at second. She said yes. I informed her that that was recorded as a fielders choice. She argued that the fielder had no choice. I agreed but the batter essentially produced an out so it is not considered a hit.

She actually got frustrated with me.

She is right that it does not fit the definition of a fielder's choice, but it does not fit the definition of a hit either. Official scorers call this a Fielder's Choice because there is no other term to use for this situation.

From the Baseball Official Rules on MLB.com

Under Rule 10.05 (b) The official scorer shall not credit a base hit when a:

(1) runner is forced out by a batted ball, or would have been forced out except for
a fielding error;

The Main Point

Travel youth baseball tournaments produce lots of drama.  Regardless of the motive, before you challenge the official scorer, know the rules.