I Thought It Was All About the Kids!: . . .More Tales from the Dugout
494
I Thought It Was All About the Kids!: . . .More Tales from the Dugout
494eBook
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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781524657703 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | AuthorHouse |
| Publication date: | 12/31/2016 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 494 |
| File size: | 603 KB |
Read an Excerpt
I Thought It Was All About the Kids!
... More Tales from the Dugout
By Coach Scooter Stevens
AuthorHouse
Copyright © 2017 Coach Scooter StevensAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-5246-5771-0
CHAPTER 1
Fall 2008 - 9U Minors
It was a short few weeks after the conclusion of 9U All-Stars that the fall 2008 season would begin and I was about to start my eighth season and fifth year as a youth baseball coach. This season would mean that our kids, now considered 10U, would play in the "kid pitch" minors (consisting of nine and ten year old players) for second spring season.
My coaching experience up to this point allowed me to experience a wide gamut of emotions ranging from pure joy to extreme bitterness and from deep concern to hysterical humor. In my first four years of coaching, I had a player almost die, I had a player get his front teeth knocked out, I was almost involved in a defamation lawsuit, and I witnessed many arguments that almost boiled over into fistfights.
The joy of coaching and positively impacting my players however, far outweighed the infrequent contentious experiences and I was excited to start another rec season at OAF (Our Athletic Facility) in our small suburb located in a southern state. I never wavered in my commitment to coach this season, but after more than two months of high-intensity all-star preparation and tournaments as the 9U All-Star head coach, I probably should have considered taking the season off to decompress. But the fact that my 9U OAF Rebels All-Star team had won the ABSO Southern State Championship a month prior still invigorated my competitive coaching desire.
Despite needing a short break, our coaching applications were due in to the board immediately after returning from the 9U Southeast Regional Tournament, and assessments were slated for the last week of August with opening day scheduled for mid-September.
The recent success of many of our all-star teams had made OAF a popular organization in our area as we experienced an influx of many new nine and ten year old registrants. This inflow, which impacted all age groups at OAF, also resulted in a general upgrade in overall talent. By the time assessments arrived, we had ninety one players registered along with ten coaches' kids which gave us enough for ten teams of ten players each. One team would be "burdened" with an eleventh player until or unless more players signed up after assessments. I had yet to coach in any season or league at OAF whereby kids did not sign up after registration as this was a common occurrence.
The coaching contingent included the usual suspects whom I had coached with and against in previous seasons, including Coach Jack, Coach Carpy, Coach Babaloo, and Coach Mack, but my good buddy, Coach Stix, decided he needed a break from coaching this season to serve as the Commissioner for the Minors. There were some new names among our coaching contingent, but we were all familiar with one another as each had coached before or had a son who had played at OAF for some time.
Each of my 9U All-Star players from my Rebels team had signed up to play this season, and they now were the "big dogs" in the minors, representing the 10U group. We had such a deep and talented group of ten year old players, and the rising 9U group also had a talented, but not quite as deep of a group, as their all-star team had won the ABSO Coach-Pitch Southern State Championship a few weeks prior as well.
While most fall seasons were much more laid back than the spring seasons, it promised to be a very competitive fall season, as the coaching group was very strong and the player pool was even more impressive.
The preseason coaches' meeting was brief and to the point. We were all crusty veterans, and there were no significant rule changes that we had to adjust to this season. It was interesting to see that of the ten teams, five coaches had sons (and one with a daughter) who were 10U, and the other five coaches had kids who were 9Us. The board had dictated that, yet again, a head coach could not predetermine his assistant coach, so each of us would have to rely on the draft not only to assemble our teams, but also to source assistant coaches.
The day of assessments was upon us, and it was a beautiful Saturday as the coaches and players arrived at Field A for our semiannual assessment ritual. The kids lined up early for check-in and Commissioner Stix had followed the ridiculous tradition of incredibly underestimating the amount of time allotted for each group to be assessed. Since most of the coaches had experienced this, we all hunkered down with our folding chairs in the outfield, complete with lunches, drinks, sunscreen, and scouting paraphernalia.
I mingled with the other coaches as the kids warmed up, and we joked about who would win the league this season and poked occasional fun at the "helicopter dads". These were the ones who refused to let their sons warm up with another player and instead insisted on being on the field to protect his future major leaguer.
It was difficult to assess the talent of many of the players as they warmed up, but the ones who were really good and the ones on the other side of the spectrum always stood out.
On one side of the talent ledger was a very athletic-looking player who we heard had just moved into the area. He would eventually become known as the Cheetah and he caught the attention of every coach on the field as he warmed up. His arm was strong, as was his build. He also flashed a million-dollar smile to everyone who spoke with him.
On the opposite side of the talent ledger was a small, thin boy who wore blue jeans and a ragged T-shirt. He was visibly unathletic and based on the fact that none of the coaches had ever heard of him, we all assumed he was new to the organization and had never played baseball before. What really made him stand out, however, was the wildest-looking pair of baseball cleats I had ever seen. From my vantage point about forty yards away, his shoes glistened with a metallic silver color in the bright sunlight, accented by a thick, crimson stripe that ran from the middle base of each shoe back to the heel, much like the Puma shoe company logo. His blue jeans made the shoes stand out even more as the coaches pontificated if they were soccer cleats.
Just before the assessments were to begin and the coaches assembled in the outfield, the bombastic Coach Magoo, who had thankfully decided not to be a head coach this season, sauntered out onto the field to greet the coaching contingent. He immediately and loudly referred to the "skinny kid with blue jeans and bright soccer shoes" and chuckled in a machismo manner that the kids' "two dads" were up in the stands. We all knew what that meant, but to the credit of the coaches, nobody took the bait, as we were there to assess the kids and plan for our teams. It was obvious to every coach that whoever ended up with this player, it would be challenging simply from a safety standpoint as he was not very skilled or coordinated.
The assessments started late as usual, but due to the number of kids who had signed up and the high number of new names on our assessment sheets, each coach was glued to the action. One new coach in particular, Coach Droopy soon would take assessing the kids to a new level.
I had met Coach Droopy a couple of seasons before when I volunteered to assist with registration at OAF in the board room. Coach Droopy had a son who was a year younger than my son, Bear, and he manned the T-ball table while I worked the coach-pitch registrations. In the three hours we sat next to each other during registration, we engaged in a number of very nice conversations, and I subsequently commented to some of my friends what a good guy he seemed to be. His son took a few seasons off from playing baseball after we first met at registration, but he returned to the organization in time for his 9U minor season, and he volunteered to coach a team in the minors this season.
I had spoken to Coach Droopy at the coaches' meeting, and as I typically did with the new coaches, I told him that if he had any questions or needed any information on any player, that I would be happy to provide it to him. Since I had coached for so many seasons, I was very familiar with a majority of the kids and I liked to promote collegiality among the new coaches each season, as did most (but not all) of my peers. He thanked me for the offer, but unlike most of the new coaches I had offered previously, he never asked me for any information or assistance.
It was somewhat of a tradition that all of the coaches sit in a group near each other during the assessments, bantering back and forth and giving each other a hard time. But from the very beginning of the session, Coach Droopy kept his distance from everyone. He would say hello and speak briefly, but it was evident to everyone that he was taking these assessments very seriously.
This hypothesis was quickly validated when he opened up a bag that he had brought to the field and removed a tripod and video camera to film the assessments. The "old guard" coaching contingent looked on in amazement as Coach Droopy set up his camera. We weren't completely sure what we were witnessing as the raised eyebrows and snarky comments commenced.
The "show" became even more bizarre after he turned on his camera, pulled out a small tape recorder, and started to patrol the third base/left field line as the players were taking turns with their assessments. Based on what we were witnessing, we deduced that he was building a video and audio file on every player. None of the coaches had ever seen anything like this before, and the intensity displayed by Coach Droopy as he paced up and down the baseline and spoke into his voice recorder only exacerbated the comedic remarks from his fellow coaches.
As the time passed, it seemed evident that he was really in this to "win it" and his methodology and intensity hit a sore spot with some of the coaches. We liked to banter and have fun with each other and were a collegial group, and there was a general feeling that Coach Droopy wanted nothing to do with the rest of us nor did he not seek counsel or advice from anyone, at least of which we were aware.
Coach Droopy's assessment tactics were only part of his strategy to get a leg up on everyone else. In an unusual turn of events, we had selected our draft order numbers at the coaches' meeting a few days prior to assessments rather than doing this immediately after assessments as we had done every season previously.
Coach Jack, one of my cronies from the old coach pitch days and former assistant to me on my all-star team, had selected the first pick, however, his son Flash would be "slotted" as a first round pick so in actuality, the person who picked number two out of the hat would garner the first actual pick. Coach Droopy was the lucky coach to pick number two out of the hat and unbeknownst to any of the other coaches, he had contacted Commissioner Stix prior to assessments and told him that he planned to select Commissioner Stix's son, Red Jet with his first pick.
Red Jet was unquestionably rated as a top five talent in his age group, but there were a couple other players who probably would have been a slightly better pick due to sheer athleticism and versatility. In a stroke of genius though, Coach Droopy had just secured one of the best sources of player information at OAF in Commissioner Stix. It would prove to be one of the reasons why Coach Droopy took the "lone wolf" attitude during the assessments and the draft, because he did not NEED any information from any of us.
He and Commissioner Stix had already discussed player rankings and would devise a draft strategy after the assessments knowing that Red Jet would be the overall number one pick. Some of the coaches took offense with this tactic, but after learning about his plan, I thought Coach Droopy was playing it very smart. What I did not like however, was the secretive and ultra-competitive attitude that he was displaying with his "super spy" video analysis and tape recordings. I, along with a few other coaches decided that he would be the coach whose team we would want to "thump" this season.
The assessments and the draft the following day were completed with no real issues with the exception of a situation I had with Coach Droopy. As I had always done, I had developed my top to bottom "rankings" list along with my "wish" list of kids whom I would try to pick later in the draft, regardless of the rankings because they were great kids and/or had great parents. My draft order was number four, but since Bear was slotted as a first round pick, I would not pick until the second round after eight players had already been drafted.
I would get a good player at number eight, but not one of the top players available so it was imperative that my middle round draft picks were solid. I had identified one of my former players, "Hollywood" as one of the kids I wanted because although he was smallish in stature, he was a solid fundamental player. His nickname would eventually be shortened to "Woody" and another reason I wanted him was because we were friends with Woody's parents and I wanted his dad, "Deuce" as one of my assistant coaches.
Deuce had pleaded with me numerous times prior to the season to draft Woody as he was worried that another coach may eventually draft him. He specifically told me that he did not want Coach Droopy to draft Woody and even though they were friends and he had nothing against Coach Droopy, he wanted Woody to play for me again as he had as a seven year old.
I had heard from a couple of coaches during the draft that Coach Droopy was going to try to draft Woody so after my pick in the sixth round, I approached Coach Droopy and asked him as a courtesy, not to select Woody. This would happen in almost every draft in the later rounds as coaches would approach others and ask them not to draft a certain player. The impact was typically minimal in the later rounds as a majority of the kids drafted in these rounds were not impact players. Woody was definitely above average in talent, but being a 9U player and not having played in kid-pitch minors before, it would be a stretch that he would be an impact player at this age.
Coach Droopy had two picks before my next selection and I approached him and asked him if he would do me a favor and not select Woody with either of his two picks. He looked at me with an insidious glare and told me that he indeed planned to select him, as Woody's dad had asked him to draft him if he got the chance. I was baffled. The only thing I could think of was that prior to the draft, Coach Droopy had informed Deuce that he wanted to pick Woody and just to be nice Deuce said, "That would be great". In reality, Deuce had specifically told me in the most certain of terms that he did not want Woody playing for Coach Droopy that season, but I could not inform Coach Droopy of this.
Coach Droopy proceeded to tell me that Deuce had asked him to pick Woody and that they were good friends. I told Coach Droopy the same thing and I was nearing the point where I was going to step out of the room, call Deuce and have him text Coach Droopy that he wanted me to draft his son and not Coach Droopy. We went back and forth for a couple of minutes and it appeared my efforts to convince him not to draft Woody were futile as he did not relent.
On his next pick, he did not pick Woody, but I was certain he would on his subsequent selection. I had already texted Deuce that I did not think I was going to get a chance to draft Woody, but in a surprise move, just before Coach Droopy made his next selection, he looked across the table at me and said, "You owe me one" and called out another player's name other than Woody.
I thanked him for helping me out and now all I had to do was to make sure Coach Carpy did not draft Woody with the next pick, which he had no intention of doing, so I was able to select him with my pick. I appreciated Coach Droopy's concession and made it known to him more than once during the remainder of the draft. Although it was sporting of him to accommodate my request, he seemed irritated that he had "given in" to me.
As the last and eleventh round approached, there were five kids remaining "on the board" with three "blinds". I had the fourth pick in this round which meant I would have the daunting task of choosing between the last two players available before the blind picks were assigned. By the time my pick rolled around, one of my choices was a kid whom I had ranked as dead last on my analysis list. My comment next to his name read, "Maybe the worst player in the draft". My other choice was the boy who had shown up at assessments with jeans and metallic colored cleats and whom I had ranked just slightly higher than my other choice.
I deliberated for what seemed to be ten minutes before Commissioner Stix, who was present in the draft room, recommended that I select the kid with the metallic colored cleats. He said that he had spent some time with him at assessments and that he was a really sweet kid and that he thought my coaching style would greatly benefit him. He knew I had experience with this type of kid as I had coached Sandman, Smilin' Nick, and Bingo in the past, and this would be a similar situation. I had really enjoyed the challenge of coaching those kids so I accepted Commissioner Stix's recommendation and selected the boy with metallic cleats. It must have been fate, because "Shoes", as he would late become nicknamed, would go on to become one of my favorite players of all time.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from I Thought It Was All About the Kids! by Coach Scooter Stevens. Copyright © 2017 Coach Scooter Stevens. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse.
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Table of Contents
Contents
Pre-Game, vii,Chapter 1: Fall 2008 – 9U Minors, 1,
Chapter 2: Spring 2009 – 9U Minors, 42,
Chapter 3: 10U All-Stars – Summer 2009, 91,
Chapter 4: 10U All-Stars – Southern State Tournament, 118,
Chapter 5: Fall 2009 – "Travel Ball", 160,
Chapter 6: The "Board", 178,
Chapter 7: Spring 2010 – "The Draft", 195,
Chapter 8: Spring 2010 – 11U Majors, 241,
Chapter 9: 11U All-Stars, 288,
Chapter 10: Spring 2011 – 12U Majors, 303,
Chapter 11: Cooperstown, 363,
Chapter 12: 12U All-Stars, 409,
Chapter 13: "Extra Innings", 467,
Appendix "A": The MANIFESTO!, 479,