Parent's Manual
1.0 Introduction
The purpose of this manual is to help you, the parent of a North Stars Baseball Club (NSBC)
player, understand how our organization is structured, what its goals are, and what your part in
its operation might be. In this manual you will find sections on NSBC’s philosophy and
structure, and some explanation of what parents can do to help assure the Club’s success.
Simply stated, NSBC exists to serve the interests of our boys who want to play ball in a quality
organization. We want to show kids how to play and enjoy the wonderful game of baseball. We
want to help them develop and understand teamwork, cooperation, friendship and community, all
qualities that will serve them well in later life. And while doing all that, we want our young
baseball players to have a great deal of truly constructive fun on the baseball diamond.
For our coaches, the job involves far more than just teaching kids to catch, field and hit. We have
to keep players interested and focused, evaluate a number of developing skills in each of the
dozen or so kids on each team, maintain good behavior, and teach how the game is best played,
all the while insuring the right amount of enthusiasm, positive support and fun. It is not an easy
job, but it works by far the best when parents take an interest, and help it succeed.
The 2007 season will be the third for our organization. Much of our structure is still developing,
and our processes evolving. We won’t get it all right every season, so please be patient when
you see our shortcomings, and maybe offer to pitch in where you see we need help. After we get
a few seasons under our belts, we think this should be operating fairly smoothly, even though
every year will present its own unique problems.
The Club has provided the structure. Your job as a parent is to enjoy watching your son take
part, and hopefully help support all the things that need to be done if we are to provide the best
experience possible for our players. So, have fun, help us make sure the kids are having fun, and
thanks for taking part.
1.1 The NSBC Way
The North Stars Baseball Club is a non-profit community organization that provides a summer
athletic program for kids in our geographic area. Last year, well over 100 boys age 5-12 played
organized baseball in our organization. Our goal is to increase that number, year after year. And
we’ll achieve that goal if the kids are having a lot of fun, and we continue to develop the overall
quality of the program.
NSBC is oriented completely around the concept of making every important decision based on
what’s best for the kids, the players. We put safety first, then constructive fun for the kids, then
training, then winning - in that order. We call that “the North Stars way”. We want our games
to be competitive so they will be as interesting as possible, but we intend to keep everything in
the right balance.
We want North Stars baseball players to learn the game in a positive-spirited way, without
coaches and parents pushing too hard, and without the fear of failure sapping their enjoyment of
the game. We want them to develop their skills in such a way that they have great constructive
fun and want to keep playing baseball, year after year. At the same time, they should learn
sportsmanship and team play, make some new friends and have an enjoyable summer.
Our approach also focuses on the family experience, where the entire family can get involved as
coaches, umpires, team mothers, scorekeepers, etc. The idea is to enjoy some warm summer
evenings with friends and neighbors, seeing our kids having fun playing the great American
pastime.
In keeping with that philosophy, NSBC’s coaches will work to create a positive, supportive
environment that lets every player participate and succeed to the best of his abilities. We think
every kid in the program should be given about equal and fair attention. The ones with more
skills should have a chance to develop their games, while the less-experienced kids enjoy the
thrill of their first difficult catch or their first big hit. In this way, a coach can measure his
success in terms that are more important than just who won the most games - it can be measured
by improvements achieved by each player on the team, and by the smiles on their faces when
they show off their new skills.
The North Stars way is not for everybody, and there may be another baseball program around
that will serve the needs of kids who want to play all-out to win or lose, for the parents who want
their kids to have a more intensive baseball experience. Neither style may be better or worse, but
NSBC wants to be the place where kids can learn and play baseball without having to feel too
much pressure to perform, or despair for failing to “make the play”. We think the North Stars
way is best for most kids.
1.2 Age-Group Structure
North Stars Cal Ripken baseball is divided into four age-group divisions. We will probably
change this structure from time to time, but right now we have it set up this way:
T-ball (ages 4-6): Here, the very youngest kids learn some of the very basics (the first elements
of how to swing a bat, how to grip a baseball and throw it straight, when and where to run, etc.).
We don’t keep score, and everyone bats and fields. The kids (and their parents) have a great
time!
Rookies (ages 7-9): A step up from T-ball, introducing a few more elements of the game. Again,
no score is kept, and everyone bats and fields. However, the kids now swing at pitches from their
coach and are called “out” if a play is made in the field. This introduces the teamwork that
baseball requires, and rewards good fielding, too.
Minors (ages 8-11): This is a transition to real baseball. It starts out exclusively “coach pitch”
but transitions into player-pitch in the second half of the season, with an eye toward developing
both hitters and pitchers.
Majors (ages 10-12): This is real baseball using Cal Ripken rules, but without great pressure.
Kids pitch, umpires call balls and strikes, and everyone plays good baseball with an eye toward
winning the season-ending tournament and crowning a great season! NSBC’s Majors division is
a quality baseball experience where kids play and learn the game in an exciting and positive
setting.
Our coaches are encouraged to teach, with emphasis on the fundamentals. Good coaching is all
about teaching.
From time to time, there may be some overlap in the age groups, to account for differences in
kids, and to help assure that each player is mixed in with others of a similar skill level. NSBC
does its best to place each boy into the most suitable division for his own best development and
fun. Generally speaking, every kid will play in an age group indicated by his/her age as of April
30.
We also intend to make the teams in each age-group as balanced as possible. That’s a tough job,
but it’s important to the kids’ enjoyment of the game. We’d like every team to feel it has a real
shot at winning each of its regular-season games. In the Majors division, for example, we may
have three or four teams. The Club’s strongest Cal Ripken players will be in that division, and
they’ll be spread as evenly as possible across those teams. We won’t put all the strongest players
on the same team, except for post-season play, and when we go to play in some inter-city
tournaments.
Absent specific parental request or approval, we will not force a player into a lower age group
than his official age indicates, unless safety becomes an issue. Once a boy is officially older than
the oldest age indicated above for an age-group, he will no longer be assigned to that group
(regardless of his skill level), unless his parents want it that way and the Club thinks it will work
out in his interest and in the best interest of his teammates and opponents.
To keep things as balanced as possible, however, we will provide a mechanism whereby kids can
move up to an older age group than the one indicated by their age. This kind of movement
eliminates boredom for kids that have developed more quickly than "normal", and also guards
against those kids’ dominating or intimidating the younger ones they would otherwise be playing
with and against. The NSBC Board of Directors will make these determinations, but parents
must initiate the process. It can happen with a player potentially moving into Rookies from TBall, or into Minors/Majors from Rookies. The related NSBC written policy will govern this
process. Where their own kids (or other relatives) might be the subject of such a decision, those
particular Board members will not be part of the formal decision process.
To aid our making the best decisions, every registered player (with some exceptions, such as the
oldest 12-and-under players, and the very youngest kids) is required to attend Tryout Day (if and
when held), and the early-season Group Practices, where we will put the kids through some
simple drills, and add the information gained to what we already know about each player. What
we are trying hard to do is make the season as much fun as possible for every kid out there. To
do that, we need to assign the kids to teams that are as evenly balanced as possible. We want
every team to have a real chance to win on any given game day. No doormat teams, and no
steamrollers either.
1.3 NSBC Events
Although we try to make it as easy as possible for our coaches, the on-the-field work is still done
by the official Manager and Coach on each team. Their patience, enthusiasm, and leadership
will determine whether the kids on their team have a quality baseball experience each summer.
We hope the parents of every player will support those coaches - it’s a tough job, they do it as
volunteers, and they’ll be able to do the best job when the parents stay on the same page with the
coach.
Following is a list (in approximate date order) of some NSBC events you may be interested in as
an NSBC parent. Additional information about each of these events will be distributed as the
date for each draws closer. Also refer to the Club Calendar on this web site.
Registration
Try-Out Day
Coaches receive the roster of players for each team
Coach’s Meeting
Coach’s Clinic
Teams receive their equipment
Teams hold their own Parent’s Meeting
Scorekeeper’s Clinic
Player’s Clinic
First practice session
Opening Day
Regular-season games
Picture Day
Post-season tournaments
Teams turn in their equipment
Season ends (and the NSBC Board of Directors begins planning for next year)
That’s the NSBC baseball season in a nutshell. If at some point you decide you’d like to have a
part in determining the future direction of North Stars baseball, please talk to someone on the
NSBC Board of Directors. We need interested people like you to keep improving the Club.
Your ideas and efforts may be just what we need to strengthen our program. The door is always
wide open.
2.0 Safety
Safety takes first priority at all North Stars activities. Safety for players, coaches, and bystanders
as well. To that end, NSBC has published a formal safety policy that we intend to follow to the
letter. Pertinent portions of that policy are printed below.
As a parent, you can take an important part in assuring that NSBC activities are conducted in the
safest manner possible. In fact, there are some portions of our safety policy and procedures that
ONLY a parent can implement and enforce. Those portions are outlined and repeated more than
once in this document, and it is really important that all parents understand them and follow their
recommendations.
2.1 Safety Policy
NSBC is committed to playing baseball in the safest practical manner. We do that by:

Keeping our practice and game fields in acceptable condition.

Avoiding weather conditions that might constitute a hazard, especially lightning.

Using the right safety equipment.

Training our coaches and players how to play the game with safety in mind.

Being prepared for injury or accident, in case something does happen.
In pursuit of our safety goals, NSBC has instituted the following Safety Code, and Code of
Conduct. There are also formal Reporting Procedures, which are not repeated in this Parent’s
Manual, because the steps they require are normally the responsibility of team coaches to follow.
Steps for practical implementation of this policy appear in the Safety section of the NSBC
Coaching Manual.
2.2 Safety Code

All NSBC team managers and coaches receive First-Aid training. A first-aid kit
is furnished to each team at the beginning of each new season.

No child except properly registered players may participate in any phase of NSBC
baseball, and no registered player may participate until NSBC receives a fully executed
and signed Medical Release Form from his parents or legal guardian.

No games or practices shall be held when there is lightning around, or darkness is
imminent.

Players who become ill, injured or ejected shall be kept under the supervision of a
team adult until released to a parent or guardian.

Game and practice areas shall be inspected frequently to assure there are no
hazardous materials lying around that could cause injury to the players or adults.

Players may not wear watches, rings, pins or any kind of jewelry or metallic
objects while on the field of play. Exception - Medical Alert tags, which must be taped
down.

All male players from the Rookie division and higher must wear an athletic
supporter for all practices and games. Catchers must wear a cup. THE
ENFORCEMENT OF THIS REQUIREMENT IS A PARENT RESPONSIBILITY.

Parents whose players wear glasses should provide those players with safety
glasses. THIS IS A PARENT RESPONSIBILITY.

Team equipment and bat racks should be kept in dugouts within the designated
areas.

Only players, managers, coaches, umpires, NSBC Board members and others
specifically authorized by the Club shall be on the field during practices and games.

Pre-game warm-ups shall be conducted on the field, not within areas frequented
by spectators.

Equipment shall be inspected frequently for damage, and repairs promptly
effected when they are required to assure player safety.

All batters and base-runners must wear helmets furnished or approved by NSBC
until they are back in the dugout.
Catchers must wear a catcher’s helmet incorporating an approved face mask and
throat protector, a long-model chest protector, shin guards, protective supporter and cup
at all times while performing the duties of a catcher on or off the field. Wrist protectors
are optional.


Any player who warms up or catches for a practicing, active or relief pitcher must
wear a mask with throat protector at all times. This applies both in practices and games.

Headfirst slides into any base are prohibited.

During sliding practices, bases should not be strapped or anchored down.

At no time is “horse play” permitted during practices or games.

In the Majors division and below, there shall be no on-deck batter. During games
and practices, no player shall handle a bat until it is his time to bat.
2.3 Code of Conduct

No alcoholic beverage, tobacco, profanity or aggressive behavior is allowed in
any parking lot, field or common area associated with an NSBC activity.

Harassment and/or verbal abuse of an umpire, player or coach, by any adult or
player at an NSBC game will not be tolerated. The NSBC Board of Directors will
consider action against any person so accused.

During games, all idle players will stay in their dugout and show sportsmanlike
behavior.

Disrespect directed towards NSBC, its players, coaches, umpires and officials,
the opposing team, or the opposing organization is unacceptable, and may become cause
for action by the NSBC Board of Directors.
2.4 Parents are Safety Monitors
Parents are considered to be an important part of NSBC’s safety program. By watching what’s
going on at practices and games, you can help assure the safety of everyone involved. Following
are some specific safety tips our coaches are aware of. If you’re familiar with them too, and help
us assure they get adhered to, you can be an important monitor and contributor to our safety
goals.
Make yourself familiar with the NSBC Safety Policy. And all NSBC procedures concerning
safety. Also, read over those few NSBC game rules that specifically address safety.
Make sure your team’s first-aid kit is always available and properly stocked. Your boy’s
team was provided with the kit along with their other equipment, but some things can get used
up, so check it from time to time. Players are told not to open it except with the coach’s
permission.
Stay alert to possible hazards on the field. Help get rid of any glass, cans, rocks, stray
equipment or other hazards that might be lying around.
Be alert to current weather conditions that might present a hazard. Especially lightning.
Make sure players go through a few warm-up and stretchy exercises before the intense
activity begins. It need not be a lot, or take much time, but a little stretching of the arm and leg
muscles, especially, can avoid a nagging injury later. Pitchers should warm their arms up more
methodically.
Be prepared to communicate. If at all possible, bring your cell phone to every practice and
game. If you don’t have one, check with other adults that may be present, before the activity
starts.
Re ready to roll. Plan ahead, so you are prepared if a serious incident should occur. Know the
location of the closest facility where professional help can be called in from, or to where a sick
or injured person can be transported if so advised. But be familiar with the advisable limits on
movement of any injured person.
Know and enforce the rules. The NSBC Operating Rules contain specific entries about safety.
Be familiar with them, and make sure they are followed at all your player's games.
Don’t go on the field with your son’s team without the knowledge and permission of his
coach. That goes for all spectators, even family members and well-wishers.
2.5 Lightning Facts and Procedures
There may be some controversy about the need for some of baseball’s specific safety procedures.
But about lightning, there can be no controversy. Experience has amply demonstrated the
danger. Lightning has caused serious injury or death to many, many persons caught in the open
at the wrong time. It is NSBC’s policy to take no chances with lightning whatsoever. We will
vacate the field and get our players and adults to a safe location whenever lightning appears to
threaten. We do not test our courage - we move out when lightning comes even within a few
miles.
Consider the following facts:

The average lightning strike is six to eight miles long.

The average thunderstorm is six to ten miles wide, and travels at a rate of 25
miles per hour.

Once the leading edge of a thunderstorm approaches to within ten miles, you are
at immediate risk from the possibility of lightning strikes coming from the storm’s
overhanging clouds, even if they are not yet overhead.

By the time you can hear the thunder from an oncoming storm, you are already in
the risk zone for lightning strikes.
The real truth about lightning is that it is unpredictable. Therefore, any manager, coach or parent
who feels the least threatened by an approaching storm should immediately stop play, get
everyone off the field, and move the kids and adults to a safe location. When in doubt - move
out!
When moving off the field, do not carry metal objects like aluminum bats. Leave them on the
field - we can retrieve them later.
No place is absolutely safe from lightning, but some places are safer than others. Large enclosed
shelters, like substantially constructed buildings, are safer than others. When no large structure
is available, the safest place available may be inside a fully enclosed metal vehicle, with the
windows rolled up. But DO NOT stand on the ground with your body close to, or in contact
with, the metal machine - the only safety (even though incomplete) is in being completely inside
and enclosed by the vehicle’s metal structure.
When caught in the open with lightning occurring close by, get down low with your feet
together. Cover your ears to help prevent hearing damage from a nearby strike. Avoid high
places and open fields, isolated trees, unprotected structures like dugouts, gazebos, rain shelters
or picnic shelters, flagpoles, bleachers (especially metal bleachers), metal fences and water.
Anyone who lives in lightning country is well advised to do some reading about it, and teach
their kids about the life-threatening hazard it presents every spring, summer and fall. Lightning
is no joke and no myth - there’s a lot of it in the Midwest, and it hits people every year.
2.6 Summary
YOU are an important part of NSBC safety. Be alert to possible safety hazards at all times, and
don’t be timid about speaking to your team’s coach when you see any potential danger.
Once more, remember that parents are responsible for making sure their players wear an
athletic supporter, and that catchers wear a protective cup. Coaches cannot enforce this rule.
Parents are also responsible for making sure that players who wear glasses are equipped with
safety glasses.
Finally, every parent should be aware of the sheet entitled Parent Tips for Preventing Baseball
and Softball Injuries. See Appendix A of this manual.
There is a good chance you may think of things that should be added to NSBC’s safety policy
and procedures. When you do, please jot them down, and give them to any NSBC Board
member. Your idea could save a future accident or injury.
We’re serious about safety!
3.0 NSBC Process
This chapter provides an overview of some of NSBC’s operations, to give parents an idea of how
the Club functions. It also covers several miscellaneous topics of interest to both parents and
coaches. Parents who are familiar with this material will be in a position to help NSBC provide
the best experience for all the players.
3.1 The Spirit of NSBC
The Spirit of NSBC is a big part of the success we expect to attain as a baseball club. It means:

We honor the game. We appreciate the positive effect that baseball can have on
young kids.

Coaches and parents do their best to communicate our positive attitude to our
players, and all others associated with our team.

We understand that positive commentary and cheering is constructive, but
negative commentary about any other person or team is destructive to what we are trying
to accomplish. So we stress the positives, and let others know we disapprove of the
negatives.

We honor the game. We make sure ALL our kids are having a good time,
especially the youngest, smallest or least-capable players. Coaches make sure they
spread the playing time around so no player ever starts feeling left out.

We understand that the baseball experience can have lasting value when parented
and coached in a balanced manner. We don’t put excessive emphasis on winning every
game.
To help maintain the Spirit of NSBC, there is one important contribution that parents can make help convey the idea that your team's coaches should be completely supported during every
game. No adult, parents especially, should be yelling instructions to players during a game,
except their official coaches. When both parents and coaches are trying to lead the team and its
players, the kids get confused, and the team suffers. We must all remember that the coaches are
volunteers who have donated their time and energy for the kids on each team. They deserve our
loyalty when they are pursuing their official duties. Adults who believe they can do a better job
are urged to volunteer next year.
3.2 Physical Condition and Vision
Any parent who has even the slightest doubt about their son’s ability to participate safely in
organized baseball because of some physical condition, should have their child examined by a
doctor before being allowed to participate. You should also make sure your team manager
knows about any chronic condition (asthma, for example) that your child might suffer from.
The eyesight of many kids changes during the growing process, and good eyesight is very
necessary for some baseball skills, especially hitting and pitching. If you suspect your son may
have subpar vision, you should probably have him examined by an eye doctor. Ask that doctor if
he should wear glasses on the baseball diamond. If so, be sure to send him out there with safety
glasses. And by the way, there is no shame in wearing glasses - many big-leaguers need and
wear glasses (nowadays they’re usually contact lenses, but that might not be possible or practical
for youngsters).
3.3 Medical Release Cards
As a parent, you want to make sure your player’s coach has a signed medical-release card for
him. This card is required by official medical personnel who may need to attend to an injury or
sickness your child could experience when you are not present. Without it, doctors may not be
able to treat your child until you arrive. Precious time could be lost. If you don’t remember
having signed such a card, please check with your team’s manager - he should be carrying a full
set with him at all team activities - one for each player, even his own son. Some teams may
prefer to have two complete sets.
3.4 Assignment of Players to Teams
Early in the process each season, every team manager is given a list of the players that have been
assigned to his team by the Club. The sons of the team’s official manager and coach are
automatically assigned to their fathers’ team, of course. After that, the Club determines which
kids end up on which teams. We do this as a result of a great effort to make the teams as
balanced as possible. The process of deciding who should be on which team may differ for each
age-group division. And it may differ from year to year, too, as we discover more improved
ways to do things.
The Club will try its best to satisfy parent requests to assign certain kids to certain teams if there
is a really good reason for it. But such requests may not be granted if we get swamped with such
special requests, or if a specific request abridges our age-group structure without Board approval,
or if team balance might be upset (see Club Policies posted elsewhere on this website). Our
main aim is to maintain the integrity of our age-group structure and keep the teams as balanced
as possible, because that makes the games a lot more fun and interesting for the kids. We want
every team to have a fair chance to win each of its games. That increases enthusiasm, and
enthusiasm is the mother of success.
The NSBC Board works hard on team balance, but it may not always get it exactly right on the
first try. So we do reserve the right to switch players around some, right up until the end of the
practice sessions, before the official games begin. We know switching players runs the risk of
displeasing someone, so we try hard to avoid it. Nevertheless, if driven to it by an obvious
misbalance, you could be hearing from us. But let’s hope not.
3.5 Team Roster
Each parent should receive a copy of the team roster, a printed list of all the players on your
team, and the coaches and associated adults as well, along with their addresses, phone numbers
and email addresses. Get this list from your team manager.
3.6 Operating Rules and Team Rules
NSBC publishes a new set of Operational Rules for each season. Not all parents need a set of
these rules. But it’s a good idea to read over a copy of the rules that apply to your player’s agegroup division, just so you have some idea of what to expect. Your team manager has at least
one copy you can look at.
Some teams and team mangers will also have some specific written rules that will apply to their
team. As a parent, you should make sure whether or not there are specific team rules, and get a
copy if there are.
3.7 Player Appearance
Player appearance is part of building the concept of “The Team” during the season (one of our
coaches’ suggested team goals). Parents should understand that their player must wear his team
uniform to every official practice and game, and do his best to look smart. Boys will be boys,
and it’s abstract, but it will help him, and it will help the team. In many cases, Moms will
understand this better than Dads.
3.8 Club Calendar
The manager of your son’s team is given a printed copy of the official NSBC Club Calendar for
the current year very soon after he has been officially made the manager. The Calendar does not
include a game schedule; that is a separate document. But the Calendar does list every
significant NSBC event (other than games) that will take place during the current Club year,
along with other detail such as the location and time of the event as best we know it at the time
the Calendar is printed. Your team manager should give you a copy of the Calendar, or at least a
list of pertinent events that you need to be aware of. He should also keep you up to date on exact
dates, times and places. Nearly all these events are also detailed out on this web site as their time
approaches.
These are the most important events you’ll want to be aware of:
Player Registration
Team Parent’s Meeting A VERY important event that you really MUST attend
Scorekeeper’s Clinic
For team scorekeepers only
Umpire’s Clinic
For assistant umpire volunteers only
First Practice Day
Player’s Clinic
An opportunity for players to get some specialized instruction
Opening Day
A big day for each team, and a good picture-taking opportunity
Picture Day
Both team and individual pictures are taken, by a professional
End of Regular Season Note that, for some divisions, tournament play may still remain
Post-season tournaments
3.9 Game Schedule
The official Game Schedule may not become available until just before the games begin. When
it does become available, you should receive a copy from your team manager or team mother.
The complete schedule is also posted on this web site.
3.10 Group Practices
In some years, we will have what we call Group Practices. We start the season out with two or
three practice sessions where all the kids in each division are on the diamond(s) together with all
the coaches for that division. The kids will work out together, and the coaches will have an
opportunity to get familiar with each player. After two or three such sessions, we will then
assign them to their individual teams in their respective divisions. They will then practice only
with their own team and coaches. This is a major method we use to make sure our teams are as
balanced as possible. Team balance helps enthusiasm, and enthusiasm will bring the kids back
out for more baseball, year after year. There WILL BE Group Practices in 2006.
3.11 Team Practices
Baseball skill derives from good teaching, and practice, practice, practice. At NSBC’s “official”
practices, your boy will get some good instruction. That is the obligation of the coach to the
team. But the team has a complementary obligation to the coach - to be at every practice, and be
on time. Well-coached teams are organized, and use every practice minute in a well-structured
manner. That is only possible when everyone expected to be there really does show up, and
show up on time.
Probably the toughest job a baseball coach faces is making practices fun and interesting for the
kids. NSBC knows that, and tries to provide coaches with enough information and ideas to give
them a chance at running practice sessions in the best way possible. A big part of it is having
every player there, on time. So please, as a parent, do your best to support your team’s coaches,
and get your young player there at the designated time, for every official practice session.
On the other side of that coin, you have a right to expect practices to end on time, too. So we ask
our coaches to shoo the kids off the field at the appointed time, back in the direction of their
parents. If we all cooperate with each other on the subject of practice, the kids will learn more,
and our teams will play better baseball. And we can all manage our time in the most efficient
way possible.
There is one other important thing to say about practice sessions. It is impossible for any boy to
become a really skillful baseball player simply by attending the few “official” practice sessions
that are provided for each NSBC team each year. Players who really want to improve must
practice at every opportunity. That means sandlot games, pickup games with the kids up the
street, playing catch with dad or mom, bouncing balls off the garage wall, you name it. Each
and every opportunity kids can think of, and they think of plenty when their enthusiasm runs
high.
What every player needs is proper repetition, repetition and more repetition. There is no
substitute for that, and that is why they cannot become skilled baseball players at the “official”
practices. Young players MUST practice at home, and that is best done (by far) with an
interested adult coach who can show them how to adhere to the best techniques. Best of all is
Dad or Mom, especially when they have watched and talked to the team coaches who have been
teaching skills, and can then reinforce the same lessons at home. That method can work
wonders, and it’s not very hard to do.
In a real sense, the parents are the most important “assistant coaches”. The parent who takes the
time to work with his/her son is the one who will eventually find his home occupied by a real
baseball player. Parents who prefer to watch TV have no right to expect their kids to develop
real skill; only the lucky ones. The team coaches get the kids pointed in the right direction, but
the parents must continue the journey.
One other thing about the official practice sessions. No one but the players and their official
coaches, not even parents, should ever be on the practice field, unless they have a prior OK from
the team manager. That is for safety and insurance reasons, and also so the coach’s practice plan
does not get upset. Team coaches may well welcome your participation at practice, but please
ask first.
Parents of pitchers and aspiring pitchers should understand that pitchers, more than any other
position, need to practice almost every day so they develop adequate control of their pitches.
Parents can go a long way toward success by helping their kids practice for any position, but
especially pitching. Good pitching is a prime ingredient of a winning season for every team.
3.12 Games
Just as it’s important for practices, it’s also important that all players show up at the appointed
time for each game. There is an official Game Time for every regular-season game; that’s the
time shown in the Game Schedule. But coaches will want their players there somewhat before
Game Time, so there’s some time available for warm-ups. Please comply with the coach’s
wishes in this regard. It’s very difficult, almost impossible, to run a good baseball team where
some players straggle in late.
NSBC has suggested a team policy for every team. It’s only suggested, not required, but we
think it makes sense: No player who arrives late for practice or a game can be a starter. We do
that to reward those players who DO show up on time. We don’t think it’s right that a strong
player who straggles in late should take the place of a weaker player who showed up on time.
It’s part of a coach’s loyalty to his players - those who show enthusiasm and loyalty to the team
should be rewarded with a spot in the starting lineup. And they should stay in that starting
position for at least the first half of the game. Experienced youth coaches will tell you that teams
that live by that rule have the most fun, and there are few if any “straggler” problems.
3.13 Sons of Coaches
Some parents wonder how much special consideration the sons of team coaches should receive.
NSBC’s policy is simple and direct - none. That subject is covered at our Coach’s Clinic every
year, and we don’t expect to have any difficulties that way. Coaches are even encouraged to
have their sons call them “coach” (just like all the other kids do), rather than “dad”, while on the
baseball field.
If you should honestly feel that your coach’s son is getting undeserved special consideration on
his team, please speak to an NSBC Board member about it. We’ll watch the situation, and make
any corrections that might be necessary. It’s most often a matter of perception, and in most cases
it can be taken care of rather easily.
Two things to keep in mind in this area:
On a well-run team, it can be tough to be the coach’s son. You often get the least
slack cut for your behavior and performance. You’re always expected (by your own dad)
to set the example. That’s a big assignment for many young boys.

Volunteer coaches put in a lot of time and effort with other people’s kids. They
might deserve a little latitude in how they handle their own son. Until it gets excessive,
coaches often deserve some benefit of the doubt.

3.14 Positions on the Field
Parents must understand that it is the official coaches on your player’s team who will decide
which position each kid will play for each game. Pressure from the kids and parents is not
helpful.
One tedious example: For some reason there always seems to be a surplus of kids who want to
play first-base. I don’t know why exactly, but I’ve seen it, year after year. So it’s a good idea
for parents not to encourage their kids to strive for that position. Let the manager and coaches
decide what’s best for The Team, for each game. The coaches are usually a lot better equipped
to know what position a given player is best suited for anyway. At 12 years old and younger, it’s
way too early for any kid to get fixated on one position (though pitchers might be something of
an exception).
All this position stuff is of little interest in the youngest age groups, because we’ll be shifting
kids around a lot anyway; but for 10- to 12-year-olds it sometimes starts to become important.
3.15 Yelling and Touching
NSBC coaches are asked to never yell at players, except when necessary to make themselves
heard (which, unfortunately, can be pretty often - boys can get pretty loud sometimes). Certainly
never out of anger or frustration. This is not professional football. Similarly, coaches never
touch their players except when it is necessary to teach a skill, to help them recover from a
temporary injury or accident, or some other obviously good reason.
3.16 Player Participation Rules
More than anything else, even more than winning their games, kids care the most about
participation. Each player wants to feel like a real part of the team, and that he is getting a fair
amount of playing time in the team’s games. To make sure that happens, NSBC has playerparticipation rules clearly stated in the Operating Rules for each season. Parents should be aware
of those rules, and should monitor games to be sure their own players are getting in the games at
least as often as the Rules require. If not, please speak to an NSBC Board member, and we will
take the required steps to correct the situation.
3.17 Picture Day
Picture Day usually takes place about midway through the last half of the season. The Club
sends out a professional photographer to take a group photo of the entire team (with sponsor, if
present), plus shots of the individual players. Parents are given a sign-up sheet beforehand, so
they can purchase the individual photos of their choice. Coaches will be given the schedule for
their team’s photos at least two weeks before the event; it may consume some of your team’s
official practice time.
3.18 Female Players
It is possible, from time to time, that we may have one or more female players on an NSBC
team, especially T-Ball teams. When that happens, a special rule comes into play. NSBC
requires that an adult female then be present at every official practice and game. It is the team
manager’s responsibility to see that this rule is followed. The most obvious adult to ask to
perform this duty is the mother of that female player.
3.19 Player Conduct and Behavior
We expect all our baseball players to be well behaved when on the diamond with their coach.
They should pay close attention when the coach is teaching, and they should stay quiet when the
coach is speaking to any player, or the whole team. When the coach’s back is turned, players
should be going about their baseball activity, not getting involved in some kind of horseplay.
Boys will be boys, we know that; but baseball is best when the kids respect their coaches and
what they are trying to do.
Hopefully there will not be any conduct problems with any player on any team. But if we do
have such a problem, it should be taken care of by the PARENTS of that player, NOT by the
coaches. We tell our coaches that the most they should do is speak sternly to any kid who is
disrupting the team by something he is doing (throwing dirt on some other player, for example).
But if any kid is rather consistently causing some kind of trouble or disrupting games or
practices, coaches are asked to contact their parents as soon as possible. The NSBC Board will
also be informed, so if there is any recurrence, the Club officials know the full history. We
expect the parents of that particular kid to straighten him out. As a last resort, kids that refuse to
behave in a reasonable manner can be removed from their team and the Club, but that is a
decision that only the full NSBC Board of Directors is authorized to make - and we don’t want to
be forced to such an extreme solution.
3.20 Sponsor Appreciation
Area businesses support NSBC, and we appreciate their contributions to youth baseball. Your
team has probably been assigned to one specific sponsor, so try to show your team’s
appreciation. Your team will have extra funds for equipment just because of that sponsor. Every
sponsor gets a framed picture of the team they supported, and often they’ll hang that picture
where the public can see it. That’s good for community spirit, and good for NSBC’s future.
Please show your appreciation for the support your sponsor has given your child and his team support your sponsor’s business.
3.21 Rainy Days
If there is even the slightest doubt about the weather, then unless you get a call from your Team
Mother, you should bring your player to practice. Only right at the practice field can the team’s
manager decide whether or not to cancel the activity for that day.
For regular-season games, it’s even more serious. Only the Head Umpire can decide whether or
not a game will be played, and he can only make that decision on the field. So always come to
the field if there is even a tiny chance the game might be played. We all know that weather in
North Dakota can be dicey, with rain on one side of town but not another, for example. So better
safe than sorry - come to the field, and let the appropriate official make the decision, on the spot.
3.22 Web Site
The URL for NSBC’s web site is: http://www.NorthStarsBaseball.org There you will find
several documents of interest, as well as some of the latest news about Cal Ripken baseball.
We’ll do our best to keep it up to date and reliable.
4.0 The Roles Parents Can Play
Player parents play a big role in NSBC, an essential role. There are many jobs available for
parents on every successful team: team mother, coaching assistant, assistant umpire,
scorekeeper, refreshment coordinator, party organizer, team photographer, etc. None of these
jobs is particularly time- or energy-consuming, but they are all important to every team’s
success. Each of these jobs is described below.
If at all possible, parents should try to stay at the practice sessions, especially in the T-Ball and
Rookie divisions. There are many situations which can arise that need the attention of a parent;
for example, injury, player frustration, weather problems, conflict with another player, etc.
Often parents can organize and pool their efforts, so there is always at least a couple of parents
present at every practice.
Parents who stay and watch practice are in a better position to help their kids develop, too. By
watching the coach (and talking with him, too), you can see what he is teaching, and how he’s
doing it. That makes it a lot easier for you to reinforce that teaching in your own backyard.
Players who get that added help from their parents develop a lot faster than kids who don’t.
Parents can help with equipment, too. At a minimum, parents have to equip their players with a
decent glove. After that, there are the possibilities of bats, batting gloves and other optionals.
Appendix H at the end of this manual provides more information about equipment. And once
again, don’t forget that it is a PARENT RESPONSIBILITY to assure that male players wear an
athletic supporter, and catchers wear a protective cup.
You should expect your team’s manager to ask for several volunteers early in the season.
Following is the “job description” for each volunteer he is likely to need.
4.1 Assistant Coach
Every NSBC team normally team has at least two responsible adults - a manager who is also
head coach, and a coach who is also assistant manager. These two people have a big job to do,
not just in coaching and teaching baseball skills, but in handling the red-tape procedures that
cannot be avoided if NSBC is to operate efficiently and produce the best result for our kids.
They may also want some additional help on the practice field, and this an opportunity for other
parents to get involved. It’s also a good chance for a potentially-interested parent to try some
coaching, with an eye toward getting into it officially the following year. Give it some thought;
you’ll probably enjoy it more than you might expect, and it’s not hard to get started (even if you
don’t think you know much about baseball).
The manager’s challenge is to keep the kids as busy as possible during each practice session.
One way he does that is to divide the kids into groups. Some days he will want more groups
than he has coaches for, so he can use another assistant. That’s when you can be very helpful,
and maybe learn a coaching skill or two as well.
4.2 Team Mother
Every team needs a Team Mother. She will be responsible for keeping communication tight
between all the parents. When there are handouts to be made, the Team Mother will take care of
distributing them. And if she gets advance information about a schedule change, a rainout for
example, she will organize a telephone tree to get the word out as quickly as possible.
4.3 Assistant Umpire
The Club provides the Head Umpire for every official game. That umpire works behind the
plate, and has final responsibility for every ruling made on the field. Each team should also
provide a base umpire who will work under the direction of the Head Umpire. Usually, one base
ump covers first base, and the other works at second- and third-base. Game etiquette requires
that the base umpires coordinate their activities, and also trade positions about half-way through
each game.
4.4 Scorekeeper
This is a job that a lot of moms like to do, but dads also enjoy it. Each team should have a
scorekeeper at every game. The Club supplies the scorebooks. That scorebook is a resource for
the coach, and an official record for the Club. The scorekeepers of the two teams should always
sit together at each game, and the books should be compared at the end of each half-inning to
assure the scorebooks are kept in agreement with each other.
A Scorekeeper’s Clinic will be held every season before the official games start, to instruct new
scorekeepers on how the job is done.
4.5 Refreshments Organizer
Kids being kids, they all like a treat after a hot time on the old ball diamond. Your team’s
Refreshments Organizer can arrange to have a different parent bring a post-game refreshment for
the players after each game. Juice boxes, cookies, popsicles, etc., are the usual thing. After an
exceptionally stirring win, you might think about taking the whole gang down to Frosty's or
Sizzlin Sundaes for an ice-cream cone, if it’s a warm day and the parents like the idea.
4.6 Team Photographer
If you like to take photographs, this can be a great team job, especially if you have a digital
camera. You can take candid and action photos of all the players. Then, at any time, have a
party or get-together where everyone can go over the pictures, sharing impressions, laughs and
plans for next year. This can be a real spirit builder, and even help build The Team. At the very
least, these pictures can be a great addition to your team’s post-season party - The Team’s last
event together.
4.7 Party organizer
The kids usually like to have a post-season party to cap off their times together on the ball field.
That party needs an organizer, and the process will be different for each team.
If your team’s parents and players have enjoyed each other’s company, a picnic or barbecue can
be a great event, too. A parent-player game might even be part of the fun. You can have the
event on an off-day, or maybe right after one of your games. Also, if you have a team barbecue,
picnic or party, be sure to invite your sponsor.
4.8 Team Publicist
The kids love to see their names in print, so here’s a chance for someone on each team to make
that happen. What you do is write up a couple of paragraphs about each game, coordinate with
the corresponding person on the other team, and then get your combined notes to the Hazen Star
and Beulah Light. Keep it short, because there are other teams who want space in the paper, too.
A good publicist writes a very short summary of each game, and mentions specific players’
accomplishments. He/she makes sure that every kid gets some complimentary mention over the
course of the season.
4.9 Field Setup
The home team (as designated by the official Game Schedule) is responsible for setting up the
field for each game. It’s a big burden off the team manager’s back if some parent will take over
this job. It usually takes about ten minutes before each game. You might also be called on once
or twice each season to do some more extensive work on one field or another to keep it in good
shape for baseball.
4.10 Female Players
It is possible, from time to time, that we may have one or more girls on an NSBC team,
especially T-Ball teams. When that happens, a special rule comes into play. NSBC requires that
an adult female then be present at every official practice and game. It is the team manager’s
responsibility to see that this rule is followed. The most obvious adult to ask to perform this duty
is the mother of that female player
Parent's Manual
Appendix A
PARENT TIPS FOR PREVENTING
BASEBALL and SOFTBALL INJURIES
To help your child avoid injuries while playing baseball or softball, follow these safety tips:
• Before your child starts a training program or plays competitive baseball or softball, you
should consider taking him or her to a doctor for a physical exam. The doctor can help assess any
special injury risks your child may have.
• Male players must wear an appropriate athletic supporter. Catchers should wear a protective
cup. This is a parent responsibility - it is obviously impractical for non-family adults to
enforce compliance with this rule.
• Make sure first aid is available at all games and practices.
• Make sure your child wears all the required safety gear every time he or she plays or practices.
Insist that your child wear a helmet when batting or running the bases. Shoes with molded cleats
are recommended, but not required. NSBC rules prohibit use of metal spikes. If your child is a
catcher, he or she will need additional safety gear: appropriate glove or mitt, face mask and
helmet, throat protector, long-model chest protector, and shin guards. Insist on it. Wrist
protectors are optional.
• If your child will wear glasses at baseball, make sure they are safety glasses. (Remember
there is no shame in wearing glasses; many big-leaguers wear them all the time.)
• Insist that your child warm up and stretch before playing.
• If your child is a pitcher, make sure pitching time is limited. Young arms do tire, and tired
arms can get more easily injured.
• Teach your child not to play through pain. If your child gets injured, see your doctor. Follow
all the doctor's orders for recovery, and get the doctor's OK before your child returns to play.
• Talk to and watch your child’s coach. Coaches should enforce all the rules of the game,
encourage safe play, and understand the special injury risks that young players face. Make sure
your child's coach teaches players how to avoid injury, especially when sliding, pitching or
catching. And how to deal with a wild pitch when batting. Head-first sliding is prohibited in
NSBC’s Cal Ripken divisions.
• When you are present at practice or a game, help your coach keep an eye on the weather. Get
everyone off the field if nearby lightning seems even slightly possible.
• Above all, keep baseball and softball fun. Recognize that too much focus on winning can
make your child push too hard and risk injury.
• INSIST ON proper safety precautions at every practice and every game.
Appendix B
COACHING YOUTH BASEBALL
IS AN OPPORTUNITY
There are many good reasons for coaching a youth baseball team. For one, you will end up
having an awful lot of fun. If you’re not careful, you may find yourself addicted, making plans
for the next season even before the current season is over! Many of us who have spent a few
years coaching baseball have learned that the rewards of helping kids develop their skills, and
helping them learn the lessons that baseball can teach, go way beyond anything we expected
going in.
But for those of us with our own kids in the game, there is a much more important reason than
fun, both for you and for your family. What follows is an effort at describing what I mean.
As kids get older, the parent-child bond just naturally begins to loosen, and a distance begins to
develop between them and their parents. Communication between parent and child, which was
spontaneous and intimate in early childhood, slowly evolves into a more considered and careful
form as kids get to and through their teenage years. Kids gradually feel less inclined to share all
their thoughts with their parents, and parents often become less and less able to understand
what’s going on inside their kids’ heads.
In a very important way, this is a perfectly natural and healthy process - we want our children to
grow up independent and able to stand on their own. But left entirely to itself, this process can
also be a hazardous one, both for the kids involved and for their parents and families. When kids
make decisions (especially important ones) without parental guidance, too often they make poor
choices which work against them and those around them. So this maturation and distancing
process is one that caring parents need to be conscious of and manage carefully. A parent wants
to see the process develop in a normal and healthy way, but still maintain the strong bond and
communication that allows him to be sure his child’s judgment is developing in the best way.
The problem we have today is that in far too many cases the parent-child communication bond
starts breaking down way too early, and by the time kids are teenagers they are too much like
entirely independent people who just happen to live in the same household as their parents.
What’s causing this? I think it’s things like television and the internet. Time was, some decades
ago, when kids (outside of school and church) got almost all their information at home, from
their parents. Sure, there were always exceptions to this rule, but compared with the situation
today, parents generally found it fairly easy to keep track of what their kids were learning and
doing, and how their thoughts were developing. The only voices kids heard at home were those
of family members. There was no television. I think kids and parents talked a lot more together
than they do nowadays. And because they talked, they had more understanding between them.
Nowadays, kids get much of their information from television and the internet, far too much of it
of dubious value, and very little of it something that both parent and child are likely to find of
real, lasting, common interest. So the distance between parent and child slowly grows, and
communication gradually breaks down.
To fix this problem, there is nothing better than finding an activity that both parent and child can
develop an intense interest in. That’s where baseball can be a real help.
One of the best ways to keep the bond tight between you and your child, and keep the
communication channels open, is to share important experiences with him. Taking a close and
persistent interest in his schoolwork can help, and so can pursuing your religion together.
Sharing time together in common interests like hunting and fishing can be a big help, too. But in
the opinion of many who have “been there”, nothing beats shared competitive experience on the
athletic field. There is simply nothing that bonds parent and child together more than going into
“battle” together over and over on the baseball diamond.
Once exposed to the sport, boys often develop a close interest in baseball that intensifies each
year, sometimes starting as early as age 5 or 6, sometimes later than that. By the time many boys
are 12, their interest in baseball has become VERY important to them, especially if they have
gotten decent coaching along the way. (See the attached piece “Lessons in Baseball” to get an
idea of how an 11-year-old often thinks about baseball.) This tendency in boys provides their
parents with a great bonding opportunity.
If you go out there, and help them understand the game, help them learn their skills, help them
make the best choices during their games, help them celebrate success, and help them learn to
handle defeat, the result is like magic for your parent-child bond.
There is just nothing like sharing the competitive experience. Your boy sees and feels what a
help you can be in a difficult endeavor that is important to him, and that experience just naturally
carries over into the other parts of his life. When he needs to make important decisions, he’s
likely to remember that coach Dad is always there to talk it over, or to offer a suggestion or
reminder. And when he’s forced to make a decision entirely on his own, he’s much more likely
to think about what Dad might do in that situation. When your bond with your son is tight
you’re never completely out of his mind. Baseball builds that bonding. I know that’s true. I’ve
seen it, over and over.
Think about the payoff you will get later from tightening the connection with your child while he
is still young.
The truth is that your boy will still need you even after he is fully grown. If you think you
understand and believe that, then think how much more he needs you now. And you need him.
Lessons in Baseball
As an 11-year-old, I was addicted to baseball. I listened to baseball games on the radio. I
watched them on TV. The books I read were all about baseball. I took baseball cards to church
in hopes of trading with other baseball card junkies. My fantasies? All about baseball.
I played baseball whenever and wherever I could. I played organized or sandlot. I played catch
with my brother, with my father, my mother, with friends. If all else failed, I bounced a rubber
ball off the porch stairs, imagining all kinds of wonderful things happening to me and my team.
With this attitude, I entered the 1956 Little League season. I was a shortstop. Not good, not bad.
Just addicted. Gordon was not addicted. Nor was he good. He moved into our neighborhood
that year and signed up to play baseball. The kindest way to describe Gordon’s baseball skills is
to say that he didn’t have any. He couldn’t catch. He couldn’t hit. He couldn’t throw. He
couldn’t run. In fact, Gordon was afraid of the ball.
I was relieved when the final selections were made and Gordon was assigned to another team.
Everyone had to play at least half of each game, and I couldn’t see Gordon improving my team’s
chances in any way. Too bad for the other team.
After two weeks of practice, Gordon dropped out. My friends on his team laughed when they
told me how their coach directed two of the team’s better players to walk Gordon into the woods
and have a chat with him. “Get lost” was the message they delivered, and “get lost” was the
message that was heard. Gordon got lost.
That scenario violated my 11-year-old sense of justice, so I did what any indignant shortstop
would do. I tattled. I told my coach the whole story. I shared the episode in full detail, figuring
my coach would complain to the League office and have Gordon returned to his original team.
Justice and my team’s chances of winning would be served.
I was wrong. My coach decided that Gordon needed to be on a team that wanted him, a team that
treated him with respect, one that gave everyone a fair chance to contribute according to his own
ability. Gordon joined our team.
I wish I could say Gordon got the big hit in the big game with two outs in the last inning. It
didn’t happen. I don’t think Gordon even hit a foul ball the entire season. Baseballs hit in his
direction (right field) went over him, by him, through him or off him.
It wasn’t that Gordon didn’t get help. Our coach gave him extra batting practice and worked with
him on his fielding, all without much improvement. But I’m not sure if Gordon really learned
anything from my coach that year. I know I did. I learned to bunt without tipping off my
intention. I learned to tag up on a fly if there were less than two outs. I learned to make a
smoother pivot around second base on a double play.
I learned a lot from my coach that summer, but my most important lessons weren’t about
baseball. They were about character and integrity. I learned that everyone has worth, whether
they can hit .300 or .030. I learned that we all have value, whether we can stop the ball or have to
turn and chase it. I learned that doing what is right, fair and honorable is even more important
than winning or losing.
It felt good to be on that team that year. I’m grateful that man was my coach.
I was proud to be his shortstop. And his son.
By: Chick Moorman
Another Way
When I was growing up, I knew this kid. We spent a lot of time together playing sports,
especially football and baseball. Eventually, we played both sports in high school. He was a
pretty good player. Not real great, but not bad either.
There was something I noticed about him. During all the years we kids played those two sports,
his father never had anything to do with it. Almost never came out to see him play. In any year,
at any level. And it couldn’t have been because his son was hard to watch; he really was an OK
player. I guess his dad just had other interests, other pressures on his time.
The kid didn’t seem saddened or resentful about that, though. Like kids do with a lot of
circumstances when growing up, he just took it as part of life, and paid little attention. Never
seemed to think much about it, never spoke about it at all. He just developed his own friends and
interests and found his own way. Got most of his instruction from other adults, without his
father.
As far as sports were concerned, our high school coach sort of acted as his dad. Taught him,
guided him, got him set up with a future direction.
The day came when we graduated from high school. The kid took his diploma, shook the hand of
the principal, thanked our coach for opening an important door for him. Within a week he had
packed a bag and left his parents’ home, headed out on his own.
The kid, like most boys, loved his mother and went back home to visit with her from time to time
over the years. But not really so much to see his father. After all, they didn’t have much in
common anyway. No solid feeling of father/son connection. Very few hard-won or amusing
memories or shared experiences they could reminisce about. No real substance between them at
all.
A few years before he died, I was surprised one day to hear the kid’s father speak to me about his
inner thoughts. In a quiet voice, he let me know he regretted he had missed so much of his son’s
formative years and experiences. That he had come to understand how much he had lost from all
that. That his son was now so irretrievably separate from him.
Then a couple years later the father passed away. The kid, now an established adult with his own
children, went to the funeral. Said some words over his dad’s body. Watched respectfully until
the ceremony came to an end. Then turned, and walked away with his mother.
I believe I learned from that kid’s father. I’m trying to go another way.
Appendix C
WHAT KIND OF FUN DO KIDS WANT?
Kids will tell you the reason they play baseball is to have fun. But what do they mean by that?
Is it just to go out there, throw a ball around, hit a few balls as hard as possible and pass a couple
of carefree hours in a completely carefree activity with a glove and a bat? In my experience that
is not at all the kind of fun they enjoy the most, not even the youngest kids. And certainly that
kind of fun has little lasting value.
What I’ve seen is that the kind of fun kids enjoy the most is more complex than that. That kind
of fun involves the intangible rewards that derive from hard work and contribution to a team
effort. And it has enormous lasting value, value that endures way beyond baseball season. The
greatest job you can take on as a coach is to show them that hard work in practice pays off in
games, and to show each player how he can contribute to the team effort. When you do that, you
are teaching lessons that last way beyond baseball season, lessons that really do last a lifetime.
Somehow, especially as they get a little older, kids pick up on all that, and when the team effort
begins to produce results, that is when the kids REALLY begin to have fun. They feel it when it
happens, and carefree, frivolous fun is no longer enough. They have learned a lesson of crucial
importance - that earning a place on the team and doing their best to carry their own weight is a
sort of fun way beyond anything they have experienced before.
When you catch on to teaching this kind of fun, you will begin to watch for the time each season
when your kids come together into The Team. In my experience it’s usually not something that
happens gradually. It will happen maybe two or three games into a season. One day they are
still playing as a bunch of individuals, and the next day you suddenly see they have snapped
together into a unified group effort. It’s a bit hard to describe, but when it happens you should
recognize it.
And when it happens, you will see your kids having a kind of fun that is a big step above
frivolous fun, a kind of fun they want much more of, and that has great lasting value. It’s the
kind of fun that makes so worthwhile all those hours you have spent with them.
Appendix D
THE REWARDS OF TEAM SPORTS FOR KIDS
A good question is “why should kids get into team sports, anyway?” The answer you hear the
most is that athletic competition “builds character”. If by “character” it is meant that sports teach
the value of hard work that builds skill, and how to celebrate victory and handle defeat, that is all
true and fine. But beyond learning to have a new kind of constructive fun, I believe there are at
least two other good reasons with real tangible lasting value.
When a kid goes out on the athletic field each year from a very young age, competes to find his
place on the team each year, and works hard to have fun by contributing to the team effort, he is
unlikely to feel intimidated later by the competitive effort required of him as an adult in the
American workplace. He will have been doing that for years; the workplace is just another
game where he will work to find his place, contribute to the team, and make his job an enjoyable
experience. He has come prepared to work his way into a leadership position.
Contrast that with the kid whose parents let him opt out of athletic competition altogether. That
kid’s reaction to the competitive environment presented by the adult workplace is likely to be
much more passive and uncertain, much less positive, constructive and successful. He has too
many lessons to learn about becoming a contributing team player, and how to survive and
prosper in a complex game. Other things being equal, he will probably end up working for that
kid that spent ten or more years in competitive sports while growing up. And he is likely to
enjoy his job less than the former athlete.
Yes, you can find many exceptions to all this. But I don’t believe the exceptions deny the
principle.
A second tangible benefit that kids get from team sports is something called a positive selfimage.
You read a lot about that thing called self-esteem these days. Many professionals seem to agree
that the reason a lot of kids do poorly in school is because they lack self-esteem. They say a
vicious circle sets in where kids do poorly and so don’t feel good about themselves, which saps
their energy and enthusiasm. And that leads to more sub-par schoolwork, etc., etc.
The solutions offered have too often boiled down to simply lowering the bar, making it easier for
kids to qualify for higher grades - not by doing better work, but by having to do less to get that
better grade. There must be a better way.
I believe the real solution to the self-esteem problem revolves around enthusiasm. Get kids
involved in something, anything, that they have an interest in. Then show them how to do it
well, and let them experience a little resultant success. That gets the vicious circle turned around
so it’s working to the kid's advantage, and is building, rather than tearing down, his/her selfimage.
For boys, that’s where baseball can make a major contribution. There is nothing like some
success in a competitive activity for building self-confidence, and a can-do feeling. It’s not even
necessary to be one of the best players on your team, because kids have a great tendency to
remember (and relish) the good things they do on the ball diamond and forget, or laugh about,
the failures.
So I believe that for many, many boys baseball can be a real self-esteem builder if they are
getting decent instruction and coaching. That’s a real, tangible benefit from team sport, and I
can’t help believing that, properly handled, that positive baseball-derived self-image has some
real carryover value into other activities, including schoolwork.
At the very least, they have learned that hard work and persistence build skill, and that it’s skill
that produces positive results.
Maybe that’s what people really mean when they say team sports build “character”.
BASES LOADED
How my father's advice paid off in the game of life
by Jay Ratliff
"Know what you're going to do with the ball before you get it." As a kid playing baseball in
Carlisle, Ohio, just south of Dayton, I had heard my father repeat that phrase so many times I
actually thought he invented it. So, like any good teenage son, I ignored him and his stupid
advice.
One night, late in a championship playoff game, our junior high-school team was locked in a
scoreless tie against a great opponent. The crowd went into a frenzy when the opponent's speedy
lead-off batter ripped a triple in the bottom of the ninth inning. I paced nervously around my
position at first base.
As our pitcher tried to regain his composure, I happened to glance at my father in the stands.
The minute our eyes connected, he immediately began pointing at the side of his head.
What? Is he crazy? Now? I' supposed to stop and think about every possible thing that could
happen on the next play - now? There are ten different ways a runner can score from third with
less than two outs, but why consider them now? Any ground ball hit my way goes to first base
for the out, right?
No, wait. Then the runner would score. How 'bout I scoop up the ball and hold the track star at
third, protecting against the run? That won't work either. We desperately need that first out.
I was killing a billion brain cells trying to figure out the best options. I finally decided that if a
ground ball was hit to me, I could prevent the run from scoring by sprinting down the first-base
line toward home, tag the oncoming runner, and keep Road Runner at third.
I'll never forget the feeling I had when all of this raced through my mind as our pitcher went into
his windup. What a total waste of time, expending so much energy on something that had
virtually no chance of happening.
It took exactly one pitch for my father to become a genius.
Big swing. Slow roller. Right toward me. Crowd screaming.
I reacted without thinking. I sprinted down the line toward home, tagged out the oncoming
batter, and watched The Flash scurry back to third. Perfection.
As I flipped the ball back to our pitcher, I glanced again at my dad in the stands. His huge grin
told me that he knew his message had been received loud and clear.
A few years later, I began working in customer relations for a commuter airline that flew out of
Monroe, Louisiana. I was only 18, and worried if I was good enough for my job. But eventually
I figured out how I could apply what my father had taught me on the baseball field to what I was
doing at the airport.
It's all about anticipation. Canceled flights, rerouting passengers, medical emergencies, security
problems: All of this requires a certain what-if mentality. So just as I had done that night on the
baseball diamond, I approached my new job by covering all the bases.
My attention to detail didn't go unnoticed, and I was quickly promoted into management. It
normally takes 10 or 11 years to reach that level - and I was able to accomplish it in a third of the
time. Eventually I took an early retirement. For that, I can thank my dad.
Whenever I speak at professional training seminars, I enjoy retelling the play-by-play of my
favorite baseball story, and how my dad's "stupid" words made all the difference in my life. If
they could help my team win the championship - and yes, we held the other guys scoreless and
racked up 13 runs in the next inning - then they can help others too.
Appendix E
BASEBALL REFLECTS LIFE
Something I like about baseball is that it reflects real life. To begin with, baseball (like life) is a
complicated and complex game. You don’t learn to play it quickly. It takes practice, and it takes
experience. As they play and learn that complicated game, baseball will teach young kids some
valuable lessons that will apply throughout their lives.
One such lesson stems from the fact that baseball is all about overcoming failure. Baseball may
be the only team sport where they actually count (and publish) every error a player makes. And
no batter ever consistently gets himself on base more than a third of the times he goes to bat - the
other two-thirds of the time he fails. Even the best teams experience failure in many of their
games, and they stay on top only by learning to overcome those failures, correcting their
mistakes, paying attention to business, and pouring everything necessary into their efforts until
they have achieved the success they want.
That repetitive lesson in overcoming failure is wonderful training for young kids to get while
they are out there on the ball diamond, just thinking they are having some fun.
Another thing I like a lot about baseball for kids is that it is not always a fair game. That may
seem like a strange thing to say, but consider this:
Things happen frequently out on the baseball diamond that just don’t match any reasonable
person’s idea of fairness. Umpires make bad calls, the other team has better equipment, the
game gets called for darkness just as your team is catching up, your team has more weak players
than the other team, you have to play on a crummy diamond with too many ruts and it costs you
the game, your best pitcher is sick for an important game, etc, etc. Even if you look at the
official rule book, you will see it really does not specifically cover many situations that can and
do happen in games. It is left to the local officials to decide what to do, and often they make
“bad” decisions.
So how does this all come out a positive for the kids? Simply stated, it is because we are looking
for lasting value from youth sports, and if the game was always fair, it would never provide good
lessons for real life. As adults we quickly learn that life is not fair, that right from birth some
people get more lucky breaks than others. Better that lesson is learned earlier on the ball
diamond than later in the adult workplace. When a kid has learned to persevere through
misfortune, he has learned a great lesson with real lasting value. For better or for worse in
specific situations, baseball provides that lesson, and I appreciate the game’s ability to teach it.
Sure my blood pressure goes up when misfortune causes my kids to lose a game they deserved to
win, but I try to remember to tell them it’s a good lesson in real life. They don’t often like to
hear that kind of comment from the coach, but I think it’s the best way to get them a positive
return from a bad situation. At least they carry away a lesson of real value from an undeserved
loss.
And later I try to explain that the best way to handle misfortune is usually to ignore it and soldier
on through. And that hard work has a way of producing its own good luck.
Parent's Manual
Appendix F
EVERY KID IS DIFFERENT
When it comes to baseball, every kid really is different. For parent s and coaches, each one
teaches us lessons about how kids develop. Some of the most important lessons I think I have
learned are the following:

Never give up on any kid. Some start off very slowly, but end up as all-stars. Sometimes
it’s that kid who was all thumbs as an 8-year-old who gets you the winning hit in the
championship game as a Babe Ruth player. But only if he had the chance - because you
never led him to believe he couldn’t do it, or that you had no confidence in him.

Never discount the importance of their parent’s attitude. Parents who “manage” their
kid’s development in the best way often turn out a big winner where none was expected
by anyone.

Never expect that siblings will be carbon copies of each other. Most often it’s the
younger kids in a family who turn out to be the better athletes. But not always, and it’s
important to be alert for the exceptions. Most importantly, don’t force any kid into a mold
established by his older brother .... or any other mold for that matter.

Look for the kids that really love the game. Those are the kids that will probably stick
with it and develop skills that make them winners a few years down the road.

Too many kids with great God-given talent “burn out” before they’re out of high school,
or even before. They give up on the game, each for his own reason. Some because they
get bored and take the game for granted. Others because other kids suddenly catch fire
and take some attention off their superior talent. Still others because their coaches or
parents did not handle them wisely. So never just assume that a kid with great talent will
develop into a polished high-school player. If his career is not handled properly, he may
never get there.

Every kid has his strong points and weak points. As coaches, we should praise the strong
points, and concentrate on improving the weak points. Sometimes it can take an entire
season to correct a particular defect in a player’s game. Poor throwing, in my experience,
is an especially tough and time-consuming defect to overcome, usually because the poor
form the player exhibits has been engrained in his muscle memory since he started
playing. If you care about your players’ futures, be prepared to spend a lot of time and
patience correcting the weakest parts of their games. For school-boys, player
improvement is much more important than a coach's win/loss record.

Everyone who ever plays baseball eventually gets to that year when their abilities reach a
peak. That’s the year of no return; they will never again play as well as they did at that
peaking age. Tragically for a few players, the peak sometimes comes as early as age 12.
For most, not until they are much older. For nearly all professional players, the peak
comes in their 20’s or 30’s (and most of them will tell you they were NOT the best
players on their teams in many boyhood years). A prime duty of every coach should be to
make sure none of his players is allowed to peak while he is on that coach’s team. We
always want them to improve under our coaching, and be ready for even better
accomplishments under another coach in the following year. The best approach is to treat
every one of our players as though he is destined to someday play professional baseball,
and we are just one coach he will learn from along the way.
What follows are a few case histories of real kids I have known pretty well. To “protect the
innocent”, I have changed all the names, and one or two of the circumstances as well. But all
these stories are true, and each one bears an important lesson for us parents and coaches.
TALENTED TOM
Tommy was a real talent. In our recreational league, he never played at any level except the
highest, against the very most talented kids around. Starting when he was 8, we all saw what he
could do, and expected great things from him as he grew up. He was one of the most capable
youth hitters I have ever seen. Not really super quick with the bat, but deadly accurate with his
swing.
To make a long story short, we were not disappointed. Tom was the brightest star on almost
every team he played on, and did very well as a varsity player in high school. There really aren’t
any unusual or lesson-bearing stories to tell about Tom. He just played steady high-level baseball
every year, season after season.
Perhaps the most important thing to say about Tom’s youth baseball career is that it is an unusual
story. His talent was unusual, of course, but that’s not what I mean. The important unusual thing
is that his career was so steady and predictable.
In my experience, most kids don’t develop that way, even the ones with the most God-given
gifts. Somehow, the kids with the most obvious talent when very young, often seem to run into
bumps in the road as they get older. Some of them just burn out, or get bored, or develop an
interest in something else. That’s what was different about Tom. He never seemed to waver as he
got older. He was not a typical case of great talent, in my experience.
Tom never did it, but many talented kids do drop by the wayside for one reason or another. That
leaves openings for the late-bloomers and hard-working wanna-be’s that have hung in there,
practicing and waiting for their opportunity. A coach’s job (and a parent’s, too) is to help those
kids be ready when the opportunity comes, for whatever reason. The story of Eddy, below, is an
excellent example.
But first, let’s look at some other kids.
AMY THE SECOND-BORN
Most often, when there is a difference in the athletic abilities of siblings, it is the younger ones
who do the best. I think that’s because the little brothers and sisters get the benefit of playing so
many games with their older siblings when they are young. Their older brothers and sisters
unknowingly act as their first coaches. It can’t be just a coincidence that so often the best players
on any team are the younger kids from their families.
But there are exceptions, and there can be a hazard in the exception. The following true story
will illustrate.
Amy was the younger sister of Karen. Karen had blazed a tough trail to follow. She had always
been one of the strongest fast-pitch softball players in our league, and in high school she was not
only the #1 Varsity pitcher, but a straight-A student as well.
The tough part for Amy was that everyone seemed to expect her to be a carbon-copy of her overachieving older sister. It was very clear that her parents did, the high-school teachers and coaches
did, and so did many others in the community. The real tragedy was that Amy expected that of
herself as well. Or seemed to.
But Amy was not born with the gifts that her older sister had. She was a good softball player,
definitely above average. But not the dominant player her older sister was. That became pretty
clear to me even before she got to high-school age. Unfortunately, her dad had been an
accomplished baseball player, and was a close friend of the high-school softball coach. Those
two both kept a lot of pressure on Amy. Not just pressure to do exceedingly well in softball, but
to be at least everything her older sister had been at the same age.
I think Amy may have enjoyed all the special attention she got, for a time. But as the years wore
on, she began to crack under the pressure. By the time she was 12, I thought I saw her actually
losing touch with reality. She wanted so much to be what her older sister was, that she developed
a sort of imaginary world in her head where she really was everything Karen had been. And
more. It was not true, but she acted as though she believed it, and in a sense she really did. She
even boasted to her friends about her softball exploits, something that young girls just never do
in my experience. It was an appeal for her friends to reassuringly tell her how good she was, that
she was measuring high on the Karen scale. Whenever she failed at anything on the softball
diamond, especially as a pitcher, it was always someone else’s fault – there was always some
reason beyond her control. She was never on one of my teams, but I saw it happen, and it was
not pretty to watch.
When Amy got to high school, the coaches immediately put her on the JV team, as a freshman.
They just didn’t realize what she was, and was not. They were still expecting her to be the next
Karen. The result was that Amy failed on the JV team. She could not even find a starting spot on
the team. She sat on the bench – and that devastated her. It burst that false reality she had talked
herself into. She just could not believe the coaches were that “stupid”. By the time the season
was half over, Amy had quit the team. And there were the usual kinds of reasons. It was just not
her fault.
Amy next became an under-achiever in school. And then she seemed to start getting into one
kind of difficulty after another. She had become a completely different kid, a kid with no positive
sense of direction. At that point, it’s best to say I simply lost contact with Amy’s story.
I’m certain it all stemmed from the pressure she had grown up under. Pressure she got from too
many people around her, even her own parents. Pressure she didn’t deserve.
The moral of the story is pretty obvious. Every kid is different, including among siblings. And
every kid deserves the right to grow up in their own direction. As coaches and parents it is not
our job to force any kid into a mold that was made for another player. All we can and should do
is make the opportunities available, encourage effort, and praise accomplishment. But we must
never apply great pressure. I don’t believe it ever works anyway, and too often that pressure can
cause a lot of harm.
TAMMY THE TALENT
Tammy landed on my fast-pitch softball team when she was 12. She was a natural athlete –
quick, strong, and fast, and an excellent hitter, both for average and power. Fearless, with
wonderful soft hands when fielding the ball. And she was very, very smart and aggressive about
how she played the game.
Whenever she was on base (which was often), she drove the opposing pitcher and catcher to
distraction, because she was so skilled at stealing bases, even home. And a natural leader – the
other kids just rallied around her play, game after game. For a 12-year-old, Tammy was the
(almost) complete package, and later went on to become an outstanding high-school player.
But Tammy did have one downside. As strong as her throwing arm was, she could not throw a
ball where she wanted it to go. Except for that throwing defect, she was the obvious choice to
play shortstop on our team. But early on, she had developed a quirk in her throwing form that
seemed almost impossible to change. She turned her wrist on every throw, and was effectively
throwing an uncontrollable curveball to whatever her target happened to be.
So I had to play her at first base, to “hide” that throwing defect. Even though we saw what she
was doing, and showed her what she had to do to stop turning her wrist, she just could not stop.
Every throw went to a random destination. But we worked on it.
The story ended well, but it took the entire season to bring that about. Our team made the
playoffs that year, and then got to the regular-season championship game. But due to a family
commitment Sperry, our regular shortstop, could not play in that final game. I was forced to risk
moving Tammy to shortstop.
Happily, it all worked out OK. She had six opportunities at shortstop during the game, and made
a dead-straight throw to first base on every one. It had taken a whole season for her to find that
ability.
The lesson is clear - throwing is a very fundamental skill. Players will practice it every day on
the baseball diamond. They must not be allowed to develop and repeat bad throwing form over
and over, because it can ruin their game. And because it is very difficult to straighten out after
they have been using that bad form for a number of years. Coaches must pay attention, and take
the proper corrective actions as early as possible. It’s actually easier to straighten out bad hitting
than bad throwing.
EARLY-PEAK PEGGY
Peggy’s mother was a very nice person, and a big softball fan. Not particularly knowledgeable
about the game, but definitely an enthusiast. Peggy herself was a natural athlete. I watched her
play for several years, but never had her on one of my teams when she was very young. At every
age she was one of the bigger, stronger kids out there. She could always hit better than most, and
started pitching when she was 8. When she was 12, I drafted her for a high-level ASA
tournament team, expecting she would play first base, and make a big contribution with her bat (I
had other, even better pitchers). I expected her hitting would be a big factor in every one of our
games.
But right after I drafted Peggy, I got a call from her mother. Mom asked me to avoid “fiddling”
with her batting stroke. She explained that Peggy was going to a professional batting coach for
instruction twice a week (at $40 per lesson), and there was a fear I might confuse her with
“different” ideas. That was when I realized I should have been watching Peggy more closely
before I drafted her, rather than relying too much on my recollections of good things I had seen
her do as she was growing up.
At our first team practice, I saw what she was being taught by the “professional”. If he had been
a really good coach, I would have had no objection, because Peggy was a talent, and any kind of
well-informed extra instruction could only help her game. But this guy had his own homebrew
theory about how a ball should be hit, and to be kind, it was very non-standard. He taught what I
call an inside-out swing, a swing that had a right-handed hitter constantly hitting pop-ups, mostly
to the right side of the diamond. And now there was little I could do. Mom had asked, and I had
promised to keep hands-off.
As we traveled around the state playing tournaments that summer, Peggy seldom got a really
good hit. By watching the opposing pitchers, and knowing how Peggy would swing, I found I
could often predict to myself what Peggy would do when she went to bat. Mostly she came back
to the dugout. But once, when we were playing a rare morning game because we had slipped into
the loser’s bracket against some really tough teams, Peggy came up and hit a real opposite-field
blast – a huge line drive that went over the right-fielder’s head and rolled to a fence 275 feet
away, an inside-the-park homer. Mom’s reaction was that that proved how good that
“professional” coach was. Never mind that was perhaps the only big hit she got all summer. That
professional was a charismatic guy, and he had Mom’s number. He had her firmly convinced
that he had all the answers for hitting a softball.
The really sad part of the story is that Peggy never recovered from what she picked up from that
“professional”. Despite her great natural talent, and despite the fact that everyone in our coaching
community felt she was college-scholarship material, when Peggy got to high school she was
unable to make the Varsity or JV teams. She just couldn’t get her batting average over 0.200, and
if you can’t hit well enough, you don’t make the team. Peggy’s softball career had already
peaked out, and the ending began when she was 12, way too early for a kid of her natural talents.
All from well-intended, but poorly directed leadership from her Mom. And a “professional”
coach who taught the wrong stuff.
Peggy’s case shows that some very talented kids peak rather early, for one reason or another, and
never recover. I believe there’s always a reason for that, and too often it boils down to what kind
of coaching and instruction they were exposed to. And how their parents handle their talent.
CINDY THE HITTER
Cindy was not a truly natural athlete. She was not particularly quick in her movements, could not
run really fast, did not have a strong throwing arm, and hated to slide. But she had one great asset
— her Dad. I’ll call him Dave. Dave liked baseball, and wanted his daughter to succeed in fastpitch softball. He studied hitting from stem to stern, and taught Cindy, year after year, everything
he knew (which was plenty). They started when she was 7. They spent a lot of time together,
practicing in their back yard and down at the little park not far from where they lived. Their bond
was tight. At age 11, Cindy played for me, and was an average fast-pitch hitter. But Dave was
not done. They kept working on it. By the time Cindy was 14 she had developed very quick
hands and a batting stroke that is still among the smoothest and sweetest I have ever seen in a
teen-age softball player. And because she could hit, Cindy loved the game.
When she got to high-school age, Dave was still working with her. Cindy went off to Gaudet, a
large Catholic all-girls school in northern California.
Gaudet was and is a fast-pitch softball powerhouse. They draw some of the best players from
around the San Francisco Bay area, and contend for the North Coast championship almost every
year. Just making the Junior Varsity at Gaudet is a real accomplishment, to say nothing of the
Varsity.
Well, the Varsity and JV coaches were not greatly impressed with Cindy’s overall abilities. But
Dave was still busy, and when the coaches saw Cindy hit, they decided they had a place for her.
She got her uniform every year, first on the JV, and later on the Varsity. She spent a lot of time
on the bench, but in close games when coach needed a hit in the worst way, he could call on
Cindy - little miss reliable. I’m sure that Cindy, despite her lack of great athletic ability, felt like
a bona-fide member of every team she played on, simply because she contributed so much as a
hitter.
Eventually Cindy became a high-school senior. Still mostly a bench-warmer, but thanks to Dave,
a certified fearsome hitter. Gaudet made it to the North Coast championship game that year, and
in the fifth inning they were trailing by just a run, 3-2. They had two runners on when Coach
pointed to Cindy and sent her up to pinch-hit. On the first pitch she saw, Cindy drove a double
deep up the left-centerfield alley, scoring both runners. Gaudet held that lead, and a few minutes
later was North Coast champion once again.
That crucial winning hit was stroked by a player who was not a greatly gifted athlete, but had a
bigger gift — a father who had invested the time and energy that led to her success. The point, of
course, is that almost any parent can do something similar for their own child. Most of all, it just
requires determination and persistence, lots of persistence.
I’m a big believer that youth success on the athletic field helps build the self-esteem and
confidence which later leads directly to success in other fields. Cindy helps prove the point. She
graduated from the University of California, and is now a well-regarded young CPA in San
Francisco.
STEADY EDDY
Eddy was a great kid, the kind that a coach can really appreciate, and feel proud of. He was not a
great natural talent, but he really loved the game. And he worked hard to develop his skills.
Steadily, year after year. He was always eager to learn something new. He was the very best kind
of baseball wanna-be.
Eddy was on my team every year for eight seasons, starting when he was 9. To begin with, he
was one of many like himself. Just an average ball player, at least when he was really young.
But as I said, Eddy loved the game, perhaps more than any player I’ve ever coached. He always
arrived early for practices and games, and he seldom wasted a minute. He was always busy
playing catch or pepper with his teammates until I started formal drills. He was popular with his
teammates. In the beginning he was much like most of them, and he always seemed to keep the
others pumped up. He was a pretty fair hitter.
When he was 12, I needed a pitcher, and I started teaching Eddy. He caught on quickly, and I
was very pleased to see he practiced a lot, and was able to develop his control faster than most
kids do. He was soon throwing a lot of strikes, and so became my #1 pitcher. He was reliable,
even if not a great natural talent. He didn’t walk many batters.
But Eddy had no real fastball. He was not a big kid, didn’t have a lot of upper-body strength, and
just didn’t have that “90-mph fastball” that you’re either born with, or not. But Eddy threw
strikes, and while a youngster at least, that was good enough. We put a good defense behind him,
and only once finished a season lower than second-place.
Eddy had a good friend, a classmate of the same age, named Kerry. Kerry was a very big kid,
and a very talented pitcher that always played for other teams. Kerry did have the natural 90-mph
fastball, and pretty good control. Everyone expected that when Kerry was old enough, he would
be the high-school Varsity’s #1 pitcher, and they were right. Even though Kerry tended to
laziness, and seemed to take his natural talent for granted.
When they got to high school age, Kerry made the Varsity as a sophomore, and quickly
established himself as the #1 pitcher. The varsity coach loved that blazing fastball, even though
Kerry had never bothered to learn much about other pitches.
Eddy meanwhile, made the JV as a sophomore, and became their #1 pitcher, largely through his
determination and persistent practice. Better than most young pitchers, Eddy understood that his
job was to make batters produce outs. And that there’s more than one way to make that happen.
In addition to his “too slow” four-seam fastball, Eddy had learned how to take a little off it when
he wanted, and how to throw a genuine change-up as well. And he had developed a two-seam
fastball too – a pitch that moved in just a little on a batter’s hands, and was hard to hit on the
nose.
By studying hitters and mixing up those pitches in a sensible manner, Eddy, the kid with no real
fastball, won every game but one for the JV that year he was a sophomore. And at season’s end,
he was elected by his teammates as their Most Valuable Player.
No one seemed to pay much attention to that, though. Kerry, after all, was the Varsity pitcher,
the big name in town.
The coach promoted Eddy to the Varsity when he was a junior. But Eddy sat, while Kerry did all
the pitching in real games. And the team did well. Eddy wanted to be in there, but he knew Kerry
was the real talent, and he knew too that Coach loved that 90-mph fastball. Eddy would have to
wait, and hope for some possible opportunity. Eddy and I talked from time to time, and I knew
what was going on in his head. Eddy’s attitude was to be prepared, just in case Coach would call
on him sometime. He might get a chance to pitch, for example, if the team got way ahead in
some game. So he stayed loyal to his practicing.
Well, it happened. About a third of the way into the regular season, Kerry suddenly got
academically disqualified – he had let his grades slip, and he was not even allowed to dress for
the games. Coach had to use Eddy. I was away on an overseas business trip when it happened,
but I heard all about it two minutes after I got home. Eddy was the talk of the valley. He had
thrown three straight shutouts against varsity competition, and his fourth opportunity was
coming that very afternoon. I went down to the field to watch Eddy pitch against Livermore
High School, another team with a certified fireball pitcher. (That, by the way, is the high school
Randy Johnson of the New York Yankees came from.) Eddy didn’t know I was there, and he just
pitched the same way he always did, staying ahead of the batters, keeping them off-balance and
mostly on the defensive. He never walked anyone. He had a solid defense behind him, and Eddy
let them work. The Livermore batters hit his pitches, but never really squarely. He didn’t strike
out many, but got batters to hit cans of corn to the outfield, and grounders, dribblers and soft
liners back to the infield. Livermore only got one runner past second base. At the end, Eddy had
beaten Livermore’s fireballer 2-0, his fourth straight shut-out. Even Kerry had never done that.
I’ve still got the newspaper clippings.
By the following week, Kerry had gotten his grades back up and was allowed to rejoin the team.
But Eddy was still scheduled to pitch the next game, against California High School, another
tough team. After all, Eddy had not had a run scored against him during the time Kerry was
gone. Coach could not justify sitting him back down now. But in the third inning, with the game
still scoreless, Eddy made a mistake. The bases were clean, when one of his under-speed
fastballs got too much of the plate. The Cal High batter hit it over the left-field fence. That was
all Coach needed to justify bringing Kerry back as the pitcher. Eddy went to the bench.
Now you might think that Eddy would have been a little resentful or just plain angry about that
decision by his coach. There were certainly plenty of supportive comments from shocked
spectators when we saw him walk off the mound, removed from the game for just one little
mistake that wasn’t even game-threatening. But that was not Eddy’s style at all. I thought I even
saw a little smile on Eddy’s face as he walked to the dugout. He knew that Kerry was the better
talent, and that only Kerry had a shot at a college scholarship (and he did get one the following
year). Eddy himself, was a Kerry fan.
Eddy knew what he had accomplished, and he was satisfied. I think he knew he had made the
very most of what God had given him. And he knew too, that he had proven he was a real part of
the team, ready at any time to step back in there when needed. He had the great respect of all his
teammates, Kerry included.
In their senior year, Kerry still did almost all the pitching. Eddy played here and there, but still
spent a lot of time on the bench. But baseball had done a lot for Eddy; it had taught him
wonderful lessons. Lessons good for a lifetime. He had learned that persistent hard work on
something you really want, really does produce rewards.
And Eddy had proven himself, to himself. I know that’s true, because I saw what Eddy did when
he finished school and entered the great American workplace. But that’s another story.
Appendix G
SOME FACTS ABOUT BABE RUTH
NSBC is affiliated with the national baseball organization that is named for Babe Ruth, so it
might be good to tell your players a little about who he really was, and what he really did. As a
baseball idol his life reflects both good and bad examples for our young kids, and if they
understand both they might learn from both.
George Herman Ruth Jr. is considered by many to have been the single greatest all-round
baseball player who ever lived. A recent book, “Baseball’s 1000 Best Players”, by Derek
Gentile, says so. Same for many other books and lists. Gentile rates Ruth (pitcher and
outfielder) as number 1, followed by Willie Mays (outfielder), Ty Cobb (outfielder), Honus
Wagner (shortstop) and Walter Johnson (pitcher). Then come names like Mickey Mantle and
Ted Williams. The big home-run hitters we hear so much about these days are farther down the
list. Gentile rates Barry Bonds, perhaps the most feared hitter of all time, #19.
Babe Ruth was born February 6, 1895, at his grandparent’s home in Baltimore. He died of throat
cancer in 1948, two months after he was given a special celebration at Yankee Stadium to honor
his many accomplishments, and to recognize the fondness our nation had for him. More than
100,000 people came out to see his body lying in state at Yankee Stadium, and to line the
processional route to Gate of Heaven Cemetery. Tobacco killed Babe Ruth; he was only 53.
The Babe was born into a loosely-knit family. As he said himself, he was an unruly kid. His
father owned a water-front saloon, and sent young George off at the age of 7 to live at a Catholic
home for orphaned, wayward and incorrigible boys - St. Mary’s Industrial School, in Baltimore.
That became George’s home until he was 19. There were four times when he was taken back to
his parent’s home for brief periods, but in each episode family circumstances always sent him
back to St. Mary’s. His parents seldom, if ever, came to see him there. His mother died when he
was 13.
At St. Mary’s, George had the great good fortune to meet the man who, if anyone could be so
considered, would act as his father during his most formative years. Brother Matthias, Prefect of
Discipline at St. Mary’s, shaped both George’s character and his baseball skills. Ruth said in
later life that he learned to love and respect Brother Matthias and his ideals, and that he had no
idea what he could have ever amounted to, had it not been for the influence Brother Matthias had
had on him. Ruth even taught himself to walk in the same pigeon-toed manner of Brother
Matthias. (It reminds me of the way John Wayne said that when he was young, he tagged along
in Hollywood after the then-elderly Wyatt Earp, and taught himself to walk, move and talk like
Earp.) Babe Ruth said it was Brother Matthias that taught him right from wrong.
Brother Matthias was a physically big man, and evidently a rock of character and integrity. He
had taken vows, and dedicated his life to giving disadvantaged young boys a decent start in life.
Even when offered promotion to a more “comfortable” position within his Xaverian Order, he
declined, preferring to stay at St. Mary’s to work with the boys he knew there.
Babe Ruth said he would never forget the first time he saw Brother Matthias hit a baseball. He
stood out in front of home plate, tossed the ball up with his left hand, and hit it one-armed. He
would sometimes smack one over the fence that was a long, long distance away. And that
despite the fact that the baseballs in those days were soft, and “mushy” as the Babe later called
them (”especially after St. Mary’s got possession of them”). Little George paid attention when
Brother Matthias taught him how to swing the bat, and how to play the game of baseball.
Over the next several years, George played a lot of baseball at St. Mary’s, and along the way
Brother Matthias taught him how to pitch. He was a natural, and he said he felt “at home” on the
mound. He enjoyed throwing the ball past batters, despite having started out as a catcher.
In February of 1914, when Ruth had just turned 19, he was visited at St. Mary’s by the boss of
the Baltimore Orioles (then a minor-league team). He was surprised to be told he could leave the
school and play some baseball for the Orioles. And even more surprised when he was told he
would be paid for it. Young George started with a $600 per year contract. St. Marys’ barred
gate was opened, and George entered the adult world.
When he ran out onto the Orioles training field for the first time, George Herman Ruth was 6foot-2, and weighed 160 pounds. He was mainly a pitcher, and a good one. He had a blazing
fastball, and he had practiced. Most days, he could throw that fastball exactly where he wanted it
to go. At that time, the veteran players often referred to the new rookies as babies, and George
was no exception. They called him the manager’s newest “babe”, and that name stuck.
Babe Ruth didn’t stay in the minors long. The Orioles sold his contract (for $2900) to the
Boston Red Sox, after just a few months with Baltimore. He stayed with the Red Sox
organization almost six years, nearly the entire time as a pitcher, though toward the end he
started to play in the outfield as well. He found that he enjoyed hitting as much as anything, and
the Red Sox liked having him in the batting order as often as possible. So gradually, he moved
away from pitching every fourth day to becoming a part-time, then full-time, outfielder.
During his years on the mound for the Red Sox, Babe Ruth was one of the leading pitchers of his
day. He had many duels with the likes of Walter Johnson (the best pitcher he ever saw, Ruth
said) and Grover Cleveland Alexander. He pitched in two world series, and was the star pitcher
of the 1918 Series, winning two games. (He also started and won one game in the 1916 Series,
setting a pitching record that still stands today - the longest complete-game victory in World
Series history, 14 innings.) He won all three games he started as a World Series pitcher. In
those three starts, he gave up a total of just three runs. He set another World Series pitching
record in his last Series with the Red Sox, too, and it stood for nearly 40 years: 29 scoreless
World Series innings in a row. Not until Whitey Ford came along in the mid-1950’s was that
record broken (and then by a pitching specialist who never was much of a hitter). Ruth’s lifetime
postseason earned-run-average (ERA) was 0.87.
But despite his pitching and hitting for the Red Sox in 1918 and the years before, and the 29
home runs he hit for them in 1919 (an unheard-of number in that “dead ball” era), the owner was
rather desperately in need of money. So he sold Ruth to the New York Yankees in January of
1920, along with some others of his best players. Then as now, the Yankees were the richest
team in baseball, and simply bought what they wanted. They paid $100,000 (plus a $350,000
loan) for Babe Ruth. Then they gave the Babe a $10,000/year contract.
The infamous Black Sox scandal hurt baseball badly when it broke in 1920, but Babe Ruth was
just what the game needed to resurrect itself. The World Series of 1916 and 1918 had brought
him to the entire nation’s attention, but his hitting in 1919 and in the years after he joined the
Yankees quickly became legendary. The Black Sox were soon forgotten. Babe Ruth was 100%
legitimate, and boy could he play baseball.
As a Yankee after 1919, the Babe only pitched a handful of games. He had become an every-day
outfielder. But of those infrequent games he did pitch for the Yankees, he won every one, and
pitched the entire game every time but once. At the end of his full career, he had established a
lifetime ERA of 2.28, well up on the all-time list of most memorable pitchers.
Many of Babe Ruth’s hitting accomplishments with the Yankees are well known. 60 home runs
in 1927, and a total of 714 lifetime homers, just to name two. Records that were not broken for
many, many years. And then by players that specialized in hitting, never pitching even one
major-league game. There has never been another player that excelled so highly in both of the
most difficult and complex skills on the baseball diamond - hitting and pitching. Babe Ruth’s
lifetime slugging average was 0.869; still never closely approached by any major-league player,
in any era.
Ruth had an interesting personality and character. He was far from perfect. He loved to have a
good time, and seldom refused a good cigar and a bottle of beer. He liked most people, and
loved to party with his friends. Some of his bad decisions got him into a bit of trouble, many
times. Never with civil authorities (as far as I know), but often with the baseball establishment.
And he had a temper, too. Especially when he was young, he sometimes let that temper ruin his
judgment, and then apparently felt rather penitent about it later. There are many stories of
apologies he issued after one kind of misstep or another. Once, when he was pitching for the
Red Sox, he even slugged a plate umpire who had “blindly” awarded a walk to a batter Ruth was
certain he had struck out. He was a perfect subject for newspaper articles, and the reporters
made the most of the near-constant opportunities.
One of his most remarkable traits was that he really loved kids, even though he had no natural
children of his own (just one adopted daughter). Many, many times he went out of his way to
visit kids who were sick at home or hospital, or to do other things that showed kids were a big
part of what he thought was truly important in life. Near the very end of his days, when he was
weak with cancer, he was visited by one of those kids he had helped. He said, “Isn’t it
something; I went to see Johnny when he was sick and thought I could cheer him up, and now
he’s here with me, right when I need him most”. That was John Sylvester, who had recovered
from a crippling childhood disorder, and was by then a Navy veteran of World War II, and a
successful businessman.
And Babe Ruth never forgot St. Mary’s Industrial School. Or Brother Matthias either. He made
a top salary of $80,000 at the peak of his career, and he shared it. He remembered the kids at St.
Mary’s, and sent money there every year after he got “in the chips”. He even bought Brother
Matthias a brand-new Cadillac, and when it was smashed in an accident, Babe Ruth bought him
another.
As youth coaches, we can all hope to have a kid on our team that someday becomes another
Babe Ruth. The nation could use one. And though none of us might have the skills and
influence of a Brother Matthias, I suspect we all like Cadillacs.
Appendix H
LAST YEAR’S SPONSORS
Following is a list of the Hazen businesses that supported NSBC last year. Hopefully, there will
be even more this year. When you have a choice, patronize our sponsors - they deserve your
business. And make sure you say hello when you visit them. NSBC thanks all those who
sponsored our 2004 teams. Support like yours makes NSBC function best for our kids.
Coteau Properties
Dakota Gasification Inc.
EdwardW. Grunett
Eyecare Professionals
Midcontinent Communications
Mirror Images
Nancy’s Hot Stuff Pizza
Napa Auto Parts
Frosty’s
Hazen Motor Company
Hazen Motor Farm Equipment
Hazen Star
Hiway Express
Jahraus Dental Clinic
Krause Super Value
Maas Electric Inc.
MDU
Mel Roth Oil Company
Power Busing
RDO Equipment company
Richardson, Lange & Donovan
Seibel Funeral Home
Sue’s Café
Today’s Woodworking
TRJ Enterprises Inc.
Union State Bank
West River Telecommunication
Western Steel Builders
Appendix I
TIPS ON GLOVES, BATS, BALLS, ETC.
This appendix provides some advice on how parents can best equip their kids to play good
baseball. At minimum, a parent has to provide their youngster with a decent glove. After that,
everything is somewhat optional, and the sky’s the limit. Many kids will want their very own
bat, and some will want batting gloves. Following is some information that may help in making
the best choices.
I.1 Baseball Gloves
Gloves should be pretty big, and well broken-in (see below for break-in procedure). For an
average 6-year-old, a glove with overall length of something like 10 inches is about right,
measured across the palm from web-tip to the extreme opposite corner of the glove’s heel. This
glove might seem a bit large for them, but they will learn to handle it soon enough, and it will
allow them to make catches they would not otherwise make. That builds confidence and
enthusiasm. They won’t need another glove until they are about 11 or 12, when they will switch
to a glove about 2 inches bigger, and that will last them until they are out of high school. So it’s
just two gloves for an school-boy’s entire baseball career. A well-used glove of the right size
(but still in good condition) is very often the best choice.
Note that most players are best off with a glove that has an “open” web. That provides more
overall flexibility in the glove. Pitchers, however, should prefer a “closed” web. That allows
them to better conceal the ball, and their grip on it, from the batters. For very young players, an
open web is always best, but for pitchers about 11 years old and up, the closed web starts to
become more important.
New gloves are usually too stiff. Here’s a way to soften one up, and form a good pocket:
Allow 5 to 14 days for the entire process, depending on the weather.
1. Immerse the entire glove in a bucket of warm to hot water for no more than a minute (60
seconds). This will soften and seal the leather, leaving the padding inside as dry as possible.
2. After removing the glove from the water, squeeze out as much excess water as possible.
3. Now work the glove to limber and shape it. Do the following:
A. Push the tops of the fingers down and toward the pocket to create a basket shape.
B. Work the little finger so that it turns out, away from the pocket.
C. Smooth all wrinkles out of the pocket.
D. Form the flex line of the glove along an axis away from the center line of the web to
the hinge point of the heal under the little finger.
E. For 10 to 15 minutes, snap (quick, short throws) a 9" hardball into the glove to form a
pocket while working the closing action along the axis described above. The pocket
should be centered at the intersection of the bottom of the web and the
body
of the glove.
DO NOT form the pocket in the palm of the glove.
4. Place the ball in the newly-formed pocket, fold along the axis described above,
making certain the little finger is laid open and DOES NOT wrap around the ball. Don’t wrap
string or laces around the glove.
5. Prop the glove and ball in a “seated” position. Place in a warm location of your home, or in
the trunk of your car in summer. Avoid direct heat and sunlight.
6. Check the glove daily. Repeat steps 3 - 5 until the glove is at least 90% dry. When the
glove is almost completely dry, lubricate thoroughly inside and out with Rawlings Glove
Softener; or equivalent. Follow label directions.
7. Avoid use of Neetsfoot oil - it slowly rots the leather. Use the more modern softeners.
8. Glove is now ready to use. Lubricate it again in two weeks, and after the season ends
(before putting it in storage for next season).
9. Questions? Talk to Bob Nelson.
I.2 Bats
Bats should be short and light. For the smallest kids out there, a lightweight 25-inch bat is about
right. The biggest 7-year-olds can effectively swing, at most, a 28-inch bat. Older kids can
handle a bigger bat, maybe up to a 30-incher for the oldest kids. Perhaps even a 31, for a really
big 12-year-old. But be careful - parents tend to buy gloves that are too small and bats that are
too big. Longer bats get dragged, rather than swung, through the strike zone. We’re looking for
bat speed, so long bats are usually a liability. It’s probably OK to give your boy a bat that’s an
inch too long, if he understands he will have to choke up on it for at least a year. The lightest
aluminum bats are generally better quality, but cost more. It is also very good to have a wooden
bat available for practice, leaving the aluminum bat for use only in games (see Section 5.2 on
hitting).
Young kids have a tendency to believe that long, heavy bats are the most effective, but the
opposite is closer to the real truth. Bat speed is the most important parameter, and too much
length (especially) or weight slows down the bat. It’s better to err on the side of shortness or
lightness than to go wrong the other way.
RULE OF THUMB: A bat that is too long is a bigger liability than one that is too heavy. In
other words, batters are more sensitive to length than weight. So if you can’t find just the right
bat, go for one that is a bit too heavy, rather than one that is clearly too long.
For nearly all kids, it can be very effective for them to do their practicing with a wooden bat, and
play their games with an aluminum bat. The wooden bat teaches them to use a short, compact
swing, and that gets more and more valuable as they progress to the more advanced levels of
baseball. Young kids can start out with a wooden bat - these are less costly and parents can
delay buying an aluminum bat until their young players have at least one or two year’s
experience behind them. Just be sure to discard that wood bat if it gets cracked or broken; it
constitutes a safety hazard at that point.
I.3 Batting Gloves
For the very youngest players, batting gloves are usually a luxury, not a necessity. If the family
budget permits, there is certainly no harm in a parent providing them. But until a player gets to
be eight or nine years old, they’re not desperately needed.
When a player begins practicing with a wooden bat, however, things can change. He will
develop better hitting skills with a wood bat than with an aluminum bat, but wood bats can sting
the hands. The sting is due to vibration of the bat when it hits the ball. If a player begins to
complain about using a wooden bat, it’s usually the sting that he is objecting to. Batting gloves
can help solve that problem.
Because gloves make it easier to get a secure-feeling grip on the bat, they are also an aid in
teaching that the grip should be rather loose, not vice-tight on the bat handle. So for the very
youngest players, batting gloves are not particularly necessary. But when your young players
start to get serious about learning to hit well, and especially when they begin to concentrate on
batting practice with a wood bat, batting gloves begin to make a lot of sense.
I.4 Balls
A lot of the practice at home can be done with a safety ball. That will minimize the chance of
injury, and also the chance of the legendary broken windows. One safety ball is the patented
“Incrediball”, but there are others that are nearly identical.
Another good choice for practice is the “wiffle ball” - both the standard 9” size, and golf-ball
size. They’re cheap, and rarely cause damage of any kind. On bad-weather days, you can even
use them in the garage to sharpen hand-eye coordination. Boys can hit them off walls without
hurting much of anything, and it really can boost their hitting skills.
There is a relatively new ball for T-Ball players, called the “Joost Ball”. At five dollars each,
they are not cheap. I don’t have any experience with them yet, but they are said to delight the
very young players, because they go so much farther when hit. You might want to get one, and
see how it works out.
I.5 Sliding Pads
Sliding into a base can be hard on a player’s hide. The skin on the hips and upper legs can get
badly abraded and bloody on a rough field. An energetic slide can actually put a player out of
commission for a week or two, just because his skin is so badly bruised and abraded. Sliding
pads can be a big help. They can be purchased at a sporting-goods store, but good ones can be
made at home as well. If you go for the home-made variety, use heavy canvas or perhaps
lightweight leather. Velcro strips will hold them in place very well.
I.6 Marking Your Equipment
Because kids have a tendency to be absent-minded from time to time, it’s a good idea to mark all
your young player’s equipment with his name and phone number. A wood-burning pencil is a
good device for marking gloves and wood bats. If you don’t have one, check with Bob Nelson.
Aluminum bats can be marked by wrapping a distinctively-colored tape around the lower handle
(right next to the knob), so they can at least be easily spotted from some distance away. You
might also find an indelible pencil you can use to write name and phone number on them. All
these marks should be checked occasionally, because they usually rub off over a period of time.
I.7 Suppliers
Scheel’s may not be the best place to buy equipment. The choice is rather limited, and prices
seem somewhat on the high side. Use their store to get acquainted with equipment
characteristics, then check out the internet for better prices. Or if you’ll be in a really big
population center before the season starts, check out the big sporting-goods stores there. If there
are at least two big competitors in that city, prices may be quite a lot more attractive. There’s a
lot of witchcraft in the marketing of bats and gloves for baseball.