The Joys of Fatherhood...

[ecto1]

OK so my son is starting T-Ball this year and I was asked to coach the team.  Well more like told if we don't find a coach the team will have to be split up among the other teams.  So I volunteered so to say and we have our first practice tomorrow.  I would be lying if i did not say I was excited to say the least but boy between looking for a sponser, contacting all the parents, picking up equipment, this is gonna turn into a full time job.  The good news is I get to follow in my fathers footsteps since he coached me in T-ball some 25 years ago.  So we may be light on the Q-view for the next six weeks but I am sure I am gonna sneak in a smoke here and there. 

 

[squirrel]

How exciting! Congrats to ya and I'm sure you'll do just fine. Take lots of pics. Maybe you can get all the parents involved in a team picnic so you can do some que! Good luck!

 

[bmudd14474]

Thats awesome. congrats

 

[fpnmf]

Both of my boys played baseball from T-ball up to senior leagues in high school.

Did my share of helping. Had fun except the cold spring night practices.

Lots of very happy memories.

 Have fun!!

    Craig

 

[miamirick]

hey listen,  i was head coach for  my son in football, soccer and baseball from age 4 thru when he started high school,   we had a lot of happy fun times together and a lot of great memories,  give it your all and enjoy every moment while you can,  next thing you know he'll be getting ready to go to college

 

[pit 4 brains]

Get the other parents involved!!

Moms are good at scheduling and contacting eachother. Use social media to your advantage. Create a facebook page for the team so everyone can share their off-field lives while staying involved with the team. Get a few other dads to help out and assign one as an equipment manager. Don't try to do it yourself or you will find yourself trying to please everyone and nobody will like it.. Good luck with the teeball..

 

[ecto1]

thanks for all the advice all the parents have been great so far I think this is going to be one of those life experience I cherish forever. 

 

[bamaboy]

Awesome,love it...Have fun

 

[SmokinAl]

Excellent, enjoy them while you can!

 

[plj]

this is gonna turn into a full time job

ahh, so they didnt tell you that you're responsible for the field yet?  Cutting the grass, fixing the fence, replacing infield dirt, repairing the scoreboard...  :)  And for fund raising? And for enlisting umpires? And ...

IMO, the coaches job is to make sure that all the boys on your team love baseball for the rest of their lives; not simply to win games!  Make it fun! Its easy with tball, but by the time the boys are 10 years old I see most coaches playing only the best players - half the kids sit on the bench most of the game. (In recreational little league baseball!) And then wonder why they dont come back next year. Sheesh.

Get a big pile of hats and give one to every parent who will be an assistant; which simply means they will help if and when they can. Ask them to volunteer to help with all the other stuff so you can focus your time on teaching baseball.

Bring your ugly drum to practice and make hot dogs in center field, the kids will love it. "Score a run, have a hot dog!"

Do NOT have 15 kids standing in the outfield doing nothing while 1 kid takes batting practice! BOREing.

sorry for the brief rant.

And thanks for volunteering :)

 

[fishwrestler]

Great job stepping up. My  boy started T-ball yesterday and I was trying to get him to wear his cup, his response. "I'm not playing t-ball if I have to wear that cap on my nuggets". We talked through it and he had a great time at his first practice

Robert

 

[cycletrash]

why can't you smoke while you practice???? the little meat eaters might practice harder if you are rewarding them !! LOL

 

[eman]

The big thing is to make sure that ALL the kids have fun! If it's not fun it's not something that they will look forward to each week.

 And if it's still like it was when i threw my coachs whistle in the garbage. You will have MUCH more problems from the parents than you will the kids.

Some parents want the team to win no matter what ,some want to know why thier little angel  who can't throw or hit isn't starting every game.

 After i started getting burnt out , i changed my ways.

 I set the rules before the season and every PARENT signed them.

If your child can't make practice this week then sat he or she sits the bench. (This was for the parents who thought their superstar didnt need to practice.)

Every child that practices during the week Will play in the game no matter how good or bad they are. ( they have to learn.)

 Wins and loses do not mean anything to me , I am here to teach your child sportsmanship and the fundementals of baseball. If you don't like my rules or think you can do better ,PLEASE STEP UP AND I'LL GLADLY LET YOU DO IT.

 I didn't see anyone step up and it went good for a couple of years till i got a new group and had the sports dads and moms that didn't like my philosophy and thought they could do better and i let them have it .

  I got a call from the league the next year asking me to come back but i declined.

 Sorry for the rant and i hope times have changed . But i doubt it.