As I drive around the South Bay, signs for Little League registration and opening day (February 25, 2023) take me back to one of the more memorable times of my life as a parent. Spending time with my family, bonding with friends, and establishing the cornerstone for lifelong relationships is what I recollect.
Little League was a family affair. My two sons played; my daughter took part in fall ball. She did great as a player and when she was not playing, she enjoyed coming to her brothers’ games. My children have aged but we carry the positive
memories that are rekindled during the start of each season.
I strongly recommend registering your child in Little League and becoming a volunteer. I say this after having coached my children in both soccer and baseball and after having served on boards for both AYSO and Little League.
In my youth, soccer was my sport, and I still play weekly. I prefer a ball that is always moving. Baseball though, Little League Baseball in particular, I never thought would have created so many great memories. If you like a ball that is always moving and think that baseball may be right, give it a chance. It is a fun sport at the Little League level and can be about everything except the game.
For those who do not know much about Little League, the kids are injected into a very social environment for four-six days a week for four months. During this time, they learn to interact, handle pressure, and work hard. Games are twice a week. They play one game on a weekday and one on Saturday. They have one batting cage session and one field practice weekly. The consistent environment grows new friendships and builds upon those that exist away from the field.
As far as in-season managing is concerned, we are dealing with volunteers with day jobs. Managers develop a team but do not have enough time to develop each player. Parents who recognize this early, volunteer. They also seek out extra baseball opportunities for their child to help them achieve what he/she can achieve. It is not uncommon to see an underperforming 9-year-old become a feared All-Star by the time they reach 12.
Unique about baseball – all players can thrive in some capacity in Little League. While not every player can excel at every position, there usually is a position for every player. Technical demands for each position can be met through repetition and by attending camps, taking private lessons, and playing summer and fall ball.
Opportunities for repetition are fun. As a manager, to confirm this, sit down for five minutes and watch one of “Dan Spring’s camps” videos. I felt a sense of inadequacy every time I saw kids focusing while laughing and smiling at the “Dan Spring’s camps” video. When you watch one of his camps, you quickly learn why kids love the sport. You also learn that the more a coach can re-create a fun and positive environment, the better the odds are the kids perform their best.
Despite fond memories, involvement was not all fun and games; Little League is a microcosm of American democracy and as such is not free of politics. Be aware. Fortunately, many roles make the season run smoothly, and by volunteering for these roles, those who make a positive impact are rewarded tenfold.
Kids have fun, but baseball can be unforgiving. Through baseball, they learn to cope with failure and failure is a part of the sport, thus a column for errors in the scorebook to account for failures. If a ballplayer fails as much as two-thirds the time at the plate, they have a Hall of Fame career.
Little League has a developmental league and a competitive league that helps delay the effects of failure. The developmental league is generally for players between four and six. By age seven, kids can join a competitive team where there is a draft to determine teams. This is very different from AYSO where coordinators form the younger teams.
Once the team is drafted, real challenges begin. In soccer, the parents sit in beach chairs on grass fields. They watch a moving ball for about an hour before heading off to their Saturday fun day. In baseball, parents simmer on hard wooden benches for two hours twice a week. For some, it can be like watching paint dry. Managing a little league team can be a handful. For sure, as a parent, you want to avoid injecting yourself into the drama that is everywhere. Supporting the coaching staff is not a bad idea so that the coaches can apply their focus to herding cats while dealing with the umpires who never get the call right.
As a former board member, we had to deal
with a lot of unhappy parents, and looking back, many were not volunteers. It was the volunteers who made everything happen in Little League. Anyone who spends time in the field can see that the more people involved, the more they take from the whole experience.
While I am no longer active in Little League, it brought to my family lifelong friends and support for my businesses as well. For others seeking to enjoy the whole experience, there is no formula. However, through volunteering, seeking out repetition for the players, and avoiding drama, you can create a strong foundation forgreat times and memories that last a lifetime.
