God help the children: I'm coaching T-ball this year...

Precisely.

 

We always had water balloon fights after a couple of practices. The kids loved that.

Dirk's right, it's amazing how competitive the kids get. In Huggy Jr.'s first year, he couldn't do much more than field grounders but his best buddy on the team could catch and that drove him crazy. So we practiced every chance we got because he wanted to catch as well as his buddy. And he does. After games and practices they would stand in the outfield and see who could throw it farther or who could get around the bases the fastest.

I found hitting to be the toughest thing to teach because the kids tend to get fidgety at the tee and foget where to put their feet or to keep their head still. They can get some bad habits if other kids on the team can bomb it.

 

When your son strikes out, you're channeling Walter Matthau, right? As in ... "I have no son."

 

Got an assistant coach lined up this morning -- one of the kid's dads is a fireman, and the firehouse is right next to the field. So even when he's working, he's going to be there.

Unless something's burning.

 

Here's my semi-solicited advice:

Send a letter to the parents right at the beginning of the season explaining who you are, your goals for the year, and how to contact you. That tends to clear up a lot of potential problems right away. Also, even if (especially if) the league provides you with everybody's email address, ask parents how often they check it. That way, if you want to send general notes out during the course of the season by email, you can alert irregular email checkers to look for notes from you.

Also, explain to your child that you love him and all, but that you're responsible for everybody and can't always play him where he wants or whatever. That doesn't have to be a Big, Important Speech, but I always remind my kids when I'm coaching them that during that time, I'm more coach than dad.

And, it wouldn't hurt to pick up a book at the library or elsewhere about coaching baseball for that age group. It's a handy reference to have around.

 

Few years back me, my SE and our other writer coached an 11-and 12-year-olds' team in our local association's minor league division. It was a blast. We had a couple of decent players who were not quite good enough to play in the main league, a couple more who weren't good athletes at all, and one that was a total freak. One time, talked about wanting to melt Avril Lavigne's face in lava.
It was a four-team league, and we ended up winning the thing. We had a big, husky pitcher who could throw in the 50s (not bad for that league), but didn't have great control. So he starts zipping fastballs up there and kids are bailing out. He hit a kid one time, and the batter started crying. During the championship game, we got a lead late and the other team got a couple runners on. There was a time limit, so my SE (he was the head coach) walks out to the mound to stall for time. He tells the pitcher to throw a few balls, maybe walk the next guy to buy a few minutes. Of course, the next pitch almost lands in the press box.

All in all, the whole season was a hoot. Some of those kids are getting to high school now, and we'll see them around a little more. They still mention it and say it was one of the most fun times they've had. That means a lot.

 

If your league has a preseason coaches' meeting, go. It's a good way to familiarize yourself with the rules and touch base with the guy who runs your age group at the league level.

Know the rules and make sure your parents know them too so they aren't acting like idiots during the game. Always keep a copy of the rules handy for easy refernence during a game. Our league had parent umps and a lot of times opposing coaches didn't know the rules. Having someone who can keep the kids on the bench and make sure they bat in the right order is very helpful too.

 

Dude, that's an awesome piece of advice -- especially if it's your shop.

 

It's T-Ball, so make sure to include a winning pitcher when calling in those results (I've taken a few of these)

 

Teach the kids how to keep score.

 

OK... season ended yesterday. I had the time of my life with those kids.

A little background: League is made up of 4-6 year olds; most teams only had 1-2 of the 4-year-olds. I had 6 out of the 11 kids on my team as 4-year-olds. Most of the kids never had set foot on a baseball team before, and the ones who had didn't quite have a grasp of the concepts.

We went from walking around the bases together at the start of the season to working on HOW TO COME INTO EACH BASE TO MAKE A TURN by the end. I was thrilled with the kids and their progress. The league was one of those where they give you 3 balls out of the pitching machine, then you get to hit off the tee if you don't hit off the machine. First game, one kid got a hit of the machine.

Last game? 8 of 11 hit off the machine (32 mph from 30 feet), including a tiny 4-year-old girl who was so stunned by making contact that she forgot to run.

I got hit in the shin with a bat at least 6 times and spent more of my own money on Capri Suns and popsicles than I care to know. In the end, we were eliminated from a league tournament by a team that had 8 6-year-olds on the team and a middle infielder who -- I shit you not -- had better range than the second baseman on my high school team. We lost 10-9.

I took Bob Cook's advice and sent home a letter at the start of the season explaining how the league worked, what the league rules were, and my expectations -- everyone pitches in with the concession stand duties, I need a bench coach every game, we're here to learn, etc.

Not a single problem all year from a parent or a player.

We handed out trophies after the last game and went for ice cream at McDonald's. Two of the kids' moms made me a scrapbook with pictures of all the kids and their names. I got hugs from all the players.

Part of me wants to coach again next year. The other part of me worries if it's all downhill from here.