Thoughts on my first year being a softball dad

My seven-year-old daughter wrapped up her first season of real competitive sports by playing in a coachpitch softball league. They went 3-4-1 and I had a helluva time watching her play.

Some random observations and thoughts:

1. Being the reporter that I am, my daughter went 7 for 15 this year  : . In games they won (she missed one game they won), she was 0-5. In games lost/tied, 7 for 10.

2. It's amazing how much I cheered for her teammates. Last night in the second game of a doubleheader, they had scored the maximum six runs in one inning, and the girls were hitting the ball really well. It didn't matter to me that my daughter struck out for the first out. It was so damn cool seeing them whup up on another team (their other two wins were close games) rather than getting whupped like they did in the first game.

3. There were six teams in the league. The top three teams took it sooooo stinkin' seriously. One team had coaches who got pissed if one of their players struck out, and one of the coaches was like a Soviet hockey coach. Then another team had coaches who went apeshit every time one of their players hit the ball. They beat my daughter's team 16-0, and in their last at bat, they were still getting as many bases as they could rather than playing station-to-station ball.

4. So many of the parents on my daughter's team bothered me. If I said anything negative, it was a whisper to my wife. Some parents just kill me the way they always yell at their kids to "go get the ball!" Um, it was hit to the third baseman not the pitcher, so shut up! Then another parent confronted the coach during last night's game because it started to rain lightly, and she demanded the coach take the players off the field ... in front of the team ... while using a couple of swear words. It got to the point where I isolated myself in the bleachers to watch the games because so many parents pissed me off.

5. Nothing is better than seeing your kids succeed in sports. And my girl is still too young to care too much about failure, which is good. We're all looking forward to next summer already. Until then, swimming lessons, cheerleading and gymnastics take over.

 

Keep being one of the good dads, creole.

Remember the treats when it's your turn, work your shift in the concession stand, and tell the other parents to STFU and let the coach coach.

And don't forget to tell the coach thanks once in a while. It does wonders.

Sincerely,

A semi-bitter youth coach.

 

Thanks zeke. Luckily, the coach is someone I knew because he's a high school track coach, but he was awesome. Thanked him and we already decided so long as he coaches next year, my girl will play for him.

And don't get me started on snacks! Our one friggin' night to bring them, and some other parent thought "They would surprise the team." Luckily, there was enough hungry kids and siblings to get rid of our snacks.

 

So can we start calling your daughter A-Rod? (Sorry, had to be done.)

 

Is this pre-softball singing and chanting years? When my younger sister played softball, the one thing I absolutely could not stand was the incessent singing.

 

As Bob Lemon once said, "Baseball (and softball) is for kids; adults can only ruin it." :-X

 

King Creole,

I'm right there with ya man.

My five year old finished up her season last night and her team went 5-4 and these people were treating it like it was the WS. The league put on a little postseason tourney where all involved got medals (champs got trophies) and some of the coaches we played (we went 2-1) were like "Well, do you want that trophy or not?"

Some people can be soooo ridiculous. Had one parent on my kids team have her kid just purposely stick the bat out against this younger team and the kid's mom would scream like a banshee when she wasn't taking second because the 3-foot-2 catcher couldn't get out to get the ball with her catcher's equipment on.

Cool thing was that my kid would ask me every week if we won (I was the asst. coach) and I'd tell her it's not about that right now, you're five. But the final week she's tell teammates that the score didn't matter, the fun did.

By the by, the numbers (W/L, avg. -- she hit .824) and all of that stuff were for her number crunching old sportswriter dad.

I think I had more fun out of seeing the kids enjoy the game rather than anything else.

 

The guys down at the paper love it when you call and suggest story angles.

 

I'd like to congratulate the board for going this long without a Peter/daughter King reference.
Good luck, Your Majesty. Have a great time.

 

;D

So long as she pulls in the bucks the way A-Fraud does! 

Batting average to my daughter is as foreign a concept as Jupiter.

 

You know, the chants aren't that bad. Some of them are actually cute, including the one I heard the other day to the tune of "Baby Got Back".

It's hearing them for the 200th time that will grate on your nerves.

Thanks for sharing the good stuff, king.

 

give yourself time KC. you'll turn into a psycho dad. they aaaaaaallllllll turn into psycho parents eventually.