I’ve been a Little League coach so long that I’m eligible for a pension and there are a few things that no one associates with my style.
- Aggressive coaching
- Knowledge of the rules
Nope, I’m usually the happy go lucky coach. Rules? What rules? La, la, la. Let’s just have fun.
Well, going into tonight, my team of 9-year-olds were winless. Nothing. Nadda.
Tonight however we were playing strong and for whatever reason the moment was contagious for me. Steal that base. Stretch the hit for a double. Swap out pitchers as needed. Result: early 11-3 lead. Aggressive coaching. Early success.
Then slowly the wheels started to come off. Too many runners. Too many walks. Suddenly, we were clinging to a 2 run lead. That’s when my brain clicked. Give them a chance to win. Dig deep. Use the rules. Do whatever it takes.
Embracing a Little League loop hole, I brought back in the starter as a closer.
First batter, almost botched grounder, but first base managed to hold on. Out one.
Second batter, sky high popup and a snow cone catch by short. Out two.
Third batter, grounder and a throw that beat the runner by a hair. Out three.
Game over! Game won!
I breathed a sigh of relief. The baseball gods smiled. The old dog manager had learned some new tricks.