AA Braves Take to the Field
While late to the team as the manager of the AA Braves of the East County Little League, we were able to get a single practice in this week before we were inundated with rain from Friday through Sunday, much needed I grant you but doesn’t bode well for managers and coaches trying to get 4 weeks of practice in before the start of the season. I only knew one boy on the team, as he dad is a coach for me, beyond that a few of the players went to the same school as Zachary, but others it would be the first time I met them.
Much like practice last year I had spent hours watching video from Big Al and organizing a practice schedule to keep the kids interested in an attempt to get as much as I could as possible before darkness set it. I believe I got so caught up in the planning of practice that I forgot it gets dark by 4:30, while we were in the middle of batting practice. When the sun went down, it also got chilly for some of the players who failed to wear sleeves or bring a sweatshirt. Practice schedule will need to be revised for about a 90 minute practice until the time change.
Overall, I was highly impressed with the collection of boys will will don a Braves jersey this season. Coming from the Farm Division last year, where it was the first time playing ball for many of them, this year some have 2-3 years of baseball already played, this should making coaching easier. Should. Yet, the biggest problem I had was players grab assing and not listening when the coach was talking. When it came to the actual drills we ran many of the kids had good skills.
Batting practice was impressive, even my son was hitting the ball well! By far the best hitting performance I saw was our 7 year old. He is the smallest kid on the team, but probably going to be one of the best players during the season. His hitting was near perfect when it came to the mechanics, slapping the ball around the field. Aside from him a good number of players should great power, which tells me we will see a few homeruns this season when play begins.
With the loss of practice on Saturday, I had to modify the practice schedule in an attempt to get in more of the basics before I start breaking the practice down into 3 groups. The two groups will be separated by the position the player WANTS to play, so infield and outfield. The third group will be the catching position, which as it stands I have 2 who said they want to catch. I do plan on rotating players to provide a fair share of playing time to ALL. I won’t play favorites and let the star players get all the playing time. I am not of the mindset that every game is a “must win” or that you “play your studs” on a regular basis without rest. I am sure that won’t sit well with some parents, but you know what? They had a chance to manager or coach and didn’t capitalize on filling that position.
One thing I am trying this year is sharing a list of expectations, in order to head off any confrontation between coach and player/parents. If all parents and players know what I expect, as well as knowing what they can expect from me, the season should go smoothly. Being it was only the first practice, we let some things slide. Amazing to see kids walking up AFTER practice began and just stand there. How can parents be so irresponsible and put their kid in that position is beyond me.
I am thankful to the parents for being understanding early on now that I have taken control of the team. I have a bench of 4 coaches and a mom who will anchor the team parent duties, which I want no part of when it comes to coordination. I look forward to an enjoyable year of coaching and hopefully one that will allow my son to build some confidence in his skills. After leaving the lower division with a bad experience, I am working on trying to change his outlook on the game of baseball (even though I can’t stand the game) and provide a positive experience during the season.
