by Carlson Montour

Created on: December 11, 2009

Do you miss the days when your child played Little League baseball? Do you love the game? Do you wish coaches focused more on teaching kids the fundamentals? Do you long to see more emphasis placed on sportsmanship and being a good teammate than on winning? Not being a parent of a player in Little League does not preclude you from becoming involved.

 Consider volunteering to be a manager with your local Little League. Many are sorely in need of quality managers. There is a need for mangers  who don’t have a child on a team. Managers who are not parents of players are hard to find, but so welcome once enlisted to lead a team.

 A manager or coach who is not burdened by the concern that they will be perceived by the other parents as playing favorites to their own offspring is one who is free to work with all the team members equally. He or she can use their objectivity to assess individual players strengths and needs and thus help them develop into better ball players and teammates.

 If you aren’t able to take on the responsibilities of being the manager, find a manager who shares your baseball philosophy and offer to assist him or her. If you have knowledge of one specific position, offer to work with the players playing that position. Most managers would welcome someone with fundamental knowledge of pitching or catching. Expertise is not necessary. All that is needed is some basic knowledge and a patient approach.

 Maybe the manager could use someone to run the scoreboard or keep the scorebook for each game. Being a base coach could also be of great help.  No matter what you have to offer, the kids and parents will appreciate your involvement. More than likely, you’ll have so much fun that you will find yourself wondering why you hadn’t done this long ago. You will suddenly remember how much fun the game is when being played only because it is fun. The opportunity to model and teach the principles of good sportsmanship to young impressionable kids can be very rewarding.

 Maybe it is time to stop complaining about what players like Barry Bonds and Manny Ramirez have done to damage America’s past time. Do something about it by spending some time influencing the kids who are just learning the game and its treasured customs. Your love of baseball is a gift worth sharing. What are you waiting for? Go play in the dirt, spit on the mound, play a little pepper and tell the kids about Roberto, Willy, Hank and Yogi. You’ll be glad you did!

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