by Peter A. Villagomez

Created on: May 11, 2007   Last Updated: May 14, 2007

One of the reasons I became a baseball coach was for the love of the game. But most importantly, that I wanted the kids on my team to learn valuable lessons and enjoy a positive experience.
Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, I longed for the grass to turn green and for the flowers to start blooming. Winter seemed to stay around much longer with each passing season. I just grew tired of the cold, bitter winters and staying trapped inside the house. As soon as it was baseball "sign-up" time, I knew that I wanted to be a part of it. I was only 6 years old when I first started and I remember that everyone was much better than I was. I did have my father play with me as much as he could, but I was not as athletic as some of the boys were. I just knew I wanted to be a part of baseball. The Chicago Cubs were my favorite team and I wanted to hit the ball as far and over the ivy green wall as I possibly could. My childhood dream when it came time to play was, to say the least, a dreadful one.

All I could really remember was being yelled at for missing the fly ball, not being fast enough, and also for swinging at ball four and striking out. There was never a dull moment and I just absolutely hated to put on that uniform. Mostly, I was just afraid of my coach and all that yelling was just embarrassing and degrading. I knew at an early age that I never wanted anyone else to go thru what I went through. I loved baseball and I learned to hate it too. Boy, I was so discouraged that I never played another season again, until high school tryouts, where I heard more of the same.
While a child I experienced a childhood nightmare of a coach and carried that with me throughout my life. I learned that one day, when I had a son in baseball, that I would be the greatest coach my son could ever have. I wanted my son to have a fun, positive,learning experience. One that he would be proud to say, "Dad, your the best coach ever!" And just last week, as I coached his team for the second year, (first year as Rookie Coach), I heard just that. I instantly felt my eyes swell up with tears of joy but I did not want anyone to see my face light up or show my sensitive side. But I was so proud.
Being the coach with my son on my team, I try not to show favoritism of any kind. My son is now 6 years old and he is one of the more talented and most athletic on the team. He never complains and he always tries hard to play at a high level and he is the epitome of what a team player should be. He ends

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