I Am Bragging and Complaining

The Boy Last Fall
Baseball is my get away. The boy's team beat the league's only undefeated team 4-3. They played well and hit when needed. The boy scored 2 runs and had an RBI. He also made a key 6 to 3 put out (that's short to first for you non-baseball geeks).

But as always there is a spoil sport. A parent who thinks her son should be playing an infield position corned me after the game. League rules allow me to play kids where I deem appropriate and they only have to play 2 innings in the field. The kid played 5 innings in the field. He had 3 balls roll under his legs and missed the cut-off man. I told her that, "I am doing the best that I can."

We have a winning team and the kids know that losing isn't any fun. Baseball is a game to be played to win while we learn more about how to play. I am bothered that a parent wants to tell me how to coach and where to play her child. What she doesn't know is that I agonize over every line-up, trying to balance winning. learning and ensuring that the kids get a fair amount of playing time. I say to that mom, "Walk in my shoes."