I want to give a public shout out to Justin’s (my youngest son) baseball coach, Dale Slate.  Dale’s enthusiasm and dedication to the boys is infectious and it is telling that the two boys with the least experience on the team for their age (Justin and another boy) are thriving and having a good time.  Dale’s approach is not to baby the boys, but to demand 100% effort from them and for them to play to their ability.  It doesn’t mean he expects a kid who normally has a hard time hitting the ball to come out and go 2 for 3 every game, but he does expect that kid to swing.  He doesn’t expect a kid just learning how to throw to go out and pitch a no-hitter, but he finds spots in the game for that kid to get a chance to take the mound and give it his best shot.  He doesn’t penalize failure, but he expects the kids to pay attention and hustle.  The long and the short of it is that he’s the best youth coach I’ve ever been around.

On top of doing all the on-the-field stuff, Dale also puts out an email after each game that’s written like an article in the sports page.  He makes sure each boy is mentioned and he does it after every game.  Here’s the latest:

Rattlers Slither by RiverDogs 6-5
Rattlers hang on for 8th straight victory

On a hot day in a well-played game between two of the top teams, the
Rattlers managed to end the Dogs’ rally in the bottom of the last inning
with the tying run on third base. On a day when the Rattlers’ top of the
order was shut down, the rest of the team stepped up to secure the victory
to remain in first place.

After the Rattlers were retired in order to start the game, Fernando pitched
and retired the first batter on a pop-up. The RiverDogs then pushed across
two runs on four straight hits. In the top of the second inning, the
Rattlers bats came alive. Bobby continued his recent hitting streak with a
single off of the kid pitcher. Connor, Fernando and Blake all followed with
hits to tie the score. Cody then grounded out but drove in the third run in
the process. Keyon’s ground out moved Blake into scoring position, and
Justin drove him in with a sharp single with two outs. Fernando pitched well
in the second inning, holding the RiverDogs scoreless thanks to two great
plays by Justin. He got the first out when he stopped a hard grounder and
threw to Dakota at first. After Fernando struck out the second batter,
Justin managed to hold on to a pop-up at third base just as he was getting
clobbered by a hustling Fernando.

The third inning was rather quiet, as the Rattlers went down in order and
the RiverDogs scratched out only one hit against Dakota. Bobby got the third
out when he caught a blooper at second base. In the fourth inning the
Rattlers got two VERY important runs to push the lead to 6-2. Bobby again
led off with a line drive single off of the kid. Connor and Fernando then
ripped singles to get Bobby home, and Cody drove in Fernando with a key
two-out hit. In the bottom of the inning, the RiverDogs managed to scratch
across one run on a sacrifice fly that Fernando ran down.

In the fifth Kyndale ripped his second hit of the game off of a kid pitcher,
the 6-3 lead. After getting the first batter on a pop-up to Bobby at third,\u003cbr /\>the next two RiverDogs ripped a double and homerun to cut the lead to one as\u003cbr /\>the pressure was building (at least for the parents and coaches). Fernando\u003cbr /\>then made a terrific play on a grounder to first base for the second out\u003cbr /\>that seemed to settle everyone down – momentarily. But then the RiverDogs\u003cbr /\>batter ripped a double and stole third to get everyone back out of their\u003cbr /\>seats. With the parents holding their breaths when the RiverDogs coach came\u003cbr /\>in to pitch to the next batter and Coach Slate digging a trench in front of\u003cbr /\>the dugout as he paced back and forth, Coach Corn stayed cool and said\u003cbr /\>everything was going to be okay. When the coach\’s last pitch went by the\u003cbr /\>batter and settled in Blake\’s mitt for the final out, everyone was able to\u003cbr /\>breathe a big collective, sigh of relief and the Rattlers remained tied for\u003cbr /\>first place.\u003cbr /\>For the game Connor, Bobby, Fernando and Kyndale were all 2 for 2. Fernando\u003cbr /\>and Cody led the way with 2 RBI each. While Cam, Davis and Dakota were held\u003cbr /\>hitless, none of them got to bat off of me and all of them hit the ball hard\u003cbr /\>- the defense just made the plays to get them out. The Rattlers managed 5\u003cbr /\>hits off of kid pitchers – Bobby and Kyndale had two each and Fernando had\u003cbr /\>one. The Rattlers pitchers had a good day against a good hitting team, only\u003cbr /\>allowing their coach to come in six times in the five innings.\u003cbr /\>Next up will be the Grasshoppers, the team that dealt us our only loss thus\u003cbr /\>far. Game time is 9:00 next Saturday on field # 4. The kids should be at the\u003cbr /\>field by 8:15. We will have a practice on Friday night at 6:00 at Reedy\u003cbr /\>Creek. Directions will be coming in a separate email.\u003cbr /\>Happy Mother\’s Day to all! Go Rattlers!\u003cbr /\>\u003c/div\>”,0]
);
//–>but was stranded on base. Cam came on to pitch the last inning and protect
the 6-3 lead. After getting the first batter on a pop-up to Bobby at third,
the next two RiverDogs ripped a double and homerun to cut the lead to one as
the pressure was building (at least for the parents and coaches). Fernando
then made a terrific play on a grounder to first base for the second out
that seemed to settle everyone down – momentarily. But then the RiverDogs
batter ripped a double and stole third to get everyone back out of their
seats. With the parents holding their breaths when the RiverDogs coach came
in to pitch to the next batter and Coach Slate digging a trench in front of
the dugout as he paced back and forth, Coach Corn stayed cool and said
everything was going to be okay. When the coach’s last pitch went by the
batter and settled in Blake’s mitt for the final out, everyone was able to
breathe a big collective, sigh of relief and the Rattlers remained tied for
first place.

For the game Connor, Bobby, Fernando and Kyndale were all 2 for 2. Fernando
and Cody led the way with 2 RBI each. While Cam, Davis and Dakota were held
hitless, none of them got to bat off of me and all of them hit the ball hard
– the defense just made the plays to get them out. The Rattlers managed 5
hits off of kid pitchers – Bobby and Kyndale had two each and Fernando had
one. The Rattlers pitchers had a good day against a good hitting team, only
allowing their coach to come in six times in the five innings.

I think I saw what makes Dale tick the week before last.  That Thursday I flew in from New York and got to Justin’s field in the middle of the game.  When I walked up I saw Justin taking the mound for the first time in his life and I can’t tell you how thrilled I was for him.  After the game I mentioned it to Dale and his eyes lit up with excitement.  I think to him that story symbolizes what Little League, or any youth sport, is all about.  He knew I didn’t care if Justin struck out anybody, or even if Justin threw a single strike.  I just cared that Justin got to try, that he got to feel what it was like to stretch his boundaries and most importantly that I (and the rest of our family) got to share that moment with him.  And it says a lot about Dale that he was also excited for us.

Dale and the other coaches on the team do try to win games, but I can tell you that the emphasis is on how the boys play, not the score.  The result is a team of boys who are having a ball and learning how to play in the process.  It’s been a lot of fun to watch.