" Well, boys, it’s a round ball and a round bat and you got to hit the ball square.  ~Joe Schultz, 1969 "

When I die,  I want “ He was a Fair Man ” placed on " The Rock ".  This topic is for coaches or coach/players who play on a non-sponsored team. If you are a player that plays on a sponsored team, you are fortunate, because there are few.

Remember: your sponsor is paying $5000 - $8000 to take you to a National or Worlds Tourney; give him a GROUP hug.  Every manager has the same job every week; you spend unbelievable hours over the winter lining up tourneys, & then average 20-30 hours during the week keeping all this together. You give these schedules to your players & they know every tourney months in advance. You e-mail them every week to give them updates.

Here are the constant problems: many players never look at the schedule; never plan their sick days or whatever to coincide with the tourneys; give you notice one or two days before the tourney that their going on a picnic or etc. causing you to have to show up understaffed; whimper cause you move them in the lineup because their bats went cold or because you just want to use a different strategy. Every player on a non-sponsored team should coach one tourney to see how it feels to hear the feedback that goes with the job that NO ONE WANTS.

It is almost impossible to carry the 16 or so players you need throughout the year & survive, mainly because of unforeseen injury or family deaths. When you do carry 16 some wonder why you need so many players?  Coaches have to put the best man for the job at the position best suited for the player, he is constantly analyzing all situations to determine what to do next; hard to play & compete when all of this is going on; also, he blames himself for any losses.

Players, take a look at his success; if you are winning, have chemistry, & are having a great time; he must be doing a great job; don’t reinvent the wheel. There is not a coach out there who gives up all of these hours who will not listen to suggestions, but when a few get together & mumble about what should or should not be done, then this is a cancerous root that will eventually destroy the unity & divide the team. Remember: we expect contention from young players but this should not be with Senior Mature Men so…