reality check.....

There's this one coach in Sara's softball league that everyone wants to beat. And it's not his team that we want to beat - it's him.

For our team (actually it's us coaches and the parents - the kids don't remember it) it goes back to 3 seasons ago when he unethically generated runs for his team. Maybe unethical isn't the right word; maybe it's more like unscrupulous. It was 3 years ago, but we ALL STILL REMEMBER IT like it was yesterday. Keep in mind, this is for a girls 10 and under softball rec league; there aren't any college scouts in the stands.

We played this team on Saturday. Coaches from other teams came to our dugout during the game to see if we were winning. One coach asked the score and when he found out we were ahead said, "Good, I hope you beat that (insert your own word here)! I can't stand him!" At one point in the game, the scorekeepers had the score wrong, giving the other team a run they didn't earn. So the umpires had us put our defense back on the field and make them earn the run. The girls were so confused, but the parents and coaches were all for it.

We ended up winning by four runs due to some great fielding on our team's part. The coaches and parents were thrilled, and the girls were excited, too, just for different reasons. They were just glad for the win.

After each game, we two coaches talk to the girls and go over the positive things they did. We praised them for watching the strike zone better, for their excellent fielding during the game, and we awarded the game ball. Again, the coaches and parents were on a high because we beat this guy. My buddy that I coach with said, "OK, anybody got anything else?" One of the new girls on the team, also one of the smallest, peered out from beneath her cap and said, "We got snacks!"

I now have a new saying: It doesn't matter if you win or lose, but how good the snacks are after the game.....