You Can’t Please All the People All the Time

At the last board meeting I fielded one of the most hilarious comments so far for 2008. “How come the girls get to pick their field nights first?” The comment was immediately followed by a resounding sound of silence. The silence represented the fact that the comment was completely off base. Both girls and boys commissioners work together to set the practice schedule for their field while the prime game nights have never been an issue with any managers for at least the last few years I have been on the board. What the comment did for me beside providing for some good ole’ “from the belly style” laughter, was remind me of comments I have heard throughout my ten years at Bauerstown.

ALL THEY CARE ABOUT IS THE BOYS/GIRLS. Choose the last part, boys or girls. It usually is determined by whatever team the President is managing. Although this may have been true many, many years ago, it certainly has not been the case with the two Presidents (covering 7 years) that were before me. They managed, at separate times, both their son’s team and their daughter’s team. Essentially being on both side of the fence. For me, I have only daughters but I rely heavily on our boy’s commissioners for input and assistance in any decision-making. Safe to say, no one has been bold enough to make that comment about me in my presence. If anybody does feel that way, I certainly invite his or her input.

IT’S ALL POLITICAL! This was said to me last year. While I certainly admired the person’s willingness to share their ignorance with me, the reasoning amazed me. Anybody that would refer to the dealing and decision making of an organization like ours as political is just giving us way too much credit. We are moms and dads, laborers, office employees, salesman, mechanics, engineers and other professions and no one has time to be a politician or play any political games. We simply don’t have the time or the energy.

After my first year at Bauerstown in which I was my daughter’s t-ball manager, I was sitting with my Dad and complaining and probably using the above comments when he said, “If all of that is true, what are you going to do about it?” Simply put, if you don’t like the process that makes the decisions, then get involved in the process and become one of the decision makers. My loving Dad then added “If not, then shut your lazy mouth and respect those who are putting in more time that you”.

So the next time your watching your child play ball and you are stuck listening to someone ranting about the “problems with Bauerstown”. Turn to them and ask them, “So what are you going to do about it?” Oh, and make sure you give them my number; I have a lot of work for them.