This past weekend became the "unofficial" start of baseball and softball here at Bauerstown. While some managers may have had a practice or two before, this weekend really got things going. How exciting!!!
So what made this weekend the unofficial start? We had parents working hard preparing the complex and kids playing on the fields. The nets were hung in the batting cages and they were used throughout the weekend. We had a great number of people working and cleaning the concession stand. We even got it painted inside. We are building even more new aluminum bleachers for fields 1,4 and 5. The calendars were hung in the barn and managers are setting up their practice and game schedules.
Whew! Talk about your March Madness! We had three drafts, an equipment meeting, a coach’s clinic, three new bleachers ordered and delivered, a meeting with the photographer, a Monte Carlo meeting and our regular meeting. Teams were selected, kids called, uniforms ordered, equipment & game balls ordered, picked up and distributed. The concession stand was re-keyed, water was turned on and the garbage dumpster delivered. You know you are ready to start the year when the garbage dumpster gets delivered!
Get ready for April, starting off with the Monte Carlo Night extravaganza and ending with the “official” Opening Day.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
T-Ball, the Good Ole Days
I miss T-Ball. You can’t get much simpler than T-Ball. No frustrating drills on hitting the cut off man. No pounding your head off the fence post when they swing at a 3-0 pitch in the dirt. Just simple, here is how to throw, be careful swinging the bat, make sure the person you are throwing to is paying attention. I know it wasn’t all as wonderful as I remember it. You always forget the little stuff that used to drive you crazy. Uncertainty is probably the most interesting of all feelings. Where are we going to go from here? What is it like in the older leagues? How successful are some of these kids going to be? How successful is my kid going to be? Maybe the biggest challenge is to keep the kids from being bored in field and board sitting waiting to bat. That’s one thing that never changes no matter how old they get. The T-Ball teams are drafting this week, that is probably why I have T-Ball on my mind. I miss T-Ball.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
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.
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.
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