I swore I'd never coach
softball again. Too many people bickering over positions,
too many times begging people to play, and too many eleventh
hour phone calls from players backing out ("Um,
Glenn? How many people do you have for
tonight?"). But because I must love the hassles, I'm
coaching coed in the fall. Dumbass.
I am, however, going to avoid at least one of the problems--the
complaints about where people are playing--because Justin agreed
to be the on-field coach. I'm more like the general
manager. Yet, that position still leaves me open to
rounding up all the players each week and getting blamed for
only having nine players instead of ten show up. Nothing
kills the enthusiasm for playing quite like showing up to play
with eight or nine players--especially when we're playing a good
team. It's kind of like that scene in "Hoosiers"
in which Gene Hackman puts four players on the court to play
against the five on the other team. You didn't actually
see it in the movie, but you know they got stomped.
So why am I doing it? Well, for three reasons.
First, I like organizing. I may not enjoy organizing a bat
mitzvah or a PTA meeting, but the whole process of putting
together a team is kind of fun. Of course, it's only fun
if I can get enough players. Second, I have a
fairly competitive streak in me and I want to play with good
players. No, I don't bash friendships when picking my
team, but I do try to invite out the best players that I
can. And finally, the third--and most important--reason I
enjoy coaching is because I want everyone to have fun. As
odd as that sounds, it's true; I like to play with a group of
people who not only get along with each other, but also who enjoy
playing ball, which in the end is the most important
thing. It must be the peace-keeper in me. It's tough
to keep everyone happy, but I try.
Wish me luck.
