A Memorable Experience

As always, we went into this season with three goals for this team: to learn more about baseball, to have fun and to develop a positive attitude and respect for the game and all of its participants. Once again this season, this group of players not only accomplished these initial goals--they went well beyond them. They experienced the satisfaction of contributing to a team effort. In my view, this season is a "Mission Accomplished".

I'm fortunate to have been part of this group for the past four seasons. Creating a successful organization (team) takes far more than a baseball manager. It requires great assistant coaches, supportive parents and players who have a desire to learn--and who have heart.

I can't say enough about how impressed I am with our players. Away from the field, I often hear about all the problems people have with this generation. Yet, while coaching this team, I see none of these issues. We have a group of players who are always respectful of their coaches and each other. During the Winter development sessions at Junior Diggins, Coach Al Hasan and I were impressed with how positively every player received constructive criticism--always taking our feedback as an opportunity to improve. This is not a common thing.

I hope that our players are able to transfer some of the skills they've developed while playing with the Warriors to other aspects of their lives. If nothing else, I hope that we positively impacted the self confidence of many of our players--all who have no reason not to have the highest confidence in their abilities. I can easily envision many of our players as being successful in whatever fields they pursue.

The only discouraging thing about this experience is that replicating what this team has accomplished seems improbable. The bar has been set quite high. In dealing with 14 players, 3 assistant coaches and all the familes over the past two seasons, I haven't had to deal with any negative situations. None. For example, not once in two years has a player ever complained about playing a certain position or batting in a certain spot in the order. Not once has a parent complained about anything. In fact, it's been just the opposite. Parents call me asking how they can help. In youth sports, this is a rarity. For the most part, I've tried to proactively communicate with players and parents--and they've trusted my judgement. And, I'm grateful for that.

I would like to recap my views on this season as well as discuss options for next season during a Parents' meeting on Wednesday night. Please CLICK HERE for more details.