Well, I made it through my first game last night. I was extremely unorganized and shaking before the game. I have a newfound respect for coaches and managers everywhere. It took me about three hours to calm down after the game. For the record, it was us 15, them ~6 (I didn’t do a good job keeping score of their halves of the innings.)
What I liked: Our bats were hot, and our kids showed good plate discipline. Everybody either got a hit or made contact. Our pitchers were promising, and kept the ball in the infield for the most part. The kids were having fun, and it looked like the parents were too. We made few mental mistakes. Our assistant coaches did great, even when I was yelling conflicting instructions. Coach Smith was all over the pitch counts. The brothers Trey laid down some nasty bunts, and we ran the bases well. The other team made a great put-out to get one of us at the plate. We were cohesive and together.
What I hated: Brookfield Traffic – another post altogether.
What needs work: Bench order (mostly a function of an unorganized coach), standing in back of the batter’s box, not swinging at high pitches, and anticipation on defense. We also need to position the outfielders better. Of course most of these are not things we worked on or taught, so I expect those to be an issue. I’d rather have sound mechanics and coach the finer points. I’d love to have somebody keep score for me. Did I mention that before?
