The Poetry of Little League

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I love how people use language. It’s the reason why I love poetry. It never ceases to amaze me the way people can put words together in unexpected ways to convey meaning and emotion. I work hard on my creative writing every day on behalf of my clients. It’s a job that I truly enjoy and I learn more and I get a tiny bit better as a writer and editor all the time. What a blast. 

In my spare time lately, I go to a lot of little league baseball games. I mean like 5-10 a week. I can’t help but notice recently that coaches, fans and the players themselves have a language of their own. I enjoy using these phrases while cheering on my kids’ teams (Although sometimes I’m wondering if I’m using them right!)

Here is a list of my favorite baseball jargon..the weekly poetry that makes me smile. If you go to many kids’ baseball or softball games, I know you’ll be smiling too when you read this.

•Ball’s in, going down! (my all-time favorite phrase of little boy baseball players. It’s yelled by the catcher and means the practice pitching is over, time to start the inning) 
•Nice cut (Yelled all the time when a player swings and misses, but does it with authority) 
•That’s not yours (A “ball” that goes by and a player chooses not to swing at it, usually the first ball) 
•Now you’ve seen it (Same as above) 
•Everything after 2 (meaning even though there are 2 outs in the inning, the team can still get some runs, or a lot of runs!) 
•Blue (aka, the umpire... often used like, "What's the count Blue? Or, "Are you o.k. Blue?") 
•You’re up, You’re Up. (When a player is stealing a base,usually 1st to 2nd...it means don't slide!) 
•Back!!! (Or back, back, back!) (Yelled by Coach, when a player is trying to steal but needs to get BACK) 
•Wake up them bats! (start hitting, also known as “everybody hits”) 
•We’re on the board (meaning one run has at least scored-- there’s no better board than Wrigley’s by the way) 
•We have ice (to the batter who’s up to the plate, in case he/she gets hit by a pitch) 
•Take one for the team (same situation as above) 
•Fire it in (An encouragement to pitchers) 
•Can of corn (high, easy to catch fly ball) 
•Nothing above your hands (a direction to the batter to not swing at high pitches) 
•Good eye! (Said to the batter who didn’t swing at a pitch he/she couldn’t hit) 
•1 away (or 2 away-- which means 1 or 2 players are out)
•You’re in the hole (or on deck, meaning the warm up areas prior to coming up to bat) 
•Brand new ballgame (When a team that has been behind in runs, most often by a significant margin, ties up the game. It doesn’t mean that the game starts over just that neither team is ahead and the game continues.)
•Three ducks on a pond (3 men on base) 
•Skunked out (A game that ended by slaughter rule) 
•Chirping (not to be confused with chattering, chirping is when there is a lot of bragging going on by coaches, players or fans) 

Along these same lines, I love the new phrase kids use these days when they’re talking about their opponent… “Who are we versing?” Meaning “vs.-ing” or playing against. I hear some adults correct children when they say this, but I think it’s too cute to correct. 

One phrase I’m not a fan of… “Be a hitter!” Huh? Like the child wants to be striker-outer? 

What am I forgetting? What are your favorite sports phrases? I’d love to hear them… It would definitely help my baseball mom cred to have a few more in my arsenal.

This is What You Signed Up For

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It’s coming up on my year anniversary of volunteering on the board of directors of my local youth sports organization and it has been a really rewarding and eye-opening endeavor in so many ways. 

The Board as a whole has made many positive communication and organizational changes to the club, I have met new friends and professional contacts, I’ve learned more about the great work of other crucial volunteer groups in our community like the Rotary Club and most of all, I am proud that I’ve worked hard to serve youth in my area by helping an awesome volunteer organization keep running after more than 50 years. Around this time last year, there were rumors that the club may fold.

A few times in just the last week, members of the board or I individually have fielded complaints from parents. This is part of our volunteer “job” and we know and understand this, but I must say we sure would appreciate a “thank you” letter now and then instead of a complaint letter. 

The recent complaints from parents have literally said “this isn’t what I signed up for,” or conveyed this message in various ways.

It seems like now is as good a time as any to answer this question. In my opinion, here’s what you signed up for:

• You signed your child up to play sports in a recreational, volunteer-run sports program.
• You signed your child up to:
• Learn how to play the sport in a fair and hopefully competitive environment
• Have fun doing it
• Get some great exercise
• Learn about discipline and motivation
• Learn how to compete fairly, i.e. show good sportsmanship at all times
• :Learn how to Interact positively with other children and adults
• Learn how to face adversity, even if things don’t go their way or seem unfair
• As for parents, when you signed up your child up, you signed up for an opportunity to:
• Coach or co-coach your child
• Root on your child and all the children out there who are doing their best
• Watch your child doing something new or something they enjoy
• Become part of a community that has children’s best interests as its paramount concern
• Meet new friends and neighbors
• Support teenagers and tweens learn how to ref, umpire or keep score while earning spending, saving or college money

Right now I’m in the thick of things and have a first-hand viewpoint I am compelled to share. Over the last year, in the two volunteer-run clubs where my kids play sports I've witnessed:

• Horrible, unsportsmanlike behavior by coaches and some parents
• Parents complain bitterly about the club when they have never spent even one hour of one day volunteering to help out
• Entire Leagues or Divisions almost cease to exist because of lack of volunteerism
• Parents scream at coaches in front of children
• Coaches belittling and/or arguing with refs or umpires (some of which are teens or tweens)
• Parents calling coaches idiots behind their backs because they feel these volunteers aren’t coaching up to their standards

Enough is enough. 

• If you can volunteer your time, even a little bit, to help organizations in your community, please do so. 
• You don’t have to know a lot about sports (trust me, I don’t!) you just need to spend some time and have enthusiasm for the job.
• If you have constructive criticism or concern, please send it on respectfully. But send ideas for solutions too. 
• If you can’t control your temper, for any reason, just don’t come to the field or court.
• Please remember what the word volunteer means and respect the time and effort a few put in for many.

A few facts:

• No volunteer-run organization is perfect in any town. 
• Nor are any professionally-run organizations.
• Volunteering your time is a lot harder than writing a check and signing up your child for a travel team, but that can’t be, nor should it be the route for every child and family.
• Volunteering is a great example for kids. 
• Our country runs so much better because of the volunteers of great organizations all across this land and this spirit needs to be shared or it will die away.

Youth sports are supposed to be fun for kids. We can't forget this. Of course there is a lot more they can and do get out of their participation but parents really need to step back, remember this and be a model of good behavior. Will we fall down in this sometimes? Sure, but we have to keep trying. 

Even when refs make bad calls, even when a child is part of an uneven league or even if the child’s team loses a lot (or every) game. Of course these things aren’t fun, but we all have seen kids find fun and enjoyment despite these types of challenges when the general environment around them is positive.

Let’s get back to having youth sports bring families and communities together. Not tear them apart.