0 Wins, 14 Losses
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
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| Opening Day Parade |
0-14. That was our Little League record. We did not win a game all year. Usually the games were not even close. We lost most games by 15+ runs. Most people would see this season as a dismal
failure. If you strictly look at the
record, it certainly was. 0-14. Most would put this monumental collapse
behind them and look forward to the next season, never to revisit this lost
summer. What a colossal mistake that
would be.
As we drove home from
our final game last night, my wife looked at me and said she could see the
frustration on my face. It was not so
much frustration as it was disappointment.
You see, I was their coach.
0-14. I let them down. How nice it would have been for them to have
tasted the sweet nectar of victory just once this year. 0-14.
At the beginning of the
season, I made a promise to myself that I was not going to be that coach who
thinks he is coaching the Red Sox. “No
pressure.” That was my mantra. I would teach them and I would let them make
mistakes. I would correct them and help
them along the way. My goals as a coach
were that the kids would learn about teamwork, responsibility, and accountability
to others.
I could not stop
thinking about our team of 6-8 year olds all night and how I had let them
down. 0-14. Eventually, some good thoughts came and took
the place of the disappointment. I
remembered the excitement on the faces of the boys when they each got their
first hit. How completely elated they
would get at making a good play. I
remembered the smiles they brought to the game.
Even after those lopsided defeats, they left wearing those same smiles. They had fun.
They learned to cheer on their teammates. They learned how it felt to be cheered for.
After a bit of
reflection, I have no regrets about this season. Those boys each learned lessons they can
apply to baseball or any other sport they choose to participate in. More importantly, they learned lessons they
can carry through life. While losing is
never really the goal, at 0-14 they know how to lose and how to be gracious in
defeat. It will drive them to do their
best in future endeavors in order to secure victory. They learned how to work as a team. They learned what it is like to have others
count on them.
I think that all of us—myself,
the kids, the other coaches—learned to let the kids have fun and enjoy the
game. I am a very competitive person, so
this season was a humbling experience for me.
But, it was not about me. It was
about the boys; Boys, who will grow up to be men that will lead the next
generation of young boys. It was about
teaching them. It was about learning
from them. It was about showing them good team skills. It was about allowing them to
make friends and memories.
Oh. It was also about teaching them
baseball. They learned a bit about that,
too.
