DH and I were watching the game between Northwest (Washington) and New England (Connecticut). It's a win or go home game for both of these teams. NW is ahead by 3 going into the bottom of the 6th. The NW coach has been doing a really great job of rotating his pitchers in and out, to keep a low pitch count which effect the number of off days they have to have before pitching again.
So at the start of the inning, they have one of their best pitching, but they need to limit him to just 20 pitches and he had already thrown a couple in the previous inning. He gets two outs for them and hits his 20th pitch after getting 1 strike on a batter.
Now this is where DH and I thought that the coach made one of his greatest coaching decisions. Faced with his team ahead by 3, home team has 2 on with 2 outs and a batter with 1 strike and he has to pull his pitcher or loss him for the next game.
He calls time out, gathers the infield players on the mound, while the 3 outfielders gather in center. You can see him muddling in his mind what to do. The boys, 11-13 year olds, are standing there, when you hear one of them say, put in Robbie. The coach looks out to the outfield, a couple of the boys look out there, and a couple are pointing out that way, too. Then he ASKS the boys, who should be put in. With zero hesitation, they all agree that Robbie should be put in. When the coach motions for Robbie to come in, the other boys are all smiles, a couple run out to meet Robbie as he is running in. It is a general good feeling moment.
After Robbie gets in and starts warm ups, ESPN puts on the screen, what was going on while they were origianlly showing the meeting on the mound. The left and right outfielder were standing there with Robbie. Robbie has his mitt up to his mouth, and you can tell he has that excitment tremble to his body - like his is silently saying please let me pitch over and over. And the other two are pointing to him, as though to say to the coach, pick Robbie. You know when the coach has motioned for him to come in. He drops the mitt from in front of his face and Robbie has got the biggest grin on his face.
There have been more than a few threads about youth sports and the over the top crazies - coaches and parents - that can go with it. And weither or not highly competative sports is a good thing or a bad thing. So, what a showing of how, even while being in the largest setting you can be in for Little Leage baseball, a coach still remebers that this is about the kids, and lets the kids make the decision of their fate. These kids, as competative as they are, knew if CT could score 3 runs and tie up the came or some how score 4 out right win, that their time at the world series was over. But the boys still wanted Robbie to come in and pitch. And while he wasn't a power pitcher, blowing pitches past the batter, he did his job. He got the batter to hit a grounder to the short stop go go the runner from 1st out at 2nd.
And Robbie, the kid his teammates voted to have go in and pitch - hasn't pitched once during the world series, nor did he pitch in the regional tournement that got them to the world series. Thats having a lot of faith in your teammate to get the job done.
So at the start of the inning, they have one of their best pitching, but they need to limit him to just 20 pitches and he had already thrown a couple in the previous inning. He gets two outs for them and hits his 20th pitch after getting 1 strike on a batter.
Now this is where DH and I thought that the coach made one of his greatest coaching decisions. Faced with his team ahead by 3, home team has 2 on with 2 outs and a batter with 1 strike and he has to pull his pitcher or loss him for the next game.
He calls time out, gathers the infield players on the mound, while the 3 outfielders gather in center. You can see him muddling in his mind what to do. The boys, 11-13 year olds, are standing there, when you hear one of them say, put in Robbie. The coach looks out to the outfield, a couple of the boys look out there, and a couple are pointing out that way, too. Then he ASKS the boys, who should be put in. With zero hesitation, they all agree that Robbie should be put in. When the coach motions for Robbie to come in, the other boys are all smiles, a couple run out to meet Robbie as he is running in. It is a general good feeling moment.
After Robbie gets in and starts warm ups, ESPN puts on the screen, what was going on while they were origianlly showing the meeting on the mound. The left and right outfielder were standing there with Robbie. Robbie has his mitt up to his mouth, and you can tell he has that excitment tremble to his body - like his is silently saying please let me pitch over and over. And the other two are pointing to him, as though to say to the coach, pick Robbie. You know when the coach has motioned for him to come in. He drops the mitt from in front of his face and Robbie has got the biggest grin on his face.
There have been more than a few threads about youth sports and the over the top crazies - coaches and parents - that can go with it. And weither or not highly competative sports is a good thing or a bad thing. So, what a showing of how, even while being in the largest setting you can be in for Little Leage baseball, a coach still remebers that this is about the kids, and lets the kids make the decision of their fate. These kids, as competative as they are, knew if CT could score 3 runs and tie up the came or some how score 4 out right win, that their time at the world series was over. But the boys still wanted Robbie to come in and pitch. And while he wasn't a power pitcher, blowing pitches past the batter, he did his job. He got the batter to hit a grounder to the short stop go go the runner from 1st out at 2nd.
And Robbie, the kid his teammates voted to have go in and pitch - hasn't pitched once during the world series, nor did he pitch in the regional tournement that got them to the world series. Thats having a lot of faith in your teammate to get the job done.
