During the semifinal game of the first tourney for the Let Them Play 10U squad a few weeks ago, we were on defense and there were runners on first and third pretty early in the game…
At the time, all four of us coaches were at the end of the dugout strategizing over our pitching options for the rest of the game, when we noticed our catcher call timeout and run to the mound…
Soon enough, all 9 of the boys on the field were huddled on the mound.
Obviously, our first instinct was to run out there to see what they were brewing up and then give the proper instruction as to what they should do if the runners takes off for 2nd and/or home in that situation.
Yet, despite the other coaches objections, I made the conscious decision to let them conduct their own meeting, contrive their own play and let’s see what happens…
“They got this!” I confidently exclaimed 🤣
Didn’t think much about why I didn’t crash the meeting at the time, but I do remember feeling an overwhelming sense of pride watching the boys congregating on their own… A mini right of passage in a way. It was a beautiful moment and there was absolutely no way I was barging in. I also must admit I was curious and couldn’t wait to see what sort of shit show play they were going to try to pull off…
The meeting adjourned, the 8 and 9 year olds ran back to their positions and then the pitcher delivered the next pitch… The catcher caught the ball, then promptly fired it to the second baseman who then chucked the ball back toward the catcher.
The play was beautifully constructed but the problem was the runner on first base wasn’t stealing and the runner on third base wasn’t going anywhere either…
The ball then got by the catcher on the throw back from the second baseman and the runner on first advanced to second and the runner on third came home to score. 😅
Trust me when I say I obviously did not want that run to score. We were playing a very good team and every run mattered… Yet, there are certain times in life when we need to recognize a teaching moment and we need to understand that moment doesn’t always involve us.
Those boys had the right intentions, the right play, and perfect execution until the end, but quite honestly, none of that shit mattered to me… Just the fact that they came together as a team and confidently took ownership of their SQUAD was enough to almost bring a tear to my eye.
Of course, the play ended in an unnecessary run scoring absolute debacle, but letting that moment happen uninterrupted was much bigger than the run that scored and even much bigger than the game…
There are plenty of times in life that call for us parents, coaches and teachers to intervene on a variety of levels, but as we oftentimes champion here in the Daily Hustle, the greatest lessons in life are learned through experience, and sometimes it’s better for us NOT to be part of it…
-EB