A Need for Extra Coaches

by Angela Sanford

With three boys, it was hard to find a sport that would have all of them playing on the same team at the same time. Of course, this was only a convenience for us, as parents, the kids really didn’t

care in the least.

  When our oldest boy, Devin, was playing on the Mosquito Baseball team, the Rawdon Tigers Dan and I assisted Steve Wiseman as coaches. There were some perks that came with being a coach and lucky for us this there were since that particular year there were not enough players to have a full team roster so our two younger boys made the team and we had everyone in one sport.

   Our two younger boys were far from old enough to play, with Devein having just turned nine a month before the season started.

While this likely seems insignificant, there are some details that impact this.  The Mosquito age bracket runs from age 9-12 and our team now had a 7 and 6 year old on it. Also, the Rawdon Tigers team played in the REP league, so it fairly competitive.  

   Ryan and Wyatt, our two youngest, were to play the outfield left and right every game, as they were too little to play the infield. few players in the league, at that time, hit the ball to the outfield, so the choice was easier to having them basically stand there each inning.  

   Still, this all seems pretty laissez-faire in the grand scheme of baseball, but while the other teams had first and third base coaches, we also had a left and right field coach on the outside of

the fence when we were on the field. Puzzled? Of course you are.

   Two of the parents would stand, one on each side of the outfield, in case the bladder of one of the minor players couldn’t hold out any longer during the inning. You got it… these coaches had the responsibility of lifting the fielders over the fence, yes, during the game, send them to the bushes to do their business and then lift them over the field fence again to collect their glove and get back in the game.

   It became routine and meant the team didn’t have to call a timeout. The parents of the other teams adjusted to the routine and while they laughed heartily in the beginning, by the end of the

season they had accepted that our team may only have seven players on the field at any given time.

   We had a successful season and eventually made the playoffs at the end of the summer. The championship games were held in Bridgewater at the Michelin Complex. These fields were not in the

woods near a few bushes, though, but completely in the open with a street on one side, a parking lot on another, and ball fields surrounding the rest. Employees for Michelin Tire were coming and going steadily,  as were players and attendees for the games on the other fields, and even the street was not a quiet one.

   The championship was getting intense and it had been a long day of play already, the team having won two games to make it to the finals. But the biggest tactical decision of the day was, where would the two young players use the washroom during play?

   Thankfully, because they were just little boys, people were less likely to criticize them urinating beside the field, because that’s exactly what happened. The two players must have been a bit nervous that game also, because their usual one time break

became a string of trips off the field throughout the game. 

    Just as our field coach was dropping our right fielder back into the game, the opposing team hit a grounder right down the baseline. The fielder (no names so as to not fully embarrass my children) grabbed his glove, ran in to stop the ball that had passed first base, scoop it up and threw it in, but it was a bit too late, and the opposing team player was on base. It was the first time all

year that either either of thee players had had to touch the ball let alone throw it for a play.

   The game continued an inning or two more and eventually, the Rawdon Tigers became victorious,  bringing home the championship trophy! This win meant they would get to host the

provincials on their home field, in Rawdon, a much easier place to “secretly” do your business without an audience.