This season has certainly given me much more experience than I thought it would. It has been one filled with much hardships and taught me that being a coach isn't always as merry as it seems. Late in the summer season, I got a call saying that one of the captains on the team had his mother pass away from a lengthy battle with cancer. I cannot imagine being without a parent, so I cannot act like I know what he must have been going through. I do know that our team had become a family and had each others back, and that is something that you cannot teach on paper.
   
    The entire team was there for the funeral and each person individually paid their respects and was there for their teammate, their brother. I had called the athletic director about possibly getting something made like a wristband but by the time they would have been able to cover the charges the season would be over. A couple parents got together with me, and we bought these wristbands that had her initials on them for the next game.

    Nobody would have faulted the player if he did not want to play the remainder of the season, but he was adamant about finishing what we had started. Not only did he play, but the player pitched a complete game shutout. After the game the pain in his eyes was evident, and his teammates had his back.  This season just continues to show me that coaching is not about the win/loss record but more about growing as a person and providing an outside resource kids can go to in times of need.

    Wow! The difference between Junior Acme and Acme talent level is night and day. Due to the mysterious events that led me to be their head coach, I only was able to have one practice before our first game. Luckily at least, the Junior Acme team started the season sooner so I was able to be their head coach from the third game on. I was pretty nervous for the first game since this is more or less the actual Varsity roster come spring time and here I am coaching it all by myself!   Thankfully, everyone was relaxed during practice and even cracked some jokes all while still knowing I was in charge. This continued on during our first game together and we actually won it by a score of 13-3. Now, before this game the umpires and the opposing coach both were talking to me and were surprised that I was in charge of a team that I played for just three seasons ago. 

   Flash forward a few weeks and we have a very solid record of 8-2. Multiple times after a practice or a game, I have had players ask me to stay after and work on hitting with them in hopes of learning something extra or to continue to get better. While this team had talent, some players did not always give the most effort and had a few sour apples. My goal is to help motivate these few players into wanting to turn it around and  dedicate themselves to become the best person they can be both on and off the field. 

    There are always players who dislike a coach and I never thought I would be on the opposite end of one of those kids. Around the mid season mark into my tenure as the Acme coach, one of the players whom I had known a little bit about previously was upset with me over his playing time and thought he was better than other kids on the field. I sat down with him and told him what I had been seeing in practice. The ability was there for him to be a starter sure. I told him the effort was lacking severely and the attitude was starting to reflect onto other players. For the best of the team I felt I had to bench him until he earned that spot as nobody is entitled to anything in life. Not only did other players see the bigger picture, a few of them went over to the player and told him to straighten up because they could really use him on the field.

    This could have posed a big problem, but it actually helped both myself and other players grow. In the end, the player did eventually start to improve his attitude and effort.Gradually, he gained more and more playing time by the end of the season.

    Just when I thought I was starting to get things figured out, I received a call from the head coach of the entire program.  The coach proceeded to tell me how the Acme coach had stepped down due to wanting to further pursue a traveling team. At the end of this conversation, I found myself as the lone coach of the Acme team and my assistant at the Junior Acme level would become the head coach of that team.
     Now, this is a great opportunity for myself and it does not come without risks. I had actually played with a few of these kids myself when I was a senior in High School. I had to be able to differentiate being one of the "guys" and being their coach when we were on the field.  I have to show that during practice and games I am the leader and one in charge. We may be friends off the field, but there will be no favorites on it as the best kids who work the hardest will play. This could be my toughest challenge yet, and if I could pull it off maybe I have a future in this after all.
  

    Five games have quickly come and gone and the Junior Acme team was sitting at a tough fought 1-4 record. I knew coming into the season that this level is more about development and getting the younger kids ready for the future. It did not seem fair when every team we had faced up to this point had brought down much older kids to face us. Having said that, I LOVE how much effort each of these kids have put into the game and are starting to take me seriously as a coach. Some of these players have shown potential to play on Varsity come the spring and I hope to be able to help take them there with a little guidance. There is a good culture here in the program and it definitely is one on the rise, I hope to see great things in the near future.