A Game to Forget..but we won't

My second son is in his last year of little league. Because of his small stature baseball has been more of a challenge for him than his older brother. That, in itself, must not be much fun. However this year he has earned a starting position playing each game at second base, getting his share of hits and making solid plays in the field. But like every boy after enjoying starting for 2 games he has made known he would like an opportunity to pitch.

After making his wishes known to his coach to his credit the coach gave him an opportunity last weekend. It was a day that did not go as scripted. After a 3 and 2 count he walked the first batter and that opened the floodgates. Eventually one hit, one hit batsman and enough walks to score 9 runs later the inning mercifully ended. What happened, pitching is hard. For a 12 year old trying to prove himself, though we as adults know he does not need to, the pressure got too much. He hurried, he forgot to bend, he did not know his release point ---and it just did not work. He was upset, would not we all be but he too after a period of time handled it well. His biggest concern would he get another chance. You have to admire the spunk. If that had happened to me at 12 I suspect pitching again would be the last thing on my mind.

Youth sports is hard. You want your kids to succeed. You want them to learn life lessons. More times than not however the life lessons involve at some point learning to deal with disapointment and not meeting success. This is not lesson a 12 year old or a 15 year old wants to learn standing on the mound on a sunny day.