Professional T-Ball Coach

We have what we (mother's of the team) call a "professional t-ball coach" coaching our team this year. The first interaction I had with Coach was when he called me regarding the sponsorship of our team (since I got the sponsorship). Within the first 5 minutes of our conversation, I had the pleasure (eyes rolling) of hearing about his lifelong accomplishments in sports, which goes a little something like this...

"I have coached my other sons baseball teams since he started playing at 5 years old, all the way up through college at AUM. I coached football and baseball at the Y for many years. I've coached soccer and my daughters softball team."

My first thought was... "oh, well he sounds like he knows what he's doing, so maybe we can actually be in a position other than last, like last year". Oh, how the mind deceives. Once I met him at the first practice and saw first-hand, his coaching techniques, it was all about him and what he could do and what he knows... hence the "professional t-ball coach" title. Granted he teaches them very well how to stand to bat, how to turn your body when you swing the bat around, how to move from side to side to get ground balls, how to play baseball correctly. But... these are 4, 5 and 6 year olds. Most of them have, at the most, a 15 minute attention span... which frustrates coach to no end, but it's funny to us moms because he takes everything a little too serious. For the most part, he doesn't get upset or frustrated... pretty much stays calm... but I guarantee you, on the inside, he is blowing up!!!

This is Caleb's 2nd year playing, so he already knows what to do. This is Coby's 1st year playing, so he really doesn't have much knowledge of what to do. All he knows is to hit the ball and run, and to have the glove on his hand. During the 1st game, he played all of about 15 minutes and didn't want to play anymore. The 2nd game... we were up last to bat, we have already won the game but the coaches wanted them to finish, just so they can get the experience... Coby was THE LAST batter of the game... standing on deck... it's his turn to go up to bat... he starts crying and doesn't want to play anymore. Everyone was asking "what's wrong" but all he wanted was for me to hold him. When I finally got him by myself and got him calm, he told me he just didn't want to play anymore. So he hasn't. Until last Saturday when he decided he wanted to play again. I told him that if he quit this time, he can't play anymore at all. He didn't. He actually played really well.

Well during practice a couple of days ago, every time Coby was on 3rd, ready to run home... when he ran home, he never made it all the way. About half-way between 3rd base and home, he would veer off and run somewhere else... to get his glove, to pick up his bat... anything but run to touch homeplate. I TOLD the coach that he needed to show him that he needs to run all the way to homeplate. He never did. At the game last night, Coby made it to 3rd base (first time) and can you guess what happened next!? You guessed it, about half-way home, he veered off towards the dugout. Everyone's yelling for him to go touch homeplate and he looks confused (and HE IS). So the coach came over, grabbed his arm and showed him to go to homeplate. He didn't hurt his arm. He SCARED him. Coby was standing ON homeplate, while 2 others behind him came in and just stood there not knowing what to do. He started crying right then and there. Needless to say, that WAS his last game.

The more I thought about all of it, the more pissed I got. Coach didn't even attempt to talk to Coby or apologize to him. NOTHING. Dude... this is t-ball, not minor league!

Oh, and one other thing. He is coaching our team because he has a 6 year old son on the team, which looks as if he could care less about even playing. We think he's living his life through his son.

**UPDATE**
So the Commissioner of baseball was called and it was brought to his attention what happened with my son. Let me say, this was NOT the first time someone has called the commissioner on our coach. He was reported at the beginning of the season of making 2 other teammates cry... one being his own son (the one he's living his life through). So I was told that it would be taken care of before the game last night. I saw one of the league officials come over and talk to one of the moms, and found out afterwards that it was indeed about what happened. Something apparently was said because after the game (which we lost 13-6, so you KNOW he was pissed), he got all the kids to go with the other coach to a cooler where he had carnations for all the moms for Mother's Day. While they were at the cooler, the coach ... I guess in his own distorted mind... apologized to all the parents... here's how it went...

"I want to apologize if I get upset or angry. I try not to show it in front of the kids. BUT... you have to understand all the time and effort I put into your kids, and some of you don't show up for practice and late half the time, and I don't have to call any names, you know who you are. I have a surprise for all of you."

And seriously at this point, I'm not even sure what the rest was about cause THAT, my friends, was NOT an apology! That was an excuse to get past the way he acts. The surprise was the carnations that he gave each child to give to their mom. That was right up Caleb's alley cause he loves flowers. It was beautiful... he gave it to me and said "I love you mama". See, just this past week I was classified as a "mean mama", lol. Anyways, I don't consider what coach did as an apology and he really didn't mean it. Ironic that after every game he asks the team a series of questions, in which the kids yell the answers:

"Who loves you?" - COACH
"Who loves you more?" - PARENTS
"Who loves you most?" - GOD

Yes God loves us above any human ever could... but does he really believe that? Because his actions are far from it!