Wednesday, August 11, 2004
DAN B
It was a Saturday morning when D was about seven or eight.
"There's a short, burly guy with a baseball cap coming up the walk," LZ said.
"That must be D's new baseball coach, Dan B," I said. "Let me get the door."
"Coach Dan," I said. "What brings you here?"
"I wanted to talk to you about your boy, D, and baseball," Dan said. "Mind if I come in?"
"Not at all," I said. "Can I get you a cup of coffee?"
"Never touch the stuff," Dan said. "No stimulants, no depressants, nothing. I try to stay on an even keel."
"That's commendable," I said.
"About D," Dan said. "He has some ability, but he needs work. Now, when My Boy was three, almost four, I had the wife change his nap time and our dinner hour so when I got home we could work on hand-eye techniques. We went down to the basement every night. I rolled him fifty balls, then I bounced him fifty, then I lobbed fifty right to his midsection."
"I have noticed that Your Boy has excellent coordination," I said.
"You haven't been doing this with D, have you?" Dan asked.
"No," I admitted. "I haven't."
"I've developed a list of skill building drills that you can work on with him," Dan said. "You don't want to wait until it's too late."
"Too late," I said. "Too late for what?"
"Why, for All-Stars," Dan said. "That's what we're working for, isn't it?"
"I didn't even know they had All-Stars at this age," I said.
"They don't," Dan said. "I'm talking down the road a few years from now. But this is the time to get ready. Don't kid yourself, all the coaches are making notes and planning."
"I didn't know that," I said. "From what I remember, they had tryouts every year, and the kids who did the best made the All-Stars."
"That's the old way," Dan said. "Current thinking is that you've got to get a core group of kids early, groom them, work with them, and forget the rest. It's the only way to succeed."
"No tryouts, then?" I asked.
"Oh, they still have tryouts every year. It's required. But it's just a matter of form, making it look fair, so everyone thinks they have a chance," Dan explained.
"I see," I said. "So, did you play a lot of baseball yourself?"
"No," Dan said. "I didn't start playing baseball early enough to really get my skills developed. I was a wrestler. I wrestled my way all through college."
I could believe it. I had a vivid image of him grappling with an opponent, a mirror image of himself, tussling out of a classroom, rolling down a hallway, bumping down stone steps, ending up in a heap at the edge of that stubby grass plot optimistically known as the quad.
"Also, if you're interested, I've got a copy of the national physical fitness standards," Dan said. "There's no way I trust that grammar school gym teacher to keep anyone in shape. What I'm working for is to have My Boy exceed the standards by 100% this year, by 200% the next year and so on."
He handed me a pamphlet and some loose photocopied sheets.
"Thanks," I said.
"Well, I've got to go," Dan said. "I've got a couple more stops to make this morning."
"I'll tell D you were here," I said.
"Hit the ball in front of the plate. And swing through the ball. Tell him that," Dan said. "It's important. For his future."
"There's a short, burly guy with a baseball cap coming up the walk," LZ said.
"That must be D's new baseball coach, Dan B," I said. "Let me get the door."
"Coach Dan," I said. "What brings you here?"
"I wanted to talk to you about your boy, D, and baseball," Dan said. "Mind if I come in?"
"Not at all," I said. "Can I get you a cup of coffee?"
"Never touch the stuff," Dan said. "No stimulants, no depressants, nothing. I try to stay on an even keel."
"That's commendable," I said.
"About D," Dan said. "He has some ability, but he needs work. Now, when My Boy was three, almost four, I had the wife change his nap time and our dinner hour so when I got home we could work on hand-eye techniques. We went down to the basement every night. I rolled him fifty balls, then I bounced him fifty, then I lobbed fifty right to his midsection."
"I have noticed that Your Boy has excellent coordination," I said.
"You haven't been doing this with D, have you?" Dan asked.
"No," I admitted. "I haven't."
"I've developed a list of skill building drills that you can work on with him," Dan said. "You don't want to wait until it's too late."
"Too late," I said. "Too late for what?"
"Why, for All-Stars," Dan said. "That's what we're working for, isn't it?"
"I didn't even know they had All-Stars at this age," I said.
"They don't," Dan said. "I'm talking down the road a few years from now. But this is the time to get ready. Don't kid yourself, all the coaches are making notes and planning."
"I didn't know that," I said. "From what I remember, they had tryouts every year, and the kids who did the best made the All-Stars."
"That's the old way," Dan said. "Current thinking is that you've got to get a core group of kids early, groom them, work with them, and forget the rest. It's the only way to succeed."
"No tryouts, then?" I asked.
"Oh, they still have tryouts every year. It's required. But it's just a matter of form, making it look fair, so everyone thinks they have a chance," Dan explained.
"I see," I said. "So, did you play a lot of baseball yourself?"
"No," Dan said. "I didn't start playing baseball early enough to really get my skills developed. I was a wrestler. I wrestled my way all through college."
I could believe it. I had a vivid image of him grappling with an opponent, a mirror image of himself, tussling out of a classroom, rolling down a hallway, bumping down stone steps, ending up in a heap at the edge of that stubby grass plot optimistically known as the quad.
"Also, if you're interested, I've got a copy of the national physical fitness standards," Dan said. "There's no way I trust that grammar school gym teacher to keep anyone in shape. What I'm working for is to have My Boy exceed the standards by 100% this year, by 200% the next year and so on."
He handed me a pamphlet and some loose photocopied sheets.
"Thanks," I said.
"Well, I've got to go," Dan said. "I've got a couple more stops to make this morning."
"I'll tell D you were here," I said.
"Hit the ball in front of the plate. And swing through the ball. Tell him that," Dan said. "It's important. For his future."
