Satisfying win stories

Some wins are more satisfying than others. We're finally on the other side of first year 10U (whoo hoo!). When we go up against a little 07 team playing their hearts out and still getting killed, it's not very satisfying. I know how all the 05 teams felt about us last year now. Sometimes I just want to go out and hug the pitchers, especially.

But some wins feel really great. Let's share some satisfying win stories

This weekend we played a local tourney in an organization we hadn't played yet this fall. We had a pool game against a team we decided was probably our main competition. Just before the game this team was beating another team something like 15 to 3. The score keeping dad was telling me how they'd been going around just killing everybody and good luck to us. Coaches decided to have my DD pitch that game (she's our #1). She pitched a great game and we beat them 10 to 0. During the game DH (first base coach) heard the coaches talking about my DD, that their #1 pitcher was faster (she wasn't there until the later games that day). Basically trash talking (to themselves though, DH was just right there so he overheard).

So we faced them again in the championship. This time they had their #1 pitcher there. We were visitor, and in the first inning we went around our whole lineup and started back up at the top before they finally pulled her. The girls were crushing it (which was nice since in our BIG tournament the weekend before, they didn't hit at all and we got sent home after one bracket game). In the end we won 11-2. Beating a team that's used to mostly winning and has an attitude about it is a good feeling.

What were some of your DDs' most satisfying wins? Or even most satisfying hits or plays?

I helped a buddy coach a 12u-C All-Star team two summers in 2006 and 2007. I learned a lot about the mental aspects of coaching and building up girls confidence those two summers. The 2007 team won 6 games. The second to last tournament the bottom two seeded teams had a consolation game on Sunday. Win or lose, go home. We won that game. Last tournament we go 3-0 in pool play.

First game on Sunday we do an aggressive pickle type throwing drill that during I glance over at the other team and see them watching us and realize we have already won that game.

Championship game we play a team that on paper we are slightly better than, but have lost to 3 times over the summer.

Game comes down to bottom last inning, down one run, our fastest two runners on 2nd and 3rd, two outs. The girl up to bat got injured in our first game of the summer then went to Europe for a month and was still jet jagged since she got back Thursday. We took her out for two innings because she was so tired she wasn't charging from 3B when the other team was showing bunt. When we took her out she said it was because she was tired and knew they weren't going to bunt because she had figured out their signs.

Which was ironic because she successfully bunted the first game of the season when she was hurt because the other team didn't believe a power hitter would bunt. Plus we had ordered her to go up and bat so we didn't have to take the out, but to not swing.

She hits a bloop hit that drops just in front of RF in shallow RF. Coach points at first base and tells her to stay on the base until the 2nd run scores.

I take my 6 game winning streak and retire from coaching until my DD starts playing 6u in 2011-- because my DW said my 23 month old DD was getting jealous of me spending all this time playing with other girls.

I think the other team's parents can make a win satisfying. Most of you have dealt with that type of parent.

I still remember DD 3's first tournament. She only played one 10u tournament. The local LL had an all-star team that signed up for two, but she aggregated a wrist injury and the doctor made her end her season.

It was a small tournament, only 5 teams in the 10u bracket. 3 were local LL teams from the sponsoring organization, the other two were all-star teams from other LLs. So those two teams were a lot better than the other 3. The OTHER all-star LL team was from one of those small towns that are really softball crazy, and the parents seem to live their lives based on their kids' athletic performances.

Double elimination, so they wound up playing the other all-star team 3 times. Two of the games were very close.

First time they played was in bracket play Saturday afternoon. DD 3 hadn't been pitching for very long, but she was by far the fastest pitcher on her team. Not very accurate. She was also one of the best hitters, and her coach had her bunt a lot, which worked very well for 10u, especially since her coach had her bunt in situations where only a lunatic would bunt.

First time they played -- Saturday afternoon. DD 3 was the starting pitcher. Down 3-2 after one inning. No runs scored the rest of the game. Her tem went to the loser's bracket, the other team stayed in the winner's bracket.

Sunday afternoon, championship. The other team needed one victory to win, DD 3's team needed 2. DD 3 was bunting every at-bat, and getting to first every time. The other team's starting pitcher wilted in the heat (over 90, hot for Wisconsin). DD 3's team was ahead near the end. Lots of special rules for 10u, including a 5 run limit per inning. They were up 4 runs in the top of the last inning, needing 2 to win by run rule. DD 3 came to bat with runners on base, perfect bunting situation, fielders came in close. She hit a 2 RBI double, which gave them a win by run rule. DD 3 didn't pitch that game, since she was a bit wild.

By the second championship game, the other team's parents were getting more than a little obnoxious. They were basically accusing DD 3 of cheating all the time, saying she was stepping out of the batters box (the umps said she wasn't), and some other offenses that were sometime imaginary. They were very loud and getting more than a little annoying.

Top of the last inning, home team in the final championship game, DD 3's team was ahead 8-7. The pitcher they wanted was hurt, so they put in DD 3 and crossed their fingers. One out, runner on first, easy grounder to pitcher, DD 3 threw over the 1B head. Runner on first went home, but the umps called her back to third. 10u rules were one base on an overthrow. The other team's parents were LIVID, yelling all sorts of nasty stuff. Their coach had to calm them down. They were not being kind to DD 3, accusing her of cheating while she pitched. So, instead of 2 outs and a runner on second, this was 1 out, up by 1 run, runners on 1 and 3.

DD 3 struck out the last 2 batters to end the game.

That felt good. Champions in her first tournament, hitting and pitching well when the parents on the other team were causing a big scene.

At least at my DD's age level, it's the parents and coaches acting up that makes the win satisfying almost all the time. The girls are just playing a game, for the most part. I imagine that will change as they get older.

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Back around 14U, we played in a weekday league and then did tournaments on weekends. We were up at one tournament where we ran into a coach I knew. His team, which was first or second year in existence, had gotten beaten pretty badly in pool play. He saw that we were going to play that same team and he told me how during that loss the winners and their parents had been pretty rude about it, saying bad things about his team.

Well, that stirred up a little "local" pride and we promptly went out and took that cocky team apart. The coach I knew was watching and took great pleasure in seeing them brought down a peg. Afterwards, I said "That was for you, Rick."

12U. Game tied 5-5 with time expired and in ITB innings. We're the home team and up to bat. DD is first batter up. First pitch and she hits a bomb straight over center field fence. Walk-off homerun....Gameover!

Video:
https://youtu.be/vFNPahjz6Yo?t=1h52m50s

Best part....parents reaction!

Edit: The link should take you to 1:52:50.

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DD's 8U bronze all-star team this summer. The girls were in their first final against a team they'd played before.

The opposing team's third base coach had a habit of either pushing girls toward home as they rounded third base, or grabbing them as they ran so they'd have to stop on the base. The first time he did it in this game, DD's coach asked Blue if he was going to call interference for touching a runner. Blue said yes, though he hadn't seen anything during that play. Later in the inning when the coach grabbed a girl to stop her, Blue called the runner out and the opposing coach was livid, tearing into DD's coach.

The next pitch, the parents started taunting Jenny, the pitcher on DD's team. DD's coach came out of the dugout and asked the opposing coach to control his parents, but the opposing coach claimed to hear nothing. DD's coach asked the umpire to do something. Umpire said he had to face the action so he couldn't turn around to see who the offending parents were.

The taunts got worse and worse. The nicer parents called Jenny a crybaby. The meaner ones were swearing. The parents on our side tried to cheer so loudly that we'd drown out the other parents, but they were still making gestures at Jenny so it didn't really matter if she could hear them or not.

In the end, DD's team won the game by the mercy rule, and DD's coach filed a complaint both with the tournament and the other team's league. I'm not sure what the end result was, but when DD's team played this team a week later, their crowd was half the size and silent.

We did not win a game this year.

I am a great coach.

Beating the Worth Cobras 6-3 a few months ago. Scoreboard, JAD!!! SCOREBOARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As I've said before, BB is pitching in a game and they are playing for the championship of a big tournament. The team that they are playing against is undefeated and this is at the end of the summer. The opponent has won every tournament that they have played in. This team will go on to play on TV in the LLWS. Anyway, this is a tight game. The other team starts to call BB names since she wore Rec Specs. Then, somewhere in the middle of the game, the coach calls BB "Four Eyes." BB walks over to him and says, "Please don't do that. If you do that, I'll get emotional. If I get emotional, someone is going to get hurt." I'll never forget that line. She then hit the next hitter in the knee. The game stopped and that girl was hurt. They had to take her out of the game. The bottom of the 7th rolled around with the teams tied and BB's team was the home team. BB is hitting and the parents of the other team are now as obnoxious as can be. BB hit the ball out. She runs around the bases, touches home plate where the team was going crazy and then runs through the dugout to jump into my arms where she cries her eyes out.

Heck, I could post so many here.