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May 29, 2015
3,731
113
OK, I’ve been posting some real downers ... time for some feel-good stories ...

Most of the years I coached rec softball, I had Coke Bottle Carol on my team. The poor girl had all the heart in the world, but not a lick of talent or sense. Mom rode her constantly expecting her to become a star.

Initially I made the rookie coach mistake of burying her in the outfield. Then I realized she couldn’t see the ball when she almost got drilled by a lazy fly ball. The girl about jumped out of her shorts when it hit the ground next to her. I moved her to second base. She wasn’t good by any means, but she was serviceable and could at least see the ball enough to (hopefully) not get hurt. Well, maybe not even that.

She struck out every at bat (the ones she didn’t get hit by a pitch anyway). We tried bunting and that didn’t work. But she still kept at it and kept coming back every summer. Mom sat in the bleachers and rode her every summer. This went on for four years.

Her last year to play, we managed to squeak together a 16u program. It was my last year that I would coach as well. The year goes as every year did. The final game of the year, and of our careers, comes. Coke Bottle Carol’s mom can’t make the game. This girl has not had a hit in 5 years and couldn’t make a defensive play if it dropped on top of her. With mom gone and no pressure on her, she hits two doubles and makes two plays at second base!

That team was as terrible as they come, but damn if my fondest memories aren‘t of them.
 
Apr 26, 2019
222
43
We have a girl on DD team that can absolutely smash the ball for a 10U player. She's a big kid and hits it hard!

Last fall during one game she was up at bat and hit an absolute screamer of a low line drive and nailed the other teams player at 3B in her right shin. The girl dropped like a sack of hammers. The other team's coach went out and tended to her. To her credit she wiped her tears and carried on.

The next at bat for DD's teammate she smashed the ball right at the third baseman again. This time, it drilled her in her left shin knocking her down. Coaches came out and this time when she got up you could see her visibly shaking her head no and left the field for the day.
 
Last edited:
Oct 4, 2018
4,611
113
Here's a good one. Right out of a Disney movie.

10U rec league. Championship game.

We have a muslim girl on the team who is sweet as can be, wears the traditional head garb (hijab?) and is very quiet. Didn't really bond with the team but certainly wasn't disliked at all. Just a quiet girl, but obviously more noticeable. Not a lot of talent, seems to enjoy the game (but not love it). Most of the year she's moved from second base to outfield as the rec league makes us ensure all girls play 2 innings infield, 2 in the outfield.

We're playing a good team, up by a run. Bases loaded, 2 outs. Last at bat for the other team and game is over. This girl is in left field. All girls are tense, and quite honestly, looked like they expected to lose given the current situation.

Pitch comes...

Hard hit fly ball to deep left field. We all know the game is over as this will easily score several runs. One of the best hit balls we've seen all year.

Well the girl (on her own) had moved way further back in left field than any 10U coach would put her. Guess they missed that as their focus was on the infield getting the force at home and such.

So the girl runs a few steps and puts up her glove. Kinda knew what she was doing, kind of just trying.

And yes, the ball magically falls right into her glove and she holds on to end the game.

One of those moments none of us will ever forget. The team swarms her out in left field all full of smiles and cheers. I'm sure that little girl will remember it forever.
 
Last edited:
May 1, 2018
659
63
A little scary moment:
I live in a town which has a big complex for baseball and softball. there is a set of 5 fields at the top, and another 6 below. Between the fields is a skate park. Some teenagers were supposed to meet at the skate park to fight on a Tuesday night. Every field is in use with kids running around the area like crazy. One of the kids decided to bring a gun and when he was supposed to fight, pulled out the gun and fired it into the air. Needless to say all hell broke loose. The kid with the gun was later caught. No one was hurt but for our little affluent town, it was crazy. About a thousand people scrambling to find their kids, pull players off the field, get out to the area.
 
Dec 5, 2017
514
63
OK, I’ve been posting some real downers ... time for some feel-good stories ...

Most of the years I coached rec softball, I had Coke Bottle Carol on my team. The poor girl had all the heart in the world, but not a lick of talent or sense. Mom rode her constantly expecting her to become a star.

Initially I made the rookie coach mistake of burying her in the outfield. Then I realized she couldn’t see the ball when she almost got drilled by a lazy fly ball. The girl about jumped out of her shorts when it hit the ground next to her. I moved her to second base. She wasn’t good by any means, but she was serviceable and could at least see the ball enough to (hopefully) not get hurt. Well, maybe not even that.

She struck out every at bat (the ones she didn’t get hit by a pitch anyway). We tried bunting and that didn’t work. But she still kept at it and kept coming back every summer. Mom sat in the bleachers and rode her every summer. This went on for four years.

Her last year to play, we managed to squeak together a 16u program. It was my last year that I would coach as well. The year goes as every year did. The final game of the year, and of our careers, comes. Coke Bottle Carol’s mom can’t make the game. This girl has not had a hit in 5 years and couldn’t make a defensive play if it dropped on top of her. With mom gone and no pressure on her, she hits two doubles and makes two plays at second base!

That team was as terrible as they come, but damn if my fondest memories aren‘t of them.
My first year coaching, dd was 7 playing 8u. We had roughly 8 Coke Bottle Carol's, went 1-9 regular season. League tourney starts and we play the undefeated #1 team of course. Don't know what the hell happened but we had kids that had 0 hits that season getting base hits, driving in runs. My 3 best were hitting everything to the outfield in the air. I guess the stars just aligned that night. No we didn't win but we came back from 4 or 5 down to go 2 extra innings only to lose 15-14. Longest game I've been a part of to date and still the most satisfying even after 3 plus seasons of travel ball with dd. You would have thought we won the dang championship when the game finally ended.
 
Jul 16, 2008
1,520
48
Oregon
LOL, for years now I give the girls a buck if they can hit the H/C coaching 3B... Last year didn't have to pay anything... 1 year I think I ended up paying like 10 bucks :) He's a wirey little guy hahaha
 
May 1, 2018
659
63
More of a fun one. Several years ago my daughter was playing modified coach pitch. None of the pitchers could get it over the plate and so the coach would always have to come in. My daughter being one of the bigger girls on the team and also a very hard hitter at that age had already hit a 1st baseman in the chest (lefty hitter) and two different pitchers. None of them were hurt too badly even though a couple of them left the game. But good ole coach comes in the game sends a pitch over the plate and the ball comes right back to his face. Luckily he got his glove up just in time to block the ball. Umpire is dying laughing as the coach is on the ground looking like he just got his world rocked, the pitcher is trying to field the ball which is 40 ft in the air and my daughter has no clue it didn't end up at the fence. The coach comes off the field, tells me "you get to pitch to her next time cause I just peed a little"
 
Dec 15, 2018
809
93
CT
Giving lesson last night, introduced a drill to a girl who has been getting her hands out (casting). Without bat, ball in top hand go through proper swing hand path and release ball into the net...

So of course I stand opposite her, tell her to go ahead and let it fly....She threw that ball with authority straight to my nuggets.

We both learned a lesson.
 
May 20, 2015
1,095
113
We probably ALL had that bat, because let's face it, there were only three bats - that one, the one with maroon lettering, and the black / sliver one. And really, most of us before high school didn't even "have" the bat...the team bag had it.


i remember the easton black magic.......to my teenaged hands felt like the barrel was big around as a telephone pole, with a handle as thin as a pencil lol
 

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