Did you ever have a person in your life that just rubbed you the wrong way? Just really annoyed you? OK, that your really just did not like even though you knew it was really really wrong to feel that way? I do. He is the manager of the other team my son played today.

We have a history with this manager. He is the varsity baseball coach at one of our local High Schools. He thinks he is God's gift to baseball. I do not.

Last Thursday night my son had practice. My husband is the manager of his team and I will be honest, he really wanted to get ready for this game today. He really really wanted to beat this other manager. The team had an awesome practice and the kids were all really excited about the big game today. Now, I should probably add that there are 7 teams in this particular division and we are in a three way race for 1st place with this particular team and another. Needless to say this was a very important game, to the parents, not necessarily the kids.

We got our little hynies whipped. Our boys could not catch, field, or hit today. Some strange condition had come over them and they just were not the awesome team we knew they could and have been in the past. We got beat 20-1. I will say this again. We got beat 20-1. Ouch!

The other manager ran up the score, never having anyone stop on third base, even when the score had hit double digits. He kept his best pitcher in until the very end. It seemed he had won the lottery. He was giving a butt whipping to one of his perceived "enemies". This is why I do not like this man. It is all about his ego, not the players, which are 8 years old.

Here is a conversation hubby and I had after the game:

Me: Why did you put "Timmy" on 1st base? He kept dropping the ball.
Hubby: It was his turn to play that position and he had already played the outfield.
Me: But "Adam" is so much better at 1st base.
Hubby: How will "Timmy" learn the position and get better if I don't ever let him play there? Every player should get to learn an infield and an outfield position.

This is why my husband is a much better person than I. People say he really likes to win, which is true. However, he knows this is really about the kids. He wants them all to learn something. This is not about his ego. These boys and girls are 8 years old not High School players. I am thankful my son has a manger who remembers that.

I was so touched when the parents expressed their concern for hubby after the game. They really love my husband and didn't want him to beat himself up about the loss. At every game at least one of them tells me how thankful they are their child is on my husbands team. I am really thankful, too.

After the game we went home. To play in mud, again. Because nothing says happiness like a nice mud pie!

Labels: baseball