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Coaches Forum

What can parents do at home
to help their children become
better baseball/softball players?

"Spend time with them throwing, fielding, and hitting the ball around. The more they practice the fundamentals and get used to seeing the ball being released from someone other than their peers, the better they adjust to different ball speeds. Do this, along with giving them the encouragement to master the game and, most importantly, have fun!"

— Franklin Rouse

"At home it helps to keep a positive attitude in everything that you do, not just while you are playing. Offer encouragement for the different plays, good and bad. Don't yell or carry on if your child didn't have a good game that day — everyone is entitled to an off day. Just talk through what happened and how to fix it for next time. And practice, practice, practice. I always tell my daughter, Emily, that until you are professionally paid to play your sport, you can always learn more through practice. Even the professionally paid athletes still practice constantly!"

— Leigh McBurney

"One thing parents can do at home is push the idea that they should be having fun. If they are not having fun they tend to tense up and worry instead of just playing the game. While being serious and playing your best is not a bad idea, it is easier to play their best when they are a little bit relaxed and not focused/worried about every little thing."

— Carol Gerner

"Soft toss, even in the basement. Ten to 15 minutes a day of grounders, playing catch, or snagging pop flies."

— Jeff Bees

"Play catch! It's that simple. You don't need a strong arm. Even if you throw underhand to your children, they can learn to get in front of and underneath the ball. Roll ground balls to them. Teach them to move left and right, even if just a little bit at a time. They will grow to be confident in their ability to catch the ball, and last I checked, that's still a pretty important part of the game."

— Pete Schell

"There are three things I recommend: Simple throwing and catching. 
Easy soft toss with no glove to teach catching with two hands. Hitting 
off the tee, which is the best way to teach proper technique.

— Jack Shannon

2008 Coaching Staff

Teeball
Bob Baumbach (Bandits)
Jack Baron (Coyotes)
Jeff Bees (Volcanos)
Marc Calderaro/Todd Duncan (Grimaces)
Randy Davis (Rockets)
Bill Fonzi (Vipers)
Andy Gamblin (Timberwolves)
Gayle Laughlin (Pirates)
Ken and Casey Leseman (Tornadoes)
Patti Liston (Bobcats)
John Otstot (Mighty Ducks)
Paul Rutkowski (Stingrays)

Farm League Baseball
Mike Albright (Red Sox)
Jeff Bees (Tigers)
Todd Duncan (Athletics)
Matt Koval (Mets)

Jr. Little League Baseball
Franklin Rouse (Rockies)
Bill Sinagra (Pirates)
Mike Tivo (Rangers)
John Wimer (Cardinals)

Sr. Little League Baseball
Roy Dean (Padres)
Joe Knupsky (Cubs)
Shawn Tunstall (Yankees)

Pony League Baseball
Steve Dunn (Pony Gold)

Colt League Baseball
Pete Schell (Colt Red)

Supercolt Baseball
Pat Ohrman (SuperColt Blue)
Larry Bly (SuperColt Red)

8-and-under Softball
Nicole Knupsky (Wildcats)
Sandy Mastele (Fireballs)

10-and-under Softball
Carol Gerner (Dolphins)
John Salamacha (Crush)

12-and-under Softball
Jack Shannon (Heat)

15-and-under Softball
Tim Brophy/Nina LaScola (Hotshots)

The Coaching Commitment
"I don't have time. My schedule is too busy right now."

These are things we commonly hear from parents who fear the coaching commitment. Keep in mind that all of BHAA's current coaches are parents just like you, have full-time jobs just like you, and most have more than one child involved in more than one activity.

Coaching youth sports does not mean you trade in your life for a clipboard. However, you should be prepared to commit two to three evenings per week to working with your team, whether it be games or practices. Inevitably, several parents on each team step forward and develop into an assistant coaching staff so that the commitment is not overwhelming to one person.

Take the plunge. You might find you enjoy it more than you'd even anticipated.

Coaches Forum

What's the best way to break in a brand new glove?

"Buy a can of Hot Glove (it sells for less than $10 at major retailers, including Dick's Sporting Goods). The directions are self-explanatory and, afterwards, it will feel like you've had the glove for years."

— James Rhodes

"I recommend a healthy dose of Rawlings Gloveoleum, followed by 50 to 75 good, hard tosses into the pocket of the glove. Afterwards, fold it over with the ball in it and tie it tight with rubber bands or shoelaces. Might even put it under the mattress for a week or so."

— Jeff Bees

"Shaving cream. It will give you the softest glove on the North Side."

— Ken Leseman

"Put some glove oil on it, place a ball in it, and put shoelaces around it to close it. Leave it like that for a few days."

— Carol Gerner

"I have heard to use shaving cream to soften the leather, but I've never actually tried that myself. Any glove I have ever needed to break in, I have done by putting a baseball in the pocket, not the webbing, and then wrapping that baby up good and tight. Be sure to tuck the 'little fingers' in around the ball first when wrapping/rolling it up. Leave it wrapped for a couple of days, then start playing a lot of catch!"

— Pete Schell

"A new glove is a thing of beauty — it looks good, feels good, even smells good. You hate to get it dirty. But you've got to oil it then get the darn thing dirty. Use it and abuse it. Play, play, play."

— Nicole Knupsky

Directors of the Week

The 2008 season will be broken down into approximately 20 weeks. Volunteers are needed to serve as directors for each of those weeks. Very brief explanation is needed to serve, and the task can be done individually or as a family or group.

PRACTICE SEASON
April 13-19: Todd Duncan
April 20-26: Carol Gerner

REGULAR SEASON
April 27-May 3: Wimer Family
May 4-10: Tunstall Family
May 11-17: Albright Family
May 18-24: Sinagra Family
May 25-31: Jeff Bees
June 1-7: Matt Koval
June 8-14: Davis Family
June 15-21: Knupsky Family

PLAYOFFS & BEYOND
June 22-28: Steve Dunn
June 29-July 5: Calderaro Family
July 6-12: Franklin Rouse
July 13-19: Joe Kocay
July 20-26: Volunteer needed