Team Orange

Song of the post: Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down

Say hello to Exeter Summer League’s newest coach!

I got invited to be asst. coach to my brothers’ summer league team.

Little league, everyone does it but not everyone is good. When I was in early in LL I was the only kid that could catch fly balls, so they put me in the outfield. Then they caught on when I would wear my Nomar shirt to practice everyday that I was a shortstop. I played there but couldn’t hit for shit. I blame my coach, Coach Giles. He would yell at you if you couldn’t hit. Ex-marine turned father who would yell at you if you made a mistake. The one good thing about him was him yelling at his goofy youngest son who ran like a moose and whined like Lebron.

I stayed at shortstop until I was supposed to ahem… “grow” but didn’t really. Then I switched to hitting lefty and could finally hit the outfield. Then I was the ultimate team player, from outfield to second base I had the team covered. Hitting in the 1, 2, 8, or 9 spots I would battle my way on. Once I was on second base was mine. Then I’d stay there because my teammates’ ineptitude.

All that’s in the past and I won’t be batting behind Nomar anytime soon so that dream has come and gone. Baseball now for me comes in either beer league softball, on television or coaching little league.

I’ve coached one other team (also for my bros) before, last time however I was the fifth coach of five. I was just there for the books. That was the coldest baseball season ever.

This time will be better, my brothers can hit, their friends can hit and my brothers are the fastest kids on the team. Fact. I’m looking forward to it, I know I can’t wait to have the opportunity to coach my kid. I have it all planned out. There had better be a draft.

If there is you take strictly good pitchers. Fielding can be taught, pitching can’t. Hitting comes naturally. I’d rather have 8 pitchers on a 13 kid roster than 7 catchers. I mean really you should start with a good catcher, but at the younger ages, it’s tough to find the next Pete Rose.

I’ll let you know how the season goes and when the victory parade cookout is.

–Lager

+That’s me circa ’09.