"PICKLE"

At last night's practice we were working on run downs when one of my ten year old players ask if I had ever heard of the game "pickle".

"Of course I have heard of pickle" I told him. "I have only been playing baseball for 30 something years."

I remember playing pickle for hours on end at my grandparents house in Indiana with my brothers and cousins. This obviously predated the Wii or the  x-box but it was a blast playing anyway.

If you have ever seen the movie the Sandlot... there is a great scene when the Jet gets in a run down and the catcher yells with excitement all over his face "PICKLE!!" That's what happened last night at practice.

The atmosphere of Practice quickly changed from a learning/teaching environment of working on run downs to an impromptu party game.

Watching the boys work together in a game that was all their own taught me how much enthusiasm they could have for baseball. As a coach or parent, if I make practices so intense that there are not times to break free and let the ten year old's act their age, then I have done the boys and the game of baseball a disservice.

Each year when I talk to coaches I often hear them tell me their goals for the season...

• Teach the fundamentals of the game...
• Have fun...
• Be a positive role model...

It is the second one that I want to hone in on... "have fun"

My mental response is:

"Have fun??? The game is already fun. It is up to you to keep the game fun for the kids."

The filter between my brain and mouth never allows me audibly say what I think.

Of course there needs to be constructive, orderly parts to practice but you also need to allow for the improptu "pickle" game in your practices (and in life in general).

Last night reminded me just how fun baseball really is!