Little League Begins!!

Last Monday I drafted my Little League majors-level team. Originally the Rangers, I instantly changed our team into the Yankees. Obviously I would have taken the Mariners, had they been available, but I feel New York is a very acceptable second. Besides, I’m loving the Bronx Bombers more each day. What used to be the scapegoat for all my hatred has slowly transcended up my fandom pole into second place behind Seattle (at least concerning all things baseball).

Nevertheless, I’m approaching this season a little more worrisome than previous years. Where I was scared to be a beginning coach with the Albany Little League Brewers (or Beer Makers, as we finally had the parents chanting), I was cocky heading into Eugene Little League where my friends and I manhandled the Nasty Nastros (though the league dubbed us the Astros). In Albany we finished 2-10, however that record could have easily been 8-4, as six games were tied into the final inning before we lost by just one run.

Eugene? Holy mother of God, what a corrupt league! During the draft, we were not allowed to draft the best players as other coaches frequently spoke up and demanded that our picks be traded to their teams for such reasons as, “He’s my son’s best friend;”  or, “He’s in our team carpool;” to what I hated the most, “He won’t play at all if he can’t play for me.” Needless to say, we were viciously raped during the draft and subsequently finished the season 0-19. What’s more, the new president of the league knew full-well that it wasn’t our coach’s fault, but rather that of the league’s. His first order of business was to prevent teams from sandbagging and instill a sense of decency among the majors-level coaches.

But now I’m in Coeur d’Alene Little League, a solid baseball town. While both leagues in Oregon struggled mightily for support (Eugene Little League is but 5-years-old), Cd’A is known for baseball success, especially after sending their All-Star team close to the College World Series a few years back. So while I now feel prepared for a very successful season (we had great tryouts, and I drafted a damn good team), my only concern is the competitiveness of this league.

I’ve always been great at dealing with over-bearing parents – hell, you’d think they would all be laid back during Park and Rec summer ball, but those are the nastiest parents I’ve dealt with yet – but when it comes to majors-level in Coeur d'Alene, we’re talking the cream of the North Idaho crop.

So we’ll see how this season begins, as our first batting practice will be indoors this week due to snow-covered fields. I’m looking at a couple of pretty good assistant coaches already, one amazing dad of a kid I’ve known for 3-4 years already and one dad who played baseball for Oregon State.

Wish me luck!