Fall Coaches Clinics at MPTLL

Myers Park Trinity Little League has partnered with area high school and middle school coaches and private instructors to offer clinics specifically designed for our youth baseball coaches.  These experienced coaches will discuss practice plans, proper throwing, pitching, fielding and hitting techniques, and most importantly, effective ways to instruct the kids in our age groups.  These clinics are free, and will be offered several times over the next couple of weeks.  The League is strongly encouraging its fall baseball coaches to attend at least one clinic, hopefully more.  The impact our coaches can have on the players of MPTLL will be dramatically improved if our fall coaches can learn and implement a few tips from these coaches.

Coaches participating:

·         Mike Hennessey – Varsity Head Coach – Charlotte Country Day School

·         David Houseton – Varsity Head Coach – Covenant Day School

·         Mark Mensheha – Head Coach – A.G. Middle School

·         Josh Thomas – Head Coach – Charlotte Country Day Middle School (and MPTLL Major League Coach – Trinity)

·         Brandon Merchant – Youth Hitting and Pitching Instructor (and MPTLL Major League Head Coach – Al Browne)

·         Scott Ahlum – Head Coach Charlotte Stampede 15U (former MPTLL coach)

Dates:

·         Saturday, September 6^th – 8:30am to 9:30am

·         Monday, September 8^th – 7:00pm to 8:00pm

·         Tuesday, September 9^th – 7:00pm to 8:00pm

·         Saturday, September 20^th  - 8:30am to 9:30am

Don't miss this opportunity to improve your coaching knowledge, skills and practice plans. See you at the fields.

The Loss of Demonta Gaither

You may have seen the sad story in the news this week about the young man from Grier Heights who drowned in the pond behind Randolph Park. This is a particularly sad event for MPTLL because the young man, Demonta Gaither, was a popular player during the years he spent playing baseball in our league. Demonta played in the AL, NL, Majors (Carolina Pad) and in our Senior League. In his final season with Carolina Pad in 2007, he was selected by the Major League coaches as the recipient of the Billy Rice Award, which is given to the player whose enthusiasm and love of the game exemplify the best in Little League baseball. Demonta’s nomination for the Rice Award included the following excerpt, as written by his coach, Robert Griffin, who served as a mentor to him both during and after his time with MPTLL:

 

“Demonta loves the league and loves our team. He is a happy boy who likes to compete, who doesn't like to lose, but who bounces back and is eager for the next game or practice. He is interested in his teammates -- he cares about them. He is enthusiastic at all practices -- giving as much effort as he gives to games, and enjoying the competition. He pays remarkably close attention to everything going on around him. He notices the flaws in the technique of his teammates and offers encouraging suggestions to "keep your eye on the ball" or "use two hands" and stuff like that -- in a way that is positive and helpful. He notices players on the other teams, too. He may know more about the players on the other teams than anyone on our team. He's just been a wonderful part of our team for these two years. He's only a pretty good player, but the MPTLL experience has been a good one for him, and he's made the experience better for me and for his teammates.  He's already looking forward to playing at Independence Park next year. All of this comes from a boy who doesn't have a great home environment in the Grier Heights apartment where he lives.”

 

Demonta’s death is a tragedy. His story can be a reminder to us of the needs of so many young people in some of our nearby neighborhoods, and of the opportunities that we have to try to help them, with guidance, encouragement, friendship and love. The relationships we build with these young people are greatly important, and there is much that we can do to influence their lives in a positive way.

 

Baseball For Life Coaches Clinic - Sunday (2/9)

Baseball For Life is now taking registrations for its annual free Coaches Clinic that will take place at Weddington High School on Sunday, February 9th from 1:00-5:00 pm. Several MPTLL coaches attended this event last year and responded positively.

Baseball For Life is a group of some of the finest baseball coaches and men the Charlotte area has to offer. Everything they do is free - hosting clinics, rebuilding fields, giving away equipment and mentoring young players - everything. They ask nothing in return. They are not an academy or a for-profit business. They only wish to enhance the lives of young people through baseball.

As coaches, we should strive to learn as much as we can, so that we can teach as much as we can to our players. Register today.

Much To Be Thankful for in 2013

2013 has been a big year for Myers Park Trinity. We are truly blessed to have so many great people supporting our kids. A big "thank you" goes out...

To Tony and Boyd for always being there, morning, noon or night, working hard to make our park so nice; and to Paxton, Harrison, Kip, Hank, Preston and our entire volunteer grounds crew for their help that often goes unseen;

To Kaaren and Ashley for ensuring the continued service of our concession stand, whether or not their kids are playing games at the time; and to Barbara for doing it for so many years;

To Rich, Steve and Kris for guiding our ship with a steady hand;

To Tom and Kip for representing MPTLL behind the scenes to ensure that we have a firm footing in our community for years to come - we wouldn't have our park without these guys;

To Jake, Robert, Barry, Barbara and others for holding us true to the traditions that have made our league work for over 60 years;

To Rex and Kevin for being our tech guides and creating so much convenience for us all;

To Lauro for placing a priority on taking the MP experience to our closest neighbors and the kids who need it so much;

To Steve for keeping us financially secure today, and to Ed, Rich and Joe for leading us into the future;

To our loyal sponsors for believing in MPTLL and providing for our players;

To the coaches for, whether they know what they're getting into or not, becoming dedicated and passionate teachers of the game and positive role models for our children;

And to the parents, for entrusting their kids with us, cheering them on and supporting us all in so many ways;

It takes a village... so that moments like these are possible....

Baseball For Life Coaches Clinic - Sunday, Feb. 10

Baseball For Life, a new non-profit organization co-chaired by Ed Walton and Mike Shildt, will be having a coaches clinic this Sunday from 1:00-4:00 at Weddington High School specifically geared toward youth coaches. This is a great opportunity to learn from many of the best coaches around Charlotte. It's free but you must register online. There is more info here and in the video below.

Best of MPTLL #2: Dedicated Coaches

Jake Wade, Harry & Bryant
Manager, 1957-Present

The eight Major League managers at Myers Park Trinity Little League have over 150 years of cumulative experience coaching their teams. The Minor League division has a few dedicated coaches of its own who return each year. The same can be said for our 13 and over MP Academy teams and some of the other areas of our league. You would be hard pressed to find many leagues in the world that can make those statements.

Myers Park Trinity is fortunate to have many parents that are willing to coach a team or help the league in some other capacity. Volunteer organizations depend on these types of valuable participants.

But being a parent with a child on the team is not a requirement for coaching at MPTLL. In our Majors division, it is the exception to the rule. Some of our longest serving coaches' children aged out of the program many years ago. Others do not yet have kids old enough to play. And some have kids who aged onto their teams after more than a decade of coaching. Volunteering to coach at Myers Park Trinity is a choice we make based on our dedication to our teams, the league and the game. We are caretakers of our teams and we strive to perpetuate the positive effects that youth baseball has had on our players for generations.

We do not coach our teams in order to create an ideal situation for our own children. We are here to stay, so we think long-term regarding what's best for our teams and the league - not just what makes our own kids have an enjoyable experience. "Daddy-ball," as it is often called, is a problem in many areas of youth sports. That is why many people have advocated for non-parent coaches. By having dedicated, full-time coaches in these divisions of play, Myers Park Trinity takes "daddy-ball" out of the equation for most of its players aged 10 and up during the regular season and all-stars. That is extremely rare these days, and it is one aspect of our league that sets us apart from so many. It is one of the fundamental reasons that MPTLL is a great league.

In case you missed it......

Best of MPTLL #1: Community Atmosphere.

Coaching Your Own Kid

If you are planning to coach your own son or daughter's team this season, I highly recommend that you read this article by Janis Meredith:  6 Steps to Successfully Coaching Your Own Child. 

Meredith offers the following advice for the benefit of all involved - the child, the parent, the team and the league:

1. Get objective opinions about each child's abilities from your fellow coaches.
2. Give fair treatment to all. Don't treat your child better or worse than the other players.
3. Do not coach at home unless your child brings it up.
4. Prepare your kids for peer pressure they may encounter because you are the coach.
5. Remind your child that you are their coach on the field, not just their parent.
6. Be an unconditional coach. "If you are going to volunteer to help coach your child's team, commit yourself to doing what's best for the entire team, not just your child. If you can't do that, don't coach."

So many leagues have been negatively affected by "daddyball." The "what's in it for me and my kid" attitude

Playing Catch With a Purpose

I read a good post at The Pitching Academy about the benefits of throwing often when done with a purpose. Baseball is fun, and it's fun to just go out a throw the ball around. But when teams are warming up for practice, players - especially pitchers - can gain a lot from working on their mechanics.

Far too often I see a kids that have been taught to pitch or throw correctly, some by me, go out and warm up for practice with poor mechanics - not closing up, glove flying out, no follow through. They get nothing out of those ten minutes other than getting their arm loose. But if they would focus on what they're doing during that time like they would the rest of practice, they could improve their arm strength, their mechanics, their control, their various fastballs and their changeup or other offspeed pitches.

Mechanics can be learned at an early age. Once players get in the habit of throwing correctly, they'll never lose that skill. It's like riding a bike. But until the good habits fully take over, players will continue to fight against the bad habits on the mound and in the field. If they don't close the shoulder, or tuck the glove, etc., during those 30 throws before practice, how can we expect them to do it in a game?

And that changeup grip takes months, if not years, to get comfortable with. Pitchers who practice it during long toss or while cooling down can speed up that time significantly. Play "catch" with a purpose and some focus and the progress will show.

Reflections on a Good Coach

Here's an article for my fellow coaches out there. Actor David Duchovny writes in the Wall Street Journal about how his high school basketball coach made a positive impact on his life. An excerpt:

"That is what a good coach does. He fills you with a belief that may or may not be justified. As you make the dangerous crossing from unproven belief to actual accomplishment, from potential to reality, a good coach holds your hand so expertly that you don't even know your hand is being held. I got better because Coach Byrnes told me I was already better. It was that simple—a magic trick."

Couldn't agree more. One of the best things we can do for young athletes is instill self confidence in them that they can draw from the rest of their lives.

Why We Coach

This article by Adam Parkhouse of the News Dispatch in Michigan City, Indiana is a few months old, but it's pretty relevant to Myers Park Trinity. Adam is a non-parent youth baseball coach explaining why he loves what he does each spring.

MPTLL is unique in that our Major League and Minor League divisions have so many coaches that continue to come back year after year, some for several decades, despite not having children children of their own on their teams. This aspect of our league truly sets us apart from most others.

Here is a link to the article.  I think there are many of us that can identify with what he has to say.