Team Rules

Welcome Parents and Players to the spring 2002 season!

This is our first season of play with the Northern Kentucky Riverbats Baseball Club.  This season we expect to be a huge success. We will play a very competitive schedule and expect to get pushed to our physical and mental best.  The boys will have a great time and learn more about Baseball than ever before.

We will play in as many as 8 tournaments and hope to qualify for the State and World Tournament.  Our
league competition will be improved over our previous Knothole experience, which will help make  this season exciting.

We will have opportunities this year to show that we can play with anyone who steps on the field. Some of our opponents this year will be among the best in the Tri-state. This is where teams can be measured in many ways.
Talent, skill, work ethic, sportsmanship, attitude, and team chemistry all play a part in the success of a team. The Bats will weigh these things equally.  Game statistics ( Hits, RBI’s, Runs,  etc.) can never tell the full story of the success of a team. Work hard and play your best, is all that can be asked of anyone. We don't ask
for more than that, but we won't settle for less!

Our Philosophy of Baseball

Baseball is a game of speed, skill, endurance, and decision making. Each game is a collection of many decisions and battles. Normally the team that makes good decisions and makes the fewest mistakes wins the game.  Decision making includes what you do with and without the ball, both offensively and defensively. The coach must place the players in positions that they are most apt to make the right decisions.  To do this, the players must be evaluated. You have to determine what you have to work with and make the best of it.

Our philosophy is to practice all aspects of  the game. Each game we will try to determine what type of team we play that day and react to that.  No two games are the same and different strategies must be used.  Players must be matched by their skills and personalities to their positions.  This is tough because the personalities of young players seem to change from day to day.  That’s why some days they seem like All-Star's and other days like Lollipop players.  The key is to put players in what would be their All Star position, today. As time goes on, the positioning becomes more and more specialized. At this age the boys don’t full recognize what their favorite and best positions are yet. Most of the boys will be playing several positions.  Specialization should not be determined at such a young age.  Let’s face it, we would all like our boys to play High School Baseball.  In High School, there is only going to be one Shortstop who starts.  We want to develop these young men in several positions and this will aid the teamwork that is needed at the this level.

Message to the Parents and Team

By nature I am a very competitive person. I really like to win! More than winning, I like to see my team have fun. Let me clarify my view of having fun. It is being the best player you can be and always trying your hardest. There is nothing else. It will show in practice, in games and at home. Games are not fun when you haven’t worked hard to prepare for them. Fun on the Baseball field can only be obtained by being the best you can be….today.

Here is my view of team dynamics.  It includes parents as part of the team.  Parents play a big part and are involved. Hence, we have to have the right kind of help from the parents.  I won’t go into getting to practice or games or bed at night, but I do want to say something about games in general.  Remember a game is a display of what has been learned and practiced.

I like to relate a Baseball game to the production of a theatrical play. Your son has a part in the production. Will he be on stage?  Some will some will not.  But your son has practiced many hours and may be nervous.  When opening night comes, what do you tell him? “Do your best , just like practice.  I’m proud of you now, I’ll be proud of you afterwards.” During the play, there is applause and cheering for the well done (and even not so well done) performances. Your son then comes to a particularly long and hard monologue that he has to deliver. You get nervous yourself having seen him struggle with this in practice. At one point he is supposed to turn to the audience and raise his arms, but he seems to have forgotten. Do you jump up and scream, “Get your arms up! Face the audience!”? I don’t think so. You sit there, hope for the best, and applaud at the end. Your son knows he didn’t execute quite right but hears the support and is able to finish the play perfectly without worrying about the part he blew. The kids are the cast, I am the director.  If mistakes are made, we will try to correct them in the next production.

Cute story, right? Relate it to the Baseball games. Let your boy perform and applaud. Ask him if he enjoys the yelling after a mistake is made. I think I know the answer. 

If you think about it, you will realize that mistakes are surrounded by good plays. Applaud those successes. Example: One boy doesn’t hit a ball.  Swings and misses.   Successes: The is tied with two outs, bases loaded Your son steps up and hits a slow roller to the pitcher, (Great my kid just lost the game), pitcher throws a bad throw to the First-basemen, ball goes out of play, we score two runs and win.  What is your reaction on the ride home?  Would it have been different if the Pitcher makes a good throw?  Catch the boys doing something right and cheer about it. That is my real message. There are too many good things going on for you parents and players to get caught up in the bad things. Let’s all work hard to make this and every season fun for all!

Parent Code of Conduct

The following is a guideline for the parents to consider on game days.  I include this because you can best serve your boys by cheering from the sidelines. Do not get caught up in the game and try to help coach.  By the time the boys understand your instruction and try to execute, it is too late.  Please do not confuse them.  Also, you may be telling the boys to do something that we have told them not to do.   This may be difficult, but it is important that we show support to what the team is trying to do.  It would be my hope that we all understand this and can accept this as a TEAM RULE

·         Only cheer about something that has already happened.

·         Cheer for the successes that are happening on the field.

·         Do not coach the players!

Umpires

Some Umps are good and some are not.  We have to live with what we get.  We will have games decided by Umps, some in our favor, some not.  You can’t do anything about it, except make it worse.  Umps are human and some will hold a grudge based on parents’ comments.  If you can’t control yourself, listen to yourself.  Don’t dwell on one call! If a play is missed, quit reminding the players for the rest of the game that they are fighting a losing battle! Let the boys focus on playing on , the game continues.  These boys are smart, they pick up on it, and I have encountered many times where the boys say “this Ump stinks”.  That cannot happen.  Do you ever hear people cheering for the Ump that is calling a great game? Do you hear “no wonder you boys are playing so well, the Ump is calling a great game! ”. No. You hear “good call Ump” and no more. Good calls or bad, the boys have to get over it and play on. They can’t get over it unless you do. Get over it and let the boys play.

Before each game, we will try to talk to the Umps and see what we are in for. I feel them out for their mood and plant some seeds of expectations.  Let me play the refs.  Don’t sabotage what I’ve done by alienating the Ump.

 Sometimes you will be surprised that I’m not arguing a call or why am I arguing that little incident.  Sometimes only a little is needed to let the Ump know he blew it, sometimes I am looking for the make up call at another time during game.  And sometimes your son is the recipient of a make up call because a bad call already went our way.

Watch the game, cheer for our team, leave the Umps alone.

Practice

This is where the boys will learn the majority of their skills and teamwork. We typically practice twice a week.  The boys should always be dressed for practice, bring a water bottle, and a all of their own personal equipment and shoes.   At times, practice will be canceled due to inclement weather. This notification will come via phone calls.  If you don’t get a call, practice is on.  From the boys I expect their attention, cooperation, and competitive participation.  This is where they show me if they can handle game situations.   Practice participation determines game playing time.  If you miss a practice, you will not start.

Parents are needed during practice.  We will practice in a station environment, which takes many hands to help.  You will be solicited to help, but please don’t wait to be asked, jump in where-ever you see a need.

Game Day

Arrive at games 30 minutes prior to start time. Directions to games will be provided. A brief team meeting will follow every game.  This is win, lose or tie.

Other Sports

At this point in your boy’s life, he will be playing other sports.  Playing a variety of sports is a great way to get cross training and fitness.  If there are practice conflicts, we can work something out.  The key is that we talk about it and do what is best.   But please remember, we cannot penalize those kids who are at practice.