A few tips as youth play starts

It’s that time of year again.

Major and minor league baseball are under way and now, in our great state, it’s time for the high schools to begin play along with all the youth leagues.

Spring is always a challenge, weather-wise.

The first pitch at your son’s baseball or daughter’s softball game may be delivered in warm sunlight, but four innings later, you’re running to the car for your sweater or jacket.

The rule of thumb: Be prepared for anything. Dramatic weather changes are common.

For those of you who are delving into coaching for the first time at the youth league level in baseball or softball, I’d like to offer some pointers.

These tips can be valuable in the development of your players or to having some on-field success (i.e., victories).

1. Make sure your outfielders are upright. It is much more difficult to chase down a fly ball when you have to leap to your feet, locate the ball, and track it down. Tell your outfielders there is a time and place to enjoy the beauty of the monarch butterfly, but a baseball or softball field is not that place. Picking the weeds out of the outfield is valuable to the upkeep of the playing surface, but they have “Field Days” for that and it’s more important to field the ball during games than it is to develop your skills as a potential groundskeeper. Remind players that following the path of the butterfly or weeding in the outfield are probably daydreaming and there is a much higher risk of injury if they aren’t watching the game while they are actually participating in it.

2. Insist that your outfielders throw overhand, not sidearm or three-quarter arm. If they continue throwing sidearm or three-quarter arm, give their parents a list of physical therapists or doctors. It will be just a matter of time before they can tie their cleats without having to bend over. There is nothing worse than uncorking a long throw from deep center field sidearm. It makes me cringe. The same cringe your parents may experience when they survey the doctor’s bill.

3. If you’re coaching boys, make sure they wear cups, especially the catchers and infielders. Most parents look forward to being grandparents some day. The baseball can take unexpected bounces, especially if the fields aren’t well groomed. When I played Senior Little League in Bangor, we didn’t have to take a baseball out for infield practice. We warmed up by throwing rocks off Hughes Field, which was across the street from where Mansfield Stadium is today. We should have been in full body armor on Hughes Field.

4. Make sure your hitters use bats they can swing. If they need a teammate to help them bring it up to the plate or they ask you if they can bring it to the plate in a red wagon, it’s probably too heavy for them to swing. Kids can get enamored by oversized bats with their favorite player’s logo on it. Remember, bat speed is the most important aspect of hitting.

5. Understand your players’ ailments and don’t jump to conclusions. You may think your right fielder is lazy when he or she doesn’t chase a ball hit into the gap. That is until you find out later that he or she has been taking medication. Between allergies and asthma, you need a wheelbarrow to carry a team’s various medications these days.

6. Make sure they have fun, but also teach them the importance of giving their best. Sports provide valuable life lessons. No Walkmans, iPods, or magazines on the bench. And those lessons are best learned in an upright position!

Larry Mahoney can be reached at 990-8231, 1-800-310-8600 or by email at lmahoney@bangordailynews.net.