My neighbor Bob across the street asked me if I knew how to coach baseball. I assured him I did, why? He told me about his two boys playing, and they weren’t learning anything or having much fun. It seems they were getting only token appearances in the games. In for one inning then on the bench. It seems their coaches are complying with the letter of the law, but not the spirit. My son had suffered through the same sort of thing in his short little league career.
Bob had this idea if I would help him. I agreed. He went out and gathered up a group of kids who were experiencing the same baseball career. We then formed a team called the Rockford Nightmares. We had regular practices which we used to teach them the basics which they had never had. At the games they all got their fair shares.
The parents were informed that their job was to sit in the stands and cheer everything the kids did. They were very good about this.
Our stands were always packed with parents. We never came close to winning one game. They all had a good time. That was what it was all about. The kids learned enough from us that the following year they went to teams and were competitive players. I will never forget that marvelous year of the Nightmares.
