| I have been coaching baseball for 16 years. It has | | | | Philadelphia area on Saturday night. We agreed |
| been a big part of my life. Sure, it takes a lot of | | | | that the outlook for playing the Sunday game |
| time, but perhaps I've made a small impact on | | | | was not promising. The opposing coach lamented |
| young men in our area so that makes it all | | | | about how he dreaded having to call 18 players if |
| worthwhile. | | | | the game was rained out! |
| My first opportunity to coach was in Little League. | | | | "What year was this guy living in," I thought. I |
| One of the most fun evenings of the year was | | | | hadn't been calling players for over a decade, or |
| when the coaches got together for the | | | | at least since every player on the team had email. |
| preseason draft of talent. In the early rounds, it | | | | And, a few years ago, I even gave up email, |
| was all business, with coaches monitoring spread | | | | preferring to send a broadcast text message |
| sheets of ratings of pre-teens generated by their | | | | instead. |
| previous season coach. The strategies used by | | | | Email is so yesterday with teens today. If I were |
| the local coaches were not much different than | | | | still sending email to my baseball players, they |
| the ones utilized by the general managers at the | | | | would find out a week from now about the |
| Major League Baseball winter meetings. | | | | cancellation, because that's about as often as |
| The latter rounds were met with a much | | | | teenage boys check their emails today. That's |
| different rating system. In the later rounds, the | | | | why I communicate with my players on the |
| players were all inept so coaches were more apt | | | | medium of their choice--text messages. |
| to rate their selection based on GLM's -- good | | | | Moreover, a text message reaches the player |
| looking Moms. But, no matter how good looking | | | | immediately no matter where they are. 94% of |
| their Mom was, there was one kid that would | | | | all text messages are read immediately upon |
| never get picked until the final selections. These | | | | receipt. Email certainly can't make that claim! |
| were the ones that didn't have email! There's no | | | | If Little Leagues, Cal Ripken leagues, American |
| way a coach wanted to add to his work by | | | | Legion baseball teams, or travel baseball teams |
| having to make a phone call to notify the player's | | | | are looking for the best way to reach their |
| family that practice or a game was cancelled due | | | | players, then the only way to do that in today's |
| to rain. Email was just so much...easier. | | | | fast moving society is with text message |
| This weekend, my Junior Legion baseball team | | | | broadcasts. |
| had a home and home series against another local | | | | I can't imagine coaching a baseball team and |
| opponent. My club was home on Saturday and we | | | | having to make 18 phone calls when a game or |
| were to play away on Sunday. After the | | | | practice was rained out. |
| conclusion of the Saturday game (we won 5-1 by | | | | Perhaps, that other coach is still having his team |
| the way), the other coach and I talked about the | | | | use wood bats too. |
| impending rain storm predicted to hit the | | | | |