Mike Matheny earned quite a gig for his first big-league managerial job, taking over for a Hall of Famer on a team that won the World Series last season. And getting to know him from a letter six years ago, you can understand why.
It was a letter he wrote when he was just getting into coaching after his big-league career ended. And he was coaching a little league travel team.
Shared on a website run by former big-leaguers Kevin Seitzer and Mike Macfarlane, Matheny spelled out what he expected out of the players and the parents, and it should be shared with every parent of a little league team in every sport, ever.
My favorite is the lead-off line:
"I always said that the only team that I would coach would be a team of orphans, and now here we are. The reason for me saying this is that I have found the biggest problem with youth sports has been the parents. I think that it is best to nip this in the bud right off the bat. I think the concept that I am asking all of you to grab is that this experience is ALL about the boys. If there is anything about it that includes you, we need to make a change of plans."
Read it all here. And to the little league parents out there, as Brad Hamilton said in "Fast Times and Ridgemont High":
"Learn it. Know it. Live it." (And share it.)
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