Taunting or Good Clean Fun

[TexBlue]

Originally posted by Shmuelg
Tex -

Isn't there any way you guys can play in the evening? I remember when I visited my folks in Los Angeles two years ago in August, I went to a local park, where there were a couple of slow-pitch league games going on in the evening, under the lights. It was a municipal park, and the field was so big that it had 4 diamonds, yet only two games were going on. They could easily have had another two games going on, using the lights that were on anyway.

Wow.

Most of the games in rec league are played in the evening. But, when you get tournaments going, you just don't have the time to do all of them at night. I've only been in one tournament that called the games off due to heat. That was in Kingsville about 3 years ago. Two age groups (10-U and 12-U) were on fields that didn't have any air circulation on them. No wind at all, and it was something like 108 or 109. Now, this is on the coast, so Glen knows about this. It's humid as all heck. You gotta use your head sometimes. Don't use the same catcher 3 straight games. Don't let your players drink soft drinks, do make them eat fruit, and a lot of water. The hardest thing to get the girls to do is drink a lot of water before they are thirsty. Gatorade is great, but you gotta drink it before you start playing, by a few hours. The enzymes have to be in your system already. If you start getting too hot, it's too late for Gatorade. Get water, drink a lot of it and wrap a cool (not cold) towel around your neck. It actually tricks your body into thinking it's cooling down.

[TexBlue]

Originally posted by FUBLUE
As a side note to the thread, has anyone noticed more kids with diabetes playing the game? I have seen two pitchers and several other players (including one of the best catchers in this state) with diabetes this year alone. Coaches have been very open stating that "#42 has diabetes just so you know" or "pitcher has (this or that) condition."

Had a game where this catcher started to miss balls. She never misses balls. Knowing she is diabetic, I asked if she was okay. She said yes, but didn't seem like she did. I called time and coach came out, he talked to her and put in replacement catcher. Turns out it was related to her condition. Coach ended up losing the game, but was more concerned with his player than the loss.

I am a diabetic. I never go on a field without the glucose tablets. I think it is outstanding that kids play all sports with the disease. As for your coach, I think he is an outstanding individual for worrying about the kid, more than the game. And you get an "attaboy" for noticing something different in your catcher and catching the problem early. We're not expected to be EMS personnel, but as a human being, you gotta worry about the safety and health of the kids on your field. Way to go.