Were you late for any meetings this week (e.g. Monday, March 13)? How many clocks did you have to change in your house and office? Well, I have at least a dozen or more. This includes microwave, coffee maker, watches, etc.

A broken clock is right twice a day. Thank God for “smart phones” that automatically adjust twice a year. Hopefully, I am right more often than I am wrong, but that is often debatable. Two steps forward, one step back.

Nevertheless, if you are like me, you might have some broken clocks, or a watch with a dead battery. In fact, if you are really behind the eight ball, you may have to update your calendar or your watch because February only has 28 days and your watch may be 3 days behind if you have not worn it in awhile.

Daylight Saving Time

The good news is the days are getting longer and you will start seeing more daylight. Daylight Saving Time changes at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March in the U.S. when we set our clocks forward (“Spring Forward”) one hour ahead of Standard Time. We turn the clocks back at 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday in November (“Fall Back”), thus returning to Standard Time. Read more

You may recall my Introductory “Little League” Letter was all business. Well, actually I’m pretty laid back and often digress – side track or even worse, regress move backward. Did you know that moving your clock forward one hour is a lot easier than moving it back in the fall because you have to cycle through 11 hours? Depending on whether you have an Analog or Digital clock, when you change the time from 2am to 3am it’s real easy. However, changing from 2am to 1am means you have to go all the way around.

This reminds me of my life. Physically “In old age, one’s body regresses.” Frequently, “I battle with ONLY two gears in my life”. Forward or Backwards. Rarely do I Park and Sit Still. That is my greatest challenge – moderation and being low key.

When local standard time was about to reach Sunday, March 12, 2017, 2:00:00 am clocks were turned forward 1 hour to Sunday, March 12, 2017, 3:00:00 am local daylight time instead. Sunrise and sunset was about 1 hour later on Mar 12, 2017 than the day before. There was more light in the evening. However, there is a one week, one hour time difference Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5) or Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4) depending upon the season (Spring forward, Fall back), so please adjust accordingly. Read more

As your Skipper, I believe it is better to give you too much information than too little. That gives you the autonomy to decipher what is important to you. For example, this Friday, March 17 is Saint Patrick’s Day and Monday, March 20 is the First Day of Spring. Another life lesson I have found is that it is easier to lighten up than tighten up.

During our Parent Meeting at our last practice (March 11), I discussed the importance of having Fun this season. This is a very big philosophy of Roland Park Baseball League and I want to reinforce this principle. Too often I see kids get burnt out or lose interest. My goal every time I coach is to develop talent and make it enjoyable. If you are not getting better than it quickly becomes no fun. I stressed the importance of Parent expectations and think Mike Matheny said it much better than I could ever articulate. However, I do want to emphasize my promise to you that I will try my best to keep email communication short and sweet. I will routinely post pre-game and post-game blogs and interact with the League Toolbox as far as scheduling goes. Notice on this blog that there are many, many baseball and sports related Hyperlinks that will keep you busy for hours.

In terms of practice plans, we will typically start out every practice and game with stretching and conditioning (running stairs is a great way to get the heart rate pumping). Then we will break-out into 3 groups focusing on pitching, fielding and hitting. I like to end the practice with a scrimmage and really concentrating on “situations” for both offense and defense (e.g. what do you do with one out, man on first and the ball is hit to the shortstop?). More importantly, I am very serious about sportsmanship and hustling. I don’t ever want to see kids teasing each other or their opponents and insist on running on and off the field between innings. Also, I prefer that the kids help setup the equipment, carry the bags to/from the coaches car and cleanup and the end of every practice & game. That’s how we did it when I played little league. And I remember distinctly the coaches telling me that when the college and MLB scouts show-up at our games, they are paying particular attention to ATTITUDE.

Moving forward, we need lots of help! I’m still looking for volunteers to help run stations. I received some questions about Uniforms and it would probably be best if we all wore Black baseball pants with black socks, but I’m flexible. If you already have grey or white pants, that’s fine. Also, if you are considering investing in a helmet, Baltimore City requires that you wear a face mask. The RPBL gives us more than four team helmets with mask. I suggest if you are concerned about hair lice that you purchase your own. Just make sure it is comfortable (snug and doesn’t slide around) and can see well. We also have 3-4 baseball bats and you are welcome to take home with you, but if you would like to buy your own I can help you decide.

Youth Baseball Bats feature a 2 1/4 inch barrel diameter and are often lighter, with a length to weight ratio between -8 and -13. Youth bats are sometimes referred to as small barrel bats or Little League baseball bats, and are used by players that play in leagues that mandate a bat with a 2 1/4 inch barrel. Most will be Little League approved bats and should also be legal in one or more of the following associations: Babe Ruth, Dixie, Pony, AABC, or USSSA. NOTE: As of January 1, 2018, the new USA Baseball Bat Standard will be implemented. Little League-approved baseball bats that are approved for use for the 2017 season will no longer be acceptable for use in any Little League game or activity. Read more