Well, it's January, Baseball Moms and Dads, and you know what that means!
Off season? Time to relax? Have dinner at a table with a knife and fork?
No. No, it does not.
Come on. A girl can dream, right?
No. No, she cannot.
You must know by now that baseball doesn't take a break. In my experience as the mom of three who have played or are playing baseball, there really isn't an off-season. Perhaps an off-week, but not a full season. I'm sure many of you are currently organizing carpools for winter workouts and schelpping through snow and ice to get your kids to various hitting lessons, catcher's clinics and/or strength and agility training.
What is that saying about how neither snow nor rain nor gloom of night will keep mail couriers from doing their appointed tasks?
Well, I see your mailman and I'll raise you one baseball mom in a mini-van. Every single time.
I'm not complaining really. I have come to enjoy my time in the parents' waiting room at the indoor facility where my kids worked out. I often write a number of blog articles in that space. Many times I've brought a book or magazine, a snack and a diet coke and even considered bringing my own throw pillow and a candle or two to brighten the place up. I was sure I would be rewarded for my time with my own parking place, but alas, that never came to pass.
Seriously, though, I actually believe this off-season work is a good idea. I agree with a phrase I heard once that "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard." And hard work often happens during the winter months. Of course every parent has to decide for their own kid, depending on his age and potential for burnout, which training is most important during the so-called "off-season".
Today I'm suggesting that for you with little kids, we take a lesson from my son, Drew and his teammates, who at the age of 8 would have told you that perhaps the most important skill to learn as a young ball player was the execution of "the dawgpile" - a baseball player's favorite celebratory act. Drew and I would contend that winter is the best time to perfect this technique because if you're lucky enough to have some fluffy precipitation on the ground, you can invite your teammates over to practice their "piling" in a soft cushion of snow.
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