A setting from the novel.
Sit back and fasten your seat belt. You are about to go on multi-month ride through the world of youth baseball. There are the good guys, like the many volunteers who serve their community baseball programs, and there are the not-so good guys: the promoters and their promises, outfits that may be disguised as non-profits, or the pure business interests that sometimes undermine the local community sports programs.
As far as good guys are concerned, I’m partial to Babe Ruth League and its underlying Cal Ripken program. They are good guys in my book. I’m not saying anything against the other fine volunteer programs out there like Little League or Dizzy Dean or anyone else. They are good guys too. It just happens to be that my experience over the past few years has been with Babe Ruth League, especially its program for teenagers aged thirteen through eighteen.
So who am I? You can read more about me by clicking here or by clicking the “About Tom” tab in the navigation bar above.
What can this website do for you, the reader?
First of all, I’m going to post articles that discuss the development of the teenager as a an athlete and a person. While I will focus more on baseball, many of my ideas can be universally applied to young athletes in other sports.
Secondly, I’m going to try and help recreational sports volunteers fight back to reclaim their fields and their programs. I plan to publish cutting-edge posts that you won’t find anywhere else. We’ll discuss issues and solutions derived from working in the trenches of youth baseball. Much of what we talk about will have universal application to other sports. I have seen a lot over the years, but I doubt I’ve seen it all. Join in the discussion and let’s help reclaim all of our youth sports programs.
In the process, I hope to define a model baseball program that is successful on all levels: individual, community, school and travel.
Thirdly, I’m writing a novel that is planned for release in 2014. I’ll talk about it on the blog too. It’s a work of fiction inspired by real life events that are still in play and should open some eyes. Read all about it by clicking here or by clicking the “Novel” tab in the navigation bar above.
Between the novel and this blog, it’s going to be quite an adventure. Buckle up!
Finally, we’re going to have some fun here. I like having a good time and your invited to join me.
You can connect with me through Facebook, Twitter, an email subscription or through the “Contact” page in the navigation bar above.
Feel free to share stories with me you might not otherwise post in the comments section below through the “Contact” page. Drop me a note if you want.