A Perfect Season: A Coach's Journey to Learning, Competing, and Having Fun in Youth Baseball

by Clemens, Dan

• ISBN13: 9780982870723
• ISBN10: 0982870728
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-10-21
• Publisher: Quiet Path Books

Summary

In this heartwarming baseball story, Dan Clemens reveals the triumphs, failures, frustrations, and joys of being a youth baseball coach. Through 65 personal journal entries, Clemens takes readers on a behind the scenes tour of his 12-year-old son's baseball season. "It was perfect," he says, "but not in terms of wins and losses." Rather, Coach Dan's team achieved their goals of learning, competing and having fun - the three things he emphasizes that should drive youth sports. Clemens's perfect season is chocked full of humor, passion, lessons learned, and wisdom to make youth baseball an enjoyable and rewarding experience for all involved. He offers many insights that will help youth coaches - and their players - enjoy A Perfect Season of their own.A Perfect Season is a must-read for every youth coach . . . and shows parents what they should expect from someone they are intrusting to coach their kids.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. 1
Introduction - Achieving Perfection	p. 7
The Boys of Summer
Not Exactly a Slice of Paradise	p. 21
August 18 What Am I Getting Myself Into?	p. 35
August 23 Deciding to Coach	p. 39
August 25 My Most Rewarding Baseball Moments	p. 41
August 28 Forming a Team ... Getting My Head Straight	p. 47
August 30 A Concern	p. 59
September 10 TheTryout	p. 61
September 14 Selecting the Team - Who Will Go With Us?	p. 66
September 16 Making the Calls	p. 72
Spring Training
January 12 Multiple Sports Athletes	p. 77
January 16 Fun and Learning at Practice	p. 84
February 17 Responding by Focusing on the Positive	p. 86
February 25 Mortgaging for Metal and the Joy of Wood	p. 88
March 7 The Seeding Tournament	p. 95
March 12 Our Denning Moment-Defeating the Rusders	p. 96
March 15 Keeping Score	p. 100
March 20 Bullpen Catcher	p. 104
March 25 The Role of a Coach	p. 107
March 26 Reaction at the Scrimmage Tournament	p. 110
March 28 Setting Expectations	p. 113
March 29 React Mode Warning Sign #1-Emotional	p. 116
April
April 2 Reacting to Robert's Bunt Defense	p. 121
April 4 React Mode Warning Sign #2 - Selfish	p. 123
April 8 Sliding at Second - Part 1	p. 125
April 13 Book Review - Randomness and Yelling at Kids	p. 126
April 14 The Busy Day	p. 132
April 20 The Grand Slam	p. 141
April 23 Getting Tossed	p. 144
April 24 Sliding at Second - Part 2	p. 151
April 25 Generation Why	p. 152
April 28 Flashback - Luis Sliding at Third	p. 154
May
May 1 The Value of Instruction	p. 161
May 2 The Psychological Pain of Underperformance	p. 165
May 4 The Birth of a Baseball Koan	p. 168
May 5 The Unlikely Hero	p. 171
May 6 Parents	p. 173
May 7 Sliding at Second - Part 3	p. 179
May 8 React Mode Warning Sign #3 - Rutted	p. 181
May 10 Be Humble	p. 182
May 14 The Making of Tylerville	p. 184
May 16 Learn Many Positions	p. 187
May l8 Memory Lane - A Mumford Electric Reunion	p. 191
May 21 The Buffaloes Incident	p. 194
May 22 React Mode Warning Sign #4 - Cranial Bypass	p. 200
May 24 Sliding at Second - Part 4	p. 203
May 25 Passing the Torch	p. 207
May 27 Seeing the Fruits of Your Labor	p. 213
June
June 1 Confusing Anthony	p. 217
June 4 Mandatory	p. 220
June 6 The Health of a Young Pitcher - Pitch Counts and Curveballs	p. 221
June 8 Sliding at Second - Part 5	p. 231
June 9 Dillon on Cloud Nine	p. 234
June 12 Sliding at Second - Part 6	p. 236
June 13 A Mom and Her Pictures	p. 238
June 15 My Grandma's Fantastic Memory	p. 245
June 20 Sliding at Second - Part 7	p. 248
June 21 A Sad Ending to a Friendship	p. 249
June 23 The Successful Project	p. 253
June 26 A Sad Ending to a Friendship - Part 2	p. 261
June 27 The Morning After - Parent Email	p. 266
June 28 Making a Difference	p. 269
July
July 8 World Series Umpires	p. 277
July 9 A Sad Ending to a Friendship - What I Learned	p. 285
July 28 Reflecting on a Perfect Season	p. 289
Epilogue: The Following July	p. 301
Acknowledgements	p. 305
About Coach Dan	p. 307
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