Hittin’ two Lane, hittin’ two
There was a book that came out years ago about the life lessons
we learn in early childhood years. I forget the exact title but it
was something to the affect that everything that we need to know
about life we learn in kindergarten.
Hittin’ two Lane, hittin’ two
There was a book that came out years ago about the life lessons we learn in early childhood years. I forget the exact title but it was something to the affect that everything that we need to know about life we learn in kindergarten.
Since this is the sports section, I was thinking that that a similar book title could pertain to Little League baseball. And since we’ve done so much lately on youth baseball in our area I couldn’t help but think of how important those valuable life skills are that we learn from playing sports, and how important all sports are to all of us during those ever-important formative years.
Sure, we all learned how to play the game first, but youth sports is a lot more than that. Youth sports plant the seed and shapes us into what we will one day become. That’s why the coaches at the lower levels need more credit.
Everybody has one coach who they will never forget. For me, it was George McAlpine. He’s probably long dead by now. Heck, he was probably 70 in the mid 1970s. As a Little League coach, McAlpine taught us the fundamentals of the game, and taught us that preparation was the ultimate key to success. It was his dedication to preparation and learning things the right way that led to championship seasons just about every year that he skippered the young kids from Whitman, Mass.
He taught us a lot of valuable lessons, but I most remember his obsession with teaching us the importance of picking up the double-play ball at a time and age when most coaches were thrilled if we could just field the grounder and accurately get it over to first base, my position.
Instead, McAlpine taught the more intricate drills and strategies of the game so that when we got to the higher levels we were ready. I can still see him now with his gray hair shaved down to a half-inch nub like an old Marine. In one hand, he held his worn out practice bat. In the other, the ball that he would toss up, hitting what seemed like countless grounders towards the left side of the infield, the genesis of most double plays.
I can still hear him now. “Hittin’ two, Lane. Hittin’ two.” I can’t remember his first name but some blond kid with the last name Lane played shortstop for us. He got the bulk of the grounders during practice.
In McAlpine’s mouth was a crusty old pipe that would engulf the infield with the smell of his apple-flavored tobacco. He usually wore a lumberjack-style, red-and-black-checkered shirt, work boots and blue jeans. It was hardly the attire of a baseball coach. In fact, he looked more like a fisherman from Maine but it didn’t matter. McAlpine worked with us and showed more dedication and commitment than any other coach in the town.
Before long, he had a group of 10- and 11-year olds turning the double-play ball as well as kids 5 years our senior.
We’d work on staying in front of the ball, the pivot at second and getting the ball out of our gloves as quickly as possible. As time went on, we learned more and more about the intricacies and nuances of the game. But even more importantly than his signature “Hittin Two” name for a play that most coaches called “Turnin’ Two,” McAlpine taught us about life without any of us ever realizing it.
Those few spring seasons before we moved up to higher levels, is where the seeds were planted. It’s where we first learned about the importance of coming together for the good of the team. We learned about friendships, and we learned about handling defeat just as much as we learn how to prepare for wins.
We learned about respecting the old man with the pipe, which ultimately taught us the importance of respecting our elders. We also learned sportsmanship and the importance of camaraderie on and off the field.
And we learned that if you worked hard and gave it your all, you might cap off the year with a championship trophy or even get another one for making the all-star team. In sports, we also learn about getting along with others, and the importance of a strong work ethic.
It’s hard to believe that what we are and what we become takes root on the sports fields of America but it’s true.
Thank you Mr. McAlpine for helping to plant the seeds…
