More Than Most, But Not as Much as I Need

If you know me you might think I have patience. You might think I have enough patience. You might even go as far as to say that I am a patient fellow. That almost sound like a good description of me.

But, truth be told, I could use more patience. I would most likely be a better person, be better off if I only had more patience. Especially patience with others.

Truth be told, I get impatient with others. I do not like to ask others for favors as I cannot stand the wait for them to give me answers.

I love coaching my baseball teams. It brings me great joy. But the one aspect I hate; and I hate it more than anything else, is asking boys who try out for my team to play for my team - and then waiting to hear back.

Hey (I think), you do or you don't, you will or you won't. This should be a 10 second phone call. Do not jack me around all week while you consider your options. I would much rather work with another player, teach that player to play baseball, than I would working with someone who might rather play somewhere else. If the decision is that hard - please by all means - go play somewhere else.

Keep the Flame Burning

Check the time of this post.  I couldn't sleep and I normally sleep like a torpedo.  This post was rattling around in my brain and it had to get out.

I did not golf in the Gibby open this year.  I had already booked the day for the select team I coach to have their tryouts.  But I did get to the dinner at Gibby's.

And who did I see at Gibby's?  Guys that I played ball with many years ago. 

Lately I have been hearing a lot of them ask me why I still do it.  Why am I spending so much of my free time coaching youth baseball.  So many have questioned the time, the effort that I began to question the pursuit.

My answer; I have to.  My follow up; you should too.

We are all in our 50's.  Our days are past.  We can't do it anymore.  We can throw, we can hit, we can talk about it; but we can't do it anymore. 

There are tons of boys out there that want to play baseball.  For the most part they are getting coaching, but most of it is lousy.

We were all coached by one of the best.  Frank Papasedero.  He was damn good.  He had his faults; but he was damn good.  And we all learned a few years ago from Eddie O'Brien that he did it for free.  He gave it away.

He is dead and gone.  And in this world of six degrees of separation we are the ones who own his message, who own his passion.  And we own the passion and dedication of all who coached us.  And we own the passion  of all we played with and fought with and every ball we hit, every ball we caught and all this game has brought us.

As I currently coach I run into good men who coach.  But they are over-shadowed by bad parents who coach, twentysomething year old assholes who coach and others who have no business coaching.  Whores that are making money coaching.  Impostors, bad eggs and jackasses who coach.

My message to you all is to get out there.  

Dana is doing it.  Bish is out there.  Tonk is coaching.  Spaz is out there.  Why not you?  You have the knowledge, you have the passion, you have the tools.  You can make a difference.

Pass on the passion for this game.

Pass on your knowledge.

Holiday Inn Express, What a Load of Jerks

In June the summer baseball team I coach entered a tournament north of Bellingham. I booked reservations at a Holiday Inn Express (HIE) in Bellingham. The tournament was cancelled and with a week to go I called HIE to cancel my reservations.

This is where the trouble started. They informed me that I did not have reservations, I had prepaid for a room. There was to be no refund!

I guess I did not read the fine print. I had not made a reservation, I had taken advantage of a super-super low rate and had prepaid to save this super-super low rate.

Someone needs to explain to me how $100 a night in fricking Bellingham WA is a super-super low rate!

I argued, I asked to speak to someone else, I argued, I asked to speak to someone else. I argued. Finally HIE made a concession. I could stay ANY night at their fine hotel for my prepaid $100.

I had to break it to them, driving up to Bellingham and spending the night at a Holiday Inn Express was not considered to be a giant treat for me. I countered with if the deal extended to ANY Holiday Inn Express ANYWHERE ANYTIME I might consider this a reasonable offer.

No deal.

What they did not realize, what they could not know, was that I had the ultra protection of my very own personal banker, like I was a Republican or something. I called my personal banker who put the credit card people on the phone and viola', I had a provisional credit for this charge.

Done deal.

Then I got my statement. Quite confusing. There was my provisional credit, then low and behold there was HIE's credit (wow, now I am ahead on the deal!). Then I saw the reverse of the provisional credit (darn now I am just even) but then I saw it - TWO more charges for the same damn room! Now I am down TWO times the charge! Who do they think they are messing with?

I guess there must be a lot of people who do not review their visa bills.

I called my banker, she put the credit card people(cc) on the line again. After explaining the deal the cc person put me on hold and came back with an ingeniously sneaky plan. She said this is typical of some of the people she deals with. They give the credit and then take it back. We again put a hold on these two charges and then implemented her brilliant plan - we cancelled my card. Of course she is sending me a new one with a new number and that should take a week or so.

The good news is now I am without a visa. Last night at dinner at Tutta Bella's not only was it free pizza night (!!!! I guess they were just voted best independent pizza in America!!!) but when the bill came I had to say "sorry Peggy, my visa has been cancelled and I won't have a new one for a week or so" .

Ain't life great!