Serious Coaching error

I can't tell you how many times I made coaching errors while leading my boys Little League Baseball teams. There were times where I screwed up the lineup and put boys where they shouldn't have been. There were times when I would send my boys stealing a base and they would get thrown out. One game I remember clearly was when Chipper was about 7-8. It was still coach pitch and I was pitching. Chipper was in the batter's box and I pitched one right down the middle where he could hit it. Hit it he did-hard! Would of been an extra base hit for sure......the only problem.....I couldn't get out of the way fast enough. The ball hit me and it was declared a foul ball. The next pitch-he swung and missed. Another time I remember sending a player from third base to home to "win the game." I wish! He got thrown out. We lost. The boys were disapointed, until I handed out the juice boxes and snack crackers and a game ball. All was well in the universe then.

I don't think there are enough juice boxes or snack crackers in the world to make things right in the Netherlands. Yesterday the Dutch speedskater was just a few laps away from the Gold Medal. It wasn't even close. In this event two skaters skate for 25 laps, (a long race), every once in a while they switch lanes to make sure both competitors skate an equal distance. The Dutch coach, just seconds away from seeing his athlete win Gold motioned the skater to switch lanes-the only problem? It wasn't time for him to change lanes....resulting in a disqualification!

This skater not only lost a medal in the Olympics but about $500,000 in bonuses he wold of received from the Netherlands Olympic Committee. Ouch. He was not happy. He threw his glasses across the ice, shook off the physical touches of apology from the coach.

Sports and Athletic Competition is full of setbacks and disapointments. Juice box anyone?