On July 2nd I posted on Facebook a blog concerning one single game which I coached in Rapid City, South Dakota. It was the greatest game of my coaching career and one of the greatest moments of my entire life. My great friend and assistant coach, Jim Keenan, reminded me of one thing which I neglected to mention in my original blog writing. Before that game I had the team participate in something known as "Shadowball".
Shadowball was performed in the Negro Leagues of professional baseball back in the first half of the 20th century. It's hard to believe that for a time black baseball players were forbidden, through a "gentleman's agreement", from playing major league baseball for the sole reason that they were black. But believe it or not, it was indeed the case.
Jackie Robinson was not actually the first black player in the major leagues. In the modern era, yes. But in 1884 Moses Fleetwood Walker played for the Toledo Blue Stockings. He lasted only half a season and in 1887 the owners voted to exclude blacks from baseball....period.
Shadowball was profiled in "Ken Burns' Baseball", the brilliant PBS documentary which first aired in the fall of 1994. I couldn't really appreciate its initial showing because it aired during one of the worst months of my life. My dear mother had just flown back to Florida after visiting me in Minneapolis for the previous month. She lived for just one more month, losing her three-year battle with breast cancer on October 1st. I did record each episode on something called VHS tapes (google that, kids) and viewed it over the longer than normal winter in an early version of what is now known as "binge viewing".
I coached baseball and softball in Burnsville, Minnesota from 1989-2001. I coached from ages 8-18, boys' baseball and girls' softball both slowpitch and fastpitch. I believe I started having players end practices with shadowball in my 3rd year. Players immediately fell in love with it, to the point where they wanted to do it EVERY day. It allowed all players to imagine themselves making the plays they dream of just before they fall asleep. I was greatly amused as I watched how my players had concocted their most outrageous plays. It was even more of a kick to watch our opponents when we would bust out the pantomime just before a scheduled game in lieu of taking regular infield practice. Our opponents were so interested in what fun we were having that they sometimes lost focus and it made them more vulnerable to our early-game efforts. Just not often enough.
My youth coaching career is a thing of the past these days. Mostly because parents don't know how to act in a civil manner towards coaches or game officials anymore. They don't. It makes no sense to me when you hear stories about parents verbally and physically abusing team coaches and officials. I only had one issue with that during my tenure and that was when one father called me at 11:30 p.m. in a drunken stupor to tell me that his son should be batting third and starting every game. So I got out with not much agitation. I do miss it though. Once when I had an 11-12 year-old team I didn't have time to change out of my suit from work and change into jeans and a t-shirt. So I gave signs at third base with my sport coat lapels and my tie. It was a bunch of fun and the parents thought it to be quite entertaining. But Shadowball has to be my favorite coaching routine of all time.
Shadowball was performed in the Negro Leagues of professional baseball back in the first half of the 20th century. It's hard to believe that for a time black baseball players were forbidden, through a "gentleman's agreement", from playing major league baseball for the sole reason that they were black. But believe it or not, it was indeed the case.
Jackie Robinson was not actually the first black player in the major leagues. In the modern era, yes. But in 1884 Moses Fleetwood Walker played for the Toledo Blue Stockings. He lasted only half a season and in 1887 the owners voted to exclude blacks from baseball....period.
Shadowball was profiled in "Ken Burns' Baseball", the brilliant PBS documentary which first aired in the fall of 1994. I couldn't really appreciate its initial showing because it aired during one of the worst months of my life. My dear mother had just flown back to Florida after visiting me in Minneapolis for the previous month. She lived for just one more month, losing her three-year battle with breast cancer on October 1st. I did record each episode on something called VHS tapes (google that, kids) and viewed it over the longer than normal winter in an early version of what is now known as "binge viewing".
I coached baseball and softball in Burnsville, Minnesota from 1989-2001. I coached from ages 8-18, boys' baseball and girls' softball both slowpitch and fastpitch. I believe I started having players end practices with shadowball in my 3rd year. Players immediately fell in love with it, to the point where they wanted to do it EVERY day. It allowed all players to imagine themselves making the plays they dream of just before they fall asleep. I was greatly amused as I watched how my players had concocted their most outrageous plays. It was even more of a kick to watch our opponents when we would bust out the pantomime just before a scheduled game in lieu of taking regular infield practice. Our opponents were so interested in what fun we were having that they sometimes lost focus and it made them more vulnerable to our early-game efforts. Just not often enough.
My youth coaching career is a thing of the past these days. Mostly because parents don't know how to act in a civil manner towards coaches or game officials anymore. They don't. It makes no sense to me when you hear stories about parents verbally and physically abusing team coaches and officials. I only had one issue with that during my tenure and that was when one father called me at 11:30 p.m. in a drunken stupor to tell me that his son should be batting third and starting every game. So I got out with not much agitation. I do miss it though. Once when I had an 11-12 year-old team I didn't have time to change out of my suit from work and change into jeans and a t-shirt. So I gave signs at third base with my sport coat lapels and my tie. It was a bunch of fun and the parents thought it to be quite entertaining. But Shadowball has to be my favorite coaching routine of all time.
By the way.... That ballgame in South Dakota in 1994? Against the defending National Champions? In their home ballpark? In front of over 1,100 fans? Oh yeah, we won that game 3-1. Did our Shadowball exhibition help us? Who's to say it didn't? But it didn't do us any harm, that's for sure.
The great thing about Shadowball,for myself, is that since it's infield practice without an actual ball I can play it in my mind at almost any time. I think I may do that right now. Just gotta find my imaginary fungo bat. It must be around here somewhere.
..........I'm just sayin.
The great thing about Shadowball,for myself, is that since it's infield practice without an actual ball I can play it in my mind at almost any time. I think I may do that right now. Just gotta find my imaginary fungo bat. It must be around here somewhere.
How great must a game be in that it has a piece of equipment referred to as a "fungo"?
..........I'm just sayin.
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