During my tenure as a softball coach at Manual, we played a team who really wasn't very good and there was never a chance that we were going to lose. I was coaching first base and their first base person obviously had never played at that level and her fundamentals needed work. I began giving her tips and showed her how to position herself for left and right handed players how to receive a throws from the infield and where to throw in certain situations.

During the game our catcher, Amy, was coming into score and the opposing pitcher, not knowing that Amy had crossed the plate, took the relay throw and turned and whipped the ball to the catcher and inadvertently hit Amy in the head, who, thankfully, was still wearing her helmet. Amy, as it turned out, was fine. After checking to see if Amy was OK, I started walking back to first base and noticed that the opposing pitcher was distraught and crying. The opposing coach and I went to the mound and determined that she was upset about the incident and wanted to quit. I assured her that Amy was fine and even had Amy tell her so. Amy said  , “oh, I am fine” and the pitcher composed herself and continued. Chuck had also done much of the same kind of thing.

A number of days later, Chuck and I, during our planning period, were called to the Principals office, usually a very bad sign. We walked down together trying to figure what we had done wrong. When we arrived he had us sit down and said that a parent had left a note to him on her way to work and he thought that he needed to read it to us and that we also needed to discuss the situation.  As he began reading we came to understand that this was a note from a mother of one of the players on the team we had played. We also determined that, in spite of the stern demeanor and tone of voice, that this was a letter of praise for the two of us stating that she had never seen such concern and sportsmanship in opposing coaches and that we were great role models for young women in sports and taught that there are more important things than winning and losing.  Joe, Our principal looked up, smiled and said "keep up the good work."  Some things are worth it.