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From athletes to moms: thank you

May 9, 2008
By Rich Taylor - Special to the Times

Ask anyone in the know who the rock is in a youth sports family and you'll most understandably get the same answer -- mom.

In scheduling the whereabouts for everyone in one day, their brains are like mini-day planners. If little Johnny has to be at baseball practice at 4 p.m. and Molly must get to soccer practice by 4:15 and they both have to be picked up at 6, while dinner needs to be ready by seven, they've got it all planned before breakfast that day.

Mother's have self-instilled GPS units when it comes to finding the local recreational facilities. Those same internal GPS qualities work at any sports store, grocery market and all dress and shoe stores. While mothers can find anything in a heartbeat, most of us dads are lucky to locate where the checkout counter is.

If you think a mother's purse is overstocked, wait until you peek inside the sports travel bag. As you peer inside you'll find Bactine, sun block, chap stick, a first aid kit, a pop up umbrella, drinks, ice bags, an extra sweatshirt, eyeliner (for what I don't know), sunflower seeds, a Tide dirt remover stick, lots of chocolate and a spray bottle.

Mother's look beyond fumbles, slip ups, dropped balls, dribbles off the foot, missed chances or wins and losses. Their child is an all-star no matter what the program says. In the bigger scheme of things mother's know where the importance of youth sports should be placed.

As for scheduling things in the near future, they have that down to an exact science. If you care to know where a certain game is next year the day after Thanksgiving, what time it starts, what time the players need to arrive and what color uniforms they need to wear, mother's have it covered. They'll even know the weather forecast for that day.

Almost every mother I know proudly displays or wears a pin with their kid's picture on it. They can pull out a wallet full of sports shots faster than you can ask to see one and the refrigerator door at home resembles the world's biggest scrapbook, with team photo's dating back several years, and with enough magnets that if your wearing a belt you're immediately gravitating toward the door.

A well deserved nap for a sports mom is nodding off in the SUV waiting for a practice to end and sleep seems to be non-existent on weekends. Forget the fact that the Saturday game isn't until 3 p.m. because little Johnny needs his underwear washed and his athletic supporter and cup sanitized with heavy duty bleach.

Mother's want e-mail information that's precise. They want specifics on where to go, what time to be there, what to wear, when its over, how many coaches will be there, is water available, are restrooms accessible, have the fields been raked or marked, is it a grass or AstroTurf field and who is the visiting or home team.

Anything less is not worth a can of beans. Why? Well, mothers need to figure out what to wear, what additional things need to go into the already filled sports bag and must fully understand the reasoning behind that day's event.

So, this Sunday on Mother's Day, refrain from switching on ESPN, dissecting why the Sharks lost, and why the 49ers will be improved. Don't mention that the baseball glove needs to be restrung and forget needless chatter about your child's swimming ability.

No, on this day, give her the respect and rest she truly deserves. Because when the rooster crows the next morning she'll be right back at doing the things we've come to love and appreciate.

Rich Taylor
Rich Taylor is the owner, head instructor and CEO of California Pitching Academy. He is a former pitching coach at Pepperdine University and Chicago White Sox scout. He founded the West Coast Baseball School. He has more than 20 years of youth coaching experience and wrote the book “Molding the Young Pitcher.” His regular column appears twice a month. Send him an email.