Messages to the NBLL Board

[Wallace Westfeldt]

Prior to the creation of this website, messages have been sent to the
NBLL Board on this subject. This thread shares some of those messages:

Sent 3/11/10 from Wallace Westfeldt to NBLL Board

For the board,

My name is Wallace Westfeldt and around 10 years ago I was fortunate
to be involved in NBLL. My son played A, AAA, Majors, and All-Stars. I
coached minors and went on to coach Bisons. Our involvement in NBLL
was formative for my son, me, and my family at large. We will always
be deeply grateful for the opportunity and experience.

From time to time I still get information about NBLL and recently have
heard that the league is growing by leaps and bounds. That is good
news for NBLL as well for baseball in Boulder in general.
I have also heard that there have been many decisions regarding the
development of teams, who can be on what team that dilute the ability
players creating a lower common dominator of teams. That is not good
news. The fear that “it’s getting too competitive” seems to be a
cyclical problem with an unfortunate irony.

Competitive sports are one of the great learning centers for our
youth. Among a myriad of life lessons, one learns how to behave when
winning or losing; how to win; how to learn/recover from loss/failure/
error; and that the only thing fair in life is the ground between the
foul lines and even then, the umps can get that wrong. When
competition is removed from a competitive sport, not only are these
life lessons diminished but the implicit message (youth actually get
the implicit and rarely the explicit) is that there is something wrong
with losing. Therein the irony of “it’s getting too competitive.”

We all lose, we all fail. It’s what we do with that failure that
enables to grow and learn. Take away the losing, you take away the
lesson. Take away the winning, you take away the reason.

For your consideration,

Wallace

Sent 4/23/10 from Wallace Westfeldt to the NBLL Board

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak last night.

It seems to me you can look at last night meeting in a couple of ways:
1. A free-for-all venting of pent-up frustrations.
2. A free-for-all exposition of alternative ideas for the All-Star
team.

While both views are probably true, option 2 might be the most useful.
In that spirit, I would like to summarize my views.

All Star Selection Process:
1. No one on the board is qualified to vote for an all-star. This is
not a comment on your personal abilities. Mrs. Bohn who knows more
about what an all-star team requires than you or me, is also not
qualified. The people who are qualified are the managers who work with
the players in practice and games all season long.
2. Players are not qualified either. This inevitably a popularity
contest and has little to do with talent. Also, this will damage team
spirit during the regular season.
3. A series of secret unanimous ballots is a tried and true selection
process. It takes one day. If you need a second team, it takes two
days.
4. All-star tryouts diminish the importance of the regular season and
create more problem regarding your participation issues. Players
should be aware that it is their regular season performance that
determines All-Star selection. This increases participation, teamwork,
and respect for coaches.
5. Manager’s voting for All-Stars should use the advice of previously
successful All-Star coaches to determine what team components (not
players) are necessary for a successful All-Star Tournament (pitchers,
catchers, infield, outfield, hitters, etc.)
6. You should not ask who is available for All-Stars. This leads
players to think that they may be on the team. Instead, you should a
general announcement (through the coaches) that All-Star selections
are about to occur … “If you are unable or unwilling to commit to the
practice and games of a full All-Star season, you need to let us know
now.” Make sure the details of the commitment are known. After
selection, each selected player receives a congratulatory letter
explaining that they have been unanimously selected for the team and
must sign that they are committed to fully participate.


I have been a coach. I have been on the Diamond Baseball Board. I have
been on and the president of the EMSC (Eldora Mountain Ski Club;
competitive youth ski-racing). Therefore, I know you have an
incredible number of issues that you have to deal with. Your volunteer
work is noble and should be applauded. Thank you. As you might expect
because of my age and experience I have some unsolicited advice.

General:
1. Saying that you were just following LL recommendations is a weak
argument since you will inevitably follow some recommendations and not
others. Furthermore, you are probably unaware of the rationale and
source of some of those recommendations, which may be outdated or only
applicable is specialized situations. National LL are volunteers too
and they make mistakes.
2. At one point last night a board member said that they could not
stand this conflict. I suspect the member really meant behavior. If
you really can’t stand conflict, you shouldn’t be on the board. Poor
behavior by coaches, parents, players, or board members should be
pointed out and not condoned. At the same time, it is important to
recognize the source of the passion that caused that poor behavior.
Also, assessment of poor behavior is extremely subjective. For
example, the heated comments last night were unfortunate, but in the
context of what I have heard and seen, I found them relatively minor.
3. Aside from the athletes themselves, the most valuable assets that a
sports programs have are the coaches. You must always seek ways to
empower them. LL does not recognize this and is constantly dis-
empowering coaches. These volunteers will be seminal influences on the
competitors. By loading them up with rules that manage how they manage
turns them into administrators not coaches.
4. Don’t solve problems you don’t have yet. It is good to plan for the
future, but it’s not here yet. Implement those solutions to future
problems when the future arrives. Otherwise you’re just swinging early
and will strike out.

Baseball Specific:
1. LL, and NBLL in particular, appears to be scared of the bench. The
bench is one of the more powerful components of baseball. Players need
to know how to play from the bench (ready at all times), work their
way off the bench, and support their team from the bench. The bench is
a huge authority tool for the coach. Removing the bench dis-empowers
the coach. Having a batting line-up of 12 is not only not baseball,
but it is disrespectful to the players and coaches.
2. I understand that it is a LL rule that 12 year olds regardless of
talent are allowed to play majors. NBLL should protest this rule
because it is dangerous. As board members you have liability exposure.
Eventually, some 12 year old is going to be seriously injured because
of this rule. That player’s family will sue their coach, local board,
regional LL, and National LL and they will win the lawsuit. By
protesting the rule to national LL, you will have reasonable defense
in the lawsuit, should that injury occur in NBLL. This protest should
be signed for your protection. All coaches should sign a protest as
well for their legal protection.
3. The 75% rule is a contrivance on top of a contrivance (the 60%
rule). Ten years ago, participation in NBLL was 100%; not because of
rule, but because of desire. As you remove the competitive elements of
the game (such as batting 12) the competitors will leave. Bring back
the bench, empower the coaches and participation will go up.

Once again, thank you for the opportunity to express my views. Good
luck with your season and your noble efforts.


Wallace