Lesson in Sportsmanship by Armando Galarraga, MLB Pro
It’s Spring time. For youth baseball players Spring time means the start of a new season and getting ready for a busy summer of practice, games, and tournaments. The weather gets warmer and the competition gets a little bit more intense. And while players, families and coaches are always focused on getting the big victory, it’s also important to make sure we remember to be good sports. Developing a good attitude and sportsman like conduct is just as important for young athletes as developing skill.
One way to improve sportsmanship is in our relationship with the umpires. This applies not just to players but coaches and families too. Just like we respect the time and commitment of our volunteer coaches, we need to do the same for umpires. Even if they don’t always make the calls in our favor.
Everyone makes mistakes, and sometimes an umpire might make a bad call. But we have to respect their decisions. MLB pitcher Armando Galarraga is a great example of keeping it cool through a bad call. Remember the game on the cable.tv MLB Network channel when the umpire called an out, for his otherwise perfectly pitched game? He handled the situation with class and respect, a lesson for players everywhere. Instead of arguing on the field, Armando handles the situation with a level head and proceeds to finish the game calmly. At the next game, he meets the umpire at the plate to shake his hand. His attitude is something we can all learn from during times when the calls seem unfair.
So as the season kicks into high gear, let’s remember to thank the umpires for the time they spend at the field with our families.
The following article was written by a guest blogger to MYB, Lamar Hull. See Lamar’s Bio below:
Bio: Lamar Hull was a former NCAA basketball player with Davidson College. Lamar loves to write and research topics about youth and professional sports. Lamar spends most of his time with his family, which helps him with writing ideas. You can check his web site out at: www.inspirationalbasketball.com.
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