I had a really great little league coach. His advice improved my game a lot
I’ll never forget the time he yelled ‘Hey Tony, look alive out there!”
Up to that point I had been lying face down in the dirt surrounded by a pool of fake blood. My theory was that most people would be hesitant to step on a dead child just to reach base safely.
I followed his advice about looking alive. While it wasn’t perfect, it was an improvement. To make sure there was no doubt about the fact that I was still among the living I would play the entire game while I was hooked up to an EKG machine. Of course dragging the machine around with me cut down on my defensive range quite a bit. They’re a lot heaver than they look on TV.
And once I gave myself a pretty good scare by accidentally unplugging the extension cord without realizing it. So for a half inning I thought my heart had stopped beating. That was worrisome. I’m not a doctor, but that just didn’t seem right. But all things considered his advice was an improvement.
At least while I was looking alive I didn’t get nearly as many cleat marks on my back. Those hurt a lot.
