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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JoeBlank" data-source="post: 3048579" data-attributes="member: 1806">I coach my sons' little league baseball team. How is the relevant? In more ways than one.First: I used to coach with my Brother-in-law, who is a fantastic guy and knows more about baseball, and teaching it to kids, than anyone I know. He eats, sleeps and breaths it. And he is so good at getting kids interested and teaching them. However, he is a bit too fanatical about it. For a pee wee team (ages 7-8) he would hold practices 2 or 3 times per week during the season, while we were playing games twice per week. Some kids love practicing and playing baseball 4-5 nights per week. My oldest son would do more if he could. But at that age, some kids are just there to have fun. They will never be much better, but if you can get them to throw, catch and hit then they are happy. Baseball is not their life, it is just a hobby. And many of their parents feel the same way. When they sign the kid up they make a commitment, but they don't expect to be spending every waking moment on baseball.So now that I am coaching on my own I made up my mind to make room for the hobbyist players, the kids who just want to come out a couple times each week and play baseball. I expect them to participate and put forth the effort at practice and at games. I ask their parents to call or email if they can not be there. But I don't punish the kids with extra bench time for missing practice, or with how I treat them in any other way. This is a recreational league, not a competitive travel team.Which brings me to the second way my coaching relates to the topic at hand. During baseball season I sometimes have to miss gaming sessions. It might be because we have a practice or a game that day. This is easier for me to control now, because I set the practice schedule. But I might miss a session because Sunday, our game day, may be the only day that week that I have to do other things with my family, including my wife, my youngest son (who is not playing baseball yet), as well as my parents, and my sisters (and their kids). I'm lucky enough to have gaming friends who understand. I am courteous enough to let them know well in advance if I am unable to be at a session. They handle PCs of absent players in a manner that is fair but not too harsh. And they don't treat me any differently when I show up after having missed a session.</blockquote>

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