the lament begins

The youngster complained about going to baseball practice this evening.

"Why should I go? He's just going to stick me in right field."

"No, you'll practice at second."

"Yeah, but (insert anonymous-sounding coach's son's name here) will play there. He doesn't even know where he's supposed to be. He doesn't hold anyone on. He doesn't know when he's supposed to cover first. He just stands there and watches the ball go between his legs. They put him there and don't even tell him what to do."

"All you can do is play well. When you practice, nothing gets by you. Catch or at least stop everything that comes close. You be at first when you should be there, you get to second when you should. You cutoff when you're supposed to and backup everything you can. Hustle. That's all you can do. If you make it obvious, the coach has to see it."

I know it doesn't sound fair, and I know I come at it from a biased perspective (so I may be making it sound less fair) and maybe I'm being a bit too whiny. Yes, the argument could be made that the youngster could teach the kid what he needs to know, but training your replacement when you want the job is hard enough when you're an adult, let alone when you're twelve. It isn't fair (or I don't think it is), but that's one lesson the youngster will come away with. Life isn't fair. Just because it isn't doesn't mean you give up. You fight...every day. You do your best and be proud of what you do. It won't be the last time you don't like the decisions made by people above you. Deal with it, but never stop doing your best. Make sure you leave the field knowing you can be proud of the effort you put out there. Sooner or later, good things will happen.