In the Central North Carolina Men’s Senior Baseball League, there are a lot of very good players. From 18 to 80 there are guys that will make you stand up and take notice of their great play, but what about the rest of us?

Most of us are pretty good players but we’re still trying to get better. We could all use some good coaching, but great coaches are more of a rarity than great players. There are 333 plaques in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and only 22 of them are managers.

The great Joe Dimaggio said of his longtime manager, “Never a day went by when you didn’t learn something from Joe McCarthy.”

San Diego Padres bench coach Bobby Dickerson made some great videos for the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network while he was still coaching with the Baltimore Orioles. All of the videos are helpful, but what I really took away from them is his style. He’s trying to show the guys that there’s a better way while still encouraging them.

How about helping Trey Mancini get better at first base?

In 2018 Trey Mancini ended up playing 47 games at first base and out of 361 chances, only had 3 errors all season. Not bad for a right-handed outfielder

How about getting a second baseman and a shortstop to be more reliable and predictable – yes please.

I can’t talk for the 18’s, but I know by the time your watching infielders up in the 50’s there a lot less hard work at getting our bodies in the right position. Here’s Bobby talking about catching with your face again.

Those fundamentals are things that we tend to forget when we’re away from a strong. positive, encouraging coach – but they are always important.

Even the little things, like tagging properly are aspects of the game that the best players practice.

Great coaching is always appreciated. Hopefully watching a few minutes of Bobby Dickerson will help you get better this season.

If you start helping out your teammates, maybe you’ll become known as a great coach.