President's Message:

December 2011

I hope this letter finds you and your family in good health and happiness.

Merry Christmas! Regardless of the clichés, I have to say this is my favorite time of year. The weather, the spirit, and the preparation for Spring baseball and softball at NSLL….

As always, we have challenges at NSLL, but we have a full board with a lot of new people and everyone appears enthusiastic about their responsibilities. Even outside the board, I believe we have a lot of families who realize that this Facility belongs to all the members and they are taking ownership, which is encouraging. 

It’s tough to admit, but I’m now the 2^nd most senior Board Member at NSLL which means it’s time to let some of the younger guys lead this great league. When I was voted in as president of Northside Suburban Little League, for a third term, I let the board know this would be my last year. So I write this with a heavy heart knowing that I’m on the final chapter of my time as a volunteer at NSLL.

One more business item and I will conclude with a story. When you come out for evaluation you will see the permanent plaque that will be put up thanking all those who donated thousands of dollars to assist in getting us the new Musco Lighting System we are using. This Light the Park Campaign is not over. NSLL took on a 5 year note to finance the lights. The City of San Antonio and The parks department did not contribute any money to this cause. For those who are not aware, we have a long term lease with the City of San Antonio to use this area of the park. The City and the Parks department do not contribute any money to NSLL. For the last 25 years everything that has been done and all improvements that have been made have been at the hands of volunteers and / or through private money raised. That is why we always encourage you to frequent those sponsors who support NSLL. I will say that it is disappointing that the City did not assist with these lights because they had us jump through a lot of hoops and gave the appearance they would help, and in the end, they said they could not contribute any money. I understand budget constraints, but I’ve also seen many other areas of town where the City contributes funds. Nonetheless, I believe it is important to let those of you who are interested know that we tried to get assistance and the City refused to help. So if you have any means, or if you believe the company you work for has the means to help a 501 c 3 organization, we are still taking donations that will go straight to paying off the Musco note that NSLL is carrying. Feel free to contact me or any board member you may personally know to discuss.

My family found NSLL 9 years ago when my oldest; Logan came out to play teeball.  We thought it was like any other place; we showed up for games and left immediately after. Roger Ford was our manager and he happened to be on the Board at NSLL. The next year we started machine pitch and Roger again picked up Logan, this year, Roger had become president of NSLL and had to step back from his manager roll on Machine Pitch to focus on his Board position. The assistant coach Danny stepped up to manage, and when he asked for help, I raised my hand. I knew nothing about baseball, I never coached any sport, I only played football and I did not even watch MLB. We were terrible, but Danny liked having fun, and so did I, so the team had fun. Towards the end of the season, Danny breaks his foot in an accident and he has to step back from managing, so I now became the Manager. We finished our season a little bit better than we started, but we were not a good baseball team. Of course my competitive nature kicked in, I asked to manage the next spring (I did not know about Fall ball at the time) and I went in the draft room, oblivious to how the draft worked. I picked the same team from the previous year. No one wanted any of the Astros back then because no one noticed what we had. I studied books, learned all I could about baseball and we tried again, Me as the manager and Danny as my coach.

We had a great rivalry with various coaches, but the main one was against Daron Lofton. His team had kids who could play and they rolled over every team they went against, including us, but every game we played them, the score was closer. Daron went undefeated in the regular season and the Astros made the play offs as the 4^th seed which meant we had to play Daron’s team in the first round. It was a heated year; The Astros had come along and were playing well as a team. But most parents were looking to see who we would play next when we lost. I don’t remember who hit where, etc., but I remember we won that game. The Astros went on to win the play offs and the kids had the time of their young lives. I realized at that time, this is how I would give back, as a volunteer coach. Little League’s values and the pledge that we say are based on God and Country. The goal of Little League is to raise superior citizens. I grew up believing the first steps in becoming a leader could be found on team sports. 

For the eight years that I’ve volunteered as a Manager and Coach, between my two kids, we played every Spring and Fall at NSLL and I managed and/or coached 31 Regular Season Teams and 6 All Star Teams, roughly 444 kids, over 200 different kids. Where I have improved my skills as a coach and understanding the fundamentals of the game, the success we have had comes from believing in the kids and from never giving up on any of them. Little League turns no one away and this leads to kids with various abilities, but they all have the same desires, to be successful. I could not tell you if I will ever have another successful season or not, based on the score, but I can tell you kids I coach will believe in themselves and they will learn the fundamentals of the game of baseball. 

I tell all my teams that they are going to be the smartest team out here, that they are going to be prepared, and that I’m looking for leaders and team players. It is not our goal to win, it is to play well.  We never set the goal to be a championship team; we set the goal for each kid to be the best team player they can be.  What happens happens.

So now it is the Spring Season of 2011 and I’m back in the minors with Brandon, my youngest. He is a league age 10 year old and we are defending our title from last year in which we won the regular season, the tournament, and went to City, the pressure is on. We again won the regular season and we were in the tournament. Joseph Losoya is the rival for this season. He came in 3rd for the regular season, but his team had beaten us during the season, and they were playing at their peak, where I felt we were not playing as well at the end of the season. Joseph Losoya is a good Manager, for those who are unaware; he did something no other Little League coach has done. He took an All Star team (SR Softball) and went undefeated through the complete series and won the World Championship in his division. Joseph knows the game. There had been some heated games against us, and even though I believe Joseph is a good coach, we come at the game from different angles. The Yankees were the one seed and we beat the four seed. Joseph was the three seed and they beat the two seed, so now it was time for the Yankees to play the Royals. It was a good game, and the Yankees won. Joseph now had to play the two seed to see who went to the championship, and the Royals won. It was now the Yankees against the Royals for the championship game. It was a competitive game that came all the way down to the final inning and it was tied. Joseph had a young pitcher on the mound and we load the bases, but we have two outs. I’m at the bottom of my line up, and Jaime comes up to bat. Jaime struggled at the plate all year. You could count on one hand how many hits had in 22 regular season games. I told him the same thing I tell all of the kids; confidence. Jaime swung the bat and hits the ball over the 2nd baseman’s head to win the championship. You could not script a better ending to our season for the team, and for Jaime.

We went on to City and made it to the final four before being eliminated.

During the summer I received the following hand written letter (as is):

Dear Coach Rodney,

Thank you coach for my t-shirt and my great season of baseball. It was the most fun I had in five years.  It was the longest time and farthest too. Thank you for putting for effort to make us confident in us and making us a stronger team too.

There were different characters in every team and players. I didn’t know we could make it to the final four. Thank you for everything in the game and practice thank you for the love of the game.

                                                                                                Marcos

Marcos was another player on the Yankees. He was my biggest kid, but struggled at the plate. Towards the end of the season and in the play-off’s Marcos had some of the hardest hit balls on our team. I told you the story of Jaime because it is a great story, but what I understand is that every kid on the team has his perception of what took place and how it affected his young life. Every kid is special and you never fully know what difference you make in their life. 

I’ve been extremely fortunate to have great parents and kids on teams I’ve coached, and I have similar stories since this all started for me some 8 years ago. I wanted to share this story today because Little League is about raising superior Citizens. What I’ve tried to do as a coach is to show leadership so the kids can become leaders in their everyday life. I want kids to have confidence in themselves as they pass through NSLL and become young adults.

I hope other Managers/Coaches at NSLL have had similar experiences. It is also my hope that you continue to be the best volunteer you can be and remember that you are touching the lives of many kids, what they gain from it can be positive or negative, based on what you do and how you act.

My time at NSLL and my position on the Board has helped me be a better person and it can do the same for you. My challenge to you is that you get involved with NSLL and volunteer on some level.

As always, I’ll see you at the fields.

Regards,

Rodney Herrera

NSLL President

www.twitter.com/sanorthside 

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January 2011

Happy New Year!  As always, I hope this finds you and your family doing well.

It’s been an eventful few months, and interesting year.

In conjunction with running the daily operation of an all-volunteer organization, the Board of Directors are currently working on putting up new lights on all four fields.  The process is not complete, and we do not have all the funds to do it.  We will be providing more information on the process and what NSLL needs to do and how you can help.

Without raising registration cost, NSLL has done a great job of improving the facility.  Over the past year the Board has accomplished the following:  

0. Leveled the big field

0. Leveled the North and South Field

0. Re constructed all four score booths

0. Purchased 4 new score boards

0. Reconstructed the restrooms

0. Purchased additional equipment to make the work easier on volunteers

0. Reconstructed New Backstops on all 4 fields

0. Painted the score booths and concession stand

Now we are trying to change out a 23 year old antiquated lighting system.  We are close to being able to accomplish this, but we need help.  As I write this, we are still working out details, and I will be sending out more information as it becomes available.  I do appreciate all those who have offered to help, and I look forward to getting this accomplished.

In addition to all these improvements, we have continued to run a great operation, we’ve had a slight increase in registration and have seen some great ball being played.  Hopefully you all are having a good experience at NSLL and we continue to be successful.

NSLL is a group effort, and we need move volunteers to step up and take leadership roles.  I’ve challenged you to step up in the past, and hope you will do so in the future, at all levels.  I believe NSLL is a great place to raise your kids.  I believe Little League provides an opportunity for all kids to play baseball, softball, and teeball, which is an important aspect of child development.  I also believe being a part of a team helps raise superior citizens.  Little League is run completely by volunteers.  No one on the Board, Managers, Coaches, etc., is paid.  We all volunteer our time to create this community, this family.  

As we continue to grow and evolve, we need to continue to face our challenges.  As I’ve become close to the operations of NSLL, I believe the challenges are as follows: 

1.      Our boundaries - Boundaries are frozen.  All areas of San Antonio are accounted for by one league or another.  Our boundaries for growth are land locked by Northwest Little League, and on a much larger scale, Greater Helotes Little League.  Northwest Little League has a much more dense population of kids, but in a few years they will be facing the same challenge, or an area that is growing in age.  Helotes on the other hand has an extremely favorable boundary in which there is much growth.  There is one neighborhood alone that is still under development that will eventually have 3000 homes, and that is one neighborhood.  Where Helotes has a huge potential pool of members, they don’t have the facility to handle the membership in the manner that NSLL provides for our members.  NSLL acquired two new developments, that are really not that new anymore; Rogers Ranch, more specifically Salado Canyon and Pointe Bluff, and all of Sonoma Ranch.  There are a few other new developments, and there are always families moving into existing neighborhoods, but the reality is that our pool of members is not as good as GHLL and NWLL.  With that said, we are also in much better shape that ½ a dozen leagues in District 19.  What we have to focus on is getting more members to be a part of NSLL.  In my opinion, our league is more competitive and better run than the CYO programs and YMCA programs.  Our members can help by bringing more of their neighbors and school mates to NSLL.  We know that there will be no guarantees that friends will play on the same team, but I can assure you that in the long run, you will be playing better ball.  By ensuring the integrity of the draft, you create a better league for all.  There is no comparison in what you get at NSLL versus CYO and YMCA.  Let your friends know.  Make sure that you check the boundary map to ensure that you live in the NSLL boundaries.  Our Park is at the edge of our boundaries, so this can be deceiving.  All of 78249 is in our boundaries.  Other zip codes are split.  We have nearly 500 kids playing ball in the spring, another 100 kids a spring would be perfect for NSLL.  That is why I have made the challenge that everyone bring a friend, a new player to sign up at NSLL.  They of course must be in our boundaries.  See the boundary map to make sure.

2.      Volunteers – As mentioned, everything that we do at NSLL is done by volunteers.  We need quality volunteers.  Each game, a parent is going to help; it may be as the score keeper, or as the Manager of the team.  This is not the type of organization that you pay some money and do nothing.  As you can see from our registration cost we provide a lot of value at a low price.  For under a $150 you will play ball for over 4 months; play around 20 games, get a cap, and a jersey, get some raffle tickets, and get to use NSLL fields to practice.  No other league offers this value or convenience.  What we need are Volunteers willing to step up and be leaders.  Whether you are keeping the pitch count, working the concession stand, coaching a base, managing a team, or being a Board Member, we need volunteers to be leaders.  We need volunteers to put the team over the individual.  We need volunteers to have honor.  We need volunteers to emphasize good sportsmanship.  We need Managers and Coaches that are willing to teach the sport of baseball, softball, and teeball, while teaching sportsmanship, friendship, and respect.  We need Managers that put the team over their own child.  We need Managers to put the team’s interest over their personal interest.  Fairness on a team is not every child playing an equal amount of time, at every position, fairness on a team is having the kids that have the best opportunity to succeed at a spot, play that spot.  Fairness is teaching all the kids the same techniques, and those that work harder on their own, get to play the positions that give the team the best opportunity for success.  A good quality coach’s job is to recognize how they can put the individual players together to form the best team.  The coach needs to teach the sport and encourage kids to work harder to earn their position.  A good coach will give kids opportunities to succeed without putting that kid in a situation in which they are not safe.  A good coach will not put a kid in a spot in which they have no opportunity for success, and worse set them up for failure.  A good Manager will do these things while trying to win games and teach kids to be a team first and their self-interest second.  A good team parent recognizes their child’s skill level and either works with them to get better, or accepts that this is simply a recreational activity for their child.  A good team parent respects their Managers decisions and works with the coaches in the manner established by the coach.  The complete process is about mutual respect.  I know that every Manager at NSLL does not fit this description, but that is the goal.  To reach this goal, we need you to step up and volunteer.  The truth is, if we do not get more volunteers, then the Managers who should not manage get teams because we do not have enough volunteers.  This has been an extremely frustrating part of my responsibilities at NSLL.  As President of NSLL, I nominate the Managers, and the Board votes them in or votes them out.  I am looking for Managers that can be leaders. 

3.      Board of Directors - When it comes to volunteers, the largest commitment you can make is  to the Northside Suburban Little League Board of Directors.  We have a 20 member board that is voted in by the general membership and they make all the decisions for NSLL.  A few years ago, looking from the outside in, I did not believe we had a quality Board of Directors.  When I joined, it was worse than I could have imagined.  Besides the self-serving board members, there were others who did not simply take care of their responsibilities.  The majority of the NSLL Board today are individuals who care about NSLL, but I’m here to tell you that there are still Board Members on today that put their interest over the leagues interest.  I am hoping that at least 10 new members will run for the Board next Spring so we can have more options.  As I go into and complete my second term as President of NSLL, I’m hoping the league has more options and leaders willing to step up and run this league.

4.      Resources  – The last challenge that we face is having the resources necessary to run NSLL.  We have done a great job the last few years raising money without raising registration cost.  This has been done by members reaching out and providing their own money, or reaching out through their businesses to help NSLL.  It has been done through the fundraisers we have, such as the Golf Tournament in which members have volunteered, the raffles, silent auctions, etc., it has been done by members that care.  We continue to need these resources as the dynamics of the Board has changed and we do not have the ability, or the time to do all the work ourselves.  We have hired vendors to do the work, and the result is a first class facility.  As we tackle the next largest issue I’ve had to face at NSLL, which is the light issue, we need this help to continue.  I challenge everyone to reach into their own pocket and donate, to get their business to sponsor NSLL, and to help us get grants so we can get new lighting.  If you are interested in helping, email president@sanorthside.org

So those are the big picture challenges, as I see it, that face NSLL.  We have a large membership base, and I believe we can overcome these challenges and continue to upgrade our facility.  I believe we can grow our numbers, get better managers, get more board members, and raise more money.  It all starts with YOU!

As I’ve dealt with the successes of NSLL this past year, I’ve also dealt with the failures, and the failures have been in volunteers.  As much as I want this to be the best Little League in Texas, it will not happen unless members with integrity step up to volunteer. 

All I can do is continue to lead with integrity and honor.  I believe I’ve led this league by example.  In the end, I would prefer to simply be a Manager.  We need more volunteers with young kids ready to step up and lead this league.

I estimate that I’ve coached over 200 of your kids, and that is what brings me back.  I have been fortunate enough to only have 2 parents that have been jerks in that complete time.  I’ve made some great friends and seen a lot of young kids become good citizens.  I’ve sent emails and had parents donate time and money because of the time they spent on my team.  I appreciate this and respect the mutual consideration that has been given over the years.

Be a part of this community, volunteer at a higher level, bring more families to NSLL and continue this great tradition in one of the best kept secrets in San Antonio.

As always, I’ll see you at the fields.

Regards,

Rodney

NSLL President

www.twitter.com/sanorthside  
president@sanorthside.org

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January 2010

Happy New Year ~ I hope this finds you and your family doing well.

Everything you need for Spring 2010 registration is online at www.sanorthside.org
Please review for information, registration, managing, coaching, dates, etc.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the volunteers that have provided the most important resource they have; their time to NSLL. From the Managers ~ the face of this League, to the team parent, and every other volunteer we have, your service in invaluable and required to make this League work. I challenge you all to make the commitment once again.

The new NSLL Board of Directors took office in October 2009. James Culver selflessly served his term as President of NSLL and continues to serve on the NSLL Board, a commitment he has made for over 5 years. Darryll Dullnig, Scott Soefje, and John McFall, were Board Members who served out their tenure on the Board, all well over 5 plus year volunteers and respectfully vital to NSLL’s contract negotiations with the city, registration, and purchasing, in addition to setting policy and running teams.

We have current Board Members; Randy Reinagel, Joseph Losoya, Daron Lofton, Lee Rodgers, Pete Sanchez, Roger Ford, and Walt Nichols who continue to serve on the NSLL Board. They have done too much to list, all have put in 5 plus years, and are extremely valuable to NSLL, and I would like to thank them each for their continued dedication.

Additional Board Members who have quickly contributed and bring new ideas to NSLL are: Karen Gipson, Stacy Grove, Julie Growney, Maria Bercher, Charlie Riggs, Troy LeMasters, Gerald Biela, Mike Silva, & Richard Sherman, their commitment is appreciated.

This leaves one additional Board Member who alone has been doing this for over 15 years. He no longer has kids playing at NSLL, but continues to put his time and labor into NSLL; Dennis Thrailkill, we appreciate all you do for NSLL and for the District.

NSLL ran a successful Fall Season, the rain withstanding, in which we interleagued with NWLL in a joint effort to upgrade the Fields. NSLL also saw a 15% increase in our numbers this past Fall. NSLL is finalizing the leveling of the Big Field; we are completely redoing the infield. The fence backstops have been replaced on all 4 fields. The machine pitch field will get a new fence in the outfield, we purchased new netting for the batting cages last year, we purchased a new pitching machine a few months ago and we have a lot of things planned for 2010; which include remodeling of the restrooms, leveling of the North and South Field, new score boards, remodeling of the score booths, and additional equipment upgrades used for maintaining the fields.

The last stretch goal we have is to install new lighting for our 22 year old field lighting system. With a price tag of roughly $375,000.00 this is something that is going to be challenging, but within our grasp with a lot of work.

It is not always easy to see if decisions we make are the right ones, but the Board’s decision to allow 4 year olds to play teeball has turned out to be successful for NSLL. I am proud of another addition coming to NSLL. At our last Board Meeting, and after 52 years in existence, the Board approved adding a challenger division. The Little League Challenger Division will provide baseball to special needs kids at NSLL. We are at the beginning phase of initiating this program and we would be happy to have volunteers to assist with this specific endeavor. We hope to be ready for the Fall of 2010.

Internally we hope that you take advantage of mailing in your registration paperwork and payment to assist in the registration process and the evaluation process. For details, check out the new NSLL website in which we have added more information and hopefully provided better tools for our members. The boundary map is a nice addition that takes advantage of Google Maps to show our boundary lines. We have also started using Twitter. Sign up to get information for NSLL at www.twitter.com/sanorthside this will mainly be used for quick updates and for rain out information.

NSLL has a lot to offer, but in the end it comes down to volunteers, at various levels and at various degrees. Hopefully you will sign back up, spread the word that NSLL is a great place to play baseball and softball and make the commitment to another Spring Season and the kids of NSLL.

As I did in the first paragraph, I challenge you to be a volunteer. Look forward to seeing you at the fields.

Regards,
Rodney Herrera
NSLL President

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November 2009

My name is Rodney Herrera, I am the President of NSLL for the 2009 - 2010 Season.  I have been a part of NSLL for 5 years, and on the Board of Directors for 2 years. I am honored to be a part of NSLL and the NSLL Board of Directors.  I take my role here seriously, and plan on doing the best job possible as a volunteer who has a full time job and a family.  I believe we have the best park in San Antonio to play ball, and I only want to see it get better.

Please remember that we all do this for all our kids at NSLL.  I'm not one of those guys who believes I am working for you.  I believe I am volunteering for all the kids.  Decisions are made on behalf of the complete community, and we do a lot of good things at NSLL.  I imagine there may be mistakes made, and some decisions may not be agreeable, but I do know that the decisions will be made with good intent, they will be well thought out, and they will be made with all the facts in hand.

NSLL has a rich tradition that the Board wants to continue.  Over the last year through donations, fundraiser's and sponsorship, we have been working towards improving our facility. Besides the general upkeep, we have installed new batting cages, upgraded the bullpens, and purchased additional equipment to maintain the fields.  Currently the Thrailkill field has had the backstop replaced and is being leveled in a 2 year agreement with NWLL in which our smaller fields will be leveled next fall.  We are also working on other repairs and upgrades to the backstop of the smaller fields. We will continue to repair fencing, including to the machine pitch field.  The restrooms need upgrades, the score booths and scoreboards need updating, we are going to continue keeping our fields in good shape, which takes everyone's cooperation, and I am making the promise that the donations, sponsorships, and fundraiser's will continue to be used for the betterment of NSLL and providing a great experience for all of our families.

One additional upgrade that is needed is to the lighting of our fields. The poles and lights are no longer up to the standards of current Little League requirements. We are still grand fathered in and in compliance, but the Board would like to see our facility have the metal poles and lighting that would do our Little League justice. This is a project that I would like to see implemented over the next year.  With a price tag of over $350,000 this is not going to be an easy endeavor, but something that we need to do.  If anyone can assist with this project, feel free to contact me.

The last item I would like to address is in regard to our League being run by Volunteers. I have met a lot of great people and families at NSLL. Over the past 5 years we have found a place that cannot be replaced.  I have taken on this role for one reason, to provide a safe environment in which the kids in our district can learn about leadership and sportsmanship through competitive baseball and softball.  I believe team sports are a microcosm of our adult lives.  To run this league during the Spring, we traditionally have 20 volunteer Board Members, 35 Managers, 70 Coaches, 35 Team Parents, 5 adults a day for field duty, 1 scorekeeper per game, and 1 scoreboard per game. For the Spring alone, this equates to about 350 volunteers at some degree of commitment. What I want to make sure everyone understands is that we need your help, no matter at what level you choose, whether it is to keep score, take out trash, or manage a team, we need your help.  I appreciate what you do at all levels, I truly do, and I encourage you to continue volunteering and being a part of NSLL, its a great place to raise your kids.

Whatever level you choose to volunteer, know that you are touching the lives of kids who will one day understand what you did with fondness and affection and will pay it forward.  If it helps, I would like to share with you the phrase that keeps me going when the work is too much, the problems seem insurmountable, and I don't know if I can throw another 200 pitches in practice:

          "Commitment is doing the things you said you would do, long after the mood you said it in has left you."

See you at the Fields.
Regards ~ Rodney
www.twitter.com/sanorthside  
president@sanorthside.org