Great Coaching Story
- Posted by Dixie Youth Baseball 21 days ago|
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Published Friday, June 5, 2009
NATCHEZ -- When the Natchez Dixie Youth baseball games were briefly delayed Thursday night by a passing rain shower, Jim Hargon started to get a little nervous.
While nobody wanted to see the coach pitch game between Great River Honda and Dianne's Frame Shop to be postponed until Saturday, Hargon, the head coach of Great River had an extra special reason not to want the game postponed.
Saturday is the day he's marrying his assistant coach.
Hargon and his fiancé Shana Mitchell, who has been helping him out for the last five years, are getting married Saturday, and he didn't want to have to shirk his coaching responsibility of pitching to the players.
Photo by Hannah Reel
Dianne's Frame Shop pitcher Jonah Clark tries to distract the batter during the Dixie Youth baseball game Thursday night at Duncan Park.
"I was hoping we'd be able to get the game in," Hargon said. "I've got to pitch."
Fortunately, the skies cleared and the game resumed with Great River winning 4-1 in the final coach pitch contest of the season.
Working with youngsters is a calling for Hargon, who coaches in the league despite the fact that he hasn't had a child play in the past nine years.
"I just love teaching the kids how to play," he said. "I've seen some kids come from T-ball all the way through 12-year olds. I like this age group because it's competitive, but it's still a lot of fun teaching the kids."
And fun is the name of the game when you're dealing with 7-and-8-year old players, he said.
"Teaching them the fundamentals and letting them have fun is much more important than winning," Hargon said.
And what is his favorite part as a coach? That's easy.
"Watching the looks on their face when I hand out the game ball," he said.
And since Thursday's game was the final one of the season, every player on the team got a game ball, much to their delight.
Eight-year-old Rankin Reynolds gave a shout and a leap when he received his game ball, even though he said he had received "kind of a bunch" during the season.
"I really enjoy (getting the game ball)," Reynolds said. "I don't know why. I just like it."
Seven-year-old Darren Smith also was proud of the game ball, the fourth he has received this season.
"I had lots of fun this year," Smith said. "I really like hitting the ball."
And now with the game balls and pitching out of the way, coach Hargon can get down to the wedding business.
That is, until next season rolls around, when he'll once again be out there coaching other people's children, teaching them how to play baseball and have fun doing it.
