I watched a USA Baseball tryout yesterday. The best moment had nothing to do with a swing, a throw, or a stopwatch.

I’ll probably write more about the experience later (my Substack is mainly about youth sports culture and the moments that shape young ballplayers). In the meantime, I'm sharing a few things from the day that stayed with me.

First, the environment was fantastic. The fields and campus at Maranatha Christian in San Diego are beautiful. Alex is fortunate to practice there every Sunday morning with his CBA San Diego team, so he was glad to be back there for the tryout.

I was also impressed with USA Baseball NTIS Southwest Regional Director Coach Norman Hebert and his staff. His message to parents was excellent, and his message to the boys was even better.

At one point he told parents:

“Everything these kids do is analyzed—often with video. When we played there might have been ten minutes of analysis during the car ride home.

“So let them breathe and enjoy the game. If your kid makes an error, don’t panic and try to fix things for them. Let them work through it.”

He also shared a statistic meant to get parents’ attention: 67% of kids who play baseball quit between the ages of 12 and 13, and pressure from parents is part of the reason.

His point was simple: if we want kids to stay in the game and love it, we have to give them room to breathe—and to fail.

He also said something many of us instantly understood:

“You all probably worked on something with them to prepare for today. Well, they’re gonna go out there and forget about it. Instinct is gonna take over. And that’s okay.”

His message to the boys was just as thoughtful.

He talked about resilience and staying even-keeled—learning to make adjustments and bounce back after mistakes, on the field and in life. He reminded them that everyone develops at different speeds and that they should give themselves grace. And he made a point of telling them that whether they advance to the next round or not, there is a place in the game for them. He told them not to be discouraged if they don't advance and to instead use it as fuel.

It was the kind of message youth sports needs more of.

I enjoyed chatting with several parents on the fence line, but I also overheard one conversation that reminded me how adults shape the experience for young ballplayers—and sometimes not for the better. A father expressed his displeasure with his son while the boy struggled to make some plays. A little later came another sharp critique followed by mechanical advice as his son prepared to hit.

I thought about gently asking him to give his son some space, but I didn’t. And I regret that. I did cheer the kid on when he barreled a ball—loud enough for his dad to hear.

Most parents mean well. We all want to help our kids succeed. But sometimes the best thing we can do is step back and let them experience the game themselves.

The good news is that moment was the exception on a day full of kids working hard, supporting each other, and enjoying the game.

In fact, the best moment of the day had nothing to do with a throw, a swing, or a stopwatch.

It happened during the 30-yard dash.

My son Alex, who is 12, took his hat off before the sprint and dropped it on the turf. As he finished his run and started walking back to the line, his travel teammate Liam Longley (the one standing next to him in this photo) jogged over, picked up Alex’s hat, and brought it to him.

No one asked Liam to do that. It was just instinct—one teammate looking out for another.

That small moment stuck with me more than anything else from the day.

Youth baseball often turns on moments like these—moments that happen around the game as much as within it.

Baseball is competitive and difficult to play well. Tryouts can be stressful. But at its best, the game also teaches life lessons: how to support your teammates, how to handle adversity, and how to make adjustments when things don’t go your way.

Those lessons will last a lot longer than any tryout result.

I'm curious, what's a character moment from youth sports that stuck with you?