Girls’ little league softball is not so much about winning. Perhaps it’s more coaxing, cajoling, and even bribing — all in the name of teaching young players about a game, and the game of life.
Author Richard Paik has captured that sentiment in his beautifully told tale, A Thing or Two About the Game, in which the often twisted, conflicting agendas that have troubled Brad, the girls’ softball coach, through his life and career now permeate even this small world of girls’ softball.
Here the author sheds more light on his book, the world of girls’ softball and the many lessons to be learned within.
Q: Where did the idea for this book come from?
A: I spent five seasons coaching youth softball. I was shocked to find how much I cared, and how much I enjoyed it. I do not recall ever thinking, “I’m going to write a book about this.” But I started jotting thoughts about drills and girls’ reactions; some of these became small vignettes. It was fun writing these down, and I gradually realized I might make a bigger project of it.
Q: What was the most important lesson you learned from coaching girls’ softball for five years?
A: I learned that once you’re involved, it matters. It matters that the girls learn something in practice, that pre-game drills go crisply, that you notice — and reward — an alert play even if it did not affect any outcome. You might not understand why it matters. But you’re a parent to the whole team. The “come on, it’s girls’ softball” shrug-off goes out the window. It matters.
Q: Brad reluctantly agrees to coach a little league girls softball team. Why does he do it? What is he out to prove?
A: Brad’s motivation is never explicitly stated. But Brad knows he needs to try something new. And Brad loves the potential of things, whether it’s a new drug, his garden vegetables, or a group of girls on a softball team. Finally, from his own life experience, Brad knows one thing for sure: A coach can contribute to good moments in a player’s life. These moments need not come with medals and recognition. They might not seem significant at all. But the player might remember and cherish such a moment for the rest of her life.
Q: What are some of the key themes in the book?
A: One of the important themes involves the tension and chaos in the varied answers to the question: what is this about? It can’t just be about ice cream and a team photo. On the other hand, Brad is instructed that it’s not about winning. Brad needs to know what it’s about; he is a man who needs clear objectives. Off the field, confusion among objectives has derailed his career and his marriage. In softball, the question permeates his discussions with players, parents and coaches. It’s not about winning. But it’s possible, he learns, to in some small way satisfy the need to feel like a winner.
Q: In girls’ softball at this level, is there a fine line between winning and having fun? What is Brad’s philosophy here and how does he handle it?
A: Absolutely. There’s much lip service paid to the principle that it’s not about winning, but a lot of coaches and parents walk that line in different (sometimes unscrupulous) ways. Coach Brad tries to satisfy himself with teaching the game and treating his players fairly. But in the playoffs, winning becomes the universally acknowledged goal, and he, too, finds himself walking that line. In one illustrative situation, one of Brad’s hard-working but minimally talented players does not want to bunt. She does not want to bunt because she wants to try to hit the ball far, and it feels to her like Brad doesn’t think she can. Brad relents.
“Bunting is the correct strategy, if they want to maximize their chances of winning … At this point, though, Brad understands that it’s about winning now, but it’s not completely about winning. It’s also — still — about Lori having fun hitting, trying to do what she thinks she can do. It’s sort of partly about how this might affect Lori if she thinks her coach didn’t let her try to hit because he didn’t believe in her. Nothing’s completely or purely about anything, and the motivations are all jumbled, but he’s told her to swing away and they’ll all just have to see what happens.”
Q: What part of the book was the most challenging to write?
A: Writing this book was a blast; no particular chapter or segment was harder or easier than the others. That said, the well-known “kill your darlings” directive was challenging. As stated earlier, I started out with a sheaf of anecdotes. They were entertaining, I thought. But as the book took on its own life, I realized that many (maybe most) of these anecdotes were about me or my players and experiences, and not so much about the book that had been born. So I had to delete them. That was painful.
Q: What would you hope readers take away from this book?
A: I think I want readers to have a sense of shared journey. I like to think that every character — every player, in particular — has their own issue, their own reason to be involved, and their own journey, which is shared with her teammates. I hope readers feel the same way, and that they might enjoy talking about it, about their favorite characters and moments.
About Richard Paik:
Richard Paik lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts. A Thing or Two About the Game is his debut novel. Five seasons coaching girls’ softball served as inspiration, while providing insight into the tribulations and rewards of this benign activity. He is currently at work on his next book, a collection of linked stories, none of which is about softball. Visit https://richardpaik.com.
