We all know him. Some of us are him. And, if we're being honest, most of us have felt like being "that" dad at some point or another. Angry dad is easy to spot. Sometimes he's yelling at his daughter, other times he is angrily pacing behind the dugout, and still others he is walking hurriedly out of the ballpark 10 paces ahead of his daughter after "his" embarrassing loss. The thing that angry dad (and the rest of us occassionally) forget is that it's not about him. It's about our daughters.

Our only job as parents is to get them to practice, lessons and tournaments on time and support and love them each and every day. Of course, we should expect them to give us their all and to try their hardest, but for the most part, they do that already. The reality is that most dedicated players already know when they make a mistake. They know when they can do better and they know when they've let us down. They don't need angry dad to rear his ugly head and make them feel worse.

If you suspect that you may be angry dad, please take a minute to think about the message you're sending to your daughter. You're telling her that her performance in the game matters more to you than she does. You're telling her that she is an embarrassment to you. You're telling her that her worth is measured by how well she performs. Worst of all, you're telling her that she can't count on you to be in her corner when it counts.

She is learning a few things from you along the way, too. She's learning that she isn't as good as you want her to be. She's learning that nothing she does is enough. She's learning that she hates softball. She's learning that during the times angry dad is around, she doesn't like you very much either.

At the end of the day, some of our daughters will stop softball after a few years, some will go on to play for a D1 school, most others will fall somewhere in between. If you can control the angry dad in you, however, I promise that your daughter will develop more than just a wicked curve. She will develop a love of the game and a trust in you that is more valuable than any scholarship could ever be.