JACKSON - It's too early to form an opinion on what happened this past weekend at the Liberty park soccer fields in Madison.

All we know for sure is that some type of altercation occurred involving former U.S. Rep. Chip Pickering and an under-12 youth soccer coach for the team that played against Pickering's son's team.

Apparently, the issue could end up before a Madison city judge. That's never a good thing.

For about 10 years I have coached some sort of youth sport - basketball, baseball and, yes, soccer even though I used to think it was a communist sport or at least a socialist endeavor.

And, though I have never been involved in a youth sports altercation, I have seen my share. And on numerous occasions I have had to bite my lip to keep from saying or doing something that might lead to an altercation. And I must confess, there have been times when I felt the need to apologize for my actions, and did so.

Unfortunately, we adults sometimes want to win worse than the boys and girls do.

But in fairness to adults everywhere, I have seen my share of altercations involving the youths - even one several years ago with one of my players, one of his parents and a coach for the other team.

Fortunately, my assistant stepped in and cooler heads eventually prevailed.

We all make mistakes. And there is nothing we feel more protective of than our children - sometimes to the point where irrational emotions overcome normal acting, run-of-the-mill people, resulting in people doing or saying something that later they regret.

But some of my fondest memories involving my nearly grown boys occurred on soccer and baseball fields and basketball courts. There were undefeated seasons and winless seasons.

There was a season where a lone victory in the last game felt like we had actually won the championship.

There were trips to the batting cage for some extra practice or endless basketball games in the driveway. There were out-of-town trips to play tournaments where our soccer teams literally took over local motels, hotels and restaurants.

There was a trip to the emergency room after the basketball goal I was trying to put up landed on my head. Fortunately, none of our children suffered any serious injuries on the youth sports playing fields.

I did - both my head and my ego.

I don't know what happened last weekend at Liberty Park in Madison. Because a former U.S. congressman was one of the participants, it's news. I have no opinion on where the blame should be placed.

But unfortunately, nothing much surprises me in the youth sports arena.

Years ago I was coaching an U10 soccer team and we were playing an awful game. As a matter of fact, we had an awful season.

We just were not very good. And I tried to keep that in mind as I coached from the sidelines. The boys wanted to win and tried hard. But no matter what coaching changes I tried or no matter how hard the boys tried, we couldn't win.

On this particular Saturday afternoon at the same Liberty Park, I guess I might have been a little too critical of one my players as we again struggled to compete. But I thought this particular child had the ability to do more to help us turn around that game - turn around our whole season.

Truth be known, I was fairly vocal in my displeasure with this one little guy. Occasionally, he would turn around and look at me, but he didn't say anything.

The parents of my players were sitting in their folding chairs around me and my team there at Liberty Park. My back was to the parents as I paced the sidelines, focused on the game. I wanted to win a game, and I felt certain this one particular boy could be a key to our salvation - at long last a victory.

My criticism of this one child got progressively worse as I paced the sidelines.

Then I heard a voice, clear and distinct from behind me say, "I am going to take my child and go home."

It was the mother of the boy I had been chastising. It was my wife.

I paused, and then briefly looked back at her. She was serious.

I immediately changed my coaching philosophy on the sideline. Only words of encouragement were uttered. We lost the game, but one of those youth sports altercations that we hear so much about was avoided - luckily for me.

And by the way, we did win the last game of the season and that child who had been the subject of my ridicule earlier that season scored a key goal.

Bobby Harrison is Capitol Bureau Chief in Jackson for the Daily Journal. Contact him at (601) 353-3119 or bobby.harrison@djournal.com.