Trying to get a number you want can be a tough one.

I have three kids. One in high school and two in middle school. They all play year round sports. Over the years they've become partial to particular numbers. The "family" number seems to be #10 when they can get it. My 13 year old daughter, the most prolific athlete, uses #1 in basketball but #10 playing softball. She is very very attached to #10, to the point that I have to be on the alert when she joins a new team so I can be the first to email a coach who asks "What numbers do your daughter's want?"

My favorite story about this is that the same daughter aged out of a softball division last year and the team broke apart. So after wearing #10 for four years she had to join a new team that had 10 girls already. Coach asked what number she wanted.

I emailed that she would like #10.

"Unfortunately, we already have one of those."

I emailed back right away that she would like #1 since she wears that playing basketball for her middle school.

"Sorry, we have a #1 as well. It's my daughter as a matter of fact. Third time's a charm?"

Well, I had to wait until she got home from school because I didn't know what her third choice would be. When I asked her she had to think about it. She eventually chose #31 because she was born on the 31st of the month. Even though she was bummed out, we played it up like #31 would be great and she would do great wearing it. So I emailed the coach.

"You're not going to believe this, but we have a #31 already too."

Now what in the world are the chances of matching 3 numbers out of 10 other girls. And especially #31?

So she ended up with her fourth choice on that team, #7.

Another youth sports number story. I coached little league from the time my son was 7 years old. I knew kids got attached to numbers. (I even saw a very immature 11 year old cry after not getting the number he wanted.)

My policy was that everyone got to bid on every number, starting from #1 and going on up to #15 which was the last number. If more than one kid wanted the number, they did rock, paper scissors to determine who got it. Sometimes we would have four kids that wanted the same number. I always left it to chance.

My fourth year coaching I was unable to pick up the uniforms from the little league office. My assistant offered to do it for me. At the next practice I laid out the uniforms and started offering them to the kids, #1, then #2.

As it happened, my son had worn #5 for every season. I was hoping he would get #5 but I wasn't going to give him any special consideration. He'd have to battle any other kid who wanted it.

I put #4 up for auction and only one kid wanted it. SOLD!

I then pulled the #4 off of the pile...to reveal the next number. Number SIX.

No number 5 was there.

My assistant coach, who happily volunteered to pick up the uniforms, also helped himself to #5 for his son and left that uniform in his car when delivering the pile to me.

My son ended up being #10 and the rest is history.