We often hear complaints from parents that their son is being "shafted"(a euphamism for what what really said) by their high school coach and is not getting enough playing time. Of course, the player hears mom and dad complaining and it starts to reflect on his attitude towards the coach, his support for his team and eventually his production in practice. Before long, he game is mired in quicksand. NOW...Unless the coach has sexteplets on the team and is showing gross nepotism, then we find it hard to believe that there are coaches out there that are that blind to talent if the player in question is really that good.
Somewhere along the line, the favorite son had a breakdown of sorts...Maybe it wasn't related to talent at all. Maybe it was attitude, lack of hustle, a listening issue or the failure to grasp the intricacies of the game. Parents...it's not always related to to whether or not you think he is good or not.
Baseball is a multi-dimensional game. It's not just about hitting and catching. It's about leadership, desire, enthusiasm, and above all the ability to UNDERSTAND and continue to be a student of the game... We have seen players with incredible amounts of talent that couldn't put it together for a string of consecutive innings. High School baseball players must play for seven innings not just one or two and maybe that's what the coaches see in those players in question. Maybe they see that players role as a pinch hitter or a role player. Whatever the case, it may be a good idea for the player to find out and then work on the missing pieces to his game, rather than mope and feel sorry for himself. Coaches don't want to see that in a player and WILL bench anyone that acts like that.
The best way to play is to Play Hard...Play Smart...Play with Enthusiasm...Play to Win. You have to SHOW the coach that you are a player by example, not with words. Let the coach decide if a player is good enough by giving it his all in practice everyday and hopefully that will lead to game day success.
7 comments:
How true is this. This the reason I do not miss coaching HS baseball. We all want to believe our children are the best at what they do but the reality is it doesn't always work that way. Every coach is going to play the players who they feel will give them the best chance to win. Will that always be with the player with better tools than the rest. I had a father upset because his son was getting limited play time. He said he son had better tools some of the kids on the field. He was right. The issue was he kid did not work hard during practice and could not remember the picks, bunt coverages, signs or relays. Every time we put him on the field he did something wrong...went to the wrong base when on the field or missed a sign. We could not put him on the field but it cost us each time we did. If a parent feels thier child is getting shafted don't assume and ask the coach. You better be willing to hear the truth and accept it.
I have seen a father get angry after his son was pulled from a game after his first at bat. He miss two signs and pouted after he K'd. After the game the dad confronts the coaches which was embarrassing. The team had just won a semi-final play off game was about to play in a big league stadium for the finals. That one parent put a damper on everyone's excitement.
sgvbaseball.com
It is not a one-way street. After over 50 years in sports what has changed tremendously is that youth sports and HS sports are now run by non-teachers. There are two components to high school - the first is education, classwork. Look at how many select teams have people who make a living from baseball academies and so forth. Historically, youth sports has become a big business.
Look at the players who go on to play at some level in college and do not graduate. Why does baseball have the lowest APR of all sports in the NCAA. How many baseball players are working in the real world in a job that does not involve baseball? http://www.ncaa.org/wps/portal/!ut/p/kcxml/04_Sj9SPykssy0xPLMnMz0vM0Y_QjzKLN4j3CQXJgFjGpvqRqCKOcAFfj_zcVH1v_QD9gtzQiHJHRUUAc0tpTA!!/delta/base64xml/L3dJdyEvUUd3QndNQSEvNElVRS82XzBfTFU!?CONTENT_URL=http://www2.ncaa.org/portal/academics_and_athletes/education_and_research/academic_reform/apr/2005-06/school_data.html
Coaches should preach classwork first.
Baseball needs tons of players due to the huge amount of leagues, levels and so forth. One critical question that coaches should ask is when a player is done (they all reach the end sooner or later) will they be able to go out and work for a living outside of baseball. Will they be successful and will their experience in HS be a positive one or one where the player looks back and wonders what did I learn?
The best teachers realize that everyone is different.
Just remember parents it is not about the game. There is always another game. It is not about the program with the most trophies. It is about the learning. Find quality people not quality baseball people to help your child learn and grow. They are not mutually exculsive.
You have just given us an idea for tomorrows post.Great comments by both.
RT Staff
High School baseball is now about the booster club. Has converted to Little League syndrome. Just from talking to parents from all the different schools same at all. Parents pay kids play. Why the no transfer rule? Because coaches could not keep kids if they allowed open transfers. They would actully have to work at it. Is baseball, basketball or even football not just another honors class?
Would a parent not question a teacher that cursed in class? Make off color comments?
Why do we feel they are different just because it is a sport?
Thank God I no longer have kids in High School.
Correct. High school sports has gotten away from education. Just look at the number of kids who barely make grades. Let alone the classes they are taking (PE every year for 4 years). Those electives do not count or are used for any 4 year college. Schools always say sports has the best student-athletes and teaches discipline and the kids have good grades. Go look at the honor rolls the top students in the school, they are not athletes. Go talk to the teachers, not the coaches and ask them what they know about athletes. The world takes smart over physically gifted any day of the week. Look at the headlines in sports every week that have more to do with ethics, rule-breaking, laws and so forth. The college coach who loads his roster with juco players and wins vs the coach who goes out and gets freshman and recruits and works hard. The short-termer wins and is rewarded at some schools but not all. Look at Indiana basketball, they clearly could look the other way but it appears they will not.
People always used the "belief-based" argument in baseball. The coach has a belief based on past experiences. If you look at facts and become an expert in an area (not by playing or watching but by studying) you will be able to make the tough call.
Baseball does not and has never had a good reputation as far as academics. Look at all the kids who transfer looking for a place to play and get on the field. Ask any college athlete what their major is? Are they given the time to go to class and succeed.
It is a great game but those who deal with young people should focus on the playing the right way and teaching the right metrics.
Great blog and thank you for allowing us to comment.
Baseball has had a great reputation in baseball. Most top schools WILL NOT recruit you if your GPA is under 3.0. They can't...the pressure to meet new APR standards are forcing them to recruit students that are there to get an eduation and graduate...There are exceptions and that's OK. The career baseball player...the guy who is a lock to be a top 5 round pick will do just fine...the rest that are there for the privilege of being a student athlete. BTW, we personally can name thousands of student athletes that have had exceptional careers outside of their sport. The Staubach Companies...yes that Staubach hires many of the top student athletes every year, just as an example. And why not...college athletes are the elite of their metroplitan area because they have the desire, work ethic and the leadership qualities that translate well into the real world. Come on guys...don't be so bitter about athletes...
The comment above is from us at RT Staff. We clicked the wrong button.
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