Used & Abused

[AvgMoe]

It is that time of year. Teams are now posting for “Impact Players” or “Golden Arms” and your kid just got kicked to the curb for another player. Little Jane Doe who has been playing for the team from Dec/Jan is now sitting the bench. Like a dog begging at the table waiting on some scraps, she just might get an at bat or be lucky enough to run for the pitcher. From starting to left out.

Parents pay thousands of dollars for a full season to finish on the bench. If she is not good enough now then why did you keep her all year? Was it for the money or just to fill the roster? Why waste someone’s time and money if you never believed she could help you win, even though she has?

Who benefits from winning tournaments anymore? It’s not about the kids. it’s all about the Coach. If Coach X does well then they are rewarded and praised, not the girls. All they get is a pat on the back and a bill to finish paying off the season, if that.

You never see a coach pick up a new player and have them sit the bench. The coach would rather hurt the one that has stood by his side all season long, taking the abuse, diving for balls on crappy fields, carrying the equipment to the car, doing laps for missing a pop fly, but the new kids get all the hugs and high fives in hopes that she will finish out the season with the team.

And no, my daughter is not one, but it is happening to our team and I see it happening to other teams as well.

It would be nice to see a coach answer this….

If she was good enough to help you win all year long then why are you replacing her?

[Old man softball]

I have been thinking about this for the last couple days. I don't think to many coaches will be answering you.

[caugustine]

Some coaches take a group of players and work hard to make them better other coaches go find better players! Sometimes there is a legitiment reason to add, injury or depth (primarily pitching).normally if you check out the coaches history it is clear what you are dealing with.

Just my 2 cents

[bigballer]

Merriam Webster
Coach noun, often attributive \Koch\

: a person who teaches and trains an athlete or performer

: a person who teaches and trains the members of a sports team and makes decisions about how the team plays during games

Coaches foster and cultivate players during a season. Opportunists with large egos go find better players.

The truth is that the vast majority of these people who call themselves coaches have no frickin clue what they're doing or how to make players better. They are in it to feed their own ego and do so under the guise that "It's all for the girls."

[extiger]

There is a reason why its called competitive/travel ball and not loyalty/travel ball. We remind our daughter every time she hits the field someone is trying to compete for her position. As it will be through her college career. It's usually not a coincidence that a coach brings in a girl and starts her over an existing member on the team. I've heard coaches say I won't cut her she can continue to compete for her position or she can quit but I'm going with the top nine.

I don't share this with many because it sounds like bragging but since I am anonymous I'll share it anyway. I have had one coach offer my daughter a spot on the team and did not charge us any dues because she wanted to do everything to keep her. My daughter works her butt off and cannot stand to share her position with anyone even for an inning so she tries to make it where the coach has no doubt that she is the right one for the job.

On the other hand, if the existing player just clearly out performs the new player. She has the right to stand up and ask what the coach is doing and what his goals are. It could be he is trying to get a feel for the new player.

Yes Coach, it is your obligation to explain to that player why you have made that decision.

[CTCBAT]

And this is what is wrong with youth sports

Everyone thinks they are one power pitcher, one big hitter, or one impact player away from being competitive. Instead of looking for the next best thing and being a player manager develop your talent.

There are too many manager and not enough coaches.

No you cannot make wine out of fruit punch, but player development is not there. It's all about where you move, the name on your jersey, and if you're winning. Please don't tell me it's all about winning especially 14U and under. The top teams would love for you to believe that.

[sacval00dad]

All of these posts seem to suggest that a team that picks up a player mid-season could only be coached by someone that is unable to develope a player. I reject that notion. A player that leaves one team for another has their own reason for doing so, and each is a little different. My DD's team picked up two players mid-season. Both are getting solid innings, but they had to earn them and will continue to have to perform to keep them. Everyone gets the innings they earn, what is the problem with that?

[AvgMoe]

@ sacval00dad - Picking up a player mid-season and holding a new try-out after all the PFG Berths have been given out are two different things. Again, winning PGF or any other "top tournament" in the 14u and under division is not about the players. If player A, plays every inning and player B sits the bench every inning its all the same. They both get to tell a recruiter they played in tournament X and won the whole thing. I still feel its all about the coach and getting her or his name out in the mix of elite teams. Until their is a individual player ranking system then who cares. If you ever go back and look at who won the previous tournament it never says Jane Doe helped her team win Tournament X with 36 shutout innings. It reads 1st place Team X - Coach Jim Doe.

ugh.. this make me want to start a whole new topic to rant about.

[AvgMoe]

@ extiger - Your right "There is a reason why its called competitive/travel ball and not loyalty/travel ball", but a collage coach can not go out and recruit a player from another team just because their team is not going to play for the collage world series. At that level you only loose your spot to someone on the team.

Your not the first one to have their child get the "free ride" while others pay hundreds of dollars, i have too been in your boat. It tends to happen if your daughter is a pitcher. Congrats to you that she has worked hard to have that status.

Just to reiterate my situation, I am just a parent questioning how the systems works for some and not others. So far, fingers crossed, my daughter still has the starting job locked down, even thought we did pick-up a few new faces.

Just wanted to see if a coach would like to explain why they does the stuff they do, but I guess no one wants to step up.

[SC44]

AvgMoe wrote: you ever go back and look at who won the previous tournament it never says Jane Doe helped her team win Tournament X with 36 shutout innings. It reads 1st place Team X - Coach Jim Doe.
This is the reason a lot of coaches look for that “impact” player going into PGF. Lets look at it this way:
Coach AvgMoe: holding tryouts, 14 U, his team did well last season, won several tournaments, but did not qualify for PGF. Has several strong starters returning ( at least thinks he does)

Coach Jim Doe: holding tryouts, 14 U, his team did well last season and went to PGF and that impact player or two that he picked up, helped him finish in top 5= free returning berth.

Who will recruit the stronger players? PGF berth will be dangled in front of the most talented players available and the strong players that should have returned to AvgMoe’s team.