Sam wrote:Busted Shins wrote:GIMNEPIWO wrote:... In the HS Coaches defense ... he is a freakin' as*hole ...
Back to the OP. NEI (not enough information). But that seems to be the root question.
It depends on the kid. You need to know the player.
If she says "my arm hurts" on any sort of regular basis, but doesn't seem to have any consequences later, then: suck it up. You might need to deal with attitude next.
If she says "my arm hurts" on any sort of regular basis, and has consequences, then: Take her out. Your job as coach is to her her figure out what the problem is, and correct it. Could be mechanics, could be conditioning, or it could still be attitude.
If she never/rarely says "my arm hurts," then: ask how much. Answer: A lot. Take her out. Medium or less: Ask her if she can finish the inning, the next inning, the game, whatever. Check with her frequently, watch for deteriorating performance. Protect your pitcher, but don't let her fool you. While some are not careful enough of the pitchers, it is possible to be too careful also. You need to know the player.
How do you know if there are consequences or not? Her arm might be killing her constantly, but maybe here dad won't let her say anything....
If the kid tells the coach her arm hurts, she comes out....its easy...if she's injured you can tell the umpire so and your reliever gets the warmups she needs.
I agree, if a pitcher tells you her arm is hurting she is done and there are no questions. For the most part in this forum we are talking about 10 - 18 year old girls and usually with these questions 10 - 16 year old girls. The risk/reward is not there. If she is crying wolf she probably doesn't want the ball anyway you wouldn't want her on the mound in a crucial situation.
