BEWARE Teams Bringing players "down" for Nationals

[Travelball]

Our coaches tried to blend both the younger 18U and older 18U teams to create one strong team, but realizing they would have trouble fielding such a large roster, they just ceased all communication with the select few they wanted removed from the program. When the parents got the showcase information from other parents on the team and showed up, their daughters were relegated to designated hitters, ensuring they would never see field time. Other girls got emails advising they had a choice to attend or not attend a particular showcase or tournament; but if they chose to go, they were advised they would probably not get any field time. Some choice, huh. But a choice non-the-less I guess. I understand the coaches trying to prove their organization's worth to the organizers at the Premier tournament to hopefully get a return berth for next year's tournament, and/or garner a first-time invitation to Boulder and/or Champions Cup 2012 tournaments, but the sad thing is that this was a critical recruiting year for some of these unsigned younger players, and the coaches opted to play their signed seniors at the showcases instead.

[FatSBDaddy]

- Moving age-eligible players from the upper-age level they played on during the season
to a lower-age team for year-end tournaments happens all the time in Rec League All-Stars.
That, in itself, is a succinct characterization.

- How different is it for a team to add players from another team within their organization,
than adding players from another team from a different organization ? I doubt the season-long
players who are displaced feel much differently about it. No, this has never happened to my own,
but I still feel empathy for those who are impacted. The values of this team sport are often
undermined by the egos of coaches – happens at many organizations.

- For those who commented about “loyalty”: did you just fall off the proverbial turnip truck ?

[Sftbll4ever]

-For those who commented about “loyalty”: did you just fall off the proverbial turnip truck ?

Believe it or not, there are still coaches out there that do believe in LOYALTY!!! I know a team that had a chance to pick up a player and decided that they should go with what got them there. Wish there were more teams like that!! Actually, I bet there are more teams like that now a days than not.

[ontheblack]

Skarp called it chickenshit, and I think that defines it exactly. It is all on the coach and his core values. Loyalty and teamwork are two sides of the same coin when it comes to team sports, and it shouldnt be age specific.

Last night I was scanning HB and ran across an old post for a pitching coach where someone had recently dropped a link to a coach's site, http://jasoniuli.com/.

I checked out the site and Jason had just written his first post called Why Do You Train? where he tells about playing in the NSA World Series and reaching the 'ship. Before the game, the coach tells them, “A champion does not cherish the trophy in his hand but cherishes the hands that helped him get the trophy.”

Win or lose, what the girls ALWAYS take away with them and look back at is the experience, not the results.

[Distributed-Power]

One of these teams was Mizuno Pride. Although my daughters playing time was not affected by any of these 6 age eligible girls, it was a very tense atmosphere. Instead of parents enjoying this final tourney and players bonding together to give their all, most were concerned if the ringer they brought down for 18G going to take my spot. Needless to say, the focus on the dugout was not completely on the task at hand. Rather, how could I be the starting player for the last nine months and now at one of the first big exposure events (for us anyway), share my time with someone who already had their chance at ASA and went 1-2.

In my opinion our girls worked the entire year and only to be disrespected by the organization. Most of the team have been together for 4 years. I doubt that you will see many of them return for tryouts in the upcoming weeks.

I can't imagine anyone aware of this would bother attending their tryouts.

Mizuno should drop their sponsorship of these clowns.

Seems about par for the so called Mizuno sponsored teams , very little to no loyalty left as far as I can tell....if it's out there it would be a rare find for sure . You know what they call the white stuff on top of the chickenshat????.........chickenshat!!

[SoCalFPDad]

[heyseed]

Not only checkenshit....illegal per PGF rules.

[jmo]

Not only checkenshit....illegal per PGF rules.

It would have been illegal but the Mizuno Pride did not play PGF this past summer. They went solely ASA. If they had played in a PGF qualifier, those players would have been locked in to the 18 Roster.

[jonriv]

Whole thing stinks- not fair to the girls on the roster who played all year. Once girls make choice to play-up- that should be it

[anonlooker]

Not only checkenshit....illegal per PGF rules.

It would have been illegal but the Mizuno Pride did not play PGF this past summer. They went solely ASA. If they had played in a PGF qualifier, those players would have been locked in to the 18 Roster.

How did Mizuno Pride 16u qualify for PGF?

Did they have the players from the 18u team playing in the 16u qualifier, or did they decide to add them prior to Nationals, thus displacing the 16u players who actually earned the berth.