Player Leaving Mid Season!

[Sam]

During this current HS season, my DD also made the decision to leave her 16U team to play for a high level Gold team. A position came open on the Gold team, and the opportunity presented itself for her to tryout. If you tell the Gold team no now, she will come tryout in August, you will miss 6 months of coaching and exposure. You cannot pass that up. If someone on her 16U team asked me why we left, I would have no problem telling them the opportunity was too good to pass up. I believe most players and families would make the same decision.

Keep this in mind as you dish out advice on keeping your commitment, lying, cheating and stealing, and all the other horrible things people who have left teams mid season are.

If you are lucky and your DD goes to college and plays for 4 years, you will get to watch her play softball for 10 -12 years. For most of us it is like 6 to 8 years. You cannot expect parents and players to waste any of that time in a situation that is not a positive experience for them?

I will paraphrase Clint Black, as he exited the Celebrity Apprentice…”I learned a lot about myself and other people, and I have learned to surround myself with people that I want to be around. Because life is too short and I am only going to associate with people that are good for me”

Don't think the college coaches won't note that midseason shift....it tells them that they can recruit them, verbal them, and then sit there with their fingers up their rears when the player suddenly re-verbals with a team with a better offer.....or leaves after a year for a better offer. Character is a big deal with college coaches....the 18 Gold coach should have told you that before he took her for his own selfish purposes.

OBTW: She would get the exposure you so dearly seek at 16U ASA Nationals.

[MavFan]

First of all, the exposure is what she wants not me. I have lived my life, do not need to live mine through her.

Secondly, She has contacted all of the schools and coaches she is intersted in and they all, bar none, told her this was a good move for her. Playing better competition in addition to the quality coaching.

[Sam]

First of all, the exposure is what she wants not me. I have lived my life, do not need to live mine through her.

Secondly, She has contacted all of the schools and coaches she is intersted in and they all, bar none, told her this was a good move for her. Playing better competition in addition to the quality coaching.

....and if it comes down to a decision between her and another young lady, they'll take the one that showed some loyalty and character towards the team she committed to and her teammates.

[MavFan]

First of all, the exposure is what she wants not me. I have lived my life, do not need to live mine through her.

Secondly, She has contacted all of the schools and coaches she is intersted in and they all, bar none, told her this was a good move for her. Playing better competition in addition to the quality coaching.

....and if it comes down to a decision between her and another young lady, they'll take the one that showed some loyalty and character towards the team she committed to and her teammates.

guess so! I will let her know that Sam said she isn't going to realize her dream because she switched teams. Thanks for saving me the money I would have spent on traveling!

[coolstuff]

She played for 3 different teams in one year. She never left a team in the middle of the season.
John

So, how did she play for three different teams in one year, yet, never leave a team in the middle of the season?

I'm not accusing anything, I know how these things happen, but just would like for you to expand on that.

[coolstuff]

Here is the classic I mentioned;

Championship game, head coaches DD starts pitching... walks 5 of the first 7 batters, end of 1 score 5-0. She did settle down and pitched 3 more scorless innings but each inning had at least 1 walk if not 2.
He places another pitcher into the game in the 5th, tells DD to play LF. She throws her hands up and says, "I don't know how to play LF, I want to play 3B." His response, "3B go to LF, DD play 3B."
Next inning, he tells DD to play 1B, in which she said, "I haven't played there before." His response, "You'll be OK."
Last inning we are down 5-4, he tells DD play SS, in which she did with no comments.

All the while we had 5 girls sitting the bench and 4 of the 5 didn't see the field at all. Don't get me wrong his DD is a good athlete, but we also have just as good athletes that didn't see the field at all.....

That my friends is "Daddyball"

I agree. If any coach on a travel ball team has a DD that is a pitcher or catcher, be careful. When they are out of the pitching or catching rotation, they are often taking up space somewhere else on the field at the expense of someone else's DD. IMHO, good coaching would would seem to say you have pitchers and catchers in the dugout, ready to go in when needed. Am I wrong about that?

[GIMNEPIWO]

She played for 3 different teams in one year. She never left a team in the middle of the season.
John

So, how did she play for three different teams in one year, yet, never leave a team in the middle of the season?

I'm not accusing anything, I know how these things happen, but just would like for you to expand on that.

I'm guessing if she played an equal ammount of time on each team then she would have left 1/3 and 2/3's of the way through the season ... not in the middle ...

[SnocatzDad]

She played for 3 different teams in one year. She never left a team in the middle of the season.
John

So, how did she play for three different teams in one year, yet, never leave a team in the middle of the season?

I'm not accusing anything, I know how these things happen, but just would like for you to expand on that.

I'm not sure if this is the answer, but we have distinct travel summer/fall/winter seasons and moving teams usually happens between summer and fall, but occasionally between fall and winter as well.

Fall seems to be a test drive season for teams and players runs only about 8 weeks just enough time to see if it's a good fit for both sides before asking for a commitment for the winter season which usually locks in the summer team.

[Coach11]

I agree. If any coach on a travel ball team has a DD that is a pitcher or catcher, be careful. When they are out of the pitching or catching rotation, they are often taking up space somewhere else on the field at the expense of someone else's DD. IMHO, good coaching would would seem to say you have pitchers and catchers in the dugout, ready to go in when needed. Am I wrong about that?

That could make for an oversized roster. While I don't disagree that a good team will have their best players in set positions, and a few backups on the bench....good pitchers and catchers are often strong players in other positions as well.

A good coach knows how to mix up the lineup so that not only is he/she fielding a strong team, but that the workhorses see some downtime now and again as well.

[Blind Squirrel]

She played for 3 different teams in one year. She never left a team in the middle of the season.
John

So, how did she play for three different teams in one year, yet, never leave a team in the middle of the season?

I'm not accusing anything, I know how these things happen, but just would like for you to expand on that.

I suspected someone would wonder about that. After DD quit softball for a year, we contacted a coach we knew, told him DD was returning to softball and asked if he would be interested in her playing for him for the remainder of the season (a month or so). He said sure. She played for a month on his team. She then joined another team in January and played the season and then joined a different team in September and played. Three teams in one year. Never left midseason. Yeah I know that is an unusual case but the point is/was even the most notorious team jumpers don't need to bail midseason on a team they have commited to.

John