I need your help. I have a question.

[PDad]

The rule is if your team qualifies, you are locked to that roster, unless your coach happens to be nice and agrees to release you. How is that rule working for you?

Actually, the PGF rule is you're locked to a roster once you're on the roster or participate in a qualifier unless the coach releases you. Players are "frozen" on the roster when the team qualifies and PGF has to review any release for cause.

Releases: The Head Coach of a team MAY release a player after she has been on the roster or has participated in a PGF National Qualifying Tournament at any time prior to the National Tournament deadline. The following restrictions and conditions will apply to all releases.

Refusal to release a player is the prerogative of any Head Coach however an appeal to the PGF National Office will be considered in extreme circumstance or accusation of abuse.

A TEAM QUALIFIES FOR NATIONALS: Once a team has qualified for Platinum or Premier Nationals, all players on the roster submitted for the tournament in which the team qualified are frozen for that year and MAY NOT obtain a release except in the case of review by the National Office for cause.

A lot more players are being frozen due to the addition of Platinum.

[Safebyahare]

They do. But they are a bit nebulous. Which, obviously, is not great for a rule that people do not want to follow.
The rule is if your team qualifies, you are locked to that roster, unless your coach happens to be nice and agrees to release you. How is that rule working for you?

\Why don't coaches just sign that release when a player leaves a team?? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2eUopy9sd8

[PuraVida]

If the team does not qualify, then all this become a non-issue. A player on any team that did not qualify becomes a free agent and can go with any team.

For a player to consider leaving a team after it qualify raises all kinds of flags and the all point at the coach

.

[Pale Rider]

"Build it...and they will come"
...with their checkbooks and lawn chairs

[CheckWriter]

I think by the time your kid(s) finish college ball, you have interacted with enough other parents and coaches that the normal distribution applies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_distribution). +/- 1 SD covers about 68% of everybody, not great, not terrible. Another 27% in the cool enough or whacked enough (about 1 of 10 in each category) that you go out of your way to hang out with or avoid. Maybe half that many (or less) that you really end up becoming friends with outside of softball.

A couple of times we should have left mid season. In 12s DD was the only catcher capable of catching a future Pac12 starter and caught 3 - 5 games per day in 105 degree temps - over and over. In college, she has started 85% of games over 3 years at SS. Finally played her own age one year so she could pitch and the coached pitched her until her arm hurt and kept going until we had to step in and tell him she wasn't pitching any more that weekend. Left both those teams at the ends of the seasons.

Had a few along the way that just couldn't afford the travel when we started qualifying for the bigger tourneys. Hard to "force them" to spend money they didn't have.

Anyway, I often tire of all disagreements always being crazy parents ore coddled, entitled players. That happens but so does a lot of other stuff.

[AlwaysImprove]

They do. But they are a bit nebulous. Which, obviously, is not great for a rule that people do not want to follow.
The rule is if your team qualifies, you are locked to that roster, unless your coach happens to be nice and agrees to release you. How is that rule working for you?

\Why don't coaches just sign that release when a player leaves a team?? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2eUopy9sd8

I thought Sam did a good job of laying that out for you.

Not in the best interest for their team. Coaches often concluded the decision to hop teams is to satisfy parents ego.

[Safebyahare]

OK, I think I might have this,,,,,,
The softball relationship between a Mgr/coach and player/parent is similar to the relationship between a man and woman.
Sometimes when the relationship is severed or ended, both parties return belongings and go their separate ways..
But sometimes,,,,,the other party wants retribution, revenge, half your stuff, alimony for betraying them, and will show all men that hell has no fury as a woman scorn.

Is that about right??

Case by case basis, and with this option on the table it illustrates the seriousness of the commitment while adding stability to the market place.

[AlwaysImprove]

I would only add that prior to Qualifier Season, let's call it June 1. The relationship is completely casual. It is hop-hop hop-about like a hare.

After your team qualifies it should be rare to need to hop about. If the team folds, I would expect the manager to blanket release all the players. If there is abuse, or serious wrongdoing, and the manager refuses, escalate to PGF.

Everyone else should pretty much stay on their team. Not playing enough, tough, should have figured it out before you got a berth.

Serious wrongdoing does not include only getting one at bat all weekend.

[Sam]

OK, I think I might have this,,,,,,
The softball relationship between a Mgr/coach and player/parent is similar to the relationship between a man and woman.
Sometimes when the relationship is severed or ended, both parties return belongings and go their separate ways..
But sometimes,,,,,the other party wants retribution, revenge, half your stuff, alimony for betraying them, and will show all men that hell has no fury as a woman scorn.

Is that about right??

Case by case basis, and with this option on the table it illustrates the seriousness of the commitment while adding stability to the market place.

Not even close. It's like leasing a car for 8 months. In month 6, you decide you want another car instead. Your agreement says that you can't do this without paying a penalty. You knew about the penalty, agreed with it and signed the agreement. Now you want to complain about it and paint the dealer as unfair because you can't do what you want to do.....funny.

[Safebyahare]

Not even close. It's like leasing a car for 8 months. In month 6, you decide you want another car instead. Your agreement says that you can't do this without paying a penalty. You knew about the penalty, agreed with it and signed the agreement. Now you want to complain about it and paint the dealer as unfair because you can't do what you want to do.....funny.

Don't get me wrong, I do agree on the vital importance of commitment.
I will use your great analogy to illustrate the other view.

A couple of years ago I leased a slightly lifted hummer. It was a 1 year lease, free maintenance. I started my lease in August.
It was a pricey lease, about ten thousand a year, about $350 startup $100 a month including dark out, fund raising, lessons ect.
It was nice and had a purpose, that summer we were going four wheel camping hunting, fishing on the way to nationals.
I also live on a long bumpy dirt road and this would make the journey special.
In June after the dark out period, I brought it in for an oil change. When I picked it up this is what I got. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt ... =0&ndsp=36
Same Vin. number but not the same, I tried to explain to the leaser this was not what I committed to,,he said he improved it, and it was still the same vehicle. NOT!
Guess we can try to go four wheel camping hunting fishing another year. Too bad the money is gone.
I did pay off the lease, left the hummer there. What is the penalty for changing the suspension and dynamics of a team?
Case by case, not all situations are in one mold.