by Blind Squirrel » Thu Nov 20, 2008 2:01 pm
Re: Daddy Ball
What do you do? If it's your kid not playing her position because the coaches kid is, then find a different team.
And now a slightly different experience with "Daddy Ball" than is commonly heard:
In less than 1 year my kid will be playing for a major D1 on a scholarship. She has played on numerous teams over the years, for numerous coaches. Who contributed the most to her development? The Dad coach who helped her 2 years in rec All Stars and her first year of travel. He did more for her than the 18 Gold coaches she has played for, including the ones that are well known in SoCal because they are expected to be at and do relatively well at 18G Nationals every year. That Dad coach taught my kid how to play the game with aggressiveness and intelligence. She developed a love of the game playing for him. She learned the fundamentals from him and much, much more. When we got back to the hotel after she verballed on-campus, he was the first person we called.
Back to the original question: Unless you are willing to get off your arse and put the time and effort into coaching, quit whining/worrying about where a little kid is playing and where in the batting order she is and shut the F up. Expend your energy on your kid and accurately perceiving THEIR abilities/performance rather than those of a Dad who is volunteering and trying to help a bunch of kids, including YOURS. Or find a team that has coaches you find acceptable. Either way, the appropriate behavior for a sit-on-your-Ass parent (which I happen to be) is the same.
Better yet, continue stressing over a bunch of children playing a game. After all, a future place on the National team is at stake. WAAA, WAAA, Freaking WAAA.
John
10 years from now I'll wish I felt like I do these days.