14's Playing 18's

[Missinit]

18 team scheduled to play a 14 team playing up. If you are the 18 coach what do you do?

A) Play them, spank them and risk looking like the big bully.

B) Play them, have a close game or even get beat and risk a serious blow to your teams reputation and confidence.

C) Walk because you have nothing to gain and everything to loose but risk looking like a poor sport.

Small tournament, showcase format (no brackets), tournament means nothing.

I'm kinda thinking "C" because odds are if you play it does your team no good no matter what happens but there is a chance of doing damage.

Your 18's start game holding back and not taking the game serious because of who their playing and the 14's are playing hard because their plying up next thing you know your getting the disapproving nods from your parents because you just got beat by a 14 team.

Opinions...

P.S. I'm not the coach but if I was I'm not sure what I would do which is why I ask.

[rbi]

Well, I would say "A", if any team is playing up, you play them like you play anybody else, dot worrry about being the bully. They wanted to play up, so hand it to them, if you can. The younger team is playing up to get competition, so give it to them..

[Missinit]

Well, DD just put it in perspective for me. Asked her what she thought and she said she doesn't care who is on the other side she just want's to play, that simple!

Perhaps I'm over anyliz... analy... thinking this a bit.

[EDGE]

You have to play. Hold nothing back but you may be surprised by what this 14U team can do.

[greenandblue]

Many years ago, my DD's 14U played an 18U. They beat the 18U in a good game. I think their motivation was helped by the 18U players telling them while on the field, later in the game, that they weren't trying very hard to win because it was "just a seeding game." The next day at the championship game, the 18U team was nowhere to be found.

If you do play well and beat them, do it with class.

[GIMNEPIWO]

We would play our game until we were ( or if we were ) way ahead and then call off the dogs and coast ...

[Sam]

Lots of 14U teams are better than 18U teams.

d) Play your butts off and hope you win.

[93players]

We have been on both sides of this question. With mostly 8th graders and a few freshman, we beat a gold team that went to gold nationals last year with 4 infielders signed to D1 schools. We got up on them early and continued to press. Won 5-2, and I have never heard a female coach yell so loud after the game. This year we played in a local tourney with alot of young teams playing up. Coaches told the kids, play every at bat, every pitch like it counts in a national qualifier. Although I am sure the other teams did not like it, we had a very solid workout scoring over 80 runs. We did not steal bases after scoring 6-7 runs. Every player wanted to show the coaches that they deserved a spot on the field. BTW if you are going to walk, please have the courtesy of letting the other team know.

[anonlooker]

18 team scheduled to play a 14 team playing up. If you are the 18 coach what do you do?

A) Play them, spank them and risk looking like the big bully.

B) Play them, have a close game or even get beat and risk a serious blow to your teams reputation and confidence.

C) Walk because you have nothing to gain and everything to loose but risk looking like a poor sport.

Small tournament, showcase format (no brackets), tournament means nothing.

I'm kinda thinking "C" because odds are if you play it does your team no good no matter what happens but there is a chance of doing damage.

Your 18's start game holding back and not taking the game serious because of who their playing and the 14's are playing hard because their plying up next thing you know your getting the disapproving nods from your parents because you just got beat by a 14 team.

Opinions...

P.S. I'm not the coach but if I was I'm not sure what I would do which is why I ask.

You don't choose "A" (easy win), you don't choose "B" (close game, win or lose), you choose "C" (not play at all). That's just pathetic.

If the coaches and players can't get motivated to put their best game out there, no matter the opponent, they are disrespecting the game and really shouldn't be playing at all.

So yeah, with this group, it looks like "C" is the correct choice after all, but not for the reasons you put forth.

[Skarp]

Terminate with extreme prejudice. I'm guessing that 14 team is playing up that far up for a reason.