Bucket Dad's frustration with the new team

[OldGuy]

"Lastly, I would think long and hard about whether you want her playing both catcher and pitcher."

That one is easy, I don't. She is a catcher by choice, and a pitcher by need, she just happens to be good at both. On this team she needs to pitch, but long-term she is more likely to end up as a middle infielder and/or center fielder due to her speed and stature. She is currently 4'11" and projected to reach 5'2" at maturity. We moved to this team in part because they expected her to be the #3 or 4 pitcher (instead of the #1 on her last team) giving her more opportunities to play other positions. There are not many innings left to play catcher or elsewhere when you are pitching 1 1/2 - 2 games a day.

 

[OldGuy]

Eric F - This was a first, hopefully not a pattern.

To other comments: One of the issues really is that this is a new team for us, and DD wants to fit in. Consequently, she is not yet ready to step away from what the coaches tell her to do. She is also young, though she is playing 14u she is just a 1st year 12u player. She knew she needed to warm up pitching, but could not because she was catching for another player. She does not have a long routine, maybe 5-10 minutes total, but it does help her get loose and mentally ready to throw. This team does not want parents on the field, so my warming her up is generally not an option. Also, I chose to stop coaching her when she moved up to 14u because I believed that was best for her development. I believe the coaches are generally very good, and I do not want to take their place, but I admit to having different opinions on some issues.

 

[Eric F]

Eric F - This was a first, hopefully not a pattern.

To other comments: One of the issues really is that this is a new team for us, and DD wants to fit in. Consequently, she is not yet ready to step away from what the coaches tell her to do. She is also young, though she is playing 14u she is just a 1st year 12u player. She knew she needed to warm up pitching, but could not because she was catching for another player. She does not have a long routine, maybe 5-10 minutes total, but it does help her get loose and mentally ready to throw. This team does not want parents on the field, so my warming her up is generally not an option. Also, I chose to stop coaching her when she moved up to 14u because I believed that was best for her development. I believe the coaches are generally very good, and I do not want to take their place, but I admit to having different opinions on some issues.

IMO - Be patient. This is one incident that wasn't to your liking. If it develops into a pattern, then it's maybe time to have a discussion with the coaches if it remains a big concern. You mentioned that the team was missing a catcher. That has the potential to throw a lot of things out of whack, depending on the players available. There will ALWAYS be something that comes up that isn't ideal, and pulling the plug on a team every time an imperfect incident happens is going to lead you to a lot of frustration, and will slow your DD's development. If you like the coaching overall, and your DD likes the team, stick with it until they give you a compelling reason that it's not a fit any more.

 

[SandlotMom]

I would create a warm-up routine that is thorough when she has time and one that is short and efficient when she doesn't. To prevent injury, I would recommend not doing all of her pitches until she is probably warmed which could be in between innings.

 

[marriard]

You are right - you need some perspective. You are mad at the wrong thing.

HC and his DD showed up 5 minutes late, and the rest of the coaches and players straggled in over the next 15 minutes, with the team warm up finally starting about 8:50.

This you can get mad at. This is unacceptable unless this is how the team is (and then I need to be informed so I have the right team expectation)

DD pitches her best game ever. Over three innings she gave up three runs on six hits (all singles) with no walks, against a very strong hitting team (and eventual tournament champion). I was ecstatic about her performance,

So you should be. She did great in a tough situation and came through for her team

but spitting bullets about the lack of a proper warm up. She of course just said she doesn't need to warm up. I am frustrated that the HC would risk injuring a young pitcher by putting her on the field without warming up properly.

This you can't get mad at. She is clearly physically warm, she got a few pitches in and she gets her warm up pitches before 'play ball'. She may be more likely to be 'off' in her pitching with a short warm up, but there is probably not a big injury concern. Sometimes you get called on - she was ready and you should be thrilled she did well. My DD has STARTED a game with no warm up when our original starter started throwing up after her first warm up pitch on the mound. Add in a 'quick start' warm up to her tool box for when something similar happens again (it will)

There are other examples of poor coaching decisions that add to my frustration, but DD and DW don't want me to rock the boat. I'm posting here to vent, but also to get advice on how best to approach the coach as I cannot allow the situation to be repeated. Any ideas? Thanks!

You can clarify what time you are expected to turn up. Is it absolutely when he says, or does he say it because the team all turn up late and that is OK. If I know '8:30' means '8:45' and I can adjust to that, then the expectation is set.

Everything else, unless it happens EVERY week is fine. Again - should be thrilled your DD came through for the team when called on. Nothing but the arriving time to talk to the coach about and that is a reasonably easy conversation compared to most.

 

[sluggers]

OldGuy, if you think about this a little, you'll see that your DD handled this situation beautifully. You should be proud of her...no doubt she learned this from you.

Let me rephrase story a little and if you get my drift:

Suppose you are the boss. Late on a Friday at work, a problem comes up. Nobody is around to help you but the new gal who just started working for you. Technically, it isn't her job. But, you need help. The new gal not only agrees to help, but he does a *fabulous* job. She never complains. She even does a better job than the people who were supposed to help out. Now, do you think that might make an impression on you?

 

[JAD]

DD likes the team and the coaches. I am frustrated that the HC would risk injuring a young pitcher by putting her on the field without warming up properly. There are other examples of poor coaching decisions that add to my frustration, but DD and DW don't want me to rock the boat. I'm posting here to vent, but also to get advice on how best to approach the coach as I cannot allow the situation to be repeated. Any ideas? Thanks!

It sounds like your DD got to warm up, just not warm up pitching as much as she would have liked. It is usually not a recipe for success, but there have been several times where my DD was not scheduled to pitch had to warm up in 2 minutes or less because the wheels were falling off the bus in the circle. One time my DD was playing 1B and swapped positions with the P and got her 5 warm up pitches and that was it. Your DD needs to develop a "full" warm up routine and an "emergency" warm up routine (assume she has already warmed up with the team before the game). She also needs to know not to throw the first pitch 110% when she did not get her full warm up. Start with a change up or something off speed to help her warm up while she is pitching.

 

[quincy]

DD has been on a couple Teams where she pitched 90% of the innings, it is almost as bad as not pitching at all.

You and your DD need to figure it out, IMO she is a lot better place but will take some adjustments in her routine.

 

[Southernmost]

I have begun warming my DD up before every game regardless of what coach says. Been burned several times with 'not pitching this game' and then asked to pitch with a cold arm.

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