Truly Love Softball?

[Little Angels Softball]

I've cut so many girls who love the game that I would have a hard time placing a number on the total.

I've kept so many girls who didn't love the game that I would have a hard time placing a number on the total.

And vice-versa to both statements, above.

I guess it isn't one of the top things I look for in a player. Or maybe it is, but it is just the combination of things I am consciously looking for that perhaps add up to love of the game.

I suppose what I am saying is that "love of the game" is really hard to measure and that I tend to prefer other things which are easier to measure when I go looking for players.

 

[CoogansBluff]

Not only is 'love of the game' subjective, but it's constantly changing. Some of the girls that I knew who really loved the game at age 8-12 aren't playing any more because their love waned and they found other things. Which is fine. I've seen others that I thought were just along for the ride at age 8-12 who now are very passionate about it.

 

[PA SB Dad]

Doug, I've followed your posts for a long time so I have to ask if this is a situation your DD finds herself in. Do you think she is being unfairly judged by her HS coach?

 

[NoGolfTil2017]

I think I understand what is being asked, and I can see an argument for keeping the kid who loves the game. We'll see how things work out, but our HS is going to have to cut kids from softball for the first time in a decade (or more). Last year they should have made some cuts, as there were 14 on varsity and 20 on JV, due to a large number of 9th graders. There are a bunch of freshmen again this year, but the league won't allow a freshman or JV-B team. Tryouts start today and cuts will be made Wednesday, so I'll let you know what happens in the situation below.

My kid (11th grade) is concerned about one of the 10th graders. The kid really tries and wants to improve. She asks my kid to watch her during drills and to point out what is wrong, how to correct it, etc. Really nice kid who gives it her all and wants to improve, but skill wise, probably a cut. There are others who are better players, but not starting material (even on JV), who have bad attitudes and will cause issues. I can see taking the kid who loves the game and really tries over the problem kid. In this case, we're not talking taking the kid who loves the game over the future DI player.

 

[riseball]

We judge attitude, sportsmanship, teamwork, hustle, coachability, game/sport knowledge; these are tangible things. How about showing love by NOT being last in line, slowest to get your bat, last on the group run, etc. Or How about helping a new JV player, to show love for the game!

So no, you don't cut a kid because she does not love the game. It is not tangible enough.

PS. Did the coach really say that about social life? Ugh. Don't make kids make choices unless you have 100 great A level TB players lined up for tryouts. Then they won't have social lives...

PSS. The coach is the one who needs to show the love.

How are any of the examples you provide considered tangible??? Not only are they intangible, they are subjective.

 

[Doug Romrell]

All things in softball are subjective, even down to the marks that go in the scoring book.

I've always said that it is impossible for an imperfect human to be perfectly unbias. We are all imperfect, thus we are all bias.

Picking players based on their "love of the game" (Or discarding them due to their lack of love for the game from your assessment) is very problematic. I say this as a coach of several players trying out, or having recently tried out, for high school softball.

 

[BaldNBeautiful]

I got into this thread because I am currently trying to conduct tryouts for our MS team, and the issue has come up.
Snow and ice have made it extremely difficult here in the Southern Appalachians as it has nearly everywhere. We are a month behind now, conducting last tryouts this week, and will have to cancel our season opener that is scheduled late this week.
Well here is my take....
Had to wait for 7th grade basketball to finish before I could work with those girls, then school was out for two straight weeks. Administration decides there will be no baseball or softball tryouts when school is canceled.
Parent of a great athlete (very good basketballer) tells another parent I (the coach) should be trying to convince his daughter to tryout. She will do it if i and several of the girls try to talk her into it.
My view is, if you want to play, you will be there for conditioning and tryouts without anyone begging you to be there. I am well past the point of trying to recruit and convince. If you want to play, be there.
Why on earth should/would a coach feel that they have convince someone to play?

 

[Doug Romrell]

I got into this thread because I am currently trying to conduct tryouts for our MS team, and the issue has come up.
Snow and ice have made it extremely difficult here in the Southern Appalachians as it has nearly everywhere. We are a month behind now, conducting last tryouts this week, and will have to cancel our season opener that is scheduled late this week.
Well here is my take....
Had to wait for 7th grade basketball to finish before I could work with those girls, then school was out for two straight weeks. Administration decides there will be no baseball or softball tryouts when school is canceled.
Parent of a great athlete (very good basketballer) tells another parent I (the coach) should be trying to convince his daughter to tryout. She will do it if i and several of the girls try to talk her into it.
My view is, if you want to play, you will be there for conditioning and tryouts without anyone begging you to be there. I am well past the point of trying to recruit and convince. If you want to play, be there.
Why on earth should/would a coach feel that they have convince someone to play?

So, it is not possible for a coach to have done something malicious to a player warranting an apology? That is, if a player has felt that she was unfairly treated by the coach, say during the off-season, even in a malicious manner, that she (the player) should simply show up to tryouts? Really? Why simply brand a player as not having "love for the game" in these instances? Wouldn't it make sense for the coach, knowing of the incident, to approach the player to apologize? I don't see that as begging anyone. I see it as clearing the air.

Should a coach beg a player to play? Absolutely not! Should a coach attempt to clear the air if the player feels she's been treated poorly, even to the point of malice? Absolutely!

This is why attempts to assess a players "love of the game" are largely problematic. And, I hope to steer this thread back to that notion--assessing (or not assessing) a players "love of the game."

 

[Ken Krause]

Another aspect you end up getting into is individual personalities. Not everyone is the rah-rah type. I've known girls who some thought didn't put in much effort or didn't love the game because they didn't show it outwardly. But if you talk to them you find they have a deep love for the game.

To me, it's impossible to judge. You can see things like hustle - who goes after every ball hard versus who loafs when they think the coach isn't looking, or who is putting in the effort when you transition from station to station versus who is doing the minimum. You can see who knows the game by how they react to different situations - do they cover or throw to the right base, do they reposition themselves for different hitters, do they look comfortable or confused?

But as far as love for the game goes, whose scale are you going to use? Does everyone get compared to the coach, or the coach's ideal for what it should look like? And does the coach really love the game, or does the coach love winning because it makes him look good and keeps him employed?

If it's clear someone doesn't want to be there then do them the favor of letting them go. But be sure that's what you're seeing. Maybe by having a conversation with that player to see where there head is at instead of just assuming.

 

[abbygale]

I know many girls who say they love the game but don't show respect for the game. Aretha and softball go hand in hand.