Politics in high school softball suck!

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Sep 18, 2011
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I think that I can summarize this thread best by stating the following:

- All high school coaches are idiots
- All high school player parents are insane and prone to replacing reality with their own version
- All high school players are ace pitchers capable of throwing back to back no hitters and hitting in the 4 slot every game, even if they are a catcher.
- All high school AD's are corrupt bureaucrats training for their future job as US senators where they will replace their morality with bribes at will

-W

And all parents of homeschooled kids want to sequester their kids from reality. You forgot that part. :)
 
Apr 1, 2010
1,675
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I believe that most coaches - high school and travel - want to win. I tell parents that the very best players will always play and coaches identify them easily. If your daughter is anywhere in the middle. The coaches may or may not see her as a key player and she may or may not get the time you believe she deserves. Politics or other factors wrongly interpreted as politics enter in at this middle level.

From the OP, it sounds like her DD may be a great pitcher (pitches perfect game at varsity--but it could have been against a weak team?; gives up 3 hits, no runs during JV season--no runs with the JV defense behind her doesn't sound like "control problems," it sounds dominating--but against the weaker hitters; pitches on a highly ranked tb team). However, the pitchers whose parents bought the team uniforms were good enough for the varsity team to 1) get to and 2) win state. So the coach didn't need her. Without her, he still won state AND got new uniforms. Whether it was fair or not, it worked out well for him.

It sounds as though there will be room for her on the varsity roster for her junior year, though, and that should give her a chance to finally show everyone whether she is or isn't better than the other pitcher. Unless a new freshman pitcher shows up and her parents buy the team new batbags, etc...
 
Last edited:
May 14, 2010
213
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I coach HS softball. I used to coach HS football also. I once had a parent chew on me for his son's lack of playing time in HS. I said, "You have never attended even one practice and yet you 'know' your son is better than any other player? What are you smoking?"

I have never met a parent that didn't believe their TB star was better than everyone else on the HS team. But they forget, while their prima donna is working out with their TB team, much of the rest of my HS team is working together in the weight room and during open gyms. So little Miss Perfection is supposed to be embraced with open arms? And penciled in as the starting P, C, SS and batting 1-4 all at the same time?

I quite often will bring up P from JV to get some time in Varsity games that I anticipate winning 20-0. Dear Parents- Just because your precious DD beat a really bad team, doesn't mean she is a varsity stud. It means she got some experience, grew a little.

As far as politics, I would play up a 6th grade orphan, with one leg, buck teeth, glasses, stuttering problem, thyroid condition, pink haired Canadian if she would help my team win games. The thought that I would sit the best players due to alleged politics is incomprehensible. But I end up sitting many Momma's best DD's.
 
Apr 1, 2010
1,675
0
I think that I can summarize this thread best by stating the following:

- All high school coaches are idiots
- All high school player parents are insane and prone to replacing reality with their own version
- All high school players are ace pitchers capable of throwing back to back no hitters and hitting in the 4 slot every game, even if they are a catcher.
- All high school AD's are corrupt bureaucrats training for their future job as US senators where they will replace their morality with bribes at will

-W

And don't forget that all the parents carry...what was it?...a hockey mask and butcher knife...in their trunk! I don't know how much extra money a coach makes, but is it really worth it? :-D
 
Apr 25, 2010
772
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Here in OH, no travel team can have more than 4 players from any one high school, unless those players do not play HS ball. And if the HS coach coaches a TB team, he can only coach them during, I think, July and August and is only allowed to have 10 days of contact other than that until the HS season starts.

I think that my DD and 1 other girl in her grade will be the only TB players on the entire HS team once they get there next year. Then, I think there are two more coming up two or three years behind her. If these 4 girls don't start Varsity once they hit HS, something is VERY political, but I truly don't see that happening since the current HS coach is a former TB coach. We shall see. Even if DD doesn't play her primary position, that's okay. She's already said it will give her a relaxed atmosphere to improve on the things she needs to and perfect another position.
 
Jan 25, 2011
2,282
38
As far as politics, I would play up a 6th grade orphan, with one leg, buck teeth, glasses, stuttering problem, thyroid condition, pink haired Canadian if she would help my team win games. The thought that I would sit the best players due to alleged politics is incomprehensible. But I end up sitting many Momma's best DD's.
Hey that's my dd you are talking about, she got her teeth fixed. Aye
 
Apr 11, 2012
438
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Do you include yourself in the "All high school player parents are insane and prone to replacing reality with their own vision" catagory?
 

sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,133
113
Dallas, Texas
The point about "sequestering the kids from reality" had nothing to do with homeschooling. You made it into that. Some home schooling is bad, some is good. Some public education is bad, some is good.

Parents were saying, "I'm so glad my kids doesn't play HS softball because otherwise she would have to deal with disappointment, frustration and politics." Life is full of disappointment, frustration, and politics.
 

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