Am I being over-critical?

[Osric]

So, there is some history/drama involved in this that I'm not going to go over, but the HC of our team (whose background is in football/wrestling) has been really getting under my skin lately and now I'm beginning to wonder if I'm being over-critical of little things.

As I mentioned, his background isn't in baseball/softball and we've had conflicts in the past on plays he calls. Example: In the last game, we have runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs and the best contact hitter on the team up to bat (yes, it was my daughter, but this isn't just daddy bragging on his daughter. She really is the best contact hitter on the team with a high BA and some power). He gives her the bunt sign, she pops it up and now we have 1 out. (Later in the day, she twice connected for line drive triples...honest, this ain't just daddy pride. She can hit....we are working on bunting, but I just fail to see the logic in bunting with 2 runners in scoring position and a good hitter up at the plate.) Later, in same game, we have runners on 1st and 3rd with a good bunter up (score is close at this point). Rather than having runner steal 2nd (and maybe getting a run in on a throw to 2nd), he chooses to have the batter bunt twice. Result was that batter fouls 2 balls off and then had 2 strikes on her and we still have runners on 1st and 3rd.

But those are just disagreements in calls...He defended his thinking and while I disagree with both calls, he's the HC and I accept that. But the things that are really getting under my skin are probably insignificant things, but it just reinforces my thinking that he really doesn't know what he is doing. Example: he sends out an email to parents titled "hitting signals" that he wants to go over with the players. My mind is screaming "we don't have signals, we have signs!". After the games this weekend (we split, going 1-1 losing the second game), he talks about how we lost the second game "by one point". Meanwhile my brain is having convulsions....there's no "points" in softball...there are RUNS!

So, now I'm just beginning to wonder if I'm being too sensitive. But if he doesn't even know the vocabulary of the game, how can I have faith in him actually teaching the girls how to play the game?

 

[GunnerShotgun]

Two thoughts come to mind when reading your post:

1. Every girl on my team from 1 - 11 should be able to (and will be asked) to bunt.

2. If this is a travel team then I wonder if you did your homework on this coach before you accepted a position on his team. If if it's a Rec or House team, never criticize a volunteer coach.

 

[CJ D]

Up to an until the point that a girl proves that she will (not can) either put the ball over the fence every swing of the bat or place it at will in the field on every pitch and bats 1.000, she will bunt with no outs and a runner on 2nd and 3rd in a close game. I don't care how good her contact is. But that's just me. I've done it the other way and had a great batter line drive to the short stop causing a double play. Now I have a runner on 3rd with two outs and counting on a base hit to score a run when I could've had two possibly bunting the next two batters.

Without knowing age of girls and how many outs I'll reserve comment on the 1st/3rd situation.

On the proper lingo....it's easy at times to say one thing when you mean another. Yes, I'd say that's nitpicky. Has your daughter learned anything from him? Has the team improved?

 

[Osric]

Completely agree with your first point and we are working on bunting. I have no problem with DD bunting in the right circumstances. I would just argue that there is no way that THAT was the right circumstance.

As far as coach rec/travel goes...Yes it is a newly formed travel team (and I am the batting coach of the team). Team was formed to give higher skilled girls a chance to play at a higher level in our area which did not have a travel team. HC appointed himself to the position because "he thought of the idea" and he "can bring in the money" (which he does very well). While I'm not in the 'buyers remorse' stage yet, if my daughter wants to continue playing in the future, I'm looking to move her up to the 16U team next year where he will NOT be the HC (she has just turned 13).

 

[StingRay]

You're being too nit picky....

 

[Jquick823]

I would argue that 2nd and 3rd with no outs is the perfect time to bunt regardless of who is up. I'm the 3rd base coach for a travel team and i bunt in this situation all the time. Slowest girl on 3rd can still score easy, overthrow and i now have a 2 RBI bunt. If my best contact hitter is up in this situation i couldn't be happier because if she can make contact she should be able to lay down a bunt. 3 strikes means 3 bunt opportunities.

As far as his wording, point, run, hitting signals are just words. I'm guessing everyone understood the meaning behind them and got the point across. We constantly tell the girls 3 out of 10 is pretty good when batting, parents and coaches should realize the 8 out of 10 is pretty good for a coach/umpire also.

 

[JJsqueeze]

too nitpicky...I don't care about point/run, mound/circle, baseman/baseperson/basegirl, his bunt decision is fine with the RISP on 2nd and third. Bunt decision with the corners could be right, depends on the catchers arm and the speed of the girl on first. Nothing seems too whacky here....as a note though, if you are the type of person to get a burr in their saddle over point/run then maybe you are wound a little tight?

 

[Osric]

Clarification: 1st example (runners on 2nd 3rd) was in the 1st inning. Batters 1 and 2 got on base, DD bats #3.

2nd example: 3rd inning (maybe 4th) in a 4-4 tie game, 1 out. 14U team.

As to saying one thing and meaning another: understand, but not the only instances that makes me wonder about his appropriate knowledge. further example: He used to tell the girls when the pitcher serves up something in the middle of the plate to "take that pitch and hit it hard!" It took me a year to get through to him that in softball "taking a pitch" meant you do NOT swing at it.

Has team improved? Too early to tell, but improvement could easily come in spite of a coach rather than because of one. Like I said, I am the hitting coach and he lets me work with the girls on that. There is someone else who is dedicated to pitching, and a third to working with the outfield. He 'runs' the infield, but frequently has two assistants helping him who know far more about the game than he does (or I do for that matter). Come game time, though, he is the one who makes the lineup, coaches 3rd base, calls the signs, decides who plays/sits/etc.

 

[PGSAKen]

Strategy dictates in a close game with runner on 2 and 3 with no outs-bunt. Defense will give up the bunt to keep the runner at 3 creating the force at home. This puts immense pressure on the defense to go home with any hit and do it 3 times. It also takes away all of the risky pitch selections and forces the pitcher to pitch to the batter. Advantage-offense.

Now on to the 16u idea. At that level parents are out of the equation. Girls drive themselves and are pretty mature-speak for themselves. Coaches expect this as will the other players. If you make the move and any player or coach gets any idea that your DD is not truly independent then it will possible be an ugly situation. 16s and 13s are a VERY different age/situation/maturity level.

On a dads perspective-you do not want your 13DD sitting in a dugout listening to a group of 16 yolds conversations. Shes way too young for that.

 

[James Smith]

I do not get to wound up or 2nd guess the coaches too much anymore. I don’t even post things on this board unless I think their decision might be interesting, not to complain.

That said, DD was asked to bunt for the 1st time in 2 or 3 years the other day. The P could not throw strikes, why the heck are you asking her to bunt? 