High five for the HS coach

[GOINGDEEP]

Well we have had some recent typical HS politic BS. Of coarse you have a new bunch of freshman players and crazy parents who have been crying about play time and positions already and we have only had a week of field practice. The same old story, " my dd has/does this on her travel team", "my DD can out play her", "my DD pitches better than so and so".

So the coach set up an inner squad scrimmage today.

roster......
8 juniors and 3 seniors vs.

7 freshman and 2 sophomores

Score was 27 ( older group ) to 4 ( younger group ) No mercy rule, full 7 innings

I'm sure the excuses will be pouring in by next week, but it sure was nice to see the complainers put in their place for a day!!!!

It might seem unfair, but I think the coach had enough and wanted to show the younger group they have some big shoes to fill before they can match up against the older group who has traveled more and longer than they have. And can out play them with a pretty good margin.

 

[shockcoach]

I like it!

 

[amanda_cake]

I also like this. At my high school we routinely had Varsity-JV scrimmages, to tone down some of those kids...

 

[Steve Huff]

Well we have had some recent typical HS politic BS. Of coarse you have a new bunch of freshman players and crazy parents who have been crying about play time and positions already and we have only had a week of field practice. The same old story, " my dd has/does this on her travel team", "my DD can out play her", "my DD pitches better than so and so".

So the coach set up an inner squad scrimmage today.

roster......
8 juniors and 3 seniors vs.

7 freshman and 2 sophomores

Score was 27 ( older group ) to 4 ( younger group ) No mercy rule, full 7 innings

I'm sure the excuses will be pouring in by next week, but it sure was nice to see the complainers put in their place for a day!!!!

It might seem unfair, but I think the coach had enough and wanted to show the younger group they have some big shoes to fill before they can match up against the older group who has traveled more and longer than they have. And can out play them with a pretty good margin.

I had to do these things too many times with my HS team. I didn't have the Travel Ball issues that teams have because i started the TB program after they got into school, but other parents and one TB sophomore raised quite a stink. Once I was accused of "stealing" 2B with a specific girl because I was so prejudiced, I thought she was fast. So, that week we had sprints as groups, narrowing it down until there were 4 girls left out of 23. Guess who won three times? Then I had a mom complain her daughter had the highest batting average and should bat higher in the order, except for prejudice. I handed out all the team stats to every parent over way too much talking. The mom's daughter was hitting .237 which she just couldn't believe. Turned out she thought a Fielder's Choice was a base hit. The same thing happened with the same woman's daughter, who transferred us to the neighboring HS so she could pitch varsity because she was better than the Varsity pitcher. My Varsity pitcher faced her twice and beat her 9-0 on a one-hitter, and 8-0 on a two hitter. And the mom was so upset she left the field in the first game. Then there is one daughter and mom who were worst of all. She called the AD and said, "my daughter is entitled to play 3B." I could go on and on.

I sometimes think the kids would play better in many cases without parents. Because there was no previous TB, it seemed the parents were softball illiterate, and I don't think that helped at all. Sometimes they need to be taught, and this coach did!

 

[RubberBiscuit]

The general princliple of "shutting-up the newbie posers" of this I am completely aligned with but the actual outcome could still be that 1 or 2 true softball "stars" will get forced back into the JV & freshmen teams where they will waste their time & ability to contribute.

Not to be argumentative but to me a worse evil is to allow a lazy "expecting" incumbent senior classman maintain a slot on the varsity squad just because they're a more senior classman.

If there was more mobility during the season (to a degree of course) between the levels of HS ball where each player could get "beat-out" in their position any time through the season I would be more happy with HS ball.

I am definitely a "playtime through performance" kind of person regardless of HS or TB.

 

[shellyg]

I also like it.

 

[Steve Huff]

The general princliple of "shutting-up the newbie posers" of this I am completely aligned with but the actual outcome could still be that 1 or 2 true softball "stars" will get forced back into the JV & freshmen teams where they will waste their time & ability to contribute.

Not to be argumentative but to me a worse evil is to allow a lazy "expecting" incumbent senior classman maintain a slot on the varsity squad just because they're a more senior classman.

If there was more mobility during the season (to a degree of course) between the levels of HS ball where each player could get "beat-out" in their position any time through the season I would be more happy with HS ball.

I am definitely a "playtime through performance" kind of person regardless of HS or TB.

I had a preseason meeting with prospective players and parents every year. I told them at that meeting that if there was a freshman that was 90% as good as a senior, that senior probably wouldn't have a roster spot because performance trumped seniority. It happened often. I probably cut 4 or 5 juniors and seniors to make a spot on the 22-23 girl roster.

Their parents didn't like it! :-(

 

[GOINGDEEP]

I've been on both sides of this coin, as have/will most of you when your DD comes of age.

My freshman DD came into HS ball with 2 seniors and 1 junior in the pitching roster. But I didn't cry a river, I didn't make an a$$ of myself to the coach or behind his back. I sat for about 3 games, watched the older pitchers get hammered and then DD had her opportunity. After that she pitched the majority of varsity, and I didn't have to say a word or lift a finger.

This group of young ladies ( the 8 juniors ) have broken school records since the 8th grade ( and onto HS ). Our big city metro paper called them the Elite Eight in 2009. In MS basketball they came in second in sub-state ( which had never been done and as far as MS ball will go / no state championship like in HS ) In MS softball they only lost 1 game all season and won the regional playoffs for the first time in MS history. ( regions is as far as MS goes in softball / nothing beyond it ) Same group has 3 state championships in TB. They are very athletic and well seasoned in sports. No way the younger group can measure up, not now anyway.

This group of freshman have done nothing, they play B class local tournaments, no state titles, no worthy accomplishments. We are 1 week into practice and the coach is about to pull his hair out with all the drama. So I applaud him for the fast planning of this matchup.

Will it solve the problems, probably not. Was it fun to watch, hell yes.

 

[GOINGDEEP]

In our area, practices (inter squad sounds like practice) are closed to parents, so I am not sure how people see these things in the first week of practice to get mad....maybe a sneak peek from the car?

Are the players bringing it home to the parents?

We have open tryouts, open practice, open everything. You know it only takes a couple of bad apples to ruin the bunch.

 

[GOINGDEEP]

3 days a week the HS has softball class the last period. Pretty good way to increase your GPA since if your on the team you make a 100/A all year long. So they practice from 1PM until 3:30-4. Of coarse some of that is getting to the off campus field, prep, drills, etc.

The other 3 days are after school, 3:30- 6.

From about 5-6 is when the loonies start to show up. They circle the field like buzzards!!!!