The past two years I had a real problem with my girls showing up late for practice, not showing up at all, not showing up for games and not notifying me for any of it. This year, before the season started, I gave every player and parent a contract stating that the penalty for this would be their DD would sit the next game that she showed up for. I also told them that it did not apply as long as I knew at least an hour beforehand. It was a show of disrespect to me and the team if they did not contact me. I had very few problems except with one player. She made it to 2 practices out of 32 and by the time the season ended, played in 6 out of 24 games. She was benched for another 7. Because she missed playing in at least half the games, she was ineligible to play for the All-Stars team in which she would have made the #1 team easily as she was one of my best players. She cried about not being able to play for All-Stars and blamed me for sitting her the necessary games and her mother (single parent) for being too lazy to bring her. I simply told her..."You have your own cell phone and you had my number. All you had to do was call and let me know. You knew the rules. Sorry." Of course her mother went to the council and complained, threatened and cajoled. However, it's stated in our by-laws that I have the right to do what I did so it went nowhere. It's a shame really. Because her mother was so lazy (and she was very lazy), she cost a talented young softball player a possible way to get out of the ghetto. We are the only open rec league in our area and I know she won't be back next year.