tossing things your way.... what is your response

[EP Dad]

This thread finally got me to register after a couple of weeks of lurking.

I want to see if I understand this correctly.

1. The High School Coach has settled on one pitcher.
2. The High School Coach wants said one pitcher to pitch only the pitches he wants her to throw.

Sounds a lot like the Chewbacca Defense (bad South Park reference) but do I have that correct? I was upset last Spring when the coach of our 10U "A" team had coached her into having only pitcher that could pitch at the level desired come State and Nationals. In that situation this one pitcher burned out in both tournaments by the time the games got "really" important. That mentality at the High School level seems ridiculous to me.

 

[KAT]

1. Yes the high school coach has settled on one pitcher (she is the best at what she does, but as far as I am concerned we have 3 other pitchers, and we have non league games why not throw them then so just in case something happens he will at least know what they can do. One kid which is polar opposite of the blow by pitcher has wicked motion to her pitches...and all the pitchers hit their spots reliably. All of them pitch at the 18U or 18 gold level.

2. Yes he wants the one pitcher to "blow it by the batters"....umm in what century will that happen at high school level? Oh and yes she can pitch a few other pitches...

I guess he doesn't understand the concept of keep the batters guessing because by the 2nd game...they are hitting her. Oh well high school is almost over.

 

[sluggers]

I went on this canoe trip in some white water down in Arkansas. Things were good until I came to this one place where there was a branch to the left and another to the right. You couldn't see what was on the other side of either of them. I chose the one on the right, and it was about a six foot drop off. So, *splash*, I was tossed out of the canoe, I lost the canoe, my paddle, everything. I washed up on a sandy bank of the river, face down and exhausted. There were a couple of other people on the sandbar trying to get themselves together to continue on down the river.

So, I'm laying there and I here a "whoosh", indicating that someone just popped a cold can of Budweiser (if anyone remembers Harry Carry announcing for the Cardinals...). I look up, and there are four people sitting in lawn chairs and drinking some beer. From the size of the pile of empties, they had been their a while. They start applauding and laughing, and sure enough, here comes an empty canoe going by, being trailed by some poor dope in a life preserver flailing around like a stuck pig.

Moral of the story: When disaster is imminent, grab a lawn chair, a cold beer and enjoy the show.

 

[KAT]

Update!!! Wow I cannot believe what has happened with this team. Shortly after posting this the coach came up to hubby as he was walking out of a game which we had lost second game and started complaining about the umpire. Hubby who doesn't know much about softball but knows what we tell him..LOL. Anyhow he told coach maybe he should let the girls use more pitches and the coach got mad at him for saying it but since hubby doesn't really care he stayed calm and just told the coach everyone has an opinion and they all oppose his. So the coach jumped on the girls and there was more drama. Anyhow the next game coach was trying to prove a point (we were not at game, hubby, DD and I was at BB recruiting tourney) anyhow they lost first game pretty bad and by this time the coach had taken a little more heat from the travel coaches. So coach decides to prove a point and let the catcher call the game....ummm they won the second game like 9/0, the other team never got a hit..not one. And from then on the catcher has called the game, everyone is happy. We haven't lost a single game, not even close. The pitcher is happy, she can finally pitch!! the team is happy and guess what!!!! The coach is now happy!!! and is in a much better mood. Why do they have to be so freaken stubborn?? So this season might be saved now, he finally respects the girls opinion, is way more open to their ideas. It's amazing what winning can do for you. We are having to make up for those lost games so in order to win our league we have to win both games on tuesday...we shall see if not we will get second place but still puts us in good position for districts.....so who knows maybe we can still make state at this point.

 

[mad hornet]

I just love a happy ending.

 

[jofus13]

Moral of the story: When disaster is imminent, grab a lawn chair, a cold beer and enjoy the show.

Our sectional HS tournament starts this week....I will already have the chair, I wonder if I can sneak a cooler of cold ones onto school property, if I stay way out behind the outfield fence?

 

[SnocatzDad]

This thread finally got me to register after a couple of weeks of lurking.

I want to see if I understand this correctly.

1. The High School Coach has settled on one pitcher.
2. The High School Coach wants said one pitcher to pitch only the pitches he wants her to throw.

Sounds a lot like the Chewbacca Defense (bad South Park reference) but do I have that correct? I was upset last Spring when the coach of our 10U "A" team had coached her into having only pitcher that could pitch at the level desired come State and Nationals. In that situation this one pitcher burned out in both tournaments by the time the games got "really" important. That mentality at the High School level seems ridiculous to me.

Most HS coaches ride one pitcher an entire season. They might let another pitcher pitch in a non-conference game, but short of being injured they can and will use one pitcher all the way through the season. In travel ball where you might have 5-6 games in one day this would be suicidal. In HS ball where one game per day is the norm, a double header occasionally, and maybe twice a season a third game in one day (usually in a meaningless non-conference tourney) there is little incentive to work your number two pitcher as a backup for the #1 pitcher, especially when you have the opportunity to let your # 2 pitcher pitch 60-100% of the JV games to stay sharp. The most important games of the year (State Tourney) are played with 8 teams in a single elimination format over two days so maximum three games in two days. Most travel pitchers would consider three games over a two day tourney a light load. Personally I would want the #2 to have some Varsity experience so that your not a broken finger/turned ankle away from putting an untested Varsity pitcher into a must win situation.

 

[EP Dad]

Thanks for the information Snocatz Dad. I can see with the light load and being able to put number two in the JV games how doing the one pitcher thing would work. I know it doesn't work well in travel when you may have to play 8 games in a weekend.

Glad to hear there was a happy ending to the original story. Goes to show that it always pays to listen to someone else's opinion and reevaluate yours.