What makes you lose your mind?

[ANNASDAD]

Not talking about umpires, parents, or tournament directors here, just the players. I feel I've mellowed out over the last few years, I try not to let "ball" make my head explode anymore.

***But, a few things that make me look at a kid sideways while keeping both of my hands in my pockets!

1) Just boneheaded mental errors, not thinking! Like not covering a base, or throwing behind a runner, or overthrowing a cutoff!

2) Not taking advantage of free outs! Pitcher throws a routine ground ball, or bloop pop up and it gets blown, got to have 100% of those!

3) Not getting a bunt down, popping a bunt up to the pitcher or catcher makes me want to go to the car and start drinking!

***Back to 1) Outfielders NOT taking proper angles on hard hit balls and giving up an extra base!

Kids make errors, I get it, I think sometimes this game is set up for failure, but when a kid gives me 100% effort and "something" happens, I'm fine, won't say a word unless it's to tell them to adjust, know what they did wrong and get the next one! When a kid is lazy or has some kind of mental breakdown, I'll get loud!

***And back to 2) ERRORS!! We all know what happens when stupid errors are made at crucial times in a game......and it's usually with the very next hitter!!

I'm sure I just left out 20+ things, what stupidity sets you off?

 

[_MIA_]

Lack of effort. While a lot of other stuff will annoy me, lack of effort will cause me to explode. If you don't want to be out there then somebody else does...

 

[ANNASDAD]

Lack of effort. While a lot of other stuff will annoy me, lack of effort will cause me to explode. If you don't want to be out there then somebody else does...

Yes sir, definitely one of those 20 things I ended with!

 

[FP26]

Lack of effort. While a lot of other stuff will annoy me, lack of effort will cause me to explode. If you don't want to be out there then somebody else does...

I agree with pattar. As long as each player is giving effort, I am usually pretty calm. When someone isn't trying, they won't be on the field very long...

 

[Westwind]

High school teams that can practice or play every day for months and still don’t fix the easy stuff. What are you doing for three hours per day people?

Base running that looks like prehistoric nomads wandering from water hole to water hole.

Not tagging up on 3 with less than 2 outs and a fly ball to of and not scoring. ARRRRGH! MY HEAD IS GOING TO EXPLODE!

First base coaches who have apparently taken a vow of silence and stand there without speaking, pointing or talking but still manage to turn the runner on base away from the ball for a high five at the exact time the defense throws the ball away. Coach, can you maybe tell the runner how many outs there are? Yell ”BACK“ every once in awhile? Something?

Catchers that set up in the middle of the plate every pitch. Framing a pitch while the runner is stealing second. The paid coach that was a “college catcher” who lets it happen.

Can you tell what I’m thinking about on this first day of high school softball in my state?

 

[HighStrung]

Hands down, #1 for me is wild throws. I get it and I'm not talking about wet/sloppy playing conditions, nor a hard crashing third base who's making a difficult throw across her body. I'm talking about the everyday routine ground ball to the SS for example, who has plenty of time and doesn't have to rush, the one who has literally done this 1000 times, then (out of no where) sends the ball over 1st to the fence. I literally want to crawl out of my skin.

#2 has got to be OF's that for what ever reason, suddenly decide to let the ball drop within a step of them. They had it, plenty of time and weren't even going full out for it, then at the last minute decide to hold up 5 ft short and try to play the bounce (which usually seems to fail as well), which turned that out into a runner standing on second.

Luckily we haven't seen these with our girls recently, but over the past years these were the ones that got me.

 

[ANNASDAD]

Hands down, #1 for me is wild throws.

AND...........throwing the ball around! Like you said, thousands of times and all of a sudden, you're like WTH was that??

The only times I've ever wanted to walk out of the dugout and literally kick my DD square in the butt was for hitting a batter at exactly the wrong time, or with a 0-2 count!! She wouldn't even look at me, but she could definitely hear me!

 

[heman1202]

*Rec Ball*

1. About the time every girl turns 13
2. When a girl on first just stands there on a passed ball and then I yell something and both her and the first base coach give the "I don't know" shrug.
3. When I'm talking to the team at the end of a practice or game and there is that one girl putting her gear away
4. Mumbling or avoiding eye contact, lol

Mistakes will be made so as said above, I'll take effort and mistakes over not even trying.

 

[Westwind]

The only times I've ever wanted to walk out of the dugout and literally kick my DD square in the butt was for hitting a batter at exactly the wrong time, or with a 0-2 count!!

Definition of Discipline: When you overcome the urge to stand up and scream “Who the HELL called that pitch?” but instead you smile encouragingly and clap politely. The real pros can even utter a quiet “gosh that looked like it hurt” to the parent next to them.

 

[ANNASDAD]

Of yeah, don't know what I'm thinking.........probably my #1 is hand delivering a fat pitch and giving up a hit with a 0-2 count!