Baseball Broken Dreams

It is well known I am not the smartest cookie in the cookie jar, but I do try to know what is in the best interests of my kids.  So a few weeks ago I posted about coaches complaining about their kids and the parents not trusting them.  Woops, I thought baseball was about the kids.  What was I thinking?

Well, lo and behold, karma becomes reality.

For my coaching friend who said his rec team was ready to take the next step and become a select team despite lots of defensive holes, several pitching issues, and undisciplined bats, I assume your 1-2 tournament record, speaks for itself.  Yes, I am going to be the one who told you so, because you wouldn't listen to reason and understand that you can't play family ball at the select level.

The honest answer coach is you were right.  One kid doesn't make a team, but when you push the kid off your team who no hit you, because you are so Hellbent on going select that you won't look at objective numbers, all you get is bent by Hell.  One kid doesn't make a team, but you can pull a key cog off your defense and out of your rotation and kids who can go full games at this age, do not grow on trees.  You have been coaching a lot longer than I have which is why I wonder why you didn't realize even with a switch pitcher who can finish the games he starts, we didn't have enough arms to compete at the rec level, much less a select one.  I suspect this is going to be a long season for you.

No, I will admit this too.  Yes, you will have some successes, but I don't see a tourney win this year and if you are playing rec ball, isn't that what it's about?

I have already heard your excuses from the weekend because I am sure they were the same as last year's.  Let's see: (a) it was too early to play a tourney and the kids weren't ready [despite practicing since December are you really going to pound the kids for getting beaten by a lesser seed in the first round of elimination play?], (b) they didn't do what you told them [maybe because drills need to be changed to maintain focus and attention to detail and develop new skills], (c) the umpires blew too many calls [umpires dont make or break games for teams...teams make or break games for teams], or (d) we were just unlucky [well in baseball you can make your own luck by being prepared and executing.]

For me, I feel bad for the other parents who will have to endure a full season of "almost."  Excuses just don't last the test of time and the dedication factor of some of the people who you have selected is less than you are willing to admit now.

In fact, I find it funny that you are okay, bad mouthing the kids who continue on your team after claiming there was no way they would be on your select team.  I know you got played by other parents who told you whatever they told you about coming over, but I was straight.  I was amazed you would ask a kid to teach how to throw both ways to a kid who doesn't put in the effort to throw correctly from one side.  I am still amazed you ignored the idea to stay rec, fix some issues and win a tournament at the rec level before the team went select, but you ignored that advice.

Now your parents and kids get to pay more for games they are going to be increasingly outgunned by teams that prepare in a more varied way.  Sure, there are other select teams, like yours that will muddle through the middle, but again, consistency counts.

One of these days the kid above is going to add to his no-hitter list and next time it may be against your team (again).  I worry your team is still going to be standing around in the field waiting to hear the excuse then for why you lost to a kid you were so desperate to kick out.  Either way, it makes for a season on broken dreams for kids who deserve better.