Stalling in a Showcase Game!

Bunt or don't bunt

If it is an obvious bunt situation, does an 18u player really need to be told to bunt? I would think they would know the situation and know to do it on their own.

I tell my players that in that situation, they should do what they want to be seen doing. Very simply put. If they are someone who I would normally be called upon to bunt, then put it down. If they are a hitter, then hit. Same thing with base stealers. If they have speed, then go, show it! Do not wait on me. Coaches want to see speed on the bases. College coaches are smart enough to know that if you get thrown out stealing in a showcase, you were trying to show and not trying to cause your team to lose.

BUT, there are 2 thoughts here. 1) who is the player in the box and 2) what talents does the player in the box have that they want to make sure are seen. Showcases are catered for the SHOW, coaches want to see talent. If they want to see them in the most competitve situations, they will come see them in ASA qualifiers or ASA nationals.

I coach a showcase under 1 assumption. "IF THIS IS THE ONLY TIME THAT COACH WILL SEE THAT PLAYER WHAT IMPRESSIONS DO I (AS THE COACH) WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT COACH HAS OF THAT PLAYER!" See I coach for the players, not for me. I have already played college ball. It is THEIR turn.

To answer #1, if the player is a power hitter, then she needs to hit no matter what the situation is. If the player in the box is a regular player, then it is a toss up. But she should not be forced to bunt every time. Based on my assumption, I want her seen in a variety of situations. Under #2, if she is a good bunter then by all means SHOW that talent.

See we think we have to keep score to make girls compete. NO, NO, NO, NO! You can compete without keeping score. You can play your best without keeping score and you should. Girls need to learn to compete and play hard NO MATTER WHAT THE SCORE IS and no matter where you put them. And no matter if they win or lose, they need to know how to walk across the field, shake hands, smile and go back to work.

You have to assume that whoever is there watching will only be there once!

There is a girl at a NC D1 school right now on scholarship that was on her way to a small JUCO because every time it was her turn to catch in a showcase, it rained and the coach never rotated catchers during every game like I do. Then when she got up to bat, she said it seemed like every time she had to sac bunt, so the coaches never got to see her hit away. SO nobody got to see her play, but they went to showcases. Once they did, in January of her senior year at my all-star showcase, her offers were coming in. But her travel coach LET HER DOWN by worrying about winning showcase games and not showing the players and their talents.

ASK THE GIRLS, NOT ME!
Ty

 

If the intent of showcase is just to show, why not:

For instance, if you have a regular runner on base but you have a runner that wants to showcase her speed then the speed runner should be able to replace the regular runner--at will.

Same thing if you have a power hitter coming up in a bunt situation--let the bunter with speed showcase herself and vice versa.


Actually, most of the rules of softball could be thrown out. Then there could be a true showcase.

I HAVE asked many girls; almost to a person, everyone of them wants to compete to win. To win the game they're playing. Even the ones who understand it's a showcase say they would rather be playing.

Anyone who wants to participate in showcases that's their free choice; that's a good thing! But no matter how one views it, it is going to become confused with true softball competition.

 

It is possible and expected in my opinion to showcase your athletes and attempt to win the game at the same time. I believe the athletes would be a bit confused if coaches did not want to win the game. Now, stalling in order to win the game is a bit much in a showcase environment...again, only my opinion.

 

Exactly!

Even in a scrimmage there's at least some desire to win.

Of course, stalling in a showcase makes about as much sense as stalling in a scrimmage.

Anyone that doesn't realize both teams are trying to win is clueless! The ones watching may not have that same interest, but the players do!

 

This was a true showcase

IMO, Rising Stars was a true showcase. Most of the 'normal' rules didn't apply. One of the umpires even went out of his way to tell us at the plate meeting before the game that we could do whatever we wanted whenever we wanted. There was free substitution at any point for any reason (both offense and defense). The ump flat out told us this is about getting the girls seen and if there is a coach attending the game that wants to see a certain girl, you could move her around positions from batter to batter and you could even bat her multiple times in the same inning if the coach couldn't stay for the whole game. Now THAT is what a showcase is all about!

As for knowing the score... IMO, the girls should know the score, the inning, the situation, etc. and play to win ALL of the time even during showcase. I wouldn't want them going into a game with the attitude that it doesn't matter if they win or lose. I think that would make them lose focus and not show their true abilities.

 

Here's One Solution

Maybe the problem is that people need to be educated about showcase ball. How did this thread go from the coach stalling to the girls having a desire to win ?

--- Guru

 

>>How did this thread go from the coach stalling to the girls having a desire to win ?<<

I believe someone said that in showcase ball a coach should not worry about the score which means they should not care about winning the game.

 

O ??

Gotcha !!!

 

Context

Everything needs to be taken in context. Having more runs than the other team is nice, but have more girls getting chances to go play softball in college is even nicer! Winning the game was good for the moment, helping a kid get an education is something they can use for the rest of their life!

If just depends on why you do this.

An athlete should focus on playing and playing hard EVERY time they take the field. Never said they should not care, or not try to fight back or score every time they get on base. But they have to take things in context and understand why they are there. They have to understand it is OK to take the pitcher out and put somebody else in, or the catcher or the SS. We do not have to have our best players in their best positions all the time "in a showcase". But some coaches do that. Winning a showcase game is more important that showcasing the girls.

I thought good athletes were supposed to play hard no matter what the score is? But some of you think they can only play hard if the are trying to win. Which is it? I don't want players to know the score, I want them to always play hard and think that they have to do their best all the time. When you start focusing on the score, you lose focus!

Ty

 

I know many of the players who played this weekend there. And I can tell you not one of them was unaware of the score and not one of them was unaware if they won or lost.

I can also tell you that no matter who saw them play, if they didn't win they weren't satisfied.

You can look at it from an organizer's perspective or you can look at it from a player's perspective; that's the difference.

They understand why they're there in a showcase tournament. That does not--and should not--diminish what makes them champions in the first place!

Competition DOES MATTER to a true competitor. No matter what the reward, the will to win (do their best as an individual and as a team) is what drives them!