My two-cents

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JTbaseball,
I'm confused. Are you still a HS baseball coach or not?

 

Boy, I bet this thread will win the title of "most twists and turns".

I also will bet that the challenges are different depending where you live. I know in Charlotte where you have 13+ HS's in the county, the reverence to baseball is much different from the community than a school like South Caldwell.

Heck, the kids here don't even know who plays for the Charlotte Bobcats (a team that gets front page news) much less who may play for South Meck.


What was the question again?

 

Big fish, Small pond?.....

....is why small town newspapers are important to the locals, but no one else is interested. Make no mistake about the kids that local paper is reporting. I'll bet they can play! The N&O rights about non Raleigh areas as if these players don't exist. I wonder if subscriptions to that paper are needed in the rural areas, therefor, more writeups about those schools, to get mom/dad to buy the real paper?

 

Is this .....

...a twist or turn?

 

a bump

 

People forget it is the high school coaches that prepare these athletes for moving on. My son has played travel ball and now showcase ball. These venues are compliments of high school ball, not distractions. He plays because he loves it and to become a better player. Most of his "coaching", and by that I mean teaching, comes from his high school coaches. Just because you fill out a lineup card doesn't make you a coach. Yes, he has learned much from many of his coaches, I consider him lucky for that. Many travel coaches do not teach the game! My son caught much grief over not playing playing Legion ball this year. His Legion coach supported his decision to play Showcase, yet other people were upset. His not playing did not effect the quality of the game, possibly a win or two. What's taking away from all high school ball???? Parents!
They don't understand why Joey is not playing as much as he used to or at all. Instead of watching and evaluating who is playing, they attack the other player as a person or scream at the coaches. What happened to working hard and getting better? It is never their own child's fault. Joey can't handle it because he has always been told how great he is. Reality can work both ways. I see kids quit Legion and other teams for showcase ball. Fact is, they are either not ready or never will be ready to move to the next level. You see it on this board. It's nice to read opinions of players, but just because you think it, doesn't make it true..........Reality, it's all over tv shows, just not enough in our minds.......................

 

Double post, sorry......

 

Glory Days

High School ball will always hold a special place in most players hearts long after the bats and gloves are put away and "real life", with it's mundane routines and problems, become the focus of everyday life. As mentioned before, HS is where you played with your growing up friends.
If you use a player who has reached the higher levels of the sport, College or Pro, then it is most likely (these days) that his HS team was not the best, most talented team he ever played for during his HS years. That was most likely a showcase or legion team. Also, he was most likely "discovered" while playing for one of those teams. That's just the way things work these days. But... when the local kids talk baseball, the happenings with the HS team will most always come to the forefront. The successes, the missed opportunities, rivalries, umpires!, games won and games lost... and their Coaches will dominate the discussion.
I guess a talented kid, in this day in age, could actually make it to the next level without playing HS ball. AAU, travel, then showcase could get him the exposure needed. But it would be a shame. He would miss out on being a part of his community. Like Coach27 mentioned, the little guys look up to the guys on the HS team. They don't go see games or the players at East Cobb or Ft. Meyers. They watch the players and see how the game is played at the local HS field. You can just about pick out the future players among the little guys by the way they watch the game. I remember when my son was one of them!
As for the HS coach... there are many very good ones out there, and there are also a few great ones. There are also some that may leave something to be desired, but I think those are in the vast minority, and those coaches don't stick around too long. Do these good coaches get enough credit? Probably not. But for most of them that's probably okay. They are like that little kid watching the game through the fence, they just want to be part of the game. Coaches, at any level, are lucky. Unlike most of us, they haven't had to put away the bats and gloves, they are still enjoying the "Glory Days".

 

This is a very tough thing for parents to do but they need to come and support the entire team instead of just "joey". Joey can have a big impact in the dugout by his attitude. Griping parents can cause Joey to have a negative attitude toward the players or coaches therefore dissrupting momentum. Parents need to set the examples of displaying a positive attitude and respecting others and teach our kids to do the same. There were some kids on our HS team that only got to pinch run a couple of times or play an inning here or there and they mantained a good attitude all season. All players have a role to play on their team. The hard part is getting them to understand it. Darn hard headed kids, I wonder where they got that from?

 

Exactly............

The player that goes unoticed and does the little things is just as important as the star. The player that pushes the first stringer is just as important towards success as anyone. Parents should judge their kids success by their accomplishments, not their name in the press.