Politics in High School Baseball

No, I am playing my best players. If he is a senior, thats fine. But he ain't starting because he is a senior. He's starting because he was the best player at his position. I don't care what grade your in, I'll play the best players. If by the time your a senior, and some freshman or sophomore beats you out of your starting job, then you don't deserve to start. If you want a consistant winner, a team that year in and year out that competes for the state championship, you play your best players regardless of classification. If you only want to start seniors then yes occasionally you may win a conference championship, but come the next season, guess what? You'll be getting hell beat out of you. I don't know why I am trying to explain this to you, cause great coaches know this already.

 

agreed, if both are equal. if not you play your best, regardless of class

 

I agree

I agree with you. play the best players for TEAM success. no matter what class they are. There are 4 classes: "Senior, jr, soph, freshmen".

 

I will give opportunity for Seniors to hold their position, but ultimately the best players play IMHO. In the end we play for the name on the front of our shirts (ROCKETS) and not the name on the back. BTW, I dont remember seeing SR, JR, SOPH, FR anywhere on a baseball uniform.

 

:congrats: :congrats: :congrats:

 

Its not politics anyway

Some coaches have said the hardest thing they have to do is cut kids. I have to disagree. The hardest thing to do is sit an upperclassman that has worked very hard and done everything you have asked them to do. But the fact is as a coach it is your job to give your players the best chance to win. By the the way you coach them, motivate them when needed, and by putting the line up on the field that gives them the best chance to win the baseball game. Every coach wants the upperclassman to be the leaders. Every coach wants the Jrs and Srs to be in the line up. But the fact is some kids progress and some do not. And sometimes you have younger players that are just better. That is a fact. Something will always make a difference in who plays. I have never see two players totally equal in ability or equal in what intangibles they can bring to the team. When a coach does not have the marbles to make the tough decisions and play the best players he does an injustice to all his players, even the ones that are sitting. I know that it is tough on a parent of an upperclassman to see his son sit the bench or not have alot of playing time. Especially when it is a younger guy playing in front of him. But the fact is the coaches job is not to make the upperclassman parents happy by playing them over better options. His job is to coach the players to the best of his ability and put the line up on the field that gives his team the best opportunity to win. When a kid gets up and drives in a run no one cares what grade he is in. The only thing that matters like Coach Evans said is the name on the front of the jersey. In a perfect world Freshman and Sophs would all play JV and the Jr and Sr's would always be your best options to win at the varsity level. But the fact is it is not a perfect world. The bottom line is winning. Put "THE players on the field that give you the best opportunity to win regardless of grade, regardless of who their dad or mom is etc etc. Anything else IS POLITICS.

 

hmmmmmmmmmm...

equally as difficult in my opinion 27!

 

Exactly, what I am talking about. Totally agree!!

 

how about this one. i know a guy who owns one of these indoor hitting facilities. he has hired the local coaches' wife to work there and the local coach gives lessons there. do you think he won't be biased towards the owners kid? imo anyway he does it the coach is screwed. or in this age of coaches charging for "lessons" how about when it's close between a kid who paid for lessons and one who did not?

 

WOW MO!

Wow Mo,
You've done it now. This one is a political nightmare. This takes us into the showcase ball issues as well. YIPES!