This season was trying. Last year I had a large team of girls who had played, wanted to play (for the most part) want wanted to win and if they didn’t, took it as an afront to the team. this year? Almost all new players and was a complete circus. I was completely pissed until about mid season until I just couldn’t hold in my laughter and went with it. different years, different teams, different team dynamic.
I'm coaching u13 Ball this year, but we have a couple u15 kids on the team because their league folded. Waiting to see how much of a shitshow this will cause. Almost all the teams in the league have some u15 kids on them. I haven't met all the parents yet, we're only 2 practices deep, but a lot of new faces, some returning that I've coached since t-ball. Between Coaching my Sons team and helping out on the daughters u11 team, I'm on the diamond 4 nights a week. I quit playing in my Sunday league, and won't be able to play in the other mens league due to conflicts. First year I haven't played in 30 years. I don't think I'll miss it. My knees won't that's for sure.
good on you coaches as well....i don't think parents realize how much of a time-suck it is for you AND your kid. Getting to the field early, and staying late. dealing with all the communications of the league, and the parents, and umpires and other coaches. I hate to lose, all my teams have been at the top and in the playoffs before, but at 1-4 this team ain't it. And of course, everyone can do it better.
Joey (21) umpires behind the plate. Nathan (14) is his field ump. Joey asked me how to handle this situation: Travelball player (11) at the plate. Swung twice and took a called third strike. Kid's Mom starts harping on Joey from the stands and, as the kid heads to his dugout, he tells Joey that was a "shit call." I told Joey I would have tossed them both.
I wasn't around to see the beginning of this thread, but as a player, coach, ref, board member, player dad, and general ATM machine for sports I am enjoying a return to coaching after a 8-10 year break. U8-U9 co-ed rec soccer is quickly reminding me why I love the sport and coaching so much. I've got every personality under the sun and remembering how whip-smart kids can be at this age. No one here will probably play above middling HS ball, but it absolutely doesn't matter. The kids get exercise and the parents get a break for a few hours a week. I will never get directly involved in "competitive" kids sport ever again, since I lived through it with kid #2 from 4yo to pro. The higher level she got, the worse the parents were, at least until college. You can have all the "elite pinnacle platinum black" at U10 bullshit. I'm just sad it took me so long to find my way back.
Sounds like Joey just let it slide off, which is what I would have done. The only temptation to me would be to not make snotty comments back to them, like "Too bad, that's my call and it sticks. You're still out, now keep your mouth shut and park it on the bench." I would maybe have snitched his profanity out to the coach.
I would have given ownership of the problem to the coach. Call a conference with both coaches, let them know what happened and if it continues, that team will get an automatic out the next inning. Coach can deal with it and the consequences. I also would have given the details to the league following the game.
I should add that when I was coaching football I made it very clear with the parents that I didn't tolerate BS. I told one mom to leave a game, which nearly started a fight with multiple dads. I asked the ref in another game to give us an unsportsmanlike penalty next time the same mom (different game) popped off. That got the other moms all over her case and she was quiet for the most part the rest of the season.
wow...just when i thought things chill out, here we go again. Coaching rec has been interesting this year for sure, i had one too many replacement players on my team, since one of my own was a late add. The apps are both a blessing and curse when it comes to adding or removing your availability. We didn't stack the roster either. opposing coach was like rulebook says you can't have that many since you have your own, I didn't do it intentionally, but to tell players to go home after doing me a favor to show up for another team sucks, so he was like he's ok with it since it's rec, and made sure everyone else knew he was being nice. thanked him and moved on with the game. Well they were ahead, and he was fine, then we take the lead, he now starts to have issues with the lineup, and one of my players left anyway, so it was a non-issue again. Fast forward to the end, where the game is called on darkness. Since they batted top, and tied the game, and we didn't get last licks, and they were going to put in a pitcher we lit up anyway. So score reverts back to the previous inning, and then we win. Other coach was like either we call it a tie, or I bring the game up to the board, and tell them of your lineup, and you probably get the loss. So take the tie or the loss. I was like wait, you were ok with it when you were winning, and since it's rec, and now you want to change it after you lost. Mind you my team is 1-4, so i was really upset about going back on his word and was like you know what, take the win it, congrats on your victory. He didn't like the fact that I didn't care as much as he did. I brought the issue up to our board and wait to see what they say.
Daughter is pretty jacked up about her # this year..... Perfect colours too. She said it would have been better if is was 93 though. I almost made her walk home.....
I recorded a total shit show (I was quite stealthy as I didn’t want to start anything as our team was next up to play on that field). Next level trash and for no reason at all. I have it on my private YouTube channel and that was just for ease of sending it to our coach as he was quite pissed our kids saw some of it before the coaches and parents herded them up to go to the “batting cages’ they just came from. Worst part about it is unp made the corrrecr call. Their team is actually filled with some really good ball players. The 3 hens of mothers needed to be put in their place by their own coaches. Oh wait one was one of their husbands who threatened to kick the other coaches ass, who was being beyond calm and professional. To the point I don’t know how he kept that calm. Turns out dude went to a D1 school on a wrestling scholarship. Was an alternate for the Olympics and trains BJJ 4 days a week. Speaking with him after, like me ya don’t do that shit in front of the kids. I’ll fire the link in a PM to ya Dave. Oh and the topper. Some dad out of nowhere just waiting for some shit to happen to he can channel is inner aggression of the regret of his bad tribal tattoos had to put his two cents in. I’d bet my paycheck dude watched roadhouse on the way to the game.
I did see that team last weekend. Dude changed up from white wife beater and blue jean cutoffs to this outfit. Being one who is a man of principal I have something very creative in motion to put the parents in their place that won’t be detrimental or even noticed by the kids. Oh and when this all happened we were at a field pit by Sux Flags in Atl and one of the parents threw a nice racial slur at the umpire. 90% of the umps were African American, that could’ve ended really bad for those parents and almost did. When I was packing up there were 3 or 4 cars full of whoever one of the unps called and they weren’t there for baseball. I spoke with a couple of them when I was sneaking back behind the trees on the other side of the parking lot to grab a couple puffs off a smoke totally out of sight. Ya I’m whitr trash but not in front of my or any kids. I just told dudes - who both borrowed smokes off me to please not do anything in front of any kids. We’ve been on opposite sides of the brackets in both tournaments I’ve seen them at thankfully. Perspective- this was an 11U game. Any shit even remotely like that from parents wouldn’t fly with our coaches let alone some of the parents. Our manager is mgr of a decent size HS ball team who is a very good team and runs a great program. Our other coaches are all actual coaches in their day jobs and deal with bad calls the way you should.
