Dan s,

Ron Musgraves

Ron Musgraves

Exterior Restoration Specialist
Staff member
Dan s,

I have only been in that spot about twice… those where parents that didn’t come to my team meeting at the beginning of the season. Bigboys is right, holding a meeting about that situation now is no good. Have a party at your house and feed everyone, full belly listen better. I wouldn’t even bring up the negative stuff just celebrate the victory and the boys finally pulling up there sorts and making it happen.

I don’t and won’t listen to parents about their kids playing. I tell the kids and the parents at the beginning of every season after the season starts do not ask me to play a certain position during a game. I tell the parents at the beginning. If they interfere with my managing the team their boys might even play less.

Before you think I’m a hard butt, listen. Every one of my kids will select three positions that they want to play. Any position… they will sometime during the season full fill every desire. Many kids will even play more positions. I have one game every season where we draw out of a hat to see where the kids will play.


If you do the math and average little league team has 78 innings. a roster of 13 boys leaves 54 inning for 9 players. With 24 unanswered innings each child only has to sit out less than 2 innings. Not many coaches realize this or even use it.

My entire team plays and we win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I explain to my parents at the beginning that my team has no second string. we are all starters and everyone will sit on the bench.

I have some more but I have to get to another game.. until later…
 
Ron, thats fair and its the way we do it, though I must admit I'd never done the maths, by the way we won today, if we win our last game, we will come in 2nd, though I doubt any of the kids know or even care, hell their just happy to be playing, half the time they don't even know the score, with them its all about participation and having FUN.
Gav
 
Thanks Ron ,
I didnt want to re-write everything that I said on the pwn ,I would probably leave something out or write something Dif. And you brought it here for me .The way you did it was cool >>>> thanks <<<

One thing I did for get to mention is the "caller" is my neighbor >>>> well sorta they live down in the field ..
Now they dont wave or na-na .

BURNS ME UP !!
there the ones who called and acted like I was getting paid for what i do >> and there the ones who are acting like bone heads.....

O-well monday night is another game >> maybe I will leave her son out all together >>>>lol>>>

@ one time we were down by 10 it was 10 to zero then I made a change or two or 3 >> and we became the victor's....
BUt it wasnt me that won the game those kids played liked they really wanted it >>
I called time out 4 times and brought the in-field together ( just for looks )
All I told them was >>> Are you having FUN ??

They laughed and went back to play >> they never know what im going to tell 'em and the other team gets all frustrated >>
 
I know you wont leave the kid out of the game,, just remember because the parents are jerks doesn’t mean the kids are.

I had a broken home pair of twins and the mother was going to be impossible. She would tell the kid not to bunt when I said to bunt. I forgot about that one. Anything I instructed the kid to do she told him the opposite. I started using reverse sociology on the mother. The twins and me are still friends and they tell me that they want to be on my team again.

Just remember Dan it’s not the kid’s fault. I found that parents will respect you more if you just lay down the rules. Yes I have had parents threaten to quit. None have, and when we where all done they usually thank me and apologize for being idiots.
 
Okay, I get to be devils advocate.

My kids are not talented in sports, I know it, and I accept it. In fact, I really only care that they get to play and that the coach shows them some respect.
This means, that although everybody on my kids level gets to bat every inning, I really don't think it is fair that he is always the last one to bet. In fact, I convinced one coach and all of the other coaches follow suit that the batting order is reversed after every inning. That means last one to bat the previous ining is the first one to bat this inning.
(It was pretty funny, the coach was telling me it did not matter because the kids didn't care and know the significance of the batting order, and so I asked him to ask a couple of kids, Mind yo they were five and six. He did and the next inning he changed the order. Just a point of interest, if you have heard of Todd Heap that plays for the Ravens, it was his Dad)
I had another Coach that insisted on calling my son Matty, when his name is Matt or Matthew. Now it would not make a difference except that the boy is kind of effeminate, and we did not want that accentuated by him being called Matty. My wife explained it to the coach, multiple times. I finally made it to a game and explained it to him with a different style, he still did not respect our wishes. And finally he told us that if we would spend as much time with our son as he did, that then we could say what he would call him. At that point he started getting aggressive with my wife, and I got between him with my wife holding me back, and all the coaches started running. We decided that was not a good situation for our son and pulled him from the team. It was pretty sad, because we were the sponsors of that particular team.
That was 4 years ago and our son has no desire to play baseball. It is not because of us, in fact he did not even see or ever hear about the altercation, but it is because the coach treated him poorly whenever we were not there to watch the practice or game. Something that happened twice the whole season.
Our other boys play and there are no problems. So I realize that this was an isolated incident. The sad thing is that this "coach" is still coaching and has gotten in at least one fist fight every season. I don't understand why he is still coaching. He currently has charges pending on assault, for assaulting an umpire.
Enough of a rant. Anyway, here is the way I feel about it. As long as everyone is treated fairly, and it if it is considered an instructional league, I would let everyone play the same amount. I actually like Ron's idea. It is the most reasonable and practical idea I have seen. But everyone should get an equal chance to play, and if they are not that great, they should not be banished to right field.
Just for the record, once I was on a ball team and we were in the championships. Out of four games I got to play one inning. 10 man team, with 9 positions. I was not happy, and I was the only one to show for every practice.

Scott Stone
The perpetual Right Fielder
 
Perfect timing Scott,

I missed two games tonight because Tim wrecked a vehicle. I had to be at the scene because it was a motorcycle involved and had to make sure that witnesses where correct and that the cops got the statements correct.

Anyway, I have made mistakes early on when I was coaching and thought certain Kids where more gifted than others. I was playing my gifted kids more. Then I started to see improvements in others and realized these kids where no more talented. It was just they had never played or there parents where just not interested as they where.


Example::: last season I had a kid that could not catch the ball at the begging of the seasons. By ¾ of the way through he was playing short and hitting well.

I think at the instructional level all kids should get and equal shot. I sub the other night for one of my kid’s teams because the coach got suspended for a game. Anyway I through three kids who had never pitched. We lost but all the kids played fantasy positions and had fun. Winning is great but having fun and playing hard are more important.

Thanks for sharing Devils advocate ( Scott)
 
Hey guys, I would love to coach a little league baseball team, but I have seen through my sisters experiences with her kids in the league that it is not about the kids, it about the parents and coaches, that would turn me off real quick. As much as I would love teaching the game to 8,9, and 10 yr. olds I would hate the political crap that I would have to put up with more. sad sad sad!
 
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