Bee...I don't know in what community you live in there in Bengals/Browns territory, but around here (Baltimore Metro area), traffic is brutal from 3:00 to 7:00 every night. I live in Howard County, MD. We have 6 major youth baseball programs in this county, each with about 2000 kids in the respective programs. That is 12,000 kids to find fields to play on. Schools are constantly going through field renovations and the county does not release the field permits until well into January. Tough to make a schedule when you don't know what field or what nights you will have the fields. Property value is ridiculous, and most of the programs can't just scarf up some land to build a complex of their own. So, your comment about everyone suffering because of a lack of internal organization is a ridiculous statement without knowing what it is like around here. The limitation of playing opportunities you alluded to was referring to the external factors coaches and programs have to deal with that are completely out of their control, and which prohibit having your season mapped out 9 months in advance. I don't know if you live in small town America or what, and if you do, good for you and your community. I imagine it is terrific to have your own home field that you can manicure and schedule as you please. The liberal state of MD, thinking that government can do no wrong, insists on dictating everything that is done around here with regards to youth sports and the use of school facilities.
My friend approached me because I have been in charge of a 17-18 program that has been very successful for the past 16 years. As I explained to him, 17-18 ball is a whole different ball game than 13 year old ball. Since we have such a good program year in and year out, kids look at playing for our team as a priviledge. They understand that anything short of a 100% commitment will simply not do. 13 year olds rely on mom/dad to cart them around. My friend knows that things will pop up that could cause a player to miss a game or two. He can live with that. What he can't live with, and shouldn't have to, is for a family (or 2 in this case) to make a commitment in the fall, and then deliver a "we have to go to a basketball tourney" moment in January. His first inclination was to evaluate the impact on the rest of the team, and when he did, he felt as though the other 10 players were going to be denied an opportunity, and therefore he should ask the 2 families to make a choice. He didn't do this at first, and decided to seek advice before making his final decision. It would have been easy for him to allow these 2 families to skate by and give them a pass, so he could keep his two best players for the rest of the season. IMO, he made the difficult but correct choice in cutting ties and moving on to look for 2 other players who would be 100% committed. And yes, around here, it is difficult to find 2 players to fill your roster in Jan/Feb. At the 13/14 age group, tryouts and rosters are set in the fall. The kids who want to play in the spring have already made commitments. Is he supposed to raid another team, and then start a cascade of player moves so close to the season? I think not.