#1 Assistant Coach posted:A buddy of mine, and I, started a 12u-14u travel team. We paid ALL team fees. We had a roster of 10. Player #10 was deeeep off the bench and he knew it. He, as with everyone else, paid $0. He never started. We rotated him around. He batted at #10 always and he usually got 2-3 innings in field per game at most. Some games 0-innings. He was clearly a soft spot in our lineup. We knew it, HE knew it.
Year 2 (now 13u) mom of our #10 player began to forget they were playing travel ball for free (as far as any team fees go) and began to carp a little bit when we didn't bring him for a long road trip BIG tournament we wanted to win. I think we may have brought in a couple of hired guns and left #10 at home ("uninvited"), as we were playing to win. She got wind and began saying it wasn't fair? We no longer "invited" him to play with us again.
Gotta say, playing 12-14u travel ball with 10 was tight. One championship game we only had 9 to begin with, and had to forfeit when my son got KO'd in CF in a collision, and another of our players was ejected for running the other team's catcher and breaking the kid's collar bone. We only had 9 to start that game. We played OF with only two OFs when my kid got medically KO'd, then we had to forfeit when other kid got ejected and only had 7 players left.
Still, 10 was a great #of players for a roster. Even if it's 10 studs, ALL paying.
By 14u my buddy and I were bankrupt and could no longer afford to carry the team. We settled it by having players 1-9 pay $. Any players after 9, paid $0 and their PT reflected it. They were "guests" and played minimally for $0. We gave them "guest" jerseys on loan, players 1-9 paid for their unis. Again, usually kids we knew were soft spots, and they knew it most importantly, and just appreciated the opportunity to get some PT on the travel ball circuit with a 44-2 team.
This has to be a parody post...... Right. Such a great coach, outfielders don't communicate and one gets a concussion, thanks for the permanent brain injury coach, another gets ejected for hurting another player. I wouldn't let my kid play for you for free.
I've seen your type around the ball fields for years, while not as bad as football parents who cheer after a kid is laid out, you're still a piece of work.