Congratulations Mr Smith!!!!!!

Boys and girls hold onto your hats or whatever it is you are wearing. I am sick and tired of trying to come up with fundraising ideas so we can pay for game balls, practice balls, helmets and all the other stuff.

What I am about to put is so revolutionary they may turn it into a pamphlet called "This is a good idea on how to run a team"

I am going to take the top two guys for each position and tell them whoever raises / donates the most money to buy that positions "gift" gets to start.

For example

First Base - we need 15 dozen game balls and 15 dozen practice balls. Whoever gets enough money we can buy them starts.

Second Base - we need 15 helmets for the varsity, JV and freshman team.

Third Base - we need a new scoreboard so only freshmen are allowed to raise for this because it is a big item. We want a scoreboard worth $20,000 so which freshman can get that amount will just get a starting job for 4 years.

Shortstop - we need a new backstop made of bricks. Once again this is a freshman fundraiser.

Left Field - we need scorebooks, lineup cards, fungo bats, and various other things.

Centerfield - we need paint, chalk, rakes, shovels and other field maintenance equipment

Right Field - we need quick dry for wet areas, clay to pack homeplate and pitcher mounds

Catchers - we are going to need you to raise / donate enough money to get your gear.

Pitchers - we need a new concession stand. Once again another big fund raiser so only freshmen can do this.

What makes this great is if you time your big events to take place at the same time you can still build for the future. Get a good group of rich freshmen together and get to build backstops, concession stands, restrooms, scoreboards and you can have a pretty solid vetern lineup.

Now to make it fair because we don't want to have people being treated wrong if you raise the second most money at a position you are exempt from chasing foul balls, carrying equipment and working on the field.

So basically if you are a kid who is from a poor family and cannot do the fundraising / donations then you cannot play, have to chase foul balls, carry the equipment and do the field maintennace.

Thank you for your hard work and dedication.

At our high school there is this one coach that accepts money under the table for playing time. He just skips over the whole donate to the team fund nonsense. Of course it happened to my kid too, I didn't pay the "protection" money one week and my kid got benched
I complained to the principal only to find out that is was like the mafia and this guy was the crime boss, skimming money off the coaches whom he could fire. Then the lunch lady paid more money than everyone and her daughter became the short stop, batting lead off in front of all the better players like my son and yours.

There was no joy in MUDVILLE!!

Metropop you are very lucky you are not swimming with the fishes with cement boots right now.

The good thing about only having a kid that's 8 years old is that I have the next 6 years to memorize all the excuses(crutches) to pass along to my son when he gets cut from the JV. I feel fortunate to have found this place. Just think, less than two months ago I came on here looking to find a couple useful drills and I have walked away with all this useful info. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!!!!

Metropop,

Surely you are kidding?

How does this coach approach everyone for these under the table payments?

I would report this guy to the state high school association, the school board, the newspapers, the county attorny and everyone else I could think of.

At the same time I'd be looking for a new school.

quote:

Originally posted by PGStaff:
Metropop,

Surely you are kidding?

How does this coach approach everyone for these under the table payments?

I would report this guy to the state high school association, the school board, the newspapers, the county attorny and everyone else I could think of.

At the same time I'd be looking for a new school.

I did report it to the authorities, but they were all in on it. It was all a huge conspiracy against my kid. He was the best one on the team last year and averaged 2 hits per AB and they were all jealous of him. That's OK though, he will be going pro and won't have to deal with all the high politics soon enough. Just 12 more years baby!!! Then I'll be rich.

METROPOP

You are either total joke trying to jerk chains of intelligent people here or you are a totally delusional individual

Averaged 2 hits per AB-- you are a TROLL of the Nth Degree

I'm quite certain the whole thread was intended as a joke.

TR,

Maybe, but you gotta admit that this is an attempt at humor. If so, a pretty good one Metropop.

Here's hoping your son does make you rich 12 years from now.

Metropop,

You need to have a discussion with "gotwood4sale".

quote:

Originally posted by TRhit:
METROPOP

You are either total joke trying to jerk chains of intelligent people here or you are a totally delusional individual

Averaged 2 hits per AB-- you are a TROLL of the Nth Degree

Man, now I am insulted. He also averaged 5 RBI per plate appearance.

Seriously, I think I made my point, which is exactly what CoachMay and Coach2709 were trying to hammer home. There is so much griping and complaining on here about "my kid getting SOME kind of raw deal" that something as blatantly fictitious as the nonsense I posted blended right in with the rest of the garbage on here.

There is an awful lot of good stuff on here and most people operate above board. I appreciate the site because I like to talk baseball, but some of the stuff is pretty redundant.
Sorry for jacking with you guys. It was all in fun.

metro


you might want to think about becoming a fiction writer

I'm only 38, still hoping to get picked up by a big club. If it wasn't for my little league coach holding me back.........

Metropop, stick around. That was funny.

For what it's worth you had me going at first Metro. Very good job on the story.

GREAT satirical posts guys. Really brings to light how ridiculous the perception is out there. I'm sure there are readers out there who are seriously thinking, "See, that's exactly how it is at my school. My son isn't playing because I can't afford it."

Metro

Just don't become a friction writer like TR

Little things make all the difference.

Nicely done, Metropop!

quote:

Just don't become a friction writer like TR

...that's not too bad, either, Yankeelvr!

The only fiction I get into is when we discuss my playing career. If the story keeps progressing, someday my grandkids will be expecting to see my statue in Cooperstown.

In the meantime I'll be deciding what uniform to be enshrined in, middle school or high school.

"The older I get, the better I used to be!"

Great post Coach May!!! My first year after being released from professional baseball, I took a head baseball coaching position at a private school. The school hadn't qualified for the state GISA playoffs in five years. It was evident that this school was really struggling for some reason or another. I just couldn't put my finger on the problem right away, but that would soon change.

This private institution was a school run strictly by board members consisting of local government officials and very prominent business people. When I took the job, they all loved me. I am serious! These people rolled out the carpet with all the trimmings. I do mean everything including a country club membership with all the perks. Hold on though After a few games, they all the sudden didn't like me anymore. I was a bit perplexed considering our success on the field. Heck, we were undefeated after seven games!!! It didn't take me long to figure out why they were unhappy!!! The coach of their dreams just didn't want to see things their way. Because I refused to compromize my line-up card each ensuing game, even with enormous pressure from these powers that be who hired me, to play their sons and grandsons. I also found out, due to these financially compromized positions of grandeur contributions, some sort of priority was expected from the coach in order to keep his position. I was asked to leave after the school year was completed.

It was all worth it though. Things seemed to find a way to work out for the best. Our team got out of the region, finally. We took the team to the state playoffs for the first time in five years with the best line-up playing every game, in my honest and unbiased judgment. The best nine played every game for me as manager that season and I have no regrets because when that door closed, another door opened in a much better situation. Now the bad news. The bitter taste in my mouth has not gone away after all these years. I decided not to coach in private institutions, or any other high school level position again after this baptism. I have never even considered it again, even though some other schools have made offers through the years. No more Mr. Smith ball for me. I'll watch the ones in the starting line-ups and the ones on the bench when I am evaluating talent at the games I attend. You never know where that next diamond in the rough might come from. Heck, the best player on the team could be riding the pine and never even touch the field unless a diligent scout finds him. He might not even be playing for his school team because he dislikes Mr Smith and his son so much.

I'm a firm believer in having faith that when one door closes, another one will open. That's if the same higher power running your life, is the same as my higher power. I choose to call my higher power, God, who put His only begotten Son on the cross at calvary for the remission of the sins of the world.

I believe in playing the best, even if it's dark with no dugouts or fences. As far as the concession stand, we can make do without that too. Play the best, or be like the rest. Happy Easter Coach May and may God Bless your sons in their road to the top. Like daddy, like sons. That is a blessing for your sons in your case Coach May. Godspeed, Shep

Shep, happy Easter to you as well my friend.

The private school story reminded me of a path my son did not take. In 8th grade he was being recruited by a couple of private schools. There was talk of a half scholarship.

I was warned by a parent whose son took this path if I expected to see my son on the field I had better donate my savings (the half ride) back in parental donations and keep on giving. I was also told unless my son was clearly way ahead of the competition to start, his turn would come after the sons, grandsons and nephews of graduates, the younger brothers of current and graduated players and after the sons of major contributors. After reviewing some history I came to find out this dad was not talking sour grapes. He was talking reality.

At one school a freshman with an older brother started. He did OK for a freshman but nothing out of the ordinary. It seems the dad threatened to pull both kids from the school and send them to the major rival if the younger kid didn't start. The older brother was a stud. Despite all the politics these programs win a lot, place players in college ball and recruit ten new baseball players per freshman class.

The main reason for looking into these schools was the education. When I looked closer I realized our high school's top students were going to the same colleges as the graduates of these two privates.