Do I tell him?

quote:

Originally posted by BBfam:
Son is playing in a tournament this weekend thinking he hasn't lost a game pitching in a year. Unfortunately, there was a game in the BITS last summer when he came into a tied game and gave up some runs (some earned, some not) but we never regained the lead even though he was taken out the last 2 innings. Do I tell him to take the pressure off or do I let him go hoping adrenalin takes him to the end?

How old?

14--and has a very level head, thrives on pressure situations. But would it be fair if I know?

Let it ride. HS stats will catch up with him soon enough.

Not knowing the facts does little to change who he is and what he has done or is capable of. Nor are they applicable in HS, especially to the HS coach. I was always honest with my kids and found this to be best.

At that age and what teams he is playing on, he does not need to even be thinking about going undefeated, the main thing he should be focused on is how he can continue to push himself to get better.

Keeping a level head about himself will carry himself way further than going undefeated!

You should praise him for doing well, as parents of successful players sometimes forget they need praise, as well as, a realistic review of how they are doing, but bottom line you don't need to tell him either way.

I ask this not because of any stat or what it means. This is something the HS coach will probably never be aware of as neither is his current coach (except he does read the board so he probably will become aware of it). This is just something that he got to thinking about (Gee, it's been a while since I've lost, let's see, oh yeah it was Feb. 2007). No one is aware but him and his parents and he wouldn't share it if it were true. Just one of those cool things. To his defense, that game he did lose was one of those team disasters you'd like to forget (lots of errors and unearned runs) and it wasn't a pitching performance that cost it, it was just he was the guy on the mound when some of them took place.

I am asking only because he's gunning to get to the year mark and I hate to change his mind set.

Sounds like a judgement call.

Being a high school senior going into college ball next year I have had to learn to deal with adversity whether its not playing well, or not making a travel team. This player only being 14 has nothing to loose if you tell him about not being undefeated. He would probably be dissapointed but I feel that the early he has to deal with some mental distractions the better he will be in the long run. Since he is 14 this game has no ramifications on college or anything of the sort, I would definatley tell him just to give him another oppurtunity to learn about the mental side of the game. Although he may be leval headed it never hurts to have another learning expieriance. Just my two sense from a 19 year old kid. I would have wanted my parents to let me know if they knew about something like this.

He knows he's not invincible. He's had to work hard as many of those wins were not easy and some against some very tough teams. I am very proud of him irregardless but mostly for things that are off the field.

For the record, I did tell him. His answer was "Darn, I tried to forget about that one!" Was he upset? Not in the least. He's on to something else and I certainly feel better for not trying to hide something.

quote:

You should either give him a technical advice after the error or sit him right away when he keeps making those errors during the game.

Do you want to get in the head of a kid every time he makes an error? Errors happen. It's part of the game.

If a player does something technically wrong talk with him when he comes to the dugout. If he makes multiple errors it's probably a mental lapse worth discussing. If he puts his head down, then pull him. But I don't want a player playing in fear of making errors. If a player makes errors over several games he may have lost the priviliedge to play the position.

Sometimes it's just the game from hell. Everyone has them. Brooks Robinson holds the record for most errors in an inning in a World Series game -3.

Why wasn't scoring discussed after that game, a year ago?
It takes nothing away from his contribution, but it certainly teaches another aspect of the game.
JMO

It was discussed, briefly. Not trying to blame anyone, this particular loss was more of a team effort (8 errors) than a bad outing. He fully accepts the loss but I can certainly see why he didn't particularly remember it. At the time, he wasn't thinking about any record. He only thought about it a week ago.

At 14U, It's way too early to talk about win/loss record for a pitcher.

I am afraid if I hand my son's pitching records or slugging stats to his HS coach, and brag how successful he was in his high-ranking AAA team, they would simply laugh at me. What a naive parent!

I believe most HS coach would like to evaluate the player by themself. They only believe what the player they see, not what the player had been. If I were you I would keep all those stats and records to myself only.

quote:

Originally posted by coachbwww:
At 14U, It's way too early to talk about win/loss record for a pitcher.

I am afraid if I hand my son's pitching records or slugging stats to his HS coach, and brag how successful he was in his high-ranking AAA team, they would simplely laugh at me. What a naive parent!

I believe most HS coach would like to evaluate the player by themself. They only believe what the player they see, not what the player had been. If I were you I would keep all those stats and records to myself only.

Those parents who flaunted their sons accomplishments at my HS tryouts earned two points against the son. 1 for flaunting something that did not matter and 1 for showing up to tryouts.

Let it go...

My oldest kid started wrestling at age 5. Thought he won his very first match (lost by 10) for years, we didn't say a word. He went on to win a state championship by the time he was 14.

The one thing I've learned on here ( the HSBBW ).
Nothing in the past matters.
Only your next pitch or your next Hit.
Nothing else will matter.
The past is past.
The Future is ahead of you.
Right here right now is what matter's.
Enjoy the season.
EH

EH is right on!
I hear another subliminal voice in the background. You say the loss was a team effort (8 errors). I find it odd that you remembered that aspect of the game. This makes me wonder if the wins were also considered a team effort and if you remember how many hits the offense had in each of his wins. I'm being a little sarcastic but at the same time I think we need to keep everything in perspective.

Back to the original question ( I know you already have) but --- Would I tell him? I feel as if were a moot point at that juncture. It may have sent a wrong signal even to bring it up. I would have talked to him immediately after that particular loss but quickly moved on and make sure he was focused on his next game. W's and L's are for statisticians and not for players. I know we all keep up with the W's and the L's but we need to help our young players focused on how they play enjoy the game and not get caught up in the "rat race". It's not about winning ----- but doing those things necessary TO win.
Fungo

Eh is absolutly right. That game no longer matters.Keep his concentration on the upcoming games.

Thanks for the replies. Just for the record, none of this had any thing to do with wins, losses or stats. It was about the mindset of a teenager and me wondering if I should burst his 14yo bubble now or later. I was looking for input on how you handle the psychology of it and thought it was an interesting dilemma. No more than that.

If your son is a confident pitcher I don't believe there's a bubble to burst. As a couple of others noted, everything that matters is in front of him. Everything behind him is development.

BBfam's son is a great kid. He is an unbelievable teammate and a great competitor. He certainly wouldn't know his stats from his team because his team (and coach) doesn't keep stats (I don't like them and they are irrelevant in the development process IMO).

What I would say is that, although it's fun to have good stats, it's more important to concentrate on doing the right things the right way- attitude, work ethic, fundamentals, etc.

The process is more important than the result at this point. Keep working on the right things and the results take care of themselves. BTW- BBfam's son does that. He is very grounded and an absolute pleasure to coach.