Don't, just don't say a doggone thing....

nxt lvl posted:

I have had "that parent " moments also. Same scenario. My super fast son ran sub 4.5 40 times summer after freshman season at a football event for colleges. Later that month we go to a PG baseball event and get timed by them at 7.2 for the 60. I almost lost it. I kept saying the mantra. "No , dont say a thing. It will all work out in the end." He hit really well and was one of the hit leaders for the three games of the showcase. He hit better than all of the sophs and Jrs there. He got on the "Top Prospect" List and got multiple write ups from PG at that showcase.So it all worked out in the end.

But, man , that 60 time still haunted him all last year. He has run it at variuous other showcase events not PG and gotten some pretty good times. But the time posted on his profile page was killing him. He is a 2018 also.

 Other players in our area,  that arent as fast as him, have made statements about his time on the PG profile page. He has spent all last year trying to convince me to go to a PG event and have it done over. It has not been in our schedule yet.  At this point I am no longer bothered by it. Although it still gets him a little bit.  I am so glad I resisted the urge to be ..."That parent".

Nxt Lvl,

Someone else mentioned that you can contact PG and they will remove faulty stats. I'll confirm that they do. My son was playing in the WWBA last summer in Georgia. Someone guest played from a lower age team with, of course, the same number as my son. The guest was pitching and didn't do good. My friend was watching stats online during the game. I spoke to the PG staff  while the game was going on that he'd gotten the players' names switched (which the head coach told me to do) and he said he'd fix it right away. Huh. He never did and so a couple months later it was still on there. I contacted the PG HQ via phone and they told me who to email. I did and explained the whole thing. They removed the crummy pitching stats from my son's profile within a day of that email. Thank goodness. Still stressful wondering who may have seen them during the months they were up. Someone could have seen that, crossed him off their LONG list, and went on to the next player. Glad PG fixed it.

TPM,

Yes, should we rename this thread "Confessions...."?? LOL! Love it! 

Confession #1....check.  I feel my head clearing. This is gonna be a great baseball season.

SomeBaseballDad posted:

Louise posted:

I think this is an important line in this thread....

As for conduct during a game. I was a really good player and my dad got caught up in it. Embarrassed the hell out of me a couple of times. To the point I couldn't wait for baseball to end.

The thing is my dad was a good decent man. Put his family first, went to church, and most times wouldn't say sh## if he stepped in it. Unfortunately he didn't seem to understand I couldn't strike out every batter I faced and hit a HR every at bat.

That is A LOT of pressure for a kid, too much.  I see kids who are suffering through this all the time, every age and every field, it's everywhere. If I'm sitting next to them I always try to point out something good I see that kid doing. Those insanely tough parents seem to forget the good and just see the bad. Most adults can't perform under that kind of pressure. I don't think it makes kids better, it makes them bitter. That is not to be confused with the times when our kids do need a little (or even big) push in the right direction. But there is definitely a difference.

BaseballParent23 posted:

nxt lvl posted:

I have had "that parent " moments also. Same scenario. My super fast son ran sub 4.5 40 times summer after freshman season at a football event for colleges. Later that month we go to a PG baseball event and get timed by them at 7.2 for the 60. I almost lost it. I kept saying the mantra. "No , dont say a thing. It will all work out in the end." He hit really well and was one of the hit leaders for the three games of the showcase. He hit better than all of the sophs and Jrs there. He got on the "Top Prospect" List and got multiple write ups from PG at that showcase.So it all worked out in the end.

But, man , that 60 time still haunted him all last year. He has run it at variuous other showcase events not PG and gotten some pretty good times. But the time posted on his profile page was killing him. He is a 2018 also.

 Other players in our area,  that arent as fast as him, have made statements about his time on the PG profile page. He has spent all last year trying to convince me to go to a PG event and have it done over. It has not been in our schedule yet.  At this point I am no longer bothered by it. Although it still gets him a little bit.  I am so glad I resisted the urge to be ..."That parent".

Nxt Lvl,

Someone else mentioned that you can contact PG and they will remove faulty stats. I'll confirm that they do. My son was playing in the WWBA last summer in Georgia. Someone guest played from a lower age team with, of course, the same number as my son. The guest was pitching and didn't do good. My friend was watching stats online during the game. I spoke to the PG staff  while the game was going on that he'd gotten the players' names switched (which the head coach told me to do) and he said he'd fix it right away. Huh. He never did and so a couple months later it was still on there. I contacted the PG HQ via phone and they told me who to email. I did and explained the whole thing. They removed the crummy pitching stats from my son's profile within a day of that email. Thank goodness. Still stressful wondering who may have seen them during the months they were up. Someone could have seen that, crossed him off their LONG list, and went on to the next player. Glad PG fixed it.

 

TPM,

Yes, should we rename this thread "Confessions...."?? LOL! Love it! 

Confession #1....check.  I feel my head clearing. This is gonna be a great baseball season.

Of course being that I am a mom I have nothing to confess!

BaseballParent23 posted:

SomeBaseballDad posted:

Louise posted:

I think this is an important line in this thread....

As for conduct during a game. I was a really good player and my dad got caught up in it. Embarrassed the hell out of me a couple of times. To the point I couldn't wait for baseball to end.

The thing is my dad was a good decent man. Put his family first, went to church, and most times wouldn't say sh## if he stepped in it. Unfortunately he didn't seem to understand I couldn't strike out every batter I faced and hit a HR every at bat.

That is A LOT of pressure for a kid, too much.  I see kids who are suffering through this all the time, every age and every field, it's everywhere. If I'm sitting next to them I always try to point out something good I see that kid doing. Those insanely tough parents seem to forget the good and just see the bad. Most adults can't perform under that kind of pressure. I don't think it makes kids better, it makes them bitter. That is not to be confused with the times when our kids do need a little (or even big) push in the right direction. But there is definitely a difference.

 

Good points regarding pressure!

Made a pledge to myself that I would never let sports ruin my relationship with my son. The biggest thing that I've tried to get him to understand is that my love for him has nothing to do with how he performs on the field.  So, I think that he doesn't feel any unnecessary pressure when playing. The game comes enough pressure so why should I add to it?

I also purposed to never lose friends or create enemies because of youth sports. I've seen too many folks who don't talk anymore over travel ball. 

Can you imagine your kid sitting in the corner of your office ...

What the hell is wrong with you today? That's the second time you've dropped your pen on the floor. And that deal you didn't win today! Dammit! You better not let that happen again! Now get that paperwork done. And do it right this time!

Back when I was coaching a 9u summer travel team when the last out of the last game happened one of the kids muttered, "Thank f'n God baseball is over."

I pulled him aside for a talk. I wasn't concerned about the language. I was concerned a nine year old would feel that way about baseball. He said the ride home would be the last torture ride for a month until soccer starts. 

The dad was a wannabe. He wasn't a good athlete. He never got passed preteen sports. We grew up in an era where we had to make teams. Dad was driving his kid out of his mind to excel. In fact, dad nicknamed the top four players (visibly ahead of the rest and one of his kids ) the Fab4. Dad was also going to make his mark in rec coaching. 

Dad was a rec coach in 9/10 baseball. The following year he was banned for life from the youth sports program when it was discovered  he was giving less talented kids the take sign on 3-2 hoping they would walk. 

To handle the stress (on me), I took up sports photography...  Now the parents on my son's teams get pro quality photos of their kids in action. The kids like to ham it up a bit and the parents love me. I simply cannot just sit down and watch my kid pitch, I pace like there is no tomorrow, and this is a great outlet that lasts forever ;-)

taking a vow now to say nothing all season,  i know it drives my son crazy.   will see how long i last!

Good for you Gunner! I stopped when I realized it was all about my son and not me!

I try soooo hard not to be that parent.  We were at a showcase today and son walked in before us, didn't speak to us or even look at us the entire camp, and we met him in the parking lot after.  I couldn't believe the number of parents that were all over their kids the entire time.  I have to believe the amount of talent needed to overcome that level of hovering is immense.  I'm not saying it's easy but certainly best for our son.  His goal was to approach the head coach and introduce himself and we could see him kind of hovering near but he never worked up the nerve to go talk to him.  And he is quite possibly the nicest guy I've ever seen.  But son just couldn't work up the nerve.  Darn that is hard to see.  But he will eventually learn how to do it.  That lesson is probably far more important than anything that could have been accomplished with mom and dad prompting him.