Had a great experience last night with a few parents that would fit this description. In an absolute blow out in the cold and wind parents would not leave watching the non starters play because we all remembered what it was like when our boys got live at bats only in a blow out.
Local annoying guy who seeks you out to ask every Q under the sun about the team, while your son is at the plate. You do respect this guy because he is there to support his local team but you are torn between 7 innings of endless Q's and finding a new place to squat and enjoy the game.
I had the pleasure of meeting several of these characters at my sons tournament last weekend. My son always played in a different league and teams, so this is our first experience with the parents of his teammates. I'm not sure if these people have been listed above, but here are some new characters I met.
Screamer mom - she screams at the top of her lungs whenever her child gets a hit. And I'm not talking about a "wohoo, good job Johnny"! I'm talking about ear piercing, pee your pants startling screaming at the top of your lungs that lasts until said batter stops at 2nd base. This mom acknowledges the behavior is annoying, but assures us we will get used to it. Um, no, I will never get used to that one.
Mr. I've got a comment about every pitch, including warm up pitches - this guy has something to say about every. Single. Pitch. Most of the time, they are loudly blurted negative comments to kids he doesn't even know. Things like "come on now", "don't over pitch", "just pound the zone" and my new favorite "one and done!" He just can't resist throwing in his two cents and showing everyone how much he doesn't know.
Mr/Ms I've had enough - this is the parent that lets loose on the two types of parents above after his/her nerves are so badly frayed from the experience. Sadly, that parent was me last weekend. When Mr. Comment about every pitch was loudly offering advice to my child during pre-inning warm-ups, I lost it. We were two games into the tournament and parents and players were all quietly whispering about this guy. I feel bad for losing it on the guy, but I don't feel bad about the sentiment. One of our own fans shouldn't be getting into the heads of our own pitchers.
That was my intro to our high school baseball experience.
Screamer mom - she screams at the top of her lungs whenever her child gets a hit. And I'm not talking about a "wohoo, good job Johnny"! I'm talking about ear piercing, pee your pants startling screaming at the top of your lungs that lasts until said batter stops at 2nd base. This mom acknowledges the behavior is annoying, but assures us we will get used to it. Um, no, I will never get used to that one.
Mr. I've got a comment about every pitch, including warm up pitches - this guy has something to say about every. Single. Pitch. Most of the time, they are loudly blurted negative comments to kids he doesn't even know. Things like "come on now", "don't over pitch", "just pound the zone" and my new favorite "one and done!" He just can't resist throwing in his two cents and showing everyone how much he doesn't know.
Mr/Ms I've had enough - this is the parent that lets loose on the two types of parents above after his/her nerves are so badly frayed from the experience. Sadly, that parent was me last weekend. When Mr. Comment about every pitch was loudly offering advice to my child during pre-inning warm-ups, I lost it. We were two games into the tournament and parents and players were all quietly whispering about this guy. I feel bad for losing it on the guy, but I don't feel bad about the sentiment. One of our own fans shouldn't be getting into the heads of our own pitchers.
That was my intro to our high school baseball experience.
All great, new & old posts:
Like to add "Captain OverHype":
run a travel team that has a few very good players, however they heavily publicize the slightest thing any of their players does, you now just about expect to see a post on the backup 3b or whoever pinch-running to burn up twitter & local bulletin boards,
it is a running joke in the county
(for anyone not on the Captain's teams),
Originally Posted by Catcherdad:
All great, new & old posts:
Like to add "Captain OverHype":
run a travel team that has a few very good players, however they heavily publicize the slightest thing any of their players does, you now just about expect to see a post on the backup 3b or whoever pinch-running to burn up twitter & local bulletin boards,
it is a running joke in the county
(for anyone not on the Captain's teams),
Love this thread! Haha we have a Captain OH too. Cringey! what about the dad from above, "this team doesn't play defense when my son is pitching" actually yelling at every bomb hit " Not your fault!"
JAM3, that's how we pitchers parents think! 
. Must have been the coach who called that pitches fault! My son throws all his pitches perfectly LOL
Mr. "My kid is used to faster pitching".
In the midst of what would be his 3rd K of the game the dad was reminding him he's used to seeing faster pitching "when he plays travel" and to get his timing right. I estimated the pitcher was throwing high 70s to a 15 yr old.
Originally Posted by 2016Dad:
Mr. "My kid is used to faster pitching".
In the midst of what would be his 3rd K of the game the dad was reminding him he's used to seeing faster pitching "when he plays travel" and to get his timing right. I estimated the pitcher was throwing high 70s to a 15 yr old.
Well of course Good hitters are the ones that can't adjust. They just hit 90+ fastballs all day no more no less
Re Mr Faster Pitching
This fellow visits here as well. You'd hope a player would adjust after 2 at-bats.
Son said last two nights after HS Scrimmages he hasn't seen as low as 60-70 mph in a while, knew enough to just stay back and hit it over 2nd base to CF.
This guy has a 'cousin': Mr. My Kid is a Beast
(Roars when his kid feasts on the slow pitchers
although is noticeably silent when he just waves at 80 mph+ pitches)
Originally Posted by 2016Dad:
Mr. "My kid is used to faster pitching".
That guy must be my mailman.
Originally Posted by PA2016Backstopdad:
Local annoying guy who seeks you out to ask every Q under the sun about the team, while your son is at the plate. You do respect this guy because he is there to support his local team but you are torn between 7 innings of endless Q's and finding a new place to squat and enjoy the game.
I have learned to wear a set of headsets. Even if nothing is playing, people will assume you are so they will ignore you. Key is, no matter what, don't respond to the first or second comment. Make them touch your arm to get your attention. Works like a charm!!!
Update: Mr. annoying guy who seeks you out to ask you every Q under the sun especially when son is at the plate. Son had an away game, he struck again. Thought I was safe but here he comes; bottom 7 and we are down by 3, son up with 2 on base. "when is the next home game, I can't find the schedule anywhere...................................................................................."
Here is to Mr. I am going to walk up to the fence and block everyone who has been watching the game's view. Oh by the way he brought his softball daughter in tow for good measure. Together dad I want to be in the coaches ear during the game and daughter furiously pounding away on her smart phone blocked the batter,catcher, and umpire perfectly. Sorry for that, I just had to let it out. I've also been forced into the role of Mr. Consoling dad . Listening to parent next to me whose son is getting screwed for playing time.
I do that, earbuds are my savior and 80% of the time, nothing is playing or no call is happening.
Originally Posted by OA5II:
Originally Posted by PA2016Backstopdad:
Local annoying guy who seeks you out to ask every Q under the sun about the team, while your son is at the plate. You do respect this guy because he is there to support his local team but you are torn between 7 innings of endless Q's and finding a new place to squat and enjoy the game.
I have learned to wear a set of headsets. Even if nothing is playing, people will assume you are so they will ignore you. Key is, no matter what, don't respond to the first or second comment. Make them touch your arm to get your attention. Works like a charm!!!
So I have one:
The ground ball to the pitcher "HUSTLE!" mom. She screams it as if the flat footed doughboy has any chance.
Originally Posted by Catcherdad:
Re Mr Faster Pitching
This fellow visits here as well. You'd hope a player would adjust after 2 at-bats.
Son said last two nights after HS Scrimmages he hasn't seen as low as 60-70 mph in a while, knew enough to just stay back and hit it over 2nd base to CF.
This guy has a 'cousin': Mr. My Kid is a Beast
(Roars when his kid feasts on the slow pitchers
although is noticeably silent when he just waves at 80 mph+ pitches)
Love this one! These guys are everywhere!
I did a quick search and was surprised not to find this one.
Billy pulls a (rare) hard line drive right at the LFer. L7.
"Nice hit, Billy!"
Originally Posted by Golfman25:
So I have one:
The ground ball to the pitcher "HUSTLE!" mom. She screams it as if the flat footed doughboy has any chance.
Ok, sometimes this is me. It's the supportive Mom coming out in me, even if it isn't my kid. I can be tough and hard on the kids, but I also have my soft side. I want each kid to take something away from the game that helps them later in life. If hustling on a slow roller teaches them to never give up on something, then I am all for it. So, I'm guilty of this one.
Originally Posted by kandkfunk:
Originally Posted by Golfman25:
So I have one:
The ground ball to the pitcher "HUSTLE!" mom. She screams it as if the flat footed doughboy has any chance.
Ok, sometimes this is me. It's the supportive Mom coming out in me, even if it isn't my kid. I can be tough and hard on the kids, but I also have my soft side. I want each kid to take something away from the game that helps them later in life. If hustling on a slow roller teaches them to never give up on something, then I am all for it. So, I'm guilty of this one.
I think all of us are guilty of any one of these at one time or another. I know I have been. But thats part of what makes this thread so fun.
You should never be ashamed of who and what you are. If you are then it is time to make some changes.
I like to think of myself as:
Senor Pontificator - The most interesting baseball fan alive. Stay thirsty my friends!
Got stuck next to a guy who was complaining his kid, a Junior, was not playing or pitching. When there was a pitching change and again his kid did not go in he started up, ...."and who was this skinny, weak armed lefty sophmore on the mound?" "I mean look at this kid. He can't be more than 14. His mechanics are all screwy and he can't be throwing harder than 75 or 76....geez. Im so sick of this coach playing favorites. My boy is sitting 86 and he is on the bench!! Such a stupid SOB this coach.....which kid is yours?" Me: "My son is the scrawny young weak armed kid on the mound. You know, the one playing." Him: "You should have said something." Me: "No need. I am here to support the whole team....even the flame throwers on the bench."
The reality is, his kid did have some skills as a fielder, but, he was carrying a D average, got suspended for fighting and was topping out about 75 or so on the mound.
We all struggle to keep out perspective with our own kids sometimes, but, the level of delusion with some is amazing.
By the time my kid was a Junior I had changed how I "cheered" at games. I just usually stood down either base line, kind of by myself. I got away from the endless chatter and complaining. The coaches generally sucked, the high school team sucked, the program sucked ect....it was all true, but, I got tired of hearing it. I would clap for a nice play on either side. I would not cheer louder really if my kid got a hit, I expected him to get a single. A little flair over the SS head for a single....its not a 500 foot HR off of a great pitcher.
This past weekend we have scrimmage for the HS fall ball season. The coach is actually pretty good, he is missing 4 returning starters due to football, he is missing a couple Jr's who are going to compete for starting spots due to travel commitments, he has about 6 upper classmen and the rest are sophomores he is giving look at for the day. The other team appears to be in a similar spot.
Father of sophomore catcher goes off on a rant about how excited his he is for his son to be getting his first varsity appearance...even takes a pic and posts it on facebook. Somewhere along the way he says to me "there is a big difference in talent on the field, I would have guessed it to be closer" I just looked at him and said yea but you are going to have that when you combine kids that are going to be Varsity and JV. He gave me this very confused look so I just kind of wondered away and let him chew on it for a bit. I am pretty sure he never figured it out!!
Hi everyone. I've been lurking on here as a guest for some time now. Finally signed up and having a go with my first post.
i read the whole thread here. Good stuff.
I didn't see anyone mention "Mr. superstitious guy"
This is is the guy that insists on weaing the same shirt, pants, hat, socks etc. to every game lest he anger the baseball Gods...no matter how dingy or grungy. Mr. Superstitious guy usually attempts to bring other parents (and occasionally even coaches and players) into this quickly spiraling-out-of-control situation. He seeks out dad A to always sit or stand to to his right and dad B to the left. The pre-game ritual is as planned out as pro wrestling match, and the 7th inning stretch is an Army General's dream of precision. Again, all to appease the baseball Gods (always in the plural, as opposed to singular).
And this is why I love this game. in the end it's really all about the people, regardless if the people are players, coaches, or just really superstitious fans.
Originally Posted by DBAT-DFW:
I didn't see anyone mention "Mr. superstitious guy"
This is is the guy that insists on weaing the same shirt, pants, hat, socks etc. to every game lest he anger the baseball Gods...no matter how dingy or grungy. Mr. Superstitious guy usually attempts to bring other parents
No, this is demonstrably untrue. I don't ask anyone to join me in wearing bright, team-color boxers. In fact, nobody else even knows that's my game day gear.
... up to now, that is. Welcome to the board.
Is it too early in the season to resurrect all time favorite thread? My son just let me know THAT GUY (also known as, OH NO, NOT HIM! or WHAT DID HE DO THIS TIME?) is going at it full force already. This is the guy who's son is finally in high school and dad is at every optional winter practice and workout (even if son is not), decked out from head to toe in school gear. After offering lots of "valuable input" to the coaches, he is finally banished to the halls to pace non-stop until he is able to follow coaches to their vehicles to keep offering advice. Over the years, THAT GUY has tried everything, even things that are borderline criminal, all in the pursuit of his son's athletic career.
Borderline criminal......please continue with more details! If I followed my son's coach to his car, I am quite certain my son would not step foot on the field unless it was to rake the infield after the game.
DBAT-DFW posted:Hi everyone. I've been lurking on here as a guest for some time now. Finally signed up and having a go with my first post.
i read the whole thread here. Good stuff.
I didn't see anyone mention "Mr. superstitious guy"
This is is the guy that insists on weaing the same shirt, pants, hat, socks etc. to every game lest he anger the baseball Gods...no matter how dingy or grungy. Mr. Superstitious guy usually attempts to bring other parents (and occasionally even coaches and players) into this quickly spiraling-out-of-control situation. He seeks out dad A to always sit or stand to to his right and dad B to the left. The pre-game ritual is as planned out as pro wrestling match, and the 7th inning stretch is an Army General's dream of precision. Again, all to appease the baseball Gods (always in the plural, as opposed to singular).
And this is why I love this game. in the end it's really all about the people, regardless if the people are players, coaches, or just really superstitious fans.
I'm sort of guilty of this. There were one or two shirts I always wore to my son's HS games. Even had a tattered hat with the HS logo that I always wore. I did have my "spot" where I stood to watch the game, but I refrained from dragging other parents into wearing the same clothing, etc.
2017LHPscrewball posted:Borderline criminal......please continue with more details! If I followed my son's coach to his car, I am quite certain my son would not step foot on the field unless it was to rake the infield after the game.
Haha, mine too! Or they'd pat me on the head and ask if I was lost.
THAT GUY has learned the following, though he still won't go away or make an effort to behave:
If you get into a fight with an umpire at the youth level, you will be banned from coaching at the youth level.
If you take a whole team to a country club then say "bill the school" you will be banned from volunteer coaching at the school (and lucky the school doesn't sue you in my opinion!)
IP addresses are trackable so if you set up a dummy email address and impersonate another coach to criticize other children while promoting your own, it is easy to track who sent it (although the email content makes it pretty easy too!). This is especially true in small town USA and you should probably pick a coach to impersonate who isn't good friends with the coach you are emailing.
you should probably pick a coach to impersonate who isn't good friends with the coach you are emailing...
Sounds like a good start to an episode of world's dumbest criminals.
"I'm sort of guilty of this. There were one or two shirts I always wore to my son's HS games. Even had a tattered hat with the HS logo that I always wore. I did have my "spot" where I stood to watch the game, but I refrained from dragging other parents into wearing the same clothing, etc."
I have been struggling with this for weeks now!! I wore the same hat for the last two season's. The hat is looking pretty ratty, I keep looking at a couple of new options but my eye ( and heart ) keeps going back to the old standbye...
Season starts this weekend, time to start fresh, but if the new hat doesn't bring the desired results you all know what I am wearing to the next series.
FoxDad posted:I'm sort of guilty of this. There were one or two shirts I always wore to my son's HS games. Even had a tattered hat with the HS logo that I always wore. I did have my "spot" where I stood to watch the game, but I refrained from dragging other parents into wearing the same clothing, etc.
Overheard at a 12u game:
"Man, can't you wait to go to the bathroom until the other side is up? We almost had a homer but YOU weren't in your spot so you jinxed us with a pop-fly!"
Sadly, these grown men were actually serious.
Standing in the wrong spot could change the rotation of the planet and alter the course of history. Or not.
Something I miss about middle and high school baseball (especially high school) is watching parents attempt to corral and influences coaches. Our high school coach owns a small baseball facility. So many parents thought if they spent a lot of money there it would make a difference for their son. The only way to influence the coach was show up with talent and upside. There were parents who bitched about how much they spent and their kid didn't make varsity or start.
I was scouting a middle school game at a tournament once and heard a good one. There was a team playing I had never seen before so I was standing over close to their dug out taking notes and eaves dropping a little. 2 dad's were talking close enough to the dugout that the coaches could hear. One dad was going on and on about the batting order. "I don't understand why he is batting 8th! 8th? Really? In travel ball he always batted at the top! I just can't figure out why!" It was obvious he was being loud enough for the coach to hear on purpose. Finally the coach had had enough and turns around and yells, "I'll tell you why your son is batting 8th! It's because he's to darn good to be batting 9th!" I almost choked on my seeds when he said it.
DBAT-DFW posted:Hi everyone. I've been lurking on here as a guest for some time now. Finally signed up and having a go with my first post.
i read the whole thread here. Good stuff.
I didn't see anyone mention "Mr. superstitious guy"
This is is the guy that insists on weaing the same shirt, pants, hat, socks etc. to every game lest he anger the baseball Gods...no matter how dingy or grungy. Mr. Superstitious guy usually attempts to bring other parents (and occasionally even coaches and players) into this quickly spiraling-out-of-control situation. He seeks out dad A to always sit or stand to to his right and dad B to the left. The pre-game ritual is as planned out as pro wrestling match, and the 7th inning stretch is an Army General's dream of precision. Again, all to appease the baseball Gods (always in the plural, as opposed to singular).
And this is why I love this game. in the end it's really all about the people, regardless if the people are players, coaches, or just really superstitious fans.
It's only crazy if it doesn't work. 
Took me two days to get through this entire thread...possibly the best use of those two days I could have imagined!
Seed guy...come on, it's not a game without seeds, is it?
Superstitious guy...there's nothing super about me, I'm just stitious.
Too many others, mostly but not entirely harmlessly amusing category, that I'm guilty of--as a fan and a coach--to list without losing another couple of days rationalizing...
Great thread!
-42
A hideous variation of "Screamer Mom" is "Clapper Lady", who uses clappers to augment her bone chilling screeches. She, of course, sits right behind first base, where I am usually coaching.
57special posted:A hideous variation of "Screamer Mom" is "Clapper Lady", who uses clappers to augment her bone chilling screeches. She, of course, sits right behind first base, where I am usually coaching.
Does she know cowbell mom?
CaCO3Girl posted:57special posted:A hideous variation of "Screamer Mom" is "Clapper Lady", who uses clappers to augment her bone chilling screeches. She, of course, sits right behind first base, where I am usually coaching.
Does she know cowbell mom?
She sits right next to "Base Hit or Ball Four" Dad...can't miss'em
CaCO3Girl posted:57special posted:A hideous variation of "Screamer Mom" is "Clapper Lady", who uses clappers to augment her bone chilling screeches. She, of course, sits right behind first base, where I am usually coaching.
Does she know cowbell mom?
Oh God, I had forgotten...started to get cold sweats, here.
Then there are the parent rooting sections where they all come dressed up in team colors, are annoyingly positive, and chant , "Players Name!" Clap..clap.. clap ,clap ,clap, when they do anything at all of note.
Go join a cult already.