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I need some advice

BF Baseball Freak10+ posts
The coach of our high school team has caused some uproar this season. It has brought to light some issues that we didn't see last year, his first. This year’s team is not very good and it recently came to a head with the coach basically quitting on the team, at least that’s how it looks by his actions and the lineup on the field every week. He jerks many of the players out of the lineup for making a single error and often takes weeks before they are allowed to play again. He constantly yells at them and it has been reported that in a team meeting he called them a bunch of losers.

One player’s parent recently had a meeting with him after one of his rantings with their son. The kid is (was) statistically our best pitcher with the lowest ERA in the most innings. The kid had a bad start to one game, real bad for the first 6 or 7 batters then settled in and for the next three innings pitched very well until around 95+ pitches he walked a batter then gave up two hits. The coach went out to the mound and said, “get off my mound and you’ll be lucky to ever pitch for me again". Then followed the kid into the dugout and continued to berate the kid for another 5 to 10 minutes. After the game is when he called the kids a bunch of losers, he denies it (in the previous mentioned parent meeting) but my son and several others confirmed it was said. As of this date, the kid hasn't been on the field again.

This kid and a couple of others have the potential to play college ball so all of the parents definitely concern about how to handle it, mine doesn’t so I’m seeking information for the others. I am thinking about going to the AD, but I’m not sure how to or even if I should. I hear these parents say they hope their kid lock up a college offer this summer so they can either just skip their senior year or have the option to just quit if things are the same next year. They are also saying that if an offer is made, they won’t have the signing ceremony at the school but with their travel coaches.

My need is: have anyone out there had a situation like this and what can or should be done?
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FungoFungoHighly Regarded and Beloved Old Timer
If YOU feel as adamant as you indicate in this post about the coach’s actions then by all means go to the AD if you think the AD can improve the situation. However if the OTHER PARENTS are the ones that are upset then THEY need to go to the AD. Don't fight THEIR battles for them. Two points to ponder before you walk into his office (if you decide to go). Coaches normally don’t change their coaching style so you may just be stirring the pot if you have a weak AD. -- and --- #2, a great deal of the information you have is second hand information from the players and other parents and may have been embellished in the process. If that information cannot be substantiated, you may appear to be just another disgruntled parent.
Fungo
PopTimePopTime500+ posts
It seems a lot of what this coach is said to have said is hearsay, so I'd get the facts straight before I go in with guns blazing. I think it's human nature, or "parent's nature" to blow things out of proportion and makes things much worse than they actually are where our kids are involved, and it just gets worse when like-minded parents get together and develop a "mob mentality" with regard to someone's coaching style. Before you go handing out the torches, why not try to get to know the coach yourself?
obradyobrady500+ posts
It seems that there are some of these kinds of guys everywhere. I was at a game recently where the other coach was making loud comments about our team, "look they caught a pop fly". Hey guys, yes you are a high school coach but, you are only a high school coach.

You don't have to prepare the kids for life (as ours told me), that's still the parent’s job, teach them life lessons about baseball great, but your job is to handle the team and teach baseball skills. I know a lot of us wonder if it’s getting OK to skip high school ball totally to avoid the jerks like this, if you have one. Maybe we should have a voucher system for sports. Then kids could via for the opportunity to play for a real coach.
shortstopmomshortstopmom1,000+ posts
Been there. ( not baseball, different sport )
Not fun.
Parents and players wrote a petition and rode out the storm.
Team never won a game.
Lots of turmoil was caused.
Lots of life lessons were learned.
Lots of blaming going on from both sides.
It was ugly and the fun was gone.
Coach was not only fired, but removed from the district. ( after the season )
Amazing the movies these small compact cell phones can take of a ranting foul mouthed belittling coach who thinks he's safe and getting away with verbal/physical abuse in the locker room where he thinks no one but the players are watching.
( hearsay was no longer a viable excuse )
End of story.
New coach.
New AD.
New beginnings.
( It was very p-a-i-n-f-u-l for everyone )
Last edited by shortstopmom

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