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80 replies

Incentive clauses for LL son

RJMRJMHSBaseballWeb member since 2007
I found this post on another board. What do people think of this?

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No secret that MLB players have a tendency to put up bigger #'s in a contract year. Their fantasy value at least always seems to jump way up. The incentive clauses probably help too. SOOOooooo

My son and I are hashing out his "'09 Contract." Last year he succeeded in making me pay up on some of his incentives. Funny thing is that even almost all of the ones he didn't reach, he got paid off on eventually anyway. There was a Wii and an XBox 360 that he eventually got for XMas even though he didn't reach the terms of the contract...so much for being a hardball negotiator on my part

So far we've got:

Over the fence homerun = MLB game tickets for him and a friend + food, souverniers, etc.

Multiple HRs = (I think he's got Scott Boras working with him on this one. I'm saying it has to be more than one in a single game or I'll even go the same week. He wants every HR after the first one to be worth) MLB tickets all inclusive to a 3 game series with a friend. Wants to take the train too.

Complete game shutout = I'll clean his room for a week.

Complete game no-hitter = I'll clean his room for a month + no chores for an additional month + double allowance for an additional month.

25+ innings w/o a wild pitch = new catcher's gear

12K's in a single game = Nike ID (ones he personalizes) cletes with nickname and # in All Star colors if he makes it or for football.

Triple w/ head first slide = (Since sliding head first is illegal in LL, it's stipulated that his team has to have a comfortable lead because he'll probably be called out) 5 XBox games and I have to play them with him.

Walk off HR = long board skateboards for both he and I and I have to ride mine with him sometimes. So basically this one costs me a bunch of cash and broken bones.

That's about it so far, but as the season develops they normally change. For example, I think he'll homer at least once this year. If it turns out it doesn't happen, I'll go straight to the 3 game series for the first one. Sort of like an MLB franchise, there's something in it for me too if I have to pay up. I need to work on my poker face. Some of this stuff he's going to get regardless, like taking him and a friend to a game, but I don't want to tell him that. Pretty sure I'll be cleaning his room for a week too.

** The dream is free. Work ethic sold separately. **

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TPMTPMHSBaseballweb Member since 2003
No wonder we have problems with our kids taking PED's and other stuff to get better. They learn early that there are great material rewards for a job well done, even if the don't live up to their contract. Roll Eyes

What ever happened to getting the job done for personal pride over your accomplishments. This sounds more like bribery to me.

JMO
redbird5redbird510,000+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by Coach May:
If you make good grades in school. Keep your room clean. Do all the chores we ask you to do around the house. Treat your parents with respect and others as well. Stay out of any trouble. We will let you play baseball.


Imagine that...we agree again. My son can tell you all of the things he must do (same as your list) in order to be allowed to play the game.
rz1rz15,000+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by RJM:
I found this post on another board. What do people think of this?


How can a parent look in the mirror after saying that to their kids.

Initially, I just about dropped my teeth because I missed the first line of the post and for a 1 split second I thought those were RJM treats for his kid ,

Nurse..... it's time for my meds please crazy
RJMRJMHSBaseballWeb member since 2007
quote:
Originally posted by bbking:
Is that your son, RJM? If you don't post your source of that post, or give us a link of that post, I would assume that's the contract between you and your son.

Please come out clean, RJM, you don't want us put you under oath, do you? Wink
My son is in high school. In LL I made my son pay every dollar for his bat over $100. That contract would have busted me. My son did them all except the walk off homer. I'm sure with the talent of poster's kids on this board, I'm sure nmany here have son's who would have broke the bank with this contract.

I'll post a link eventually. I'd like to see poster's opinions first. Here's a follow up quote to the posters who responded negatively .....

"I still cannot believe anyone else hasn't at least accidentally told their kid they'd give them something for a HR, a QB decleatment, or a 3 point basket. He blows up a QB on a blitz and he might get keys to the car."
Last edited by RJM
RJMRJMHSBaseballWeb member since 2007
quote:
Originally posted by BOF:
quote:
Originally posted by RJM:
I'm sure with the talent of poster's kids on this board, I'm sure nmany here have son's who would have broke the bank with this contract.



I am not sure if you got the point, this type of thing is INSANE to consider for any one less than a pro. These are KIDS!
I agree it's insane. On that board I called it absurd. That's why I brought the post over here. The "broke the bank" comment was a joke response to someone joking if this was my kid. I made my son pay part of the cost for his bat in LL. His reward for success and proper behavior was he got a ride to return to play again.
Last edited by RJM
S Sugi100+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by Coach May:
If you make good grades in school. Keep your room clean. Do all the chores we ask you to do around the house. Treat your parents with respect and others as well. Stay out of any trouble. We will let you play baseball.


That's exactly how it works in my house PERIOD.

Wow little league is getting more expensive by the day.I thought the baseball and catcher's gear was alot.---I might take my boy for a Banana Split at the local ice cream shop if he does something extraordinary and he is perfectly happy with that,definitely not no XBox.
BOFBOF10,000+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by Doughnutman:
We only had one incentive. After the game, Dairy Queen. It is for the kids, really, not that I don't like hot fudge sundaes or heath blizzards. It is for the kids. Or banana split blizzards. Or large twists cones dipped in butterscotch. Or strawberry sundaes. Or...


Doughnut...man, Hotfudge...man, Heathblizzard..man, tiwstconesdippedinbutterscotch...man Hmmmm I detect a trend here.
bcb3bcb3100+ posts
While coaching my younger sons basketball game, I had to yank him out of the game because was taking a bunch of bad, left handed shots. When I asked him what he was doing, he told me grampa offered to give him a dollar for every left handed basket he made. He didnt get paid, and he didnt take any more bad shots. But gramp coulnnt understand why I was mad.
zombywoofzombywoof1,000+ posts
Don't remember offering him much as far as LL incentives go, maybe a few bucks for knocking one out. Never made a bid deal of it because didn't want to add any unneeded pressure on a young kid. But when he got into high school, I offered to help buy my son a car for college if he got an academic and or athletic scholarship. It was a win-win incentive for everybody. The money he would've saved in tuition could have gone towards a decent car and I wouldn't have to let him borrow one of my cars when he comes home from school.
Last edited by zombywoof
2Bmom2Bmom1,000+ posts
Wow. For us there has never been any incentive to play well. Or to make good grades. Both are his priority. I take no credit - it is the competitive spirit that he was born with. I realize we are lucky, but you should see his room!

I will admit that there is a monetary incentive to hit well against a certain local pitcher who badmouthed him last year. "He's going to have a hard time at this level."


$100 per base. First $400 goes into his college fund, the rest he gets to keep. Paying it will be my pleasure. Wink
Estone28Estone28100+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by 2Bmom:
Wow. For us there has never been any incentive to play well. Or to make good grades. Both are his priority. I take no credit - it is the competitive spirit that he was born with. I realize we are lucky, but you should see his room!

I will admit that there is a monetary incentive to hit well against a certain local pitcher who badmouthed him last year. "He's going to have a hard time at this level."


$100 per base. First $400 goes into his college fund, the rest he gets to keep. Paying it will be my pleasure. Wink


Something tells me I know the pitcher.

for us, we just say good job and when equipment gets worn out, it gets replaced w/o much dickering.
TPMTPMHSBaseballweb Member since 2003
How serious was the parent with this offer?
These were LL incentives. How realistic are they? My son was a pretty good player in LL, I think he accomplished one of them. Roll Eyes

What bothers me is the triple with head first slide, which is illegal. Seems like he's teaching his son early how to cheat.

I'd like to see the link.
TPMTPMHSBaseballweb Member since 2003
Come on RJM, I read the thread, seems to me it was just a dad just having some fun with his kid. He knew his son most likely would never live up to the "contract".

You took this as serious? If so, coming from you that surprises me, I could almost see you posting that, in jest of course.


I must be missing something. Roll Eyes
Last edited by TPM
RJMRJMHSBaseballWeb member since 2007
I wasn't the only poster who thought the guy is out of his mind. Some who didn't were preteen ball dads. Maybe I'm coming from an angle where I've seen the guy make several other "red flag" posts in relation to kiddie ball. One was (paraphrasing), "If a kid has it going on the mound, why remove him? Some kids are big and strong enough to handle it."
Last edited by RJM
FungoFungoHighly Regarded and Beloved Old Timer
This is far fetched ---- or is it?

The produce/reward system is very common in our society. I can remember the gold stars on my report cards when I was a kid for A's. Allowances are another "reward" that is very common. The kid usually has to do something to earn the allowance. That is work/reward. I used to "reward" my son for his baseball accomplishments (indirectly). His work ethic earned him a CD player in his truck. He wanted to work at Kroger so he could buy the CD player and I said if he would work at baseball I would buy the CD player for him. His baseball production also garnered him many rewards even a college scholarship which in part was paid to him in cash. It may be wrong to write a contract promising money for a home run but many parents "reward" their kids with expensive baseball "things" hoping for increased production.
Fungo
D dswann100+ posts
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Fungo:
This is far fetched ---- or is it?

Fungo...Spot on as usual.

The boy has always been dedicated to getting better. And he sucked for so long, incentives were pointless.

The deal in our family. The boy is working towards a goal in baseball, 2- 4 hours of homework each day plus the weekends. Bats, batting gloves, gloves, under armour whatever is on me! As long as he keeps his nose clean the gravy train keeps rollin. Knock on wood, no problems yet.
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