What is the worst thing that happened to your son in his early years as a LL or HS plauer ?
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This isn't necessarily a bad thing but my son is a lefty. His Babe Ruth coach, realizing his athletic ability, played him at Catcher, Short Stop, Second and if he did good at catching would let him pitch. He got to see positions no other coach would even consider. He had a blast except when they would put him in to pitch after catching. Couldn't understand you need legs to pitch. He got a scholarship to a great Division I team to pitch next year. The worst memory for us was when he was 16 he was hit with a fastball, ruptured his spleen and ended up in ICU for four days. That is scary. Don't like to see kids take one for the team.
My son has had afew close calls. The funniest one was a line drive (metal bat) right at the cup. He just had time to deflect it with the back of his glove and it missed everything. He went down like a big Tuna flat on his face. The ball went between his legs and right out into center field. Real scary but funny after. He had a no hitter up to that point. He just got up with a smile on his face and continued throwing. I have it on tape and include it in his marketing.
Marketing? Let's see...was it Bumble Bee, Star Kist, or Chicken of the Sea that offered you the money for the tape?
That's a good story...and a sturdy cup!
That's a good story...and a sturdy cup!
Our worst nightmare was the phone call from a 16-year old select teammate's parent while son was participating in Jr. Olympic tournament in Arizona. The parent was calling from a hospital emergency room with the news that there had been a window broken in a hotel room and a large piece of glass had "stabbed" son in left thumb.
X-rays revealed that when son yanked the glass out of his thumb, several very small pieces had remained in the wound. Surgery was recommended to remove the shards as possible nerve damage could be caused if they "migrated" out the wrong direction.
The parent on the phone(great guy) arranged an early flight back to Texas and son had surgery the next day. 3 shards of glass were removed and things ended up working out pretty well. I have always thought ...What if that glass piece had done more severe damage?
Son was not even going to let any of the parents know that it had happened(he had already pitched his last game)...fortunately, somebody's little brother ratted him out!!
OPP
X-rays revealed that when son yanked the glass out of his thumb, several very small pieces had remained in the wound. Surgery was recommended to remove the shards as possible nerve damage could be caused if they "migrated" out the wrong direction.
The parent on the phone(great guy) arranged an early flight back to Texas and son had surgery the next day. 3 shards of glass were removed and things ended up working out pretty well. I have always thought ...What if that glass piece had done more severe damage?
Son was not even going to let any of the parents know that it had happened(he had already pitched his last game)...fortunately, somebody's little brother ratted him out!!
OPP
Thank God for little brothers! I never had one.
The worst thing that happened to my son was when he was going into Minor mosquito all star (10YO)He had played allstar rookie ball and he was looking forward to pitching his 1st year.
A power struggle was going on and the head coach was let go and a disgruntled parent became the new head coach. He cut 9 of the top players from the previous team. My son was carded and that means he was a call up sub if someone was sick. He cried himself to sleep that night. The practice was to call the chosen players 1st and the rest last. It was 11;00pm by the time he got the bad news.
That year he played House League and to make matters worse he was the last one picked in the draft. He went out made fiends and had fun. He he had some outstanding events like when he played left field and there was a pop up to short stop. He ran in and the ball went in and out of the SS glove and he dove and caught the ball before it hit the ground. The time he pitched the 1st game in the championship round agaist his former all stars who were on a stacked team(we were the worst team out of 10) 4 of the former coaches knew the players plus their sons stacked the team. (strongest team). He shut them out and we had a 9-0 lead when he had to come out. We ended up losing in extra innings. That is when I found out he was the last one picked. His coach told me he took him as he was the only one left out of over 120 kids. He appologized and said he had no idea when they held the draft that he could play like that.
That whole mess left a mark that I am sure spurs him on.
The new coach of the Allstar team was fired half way through the season. Went from 80% winning record to 5%.
A power struggle was going on and the head coach was let go and a disgruntled parent became the new head coach. He cut 9 of the top players from the previous team. My son was carded and that means he was a call up sub if someone was sick. He cried himself to sleep that night. The practice was to call the chosen players 1st and the rest last. It was 11;00pm by the time he got the bad news.
That year he played House League and to make matters worse he was the last one picked in the draft. He went out made fiends and had fun. He he had some outstanding events like when he played left field and there was a pop up to short stop. He ran in and the ball went in and out of the SS glove and he dove and caught the ball before it hit the ground. The time he pitched the 1st game in the championship round agaist his former all stars who were on a stacked team(we were the worst team out of 10) 4 of the former coaches knew the players plus their sons stacked the team. (strongest team). He shut them out and we had a 9-0 lead when he had to come out. We ended up losing in extra innings. That is when I found out he was the last one picked. His coach told me he took him as he was the only one left out of over 120 kids. He appologized and said he had no idea when they held the draft that he could play like that.
That whole mess left a mark that I am sure spurs him on.
The new coach of the Allstar team was fired half way through the season. Went from 80% winning record to 5%.
When son was an 8yo he was playing "Minor B" Little League with pitching machines. the coach had set up the machine, ready for the game, and turned it off, but didn't unplug it. One of the boys decided to turn it on, another dropped in a ball. At that exact moment our son walked in front of the plate. Boys yelled, "Hey Russ". He turned and got hit right on the bridge of the nose. Thank God the machine hadn't gotten up to speed or he could have been killed. I was VERY pregnant with Son #4 and was still gathering up all my "stuff" to head down to the field when another Mom came to me and said "Rusty's OK but I think you need to get him to the doctor" There was blood everywhere. He ended up with only a broken nose. Dr. pushed it back into place. Didn't keep him from living to play baseball. Once the swelling went down he insisted that he was going to finish the season. The only mask we could find back then was a hockey mask. Since he was on the Dodgers, we painted it Blue & White. The league let him play, but wouldn't let him pitch with the mask. The next season he moved up to "boy pitch". He's still pitching, only now it's at a D-1 college.
When I was in Little League, in the Stone Age, our "All Star" team was selected to pay in a tournament which was the preliminary round to continue on towards Williamsport.
We had earlier played on a wide-open field at one of the Chicago Park Districts, Dvorak Park in Chicago.
With the invitation, we were absolutely STUNNED when our bus arrived at the competition field...No backstop overhang; fences; dugouts; concession stand, etc.
In the dugout, before the game, the coach passed out containers that had a jockstrap in them. Apparently it was a tournament rule that the kids had to wear them.
Leroy, one of my teammates, took his out and put it on OVER his uniform pants.
We laughed for 3 days!
When you are dirt poor and can't afford jockstraps, it takes a while to learn what they do. When you are 11 or 12, not much there to protect.
We had earlier played on a wide-open field at one of the Chicago Park Districts, Dvorak Park in Chicago.
With the invitation, we were absolutely STUNNED when our bus arrived at the competition field...No backstop overhang; fences; dugouts; concession stand, etc.
In the dugout, before the game, the coach passed out containers that had a jockstrap in them. Apparently it was a tournament rule that the kids had to wear them.
Leroy, one of my teammates, took his out and put it on OVER his uniform pants.
We laughed for 3 days!
When you are dirt poor and can't afford jockstraps, it takes a while to learn what they do. When you are 11 or 12, not much there to protect.
When my son's were 11 they were playing in a tournament. One pitching and the other catching. The catcher went back after a foul pop up. Just before it go to him it hit the screen and then hit him right in the eye. He refused to leave to go to the emergency room because he wanted to watch his brother pitch. They just put ice on it and he sat in the dugout watching. As luck would have it 
, the next inning his brother was hit in the shin with a line drive while on the mound.
They were both then taken to the ER for xrays. I was the head coach of the team, but had to go out of town on business so I was not there. My wife was not real happy when I finally talked to her later that night.
, the next inning his brother was hit in the shin with a line drive while on the mound.They were both then taken to the ER for xrays. I was the head coach of the team, but had to go out of town on business so I was not there. My wife was not real happy when I finally talked to her later that night.
My oldest who is no longer a player, was playing center field in his little league team's playoffs. I think he was 12. He went back to the fence for a play and whacked into the yellow fence protector. A few batters later, he was running around the outfield like a crazy man. He had riled up a bees nest and they were in his pants. They stopped the game, coaches ran out to center field to see what the problem was. He refused to pull his pants down in the field so they marched him over to a van and whipped his pants down to reveal his lime green plaid boxers and some stung up thighs. How embarrasing.
GSFan - that is funny 
I don't really have horror stories to tell about my son. I think his worst injury was a broken toe from a foul ball. I have seen him viciously beaned by pitches on many occasions.
I don't really have horror stories to tell about my son. I think his worst injury was a broken toe from a foul ball. I have seen him viciously beaned by pitches on many occasions.
This is about my LL (softball) experience growing up. It was my first year (7yo), my parents out on the field coaching. At the time there were no batter's boxes and the on-deck batter before me was taking practice swings. Unkown to her, my 18 month old brother walked by and got smacked with a full swing right in the face. I happened to see him on the ground covered in blood. My parents rushed him to the hospital but left me there to finish the game crying in left field. Very scary.
Not exactly a horror story, but I was reminded of this by BBfam's smack in the face story. (Ouch, I hope your brother recovered fully!)
When my 19-yr-old was a 14-yr-old HS freshman, he was called up from JV for an early-season varsity tourney, just to fill out the bench in case of injury. He was told that freshmen don't play varsity and it was very unlikely that he would get on the field at all. I arrived to watch the first game an inning late because of another commitment - I knew my son wouldn't be playing anyway, so it wasn't a big deal - and was surprised to see him playing 2B. But what the heck was wrong with his mouth?
I learned from the other parents that on his very first HS varsity play, a hard grounder took a bad hop and caught him in the lip. (He was not used to the speed of the ball when batted by an 18-yr-old!) Before I arrived he had bled all over the place and by now his mouth was puffed into a grotesque shape, but he was determined to keep playing, and the coach let him. From that day on he was a varsity starter. The next day his two front teeth, artificial due to a previous bicycle accident, fell out.
When my 19-yr-old was a 14-yr-old HS freshman, he was called up from JV for an early-season varsity tourney, just to fill out the bench in case of injury. He was told that freshmen don't play varsity and it was very unlikely that he would get on the field at all. I arrived to watch the first game an inning late because of another commitment - I knew my son wouldn't be playing anyway, so it wasn't a big deal - and was surprised to see him playing 2B. But what the heck was wrong with his mouth?
I learned from the other parents that on his very first HS varsity play, a hard grounder took a bad hop and caught him in the lip. (He was not used to the speed of the ball when batted by an 18-yr-old!) Before I arrived he had bled all over the place and by now his mouth was puffed into a grotesque shape, but he was determined to keep playing, and the coach let him. From that day on he was a varsity starter. The next day his two front teeth, artificial due to a previous bicycle accident, fell out.
When he was 14, he was playing in a tourney with his regular team ... standing outside the 1st base side dugout while other team took infield ... their 3rd baseman threw a line drive to 1st base only he missed by a mile and hit our son in left temple, right next to his eye. Husband and I weren't yet at field when it happened and of course we got the pit in our stomach that all parents do when they get to a game and hear "You might want to take a look at (put your son's name here) 'cause he got hit in the face with a ball ..." 
And then there was the time as a freshman that he was pitching, got the batter to hit into a pop fly bunt which ended the inning. As he left the mound to go to the 1st base dugout, the batter hurled his helmet towards the 3rd base dugout from where he stood near first base ... helmet hit our son in the temple and he went down immediately, knocked out by the helmet ... had a mild concussion, and mom was nearly arrested for trying to take out the kid who threw his helmet in anger
And then there was the time as a freshman that he was pitching, got the batter to hit into a pop fly bunt which ended the inning. As he left the mound to go to the 1st base dugout, the batter hurled his helmet towards the 3rd base dugout from where he stood near first base ... helmet hit our son in the temple and he went down immediately, knocked out by the helmet ... had a mild concussion, and mom was nearly arrested for trying to take out the kid who threw his helmet in anger
When my son was 12 I arrived early to pick him up from practice...pluncked myself down in the stands to watch the remainder..only other adult within ear shot was the coach....kids were hitting and running...boy hits and runs from home to first then second...slides into second just as 2nd baseman attempts to make the tag after catching ball up in the air...2nd baseman comes down on the boys face...he(the slider) is wearing braces...profuse amount of bleeding(lips do that)but lip begins to swell right into the braces...coach is screaming...kids are shell shocked at the sight of so much blood...run to the field and check out the boy...designate one to run across street for ice...after careful inspection I take the boy home...no one there...ok off to orthodontist..leave him there and he ultimetly had to have the top row of braces reapplied..but the biggest lesson( and there always is a lesson) I took away from this incident was...coaches should always have a cell phone on them at the field where there is no other means of communication...you just never know...
...and a nurse?
I've got a couple. They're not really horror stories, but blood is involved.
Son #2 was throwing a ball up in the air after a ballgame. This was during his 9-10 AABC days. We were talking to the head coach, a friend that we have known for a long time, when all of a sudden we hear a muffled whimper. We see our son walking of the field with his hand over his mouth. Yea, he threw the ball up too high and missed it. The ball hit him square in the upper lip and he ended up with 3-4 stitches on the inside of his lip.
Son #3, once again another 9-10 AABC moment, was up to at. He hits a slow roller towards third. He makes it to first and swings around. And just as he stands upright, the 3rd baseman throws the ball and catches son #3 in the mouth. Very little blood, but still scary. The coach took him out to make sure he didn't need any stitches. He didn't and was ready to go right back in. The coach kept him out to let his swollen lip get some much needed ice.
Son #2 was throwing a ball up in the air after a ballgame. This was during his 9-10 AABC days. We were talking to the head coach, a friend that we have known for a long time, when all of a sudden we hear a muffled whimper. We see our son walking of the field with his hand over his mouth. Yea, he threw the ball up too high and missed it. The ball hit him square in the upper lip and he ended up with 3-4 stitches on the inside of his lip.
Son #3, once again another 9-10 AABC moment, was up to at. He hits a slow roller towards third. He makes it to first and swings around. And just as he stands upright, the 3rd baseman throws the ball and catches son #3 in the mouth. Very little blood, but still scary. The coach took him out to make sure he didn't need any stitches. He didn't and was ready to go right back in. The coach kept him out to let his swollen lip get some much needed ice.
One summer, I had a little league coach that decided that I would pitch every game. Yes, we had pitching limits but we played that year on 4 different diamonds and in two towns. By the end of that year, I was drinking pepto-bismo (sp) before every game. It seemed when we lost, the pitcher was always to blame because he didn't strike enough hitters out. This was the one year I dreaded playing baseball games.
Story #2, We played a game and I had a perfect game going into the last inning. Our first baseman didn't catch a ball that should have been routine and so... Well, I came off the field and being the hot head that I was began to chew him out. His Mom came over and said to me, "Darrell if you're so perfect, how do they even hit a foul ball off of you." I've never forgotten it. I owe her a lot. I needed to be put in my place because I acted like a jerk to my teammates.
Story #2, We played a game and I had a perfect game going into the last inning. Our first baseman didn't catch a ball that should have been routine and so... Well, I came off the field and being the hot head that I was began to chew him out. His Mom came over and said to me, "Darrell if you're so perfect, how do they even hit a foul ball off of you." I've never forgotten it. I owe her a lot. I needed to be put in my place because I acted like a jerk to my teammates.
My son was 13 playing on a 15U travel team on 54ft mound 80ft bases. This was the 1st time he had played on this size field, had been playing on 60/90 regulation field. He was batting facing a kid that was 15 and throwing some heat. The ball hit my son in the left elbow right above the end of the bone and splintered a piece of the bone. It immediately swelled up to the size of a grapefruit. You could even see the laces in his skin. The piece of bone didn't splinter off, luckily, or he would have had to have surgery to remove it. Dr. said there was nothing he could do, that it would fill in with calcium and heal. Son was back playing next day with an arm that he could not bend or straighten out. Took two months for all the swelling to go down.
My oldest son when he was about 14 which had always been a catcher and had never played any other position had been bugging his coaches to let him play a different position. Finally his coach said to him in one game go ahead and play 1st base. He was looking so proud out there on first. The very first batter hits the ball and the ball takes a bad bounce and hits my son right in the cheek. He manages to get the ball and get the runner out. He then calmly walks off the field with a big goose egg on his cheek and says to his coach, Thank You but I am going back behind the mask. He never did ask to play another position again.
Tucson AZ:
Sr. Little League....and you know when you go to an away game and there are signs posted to beware of snakes....there might be cause for concern....well 3rd inning and the left fielder is waving like crazy....a rattlesnake.....Coach "escorted" it to a ravine that ran behind the park...they are a protected species in AZ....next game at that park....4th inning this time....again our left fielder....another rattler....we knew then...as we evacuated.....rattle snakes like playing left field...and let them have it!
Then high school.....2 years ago....there were several mountain lions spotted in the lower ranges...neighborhoods actually.....the Park Rangers gave orders to kill...then enviormental groups protested....our school and ballfield backed right up to the Catalinas....sure enough....a home game.....and a lion was spotted behind the right field fence...... and I knew right then and there what group I favored......
Sr. Little League....and you know when you go to an away game and there are signs posted to beware of snakes....there might be cause for concern....well 3rd inning and the left fielder is waving like crazy....a rattlesnake.....Coach "escorted" it to a ravine that ran behind the park...they are a protected species in AZ....next game at that park....4th inning this time....again our left fielder....another rattler....we knew then...as we evacuated.....rattle snakes like playing left field...and let them have it!
Then high school.....2 years ago....there were several mountain lions spotted in the lower ranges...neighborhoods actually.....the Park Rangers gave orders to kill...then enviormental groups protested....our school and ballfield backed right up to the Catalinas....sure enough....a home game.....and a lion was spotted behind the right field fence...... and I knew right then and there what group I favored......
AZred
I thought the rattlers would keep the cougars in check? Right field is a tough position to play........with a bull whip hanging off your belt.
We need to award a purple heart to the toughest kid.
Other than the town drunk assistant coach who showed up wasted for the first practice of the 13 yo All Star team, who I sent home, and the 25 year old senior year, HS coach that thought he was going to use Jr like some old plow horse, before he got suspended then canned, it's been smooth sailing.
I thought the rattlers would keep the cougars in check? Right field is a tough position to play........with a bull whip hanging off your belt.
We need to award a purple heart to the toughest kid.
Other than the town drunk assistant coach who showed up wasted for the first practice of the 13 yo All Star team, who I sent home, and the 25 year old senior year, HS coach that thought he was going to use Jr like some old plow horse, before he got suspended then canned, it's been smooth sailing.
Son's Soph. year 1st Varsity practice game trying to stretch a single into a double, goes into 2nd base head first. Umpire called him safe then called time out. Son ran to the head coach who was coaching third base, I noticed they were looking at his hand. While diving into the bag my son had amputaded his pinky finger. Went to hospital, surgery to put finger back on, they put a pin through his finger to stabalize it. Coach later told me that my son didn't want to leave the game and had asked him to pop it back in place. My son never missed a game due to the injury.
Two stories:
1) Older son 12 years old at practice was wearing some Oakley knock-offs (no frame on bottom) during BP because the sun was setting right into his eyes. A line drive comes to his right and he dives for it. The ball hits the thick grass and jumps up while he is in the air and hits him on the lens, pushing the lens into the skin below his eye socket, slicing him open. We went to the ER where he got stitches. Still has the batting glove he was wearing with dried blood on it (pinned it on his wall--his mother calls it sick, but I understand it is a badge of honor).
2) Older son 11 years old playing on a 12 YO team. Facing the hardest thrower we had seen all year. First at bat he gets hit on the outside of his right knee (he is a LHH) with a fast ball. Shakes it off and jogs to 1st. Next at bat, first pitch hits him on top of the shoulder. Starts toward 1st and collapses. We get there and there is a 3" knot on his shoulder. He comes out of the game and I look at his knee and there is a 6 inch diameter purple blood mass.
He played the next game and, believe it or not, got plunked on his second at bat, still wasn't bailing out. Hit a double his third at bat and I knew then he would make it in baseball if he wanted to.
1) Older son 12 years old at practice was wearing some Oakley knock-offs (no frame on bottom) during BP because the sun was setting right into his eyes. A line drive comes to his right and he dives for it. The ball hits the thick grass and jumps up while he is in the air and hits him on the lens, pushing the lens into the skin below his eye socket, slicing him open. We went to the ER where he got stitches. Still has the batting glove he was wearing with dried blood on it (pinned it on his wall--his mother calls it sick, but I understand it is a badge of honor).
2) Older son 11 years old playing on a 12 YO team. Facing the hardest thrower we had seen all year. First at bat he gets hit on the outside of his right knee (he is a LHH) with a fast ball. Shakes it off and jogs to 1st. Next at bat, first pitch hits him on top of the shoulder. Starts toward 1st and collapses. We get there and there is a 3" knot on his shoulder. He comes out of the game and I look at his knee and there is a 6 inch diameter purple blood mass.
He played the next game and, believe it or not, got plunked on his second at bat, still wasn't bailing out. Hit a double his third at bat and I knew then he would make it in baseball if he wanted to.
July 1st-Junior H.S. summer (yes, THE DAY)
Playing on summer travel team, slid into a faulty second base-base went flying- foot into the hole- cracked the ankle. Laid on second base for twenty minutes until removed by stretcher/ambulance. After 5 hours at an emergancy hospital(85 miles from home), returned home to 4 D1 calls on the machine.
Playing on summer travel team, slid into a faulty second base-base went flying- foot into the hole- cracked the ankle. Laid on second base for twenty minutes until removed by stretcher/ambulance. After 5 hours at an emergancy hospital(85 miles from home), returned home to 4 D1 calls on the machine.
Youngest son, #3, was 11 yr. old and playing 1st base. LHH hit a hot shot at him that took a bad hop and caught him in the jaw. The ball then travelled to the RF wall to show you how hard it was hit. No one knew it had actually hit him, thinking it just bad hopped past him, but he rubbed it a little so I figured it has just grazed him, considering where it end up.
He finished the inning, and when coming off the field, I asked him if it hit him. He used a finger to pull open his cheek to show one tooth at a 45 degree angle and another with a little wobble to it. Being that it was about 7:45 p.m. at the time, I called a dentist that I knew ran his clinic until 8:00 on that particular day of the week. Asked him to wait on us, as it was a 20 minute drive to his office. Result - Two extractions.
He finished the inning, and when coming off the field, I asked him if it hit him. He used a finger to pull open his cheek to show one tooth at a 45 degree angle and another with a little wobble to it. Being that it was about 7:45 p.m. at the time, I called a dentist that I knew ran his clinic until 8:00 on that particular day of the week. Asked him to wait on us, as it was a 20 minute drive to his office. Result - Two extractions.
It is Halloween so why not bring the "Horror Stories" thread back to life.
Just last year (wait two years ago now) my son signed up for Pony Ball, as he normally does. Pony Ball coach asks "how many kids are going to try out for the middle school team this year"? 99% of the hands go up. The Coach says something like, Ok well if you do make the team let me know so i know your schedule etc. Well, my son made the middle school team (only one on the Pony team to make it) and we are about 4-6 weeks into the Pony schedule at this point, already played a few games. So, he lets the coach know and tells him that he has to practice with the middle school Mon-Fri 3-6PM. Pony Coach had his practice's Tues/Thurs 4-6PM.
Fast forward about a week or two. We leave the middle school 10 minutes early (with HC permission) to get to the Pony field in time to warm up and play an 8PM game. My son is/was the starting MIF for the Pony team, and batting in the heart of the order when he was not in the 2 hole.
Arrive at 6:30PM, changing from Middle School to Pony uniform in the truck. Stuff face with a ball park hot dog and large Gatorade. 7PM, warming up on the field with team mates. 8PM, team takes the field, son on the bench. 2nd inning, same, 3, 4, 5th, son remained "cheerful". By the 5th inning after his team took the field the coach took my son out of the dugout. I was walking out of the restroom and was amazed to see (from a ways away) the coach and my son talking outside of the dugout during the game. I see the coach talking with hands and arms... so I can tell this isn’t a normal conversation. I walked up to both of them, approaching from behind my son and asked what was going on (maybe my son was being a jerk, or asked to play? You never know with kids..). So my son looks over his should at me (lump in his throat and eyes welled up) and says "Coach says I cant play tonight because I missed yesterday’s practice". I looked at the Coach and said, "you relies he was at the middle school practice and we gave you his schedule like you asked us too". He said something to the effect that he did not care and it was not fair to the other rec ball players to have my son play ahead of them just because he made the middle school team.
This was the first time I saw my kid get really upset about baseball.
Also the first time I allowed him to speak his mind (cautiously) to an adult.
Also the first time I have ever stepped in. I told my son to "get you ****, we're leavin'
".
I did ask my son while leavening if he asked Jim if he could play, or why he wasn't playing. He said "no, he just said he wanted to talk to me and took me out to the parking lot and said I couldn’t play... that’s when you got there".
My son learned a lot that night, and so did I.
Pretty frustrating night it was... but not as frustrating as it was for him when his son did not make the middle school team just a few weeks earlier. Also frustrating for the Pony Coach after I called the local league. After talking with the middle school coach about it, apparently the pony coach broke about a half a dozen rules.
Just last year (wait two years ago now) my son signed up for Pony Ball, as he normally does. Pony Ball coach asks "how many kids are going to try out for the middle school team this year"? 99% of the hands go up. The Coach says something like, Ok well if you do make the team let me know so i know your schedule etc. Well, my son made the middle school team (only one on the Pony team to make it) and we are about 4-6 weeks into the Pony schedule at this point, already played a few games. So, he lets the coach know and tells him that he has to practice with the middle school Mon-Fri 3-6PM. Pony Coach had his practice's Tues/Thurs 4-6PM.
Fast forward about a week or two. We leave the middle school 10 minutes early (with HC permission) to get to the Pony field in time to warm up and play an 8PM game. My son is/was the starting MIF for the Pony team, and batting in the heart of the order when he was not in the 2 hole.
Arrive at 6:30PM, changing from Middle School to Pony uniform in the truck. Stuff face with a ball park hot dog and large Gatorade. 7PM, warming up on the field with team mates. 8PM, team takes the field, son on the bench. 2nd inning, same, 3, 4, 5th, son remained "cheerful". By the 5th inning after his team took the field the coach took my son out of the dugout. I was walking out of the restroom and was amazed to see (from a ways away) the coach and my son talking outside of the dugout during the game. I see the coach talking with hands and arms... so I can tell this isn’t a normal conversation. I walked up to both of them, approaching from behind my son and asked what was going on (maybe my son was being a jerk, or asked to play? You never know with kids..). So my son looks over his should at me (lump in his throat and eyes welled up) and says "Coach says I cant play tonight because I missed yesterday’s practice". I looked at the Coach and said, "you relies he was at the middle school practice and we gave you his schedule like you asked us too". He said something to the effect that he did not care and it was not fair to the other rec ball players to have my son play ahead of them just because he made the middle school team.
This was the first time I saw my kid get really upset about baseball.
Also the first time I allowed him to speak his mind (cautiously) to an adult.
Also the first time I have ever stepped in. I told my son to "get you ****, we're leavin'
". I did ask my son while leavening if he asked Jim if he could play, or why he wasn't playing. He said "no, he just said he wanted to talk to me and took me out to the parking lot and said I couldn’t play... that’s when you got there".
My son learned a lot that night, and so did I.
Pretty frustrating night it was... but not as frustrating as it was for him when his son did not make the middle school team just a few weeks earlier. Also frustrating for the Pony Coach after I called the local league. After talking with the middle school coach about it, apparently the pony coach broke about a half a dozen rules.
quote:A power struggle was going on and the head coach was let go and a disgruntled parent became the new head coach.
LET GO? Now remember we are not talking pro college or even high school. This is 10 year old?
My kids never had horror stories leading into high school softball and baseball. They had an awesome coach .... me. The only horror story was two major injuries causing him to miss the entire recruiting season following junior year of high school. He's overcome it. With all the best laid plans from my daughter's recruiting experiences and advice from hsbaseballweb, my son had to appply to college as a student and walk on.
The only horror story was two major injuries causing him to miss the entire recruiting season following junior year of high school. He's overcome it. With all the best laid plans from my daughter's recruiting experiences and advice from hsbaseballweb, my son had to appply to college as a student and walk on.
Son fouled a ball hard off his ankle, then later in the same game fouled a ball HARD off his face, going down like he'd been shot. So now he's got this huge puffy face with one eye swollen shut, all of it captured on video by his brother and is now on Youtube. A couple days later he was going door to door selling stuff for his baseball team and was attacked by a dog that came running out the front door when it opened and clamped onto his forearm. Incredibly, he stayed calm, got (kicked)the dog off and asked the owner for a bandage or something since now blood was running down his arm. The wonderful gentleman said "I don't got one" and closed the door. That was kind of a bad week for him.
Worst thing for a kid sometimes turns out to be the best thing...
At 12 or 13, playing in a local PONY league game, Jr. was a little full of himself and at a bit of a rebellious age. There was a bad call at 1st and he felt it necessary to tell the ump all about how he missed the call. Not in a real respectable manner either. His coach pulled him out of the game and they played the last inning with two outfielders. They lost. Coach explained to my son and the rest of the team why he pulled him out, that it was a team sport, and my son not only let himself down but his entire team. I stood and listened to this lecture and wholeheartedly agreed with the coach. Jr. learned a lot that day.
At 12 or 13, playing in a local PONY league game, Jr. was a little full of himself and at a bit of a rebellious age. There was a bad call at 1st and he felt it necessary to tell the ump all about how he missed the call. Not in a real respectable manner either. His coach pulled him out of the game and they played the last inning with two outfielders. They lost. Coach explained to my son and the rest of the team why he pulled him out, that it was a team sport, and my son not only let himself down but his entire team. I stood and listened to this lecture and wholeheartedly agreed with the coach. Jr. learned a lot that day.
Son was 10 years old playing majors in LL. He was the lead off batter and took a fastball to the forehead. Forehead had a knot like a baseball right between the eyes and we spent the next five hours in the ER. Later he said he thought it was a curveball. He missed two games, and when he returned, he stepped in the box and acted like nothing ever happened. I was proud of him and amazed he didn't step in the bucket.
My son, a catcher played on a summer team where the HC and pitching coach told him he was not allowed to talk to the pitchers during games or in the bullpen after his first week on the team. It was downhill from there....
Think my son was 9...we were playing in a Summer Tournament. He's on SS.
Hard ball ground ball comes right at him. He comes to hit, gets ready to field it, and it takes a nasty hop right into his mouth. He runs around, finds the ball and tried to throw the runner out.
He's fighting back tears, tells me and the other coaches he's fine.
3rd base for the other team says "That's they way to keep your nose on it kid..." He smiled when the coach said that.
So a few minutes later, play resumes. He's still on SS..he keeps messing with his mouth, his throwing hand is constantly doing something between pitches. So finally one of my coaches yells..
"You okay?"
The kid yells back, slightly muffled since his hand was IN his mouth...
"yestth...my tooof is loose and trying to pull it out.."
Play stopped for 5 minutes while both coaching staffs, the parents who heard it and the Umps tried to stop laughing.
Hard ball ground ball comes right at him. He comes to hit, gets ready to field it, and it takes a nasty hop right into his mouth. He runs around, finds the ball and tried to throw the runner out.
He's fighting back tears, tells me and the other coaches he's fine.
3rd base for the other team says "That's they way to keep your nose on it kid..." He smiled when the coach said that.
So a few minutes later, play resumes. He's still on SS..he keeps messing with his mouth, his throwing hand is constantly doing something between pitches. So finally one of my coaches yells..
"You okay?"
The kid yells back, slightly muffled since his hand was IN his mouth...
"yestth...my tooof is loose and trying to pull it out.."
Play stopped for 5 minutes while both coaching staffs, the parents who heard it and the Umps tried to stop laughing.
My 13yo son picked up a reputation for toughness back in t-ball.
He was playing SS and took a bouncing grounder off of his nose. (Love those "safety" rubber balls)Blood was just pouring out of his nose, but he still chased down the ball and tried to get the out at first.
Seeing the blood, the umpire (12 years old and probably quite freaked out)called time. My son was just standing at SS, "baseball ready", blood starting to soak the front of his jersey.
Finally the coach jogged out on the field. I could see him apparently having an argument with my son. He reached down and tried to take my son by the arm to take him off the field. My son promptly pulled his arm back and yelled loud enough for all in attendance to hear, "I'm not a pansy like YOUR son!" I then walked out on the field myself, and had to pick him up and carry him off kicking and screaming.
Since then he has been his in the face with a thrown bat when he went after a dribbler up the line as a catcher in coach pitch ball; (another bloody nose)Crashed full speed into a fence chasing a popup - also as a coach pitch catcher. (another bloody nose); got run over at the plate by a kid 50 pounds heavier than him (another bloody nose); and got hit in the face by the throw when he was stealing 3rd. (yes - another bloody nose). After that last one he came into the dugout for ice and yelled, "Why is it always my nose!!??"
He was playing SS and took a bouncing grounder off of his nose. (Love those "safety" rubber balls)Blood was just pouring out of his nose, but he still chased down the ball and tried to get the out at first.
Seeing the blood, the umpire (12 years old and probably quite freaked out)called time. My son was just standing at SS, "baseball ready", blood starting to soak the front of his jersey.
Finally the coach jogged out on the field. I could see him apparently having an argument with my son. He reached down and tried to take my son by the arm to take him off the field. My son promptly pulled his arm back and yelled loud enough for all in attendance to hear, "I'm not a pansy like YOUR son!" I then walked out on the field myself, and had to pick him up and carry him off kicking and screaming.
Since then he has been his in the face with a thrown bat when he went after a dribbler up the line as a catcher in coach pitch ball; (another bloody nose)Crashed full speed into a fence chasing a popup - also as a coach pitch catcher. (another bloody nose); got run over at the plate by a kid 50 pounds heavier than him (another bloody nose); and got hit in the face by the throw when he was stealing 3rd. (yes - another bloody nose). After that last one he came into the dugout for ice and yelled, "Why is it always my nose!!??"
I have two.
Son is 10 years old playing up in senior league. (12-13)He makes the All Star team and is at first warming up. Coach is hitting grounders to the infiedlers and fly balls to the out fielders. He hits a grounder to the left of first. My son is chasing it eye on the ball. Coach breaks his cardinal rule and attempts to hit a fly ball to left before son retrieves the grounder. Long story short it is not a fly ball but a line drive directly into the cheek of my son. He does not start the game while the squad looks at him. Nothing broken, just got his bell rung (didn't worry so much about concussions then.) Went out to play the rest of the game in center field.
Son is now 17 getting ready to go to college and playing travel ball with his 18U team. His mother and I could not be at the tournament. It was an hour and a half away so we let him drive himself and a friend. I come home from work and about and hour later he comes home. Ask him how the day went. He said he only played in the first inning of the first game. (10:00 am) He had been in the out field and he and the centerfielder were charging a ball. Both dived for the ball and collided. His back hurt too much for him to play the rest of the day. He watched his team from the dug out till the last game and had his friend drive him home. Says he is going to take a hot bath and lay down. Comes out a few minutes later and asks "Does it mean anything if there is blood in my urine?" So it is off to the hospital. Imaging shows that he has a level 4 lacerated kidney. if it was a level 5, the Doctor said he would not have been allowed to play baseball again. So he spends the next 4 days in the hospital and his last summer of travel ball is over.
Son is 10 years old playing up in senior league. (12-13)He makes the All Star team and is at first warming up. Coach is hitting grounders to the infiedlers and fly balls to the out fielders. He hits a grounder to the left of first. My son is chasing it eye on the ball. Coach breaks his cardinal rule and attempts to hit a fly ball to left before son retrieves the grounder. Long story short it is not a fly ball but a line drive directly into the cheek of my son. He does not start the game while the squad looks at him. Nothing broken, just got his bell rung (didn't worry so much about concussions then.) Went out to play the rest of the game in center field.
Son is now 17 getting ready to go to college and playing travel ball with his 18U team. His mother and I could not be at the tournament. It was an hour and a half away so we let him drive himself and a friend. I come home from work and about and hour later he comes home. Ask him how the day went. He said he only played in the first inning of the first game. (10:00 am) He had been in the out field and he and the centerfielder were charging a ball. Both dived for the ball and collided. His back hurt too much for him to play the rest of the day. He watched his team from the dug out till the last game and had his friend drive him home. Says he is going to take a hot bath and lay down. Comes out a few minutes later and asks "Does it mean anything if there is blood in my urine?" So it is off to the hospital. Imaging shows that he has a level 4 lacerated kidney. if it was a level 5, the Doctor said he would not have been allowed to play baseball again. So he spends the next 4 days in the hospital and his last summer of travel ball is over.
He's learned to deal with adversity. Could be worse.
Yes could have been much worse. Just happy it occured early enough that he was able to be ready for Fall Ball with his college.
Sorry, guess I should've been more specific. My son learned to deal with adversity, it could have been worse.
Kind of dumb of me to not realize how it would be taken coming right after your post.
Kind of dumb of me to not realize how it would be taken coming right after your post.