Mike Matheny - not making the HS team...

Not picking on you here, but I never understood the using of the word "cut" in this situation.  Mike and his son did not get cut.  They made the JV team.  When my son was a freshman, he played JV ball.  Not once did we ever say he got cut from the team(varsity).  I guess saying he got cut makes it sound better for motivational purposes.  I think Michael Jordon was the same way.

Well, maybe if my son makes the bigs, he can say he was cut as a sophomore too.

I really like Mike being the manager of the Cardinals, but don't understand his thinking here.

I agree.  IMO, Varsity is for Sr/Jrs.  Underclassmen who can "make it" are exceptional.  Being on JV as a soph. is simply a step in normal development. 

I agree that the son did not get "cut."  Not making varsity at the outset of a season does, in no way, mean that his son will not play varsity at some point this season.  Most HS teams have tryouts with both Varsity and key younger plays attending the varsity practice.  From there, the coach assess what he has and then makes some decisions, not the least of which might be that a player can get more at bats on the JV as opposed to V and so can be ready to make the leap to Varsity later in the season.  This heading by Matheny is really a stretch. 

I see what you guys are saying but, in his defense...

many of those key young players who are regularly attending V practice and have realistic hopes that they may stick will feel, to some extent, like they have been cut when they are assigned to JV.

We have a freshman this year who's goal was to make V since over a year ago and he put in the work and has the talent.  He ended up making it but he certainly would have felt like he "didn't make the team" if he went to JV.  He has a great attitude and would have handled it the right way and fully bought into his JV teammates but it sure would have stung at first.

I'm noticing a lot of time here on this site lately has involved discussions on JV vs V vs not making it at all.

In my experience it ALL depends on your school. Many smaller schools around here have Fresh/soph playing and in most cases not because they r exceptional but because they don't have that many players coming out for team. There r some private schools around here that Do Not put Freshman on JV Or V no matter how good they r. They may put a few exceptional ones on V as a Soph.

The players need to focus on using HS to develop as a player wether it's on JV or V.  We all can agree that Summer ball is where kids r seen for next level. Maybe a few exceptions, but those are rare. 

Agree with you guys on use of the term "cut" even though I used it too.

Didn't think that was the point of the blog post at all though...and not where I anticipated this thread to wander.  I think Mike's other points are good ones and provide a good outlook for players facing the same this Spring.

We often get anxious parents on here who are a little tense over their sons making the varsity as freshmen or sophomores.  I can even admit to some of those my feelings myself years ago.  I thought Mike did a nice job putting it all in perspective.

My son had a shot at varsity as a freshman. He was one of the last two players cut the day before the opening game. He didn't refer to the situation as getting cut. He came home and said he was going to start at short for the JV team. To me, cut is when the player is left without a place to play in the organization.

Agree... I meant to bring it back around to the point of his message but I did a lousy job.

TD,

Matheny's post was awesome and I know why you posted it.

The more I am around higher level athletes, the more convinced I am that many are spun differently when it comes to the mental side, the side which comes out fully, to me, in the Matheny link from justbb. Many of those types of players take slights, or as some post here, not being cut and use and twist  it mentally as being "cut" and being motivated by being "cut."

Last year I attended a local awards banquet.  One who received an award had just won the World Series. His HS coach was in the audience. In a very funny way, he managed to mention how he played SS in the World Series, but got "cut" trying to play that position in HS. His story had the audience in stitches and I could be wrong, but I sensed a very respectful  level of "I told you so" in the presentation.

I cannot remember the last college or Milb player, or former athlete doing motivational presentations,  who told me he was motivated by a great season, great game, memorable hit or anything of that type.  Almost each and everyone points to a negative experience as what motivated them toward the great season, great game, memorable hit. Players like Daniel Nava are just wound differently.

I fully understand why some in this thread would question the word "cut" and why so many who play at the highest level would not understand why some in this thread don't look at the situation as being "cut."

"get to work to prove them wrong", is the theme here. Not moping that the coach took someone who isn't as good as him or a parent looking through rose colored glasses.  

The best athletes are the ones that confront  any challenge, not as a negative but as a learning experience.

Bogus story since the kid will make JV. He didn't get cut.

I agree....he didn't get cut.  If you get cut it's from the program, not a level of the team. a good coach will have a handful of sophomores and a few freshmen play up on Varsity during summer or Fall to see what they can do.  Although I'm sure the player is hopeful at that point, when he gets left down on JV his sophomore year, that isn't being cut.  It's more like the Coach wants him to play more instead of sitting more at the V level.

I tend to think the same way as most who've posted here... Being "cut" means being out of the program, not making JV.  But guys who overachieve... Like Mike Matheny did as a player and now as a manager... might look at things differently and maybe it's a good example to learn from.  Setting your sights 100% on making Varsity, it might be a healthy attitude to see it as the HC cutting you from that roster.  Otherwise, you're going into it as a player content to some extent just to make JV.  I think this is somewhat along the lines of why Cortez burned the ships in the harbor.