Missing baseball games for out of season sports

Communication and consistency are very important.  Leverage can be a wildcard. There are many here who will say full commitment in-season is required.  But sometimes school size and environment factor in.   We have a fairly small school with kids who tend to be quite involved in multiple sports and activities. So, it took a while to build a culture where there is sufficient commitment for a successful program, particularly since we play almost exclusively against much larger schools.  Still, there are occasions where a music recital or such conflicts and we have to work toward resolution.  It is understood that anything less than full commitment in-season is subject to consequences.  Commitment requirements are spelled out before rosters are chosen and any anticipated issues are discussed at that time.   If a game is to be missed, someone else will start the next one.  If it is anything more than a rare occurrence, we discuss the need to part ways. 

Are we talking school ball or club ball?  Either way here is how it's handled around here...

School ball -  All coaches expect you to be dedicated to your in season sport. All of them set out the rules before the first practice. In general if you miss a practice for any reason, including sickness or injury, you do not start the next game. If your a starter and if the reason is a legimate reason, sickness, injury, academic, etc. you usually get put into line up pretty quickly. If your not a starter then you'll miss a few minutes of playing time. Most of our coaches are pretty good about recognizing important out of season events.  Things like college coach camp invites, etc.  What they do not care for are out of season things that don't really mean as much.  Things like fitness testing, etc.  Now when it comes to games thats a whole 'nother story.  Miss a game for any reason, you sit the next game.  Even the starters.  Again if your reason is legit then you only punishment is pretty much sitting.  If you don't have a legit reason then your going to be in the doghouse for a while.

Travel / Club - I've posted about our program before.  Its not your typical travel tourney program.  The entire program is based around getting the kids in front of the RC's and scouts.  We played 6 weeks of ball before we played our first traditional tourney.  Every one of those 6 weeks were in front of college guys.  Thus playing time is split evenly amongst everyone playing a position.  If we are missing a player its not devastating to the team.  Its all about getting the kids on the field to be seen.  As such the emphasis is less on winning and more on getting the exposure.  When it comes to missing due to other commitments they are a little more relaxed then a lot of programs.  You are expected to make the team your priority in season.  That said, if you miss a game or practice then you could be missing out on an exposure opportunity.  Part of the program is its all about the kids taking responsibility and their future into their hands.  They leave it up to the kids to decide what is important and what is not.  The kids are expected to weigh the downside of missing an event agains the upside of what they are  missing for.  They do ask the kids to list out conflict days and games prior to the season but they also realize that things come up during the season.  They expect the kids to notify them as soon as possible if they have a conflict.  As long as your not excessive in what you miss they are fairly tolerant.  I have not seen anyone punished for missing yet.  Though the kids are pretty keen to the fact that if they miss they may miss out on an opportunity   I would guess if your prioritizing an out of season sport and missing a lot of stuff then they would drop you from the program the next year.

High school: players don't play regardless of who they are if they miss the practice the day before the game for any reason.

Travel: Players sometimes missed tournaments for individual showcases. It's just more playing time for someone else.

After being the starting point guard on the freshman basketball team my son was cut the following year for not playing in a summer league and missing almost all the fall optional workouts. He had soccer and fall travel baseball. The basketball coach didn't like multi sport players unless they were 6'6"+. His philosophy changed when his son got to high school. I did enjoy one parent yelling at the coach for three years the solution to point guard was sitting in the student section.

So if a very talented hockey player on your baseball team, gets an invite to a USA hockey try out camp on a weekend you play on non conference DH, you tell him he cant go and if he does go he will be benched when he returns?

Or an AAU basketball situation where you have a talented basketball player also playing baseball that has a tourney during baseball games.

I am a huge supporter of multi sport athletes, but am also a huge supporter of in-season sport ALWAYS comes first...

The issue is kids now days, if you do not compromise with them they will just quit and go out for track who will let them miss when needed.  Losing a quality player and kid might not be worth it to not compromise with them.  But at the same time, the program should not take a backseat to any off season activities.  

I am searching for a program/coach who has found a happy medium in working with these athletes that has been effective and is not losing current or future players by having a ridged policy of baseball or benched.

IMO depends on what missing is for. On our summer travel team, which had to cut some good kids for those a little better u need to be all in. If you got a big baseball opportunity and would miss only one game or Maybe one tourn fine.

If your leaving to go to football conditioning which we had several players do it hurts the team. Our fb players were also P and it left us in a bind a few times ESP when we had a few P out w injuries. 

Make a comittment and follow through. If you don't want to play baseball every wk fine, don't play on a Summer team that travels. Save your parents money too. No one person is above the team IMO. 

Thought I addressed that.  Most kids on our team are talented at other sports or other outside interests.  They are all being pulled in different directions all the time.  A reasonable commitment has to be made.  Communication should happen up front.  If there is a special circumstance where you allow a missed commitment date, there is nothing wrong with the trade-off spending a game on the bench to assure the whole team that the rules apply to everyone, not just those less talented.  We had a player last year who wanted to be able to try out for some USA soccer team.  We allowed it but he understood he would sit for the time he missed.  Everyone involved felt it was handled fairly.  It affected the team for both games so both the player and teammates saw the consequences.  It was important enough to him and everyone was on board with it.  It doesn't have to be vindictive.  It's just the rules that everyone is expected to abide by.  Everyone on the team owes each other a certain level of commitment.

Two things come to mind - 1) communication - if I know ahead of time there is a conflict then I can plan around it.  2) why are they missing - there are some legitimate reasons why people need to miss but if you go back to #1 then it helps.

I had a kid come to me once about a month ahead of time about going to a basketball tryout for a college.  He loved basketball and his best sport was basketball but he gave it his all for baseball.  The tryout was on the day of a game.  There was no chance to move the game or the tryout so I let him go.  But since I knew ahead of time I got his back up more reps in practice and played him a little more in games leading up to the the miss.  You got a bench for a reason but you have to keep them involved and use them.  If not then you should have cut them.  Kid missed the game and we lost a heart breaker but I don't think he would have helped us.  He came back and was back in the starting line up.

Life happens to get in the way sometimes and emergencies pop up.  I expect my guys to call / text me ASAP when an emergency pops up.  It goes back to communication.

I'm not big on the whole you miss a practice or game then you have to sit out next game.  I understand why people do this but I'm not going to do it.  That guy missing is the best choice and as long as they have a legit reason to miss and my blessing they can come back nothing held against them.  In 9 years nobody ever complained that this was wrong.

Let's be honest - how often does this happen?  It's rare so why make a big deal out of it - especially if it's something that will help that kid out?  It's a chance to involve more people.  But if it seems to be coming up quite a bit then it's time to have the commitment talk.  If all this other stuff is so important to miss this much practice and games then baseball can't be very important to you.  Pick one.

Now when it comes to missing for other sport teams at school then no - you're not going to miss.  Either that or that coach better be ready to have you miss their sport so you can come take BP or long toss during their season.  This is about respect amongst colleagues