CaDad
We are talking about 00's kid here---if the boy wants his long hair more than the team then I draw the conclusion that he does not have the desire to play baseball any longer---not all kids are like our kids with a burning desire for the game---that does not make him a bad kid--I respect him for standing up for what he wants---with his grades and apparent intellect he will be fine as he goes down the road--perhaps all his efforts now will be channeled into his academic drive
I went looking for a job when I was about 15, and I ended up at a Drive-in restaurant talking to the owner/manager of the Drive-in about if there was an opening.
He took one look at me with my long stringy hair and Said,
You get a Hair-Cut and come back and talk to me.
Well he figured that would be the last he saw of me.
I got a hair-cut that night, and showed up the next day.
Told the owner I got my hair-cut.
Well he had to give me the job after that.
And he shared the ingrediant's to his secret fry sauce.
Don't let Pride get in the way of oppurtuinity's.
EH
EH
He took one look at me with my long stringy hair and Said,
You get a Hair-Cut and come back and talk to me.
Well he figured that would be the last he saw of me.
I got a hair-cut that night, and showed up the next day.
Told the owner I got my hair-cut.
Well he had to give me the job after that.
And he shared the ingrediant's to his secret fry sauce.
Don't let Pride get in the way of oppurtuinity's.
EH
EH
Baseball coaches are sticklers for presentation. If you wear your uniform incorrectly then that is considered a bad image. Things like this can get a player cut.
My step-son is now a freshman (made JV this week) and used to have long hair. I had asked the head coach about it and was told "I can't make them get a hair cut but they get the message very quickly. They always ask why they are always running then I let them know."
I told my step-son about this a few times. Starting last summer he started to get his hair cut shorter and shorter then shorter. He knew it was coming for a few years and made the decision and he has no regrets.
It doesn't matter who you are, eventually you will have to sacrifice something to reach your dreams. I admire the player for not letting someone force him to make a decision but if you are inflexible in making changes eventually that inflexibility will become an obstacle to achieve success (IMHO).
My step-son is now a freshman (made JV this week) and used to have long hair. I had asked the head coach about it and was told "I can't make them get a hair cut but they get the message very quickly. They always ask why they are always running then I let them know."
I told my step-son about this a few times. Starting last summer he started to get his hair cut shorter and shorter then shorter. He knew it was coming for a few years and made the decision and he has no regrets.
It doesn't matter who you are, eventually you will have to sacrifice something to reach your dreams. I admire the player for not letting someone force him to make a decision but if you are inflexible in making changes eventually that inflexibility will become an obstacle to achieve success (IMHO).
Why are you, Daingean, asking a coach about hair length ???
I was told by someone about that. One of his trainers asked me "Will Coach ***XX let him play with hair this long?" I was coaching the feeder team at the time (13u) so I asked him. The trainer had coached with the HS coach at one point.
TR,
We change direction all the time within threads. I'm talking about a kid with virtually the same issues. He's a very intelligent kid who simply realized that given his talent he didn't have to suffer fools gladly and after being told "my way or the highway" once too often he chose the highway.
Yet he still wants to play baseball very much and works very hard at it. Fortunately, for him despite being a bit undersized and not having a ton of projectability he was correct in his assessment of his abilities and is still playing baseball at a fairly high level.
We change direction all the time within threads. I'm talking about a kid with virtually the same issues. He's a very intelligent kid who simply realized that given his talent he didn't have to suffer fools gladly and after being told "my way or the highway" once too often he chose the highway.
Yet he still wants to play baseball very much and works very hard at it. Fortunately, for him despite being a bit undersized and not having a ton of projectability he was correct in his assessment of his abilities and is still playing baseball at a fairly high level.
CAdad
There is a huge difference--the player you speak of has a desire to play the game---at this point the boy in 00's posts does not
There is a huge difference--the player you speak of has a desire to play the game---at this point the boy in 00's posts does not
It's too bad for the player that his Dad came here about this dilemma and is now posting pictures of racist baseball teams. None of the unbelievable stats (both academic and baseball) make any difference as now no one wants him on their team. His posting has backfired on his son. Might be ok though because if the academic stuff is true, he's destined for success outside of baseball anyway which may be exactly what he wants in the first place.
Sounds like he's going to continue to play the game and is going to try to walk on in college. He probably doesn't realize how tough it can be to walk on and make a college team, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a desire to play the game. I brought this other kid up because of Coach May's pronouncements and all the ones who jumped on the bandwagon. I was hoping he'd stand behind what he said previously and say the same things about another extremely intelligent kid who quit rather than knuckle under to his HS coach.
BTW, overall I think we've got the same advice for the dad. I do think the kid should cut his hair, but if he doesn't want to then let him face the consequences.
BTW, overall I think we've got the same advice for the dad. I do think the kid should cut his hair, but if he doesn't want to then let him face the consequences.
I agree CADad. How bad do you want to play? Bad enough to do something you dont want to do? Bad enough to do something you dont agree with? Bad enough to sacrifice something you dont think you should have to sacrifice?
We all that have kids in college playing baseball understand the sacrifices that they have to make just to be in the program. We also understand the amount of hard work , dedication and desire it takes too.
If he really wants to play he should cut his hair and play. If he is unwilling to cut his hair to play he simply does not want to play badly enough. And it is very likely if he continues to have this same attitude he will not play in college. But I wish him well. But Dad needs to understand his ability as a player has absolutely nothing to do with this. Exceptions to rules do not apply based on ability. Health reasons , academic reasons , of course.
We all that have kids in college playing baseball understand the sacrifices that they have to make just to be in the program. We also understand the amount of hard work , dedication and desire it takes too.
If he really wants to play he should cut his hair and play. If he is unwilling to cut his hair to play he simply does not want to play badly enough. And it is very likely if he continues to have this same attitude he will not play in college. But I wish him well. But Dad needs to understand his ability as a player has absolutely nothing to do with this. Exceptions to rules do not apply based on ability. Health reasons , academic reasons , of course.
Coach May,
The kid I'm talking about, who quit his HS team rather than knuckle under to his coach is not only playing college baseball, but he was one of the best players in college baseball last season. I guess his ability as a player had something to do with it. He was the one that quit. From the accounts I've heard the HS coach would have given in because he was possibly the most dominant pitcher in HS baseball as a junior.
The kid I'm talking about, who quit his HS team rather than knuckle under to his coach is not only playing college baseball, but he was one of the best players in college baseball last season. I guess his ability as a player had something to do with it. He was the one that quit. From the accounts I've heard the HS coach would have given in because he was possibly the most dominant pitcher in HS baseball as a junior.
Is that it, is that what it's all about these days, parents want coaches to go against their rules because there should be exceptions to their rules?
Isn't the reason they have rules is so that they can keep order, not show favoritism and let the team take care of business without distractions?
Isn't the reason they have rules is so that they can keep order, not show favoritism and let the team take care of business without distractions?
My post was about the other kid in question. As soon as you start making exceptions because a kid is really good your done as a coach. You might as well throw out all the rules and let the players coach the team.
I am glad its worked for this other player. I have no idea what the circumstances were that caused him to quit. Maybe his coach was a total clown I dont know.
I am glad its worked for this other player. I have no idea what the circumstances were that caused him to quit. Maybe his coach was a total clown I dont know.
quote:Originally posted by Coach_May:
We all that have kids in college playing baseball understand the sacrifices that they have to make just to be in the program. We also understand the amount of hard work , dedication and desire it takes too.
It is very unlikely this kid could ever play in college. He doesn't have the ability to identify sacrifice. Should he somehow make a college team, something else individual will come up that he deems he must stand up to. And that would be that.
I doubt that the coach was a total clown. He's had some very successful teams. In fact, the kid told me about an incident that seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back and I thought the coach was technically in the right in that particular instance. I'm only going from what the kid told me and what I've heard but I think it was simply a kid who had become very successful doing it his own way and a coach who was trying to exert authority who was telling him he couldn't keep doing what was working so well. The kid is extremely intelligent and had developed himself into a top talent through hard work and dedication to a program he believed in and wasn't going to change. The coach kept using the "my way or the highway" ploy and the kid called his bluff.
To be honest I can't fault the coach or the kid in this particular situation. I just wanted to bring out the point that we tend to make some overly strong assumptions about kids and coaches based on our personal biases. I'm certainly as guilty of that as the next person.
To be honest I can't fault the coach or the kid in this particular situation. I just wanted to bring out the point that we tend to make some overly strong assumptions about kids and coaches based on our personal biases. I'm certainly as guilty of that as the next person.
quote:Originally posted by CADad:
...but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a desire to play the game.
I have the desire to be the ruler of the free world
rz1,
You have to learn to think big. Why stop with the free world?
How do you know the kid doesn't have the passion and commitment to go for it through another path than HS baseball? If I had to bet on it I'd say he probably doesn't care about baseball enough but given a choice I'd never put my money on the line based on this little information.
You have to learn to think big. Why stop with the free world?
How do you know the kid doesn't have the passion and commitment to go for it through another path than HS baseball? If I had to bet on it I'd say he probably doesn't care about baseball enough but given a choice I'd never put my money on the line based on this little information.
quote:Originally posted by CADad:
rz1,
You have to learn to think big. Why stop with the free world?
It's the smorgasbord theory where you go through the line and pick out what tastes good and pass on what gives you indigestion
How do you know the kid doesn't have the passion and commitment to go for it through another path than HS baseball?
You're right I don't have all the particulars and there are exceptions to every rule. I think that mentality can be carried through every topic on this site. With forums it is a good idea to flesh out the data you're given and then draw your opinion. Opinions are just that, answers with different angles.
quote:He says he will get an academic scholarship any way so he won't cave. Plus has travel ball anyway.
Opinions?
Go play travel ball.
High School baseball is not a right, it is a privilege.
I have seen more and more parents run to the A.D or school board because the sports coach made little Johnny do something that he didn't want to do.
I don't know how much it has affected other areas, but here in the Bay Area, we are seeing a lot more ads for coaches in all sports. There was a time, not to long ago, someone would have to retire or die for an opening. Now with dealing with all the "me" generation parents, it isn't worth the little amount of money and the way to much time to coach H.S. sports.
Most of the old H.S. coaches are now turning to travel ball where if a player doesn't go by the rules, they dump them and go to the waiting list for another player.
Having "talent" can sometimes be a players worst enemy, they have heard it so much, they start to think they don't have to follow the rules.
I have seen more and more parents run to the A.D or school board because the sports coach made little Johnny do something that he didn't want to do.
I don't know how much it has affected other areas, but here in the Bay Area, we are seeing a lot more ads for coaches in all sports. There was a time, not to long ago, someone would have to retire or die for an opening. Now with dealing with all the "me" generation parents, it isn't worth the little amount of money and the way to much time to coach H.S. sports.
Most of the old H.S. coaches are now turning to travel ball where if a player doesn't go by the rules, they dump them and go to the waiting list for another player.
Having "talent" can sometimes be a players worst enemy, they have heard it so much, they start to think they don't have to follow the rules.