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The best line....

quote:
If players are unhappy, they always have the option to quit...


The article does not address all issues.

Are they comparing the HS coach to another coach maybe the summer coach.

Is it a group of the "studs" and their over-bearing parents who are using pressure to show unity.

You just don't pull a great coach out of a hat and pay him nothing.

How many of the spokesmans Dads have personal issues with the coach

Don't bring me problems, bring me solutions. If these kids wanted to make a point they would have taken the practices to the next level after the official school practice with a Captains practice. That would have raised some eyebrows. Instead, I'll bet some Dad was in the background of involving the media.
Last edited by rz1
Wow. Let me ask this. Do most HS baseball programs provide a written "expectation" letter to parents/players? IE - such items as addressing if you go on spring break vacation - don't come out for baseball/you sit games etc? A set of disciplinary issues for coach disrespect? A never call/email/discuss playing time with coach? Being late for practice etc? Consequences for that? Do most HS programs spell this out in writing? I think it could prevent some problems from even arising if it was all laid out up front. We had a player miss three games for Spring Break and had to sit three games. The dad went nuts on the coaching staff. Spelling the stuff up front sure would have helped. So, do most programs have a meeting with parents/players before season to lay out the programs rules/expectations?
Anybody ever seen the Caine Mutiny with Humprey Bogart? How about Mutiny on the Bounty with Marlin Brando? How about the Spoiled Backstabbers? Ooops, sorry they haven't made that movie yet as it is still a real life drama.

Seriously, time to rebuild the program imho. It sounds like their main complaint is that the coach is not preparing them for the next level (boo hoo). For those that want that, tell them to start working out now with their summer coaches and that their services are no longer necessary. Time to get rid of all the drama queens.

Get all the JV guys and freshmen (and those currently on varsity who are not revolting) in a room and tell them it's us against the world. Tell them that this is high school baseball and not the next level. They need to send some messages there and get some new blood in the program. Find guys who are hungry and appreciate high school baseball. I have a hunch they'll still be able to field a team.
Interesting, I hadn't heard about this, even though I live about 1 1/2 hours from Clear Lake. It is not known as a hot bed of baseball talent, not by any stretch of the inagination. Clear Lake is a rural, mostly agricultural and tourism based area comprised of small communities around the lake. I can't imagine them getting anyone who'd be a really good baseball coach, except by pure luck. I can't imagine anyone wanting to go into that situation now.

On the other hand, Woody has it right, go fishing. Clear Lake has some of the best largemouth bass fishing in the western US.
This is a perplexing situation.

Clear Lake High School has an enrollment (coed) of 470. The baseball varsity has 12 players in total, with three of them having the last name of Edwards. According to the article, only 2 of the 12 players didn't particpate in the session with the reporter. The team has 3 captains, 2 of which are quoted. Two pitchers have logged 65 innings, while 4 others have shared 25 innings. The two workhorse pitchers are quoted in the article. Those two are also the number 1 (shortstop, too) and 3 best hitters; number 2 is the player who was dismissed for "taking one more step", and then apparently invited back on the team. The won/loss record is currently 11-5.

I don't have any idea of what is going on, but pretty surely it isn't a case of players who are disgruntled with their playing time.
I wish I could go out there and take their coaches spot for the rest of the year. Maybe I could give them some of those tough practices they are yearning for and whip their ***'s into shape? I wonder how long I would last before they went back to the press? Maybe I would then go to the press and tell the reporters the reason they were crying is their all a bunch of _________!

I wonder how they would like that?
quote:
All I have to say is some of you are real Hypocrites on this site!

All I have read on this board for years is how our "young men" need to man up and stand up to their coaches and blah blah blah and when some finally do......WHAMO!
On this site you have seen posts saying players should handle their own situations, not parents.

Going to the media isn't handling the situation. It's cowardice. Many in the media are clueless. They love these kinds of stories. They'll side with the whiners.

If the players had any balls at all the process should have been 1) coach, 2) AD, then 3) school board. But I'll bet there's more to this story and the players needed an ally.

If the coach is smart he'll remove the cancer, call up some JV players and start building for the future. His other option is show these players the toughest practices they've ever seen in their lives seven says a week, let them quit and bring up JV players.

Why do I think this is a weak team where the players want to blame the coach for losing?
.

I think it is only fair to leave open the real possibility that the coach is the problem.

The community of Lakeport, CA knows what is going on. It's tough to hide the truth in a small town.

If the players are wrong then the coach will win. If the coach is wrong then, in fairness, the players will win.

If you can RJM, please keep us posted on the development of this story. Thanks.




Oh by the way...



06catcherdad is right!




.
Last edited by gotwood4sale
quote:
Originally posted by RJM:
If the players had any balls at all the process should have been 1) coach, 2) AD, then 3) school board. But I'll bet there's more to this story and the players needed an ally.


Sounds like they do need an ally and what is wrong with that? Looks like everything is stack up against them....

"Bryan Edwards said players attempted to work out issues they had with the quality of team practices a year ago, but nothing came of it.

"We were tired of it (last year), so we sat down with them (coaches) for an hour in that building right behind you (a portable located on the asphalt that separates the school's gym from the baseball field) for an hour and a half and talked about what we needed to do to improve. They laughed at us. We convinced them to do some things ... we did it for one practice and that was it.""


""I wrote a letter (to the athletic director) that 33 people signed. They (school administrators) didn't do anything," senior pitcher Bryan Edwards said. "


Looks like they tried to address it the year before and nothing was done.


Also, please point out where you KNOW a parent is behind all of this?

I see no indication of that.....

If the parent instructs the player to go talk to the coach, is the parent "handling" the problem?
Last edited by dw8man
quote:
Don't bring me problems, bring me solutions. If these kids wanted to make a point they would have taken the practices to the next level after the official school practice with a Captains practice.


Taking practices to the next level not the answer. Practicing on school grounds after the coaches are gone open up liability issues and potential lawsuits if somebody gets hurt.

Besides, after practice, these players have to get home and start homework. They can't be searching for extra practices to make up for a lack of practicing during their baseball time with their HS coaches. HS coaches typically get these kids three hours a day six days a week during baseball season. They should be able to put together some tough and productive practices in that time.

The players in this situation probably have a legitimate beef. Going the the media might not be the best way to handle the situation because the media feeds off this stuff. However the question is did these kids run out of people in the system who would hear them and had no other choice to get their voice heard by going to the press. If they had nowhere else to turn to, then I don't see the problem going to the media. If they went straight to the media without first trying to settle it in-house, then that wasn't the way to go about it.

If the players feel strongly about what's going on and they've been to the AD, principlal and the BOE and they're turning a deaf ear, they do need an advocate if they got a bad situation with a HC. If the entire program is in agreement that there's something wrong and it has been going on for some time, then a change is needed.
Last edited by zombywoof
I would get Biblical with the team....as in Old Testament.

I would also probably have alot of Freshman and Sophomore starters the rest of the season...at least some of the players would be happy.

Coach isn't blameless but this is crazy. The players parents are also crazy if they told the kids to pursue this course of action as a way for the players to handle it.
quote:
I would also probably have alot of Freshman and Sophomore starters the rest of the season...at least some of the players would be happy.


That's only a bandaid fix for a couple of games if there is a legitimate coaching problem. These freshman and sophomores will fall in the same path as soon as they get settled in. This will not fix the problem.
quote:
Originally posted by TRhit:
Simply said---the players do not need to go to the media---take care of it in house--after school not between classes


And if no one will listen? What do they do? Quit? Suck it up? Get over it?

I am just interested to hear what they should have done. Let's remember they only have a very limited time AND they are wanting the changes for themselves not future players.

BTW... I am not saying I agree with what they did. I find it tragic they felt they had to do what they did and a solution wasn't found before it came to this.
quote:
Interesting, I hadn't heard about this, even though I live about 1 1/2 hours from Clear Lake. It is not known as a hot bed of baseball talent, not by any stretch of the inagination. Clear Lake is a rural, mostly agricultural and tourism based area comprised of small communities around the lake. I can't imagine them getting anyone who'd be a really good baseball coach, except by pure luck. I can't imagine anyone wanting to go into that situation now.


quote:
This is a perplexing situation.

Clear Lake High School has an enrollment (coed) of 470. The baseball varsity has 12 players in total, with three of them having the last name of Edwards. According to the article, only 2 of the 12 players didn't particpate in the session with the reporter. The team has 3 captains, 2 of which are quoted. Two pitchers have logged 65 innings, while 4 others have shared 25 innings. The two workhorse pitchers are quoted in the article. Those two are also the number 1 (shortstop, too) and 3 best hitters; number 2 is the player who was dismissed for "taking one more step", and then apparently invited back on the team. The won/loss record is currently 11-5.

I don't have any idea of what is going on, but pretty surely it isn't a case of players who are disgruntled with their playing time.


Both of these quotes are from 06catcherdad and 3fingeredglove and to me they both make me think that this coach must be doing something right. If it's not a hotbed of baseball talent and they are 11 - 5 right now then something good must be going on in practice.

Are these a bunch of spoiled kids......I have no idea.

Are these kids right in their complaints.....I have no idea.

Is this guy a bad coach......I have no idea.

Is this guy a good coach......I have no idea.

Is there more to this story.....I would say that this is a good bet. Typically the standard action taken by schools and school personnel when the media is brought in is "Keep your mouth shut". All we have really seen in the article is from the player's POV and that's it.

Now the way I'm leaning is that the coach probably has some fault to take in the situation but I think overall these kids (and probably parents because that's how it usually works) are at fault. They are griping and complaining about something that probably doesn't matter.

Overall they may want to watch what they wish for. As 06catcherdad said - why would any real coach take this job???? They may get a new coach but he could be lead them to a 5 - 11 record next year.
quote:
Sounds like they do need an ally and what is wrong with that? Looks like everything is stack up against them....
I'll bet all my chips there's a lot to the story not in the paper. I'll provide another example. If the parents at my son's high school program had a vote the coach would easily be voted off the island, probably without a boat to depart. I was discussing the perceived problems with a parent. We went through each player/parent individually. The reality is there aren't anywhere near enough legitimate individual situations. The AD would tell the parents to take a hike. What happens is a handful of situations smoulder until every parent thinks there's a huge problem when there isn't. There's just bs that should be dealt with.
Last edited by RJM
quote:
Now the way I'm leaning is that the coach probably has some fault to take in the situation but I think overall these kids (and probably parents because that's how it usually works) are at fault. They are griping and complaining about something that probably doesn't matter.
There were probably some coaching decisions The Jury (rec ball coach/parents) on the sidelines didn't agree with. Some kid whines to his baseball know it all dad and the fire breaks out on the sidelines/stands. The parents make it worse by fanning the flames with their player/son. I don't agree with plenty of decisions my son's coach makes. But he's the coach. I won't second guess the coach behind his back with my son. I do it far down the outfield line with another dad, and it stays there.
Last edited by RJM
If the kids want to play baseball at the next level, it takes a lot more than high school baseball do to so anyway. They need to learn to handle themselves as adults. I don't mean this in discussing how they deal with communicating their problems, but with how they respond to adversity. If they don't like the way things are run because it isn't beneficial to themselves, then they should change things that they are capable of changing in order to reap that benefit.

My high school coach was miserable and I will never speak to him ever again. He did nothing to help me progress in my baseball life and I will never consider him a person I have respect for with anything. All that aside, I sucked it up and I played baseball all throughout high school for him, to the best of my ability, and then I moved on. I am playing ball in college and looking back, I feel as though I handled the obstacles I faced well.

These kids just need to understand that getting a new coach won't get them what they want. They need to get themselves what they want
We have a similiar situation in my small rural town, only its worse because the coach is also the summer coach so if you want to play baseball and not drive some 6 hours you've got to play for him.

In 6 years he's never had a winning season (HS or Summer) and he's had total authority to develop players both during the HS season and during the summer. He has a high injury rate from over throwing pitchers (currently top 2 out for season) and having higher than normal risk factors in plays due to numerous errors and lack of fundamentals. Bad throws, bad fielding, bad slides, lack of communication on fly balls, that sort of thing.

About the time a boy starts turning into a young man and is able to physically compete on a HS varsity size level, well they either quit during the season or decide to take up lacrosse. Lost 7 multi-sport lettermen this year alone which further risks those that remain on a team that is filled out with 130 lb freshmen. For instance, on about the 10th bad throw to first base the 1st baseman tore his hamstring tendon (out for 6 to 8 weeks) having to make yet another great stretching save to complete the play.

The coach is a good fellow, he'd dedicated and he loves the game but he struggles in teaching the game and keeping the young men interested and enthusiastic at about the time they get good enough to be able to take pride in their game and be reasonably competitive in our pretty poor league.

3 hours a day plus (often) 12 or more hour Saturdays (travel time) is a tremendous time requirement of a HSer and about the time they reach their junior year they start thinking their time can be used better elsewhere. They leave the program in droves.

However, there are few performance standards placed on HS coaches. Injury rates requiring medical attention are not tracked nor is team player retention. Just don't smoke, don't drink, don't leave the school door unlocked and you're pretty much assured of a position for as long as you want it.
First off, Harv, I'll come coach, find me a condo.

One thing I am sure of on this string is there is missing info. First impression is the kids want more and they are not getting it. AD is old football coach who left becuase of parents, but stayed as AD, not sure that makes sense. Not sure how many coaches, HC may be it at that size school. Lots of questions, no real answers.
Let the players decide who the coach should be and how he should coach the team. And then when the new guy comes in the players can let him know what the guidelines are for him. And then they can let him know what is required of him and what the consequences will be if he doesnt do as they say.

"My son would have if his coach didnt suk so bad when he was in HS." "My son could have but his HS coach was a clown and didn't develop his players." "My son would have but his HS coach destroyed his love of the game."

Let me tell you and you can believe this or not. A kid that wants it will find a way. A kid that wants it will do what he has to do to get it. A kid that wants it will not allow anyone or anything to deter him from his goals. No one can stop kids from doing the things they love or stop them from trying to find ways to reach their goals. If people think that 3 or 4 months out of the year "the hs season" is going to be the difference maker for a kid wanting to continue his baseball career they are wrong.

There are many kids out there who have a tough hs baseball situation. Some use it as an excuse and some overcome it and use the other 8 months out of the year to DEVELOP themselves. These players say they went to the coach. They coach didnt listen to them. Ok deal with it. But thats just me.

I can tell you I believe I offered kids a great hs experience. But not one player I ever coached got anything because of me. They got it because they wanted it and they were driven to work in the off season to develop themselves. During the hs season your focus is on developing a team and working on the team aspects of the game. There is very little time for individual player development. And for those that think your son going to college is going to get constant individual time with the college coaches your sadly mistaken. The players that want it and are willing to work for it are spending those other 8 months developing themselves. If they are waiting on the 3 or 4 month hs season for a coach to develop them then that tells me all I need to know.

I can also tell you this the players I have had that have moved on in the game would not have allowed me to stop them. If they didnt think they were getting enough swings they would have got them after practice somehow. If they didnt think they were getting enough gb's they would have found a way to get them. If they thought then needed some more instruction or better instruction they would have gotten it. The fact is the players that have moved on in the game that I have coached were always the first ones to practice and the last ones to leave. The first ones to get in extra swings and extra gb's. The first ones to ask for more instruction more work anything they could get from anyone that was willing to do it. And the very last ones to ever look for a freakin excuse for anything.

For anyone out there: If your waiting and looking for someone else to do it for you your done past hs. If your talented enough to get to the next level with this mindset you wont be there very long once you get there. Do you think there are bad coaches at the college level? Or do you think because a guy coaches in college he automatically knows his stuff and knows how to coach the game? What does a player do then? The same thing he did before he got there.

Go ahead and put your faith in someone else to determine your fate in this game. Go ahead and put your future , your development in the hands of someone else. And then hope it works out and when it doesnt you can be one of those could have , would have , should have people. And you can come on here and start another thread about how some coach took it all away from you.

My son got what he got so far in this game because he was determined to get what he wanted to get. He was determined to do what he needed to do. And what he gets in the future will be determined by how bad he wants it , how hard he is willing to work to get it and how good he actually is. It will not be determined by the coaches no matter how good or bad they might be now or in the future. Thats a cop out. It sounds good for those that want to use it. But in the end is as hollow as a old rotten log.

So everyone has an opinion. And everyone has a right to their opinion. And our opinions are based on our own personal experiences. So in my opinion we have a bunch of soft spoiled brats that are looking to use the coach as an excuse. And even if this coach is a total clown the results are still the same when you use him or anything else as an excuse.

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