We've heard about the best....

I once witnessed at 9U travel softball coach give his entire team Red Bull.

Letting a JV coach talk me into letting my son start a meaningless game on two days rest. He said 'one inning' and I had to threaten to go to the mound in the 5th if he kept ignoring me every time I said somehing to him or the assistant. He called time,called the entire team to the mound and told my kid he was out of the game because because his dad was "whining and belly aching". He was humiliated and I should have said NO from the start to avoid the whole scene.

Critizing something he did in a game - afterwards, in private. It was the wrong thing to do. If he wants my opinion, he will ask.

Once gave my entire 9U travel softball team Red Bull. Just kidding!

I was coaching 11/12 rec basketball. My daughter was the B team point guard. It was the right position for her. But she was having a bad game. After having two passes in a row intercepted for easy layups the other way, I yelled at her, "Next time down the floor throw it out of bounds so we can get back on defense."

Two more times down the court my daughter's eyes welled up so much she couldn't see. She wouldn't touch the ball. She ran off the court and out of the gym. My wife gave me a dirty look and ran after our her. I called time out, went to center court, apologized about my behavior and informed the crowd I would not be coaching the rest of the day. I explained anyone acting as poorly as I did should not be coaching kids. I left. My assistant took over the team for the day.

I nearly intimidated my daughter out of playing basketball. Fortunately she gave me a second chance. She grew and became a much better player. She was in the varsity rotation her soph year as an shooting guard and defensive specialist.

The joke that came out of that day with my daughter and me was, "Dad drank too much coffee that morning."

My worst moment came during a a session of bp when I was throwing to my son. I'm a lousy bp pitcher and my son now laughs about how awful I can be at times. But this moment came years ago when he was about nine.

I was having a terrible time getting in a groove and he was getting impatient. Then I finally threw a couple right over the plate, but by then he wasn't ready because he figured everything would be a ball. My frustration boiled over a little when he took my rare strikes, and it must have shown. He looked at me with surprised and sad eyes, then asked "Dad, are you mad at me?"

I dropped my head in parental shame and finally said, "No son, I'm mad at myself for being such a lousy bp pitcher." I swore to myself in that moment I would never make him wonder if I was mad at him for anything involving baseball.

As an 11 y.o., because of his size, not believing he could become the player he has become.

He didn't find a team until 3 weeks into that summer. His younger brother did. He looked at me with tears and said "Dad, I want to find a team!"

He believed. I didn't. I'll never forget that.

I've done just about every awful thing you can imagine (except Red Bull). I'm glad they still love me.

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From then on,..when he was up to bat,..I made sure I was out in left field!!....wearing a muzzle!!

I behaved, for a time, as did shortstopmom. I was often "sent" to right field or out of the Park until I learned how to properly behave. I can thank my wife and an astute, caring baseball Coach (and good friend) for showing me how to properly support my player .... it served me well as he and I got older.. as we have a terrific relationship and he is still playing!

I will admit, I "was" probably the worst hootin' and hollerin' mom out there. I have learned to tone it down a bit....but, I am still audible on videos!!!

Honestly, the worst is waiting to long before playing on a travel team, fall of his junior year in hs. He has said time and time again that this past summer was the best ever! So, better late than never.

In 13U, I used to say, "C'mon, kid" whenever I had figured out the other coach's signs, when son was at bat. Son would know to sit on the curve when he heard it.

Nothing good came out of that nonsense. Either the 13yo's curve ball wouldn't really break, or it would miss wildly, or I'd have the sign wrong.

Not to mention, conspiring to pick off signals in 13U ball. Bad...bad...bad...

Not having the money needed so that my son could have played on the high profile summer program, traveled to the big time exposure events and doing everything that could have been done so that he had the "big time" opportunity out of high school.

Subjecting my son to a ethically and morally bankrupt HS coach who's only interest was making $$$ and pandering to those who would comply. The first travel team he ever played on I told the boy I would not pay beyond the monthly fees for additional playing time, he would have to earn his reps and stayed the course through HS. 4 years on the varsity the coach had to play him. But the boy paid a heavy price through verbal and pyshcological abuse. Home during the break over dinner he mentioned "This is the first time in 4 years that he was excited about spring baseball". I almost cried.

I had forgotten to pack my son a lunch/snack for between games.....and into the second game he got sick and had a headache from not eating....

and it was my fault....

We are early in our journey but Hot Corner Dad made me remember last summer when I tried to throw bp to him too soon after shoulder surgery. I hit him three times in a row.

More seriously, one night after team practice on the way home I said, "Boy, you hit horribly tonight." Made the little squirt cry. I went in to his room that night to apologize.

This a great thread. Almost like group therapy. "Hello my name is TwoTex, and I'm a crazy baseball parent".

One more mistake I regret. My son asked me to videotape him so he could review his performance after a game. I did it, but forgot that muttering under my breath when he messed up is audible on replay. Sorry!

I sent my son out to pitch three innings with what turned out to be a broken wrist on his glove hand. He was in pain so the catchers' throws went to the SS who handed 4thGen the ball. He even took an at bat. Two days later when he was x-rayed, I felt like the worst father ever.

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Originally posted by twotex:
...I did it, but forgot that muttering under my breath when he messed up is audible on replay. Sorry!

This reminds me of a huge mistake our Coach made back in 12U. He set up a video camera to film all the player's at-bats in the stands one day. It took about an inning and a half for all the parents to forget about the camera and commence with the usual grumbling and griping about everything coach did. He played some of it for me one night - very uncomfortable to listen to.

Too many, too embarassing.

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More seriously, one night after team practice on the way home I said, "Boy, you hit horribly tonight." Made the little squirt cry. I went in to his room that night to apologize.

I never had a problem telling my boy flat-out he s***** tonight. I told him early on the only thing a coach (or dad) owes you is the truth!

I also had no problem hugging him and telling him I loved him.

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Originally posted by CADad:
Too many, too embarassing.

I'm right there with ya...

but one thing I feel regret for, is being too hard on umps. They work for spit for money, they are there because they are trying to do good, and some schmuck likes me doesn't like the fact that his strike zone is inconsistent and starts barking. I'm an idiot.

There are times when I have also been a jerk to umpires. Many times they have deserved it, yet it doesn't make me right.

Not good for the blood pressure either. That said, I have mellowed.

Me ride the umps?

Hey blue, did you lose you cell phone?
No.
Are you sure?
I'm sure.
Hmm. Could have sworn it was yours. It says 10 missed calls.

I walked off the field yelling at my 10 year old son... Told him "how could you do that?" when he made a mental error.

A parent who had a history of horrible parent behavior told me my behavior made him feel better.

My son responded to me (at 10).. "you dont need to tell me when I make an error, I am the first person to know when I make an error"




I never, ever, ever said another negative thing to the kid ever!

I'd have to say that being too critical after games, and not letting the dust settle before opening my Big Mouth...I'm still working on it!

Also...I coached both my kids in recreation and travel sports for many years. I didn't want the other players, or parents for that matter to feel that I was giving my kid(s) any type of favortism...Daddy-Ball. Because of this, I was probably a little tougher on them than I should have been.

For some reason I've been able to mind my manners pretty well for football and baseball but I have acted like a Jack-wagon at basketball games... Wish I could take it back... My youngest is still playing hoops and I'm a lamb now so I guess I learned something

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Originally posted by trojan-skipper:
For some reason I've been able to mind my manners pretty well for football and baseball but I have acted like a Jack-wagon at basketball games... Wish I could take it back... My youngest is still playing hoops and I'm a lamb now so I guess I learned something

I've coached rec and travel basketball. It's much different than coaching baseball. Basketball is an intense high speed chess match. Plus I taught fast break offense and trapping defense which is a very intense thirty-two minutes of hell way to play. I've been told I'm very different coaching basketball (louder, pacing, more intense) than coaching baseball (quiet, sedate ... intense glare is as harsh as it gets).

I'm hoping it will be many years until I'm able to answer this question.

However, today I fear that I have not properly prepared my boys for the inevitible...the day baseball ends.

With college coming up next fall, I've often told him how important it is for him to get that education so that when baseball does come to an end, he'll having something to fall back on.

However, I'm terribly worried about how the emotional aspect of it will go.

Having coached my son in travel ball since he was 9, I have always been tougher on him. He was always the first kid to sit the bench if someone else needed to get innings...until one of my coaches pulled me aside and said "Stop sitting him. You are killing us."

papi by the time that decision rolls around and it does for every player he will be a much different young man than he is today and much more prepared to deal with it. Now I am not sure that could be said for us Dads though. Lol

I was always harder on my kids than the other players. I knew there were always going to be people that tried to say my kids got things because I was the coach but I was determined that it was never going to be true. I was up front with my kids about this and told them it came with the territory of having their Dad be the coach. I also pointed out the perks of that as well. Things like getting to mow the field and deweed the infield skin. Kids understand the position they are in and they understand they must set an example for the other players.

In the pre hs years mine always sat first. Mine always sat the most. When they got to hs they were treated just like everyone else. If they were the best option they played. And if they were not they sat. As long as I knew I was doing the right thing I could have cared less what others thought. I cut my oldest son his soph year because he didnt work hard in the off season and he was not good enough. He did come back out his sr year and he worked hard and made the team. He ended up being the part time Dh and earned what he got.

I caught a lot of grief at home and from the other parents for cutting my own son. I asked one parent if he would have preferred I cut his son. He said no. Go figure?

Letting my son play for two weeks on a broken hip
u-joint and ripped away muscle. He kept swearing to me it wasn't bad, but I should have know by the way he was playing.

Tried to lead by example, coaching a LL Majors team I was in left field, directly behind my son at SS. WE were scrimmaging, last inning, last out, already past dinner time and parents waiting impatiently. Short popup to left, son coming out, me coming in and I was determined to make the catch, no matter what...dove all out straight forward and made the catch!!! But also planted my left shoulder in the field and experienced a second degree shoulder separation. All I remember was hearing a tearing noise and passing out from the pain. When I woke up I saw my son, scared to death, staring at me, surrounded by his team mates with similar expressions. I will never forget the look on his face, I'm sure he won't either. Needless to say, I promised my son I would only go as far as throw BP from behind the L screen after that.

Worst- Let Jr. play up, when he was 8 yrs old- with a 9-11 yr old league. About 4 games in, he got nailed by the hardest throwing kid in town- square in the hip!!! Took him abou a solid year to have the confidence to stand solidly in the box after that.

Best- Let Jr. play up, when he was 8 yrs old- with a 9-11 yr old league!!! Invaluable for his competitive spirit on the mound.

Tossed out of a 12U travel team game by the home plate umpire who missed a very easy call. I was the Head Coach. Five minutes later, my 3rd base coach gets tossed. My son, team and player parents had never seen me this way ever. I truly regret going ballistic, and I should have handled it much differently. I said a 1000 hail marys and promised never to yell at an umpire again.

Fenway,

If there is a line for acts of contrition for bad umpire behavior, I'm afraid you'll be behind me. When my middle son was young I was delusional enough to think I could manage a travel team and one result of my ignorance was I took out my incompetence on whatever unlucky umpire happened to be assigned that day.

Of course by the time my youngest son got on the field I was the voice of reason.

Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa....

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I sent my son out to pitch three innings with what turned out to be a broken wrist on his glove hand. He was in pain so the catchers' throws went to the SS who handed 4thGen the ball. He even took an at bat. Two days later when he was x-rayed, I felt like the worst father ever.

May not make you feel better but we were having tryouts for a select team and we needed a couple good players to fill our roster. During warm-up my son went back on a ball and tripped over a bat bag. Landed with his glove under his body and then acted like his wrist was broken. I told him this was important and we needed him out there to convince these new boys to play with us. So he gutted it out, couldn't swing the bat but he went through a 2 hour practice. On Monday his football coach sent him to the doctor and he had a broken wrist. (8 weeks in a cast) Yes, I felt like an idiot....

My son won a HS state playoff quarter final game, complete game, on a Friday. I emailed the coach and told him he could pitch again on Tuesday.

Me: "I think he's good to go."

Coach: "Umm..I think we'll just hold him till the next game, if we win."

I know a HS coach put Creatine in his teams Gatorade, for the opening game of the season. He was fired after one game.

http://jacksonville.com/sports...ball_coach_dismissed

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I know a HS coach put Creatine in his teams Gatorade, for the opening game of the season. He was fired after one game.

http://jacksonville.com/sports...ball_coach_dismissed

That is absolutley criminal that an "adult" would even think of doing that.

In a Little League Majors game and coaching 1B. A kid hits a line drive to my left and I catch it instead of getting out of the way of the kid playing 1B.

Could not find a big enough hole to stick my head in...