And now I want to vomit.
Seriously, how does this guy run a business working with children?
Thank you Matthews41 for letting us all know about this guy.
Can this guy legally work with children?
Rich
www.playinschool.com
QuadAAA made a reference in one of his posts about this guy plucking nerves of other coaches on and off the field. I Actually have to coach against this cat in a coach pitch league (7-8 year olds) at Greenbrier Athletic Association and he does exactly that. Guy AND his assistant coaches are a real piece of work, to put it nicely, all of them. And the amazing thing, the parents are just as abrasive and loudmouthed at every game, it boggles my mind why he has teams to coach and it boggles my mind why parents let him coach their kids. Fact is this is not a mistake made, it was a decision in the most base carnal instincts. MOST of us are able as adults to control these instincts and do the honorable thing, he unfortunately was not and should not be given an opportunity to possibly do it again. It makes absolutely no difference how "good of a coach" he might be, NONE! I wonder if Matthews41 would be OK with Hoeft taking his kid to the bathroom alone....?
Stunned by this thread. Is nothing being learned from the ongoing Jerry Sandusky story? Repeated behavior, yet continued exposure to children?
Sure: Sandusky was a good coach too. Dear lord...
Sure: Sandusky was a good coach too. Dear lord...
This is the worst thread Ive ever seen on HSBBW. We are talking about this with the playoffs cranking up? Gimme a break.
quote:Originally posted by vabaseballfan:
This is the worst thread Ive ever seen on HSBBW. We are talking about this with the playoffs cranking up? Gimme a break.
You have a choice....simply don't click on the thread. How would you feel if it were your child?
Matthews41,
We disagree on his teachings and effectiveness. I know SEVERAL players who had lessons elsewhere to correct some flaws that "Coach Bobby" created/didn't address. How many hitters failed under his teaching? I can name quite a few. Let's look at some math...He has had 8u-14u teams for 5-10 years. That is 7 teams per year. With a roster of 13, that is 91 kids. You mentioned maybe 12 baseball players. Who couldn't "produce" 1-2 hitters per team? That's not really an accomplishment. Some of the kids you mention would be good hitters regardless of who they worked with. One, in particular, played in Nick Boothe's Va Wildcats organization from 10u-14u and then with the Richmond Braves. So, I would bet THAT had a bigger impact than his 1 or 2 lessons with Hoeft. How many others on the list? I would bet a kid like Christian Lowery could hit without any help. He has a lot of fast twitch in him.
This sick part of it all is that he is also running softball teams out of Grand Slam 2. How ignorant are the parents of those girls?!? My daughter is 13. I cringe at the thought of her being around someone like Bobby. I would physically hurt whoever touched my daughter like that. I bet those parents have no clue, just like most of the baseball parents. I know MANY people who played for him who had no clue of his past. They had no idea. What he did wasn't a mistake. It was calculated and disgusting.
I am also aware of a couple of complaints that did not make it to formal charges - two are friends and one is a friend of a friend. My two friends are mothers of players. They both told me he has made several unwanted advances towards them so much so that they felt uncomfortable around him. I don't necessarily have an issue with that since they are adults. But, for you to say he is a changed person is ignorant.
The only thing you have said that I can agree with is that Bobby is a hard worker.
How in the world is he coaching out at Greenbrier?!?
We disagree on his teachings and effectiveness. I know SEVERAL players who had lessons elsewhere to correct some flaws that "Coach Bobby" created/didn't address. How many hitters failed under his teaching? I can name quite a few. Let's look at some math...He has had 8u-14u teams for 5-10 years. That is 7 teams per year. With a roster of 13, that is 91 kids. You mentioned maybe 12 baseball players. Who couldn't "produce" 1-2 hitters per team? That's not really an accomplishment. Some of the kids you mention would be good hitters regardless of who they worked with. One, in particular, played in Nick Boothe's Va Wildcats organization from 10u-14u and then with the Richmond Braves. So, I would bet THAT had a bigger impact than his 1 or 2 lessons with Hoeft. How many others on the list? I would bet a kid like Christian Lowery could hit without any help. He has a lot of fast twitch in him.
This sick part of it all is that he is also running softball teams out of Grand Slam 2. How ignorant are the parents of those girls?!? My daughter is 13. I cringe at the thought of her being around someone like Bobby. I would physically hurt whoever touched my daughter like that. I bet those parents have no clue, just like most of the baseball parents. I know MANY people who played for him who had no clue of his past. They had no idea. What he did wasn't a mistake. It was calculated and disgusting.
I am also aware of a couple of complaints that did not make it to formal charges - two are friends and one is a friend of a friend. My two friends are mothers of players. They both told me he has made several unwanted advances towards them so much so that they felt uncomfortable around him. I don't necessarily have an issue with that since they are adults. But, for you to say he is a changed person is ignorant.
The only thing you have said that I can agree with is that Bobby is a hard worker.
How in the world is he coaching out at Greenbrier?!?
This guy is dispicable! you are insane if you think he's a good coach in any way shape or form. Any parent that would intrust this guy with his or her child, I don't care how old, is excercising very poor judgement.
quote:Originally posted by SEDbaseball:
QuadAAA made a reference in one of his posts about this guy plucking nerves of other coaches on and off the field. I Actually have to coach against this cat in a coach pitch league (7-8 year olds) at Greenbrier Athletic Association and he does exactly that. Guy AND his assistant coaches are a real piece of work, to put it nicely, all of them. And the amazing thing, the parents are just as abrasive and loudmouthed at every game, it boggles my mind why he has teams to coach and it boggles my mind why parents let him coach their kids. Fact is this is not a mistake made, it was a decision in the most base carnal instincts. MOST of us are able as adults to control these instincts and do the honorable thing, he unfortunately was not and should not be given an opportunity to possibly do it again. It makes absolutely no difference how "good of a coach" he might be, NONE! I wonder if Matthews41 would be OK with Hoeft taking his kid to the bathroom alone....?
I’ve had the misfortune of having to coach against him as well. He once called an ELEVEN YEAR OLD player on my team a ‘***’. The kid was pretty much in tears. He told me and the Umpire that the kid “popped off at him”. Really?
In another tournament he was coaching both an older team and a younger team. While my team was playing his younger team, his older team was running back and forth constantly just past the outfield fence. It actually caused a bit of a distraction during the game.
Turns out the older team had lost their morning game. So they were made to run while he coached the younger team in their game.
He got mouthy with the Ump when he was told to have them “practice” somewhere else during the game.
I posted the news article. If you need more “evidence” than that, I don’t know what to tell you.
I don’t care if he could make every kit throw 95mph and run a 6 flat 60. Guess my priorities are different.
I was also involved with coaching youth baseball and actually coached a few of the players mentioned. My view is that when you have the only public hitting facility in Great Bridge/Hickory good baseball players pass through. Sign a few up and you have a good team. I could go out to SCAA Pinto league and get 10 of the best 30 players out there and chances are 8 years later I have 6-7 all district/league players somewhere.
Point: These kids would have been great players no matter who coached them...even me!
Point: These kids would have been great players no matter who coached them...even me!
I have been reading this topic all day, and I have noticed that Matthews41 has not posted in a while. I have been around baseball, and more specifically travel baseball in this area for about 12 years. I have watched Bobby Heoft coach and instruct in his unique way for a while. Since the first time I witnessed his display on the field, followed up with taking his 11U team into the woods behind the field and verbally abusing them for about 25 minutes and then coming back out and trying to break a wood bat on a light pole in front of God and everybody. Then going to Cooperstown and not being able to coach his travel team and his wife had to step in. I know what he was guilty of and what he was accused of and I think that any person that would try and minimize that is completely wrong. And to praise him for his outstanding work with a few players that would probably have been very good with or without him; is just wrong. You cannot give a person praise for his "outstanding" work with young individuals when he was been convicted once and charged a second time with something as horrible as preying on children.
Wow...
It's amazing that someone actually has the ability, and maybe even more amazing to me, expects others to gloss over these issues simply because the guy can teach someone how to catch, throw and hit.
News flash... I can name a dozen coaches in the area who can do the same things WITHOUT the other disgusting activity looming over them.
I think that as a parent I am just amazed that another parent would be willing to even take the remotest risk that this could occur with their own child, let alone get ****ed off when he is unable to convince others that they should feel the same way...
If you're a friend of the guy then I'm sure that he is just tickled pink that you brought the issue up again for all to see...
It's amazing that someone actually has the ability, and maybe even more amazing to me, expects others to gloss over these issues simply because the guy can teach someone how to catch, throw and hit.
News flash... I can name a dozen coaches in the area who can do the same things WITHOUT the other disgusting activity looming over them.
I think that as a parent I am just amazed that another parent would be willing to even take the remotest risk that this could occur with their own child, let alone get ****ed off when he is unable to convince others that they should feel the same way...
If you're a friend of the guy then I'm sure that he is just tickled pink that you brought the issue up again for all to see...
Would you leave your daughter alone with the coach, unsupervised?
Can we all thank Matthews41 for bringing this disgusting, vile man into the limelight of the baseball world!? A complete loser like this man has no business being anywhere near children, much less being paid to teach your child, which according to these posts sounds like he knows little about baseball as well. As far as I'm concerned, I would advocate for his complete removal from the youth community in the Virginia Beach area.
This thread has really gone viral; as I imagined it would given the seriousness of the issue.
To answer my own question there is absolutely no way that this guy could pass a background check for employment in the public or private sector. Why any parent would expose their child to this guy is a mystery. There are a lot of other hitting instructors in the area many of whom are far better than him and they all have a moral compass.
To answer my own question there is absolutely no way that this guy could pass a background check for employment in the public or private sector. Why any parent would expose their child to this guy is a mystery. There are a lot of other hitting instructors in the area many of whom are far better than him and they all have a moral compass.
quote:Originally posted by birddog:
... Why any parent would expose their child to this guy is a mystery. There are a lot of other hitting instructors in the area many of whom are far better than him and they all have a moral compass.
IMO, the parents don't know about it.
In addition to alerting folks to this coach and his issues - this should be a cautionary tale for all parents. Ask around - google names - know who your children are spending time with.
Son was asked to go to Cooperstown at 12 with a coach that I did not know. Though I knew of him - I asked around - spoke to many in our community to be sure that it was a safe situation. At the time some folks thought I was nuts - and now this coach and his family are family friends. There were no issue - but you have to ask! There are just some things that parents do not want to have to get right the second time around. I would rather be over cautious on this type of thing and never come up with a problem - than to fail to check and wish later that I had...
Son was asked to go to Cooperstown at 12 with a coach that I did not know. Though I knew of him - I asked around - spoke to many in our community to be sure that it was a safe situation. At the time some folks thought I was nuts - and now this coach and his family are family friends. There were no issue - but you have to ask! There are just some things that parents do not want to have to get right the second time around. I would rather be over cautious on this type of thing and never come up with a problem - than to fail to check and wish later that I had...
quote:Originally posted by redbird5:quote:Originally posted by birddog:
... Why any parent would expose their child to this guy is a mystery. There are a lot of other hitting instructors in the area many of whom are far better than him and they all have a moral compass.
IMO, the parents don't know about it.
The certainly should now if they read this board. This guy is certainly well known to those of us that caught his act coaching against him. It's beeen a while since I had a team that played one of his but I remember his antics on the field well.
quote:Originally posted by birddog:
The certainly should now if they read this board. This guy is certainly well known to those of us that caught his act coaching against him. It's beeen a while since I had a team that played one of his but I remember his antics on the field well.
Correct, but little 8u Johnny gets complimented on his baseball abilities and gets an offer for lessons or an invite to his team...they don't read this board.
I still don't understand how in the world he could run teams, including GIRLS SOFTBALL!
quote:I still don't understand how in the world he could run teams, including GIRLS SOFTBALL!
Yeah, that's really frightening.
quote:Originally posted by redbird5:quote:Originally posted by birddog:
... Why any parent would expose their child to this guy is a mystery. There are a lot of other hitting instructors in the area many of whom are far better than him and they all have a moral compass.
IMO, the parents don't know about it.
He actually makes no secret about it. The people that have their kids playing for him are very loyal and dogged defenders. When the second incident happened I had conversations with the parents of one of his teams and they were adament that he was innocent of that particular charge and that thier sons would continue to play for him. Some went so far as to say that anyone that refused to play them because of the coach were the ones hurting the kids. A strange train of thought but true.
Isn't that kinda like letting a bank robber hold your wallet because he is good with money?????
quote:Originally posted by luv baseball:
He actually makes no secret about it. The people that have their kids playing for him are very loyal and dogged defenders. When the second incident happened I had conversations with the parents of one of his teams and they were adament that he was innocent of that particular charge and that thier sons would continue to play for him. Some went so far as to say that anyone that refused to play them because of the coach were the ones hurting the kids. A strange train of thought but true.
They sound like Jim Jones disciples.