What kind of coach are you?

I think you want to discuss this on the youth baseball message board.

If he is truly the best player and hitter then yes I would but not otherwise.

I think it can be a negative if you daddyball him and he's not the best.

quote:

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Originally posted by Racab:
If you coach your son at LL and you know he is not the best player of the team, do you still putting him 3rd hitter in the line up, SS and pitching ace at the same time?
How do you think could affects your son this situation?....How about the other players?
How about the other parents?

"Peace is, the respect for the other people's rights".
Benito Juarez

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Racab,
You ask this question but I know you already have the answer. All little league coaches whom are "daddies" do it for one reason - to train their kid at a prime position and make them a star.

Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball, the rules and realities of the game—and do it by watching first some high-school or small-town teams.
Jacques Barzun
NY Times 31 May 81

CHICKS

I think that you have it all wrong--- Daddy already has declared his son as the star---


RACAB

Post this question in the pre HS forum and see the answers you get--I think it will shock you

TRhit

This doesn't happen at any level according to TR and if it does you should ignore it.

You shouldn't say anything to the coach and if your son is not playing as a result you should continue to play on this team so you can learn valuable life lessons.

After all, baseball is a means for life lessons.

I think we all know that this happens. I think we all know that the higher level you play the less it happens. What can a parent do about it? Well alot of them start their own teams so they can put their son at short stop, pitcher and always have him in the lineup. Thats one reason you see the explosion of more and more AAU USSA select travel teams etc. What are you going to do,go to the coach and tell him that his son should not be there and he needs to put someone else there. Do you think that will change anything. What are you teaching your son when you step in and make everything alright. Are you going to be able to step in at the High School level and make everything alright. How about in College. If hes on the team and the coach is doing this you have choices to make. #1 Cause a fuss and make everyone miserable including you and your son. #2 Take him off the team and start your own so he can get the benefits that the other coach is providing his son. #3 Keep your mouth shut and let your son have fun learning and playing the game and let him see it for what it is. The cream will rise to the top. Do you honestly think that kids baseball careers are ruined by a daddyball coach in LL. Well yes sometimes they are by their own dads who turn a learning situation into a miserable situation that leads the kid the other way as far as he can get. In this situation the kid that is really getting the shaft is the coachs son. When the day comes that his dad is no longer in control and cant make everything alright the kid will quit the game. He will have never learned how to win a posistion on his own. Dads that do what is described here think that they are helping their sons but in reality they are hurting them greatly.

Coach May,

Nail + = "Right On"

http://www.highviewheat.com/index.asp

http://www.kristensfastpitchworld.com/index.asp

Racab,

I do not think you will find anyone to admit to being a daddy-baller. Some may be in denial, some dont even realize it (very few) while there are those who do it knowingly... I have seen it stated on many boards as well as this one. A parent has a difficult time being objective about thier childs skill level. Many truely believe their son should be the star...

Hey it Happens. I have seen it. If you are the parent of a player on such a team, your choices were listed by Coach May very accurately...

I can only suspect that you created this post because either you or someone you know had to deal with thie situation... Good Luck in whatever you decide.

cong

"In baseball, you don't know nothing." - Yogi

Guys:
Everybody knows if he is the kind of coach I talking about, of course. My point is the answer of the three question I asked following the description. Does know this person the damage he is doing to his own son?..Can anybody in this website tell us about his own experience in this case?... What about the damage to others like teammates, parents, etc?...I know my own experience with my son and family for be fair and start other kid over my son. What I want now is to know if I was rigth beeing a coach and not a father. By the way, after few years, the kid that played SS in from of my son is out of baseball, and my son is playing pro. At that time the other kid was a year older, bigger, faster, stronger arm, better hitter, etc...

"Peace is, the respect for the other people's rights".
Benito Juarez

Racab, (I sent you a PM)

IMO - You were doing the right thing. You play the best. You can be a father off the field. On the field - you are a coach - regardless of whether your son is on the team or not.

If not - you shouldnt be coaching.

itsinthegame:

I just answered your PM my friend.

"Peace is, the respect for the other people's rights".
Benito Juarez

Racab

Sons= 01 04 05 014

Coached all the above thru their LL years.The 04 will fit into the parameters you set.
seven to fourteen he was the starting pitcher on his teams,when not pitching he played SS.His hitting was always suspect but as good as anyone else I could put in the eight hole. His glove was as good or better than the number two guy at short.So yes he played every game.

Offered a tryout for a legion team 18u at age 15 and made the team as pitcher/ss.I might add Daddy isn't coaching this team.He couldn't hit this pitching yet did a good job on the hill.Because of the hitting problems he became a pitcher only.
Effects of Dad being the coach.When he became a PO it didn't set well at all and he never could overcome the fact that he wasn't playing every inning. I hadn't taught him or any of the others the meaning of a role player. He doesn't play organized baseball any longer.Is he damaged for life? I don't think so,the lesson just came as a sudden shock to him.He was our schools starting qb this year and starting point gaurd,maybe he learned that you have to work hard if you want something bad enough.
We both learned something.

Started out as a catcher because he was willing to do it, had a strong arm and wasn't much better than the other infielders. Wasn't willing to sacrifice his body and ended up being #2 pitcher when the kid I had pegged as #2 couldn't throw strikes. Played some 3rd, some short and some 1st after that. Played RF on the all-star team I coached and sat out a bit also.

Didn't coach his team last year. He pitched, played outfield, mostly played third and a little bit of shortstop.

This year as a 12yo he bats third, plays SS and pitches. After 2 games he leads the team in RBI, won both games (he starts because my other pitcher throws a bit harder - last time they threw for the gun, my son was throwing harder but the kids react like my other pitcher is throwing harder and I don't want to give them somebody just a bit slower than the previous pitcher) and he's made every play at shortstop.

He pitches and plays 1b for our tournament team, only playing ss when our best ss comes in to pitch. I usually have him hit 6th for the tournament team.