elhector1

Maybe we should divide the convo into parent's with positive vs not so positive experiences. I use to think it was wrong to dream to have a dream of playing professional sports. You know what? There isn't anything wrong with it, as long as you balance out and define realities versus dreams. I'm a witness that dreams do come through with hard work and focus. The same qualities you take on any non-sports related job. Now that makes more sense to me. There are kids still around who have a passion about sports or a sport.............and their education. There are still parents out there who enforce..." if you don't take care of your grades and classwork, you don't play. Even the UIL does it these days. My son's passion for baseball made my job as a parent easy. If knew if he got in trouble, partied all the time, or didn't take care of his grades that it would affect his baseball. Guess what......he doesn't get in trouble, party, and takes care of his grades. Too many times on this forum someone comes around with the "Little Johnny theories" and the "parent pushes the kid too hard...they have to enjoy it theories" ....really that's not always the case. My son would kill me in my sleep if I took baseball away. And for the ealier post that started this tangent.....I played football, basketball, baseball, and ran track growing up and in high school. My parents supported me and were at most of my games. I was to slow and short to play in college. Guess what ??? I'm an accountant....how did that happen if I was busy playing sports ??? ??? ??? It's not the playing of sports that's the problem...I think every kid has experienced playing to a certain extent...and enjoying the heck out of it, regardless of their skill level... The problem is that we have taken those sports that were fun, and yes life learning experiences, and in some cases, made them either financially inaccessible or inaccessible because someone felt that a kid didn't have enough "drive" or "want"...if you didn't qualify for their "league", you didn't play, and while this is not a problem in big cities, in small towns it makes for a lonely time if you're a kid wanting to just have a good time playing ball. In some cases, we have let the slobbering idiot with major league obsession drive the kid's leagues, resulting in a league that stinks and is not a teaching or playing league. There seems to be, at least today, an adult need to see how much hardware they can get as "coach" and "Johnny's dad" than there is with the teaching aspects of the sport. Earlier in this thread, it spoke about the parent everyone knows who complains about his kid's playing time...but there is also the bore that always talks about his kid's "blue chip" talent, and how it's "his" kid that makes the team shine, and how the team would be struggling without "his" kid...the same way we know about the kid with little talent, is the same way we know about the kid with "inflated" talent... It's time to let the kids have the sport back...it's time we stepped off and let coaches be coaches...it's time we stepped back and not do to sports what we, as adults did to Beanie Babies, Barbies, GI Joes, and baseball cards...stealing all the fun out of things, just so we could say we had this or that...sports belong to the kids who play them, not to the parents who obsess over them... It's too late But seriously it may be difficult to bring those old values back. Kids today are being put into a sport where they have to specialize, or at least in our (parents) mind. Actually, this has been going on a long time. It's just now catching up to other sports. Tennis was the first sport and this was back in the 80's when I witnessed it; kids had personal coaches travelling with them to tournaments. Kids practice sessions running 4-5 hours a day. Oh, and let us not forget gymnastics and their dedication to the sports. I've only begun to notice within the past 5-6 years the culture of team sports changing towards personal training, etc. I talked to a parent the other day and he told me his kid works out in the gym (basketball) everyday. Sorry guys, my kids play basketball but we're all facing the same challenges. And I see the Ford Park batting cage parking lot full of cars. The culture is driving parents to ( not the player) try and maintain an edge on the competition. True...those are the parents I have a problem with...the ones that are doing it for themselves and the pats on the back THEY get for their kids accomplishments...it's no different than the "stage mom" we used to make fun of...a "diamond dad?"...lol You're right, though...these crazies are the same ones that will give their 15-16 yo daughter money for plastic surgery..."to help her fit in better", when the kid has nothing wrong other than she's growing up maybe a little slower than the others... In the same way, these parents justify anything using their kids...but it's all about them...(the parents)

it's ok, but if you want to smoke you must step out of the dugout. Heck, back in the day when I played LL in New York, we smoked on the field and the Umps and coaches had their Schaefer Beer on ice in the home team dugout!! But back then, everyone was civil and noone gave it a second thought ;D...well, except for some of the parents : 1 particular high school venue in the Golden Traingle...the cars used to line up along the outfield fence, and, along with the "ting" of the bat, and the "pop" of ball hitting glove...was the sound of "kkossshhhhh"..."pop a top again"! I remember they did at their Little League ball park too...very mellow folks, except for a couple of belligerent fools...lol

Maybe we should divide the convo into parent's with positive vs not so positive experiences. I use to think it was wrong to dream to have a dream of playing professional sports. You know what? There isn't anything wrong with it, as long as you balance out and define realities versus dreams. I'm a witness that dreams do come through with hard work and focus. The same qualities you take on any non-sports related job. Now that makes more sense to me. There are kids still around who have a passion about sports or a sport.............and their education. There are still parents out there who enforce..." if you don't take care of your grades and classwork, you don't play. Even the UIL does it these days. My son's passion for baseball made my job as a parent easy. If knew if he got in trouble, partied all the time, or didn't take care of his grades that it would affect his baseball. Guess what......he doesn't get in trouble, party, and takes care of his grades. Too many times on this forum someone comes around with the "Little Johnny theories" and the "parent pushes the kid too hard...they have to enjoy it theories" ....really that's not always the case. My son would kill me in my sleep if I took baseball away. And for the ealier post that started this tangent.....I played football, basketball, baseball, and ran track growing up and in high school. My parents supported me and were at most of my games. I was to slow and short to play in college. Guess what ??? I'm an accountant....how did that happen if I was busy playing sports ??? ??? ??? It's not the playing of sports that's the problem...I think every kid has experienced playing to a certain extent...and enjoying the heck out of it, regardless of their skill level... The problem is that we have taken those sports that were fun, and yes life learning experiences, and in some cases, made them either financially inaccessible or inaccessible because someone felt that a kid didn't have enough "drive" or "want"...if you didn't qualify for their "league", you didn't play, and while this is not a problem in big cities, in small towns it makes for a lonely time if you're a kid wanting to just have a good time playing ball. In some cases, we have let the slobbering idiot with major league obsession drive the kid's leagues, resulting in a league that stinks and is not a teaching or playing league. There seems to be, at least today, an adult need to see how much hardware they can get as "coach" and "Johnny's dad" than there is with the teaching aspects of the sport. Earlier in this thread, it spoke about the parent everyone knows who complains about his kid's playing time...but there is also the bore that always talks about his kid's "blue chip" talent, and how it's "his" kid that makes the team shine, and how the team would be struggling without "his" kid...the same way we know about the kid with little talent, is the same way we know about the kid with "inflated" talent... It's time to let the kids have the sport back...it's time we stepped off and let coaches be coaches...it's time we stepped back and not do to sports what we, as adults did to Beanie Babies, Barbies, GI Joes, and baseball cards...stealing all the fun out of things, just so we could say we had this or that...sports belong to the kids who play them, not to the parents who obsess over them...

Maybe we should divide the convo into parent's with positive vs not so positive experiences. I use to think it was wrong to dream to have a dream of playing professional sports. You know what? There isn't anything wrong with it, as long as you balance out and define realities versus dreams. I'm a witness that dreams do come through with hard work and focus. The same qualities you take on any non-sports related job. I don't think I have had a negative experience...either as a kid playing sandlot ball, or as a dad watching my son play. Dreams are not a problem...but like everything else, you have to balance the dream with the potential drawbacks. You CAN dream, you can work hard to achieve it, but it seems that we lost sight of the game, and how every kid wanted to participate to play, but today's "game" is organized so much, that we no longer let that "so-so" kid come out to play for the fun of it. It's not only a "field of dreams", but a field of fun as well. That's where the balance comes in...

He went to the University of Houston for his first semester, used his "party like a big dog once in a college career" pass, had a lousy GPA, came home to LSC-O, and after recusitiating his GPA from it's semi-coma, will return to Coog land for a degree in Psychology.

You did great Gabe...remember, those that can, do and report...those that can't... complain...

I think the point is that sometimes, it's more a parent's dream than a kid's dream for sport's glory. My middle son played baseball for 12 years, and every year, I asked him if he still wanted to play. It was his decision. While I think every kid has "major league dreams" the reality is that after high school or college, there are few that go on to the majors. We have seen from those that are in the know about how much scholarship money there is in baseball, that the reasoning that you are spending money for a baseball scholarship falls flat. So what is left? Education...education...education. My oldest was not a "sports star" by any means, yet he was a National Hispanic Scholar ($2500 scholarship per semester @ UT, 4 years), and graduated Summa Cum Laude from UT Austin with a Master's in Accounting. So what does this have to do with baseball, and crazy parents, and respect? Basically, I put things in perspective. I enjoyed my oldest's football and tennis years, I enjoyed my middle son's baseball years, and I respected both the boys' coaches. I dealt with a lot of Little League baseball, as an adminstrator, coach, and umpire. There is where I learned the most important lessons of all...that it has to be a kid's game, and not a parent's stomping grounds. Maybe, and this is not scientific by any means, maybe the advent of uber organized sports has contributed to the obesity of our kids...remember our childhoods? Remember, regardless of your talent, or lack thereof, you would have a glove, a bat, and a ball, and everyone got together and played? You may have been the last one picked, you may have gotten your glasses broken in half by that blazing line drive (been there, done that!), but EVERYONE played. Now, not only are you rejected by your "peers" you're rejected by their parents as well, all in the name of "dreams". So what do you do if you are a kid? You go home, get on the Wii, or Playstation, or XBox, and forget about doing anything physical. Us parents have a lot to do with that as well...we snicker and whisper at kid's games about how little talent a kid may have...but to that kid, IT'S STILL A GAME!...Maybe, just maybe, all of us should keep that in mind...

In baseball, some of us have fun with the umpires, as in "hey blue, they found your cell phone, and there's a bunch of missed calls on it"...I don't know about football, as the noise level is much higher...some of the baseball umps are pretty thick skinned... As to the idiot parents...it's not a baseball issue, it's a social issue. The same "Little Johnny or Jenny is always right and perfect and never wrong" will find a way to make their kids "seem" perfect...whether it's bugging a coach at an inappropriate time, or getting plastic surgery for their kids... Who in their right mind does that? Oh wait....the key phrase here, is "right mind"... It seems there are some with more money than sense...

And it is sad. I have been in meetings in which a parents has told me " My son was born with a baseball/football in their hands." The kid couldn't even make the team....Then there are the parents who think the purpose of school is for their kid to play ball.....I know I may catch flack for this statement, but I wonder sometimes if we really need high school sports? If you walked in my shoes for a year, you would understand my statement. Agree KDO...no flack here...think about it...if there were a school forum for academics, and there was a post about the prospective school superitendent about to be hired, it would not get 5% of the posts that the hiring of a head football coach/AD got. It's the Texas way. The problem is, in the past, if you had a nut job parent, you could tell them straight up how their kid was goofing around, and woe be to that kid when he or she got home. Now, not only do you get disrespected as a teacher and a coach, some parents tell the kids that a teacher must maintain a certain pass fail ratio or they could be reassigned or worse. The kid goofs off, knows that mommy or daddy will fix it, and then, if called to the carpet by the teacher, will tell the teacher that they can't be failed, lest the pass fail ratio be affected...I spoke to a teacher at a junior high who told me just that. In the sports arena, there are alot who think their kid is the world's gift to (fill in your sport here). In football, I can see the advantages of a "select" system, since football gets a full ride...but the kid should be an all around student athlete, with the emphasis on student.

See page one for EC tidbit.. they played Monday or I was umping in my dreams lol aaaahhhhh....so that explains your strike zone... ;D

The way I understand it, is that because of the jersey numbering system, anyone can be a receiver, as long as no one has lined up outside of him. What it does is create confusion for defenses, because you never know which guys are going to be the eligible receivers until the last second. A coach who can think on his feet will not have a problem, but traditionalists will have a cow, as this upsets the set play mentality that they have. These "purists" usually have the 300 lb heifers on the D line, and good linebackers and safetys as well. What the A-11 does is spread the field, as now you have 7 receivers to worry about, instead of 3-5. This is a boon for teams that might not have size, but do have agility and speed. Look for it to be killed, simply 'cause it's not real "fooseball" as we now understand it.

So true...there were many agonizing moments at sign ups when the feeling was "that guy can keep his money, we're not letting his kid sign up, so we don't have to deal with mom and dad". Then, we would look at the kids...and decide that we would have to suck it up, simply because it wasn't the kids fault that he had idiots for parents... I guess because I have learned from participation in all aspects of the game, I tend to have a lot more patience, and therefore forgive a lot more. Then again, my son had a high school coach who had the "cred" in taking his teams into the off season, that in complaining, I would have looked like a fool...

Ah...but this begs the question...if you are being an idiot parent, can I call THAT to your attention? Like knowing good and bad coaches, we also know parents who know something about all aspects of the game, simply because they have been involved in all aspects of it, from voluteering as a coach, league official, umpire...you catch my drift. Then there are the "students" of the game whose egos are so big, they always want to "teach" and never want to listen. These egomaniacs always "know" better...and they never have done anything, other than sit in the stands and run their mouths. I have always beleived that you earn that right...not by being a biological contributor to your son's genetic pool, but by being involved in that same kid's journey as a player. Being involved in running a league, and coaching and umpiring in one as well, it was always the ones who did the least, that complained the most. So if I were to be asked what an "idiot" parent is like...MY knowledge of the game would enable me to point them out...

I fully understand...I coached the older kids in Junior and Senior League...but was a League official (President) during my son's younger playing days, and could not coach at all. In keeping with the spirit of this thread, we once had to eject a parent for being rude and ugly...to her own kid! Her daughter palyed T-Ball, and anyone who has dealt with T-Ball knows that it's either, as Bill Engvall says, "herding chickens"...or little Johnny or Suzie making like earth movers with the glove a big shovel. He daughter was one of the latter...she screams from the stands..."get of your a** and play ball"...of course at the top of her voice, and we asked her to please refrain from doing that. She told us that it was her daughter, and she could treat her the way she wanted...We told her..."okay, it's your daughter, but it's our league, so if you can't abide by the rules, you have to leave"...Sadly...or maybe happily...for her daughter, she left with her child. When will some psycho parents realize their stupidity?

: Darkhorse? They have the whole recieving core back along with a great throwing QB. No Darkhorse. thats not saying a lot imo.They dropped a lot of catchable balls last year.But dark horse...I don't think so. Is that the same Quinney Garrett that is called "Q"? I got him his last year as a flag eligible kid in Pop Warner. At 7 he could throw a tight spiral 30-35 yards, at a reciever,and get it there 80% of the time. We were the only Pop Warner flag team with a passing attack...we just didn't have enough kids that could catch the ball.

That is probalby one of the best examples of good reasons to play select baseball...the relationships, the memories. It shows a well rounded approach to baseball, and probably shows a kid with a good understanding of what humility is along with what success is... I am not a Select parent...mine went through the Little League system, from coach pitch through senior league...and I remember getting the red a** when some fan would say "who's that kid?...di they recently move into the district?". We had been playing in a local league, but it wasn't the "noticed" local league, so my son was an "unknown", yet he had been to the Jim Gilligan Lamar pitching camp. I guess part of what I feel is that sense of a "good ol' boy" club mentality that seems to be in a lot of places. Diamond-J, it's great to see that there are some good parents out there that understand the whole picture...

I think there is a misunderstanding of what some are trying to say with regard to select vs. high school coaches...and ksagrl is right we have strayed from the original topic, but it goes hand in hand to a certain extent. Select ball is a tool...not a miracle maker. It develops it's athletes...but it doesn't make them invincible. Any good coach will promie improvement, but the charlatan promises "major league". As part of a high school team, select ball vcan help the team succeed. And that is the direction the assistance should go in...player participation in a team's success, not team participation in a player's success. One of the problems that MAY arise is the desire of SOME parents to get a return on the investment by having their son play more ball. These parents have spent thousands to get their kid to a certain level...they want to see the payoff. If it doesn't materialize because the kid isn't getting enough playing time, these same parents may sound off to the coach...resulting in a loss of respect for both parent and coach... The only question I have is this...wouldn't the thousands spent have been better put into a savings account like "Texas Tomorrow"? I am not slamming parents of select ball players, there could be other reasons for spending that money...but it has been pointed out that in some cases, the money is spent to get Junior into college.

I waited till everyone had said their piece, to evaluate everything said, and then respond. I think we sometimes see programs come down the pike, and beleive them to be the best thing since sliced bread. Then, we realize that these programs are populated by human beings and not machines, that there is a human factor to everything...especially to our kids. Select baseball does build the athlete, but it doesn't build the team. Like everything else, there are good and bad, and as much has been said on this thread. So no one can say..."this kid played select, so he should start". I don't care how much money daddy paid out, it still is the high school coach's decision upon evaluation of the kid and his talents, at tryouts, and at practice, and eventually at pre-season games. I have seen non-select kids play at the same level without the benefit of "daddy's money". A certain second baseman from the Class of '08 comes to mind. And for those who think only kids with "daddy's money" get criticized, I heard plenty of verbal jabs from some of those who had "daddy's money" when he had a bad game, but if Junior was criticized, then it was "jealousy". Secondly, real parents have to carry a pin to prick a kid's ballooning ego, if needed. That is the parent's RESPONSIBILITY. Egos do not belong on the diamond...a team attitude does. We as parents of "aff-aletes" need to put their talents in perspective with what is meaningful in the world. If you want Junior to be a star in his own production, keep him in select. That way, only Junior can hurt himself, instead of hurting a team making a run at a state title with selfish attitudes. Caveat:...if this doesn't apply to you kid, I'm not talking about you!...But if it does...trust me, the parents and fans in the stands will know. Finally...coaches become coaches because they LOVE the sport that the coach. Griff at LCM comes to mind. He was fielding playoff teams WAY before Select ball came along. So if some pscyho, "my Junior is the star, I'm very important in the community" parent came along and questioned his decisions and coaching style... 1. STEP OFF! 2. Call the guys in the white coats, cause you ARE certifiable! Don't know about any other coaches in the area.

Was that really the reason? DaBears is no LC-M Bear fan...they are Brenham Cub bootlickers...hence the disrespect...

now that's funny there, I don't care who you are that's funny the....Lord, I apologize, for making fun of our football freinds, mullet haired gentlemen, and our Chinese freinds and be with the starving pygmies down in New Guinea... special thanks to Larry the Cable guy, who, it is rumored, will host a "find the AD/HC-a-thon" sometime in the near future, in the hopes of avoiding the hostile ping pong takeover.... Local radio celebrity has been quoted as saying, "that's not right, that's just not right"... Stay tuned...

Nope, most of my ire was directed at "ring guy".

The machinations of the Select Ping Pong crowd finally have paid off...the massive investments in time, money, and equipment will finally see fruit as LC-M's Ping Pong program takes on the likes of the Chinese National team. Players like John "Super Fly" Boudreaux have the ability and the drive to take the team ...alll...the...way. It is said that the new AD prospect will have extensive Ping Pong experience, and that will upset many of the football faithful, especially a half dozen mullet haired, sleeveless gentlemen with one tooth...between all of them...who will decry the death of high school football at the Bear Cave. However, in the dark corners of Bear Valhalla, an underground movement to train, equip, and field young men on the gridiron will be taking place, according to an anonymous source with his...umm..."her" ear close to the offices at Bear central. This will all take place surrepticiously, to avoid all of the attendant gossip, complaining, and "finger in the pieing" that has so far taken place. Meanwhile, the divorce rate in Ursa land will skyrocket, as men who had enjoyed meddling in the search for a new AD, will instead meddle in the workings of the home, which they had avoided due to football season... Stay tuned...

2009 is the year of change according to the media......lcm would shock the coaching profession in texas with a baseball guy as AD....if there is a place to make it happen, lcm is the right place to start and then it would be the wrong place to coach football I agree, if they hire a baseball coach as AD then it says to me they want to concentrate on baseball. This would make the job look alot less attractive and you can forget about getting a coach on board that is capable of turning it around. and thinking like this is why we need an AD position seperate from the HC position...a football coach should concentrate on football, to be sure...an AD SHOUL CONCENTRATE ON ALL SPORTS.

You know, this thread started off as a light hearted look at the issue. Then, we have the people who never let things go, and want to keep on giving a coach grief over, what to me, was a motivational gesture. He got them rings...so your point is? They play the schedule given to them and have tried to improve the quality of their opposition,...so your point is? My name is Hector Maldonado, and my kids all went or go to Little Cypress schools. I have, however, great respect for the folks in Mauriceville, and remember a kid by the name of Joseph Viator, who recently was a featured part of the LCM arsenal. I wonder where he went to middle school at?...Like Coach Brister, I put my name out there, and I won't hide behind a screen name. You might be an LCM AD/HC candidate if...you enjoy reading trash talkiing on sports forums...and let all of it roll off your back...

In many cases, that just won't happen. You all are right...we are punishing the kid for the parent's behavior...but at the same time, are we excusing it? Before you all think that I was heartless about the kids, I wasn't. I would take them home, and swallow my tongue, even when I was getting a severe tongue lashing from the wife about the liability issues and the like. Hey, plain and simple, I wanted the kids to play, have a place to go after school. However, it burned me to take a kid home, and see the parents just sitting there watching TV, instead of supporting their kid. Tell you the truth, I hope the buses keep running...but, what also needs to happen is maybe a $3.00 a week "extracharricular bus fee" chargable to ANY student that is using the service. Exemptions could be made if a parent can produce a work schedule that prevents them from picking up their child.