Dads with kids in little league…

[Cooterpoot]

I think a coach that discourages a kid from playing/having fun is a ****** coach. So don't get to that point.
Back in the day when I fooled with league ball stuff, I'd set up times to work with those kids myself. Had one kid that was awful. Couldn't catch or hit. Stuck them in RF deep and told them to keep it in front. But I kept working with them. Come playoff time, kid had a 2 run double and caught a ball and doubled off someone. Only thing they did significant all year. Gave that kid the game ball. They got their teammates to sign it. They never played again after that season, but for one game they were great, happy, and achieved something.
I got another kid that living in a bad situation. Stayed in trouble, failing classes, and on a path to nothing. Bought that kid a glove and got a hitting friend to work with them on free time. That kid ended up a Juco all region, and is playing college ball now.
Flipped two kids to the other side of the plate that couldn't hit. Both made HS all star teams.
Had one that didn't make they HS team. Took them and worked with them on my own time. Went and asked the coach to give them another tryout after a couple weeks. They made it, and their Sr year, won a playoff game with a bases loaded triple to send them to the state championship.
Sometimes kids need people to believe in them. Try different things. Get them help. Not give up on them.

 

[missouridawg]

I think a coach that discourages a kid from playing/having fun is a ****** coach. So don't get to that point.
Back in the day when I fooled with league ball stuff, I'd set up times to work with those kids myself. Had one kid that was awful. Couldn't catch or hit. Stuck them in RF deep and told them to keep it in front. But I kept working with them. Come playoff time, kid had a 2 run double and caught a ball and doubled off someone. Only thing they did significant all year. Gave that kid the game ball. They got their teammates to sign it. They never played again after that season, but for one game they were great, happy, and achieved something.
I got another kid that living in a bad situation. Stayed in trouble, failing classes, and on a path to nothing. Bought that kid a glove and got a hitting friend to work with them on free time. That kid ended up a Juco all region, and is playing college ball now.
Flipped two kids to the other side of the plate that couldn't hit. Both made HS all star teams.
Had one that didn't make they HS team. Took them and worked with them on my own time. Went and asked the coach to give them another tryout after a couple weeks. They made it, and their Sr year, won a playoff game with a bases loaded triple to send them to the state championship.
Sometimes kids need people to believe in them. Try different things. Get them help. Not give up on them.

He's not having fun. That's the point you completely missed.

 

[DirtyDog]

Let me start by saying that I coached recreational baseball for 9 years and tournament baseball for 7 years. Recreational leagues are designed to "introduce" kids to baseball. While it would be ideal for parents to spend time with their child playing baseball on their own so that they enter a league with some basic skills, it doesn't happen sometimes due to family dynamics etc. It's sad but true. Any little league recreational coach worth an ounce of usefulness should be able to coach a child to be able to make contact in coach pitch, and for the most part in kid pitch. I have coached many recreational teams with kids that have never picked up a bat or thrown a baseball, and by the end of the season they can make a basic throw, catch sometimes, and hit the ball occasionally. That's what coaching at that level is. Super aggressive coaches with tournament mentality struggle with teaching the fundamentals because it can be frustrating, especially when the kid tries baseball for the first time at 9 years old or older when the other kids have already played a few years. However, it is also the most rewarding. I took more pride in watching my worst players improve than watching my tournament players dominate the league. Sometimes the inexperienced kids just need to be a part of something and feel like a teammate and that is enough. It's the coach's job to help them improve from where they start to where they end up, and it's different for every kid on the team. I wish some parents were more engaged with their kids, but a good coach can help bridge the gap a little bit with the right perspective. And as a previous coach, it is very rewarding when my former players come up to me in town or at a restaurant. For some, it is a very impactful time in their lives.

 

[WrapItDog]

If your kid goes 0-fer the entire season

This kid may have a shot at playing short stop for State**

 

[dog12]

If your kid goes 0-fer the entire coach pitch season (games and practice) why do you put him in machine pitch the next year? That same kid is now 0-fer machine pitch. He hasn’t even hit one foul ball for 6 straight weeks. If you could measure the distance from bat to ball during a swing, he might not even be within 2’ of the ball on average. He swings at his eyes when the ball is at his knees.

I don't understand putting a kid through that. Take him to the cage. Hit with him off the tee. Play baseball all you want. But when you put him on a team, and in turn in front of his teammates and other parents and he embarrasses himself 100% of the time, that can’t be good for his psyche.

Maybe it makes more sense knowing this kid is raised by Aggie. Take him to the golf course.

Agree.

If my kid was that ****** at playing baseball, then I wouldn't permit him to play.

Like you said, that has to be completely embarrassing for the kid.

And . . . embarrassing for the parents.

 

[missouridawg]

Any little league recreational coach worth an ounce of usefulness should be able to coach a child to be able to make contact in coach pitch, and for the most part in kid pitch. I have coached many recreational teams with kids that have never picked up a bat or thrown a baseball, and by the end of the season they can make a basic throw, catch sometimes, and hit the ball occasionally. That's what coaching at that level is.

I don't disagree with hardly anything say except for what I've highlighted here. This kid is the anomaly that you've never seen before. He's 0-fer 1.5 straight seasons on even making contact with a pitch and fouling it off.

I've had him do tee work.
I've stood behind him and swung the bat for him and made contact.
I've tried to get him to bunt.
I've tried to tell him to swing low (when he's alone at the plate, he swings at eye level 100% of the time)
I've tried standing behind him with my hand in his back so he can't bail out.

This is all during practice time, taking away time from the other kids who also need coaching.

I hope like hell we make contact this year, cause we're going to celebrate like crazy. But I just don't see him even fouling a pitch off this season.

 

[The Peeper]

I never had a fancy name like O.B.L. for it but it describes me perfectly. I'm all over the place for about the first 6 holes or so, hit some solid and duff some. During that time I'll have several beers. From about hole 7-13 I can play w/ most any weekend golfer. After 13 and a 6Pack or more by then, take cover because my eye/hand/body coordination has gone to hell, not sure I've ever had any of my shots played in a scramble after the 13 hole. If golf were a 12 hole game I'd be pretty damn good, and then again, if men's basketball were a 30 minute game MSU would be pretty damn good too. "If a frog had wings he wouldn't bump his *** every time he hopped"

 

[Maroon Eagle]

Then we finally figured out he had terrible eyesight. He wasn't been able to see the damn ball when it's thrown from more than 10ft away.

I was 20/200 left eye - 20/20 right eye when I took the eye exam for the drivers license.

I could see 20/20 with both eyes but with little depth perception.

That's when I found out I needed to wear glasses.

My father's reaction: So that's why I was making those sharp left hand turns...

 

[CochiseCowbell]

It's called O.B.L. Optimum Beer Level. It's a pretty fine line, too. Teetering on either side can cost significant strokes.

It works the same in Billiards, Darts, Cornhole, etc. and Poker.

 

[Dawgbite]

It works the same in Billiards, Darts, Cornhole, etc. and Poker.

And picking up women at a bar!

 

[CochiseCowbell]

And picking up women at a bar!

True. And bc I found finally found my wife later in life it's applicable in drunk texting.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

He will be in 7th grade and playing on JV? How does that even happen from an eligibility perspective?

Regardless, you basically described my kids and volleyball. My oldest never cared about team sports until she got into volleyball in 7th grade, then decided she would get into it. She played club in 8th grade and barely made the court. Freshman HS team was split between the A and B teams and it frustrated her but she just wants to be out there participating so she kept at it. Currently she is in the second year of club and has improved a ton, but at this age everyone is improving. A lot more court time than before, but probably wont start next HS season unless a few current teammates move up. A desire to be part of the team and improve- cant dislike that as a parent or coach.

Some 6A leagues have separate teams for 7th, 8th and 9th graders. That may be the kids using JV to describe the 8th grade team (8th grade is JV to the 9th grade team?). JV is usually a subset of the 10-12 graders who don't expect to get much time on the varsity team.