Quote:
Originally Posted by notmytarga
A neighbor is coaching a team that we wanted my son on - College player etc. He has several practices a week on top of the games - thinks that the kids love it. Has them do 5 pushups if they miss a grounder during practice. That might help my son bend his knees more!
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More likely that it just turns him off competitive sports. I think guys like this have no business "coaching" young kids. They are feeding their own ego and trying to have their own "second chance." Same with a lot of parents.
Before people start making assumptions, I was a fairly successful athlete. Our little league went from age 8-12, my first year I made minors and started in the infield (though we lost most of our games - hmm, a connection?), made majors when I was 10 was an all-start age 11 and 12. Like Paul, I loved the game so much that I umpired farm games when I was 12 and 13 and did some assistant coaching. Later in life I also played on tournament softball teams and won plenty. Also played on some miserable teams and lost plenty.
Thankfully though, my dad (who was better than I was - had a minor league contract offered to him after he got back from WW2) did some coaching when I was a kid but never emphasized winning. For him it was about showing up and honoring the game. No matter what sport you were doing. That didn't mean he wasn't fiercely competitive (he was/is), or that I didn't end up that way. But it is a different mindset. The competition is with yourself, and doing better than you did yesterday. And trying to make your teammates better. The final score doesn't mean much after you walk off the field. How hard you tried and the quality of your sportsmanship carries on forever.
When I was a kid we played baseball (during spring/summer) every single day. On our own accord. Sure, we had little league games, but when we didn't have practice or a game we were in the street playing 3 flies up or $5 or pickle or over the line. We were relentless. Not because we were desperate to "win" anything. We just loved to play.
That is what I think is missing from youth sports these days. Everything is programmed and structured. Do I think everyone should get a trophy? No. Do I think everyone should play? Absolutely, especially when they are young. As said above, kids know who is good and who sucks. And soon enough the lousy ones will have zero opportunity to participate. The least we can do is give them some love of the game so they'll stay engaged on some level.
Baseball is about far more than the score. I think that has been lost though...