Dispatch from rec all-star hell

[dustyshoes]

Welcome to the low end of Heybucket threads. No discussion of Nationals qualifiers here or how to afford going if we make it. Knowing how popular rec coaches are here, particularly those with DD pitchers, I'll try to reduce this as much as possible to just the basic facts and avoid references to farm animal housing structures.

DD is a 10u pitcher for her all-star team and the only one with decent velocity and an effective change up. She is also the only one getting quality private coaching (one other pitcher gets private instruction on the cheap from someone who was a #3 pitcher for a D-whatever college back in the day). She is mostly accurate however like a lot of novice pitchers she has bouts of wildness that we work on by focusing on the proper mechanics her private coach teaches her. She's gotten the fewest innings in early tournament play because the other pitchers can lob more meatballs over the plate and when they are wild the catcher can pull her mask off, yell, "I got it!" catch the ball and look the runner on 3rd back to the base to prevent her from stealing home. This "strategy" has resulted in winning games over gawd-awful all-star teams and losing close games to mediocre ones.

As someone uninvolved in the coaching of this team I've just kept my mouth shut and told DD to keep working on her pitching and not to worry about any decisions her coaches make since she can't control that. At a party I held for my 8u team for winning their postseason tournament I spoke briefly to an assistant coach for the all-star team who has a younger DD on my team. He tells me that the all-star head coach catalogs every pitch thrown by every pitcher in every practice, scrimmage and game. I've seen this coach standing behind the catcher and off to the first base side making these notes and wondered what purpose they serve besides slowing down the pace of practice. Apparently, a meatball strike that's jacked to deep left field carries the same weight as a fastball the blows right by hitters because there isn't a kid on the team that can't hit the other pitchers every time.

Is it just me or is this about the most asinine way to manage a 10u pitching staff? The silver lining in all of this is that it has given DD more innings at other positions and she'd played very well there in addition to hitting well (meatball pitchers do help your fielders gain experience).

Thanks for indulging me and feel free to flame away, I just had to vent somewhere and I can't really talk about this to people I know that are involved with this team. I'm sure this kind of thing is going on everywhere right now and has parents circling dates in August when TB teams hold tryouts.

[Blendin N]

I understand your pain.

Coaching and philosophies are different in rec and travel ball. There is a reason that some people coach rec..... Maybe there DD is not good enough to earn PT on a travel ball team. They can control who plays where and when in league since you can not switch teams if the need arises.

Do not get discouraged, put your time in and when All-Stars is over then find the right situation for your DD.

Everyones goal should be to get out of rec ball as soon as possible!!!!!


P.S. - Your DD should get her chance, the end result is more important than the clip board.

[Killer Rabbit]

Devils advocate here. Your daughter's velocity may be the thing that is hindering her playing time. My DD threw fast for her age also, so when the rec batters were in the box, by the time they decided to swing, the ball was by them, leaving it up to the umpire. There were not a lot of "cheap" strikes called (you know, the swing at the ball that is over the batters head, or in the ground). So, too many walks equals ...you know. The positive thing is that consistent accuracy is just around the corner if DD keeps working hard.

[dustyshoes]

Thanks Blendin in, I beleive your right that DD will ultimately get her chances to prove herself in the circle.

Killer Rabbit, There's no question that around here blues will call a tighter strike zone for a pitcher with decent mechanics and velocity. I wouldn't blame a blue for DD's playing time though, it's got nothing to do with them. I just think the coach is trying to manage tourney games the same pathetic way this coach would manage a regular season game; pitch the kids who can lob a strike hoping to strike out weaker hitters and hope your defense can stop the better hitters. I forgot to mention this coach did finish rec league season in 1st place, DD missed our game against them but I heard they used the typical rec ball strategy of "engineering" runs to win.

[Sam]

Welcome to the low end of Heybucket threads. No discussion of Nationals qualifiers here or how to afford going if we make it. Knowing how popular rec coaches are here, particularly those with DD pitchers, I'll try to reduce this as much as possible to just the basic facts and avoid references to farm animal housing structures.

DD is a 10u pitcher for her all-star team and the only one with decent velocity and an effective change up. She is also the only one getting quality private coaching (one other pitcher gets private instruction on the cheap from someone who was a #3 pitcher for a D-whatever college back in the day). She is mostly accurate however like a lot of novice pitchers she has bouts of wildness that we work on by focusing on the proper mechanics her private coach teaches her. She's gotten the fewest innings in early tournament play because the other pitchers can lob more meatballs over the plate and when they are wild the catcher can pull her mask off, yell, "I got it!" catch the ball and look the runner on 3rd back to the base to prevent her from stealing home. This "strategy" has resulted in winning games over gawd-awful all-star teams and losing close games to mediocre ones.

As someone uninvolved in the coaching of this team I've just kept my mouth shut and told DD to keep working on her pitching and not to worry about any decisions her coaches make since she can't control that. At a party I held for my 8u team for winning their postseason tournament I spoke briefly to an assistant coach for the all-star team who has a younger DD on my team. He tells me that the all-star head coach catalogs every pitch thrown by every pitcher in every practice, scrimmage and game. I've seen this coach standing behind the catcher and off to the first base side making these notes and wondered what purpose they serve besides slowing down the pace of practice. Apparently, a meatball strike that's jacked to deep left field carries the same weight as a fastball the blows right by hitters because there isn't a kid on the team that can't hit the other pitchers every time.

Is it just me or is this about the most asinine way to manage a 10u pitching staff? The silver lining in all of this is that it has given DD more innings at other positions and she'd played very well there in addition to hitting well (meatball pitchers do help your fielders gain experience).

Thanks for indulging me and feel free to flame away, I just had to vent somewhere and I can't really talk about this to people I know that are involved with this team. I'm sure this kind of thing is going on everywhere right now and has parents circling dates in August when TB teams hold tryouts.

I would be careful making judgements regarding pitching instruction by measuring them against one another based upon relative experience. Many high level athletes couldn't teach a cobbler how to tie a shoe. On the other hand....I remember somebody telling me that Ernie Parker wasn't a pitcher.

If your DD is a 10U pitcher and wild....she needs to work on her control more.

[dustyshoes]

Point taken Sam.

I did actually talk to this other pitching coach about working with my daughter before I found her current coach. This other coach was working with a few kids in our league and by the time I got around to talking to her about working with DD she didn't have any time available to take new students.

The guy I found isn't a high level athelete any longer although he is in the ASA HOF as a player and good friend of Earnie Parker's and the organization he coached for locally easily gets the most kids into high level college programs than any other around here (not that it's my primary objective for DD).

In talking to students and parents of this other coach I know she teaches some mechanical differences but I'm probably not best qualified to judge them as necessarily inferior to whatever else is being taught out there.

[anonlooker]

Let's see... you're one of many thousands of parents complaining that DD isn't getting a fair shake from her rec ball coach. What a surprise!! And at the same time admitting she has "bouts of wildness" in the circle. Hmmm...

And to resolve this issue, you are circling dates in August to try out for travel ball teams??

You think you're in hell now?? Wait until you discover how many travel coaches are looking for pitchers with "bouts of wildness".

Can you say "Day of Reckoning"?

Sam suggested your DD needs to practice more. I would suggest your DD needs to practice a lot more.

Quit complaining.
Get your a$$ on the bucket.
And never, ever, give up.
Because that's how it works.
And it does work.

IMHO.

[dustyshoes]

If she tries out for every TB team around and doesn't make it with any of them then she'll never be in TB hell. I'll be fine with that and we'll stay right where we are but may think twice about signing up for an all star team.

DD does practice a lot every day. Like any normal 10 year old she picks up mechanical flaws that need to be corrected and are corrected once identified. The source of my frustration is that her coach is completely ignoring mechanics and velocity and making pitching rotation decisions after one week of practice based solely on whether the ball crosses the plate or not.

If I had known every practice pitch she would throw was subject to a grade I would have certainly pulled her out of her swim team practices.

[Martin]

One advantage (amongst a great many) TB coaches have is time. They can spend weeks, months or sometimes years getting to know players, tinkering with lineups and figuring out who can perform in various situations. Rec All-Star coaches have two or three weeks to work with a team they quite often do not pick themselves and then they enter a tourney (sometimes double-elim with random seeding) in which they must succeed immediately or be done for 11 months. About 4 or 5 of their players will be in positions they didn't play all summer, the players aren't used to each other or their coaches, and the coaches aren't used to each other, either. Everyone is trying to shove as much instruction as possible into a severely-limited prep time while also trying to evaluate the talent and juggle mandatory playing time rules.

In short, it's an environment which almost guarantees chaos, poor decisions and hurt feelings. Rec programs have a great purpose (recreate and introduce the game to kids) and once each year they abandon that concept and try to turn themselves into quasi-travel programs almost overnight. The gears rarely mesh well.

[jofus]

I'm actually optimistic about my DD's LL all-star team. They made it to the state semi's last year, and the ones we lost this year should be replaced fairly well with the new girls this year, and we have at least 3 good pitchers and a couple more that have potential on any given day. They should be good in the field, now if they can only hit the ball consistently

At least half of them have been to the states level the last 3 years, so even the ones that don't play travel have some decent experience. My DD plays travel full time, and the other 2 pitchers play travel but not as often, although they have in the past.

My DD and I were on the way home from a travel tournament in Johnson City TN a few weeks ago, and she said "Dad, all-stars is going to seem a little easier after playing in these tournaments".