THE TRUTH ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
• Expect other parents to try to influence or shape
When high school baseball is good, it can be a very rewarding experience. When it’s bad, it can be a living nightmare in the life of a young adult. Many parents have told me directly that they thought “high school coaching would have been better.” The truth is that while there are many great coaches out there, some have personal agendas that end up ruining what should be a joyous experience. With that in mind, here is my advice to the parents of any aspiring high school athlete.
circumstances to positively give an advantage to their child. Sad as it sounds, it’s a regular occurrence for nearly every team in the country.
• Expect cliques or alliances to be formed in order to
increase other individuals’ abilities to shape or influence coaching decisions. Resist becoming involved in such cliques or alliances to assist your child. Simply put, don’t play politics.
• I suggest you view high school baseball as a great
THIS MONTH IN BASEBALL HISTORY One Wild Night When teams are vying for playoff spots late into September, there’s always a chance the race will go down to the wire. All fans hope for a dramatic finish to the season, and they got that in spades in 2011. On Sept. 28, eight teams combined to produce a close to the season that will never be forgotten. In the NL, the Braves and Cardinals were the last two contenders for the wild card. Early in the night, the Cardinals drubbed the Astros, but they would be bounced from the playoff picture when Atlanta beat the Phillies. Meanwhile, the Red Sox and Rays were vying for the AL East wild card, with Boston visiting the Orioles and Tampa hosting the Yankees. Back to Atlanta, with one down in the top of the ninth, Chase Utley hit a sac fly to tie the game and force extras. If that weren’t crazy enough, both the Red Sox and the Rays went beyond nine innings. The Phillies succumbed in the 13th, ending their playoff dreams. Shortly after, the Red Sox fell as well, crossing their fingers the Rays would do the same. But just three minutes later, Evan Longoria hit a season-ending walk-off to send the Rays on their way. opportunity for growth, development, and learning that life is far from fair or perfect. It is a fabulous opportunity for young athletes to learn how to work as a team toward a shared goal without relinquishing personal integrity and independent thought. These days, high school baseball isn’t the be-all, end- all determining factor it was 20 years ago. While it’s still important, you shouldn’t treat it as a make-or-break situation for your athlete. Remembering that will keep you from becoming another angry parent who spends games berating coaches and umpires. Not every program is perfect, but most have integrity, and the coaches are trying their best. That’s what really matters.
• Don’t expect your coach to be baseball’s equivalent of John Wooden. That’s unfair and unrealistic. Truth be told, you are probably not perfect baseball parents either. Instead, expect your coach to simply have personal integrity. The rest you can work through.
UPCOMING RANCH EVENTS ELITE PITCHERS BOOT CAMPS
Nov. 23–25 Dec. 27–29
Jan. 11–12: Alumni Camp Jan. 18–20
ULTIMATE PITCHING COACHES BOOT CAMP, 20TH ANNIVERSARY Dec. 5–8 ELITE CATCHERS BOOT CAMP – INAUGURAL EVENT Dec. 14–15 OUTSIDE CAMPS Sept. 27–29: ThrowZone Clinic, Santa Clarita, CA Nov. 15–17: Fastball USA Clinic, Chicago, IL For more information, go to TexasBaseballRanch.com/events.
A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR OATES SPECIALTIES! EQUIPMENT PROVIDER,
It’s hard to imagine an ending to a regular season ever topping this one.
www.OatesSpecialties. com/Durathro
3 Where You Can DREAM as BIG as Your Work Ethic Will Allow! PHONE (936) 588-6762
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