Win Hungry coaches are ruining baseballs future.

[SoxWillWin]

Recently I happened to be able to take in a youth baseball game, I think they were 12 and 13 year olds, at our local park. During this game I had the pleasure of hearing one of the worst "coaching" philosophies I'd ever heard.

The team had a man on second and the batter laid down a picture perfect bunt right down the third base line to move the runner over, and beat the throw to first for a hit. A good play, and a good decision. The next batter hit a sac fly scoring the runner on third, and the batter after grounded into a DP.

Now here's where I got angry. When the kid who laid down the bunt got back to the bench the coach starts laying into him. Here are a few quotes. "what the (bleep) are you doing bunting???" "You don't bunt unless I tell you to" "bunting doesn't win games" "sit on the bench until you learn what baseball is about".

Now IMO the coaches job in every level of baseball from T-ball to college is supposed to be teaching fundamentals. This guy not only made this kid feel horrible about a play that should've been applauded, but probably is making this kid think twice about playing ball in the future.

This "coach" is so obsessed with his trophy case at home that he is not worried about the future ball players he is destroying. How many extremely talented ball players have quit the game because of idiots like this???

Unfortunately we'll never know

[jamokes]

Great post!! More and more Little League and traveling team coaches are into coaching for their egos. Fundamentals are out the window.

[RedHeadPaleHoser]

When I coached minor league (9-10) yr olds I taught my kids the fundamentals of bunting for that reason alone - since the kids were just learning to take kids' pitching to them alot of them would try and swing for the fences.

My smallest kid, a killer shortstop, bunted in the winning run to get us to the championship game. The opposing team's coach said, OUT LOUD, "Well, he couldn't teach those bastards to hit, so he taught them to bunt." I waked over to him, and told him I'd hire him next year to be my hitting coach - because it would be the only way he'd ever play in the championship.

I quit after two years because of comments like that. Between of coaches like that and the bull**** bureaucracy of the "associations" that run the leagues, that gem of pure love of baseball is slowly dying.

[ChiSoxFan7]

this sport is a great game but 15% of the people tarnish it (i.e. steriods, bad coaching, egos, cheating in general).

The other 85% are just playing it right but get no credit because of the 15% "majority".

[Ol' No. 2]

Recently I happened to be able to take in a youth baseball game, I think they were 12 and 13 year olds, at our local park. During this game I had the pleasure of hearing one of the worst "coaching" philosophies I'd ever heard.

The team had a man on second and the batter laid down a picture perfect bunt right down the third base line to move the runner over, and beat the throw to first for a hit. A good play, and a good decision. The next batter hit a sac fly scoring the runner on third, and the batter after grounded into a DP.

Now here's where I got angry. When the kid who laid down the bunt got back to the bench the coach starts laying into him. Here are a few quotes. "what the (bleep) are you doing bunting???" "You don't bunt unless I tell you to" "bunting doesn't win games" "sit on the bench until you learn what baseball is about".

Now IMO the coaches job in every level of baseball from T-ball to college is supposed to be teaching fundamentals. This guy not only made this kid feel horrible about a play that should've been applauded, but probably is making this kid think twice about playing ball in the future.

This "coach" is so obsessed with his trophy case at home that he is not worried about the future ball players he is destroying. How many extremely talented ball players have quit the game because of idiots like this???

Unfortunately we'll never know:fobbgod: That is sound baseball fundamentals.

[Paulwny]

The insanity is everywhere, in my area this week;
From the Buffalo News:

A baseball coach was charged Thursday night with menacing and harassment after he attacked a player's father with a baseball bat, according to police. Richard C. Galfo, 52, of Shannon Drive, Lackawanna, is accused of swinging a baseball bat at Matthew J. Baudo of Colvin Avenue during an Erie County "21 and Under League" playoff baseball game in McCarthy Park on East Amherst Street.

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20060805/1045134.asp

[MadetoOrta]

It's unfortunately no different with girls softball. I hear guys screaming at umpires [14U tournaments no less] that "there's money at stake here." One of our coaches asked the guy "what money?" "Scholarship money" the jackass replied. Unreal.