Politics in College Ball

DryHeat · May 12, 2022

Yep, politics at every level.

Last year DD's HS team made it to the state semi's, got 1 player one the all-state 2nd team. Meanwhile a team they trounced by run-rule and was outmatched in the playoffs sent FIVE players to the 1st and 2nd all-state teams. At least one of those players hit low .300's while DD's school had 4 players over .400 with a much tougher schedule. Of course our HC sent an assistant to the haggle-fest that is the selection meeting.

schwabach · May 13, 2022

At not inconsiderable risk of being naive, I would say that if a player is playing softball for the awards (other than winning their conference or a national championship), then they are missing the boat as are the parents of the player.

For me, there was nothing better than seeing my daughter pitch a good game where the defense had her back. And the couple of times we missed winning championship games, it was not the loss but the manner of losing that made me crazy.

_MIA_ · May 13, 2022

schwabach said:
At not inconsiderable risk of being naive, I would say that if a player is playing softball for the awards (other than winning their conference or a national championship), then they are missing the boat as are the parents of the player.

I doubt that most players care about that stuff as much as the parents do..

TMD · May 13, 2022

So my eyes starting rolling as soon as I read "...and it ignited a fire storm in the parent group chat." but given the solid reputation of the OP am not just writing this off as a typical parental over-reaction. While some of those examples may be head-scratchers, it is very common and you can find examples in pretty much every conference.

I don't think the classes of the players in question was included, but it's not uncommon to "reward" a senior with an all-conference nod when there are others, maybe even on her own team, with better stats and who on paper may look more deserving (full disclosure, I believe my own daughter benefited from this during her senior year).

No idea if this is the case in the ASC, but given that the number of All-Conference slots aren't unlimited some conference may allocate numbers of slots to teams based on record, which could also result in what you're seeing.

Orange Socks · May 13, 2022

pattar said:
Do you get a tuition waiver for winning? Otherwise who cares.

I think I found the manager! Sounds like you work for the ASC Conference. Contrary to your opinion, many kids at this level do care about the recognition. Because that's all they can get, as most if not all have to pay their way. The players follow the stats, and they know who is who in their conference. Believe it or not, there is some sh&t talkin' that happens between the players and teams. If they can't get past the conference tourney, they are done, and just like the D1 level it seems to be the same teams at the top. They are in the sunset of their careers in softball, and some acknowledgement for a job well done means the world to them.

It is a grind and they work hard every day at what they do. Until you get a call from your DD crying after having a tough week dealing with unresponsive A-Hole professors (I'm sure that's not you), Strength coaches, bitchy teammates, on the field drama, 8 hour bus rides, sharing a room with 3 other girls, Not a another Subway stop, tired feet, bad strike zones then your opinion is...well you know. I am 8 years ahead of you in this journey. You don't know what you don't know.

DD told me last night that 4 separate opposing coaches went out of their way this season to give her compliments about her play on the field. "When you were playing catcher, we were not gonna try and steal on you", "You are a great player" in the hand shake line, HC says ""I love the way you play the game", "hey kid I wish my players had your same attitude." Those comments make my heart smile.

Orange Socks · May 13, 2022

TMD said:
So my eyes starting rolling as soon as I read "...and it ignited a fire storm in the parent group chat." but given the solid reputation of the OP am not just writing this off as a typical parental over-reaction. While some of those examples may be head-scratchers, it is very common and you can find examples in pretty much every conference.

I don't think the classes of the players in question was included, but it's not uncommon to "reward" a senior with an all-conference nod when there are others, maybe even on her own team, with better stats and who on paper may look more deserving (full disclosure, I believe my own daughter benefited from this during her senior year).

No idea if this is the case in the ASC, but given that the number of All-Conference slots aren't unlimited some conference may allocate numbers of slots to teams based on record, which could also result in what you're seeing.

Maybe not a fire storm...perhaps some sparks.

_MIA_ · May 13, 2022

Orange Socks said:
Until you get a call from your DD crying after having a tough week dealing with unresponsive A-Hole professors (I'm sure that's not you),

I am an A-Hole but responsive.

I don't care how far ahead you are in your journey, my opinion won't change. I played college ball for a second..I am not oblivious to the difficulties. I am also not much of a coddler..surprising I know.

We have Administrators at the University that make 4-5 times as much as I do and have no contact with students whatsover..sometimes life is not fair. Also doesn't mean I don't sympathize with the player but as a parent you need to put things in the right context. Did you feel you had a good year? Did you meet your individual goals? Did you enjoy your time on the field? Did you do as well as you would like with your grades? Etc, etc.

If a majority of players do care about such things then I was wrong about that, which I am admitting. My comment was more with regards to how parents feel about/deal with such things rather than the players..

_MIA_ · May 13, 2022

Also not sure why you think I would do a crap job picking the awards. Just because I don't think they are that important in the grand scheme of things doesn't mean I wouldn't try and do the best I could to pick them if that was my job..

Tatonka · May 13, 2022

Orange Socks said:
I think I found the manager! Sounds like you work for the ASC Conference. Contrary to your opinion, many kids at this level do care about the recognition. Because that's all they can get, as most if not all have to pay their way. The players follow the stats, and they know who is who in their conference. Believe it or not, there is some sh&t talkin' that happens between the players and teams. If they can't get past the conference tourney, they are done, and just like the D1 level it seems to be the same teams at the top. They are in the sunset of their careers in softball, and some acknowledgement for a job well done means the world to them.

It is a grind and they work hard every day at what they do. Until you get a call from your DD crying after having a tough week dealing with unresponsive A-Hole professors (I'm sure that's not you), Strength coaches, bitchy teammates, on the field drama, 8 hour bus rides, sharing a room with 3 other girls, Not a another Subway stop, tired feet, bad strike zones then your opinion is...well you know. I am 8 years ahead of you in this journey. You don't know what you don't know.

DD told me last night that 4 separate opposing coaches went out of their way this season to give her compliments about her play on the field. "When you were playing catcher, we were not gonna try and steal on you", "You are a great player" in the hand shake line, HC says ""I love the way you play the game", "hey kid I wish my players had your same attitude." Those comments make my heart smile.

Well put. We see the same things happening and being said, both the good and the bad (and times 2 with both DD's working their butts off). Recognition is powerful and while some may dismiss it as unimportant, I'm not in that camp. Is making the Deans List or getting into the National Honor Society important? Having a peer reviewed paper published, or even receiving a thank you note for your hard work or positive impact to a situation or to someone's life important? Of course it is. The examples of how much this means to people are everywhere. Of course, knowing that you did your best and left it all out there on the field is hugely important for your own self worth, most humans desire some acknowledgement and positive feedback. Otherwise, just give everyone a ribbon or participation trophy and we can all go home.

_MIA_ · May 13, 2022

Tatonka said:
Well put. We see the same things happening and being said, both the good and the bad (and times 2 with both DD's working their butts off). Recognition is powerful and while some may dismiss it as unimportant, I'm not in that camp. Is making the Deans List or getting into the National Honor Society important? Having a peer reviewed paper published, or even receiving a thank you note for your hard work or positive impact to a situation or to someone's life important? Of course it is. The examples of how much this means to people are everywhere. Of course, knowing that you did your best and left it all out there on the field is hugely important for your own self worth, most humans desire some acknowledgement and positive feedback. Otherwise, just give everyone a ribbon or participation trophy and we can all go home.

Having a peer reviewed paper published is important because your work can then be seen by others and hopefully used to improve something in society (sometimes that is a stretch I admit..). You can put your work out there without peer review but most won't take it seriously and hence it won't have near the impact..Not the same thing. Of course some people do it for the recognition but that shouldn't be the main reason.

Politics in College Ball

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