Am I being over-critical?

[CJ D]

Clarification: 1st example (runners on 2nd 3rd) was in the 1st inning. Batters 1 and 2 got on base, DD bats #3.

2nd example: 3rd inning (maybe 4th) in a 4-4 tie game, 1 out. 14U team.

As to saying one thing and meaning another: understand, but not the only instances that makes me wonder about his appropriate knowledge. further example: He used to tell the girls when the pitcher serves up something in the middle of the plate to "take that pitch and hit it hard!" It took me a year to get through to him that in softball "taking a pitch" meant you do NOT swing at it.

Has team improved? Too early to tell, but improvement could easily come in spite of a coach rather than because of one. Like I said, I am the hitting coach and he lets me work with the girls on that. There is someone else who is dedicated to pitching, and a third to working with the outfield. He 'runs' the infield, but frequently has two assistants helping him who know far more about the game than he does (or I do for that matter). Come game time, though, he is the one who makes the lineup, coaches 3rd base, calls the signs, decides who plays/sits/etc.

After your clarifications, I am in agreement 100% with the coach on those two choices. Your DD just made 13, so I would guess she's been playing 12s? Being a new team, maybe even rec? But regardless of rec/travel....in 14s, especially playing good competition, not only can that catcher throw the girl out at 2nd, but they can get the ball back in and keep that girl at 3rd or get her out trying to go home. You're not going to be given many free steals of second base just because a runner is on 3rd. Also being a new team, possibly the girl stealing second hasn't been worked enough on not running into that tag, and the coach looks at a situation where he has a runner on 3rd, tie game, girl at the plate who should be able to get a bunt down to score the run. If....if the girl gets thrown out on 2nd and the girl on 3rd is held there, you're now in a situation with 2 outs in a tie game hoping for that base hit again.

I think that you feel as though you have the most "softball knowledge" out of the two of you, and that you should have been head coach. Now, you're trying to rationalize a reason to get away from him. I think his decisisions, based on what you provided, were sound.

And seriously, having an issue with him saying "take that pitch and hit it up the middle"??? How many times have coaches, announcers, fans said in games that someone took the ball out of the park. Thank The Lord above that you are helping coach. I'd hate to see the effect you'd have on the parents in the stands.

 

[Carty]

I agree with the bunt call too. Number #3 is there in the order because they have the most offensive weapons. Great place to put pressure on the D and score or load the bases for your #4 & 5, who are there for their power. Not only that, but it gives the first five in your lineup a great time to see what the pitcher has for the next go around, which is statistically a higher contact percentage.

 

[Jquick823]

I would have questioned him had DD laid down a perfect bunt, scored the run and gotten on 1st base. IMO, in THAT SITUATION (no outs, early in game, contact hitter up) it is time to put the pedal down and try to get the big lead early on. I'm not playing for 1 run in that situation. I'm playing for the big inning that takes the other team out of the game entirely. He made a different call and while I disagree, I didn't push it any further than that.

I would disagree with this. I don't think anyone would have anything to say if it was perfectly executed. What are you going to say, that it was the wrong call? If it gets a base hit, scores a run and now runners 1st and 3rd no outs, it's basically 2nd and 3rd no outs since most teams steal in that situation. Difference is you're up 1-0. The way i read this whole thread is you wanted your DD to get a 2rbi double. Maybe i'm wrong.

 

[canyonjoe]

Coaches make decisions all the time. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. Even when they don't work it still may have been the correct choice, but the other teams makes a great play. Since your DD did not even remotely execute the play it's hard to be critical of the decision. If I am the 16U coach and we have tryouts and someone can't bunt they better be amazing at pitcher or SS or they likely won't come back the next tryout.

 

[Momo'sDad]

Every player in the lineup needs to be able to get a bunt down and I expect a #3 hitter to be able to do it with a high degree of success.

It's the fall season. As you described the situation, I see no problem with the HC's call. Now that you have moved into travel, you have to realize that your team isn't likely to score runs in bunches like they may have done in rec. Runs are much harder to come by, so you have to get what you can when you can. Sure, you'd like to get multiple runs in the 1st inning, but you HAVE to get at least 1 run home in that situation. A successful bunt with runners on 1st & 2nd gives you, at worst, runners on 2nd & 3rd with #4 and #5 due up. The math supports your coach's decision.

Your HC is open to your input. But being a good AC means being able to be ok with your HC listening to what you have to say, but then telling you why he or she disagrees and then sharing their philosophy with you. Even if an HC says they went with their gut on a certain call, that's fine. Hunches matter! And sometimes, they pay off in a big way.

Plus, like I said, it's fall. Wins don't matter right now. Working on execution does. Getting a new group of girls on the same page does. The best coaches are the ones who are preparing their teams to compete well and win in July, not those who are trying to win right now.

 

[mad hornet]

So, there is some history/drama involved in this that I'm not going to go over, but the HC of our team (whose background is in football/wrestling) has been really getting under my skin lately and now I'm beginning to wonder if I'm being over-critical of little things.

As I mentioned, his background isn't in baseball/softball and we've had conflicts in the past on plays he calls. Example: In the last game, we have runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs and the best contact hitter on the team up to bat (yes, it was my daughter, but this isn't just daddy bragging on his daughter. She really is the best contact hitter on the team with a high BA and some power). He gives her the bunt sign, she pops it up and now we have 1 out. (Later in the day, she twice connected for line drive triples...honest, this ain't just daddy pride. She can hit....we are working on bunting, but I just fail to see the logic in bunting with 2 runners in scoring position and a good hitter up at the plate.) Later, in same game, we have runners on 1st and 3rd with a good bunter up (score is close at this point). Rather than having runner steal 2nd (and maybe getting a run in on a throw to 2nd), he chooses to have the batter bunt twice. Result was that batter fouls 2 balls off and then had 2 strikes on her and we still have runners on 1st and 3rd.

But those are just disagreements in calls...He defended his thinking and while I disagree with both calls, he's the HC and I accept that. But the things that are really getting under my skin are probably insignificant things, but it just reinforces my thinking that he really doesn't know what he is doing. Example: he sends out an email to parents titled "hitting signals" that he wants to go over with the players. My mind is screaming "we don't have signals, we have signs!". After the games this weekend (we split, going 1-1 losing the second game), he talks about how we lost the second game "by one point". Meanwhile my brain is having convulsions....there's no "points" in softball...there are RUNS!

So, now I'm just beginning to wonder if I'm being too sensitive. But if he doesn't even know the vocabulary of the game, how can I have faith in him actually teaching the girls how to play the game?

It's what I call "shoving in runs". It's not at all uncommon to get the bunt down, score the run and have the runner safe at first go on to second because no on is covering. Creates a viscious cycle of runners on 2nd and 3rd but you need kids who can get a bunt down. We had a couple of 4/5 run innings in two separate games at NSA Nationals in Chattanooga because we kept bunting until the other team got some outs. One was a game that was tied 8-8 in the 7th inning.

 

[edad]

If the guy makes you crazy then he makes you crazy and you have to deal with it... I've been there a couple of times. Your options are to grin and bear it or confront the guy and then you run the risk of your DD losing playing time. You my friend are in a no win situation. All you can do is wait it out and hope that your DD has a good year and still loves the game at the end of the season. Then look for a coach/team that you and your DD both enjoy. The little thinks add up, last year our coach could not spell and that drove me crazy. He called so many bum calls on the bases we just came to expect bad calls. He was unapproachable because he was always right. I just sat thru the season and now we have a great team and coaches that are approachable and FUN. The whole thing about softball is it should be FUN and if it isn't then you need to find the fun.

 

[ms244]

Yes you are being over-critical. It seems to most of us that have commented that you are worked up on semantics. "Take a pitch" "pitching signals", etc. Nobody that has posted has disagreed with the bunt sign/signal from the head coach. Not that I am keeping track it looks like most are disagreeing with you. The fact that your DD didn't lay down a bunt, the fact that you are the "batting coach" and the fact that you want to be the head coach are all adding up with your animosity to the call made. I'm not sure where you will do more harm, in the dugout or on the bleachers. Oh, and at 16u they expect players to bunt also.

 

[Rocketech1]

Agreed. Up until this level of play, there was rarely a reason to focus on bunting. Girls are mostly from rec league where bunting was not used enough for various reasons (including umps who would call any squaring at the plate a strike regardless of whether she pulled back or offered). Bunting practice is now done in every batting session with every player (20 reps of rapid fire, 20 reps of front toss)

This is crazy to me. When I coached rec, we taught the girls to bunt at 8U and every hitting practice since, the girls would always work on bunting stations along with regular hitting stations. Bunting is as fundamental to softball as being able to catch and throw a ball.

Regarding the head coach, the only way you will be happy is to either leave this team or become a head coach yourself. It's too easy to second guess the HC but he is the one in charge and the parents agreed to have their daughters play for him, so I would try to work with him instead of against him.

 

[Classof2020]

I know you wanted some people to rant to and now your getting an earful on here and not much support. But I want to ad one more thing. Your very first sentence was "there is some history and drama involved". I would like to propose that whatever this history and drama was is now clouding your thinking and poisoning your attitude toward this guy. If he was your buddy you would just chuckle and not give a dang about him using the wrong lingo. Try to step back and give him a break. Try to think of 5 things that he is doing well and focus on those things and give him a break on some of the other stuff. You'll feel better. I bet your daughter will feel better picking up less of the tension between you two. And he might even coach better feeling that he has the support and respect of another of his assistant coaches.