If you have been around youth softball as long as I have, just like me I’m sure you have developed several pet peeves concerning the game. So, just to let me get these off my chest, I’m going to provide you with a list of some of my pet peeves.
Yelling Coaches: I hate coaches that yell at and demean their players. I’ve seen plenty of them. Does yelling at or embarrassing a player actually make them better? I realize there are some very successful coaches out there that use this method to intimidate or motivate their players, but isn’t there a chance they would be just as successful without making the child look like she had just had her candy stolen?
Why would he yell at his player for not taking second base on a wild pitch when his team is up 12-0? That guy is a jerk.
Narrow and Wide Strike Zones: Every softball organization has a definition of what the strike zone is; why can’t the umpires call it correctly? I hate this when my daughter is pitching and batting.
Consistent Umpiring: Why does the umpire have a wide strike zone when my daughter is batting and a narrow zone when she is pitching? Be consistent Blue!
Cheering Parents: You know it’s bad enough if your team is beating our team 12-0, do you really have to rub it in with all that obnoxious cheering and screaming? Come on, show some dignity.
Coaches that can’t judge talent I: It’s unbelievable that the coach doesn’t realize that my daughter is better than the girl he has playing shortstop. He is wasting talent having my daughter play right field.
Coaches that can’t judge talent II: I still can’t believe that that yelling screaming jerk of a coach that is beating us 13-0 actually cut my daughter at his tryout last fall. My daughter is better than almost every player on his team. What an idiot!
Teams that run up the score: I really dislike teams that run up the score. The coach knew he had us beat when the score was 8-0 in the third, now it’s 14-0. That guy is a jerk.
Bad scorekeeping: I wish the “parent” that was keeping score knew what she was doing. Just because the ball my daughter hit went between the shortstop’s legs does not mean it’s an error. That hit was too-hot-to-handle.
Bad coaching: I can’t believe our coach. He pulls my daughter from pitching after only three innings. If it hadn’t had been for all the errors the team made, she wouldn’t have given up 9 runs. Besides, her curve was just starting to work. She would have shut them down once she had that pitch working.
Complaining Parents: I also hate parents that complain about everything. They should take their little prima donna daughters and take up a sport where parental meddling is acceptable, like say tennis.
WHEN WILL IT HAPPEN?
I have a question for the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF). When will you conduct a State Championship for softball? I’ve been out of the high school loop for a while, but I have noticed that in addition to basketball, volleyball, cross country, wrestling, track and field and golf, the CIF is now conducting a “state championship” in football. When will softball be included in this championship program? It seems that only baseball and softball are now left out of the state championship mix.
What sport is better suited for a championship than softball? Teams are able to play more than one game in day, so, as we all know, you can play a championship tournament over an extended weekend. And unlike the method used in football to only invite two teams to participate, softball would permit several teams from the various sections to be represented at the state finals. It just seems strange that this event hasn’t been accepted yet.
There are ten sections in CIF and of course several divisions of play in softball. One of the benefits of conducting a softball championship is that you could conduct different divisions at different locations, so more than one section can host a state championship. Without a doubt there is a market for this event, willing participants and facilities. Now it’s time to get it done. Come on CIF, step up to the plate.
FOUL TIPS
I just spent my day off work getting ready for a little road trip. Loaded up the motor home, picked up some food and drinks, and tomorrow I’m headed to Palm Springs. I’m looking forward to a great weekend of college softball. Nice to have options now that my daughter has graduated * * * * A couple of great travel ball tournaments coming up within the next month or so. I have my calendar planned out and should be reporting here on some of the happenings in these events. Also looking forward to seeing some old friends now that the dead season is over * * * *As always, you can contact me at floydeunslip@yahoo.com * * * * and so the ball rolls.