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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Years ago when my son was 8, he played Little League (Vienna) and had the misfortune of being on teams two seasons in a row where the dads/coaches really thought their sons were headed for the big leagues. The coaches barely played the lesser skilled kids (my son was in this group) and ignored all but a handful of players. The boys are all in high school now and the kids who were going to be Cal Ripken aren’t even playing baseball (or any sport, for some of them) anymore. I occasionally wonder if the dads ever think back on how they coached those teams and regret being so myopic. Just wishful thinking on my part?[/quote]

When my son was 5 and we were signing him up for Little League T-Ball my brother who had kids in Little League warned us- don't sign him up unless you can be at least an assistant coach. Turned out to be excellent advice. I ended up volunteering for the Board and DH was an assistant coach for both our boys so they played the best positions, got tons of time pitching and catching, and batted at the top of the line up, played in all stars up until 10U. One son stopped playing baseball after that and the other one didn't want to take it so seriously after that and stopped playing at 13.

Absolutely no regret from the coaches. DH hung out with his coach friends. Kids are in high school and half of their kids no longer play baseball. They were talking about how they all had a good time and were glad their kids had the opportunity to play whatever position they wanted. The best kids who didn't have dads coaching really did get a lot of playing time as well.

Your son was "less skilled". Did you play catch with him, take him to the batting cages, get a batting coach? So much about life is who you know and your connections or you have to work twice as hard. Why would Little League be any different? [/quote]

Well there’s your answer PP. No they apparently do not regret it.

My DH currently coaches LL and this is the exact opposite of his approach. He makes sure all kids get an opportunity to play all positions. Batting lineups are randomized every time. He volunteers b/c he is athletic and likes being involved with our DS and his friends. He wants to see all the kids do well.[/quote]

I don't know about older ages, but I absolutely think this is how younger teams should be run. At this age, kids should be in LL to learn to be part of team, learn sportsmanship, improve at the sport (from whatever skill level they're at) and have fun! This isn't training to go into the Majors or even to make high school teams, so why limit playing time based on scoring? [/quote]

Ideally yes, but people are driven out of LL by the daddy ball types like the PP and her husband who lord it over everyone else because they coach the team or are on the board. There are some good coaches who treat everyone fairly and with respect. And then there are those who coach only as an afterthought to get their kid batting top of the order. This is why people flock to travel teams you have to pay for appropriate coaching the volunteers can't or won't deliver.[/quote]

The most telling this is: in our area, there are tons of dads who played baseball in college, the minors, even some former pros. Usually these guys are the good coaches in rec ball- developing all the kids, treating everyone fairly etc. They seem to understand the purpose of rec ball, and know it is a long path from LL to even play HS ball much less anything more.  It is usually the “I’ve never even played baseball” dads that are the Painting with a broad brush yes, but it is the trend I have seen. [/quote]

Agree. I live in Arizona. It's all former MLB players. They are the most relaxed about it. They coach because they love the game. It's the overweight out of shape dads who never did much of anything, or maybe a little high school ball, who are screaming at the kids, living vicariously through their own kid who they hope and dream will go further in life than he did, and trying to win at all costs no matter the age. They are the worst coaches. They often scream at the umps too. [/quote]

Worst coach we had was a former MLB player.  Didn’t know how to teach the kids and zero patience.  Only coached because his own kid played.  Often very talented players aren’t great coaches because they don’t know how to relate to kids that aren’t great athletes.

Our LL created three new rules because of the actions of this guy.  Great example…he used to abuse the umps because he thought it was his job to “advocate for his team”. [/quote]

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