Coach slaps Player...

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by Tim C

SDS let me get this straight:



Personally my views of children were best described by W.C. Fields.

Parboiled?

[UmpJM]

Gentlemen,

While I did not the situation in question live or on a video replay, from what I have read of the situation I have formed the following opinions:

1. I believe the umpires acted appropriately in taking no action regarding the incident.

2. I would be happy to have the player on a team I was coaching.

3. I would not care to have the coach on the coaching staff of a team I was coaching.

While I would agree that the player's choice of language was inappropriate, I like the caring evident in his comment. It struck me as evidence that the player truly cared about winning and suggested to me that he felt his team should be capable of producing the one run they needed. In my experience, players with passion for the game tend to be the best players, and that passion is something that cannot be taught. On the other hand, a player can be taught to control his mouth.

One of the things I like about sports is that they provide the opportunity to perform under pressure; often the stress of a situation in a game can cause those participating to perform below their capabilities. But, with practice and preparation and repetition, most people who work at it can learn to perform at their very best under very stressful situations. As a youth coach, I feel that is one of the most important things that my players can learn from participating in sports.

I am a firm believer in the premise that my players learn much more from what I do than from what I say. What this coach taught his players was that it's OK to "lose it" in a stressful situation. My impression was that he was so upset with how the broadcast remark would reflect on HIM, that he unthinkingly lashed out at the player. And wasted the opportunity to teach all his players a good lesson about "grace under pressure".

Now, I can certainly understand the momentary urge to inflict violence upon one's players - with me, it's usually the urge to strangle one of them rather than slap them. But, I've always managed to refrain from acting on the urge, and, with time, it usually passes. If I ever found myself unable to resist the urge to strike a player, I would simply stop coaching. Because I would not be fit to coach.

I also regularly drop "F bombs" while I'm coaching - but I'm the only one who hears them, because they're usually not said out loud, or, occasionally muttered under my breath while I'm in the 3B coaching box.

As in, "Swing the F*&$#ng bat, Billy - he's been calling that a strike all day!"

Which, in the "for public consumption" version comes out along the lines of, "If you see that pitch again, just dump it into Right Field, Billy.", said with the most encouraging tone I'm able to muster.

I think it's a little unrealistic to think kids that age (most of them are 13) don't use that language and, given the context, I thought the coach WAY overreacted. Not that the kid didn't deserve a reprimand, mind you. Not sure what his "MPR status" was, but I'm thinking pulling him out of the game to think about what is and isn't appropriate language would have been more in order.

So, I'd take the kid, lose the coach, & be impressed with the umpires for not getting involved where they weren't really needed.

JMO.

JM

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by CoachJM

I am a firm believer in the premise that my players learn much more from what I do than from what I say. What this coach taught his players was that it's OK to "lose it" in a stressful situation.

Exactly, and he taught them an acceptable manner in which to "lose it".

So, I'd take the kid, lose the coach, & be impressed with the umpires for not getting involved where they weren't really needed.


JM

In your opinion, coach, were they not needed because they didn't see it? Were they not needed because this event wasn't visible to the public?

What if this happened on a field without a dugout...standing at the bench near the parents and other fans. Do you thinkthe umpires should ignore incidents like this, at this age level, in full view of the public?

[UmpJM]

Garth,

What I intended to suggest was that what the coach did was "unacceptable" and taught his players the wrong thing.

As I said, I did not see the actual incident. From the descriptions I have read, it did not strike me as severe enough, public enough, or prolonged enough to warrant the umpires' intervention.

JM

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by CoachJM

Garth,

What I intended to suggest was that what the coach did was "unacceptable" and taught his players the wrong thing.

As I said, I did not see the actual incident. From the descriptions I have read, it did not strike me as severe enough, public enough, or prolonged enough to warrant the umpires' intervention.

JM

Could you stop wiggling and answer the question I posed?

What if this happened on a field without a dugout...standing at the bench near the parents and other fans. Do you thinkthe umpires should ignore incidents like this, at this age level, in full view of the public?

[UmpJM]

Originally Posted by GarthB

Could you stop wiggling and answer the question I posed?

What if this happened on a field without a dugout...standing at the bench near the parents and other fans. Do you thinkthe umpires should ignore incidents like this, at this age level, in full view of the public?

Garth,

Well, I didn't mean to "wiggle". And, from a master of the "one hand clapping" post, no less. I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted.

Nonetheless.

If the situation I read about had happened in full view of God & everybody, without cover of a dugout, I STILL don't think it would have been appropriate for the umpires to intervene. For the reasons I stated previously.

If a similar situation were to occur that was more severe, more prolonged, and/or more public I could see the umpires putting a stop to it, ejecting certain parties (like the "slapping coach", for example), etc.

My point is that if it does not affect the conduct of the game, it is not the umpires' responsibility to address. It is the league's. Of course, at a certain point, it is ANY responsible person's responsibility to address. (See Neville Chamberlain, e.g..)

Ultimately, this is a decision each person must make for himself.

In this particular case, if it were up to me, the Coach would no longer be coaching the team. Nor would he be put in jail. The player would still be playing. He might sit all or part of a game. That's how I see it.

JM

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by CoachJM

Garth,

Well, I didn't mean to "wiggle". And, from a master of the "one hand clapping" post, no less. I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted.

Nonetheless.

If the situation I read about had happened in full view of God & everybody, without cover of a dugout, I STILL don't think it would have been appropriate for the umpires to intervene. For the reasons I stated previously.

If a similar situation were to occur that was more severe, more prolonged, and/or more public I could see the umpires putting a stop to it, ejecting certain parties (like the "slapping coach", for example), etc.

My point is that if it does not affect the conduct of the game, it is not the umpires' responsibility to address. It is the league's. Of course, at a certain point, it is ANY responsible person's responsibility to address. (See Neville Chamberlain, e.g..)

Ultimately, this is a decision each person must make for himself.

In this particular case, if it were up to me, the Coach would no longer be coaching the team. Nor would he be put in jail. The player would still be playing. He might sit all or part of a game. That's how I see it.

JM

So I guess this means you can't answer the question.