Think I've Lost My Mind ...

Hi Nancy, my son is going to be 10 in Dec. and also just loves baseball! This sounds like a dream opportunity to me. Our town baseball ended before school got out, and he made the all-star team which played thru out most of the summer. Now he didn't get much playing time in allstars because they had the core team already decided on, so he and two others got in the rotation, it is very hard to see your son sit on the bench, but we knew this going in, he made the team, and the coach is pretty fair. Now my husband coached my son's town team, but a different coach has the allstar team. Now that coach and the other coach's sons are on the starting lineup, but they are very good and deserve to be. I don't really believe our coach plays favorites, but it did get very hard for my son, who practiced all the time, suited up and only got to play a small amount on each game! This new team that you are deciding on sounds perfect. The coach's abilities, the size of the team, and his abilities and the practicing and training, I would most certainly put my son on this type of team. My son also does karate, which was very expensive, and he needs to understand he has to see it through to his black belt, even though he tends to get bored. Now, he is also doing soccer, which is not his passion. He tried out for the travel team, which I might add is the same group pretty much as the allstar baseball team, coach included. He said my son was close, but most of the kids have been on this travel team for two years now, and he only took two new kids. Next year they can take up to 18 kids and rotate 11 at a time. So, I was not too upset even though his friends are on the travel soccer, but my son does not have the same kind of passion for soccer as he does for baseball. He is a really good baseball player, I think he got nervous during all stars and didn't play as well as he did during the regular season. Last year and this year have been the same coaches for all stars and kids who didn't make it, had parents blast the coach saying things like it was "all decided" before hand, and they play faves etc.. I really like our coach and he is fair, and his son is a great baseball player, so it is not just he is the coach'es son. I do like the fact that your soon to be new coach won't have his son on his team, it does eliminate alot of stress and problems. My husband got told by a parent that he was putting one parent's son at the bottom of the batting order, and all the coaches sons were playing at the top, and my husband told her that is not true, he puts who is the best at the top and on the infield. So, it has to be hard for a coach. I would say that if your son really wants to be on this team, to go for it,it would be a great experience! Sorry, this is so long, but baseball is my son's passion, and I feel very strong about good coaching and fairness on teams.

Tracey