He called two days ago to complain of a sore throat and head ache...allergies or a spring cold was my diagnosis then and it is today. But when he called this morning, he sounded pretty bad and said that he had a pounding headache, sore throat, and dry cough.
I call it now a spring cold. My recommendation was to go to the pharmacy, read the labels on the cold pills, compare with his symptoms, buy the medicine, and drink orange juice and NOT gatorade. We all know the medicinal worth of gatorade, but let's be straight....it has nothing of value in it and experts concur that athletes should be drinking more water and not gatorade.....
On to baseball....deep breath.....OK, the kid is not on the roster for playing this weekend. It was not unexpected, but once again, it still hurt. He has been disrespected by his coaches and they have no idea how to help him. Let's consider this one important historical fact: his high school coaches were in over their heads with him too.....therefore, we did what we had to do to bring him to the level where he is now. It's the same with these current coaches. They are in over their heads and do not have a clue. After he spoke with Coach T for ten minutes, he knew what was wrong and fixed it. nevertheless, he is still not playing this weekend.
Here are my thoughts on the topic (you better get your coffee now and not later.....I have a great deal to say...)
1. The coaches are reactive and not proactive. They may have been terrific high school, college, and major league players, but they have to know how to diagnose a problem and teach the athlete how to tinker with their mechanics. These players are good and sometimes it is a minor adjustment. It could be the way the pitcher holds the ball, releases it at a certain angle, holds his head and so on......it's their job to fix it and make it better.
2. The team is in last place in their league only winning two games. The reactive and not proactive coaches are now screaming at the players and threatening them about play time and roster spots for next year. That's right....they are threatening them about next year. Dude.....let's try to climb out of the basement first OR have you written the season completely off. 'Cause, if you are, then you have given up and this is a 'no-no' in my household.
3. If the big kid had been on the roster, he would have pitched an inning or two...become complacent and not have made plans for the summer to work out with uber-coach. Yeah, it will cost me a bundle, but I can clip coupons and go back to peanut butter on a slice of toast. Brother, Dr. G used to make ketchup sandwiches when he was in school 'cause he ran out of money and refused to ask the folks for cash.
4. This can be construed as a blessing in disguise. He is not ready to fully return and can take his time working out with the new guy and visiting coach T. Further, he signed up to play in the regional adult summer baseball league for a local bar and pub. These activities could put the fun back into baseball.
5. Last night as the team's pitchers were being shelled, one of the seniors said to him "Get ready, you'll probably go in next...." Buddy's response was "I am not on the weekend roster." The kid was appalled and could not believe it. It seems that the big leftie's stats are some of the best among the active pitchers. Therefore benching him does not make sense.
6. The pitchers in the game last night gave up 12 runs. One of the two league victories came when the big leftie shut down a long rally, leaving the team enough time to win in the bottom of the ninth. It seems that the coaches don't remember that little performance.
7. The starting pitcher for last night's game was giving the opposing team the plate, field, and concession stands. The coach called for the kid from Texas to enter the game, but he has a method to warm up. The coach got angry because he wanted him in the game at that time and told him to sit down. Another bullpen pitcher threw three pitches and ran into the game. The guy was not warmed up and gave up more runs. The Texas kid was called again and tried to warm up but the coach brought him in too before he was ready and pow....bamm....ooomph....more runs scored. Texas was ready to walk at that point....
8. After the game, the coaches are screaming....it's the players' fault....no discipline...no one has a job next year and so on.....OK, neat....threatening is good. Here are the coaches who make fun of the kid who works hard every day....arrives first and leaves last.....now they see the value of hard work with players who not mess around. They have always said that they wanted a loose and fun dugout. But guess what? You cannot have both. When a person is joking and having a good time, he is not focused on the game but on his next joke....and this is what this year is....a big joke.
9. Here is my hope...the kid is not on the roster for the trips to Illinois and Ohio this week. This way, he has the ability to fly to Houston and meet with his next coach without having to leave campus or the team. he can get a head start on the summer and not worry about missing anything.
OK, I have bored you enough....off to do something meaningful like take a shower or pull some weeds or something like that.....Ciao!
No comments:
Post a Comment