9diamondhounds

Tailgating in any parking lot before a game makes you a football fan and supporter of your team!!! Win or Lose - good team or bad team - a true football fan supports his team through thick and thin!! I am not sure why these boards make Indy sound so unsportsmanlike. I certainly hope the adult fans who read these boards know the Indy parents are very supportive of their players - it is that simple. Indy fans are not classless, they are not rude and they ARE very respectable people. Of course, any team, anywhere, has a bad seed or 2. But don't allow the bad seed to overshadow the majority.

The philosophical points of this arguement could be batted back and forth indefinitely. So maybe coming at it from a practical angle would make more sense. Perhaps the high school coaches need to look at the situation from a travel team managers standpoint. Most travel seasons would go something like this - there would be a tryout in the fall open to anyone from anywhere with an interest in playing. The coach/team would explain the commitment and benefits of playing with their team and look at the players to see if they would fit into the program. Beginning sometime in January, the manager/coach would book the team into tournaments on the level at which he felt they could be competitive, send in entry fees, and if overnight stays required they would set up accommodations. Under the current situation, on the date of the first tournament sometime shortly after the high school state championship he might be informed that 10% of his team would be unavailable because of a high school requirement. He might schedule a double header and find out that 2 or 4 pitchers had thrown earlier in the week against a cross town rival. I am sure most high school coaches would not enjoy dealing with these situations and because of the influence that they will over a players high school career they don't have to. Unfortunately, like many things in life, this issue comes down to power and money. My concern is that the players and their parents control neither. If we could be assured that no matter what high school you attend or who coaches it, he would take individual interest in every player and promote them to the highest level their skills allow then there would be no need for choice. But as it stands, one thing is clear, any high school coach can require any player to play according to his schedule year round save for those periods deemed dead by TSSAA. And further, he can require his parents to fund this effort with no accounting or oversight. TSSAA has set up this controversy by keeping the high school coaches away from their teams during the fall. There is very little for a showcase or travel team to participate in during these months and would be a perfect opportunity for school coaches to instruct. I believe the underlying motivation for TSSAA schedule was probably based on other sports like basketball. But it has the net result of putting baseball in a no win situation. If a coach wanted to open public facilities and bring himself and his staff in to teach skills of the game during the fall I would be glad to pay for uniforms, umpires and any other overhead. But the summers give those players who would like to branch out from the box a school coach from necessity may have to put them in (pitcher only, corner infielder, etc.) a chance to try to become the player that they invision themselves to be.

First, thanks everybody for your response to this thread. There have been many excellent points and counterpoints brought up. I was gratified to hear from so many coaches. They obviously feel strongly they are doing the best thing for the kids and that is all you can ask. You must keep in mind that it has been 10+ years since any of these coaches participated in youth baseball and their primary job is to strengthen the program at their high school. But it seems to me that there is a point where the parent/player relationship needs some separation. If all high school coaches were as thoughtful and concerned as some that we have heard from it would be a wonderful world. But based on where you live there is no guarantee that your coach will have the best interest of all his players at heart. My kids live near a major metropolitan area of middle TN and have multiple choices of travel teams at various skill levels. I understand that in other parts of the state, the high school program may be the best option. A high school coach has his players beginning with the start of school in the fall until the end of baseball season in May. Surely this is enough time to accomplish the goals he has for his players and the team. The solution as usual is simple and obvious. Our country is based on a free market system where the consumer is free to choose goods and services as he sees fit. If your high school team represents the best opportunity for your player then you should be free to play for them. But if you feel it is the best interst of your player to seek other opportunities in the off season, who is all knowing enough to deny you this? TSSAA has made an effort in multiple sports to keep high school coaches from completely controlling athletic opportunities of the players. Obviously they have left a huge loop hole in baseball. High school coaches should be allotted a specific amount of time to develop their program. There should be a small portion of the players high school baseball life left to free will. Since the primary season for demonstrating ones talent to the college market is the summer, then let the high school coaches dominate the fall with developmental training. In summary, all high school coaches should feel free to run summer programs as all collegiant professional and parent based organizations should as well. If the primary high school coach has sufficiently impressed his players and they desire to stay with him in the summer, then my hat is off. If through vale threat or inuindo he has to forceable create a team, then I give him the respect that he deserves. My high school coach does not choose the neighborhood that I live in nor the brand of automobile that I drive or have exclusive rights to the athletic future of my sons. But I will happily raise money, do field work, or anything else to support the high school program. And I expect the same honor from the coach.

I am in middle TN and have seen what has happened to summer travel ball in Sumner and Rutherford Counties. It seems the coaches require anyone wanting to participate in high school baseball to give up all other avenues of play and play year round only for them. One school in Williamson County has fallen victim and there are rumors of others. Would like to hear from those that find themselves in this situation to see if it is worth fighting to keep summer ball for the players.