KHS142

Bleachercoach: To clarify where the hypocritical part is coming from... You criticize others ie., parents and players for "continuosly staying on umpires and coaches". What exactly do you call what you are choosing to do here on this forum to my husband and other coaches. athletes and parents? Having opinions and speaking them is perfectly acceptable when done with tact and morality. You however, have shown none in your personal comments towards and about my husband and his program on this forum. It is people like you, that tear down the morale of good programs by keeping animosity stirred up among players, parents, and coaches. I was raised playing sports, still continue to play at times, watch my oldest son play basketball, baseball, and practice martial arts, and yes, am still active in high school sports via my husband's position. So I am not ignorant to the ways of athletic programs, and am also not a "whining mom!". My husband loves each and every one of his players and worries nightly about the decisions he has to make from day to day. He not only treats his players as athletes, but also as people, something I dare say all coaches do not do, especially in your "college ranks" or whatever it is you scout for. It pains him to have to make decisions (line-up changes) when necessary, for reasons I won't discuss with you, because at times feelings get hurt and spectators, like yourself, read into and take out of those decisions what they want to, rather than respecting a coaches decision and not knowing the reasons the decisions were based on. I think you even mentioned not understanding why a line-up was changed that had worked previously. Why would you understand when you are not part of the program's coaching staff, or even directly associated with the team? I'd say you have heard what has been said about people who "assume" things. There should be a level of mutual respect among professionals in both education and athletics. There have been many, many decisions that I have disagreed with in my past experiences with both. But I respect those decisions, because they were not mine to make. When I went into education, one of the goals on my resume was to eventually obtain a position coaching girls' softball. However, after becoming a "coaches wife" and seeing what a coach has to deal with from people who behave as you have chosen to, I quickly changed my mind and chose not to pursue that long time goal. When coaches are winning, they are the best thing going, but when they lose, everyone could have done better. I am an educator just like my husband, and try daily to teach my children and students not only the curriculum that I am required to, but also good character...To respect others differences. In my opinion, you have shown none (respect). Before you preach to others about looking for players and parents with good character, take a look in the mirror. Yes, my husband has thick skin. He is not nearly as bothered by this as I am. But I was also raised to stand up for what I believe in. I believe in my husband. I believe in his intentions for coaching baseball. I believe in standing up for my family. I also believe in voicing my opinions, just as you do, I just hope mine are viewed by others as being spoken for valid, justified reasons, not malicious ones. With all due respect, Mrs. Heather Robinette

Bleachercoach: To clarify where the hypocritical part is coming from... You criticize others ie., parents and players for "continuosly staying on umpires and coaches". What exactly do you call what you are choosing to do here on this forum to my husband and other coaches. athletes and parents? Having opinions and speaking them is perfectly acceptable when done with tact and morality. You however, have shown none in your personal comments towards and about my husband and his program on this forum. It is people like you, that tear down the morale of good programs by keeping animosity stirred up among players, parents, and coaches. I was raised playing sports, still continue to play at times, watch my oldest son play basketball, baseball, and practice martial arts, and yes, am still active in high school sports via my husband's position. So I am not ignorant to the ways of athletic programs, and am also not a "whining mom!". My husband loves each and every one of his players and worries nightly about the decisions he has to make from day to day. He not only treats his players as athletes, but also as people, something I dare say all coaches do not do, especially in your "college ranks" or whatever it is you scout for. It pains him to have to make decisions (line-up changes) when necessary, for reasons I won't discuss with you, because at times feelings get hurt and spectators, like yourself, read into and take out of those decisions what they want to, rather than respecting a coaches decision and not knowing the reasons the decisions were based on. I think you even mentioned not understanding why a line-up was changed that had worked previously. Why would you understand when you are not part of the program's coaching staff, or even directly associated with the team? I'd say you have heard what has been said about people who "assume" things. There should be a level of mutual respect among professionals in both education and athletics. There have been many, many decisions that I have disagreed with in my past experiences with both. But I respect those decisions, because they were not mine to make. When I went into education, one of the goals on my resume was to eventually obtain a position coaching girls' softball. However, after becoming a "coaches wife" and seeing what a coach has to deal with from people who behave as you have chosen to, I quickly changed my mind and chose not to pursue that long time goal. When coaches are winning, they are the best thing going, but when they lose, everyone could have done better. I am an educator just like my husband, and try daily to teach my children and students not only the curriculum that I am required to, but also good character...To respect others differences. In my opinion, you have shown none (respect). Before you preach to others about looking for players and parents with good character, take a look in the mirror. Yes, my husband has thick skin. He is not nearly as bothered by this as I am. But I was also raised to stand up for what I believe in. I believe in my husband. I believe in his intentions for coaching baseball. I believe in standing up for my family. I also believe in voicing my opinions, just as you do, I just hope mine are viewed by others as being spoken for valid, justified reasons, not malicious ones. With all due respect, Mrs. Heather Robinette

This post is most directly in response to several negative postings by bleachercoach, but also to those who use this forum to openly bash and belittle people by calling names and singling out individuals. Bleachercoach, in reviewing all of your most recent posts in this as well as other topic categories, I find that you are very hypocritical. You insinuate that your job is scouting and that you not only look at athleticism, but also "morals and attitude to handle pressure". Furthermore you have stated that, "If you have parents that continueously stay on umpires, players, coaches, etc., typically the kids follow in that same path...". You have also mentioned "class and respect". I find that you have little of the latter. If you did, you would conduct yourself in a more professional manner, by addressing problems that you deem important personally, instead of hiding behind a screenname on an internet site. There is such a thing as constructive criticism, which from what I have read, you don't understand the concept. You singled out someone's mother by berating a lady and calling her a "whining mom". Where is there respect in that statement? You are talking about a child's parent, and I dare say that if someone had spoken of your mother or the mother of your children in that manner, you would be less than pleased. If you have been around sports as long as you lead people to believe, you understand that at times things get heated and people say things they shouldn't. Who deemed you to decide what is appropriate or not, for a field that you may or may not have any jurisdiction over at all? It is the job of the umpires, coaches, and school athletic directors to decide that...not a scout or other spectator. If the language was as bad as you let on, I'm sure it would have been addressed. You spoke of parents continuously staying on umpires, players, coaches, etc. What exactly do you call your negative comments towards local coaches? You have also shown very little respect to coaches of a sport that you say you are involved with on the "next level." If you had the "class and respect" that you speak of looking for, you wouldn't call coaches by name to criticize them. The one I have noticed most often is the Kingston coach. You have several times criticized his decisions and referred to him as "Bruce". Unless you are a personal friend of this man, the professional way to address him would be "Coach Robinette." But of course one of his friends, or even respected colleagues wouldn't use this forum to criticize a berate a man that devotes the time and effort to a team that he and the rest of high school coaches do. You are criticizing judgement calls and decisions that are really of no business of yours. No coach that I have ever known is going to purposely hurt a child's pitching arm, or make a decision with the intent of hurting their team's chances of being successful. There may be decisions made that you and others don't agree with, or would make differently, but those decisions are the coach's to make. Not yours. You are definitely entitled to an opinion...everyone is, but there are more appropriate ways to voice them. Until you have walked in their shoes, or are hired to take their place, you need to leave the coaching to them and the scouting, or whatever it is you do (other than be overly critical of others) to yourself.