Hard Choices

[Antwan]

Why are you punished "no matter what?" I guess that is what seems so incredibly unbelievable to most of us. If the coach needed to be somewhere else at a crisis moment in their life...it wouldn't be allowed either? Why? From a very human - human being sitting here, I find this difficult to understand. Even professional athletes, who are paid quite well, have things happen in their life that require their attention/time to be spent somewhere else momentarily. I would hope that coaches would NEVER puts life and death situations in front of softball...afterall it is high school softball. Believe me, I love the sport and have devoted a lot of time and money to it for many years. Frivilous excuses to miss practice and games doesn't cut it with me either. But their are prioriies in life and they need to be put in perspective. So being punished "no matter what" is not a standard I would be proud of. Sorry.

I wholeheartedly agree. There are exceptions to every rule. A little common sense has to be used to determine when punishment is necessary.

[fpjunkie]

I am not at all familiar with the Mt. Juliet situation, so I cannot comment specifically about that team or coach. However, in any sport and at any level, there has to be some common sense. My daughter plays in the SEC, and she missed a practice this year to attend the funeral of a close friend. A teammate missed a conference double header to attend the funeral of her grandfather. Neither was disciplined, in fact both attended with the permission of the coach. There is a difference between being a strict disciplinarian and being a control freak. Thankfully, most of the coaches whom we have dealt with through the years have been the former.

[leigh14]

The reason she was punished is because even though she missed the game for a good reason, its not fair to the girls that were out busting their butt at the games and practices that she missed.And if she wouldn't have been punished at all then there would have been more conflict between the whole team then to start with.Yeah I do think there should be exceptions to missing a game or practice but it would have just caused more problems.

[EzellSoftball04]

Some coaches give the girls a foot and they take a mile.

Like maybe you have a non-district game one day and your best player is sick, and you tell her to go home and rest up so she can play later in the week. Well other players may see that and don't understand the reasoning behind it, so they leave school when they have a head-ache and not play when they are really needed. Some players take advantage of a coaches niceness. I know this happens on my team way too much. I am not saying that that was happening, b/c I don't know, but sometimes it's easier for a coach to say "no exceptions" than to deal with that.

 

I know my summer coach does a good job of setting rules. If you are late to practice you run. Some players live on the other side of town and maybe they are in traffic, and if they call ahead that is understandable, but I live 15 minutes from practice, and there is really no excuse for me to be late.

 

I think if you have a team who understands the rules and respects the team and the coach and the coach trusts the girls you are ok, but when you have people who abuse the rules you have to be stricter in to keep things from getting out of hand.

[chs4life]

The reason she was punished is because even though she missed the game for a good reason, its not fair to the girls that were out busting their butt at the games and practices that she missed.And if she wouldn't have been punished at all then there would have been more conflict between the whole team then to start with.Yeah I do think there should be exceptions to missing a game or practice but it would have just caused more problems.

Cold hearted!! Please get a little control. Life is more important than sports.

[smb2007]

Missing a game to go to a family funneral is a no brainer. No coach should disapline a player for doing so. That is rediculous. We need to keep life in perspective here. Softball is great, but in the big picture, a very small part of life.

[MICKEYMANTLE]

It is true we all have opinions. That is why we can make choices and it is a free country.

 

It is a shame that these girls have quit like they have done. It is not a good thing in life to teach the young that quiting is the answer to all the problems.

[leigh14]

I agree with you EzellSoftball04.It is alot easier to make everyone go by the same rules.I'm glad another player feels the same way I do.It is bad thing that the girls think that the answer to their problems is to quit the team.

[PowerSoftball]

When did softball become bigger than family? It is game NOT LIFE AND DEATH and any coach that thinks different is a jerk. By the way I have been coaching for twenty years.

[MICKEYMANTLE]

OK LETS FACE IT!!! All parents think their girls are the best to step on the diamond. In mellissas case i dont think she was benched because of her grandfather. she was benched because she could not perform at the plate. So when you give another girl a chance and she steps up DO YOU PULL A HOT STICK OUT TO LET A SENIOR PLAY!!!! I have observed these girls for years and i am finally glad to see the right players playing no matter what grade. It is unfortunate that melissa was benched but face it you missed and someone else stepped up and performed who would not have gotten that chance if she was there. as for the other girls quitting the sophomore pitcher and the junior. well it seems once again you have two other girls who now get a chance to shine and THEY SURE ARE SHINNING!!!! keep up the work lady bears!!! finally i go to the park and watch a real team playing together 9 girls playing as 1 and it is wonderfull!!!!!!!!! GOOD LUCK

[leigh14]

I couldn't agree with you more mickeymantle.Finally someone that isn't bashing Mt.Juliet softball.And to drknows.I wasn't bashing anyone.You have to be positive if you expect to move on after close friends have left your team.Truthfully I miss ya'll alot and I am sorry if anything I have said has offended you.And I hope you won't hold anything against me MK if thats who I think it is, or anyone else that I have offended.