BleacherCoaches.com

Since when is degree of difficulty an excuse to do nothing in the off-season?

It isn't. The best programs have coaches that above and beyond are annually successful. Until there is pressure put on the coaches to run the summer programs it won't happen. And like other people stated which team should they coach, the legion, AAABA, ERA, teener, pony, etc?

I know plenty of good coaches that do just High School and do just Summer. That doesn't make them less of a coach, or that they don't care. HS coaches have vested interests in Summer league, but they have lives, jobs, kids themselves. Sometimes doing it for six months just isn't feasible. You are quick to call out coaches, but it is not always an easy job. It takes a lot of time and effort. Also, I'm under the belief kids need a change after HS season. Kids are typically burnt out after one season as the coach can play the role in that. Having that same regiment for another three months isn't always a good thing

They dont necessarily need to coach, but they should take a vested interest in whether the kids even participate outside of there school season. Part of my frustration is personal dealing with coaches that have never seen any of there kids play nor have they helped to make sure they had places to play outside of there high school games. True coaches dont coach for the money but instead its a passion burning inside !

The fact of the matter is, it comes down to the kids dedication to the game. The ones who want to play and get better do. There are plenty of opportunities and options for them as opposed to a dying teener and pony system. It's just not feasible for some schools to make a squad for the summer if the numbers of interest aren't there. Some of the best I've seen in the past with this have been NBC and Everett. I remember seeing their exact lineup from varsity playing I the summer. This was in the Burda days and Kline prior to his son starting to travel. Since then I cannot speak for anyone. Why vest time and money traveling for a roster of 10? It would be nice if the whole team would play together under their coach, their is nothing better than playing with your high school buddies. But guess what? Do colleges recruit whole teams? No. Go travel, play in city leagues, and get to know what it's like playing with different teammates. It's 2013. Welcome to the new school. Go get your college looks and meet new people. You have 3 months to represent your schools colors. Summer is about bettering individuals not a whole team.

pas2326100 wrote:They dont necessarily need to coach, but they should take a vested interest in whether the kids even participate outside of there school season. Part of my frustration is personal dealing with coaches that have never seen any of there kids play nor have they helped to make sure they had places to play outside of there high school games. True coaches dont coach for the money but instead its a passion burning inside !

Bingo! Part of the reason I bring this up is that I see a lot of high school coaches scream at their players when things don't go their way, yet they don't do anything to help them and have little knowledge of how to improve their game. Baseball is a unique sport in that everyone on the team contributes to victory or defeat. You can't ride one hitter to victory. You can try to ride one pitcher, but that will only get you so far as long as the kid is healthy.