Topics from Social Media

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Softball Sound Off with Chris and Mike.

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Hey everybody, this is Chris. I'm here with Mike. Good morning. Hey, welcome to Softball Sound Off. You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Spotify. Episodes typically drop on Tuesday evenings at 6 o'clock. Got any topics, send us uh send them our way at softballsoundoff at gmail.com. Once again, thanks to Carusos for uh coming on board with us. Great food. Go see Alex, he'll hook you up. But today we're gonna we're gonna go a little more laid back, a little more free-flowing, um, off the cuff type stuff, and we're gonna pick off topics off social media uh because there's plenty of topics to go on uh when you when you go over these multitude of softball sites.

SPEAKER_01 0:57

And you know social media, if it's good for nothing else, it's good for drama.

SPEAKER_00 1:02

Good for drama laughs and something to talk about.

SPEAKER_01 1:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:05

All right. So first topic I see here that I scroll to, it's the top of the list. Looks like it was posted six days ago. Um, what are signs that tell you it's time to leave a team?

SPEAKER_01 1:16

Yeah, and I saw that. One of the first comments said, when you make a post asking if it's time to leave.

SPEAKER_00 1:23

And yeah, some of the topics here say, or some of the comments, when your team picks up players, but you already have enough players to play. Uh I'm just gonna go scroll through these if you got anything you want to talk about.

SPEAKER_01 1:35

Well, I think that that that one comment did, you know, that's something that we we've dealt with on a level, like, but in uh I have coaches that reach out to me every weekend now that we we've started tournaments and like, hey, I'm thinking about picking up another player and you know for the weekend a guest. And I'm my first question is do you need them? You know, how many do you have coming? And is it a position player? And that's you and I have discussed that. I'm like, well, if you only have one pitcher, then yeah, I would bring on another pitcher. But if you've got 11 players and it's a right fielder, I I'd probably have hold off on bringing that player on.

SPEAKER_00 2:07

Yeah. Um I just I just saw one here. Um, paying $200 to $400 a month and no playing time. Luckily, the comment right after that was monthly payments don't buy playing time. And that's the point. That's the I that's the thing with travel ball, is everybody pays the same, but that doesn't mean you play the same. We talked about this before. It's like just because you pay for tuition doesn't mean you get equal playing time. Um, it's travel ball. You you earn your spot, at least you're supposed to.

SPEAKER_01 2:37

Well, that's and it's what you and I have said, you know, like a thing on episode one is what are the expectations? You know, what it's every team sets different expectations, and I you know, I only could speak to what I witness, but I know one of our coaches that my daughter's played on, she's made it clear in parent meetings this is what we're doing, and all the parents have nodded, yes, great, we're in for that. And then that day comes and they're like, wait a second, I want more playtime. You know, it's it's create the proper expectation, and if you agree to it, then you have to accept it that maybe on a Sunday your motor your daughter may not get as many innings as another child, and that's what's earned. But it's it's really what the expectations are.

SPEAKER_00 3:17

Yeah, and what you know, gauging when it's time to leave a team, I mean, like you said, if you're not getting what you what you thought you were gonna get with your proper expectations, you know, if you expected to you know be on a team that uh is a high-level team and and and get a lot of reps, and then all of a sudden your your child's not getting the the reps they want. Well, maybe instead of blaming the team and coach, maybe it's the player. But uh ultimately whether to leave a team, I mean I don't know that I think too many people go into a team looking for reasons to leave right away. Like instead of looking for reasons to stay, everybody's always looking for reasons to leave.

SPEAKER_01 3:58

Yeah, I again to me it just it goes back to kind of anything with life, whether it's business or sports, proper expectations. What was the understanding going in? What were the expectations going in, and and and where what's causing the reason to to leave the team? Is it is it a behavioral issue? Are there is there bullying going on in the team? Um, you know, it could be numerous things. So I just I think it depends on the situation. Um you know, if you're at that point, then you probably should consider leaving. Um, as you know, you're not locked to anything. It's it's sports, but you know, I mean, I think a good conversation, if you're open-minded, is is always a good step one, you know, express to the coach what's going on, and you know, hopefully it's a coach that's open-minded and hears both sides of it, expresses their themselves, and you could walk away with a positive outcome. And that outcome may be to leave the team. You know, you may realize, like, you know what, uh, this isn't what I thought. And it's you know, and then I don't know. Most coaches that I know, when a player leaves, um, you know, they may be bummed about it, but you know, they move on. There's there's other players out there, nobody's irreplaceable. Uh, nobody. So when you have a player leave the team, guess what? There's gonna be a post in a day looking for a player, and that spot's gonna get filled.

SPEAKER_00 5:14

Yep. Uh, next man up. All right. Uh so scrolling through some of these things while you you were talking, you know, it it brought up something that I've I've I watch and and look on social media and it kind of irritates me. Um, I see a lot of posts about just bashing high school. And as you know, I coach high school, so I take uh offense to some of this because most of what I see is just bashing high school, that it's it's lower you know, competition than travel, it's it's you know a lot of politics involved. And yeah, I get it. There is, I'm sure there's politics involved. Um, but I take offense to it because that's completely not my program. Um there's no politics involved at all. Like I I even commented on the post to these people and said, you know, very beginning of my season, I talked to the parents and let them know that I don't care who you are, I don't care how much money you raise. Uh the best players are gonna play and help us win. Um if you don't like it, don't play. I just I'm not gonna be one to be pulled into the politics of it.

SPEAKER_01 6:22

No, but it's well, so nine out of ten times the people that are gonna scream and yell politics are maybe the players that struggle, so it's an easy out. Um, I mean, uh to be blunt. I mean, look, you and I are friends or you know, good friends, and we talk all the time, but I have zero expectation of where my daughter is gonna be with you. I mean, she's gonna be where she's gonna be. Like we we don't even really talk about her play, uh, we just don't do it. Um, and when she comes to you, it's where she earns, she'll be. And I accept that. But we all know she is a good player and she'll probably do well and be in a good spot. And that's we know that people are armed and ready to say, oh, that's political because you know, Mike and Chris are friends, that's why his daughter's there. And you know, the stats will speak for themselves as they always do, but people create an agenda, you know, of what suits them, and that's what you're gonna see. That's why you see posts like that. Because, you know, nine times out of ten, when you see that kind of complaining, that yeah, I'm sure there are politics in some programs, absolutely, we've seen that too. But there's two sides to it. Now I'm sure that there's times where it's you know, the coach and the high school team's doing what they gotta do, but if their child's not getting the what they feel they deserve, then all of a sudden it's a political issue.

SPEAKER_00 7:35

Yeah, and and to say that um, you know, the uh the the level of play, yeah, I guess it's where you're at. Um, but fortunately for the league and section we're in, it's highly competitive. Um, I don't at least on the varsity level, there's no step down um from travel to uh to high school. And meet myself and my coaches have all coached travel. You know, we've been in that world, so it's not like uh we're just you know rec coaches that got hired on at high school. So um I guess I take offense to it because it's not what we are, and I hate seeing people bash high school ball, but I know it's out there. There's probably small towns where that where it's not as you know competitive and highly political.

SPEAKER_01 8:21

See, and I think that kind of your point, this area is a pretty highly competitive softball area. We have a lot of travel softball teams, a couple of big programs. So, you know, a lot of these high school players are getting good training throughout the year. Um, that maybe some of high schools and other areas are not. So, you know, they may have a point there, but I think we're fortunate here that, you know, whether it be high school or travel, there's usually some competitive ball going on.

SPEAKER_00 8:46

Yeah, and I uh and to go back to what you were talking about with your daughter, I mean, yeah, everybody knows we're friends, we do this, you know, show and stuff like that. But me and you have talked at length about how, you know, just because we're friends, it has it has nothing to do with your daughter and and my team. Um and I think you're in the same mindset that and I mean I it's a I guess we'll see when we get there type thing. Um, but I think you know me well enough that I'm not a a politic guy, and the play is gonna speak for yours itself, and if they don't perform, uh I would imagine uh you're not gonna come to me and be like, hey, why is she you're gonna go to her and be like, you know, what aren't you doing to do it to perform?

SPEAKER_01 9:32

She plays in a program that I run, and I didn't even know that their team was playing a couple of weeks ago. I mean, that's how disengaged I try to keep myself from what she's doing. I I said something to the coach and they're like, we're playing this weekend. I'm like, oh my god, I didn't even know. And so, like, you know, it's and again, people, I know people for everyone's, you know, own agenda, they'll have a different view on it. But I, you know, when it comes to my daughter, she earns her spot or she earns to not have her spot. That's on her what she shows up to do every day. I told her, I'll always bring you to lessons and all that jazz, but at the end of the day, it's her call. What she does is her, you know, with the effort she puts out, that's up to her. She wants to drag one day. Uh cool. Then I, you know, don't come to me. Go to your coach.

SPEAKER_00 10:16

Right. So yeah, and you know, it may come down the road, you know, throughout the next few years of situations like that for me, but I stick to my guns, I stick to how I run the program, and um I don't deviate from it, so nobody should be shocked when certain things happen that they don't like. Um, and it's not because of the right reasons they they don't like it, it's for false uh reasons or or beliefs that they they think their child should be playing, whether or not.

SPEAKER_01 10:48

Now we should note that you know if if Han is benched, I will come on here and announce that Chris is no longer part of the buttons.

SPEAKER_00 10:55

I've been uh fired from the podcast.

SPEAKER_01 10:58

No, but uh it's like I said, I think you're we're fortunate in this area that we have competitive school teams. Um, and I think a lot of that is because of what's been built in the travel programs from the teams in the area. Um it filters up and it's actually fun to watch. I mean, you know, as we're getting ready to enter the high school, we've seen a whole group of girls that have been, you know, really skilled around all different schools, Donegal, you know, Manheim, like all these players that we've been facing over the years that we know we're a good group of players getting ready to hit that high school world. We're actually excited to kind of start playing them in the high school games. Like it, it's I I this is gonna be a really fun few years ahead, I think, of some of these girls playing each other against their schools.

SPEAKER_00 11:38

Yeah, and uh I'm I'm excited for the the talent that's coming my way. Um, so uh let's see, what else we got here? Looks like there's another one. Uh, this is uh one we can I'll hit them real quick. Why are there so many players who don't understand the difference between a sack bunt and bunting for a hit? Well, I think bunting in general doesn't get taught enough, practiced enough. Um, I know for at our high school team, our varsity team, we uh almost every practice uh we have bunting um because it's it's a highly underutilized um skill in in softball, I think, these days. And to really quick answer this one, so sack bunt, so let's say there's a runner first and second, or first base, or second base, you're trying to advance them. Um typically I want to do it with no outs. And uh sack bunt is the the butter's the batter's gonna show bunt early. Uh we don't care about that that batter, we care about moving the runner. Uh so I don't care how if the whole team knows it's coming. The only goal is to get the bunt down to move the runners. Whereas bunting for a hit, you're gonna show a little later, uh, probably a little f earlier than a squeeze, but later than a sack bunt. Uh, because the goal is you're trying to get a hint. And if you show too early, the infield pulls in, and there goes the the surprise. The the bunt for a hit is you're trying to show a little late, that way it surprises them with somebody that's quick and hopefully get them on base. So the biggest difference is the sack bunt, I don't care about the batter. The bunt for hit, I want trying to get the batter on on base. Um another thing I I think that doesn't get utilized enough is the uh what I call slash. Uh basically show bunt, and as the the defense rotates and and comes crashing in, you just pull back a little bit and then punch it through the opening that's created by showing the bunt where the shortstop goes over to third and you punch it through the the five hole. Um but I just want to quick touch on that as we as I went past it on the uh social media here.

SPEAKER_01 13:40

Yeah, one one question, um, one thing that was brought up uh we saw and and someone actually brought to us was saying that what they'd like us to talk about is when is it time to pull a picture? And I actually I thought that was I love that question because everyone probably has a little bit different philosophy and every situation's gonna lend to kind of a different time you do it. There's no cookie cutter way, it's no, like kind of my rules of thumb that I always went by was uh you know, if it's three, usually if it's two walks in a row, I'm gonna go out and have a conversation. Um, you know, especially if it's you know 80% balls. Um, if they're just having trouble finding the zone, a look at the body language. To me, that's the that is the key to making the decision. If you see the head going back, if you see the eyes rolling, if you see the glove kind of thrown down, like arms, you know, down by their waist, those are big red flags where I'm like, okay, at a minimum of conversation's happening here. And we'll go out in the mound, just kind of feel, hey, how are you feeling? What's going on? You know, just to kind of try to refocus them that hey, it's we're all good here. Um, and then if a third, typically if it's they're the same thing, they're another walk, um, they're still struggling after one or two more batters, and I'll I I'll then I'll take a walk back out. But again, to me, the the indicator I always, you know, and I tell you know, coaches that I work with, what's the body language look like? That that's that's the tell right there. If you see they've taken themselves out of it mentally, then just make a change because that's they're not helping anyone, and all they're gonna do is get worse. I mean, I I've seen players, we've faced teams where their pitchers crying on the mound, like literally crying, and the coaches don't pull them. And I'm like, like, what is going on? Like, I almost want to go out there and be like, help help this kid. Like, this is insane. Like you're mentally breaking her. Um, but on the flip side, if it's uh, you know, if it's if it's a game, you know, maybe a pool play game, uh, you know, and you're trying to develop this pitcher a little bit, you know, let them go. You know, I I do believe in having them work through things as long as they're mentally there, they're okay. If you see their body language is good and you go out and have a talk to them after a couple of walks, like, no, no, I'm good. I'll let that player, that pitcher try to work through it. And also it's helping them try to develop. Um, you know, if you keep yanking a pitcher after a couple of walks, you're not giving them time to develop both mentally and work their adversity. Exactly. So if as long as they're mentally like holding it together, I'll give them some room to go, I'll give them some runway to work through it and really hope that the defense does its job. Um, and you know, you have a strong defense, you could do that. If they're walking everybody, uh, you know, then then I you know, I usually tighten it up a little bit. But to me, it's I pull the pitcher when I could just I just look at body language tremendously, just to see what they're doing. If they're shutting down, have a conversation, if they can't mentally break out of it, I I pull them out.

SPEAKER_00 16:42

Yeah, I like I said, I don't think there's any you know hard fast way. You have to have a feel for it. Yeah, uh, and and coaching over a period of time, you start to develop that. And I think it's a mixture of yeah, you could have a pitcher that is you know confident, you know, they don't look defeated, they just just don't have it that day. Yeah, they just they can't find the zone, and that that's gonna happen. And you know, you go out there and they're like you know, they're basically pushing back against you, pulling them, but it's like look, it's okay. You just it some days are off, you just don't have it today. It's and it's okay. Yeah, come back tomorrow, come back next game, you know, we'll we'll we'll start it over. But you have to be able to, it's just a feel situation. Um, and there's no hard, fast way to do it.

SPEAKER_01 17:29

No, and it's it it's you know, and one of the things I try to encourage because I've had it where we've pulled a picture, you know, numerous times. It's not just, you know, one, you know, we've had a couple of pictures over the years that, you know, when you pull them, and my daughter included, if they just if they're frustrated, they go back to the dugout and they just kind of sit in the corner, cross their arms, and look like, you know, um, I'll give them that minute or two to kind of have that moment of frustration, but then I'll absolutely circle back over and say, hey, team need you, but you you're gonna contribute in 10 other ways today, whether it be out in the field, whether it be a bat, that's one piece of the puzzle today. This we need everybody here. You've got to, and just kind of get them to refocus. But I'll I'll give them that minute just because you know, I know if I walk over in that heat of the moment, it's it's not gonna do anything because I probably wanted them to tell me to go for a walk. Um, so you give them the minute, and then you go over like after maybe after the inning and say, Hey, take a breath, all good, minimal damage done. I need you, you're getting up to bat this inning. Let's focus up, let's have some fun, and just let's let's let's see what you can do here. Um, so you know that that's those are kind of important things that I've always tried to look for. Just try to keep them mentally in the game because your your pitches are gonna get pulled. Every you know, every pitcher at some point's gonna get pulled out of a game. Um, you know, just work with them to be okay with that. And you know, like I said, they're they're probably gonna get frustrated. Competitors do let them have that minute, get them refocused and and focus on what their task ahead is.

SPEAKER_00 18:58

Yeah, so again, it's it's no uh hard, fast rule with you know pitchers, but you'll figure it out as a coach, it'll it'll come to you. Um, you're gonna you'll learn one way or the other. Sometimes you'll pull a picture and it goes even worse. Um you're like, oh, should I left her in? Things like that. It is what it is.

SPEAKER_01 19:17

You can always put a picture back in. I mean, I you know, I mean, I I've done that. I mean, sometimes you make a change, you taught I've I've said, like, listen, refocus and pull on you for an you know, just get your composure. Uh, you know, this is your game, but you know, and you can make those changes. I mean, there's nothing that says you can't put them back.

SPEAKER_00 19:32

All right. So I got a question for you, Michael. If your daughter, uh, or no, not if, um, would you ever, why or why not, within your program, your daughter plays for a B team. Um 14 UB. Um pretty good team, competitive. Um let's say you evolve the next few weekends, and would you, in order to get playing time, have her play for a team in the program that plays C? Why or why not?

SPEAKER_01 20:11

Well, the answer is probably no, because first of all, she can't. She's registered as a B player. Um, so there's, you know, she is a sanctioned registered B player. So A, I I wouldn't risk the team um having to, you know, I don't know, forfeit or I don't know what happens with that situation, but um and probably not. I mean, uh probably not. I it's not to me, those aren't gonna be great reps for her. She's gonna, you know, she's gonna probably end up playing down, she's gonna get frustrated. So I I you know I'd there's a there's you can go on Facebook and see plenty of um plenty of teams posting. And I, you know, and I you know it's I don't know if I told you, but I we're I I'm actually looking to get her a pickup here and there just because she's in eighth grade and a lot of girls on her team are high school, so they don't really pick up their tournaments for another month and a half. So I I've spoken to a couple of coaches to see about her playing with them, but they're higher level teams. They're playing either B or A tournaments and they're playing usually up. I I'd rather her be challenged. Right. I mean, honestly, uh in the downtime, I'd rather challenge her. We've got nothing to lose. So I'd rather her challenge, kind of play up, and then when she we her team picks up, she's already playing in a high-level competition. Uh, it's I don't know, it's not gonna benefit her playing down.

SPEAKER_00 21:25

All right. I'll just that was just a quick question I wanted to ask. Um, which, well, actually it transitions into uh uh a topic we were looking at. Uh I forget what side it was, but the question was would you rather have your child play on a highly competitive, highly developed like they do a lot of developing, a lot of hard training, uh high level team where she would get minimal playing time, or would you rather have her play on a team that does not do high level training and And she would play every game.

SPEAKER_01 22:02

Yeah, that's that's I that's a good topic because that's probably a super common like scenario. Um and it's probably a super common situation that people are put in. Um so are you asking me like what I would rather?

SPEAKER_00 22:19

Yeah, what would you if if it was in in your shoes?

SPEAKER_01 22:24

Say Amy like I I would probably rather her play up. It's gonna challenge her, you know. But this is where it gets tricky, right? So maybe your daughter is there we've that old saying, you know, you don't want to be the best player on a on a shitty team, you know, you want to be the worst player.

SPEAKER_00 22:43

My rule of thumb is you don't you don't ever want to be the best player on your team. You want to be like middle of the road. Yeah, that way it gives you something to chase and something to strive for.

SPEAKER_01 22:49

Yeah, so uh I to me I'd want her training with the best. That's what I would prefer. I'd want her training every day with the best, and then she may not get, you know, I'm a believer that one, you know, you work hard, keep doing it. Like, you know, the day will come, you'll get the opportunity. Um, you know, as a parent, I could absolutely see a parent being like, I want my daughter to play more. She's practicing like everybody else, she's playing like everyone else. I want to get I see both sides of that because I've probably had that in my head at when she started and she was younger, as the youngest on the team, and she wasn't getting as much playtime, and I felt like she should have been. Um, so I could absolutely relate to that. But with that said, that's how she started, that's how she played, playing up. And it fortunes, I I've made this comment before. I knew when I started her, it was gonna do one or two things make her a like a legit softball player, or probably fade her out of the sport. Um you know, and I that's I literally said to my wife when she got the offer, and I said that. I said, She's one or two things are gonna happen here because my wife was like, ah, she's not ready for it. I said, Well, I I kind of want to see, I want to test her. It's you know, she's either become a baller or she's gonna hate it. Um, kind of let's let's let's roll the dice. And um she worked hard, and there were days, trust me, there were days we'd be driving home and I'd see tears challenging. You know, she was challenged, she was mentally challenged, she was pushed to the limit. Um, and there were definitely times she I could see she probably contemplated quitting the sport, but she worked through that. We started her at a young age, I think was good because now at 14 you know, she's pretty stable out there. You've seen her play, like she doesn't get shaken much, she doesn't, you know, you don't see her like get rattled that often. Um so I would if I did it again, I would absolutely do it the same way as putting her on a team where she had a battle and she was far from the best, she was the smallest, weakest one of the team, to be honest. Um she had to work that much harder. And you and I even spoke about it. I remember a couple of years ago. Like Hannah always had to work harder because she was smaller and weaker than the other players around her. Right. Um, and she did. So I would absolutely do it again because I've seen players, I know players that play down that kind of hide, or you know, I don't say high, but they they they stay at that lower level. Um, and they're just not they're just not getting as good. Like when I kind of check on them, like you know, the seasons going on, I'm like, and I'm almost disappointed. I'm like, man, I thought that killed a little bit better by now. Like, uh, it's kind of disappointing.

SPEAKER_00 25:26

Well, it's it's like something that my uh assistant always uh talks about is the confidence resume. Uh so what that means is um like for example, the other day we had a game where we played, you know, a pretty good high school. I think they were 4-0 at the time um in their district. And you know, we were down 6-2 at one point, came back to be 6-6, ended up winning in a walk-off uh grand slam in the bottom of the ninth. And they can add that experience going through that to their confidence resume and know that you know we can get down and we can fight back. We have that ability. So these players that are you know hiding in these lower levels, they don't face the adversity and don't have the chance to build their confidence resume and to be able to pull from that saying, all right, I've been in this situation before, I've been down in a game, I've I've done this and and battled back and overcame it. So you don't give you don't get the opportunity to have that type of uh experiences if you're not being challenged. Um, but as far as my I'm concerned is my daughter was in that situation. Um when we left her, we were only we've only played in two programs. And when we left the initial program that she started softball in, that's because her and her three or four friends that were on the team had become the best on the team. Um, and we realized that with the current situation, they weren't gonna get to the next level and challenge more. So we left, went to a different program, and then they were no longer the best on the team, which my daughter, to be honest, um the coach didn't take out of out of the four girls that went from the team, he didn't take her. Um, and that devastated her. And she com communicated with him after that, basically begging him to be on the team that he made a mistake. Uh, and she used that as fuel, and he ended up taking her. And he said it was you know, it was one of the you know best moves he made was actually bringing her on because of her leadership, and she she developed and grew and became a good player. So that was in a situation where she took that as a chip on the shoulder and worked hard and and strived to become better, and it worked out for her.

SPEAKER_01 27:46

So, you know, those you and I have are fortunate to have two good examples where it worked out, but there is without a doubt the example of a player that is playing up, puts the work in, proves themselves. However, the coach, you know, over that year of training, he's got his top nine, and that's who they're playing. And those other two that you know, they they joined that team because they it would get them to the next level. And you know, you kind of sit back and you watch your child and they develop and you see them, and like they're they're playing right there with them, but yet in that coach's mind, they're always that developmental player. So like season comes and goes, and you're like, hey, I get it. You know, they came here as maybe not one of the best, but they've definitely earned it during workouts. Do you how do you handle that situation where you know that that's how you came on as kind of not a developmental, but probably, you know, one of the players that needed some work on a high-level team all winter? You train, you train in the beginning of the spring, and you know, maybe you're scrimmaging, and your child's like one of the top performers out there, become real torn at game day, your your child sees very little. They're they're on the bench mostly. Um, how do you handle that? Do you just accept it or do you say, you know what, I appreciate the training they've gotten, but now I'm gonna take her somewhere that actually kind of a fresh set of eyes on her fresh start where she'll play?

SPEAKER_00 29:12

I think that's um an issue. Um, if I was in that situation, um, I would have my child, you know, talk to the coach and say, Look, you know, what do I need to get on the field? You know, I feel like I've I've been producing a practice, I've been working hard, things like that. And if you don't come, if the situation isn't right, like you're not getting the answers, or um, because it does happen out there, there's players that will always be seen as um less than based on past. Yeah, I agree. Uh, no matter how hard they work. Uh they just in some coach's eyes, they just they're they're that's how they look stuff in that in that view, which sucks, but that may be a time to start looking for a different team.

SPEAKER_01 29:57

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 29:58

Uh, like you said, they get fresh eyes. Um that could that could be a moment.

SPEAKER_01 30:02

Which I think is okay too. And honestly, they you know what you do is you take that training that maybe you were fortunate enough to get, you know, like you said, there's there's more than one high-level team out in the you know, in any area. You you go you try out somewhere else where um, you know, maybe they they they aren't looking at you as a developmental player, they just you come out there as a baller, you prove yourself, and all of a sudden you're in a better situation. Um, you know, again, it's just you know, and it always goes back. So you just know what you're getting into, right?

SPEAKER_00 30:28

And then and you know, in in my situation with uh my team is you know, there are players that you know throughout their career have always been towards middle or bottom um of the the talent level, and it's just it is what it is. Um there's some girls that are just more talented uh than others. And you know, I try to give I'm gonna let out some of my secrets here maybe, but I I I've told you in the past, I give especially parents, ample evidence and opportunity to see how much playing time their child should be getting. In our off-season games, um, things like that, I'm I play them and allow them to you know fail, allow them to not produce, and I do it over and over again. That way when we come spring, she'd have no really any ammo to come at me saying, Oh, my child should be playing more. Well, what have we all been watching to prove that she should be? Now I have you know players that you know work their ass off. Um, but again, it's it's a talent thing. There's just some kids can work their ass off and they just still won't have the talent that other kids do. Um so I give I've in in this early spring so far, I've given opportunities. Um and then things happen in a game where they've failed. Um and then they go back to the bench. Yeah, until we they get more work at practice. I tell 'em why. I explain to them, you know, why they're you know what the issues are and give them opportunities and and drills to work on where they're failing in order to get back in the line.

SPEAKER_01 32:20

You see, you're doing the right thing. See, that's that's the right thing though. And that that's what people should, you know, as a parent, maybe they don't see that part that they shouldn't appreciate because they just see maybe their daughter getting yanked and put on the bench, and they kind of want to get all huffy.

SPEAKER_00 32:34

But as you know, because they haven't been there the last five days of practice, but practice throughout this week the week to see how they're practicing. They just they don't see they don't see how the sausage is made.

SPEAKER_01 32:46

Yeah, but but at least what you're doing, see, some coaches will just bench nothing. At least you're giving drills and things to do to say, hey, this is where you're off, this is what you need to work on, let's focus on that, and then come, you know, let's see if we can get you back up to speed. Uh, to me, that's that's a key part of it. Is you know, everyone's gonna struggle and and coaches are gonna make decisions, but I think it's key what you're doing there is kind of having that discussion with the player saying, hey, this is where you're struggling, this is why you're struggling, this is why you're gonna be on the bench more this week. With that said, this is what you need to do to earn your spot back on the field more. And that's because then you're putting it back in the players, their hands. Like it's they create their own destiny, which is how it should be, especially at this level. Um, you know, you're playing at that 14, 16 high school level, 18U. Um, you want the players to want to earn it. You want them to say, I want this. You know, you you should not be sitting aside and saying, Hey, I need more effort out of you. Hey, I need more hustle out of you, I need you to focus more, I need you to be more positive and and passionate. Like, if you have to ask for that at the 14, 16, 18 level, like, yeah, some days these, you know, these are young women that who knows what's going on in school and all that jazz. You can have days they come there and you know, that's fine. But if they're every day showing up, that you've got to try to shake passion into them and and drive and hustle. I don't know to me, that's I don't I'll have that conversation maybe once, but that's it. Like, if you want to show up here just kind of half-assed, and then you know that's what I'm getting.

SPEAKER_00 34:08

Well, and that's the prime example that happened to us this week. You know, I just I referred to that game where we had to walk off. You know, that team we we battled, we fought, we came back, you know. That was that's my team, yeah, you know, and then we play um two days later, and it's a completely different team. Like I the team never even showed up, they shouldn't even got off the bus. Like it was horrendous. Um, and I'm like, I even told him, I said, I don't know how to coach a two different teams at the same time. And so I think it's a it's a focus thing that you know you could consider that a trap game because of the game we had prior to that. Um, but we talked to him in practice and we told him, you know, this practice 100% focus, you know, while you're doing your throwing routine, focus, no overthrows, no you know, bad throws. And if you do, you and your partner sprint to the line and back. And during that warm-up, there wasn't one mistake. Yeah. And we told him, like, why? Why is that why is it to the point where when you have consequences on the line, do you perform? You should, if you can't self-motivate and self have self-discipline, sports aren't for you. This sports are about the individual being self-disciplined, self-motivated. You shouldn't take anybody to motivate you, especially when we're playing a crosstown in our section that is is beatable. Yeah, and we have an opportunity to get ahead up in the section and we come out completely flat. So I'm I'm hoping that's not a sign of things to come. Um, I hope that's a wake-up call, but I don't understand the mindset of having needing a wake-up call. If you can't get up for a crosstown rival in a section game, what game are you gonna get up for? And that's that's the tough thing about high school softball. Yeah, for sure. But all right, guys. Uh Mike, you got anything else you want to touch on before we close this up?

SPEAKER_01 36:04

No, it was uh kind of fun just to go through and see what people are talking about. Like I said, I I did like the uh question that was sent in about when is it time to pull a picture? I that's that's always something that I kind of I've always enjoyed that question because it's I think there's a lot to it. It's not just like, oh, after, you know, like I've had coaches say to me, like, oh, I saw, you know, I was watching Game Changer, I saw a few walks, I figured up, Coach Mike's gonna step in. And I'm like, and like, but you didn't. I'm like, nah, because you know what? I wanted them to work through it. We had the kind of runway to do it, I knew we had the horsepower on the bench to catch up with the runs. Um, so I wanted to work through it. So um I just I don't know. I always find that topic interesting when someone asked about it. I was like, that's uh that's one of my favorite topics.

SPEAKER_00 36:46

All right, everybody. Thanks for listening. Um, I would uh appreciate all the support of you guys out there. Um, you know, share our stuff on social media. Let's try to get these uh listeners uh up.

SPEAKER_01 36:57

And um oh, and we also, so we're getting ready to kind of put it out that we are getting ready to. I don't know, did we hit a thousand downloads yet?

SPEAKER_00 37:04

Close.

SPEAKER_01 37:05

So we will be starting to have advertisers. So um if you're a company that's listening, we will be um, you know, you're interested in advertising, we will be starting to have advertising soon. Because I think after a thousand downloads, we can start having advertising.

SPEAKER_00 37:18

We got one more milestone to hit, and that's a thousand downloads, and then uh we can start accepting uh sponsors on here. Um so we're uh we're growing. Sounds good, but either way, it's fun doing this and uh and just chatting about it. And uh, if one person listens or or two thousand people listen, it's it's fun either way.

SPEAKER_01 37:36

Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_00 37:37

But uh follow us on uh Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Spotify. Send us your topics at softballsoundoff at gmail.com. And uh everybody have a good week, and we'll see you next Tuesday. Later.