I know it's annoying but the coach wins if you don't! THAT WOULD BE A TRAVESTY. There's nothing worse than someone "controlling" your destiny. Take it from someone who knows personally--my career ended prematurely because of "unscrupulous" coaches and a fake "step-father" determined to cash in on my fame as a 4 sport athlete. You never get over it so don't go down that road. Control your own destiny--play the game and don't worry about "politics."

Play the game!!! Remember your teaching more than baseball, there are also life lessons to be learned. Teach your kids to play as hard as they can from time the umpire says "play ball" till the last out is made. After the dust settles, then they can look at the scoreboard to see who won. If they've played to the best of their ability and have given it everthing they have then, win or lose, they can be proud of themselves. Ignore that coach. He's trying to be the focal point of the game and of the league, Ignore him and make it about the game. It's bigger than him.

Coaching for 30 years, I seen it all, why would you let your kids see adult carry
foolish intentions to hurt the kids and the game. No I would not subject my kids
to foul play.

Coach Willie

Baseball should be fun for this team. I would not say forfeit games because of his actions. 1st: talk to the caoch and voice your concerns about the way he is being seen by the kids. remind him that he has impressionable minds that he is dealing with not only the kids on the team but the kids in the stands and on other teams. He needs to remember that its a game and he is working with future doctors, lawyers, judges, they need to see positive role models not court jesters. 2nd: have a replacement available if things go south on you. 3rd: if all of the other steps fail remove the kids from that situation, it's not good for them at all. I have been coaching for 10 years now and have seen it all. The game is bigger than the coach he is just a small part of it. Please remember the #1 rule about kids sports. " Always have fun"

Coach Anthony

7-8 baseball is about fundamentals and FUN!!! Last year was my son's first year of playing rec ball. He was 7. I was and currently am an assistant coach on his 7-8 team. Going into both seasons, the head coach and I both shared the notion that we didn't carse about wining and losing. We considered a successful year would be one were we could take each kid's ability and build upon it and make them just a bit better than they were when the year started. It didn't matter the skill level. If the kid who was afarid of the ball at the 1st practice could field the ball by the end of the year, then we were successful. If the kid that could hit and throw well was able to tune up his skills then we were successful. And most importantly, we need to make sure that they ALL had fun while playing.

So if there is a coach on another team that has lost this concept, I would be engaged with the idea of playing his team. As coaches, we encourage our team during games, but we also encourage the other team as well. I would not mind stepping on his toes to give the kids on his team a pointer or 2.

The whole reason for rec ball is for the kids to have fun and learn what it means to belong to a group or team. I would love to play a guy like this and give him something to complain about.

Play the game, have fun. If you are worried this other coach is going to do something inappropriate, have a grown up bring a video camera this will either deter or document the bad behavior.