Moving "up" to gain experience is far different than moving a kid "down" to a level he has already passed. Not really comparable to a MLB'er rehabbing in the minors.

 

I don't mean to beat a dead horse (probably too late), I just don't see the value in moving down a full-time JV player to freshman (or full-time varsity player to JV) for an end-of-year tourney simply because their grade classification allows it. If they have already passed that level of ball, let the other kids get the experience so that they too might progress upwards. My son is a freshman who played FT on JV this year. I guess he could have been moved down to freshman to play in the tournament, but why? He never played a freshman game all year. Doesn't even know half the kids on that team. Could he haved helped them? Possibly. Probably. But why take away time from 8th graders and other freshman on that team that are trying to improve themselves to get to the JV level next year? His coaches decided at the beginning of the year he was beyond freshman ball. Going back at the end of the season to play 2 or 3 games would prove what exactly?

 

OK, I said my peace and rambled on long enough on this topic. thanks.

Maybe the coaches should have moved your kid down those games....to get the know the other half the players. If a school wants to win a freshman tourney, they should play the BEST players. High school isn't tee ball, where everyone plays. Eight graders got their play in during regular season. Win the tourney....

It sounds to me like someone is more concerned with their own playing time than the team or the program. Any freshmen should be able to play in a freshmen tournament.

 

Gaining experience is probably the top priority during the regular season for a JV or freshman team. When it's tournament time, the idea is to win.

 

Exactly.....

Maybe the coaches should have moved your kid down those games....to get the know the other half the players. If a school wants to win a freshman tourney, they should play the BEST players. High school isn't tee ball, where everyone plays. Eight graders got their play in during regular season. Win the tourney....

 

Nice thought, but he was far too busy playing full-time at JV, the level he should have been at. I guess under the theory of playing the "best" players, maybe the pros should move down some of their MLB players to the minor leagues at the end of the year to help ensure their minor league team wins their league championship. Doesn't really matter that they've already passed that level of play and moved on to a higher level. Go back and beat up on some weaker competition because you are the "best player" and only the "best players" should be playing, regardless of the level.

 

You may win yourself the "all-important" freshman tournament that way, but it is not how you go about building a successful high school program.

Nice thought, but he was far too busy playing full-time at JV, the level he should have been at. I guess under the theory of playing the "best" players, maybe the pros should move down some of their MLB players to the minor leagues at the end of the year to help ensure their minor league team wins their league championship. Doesn't really matter that they've already passed that level of play and moved on to a higher level. Go back and beat up on some weaker competition because you are the "best player" and only the "best players" should be playing, regardless of the level.

 

You may win yourself the "all-important" freshman tournament that way, but it is not how you go about building a successful high school program.

Sounds like this could be a ego issue. You cannot compare Majors with High School. Far too busy playing JV...please...JV ball ends about the same time freshman does and apparently there is not a JV tourney and there is no room on the Varsity roster for district play. So why not let him play a few more games with his CLASSMATES. Baseball is a team game, and you will not see the letter "i" in baseball. Maybe the coaches has seen success on the field, but needs to see it elsewhere.

 

Believe me, I've been in your shoes. When kids play up, they naturally get a BIG head, like some fathers. I'm glad my kid played with his own age group, even though he was good enough to play with guys 2 years older.

Sounds like this could be a ego issue. You cannot compare Majors with High School. Far too busy playing JV...please...JV ball ends about the same time freshman does and apparently there is not a JV tourney and there is no room on the Varsity roster for district play. So why not let him play a few more games with his CLASSMATES. Baseball is a team game, and you will not see the letter "i" in baseball. Maybe the coaches has seen success on the field, but needs to see it elsewhere.

 

Believe me, I've been in your shoes. When kids play up, they naturally get a BIG head, like some fathers. I'm glad my kid played with his own age group, even though he was good enough to play with guys 2 years older.

 

Guess you'd have to talk to his coaches. They decided that he and a few other freshman should play on the JV team. And since you don't know my son at all - and I can assure you he is about the most polite and humble young man you'd ever meet - I'd rather you kept your uninformed comments to yourself. Yes, there is a JV tourney. They are playing in it now.

 

Sure doesn't sound like YOU have an ego issue - even though you'd have a right to since your son could compete with boys two years older than him.

Guess you'd have to talk to his coaches. They decided that he and a few other freshman should play on the JV team. And since you don't know my son at all - and I can assure you he is about the most polite and humble young man you'd ever meet - I'd rather you kept your uninformed comments to yourself. Yes, there is a JV tourney. They are playing in it now.

 

Sure doesn't sound like YOU have an ego issue - even though you'd have a right to since your son could compete with boys two years older than him.

You're exactly right, the older I get, the more humble I get. Yes, I heard about the JV tourney. Heard some people are whining about the draw. Life is not fair and that is one thing teenagers need to learn in High School. Good luck in the freshman tourney.

Discuss the topic and leave the personal jabs, to the pm's.

wowww easy fellas

The coach needs to make the best decision for 1) his program 2) the team and 3) the individuals. In that order.

Here's something to consider. Let's say a Freshman or Sophomore, play considerable time in Varsity, as a RF and 1B.

 

What is wrong, with brining them down to play Freshman, at different positions, say 3B and C, to get them additional work at different positions.

 

Each coach, runs his program his way to develop talent.

Here's something to consider. Let's say a Freshman or Sophomore, play considerable time in Varsity, as a RF and 1B.

 

What is wrong, with brining them down to play Freshman, at different positions, say 3B and C, to get them additional work at different positions.

 

Each coach, runs his program his way to develop talent.

 

 

Nothing at all. Very valid. Not even I would complain about that.

 

It's just that you normally tend to see freshman coming down to play the same position they already play on varsity (or JV) on a full-time basis. And I just have to wonder how the program benefits by not allowing the younger player the chance to get more playing time and experience. Obviously, the freshman/sophomore up on JV/varsity doesn't need the freshman playing time experience or they wouldn't be up on JV/varsity fulltime in the first place. JMO, of course. :creepy:

I guess it's fairly standard practice, but I can't say I'm much in favor of bringing players down at the end of the year to play in their team's regional tournament (i.e., JV player comes down to play in Freshman tourney or varsity player comes down to play in JV tourney). It's one thing if that player has played a number of games throughout the season for the younger team, but to bring down a JV player who hasn't played a freshman game (or very, very few) all year long and take the spot of a starting freshman player doesn't seem right. If winning the tournament is all that important, then you would assume winning the regular season games are equally important and that player should have come down as much as possible during the season. I would really feel badly for some freshman player who has started all season, played his heart out, and then gets benched at the end of the year for some boy who hasn't played for the freshman team all year. Same applies with regard to any varsity players who will come down this coming week for the first time to play in the JV tourney. I don't know, maybe I'm not seeing this issue clearly. Anyone else have some thoughts?

 

Once you hit high school all the rec stuff stops. If your a freshman and play varsity then play in the frosh tournament I see no proplem with that. For those who find themselves sitting the bench when these kids come down then I would strongly recommend a local recreational league with mandatory playing time rules.

Once you hit high school all the rec stuff stops. If your a freshman and play varsity then play in the frosh tournament I see no proplem with that. For those who find themselves sitting the bench when these kids come down then I would strongly recommend a local recreational league with mandatory playing time rules.

 

Amen! Do you know how many times parents come to coaches asking why little Johnny isn't playing? "Johnny and Tommy have always played together since they were little so why isn't Johnny playing and Tommy is?" Well, when they were little there were rules that said they must play equal time and now there is not a rule for playing time.

 

Unfortunately, in athletics, there has to be a winner and a loser, this is part of life and growing up. Once a player gets to HS it is all about winning and winning the best way you can. If that means bringing the 8/9th graders down from V/JV to pitch in the Frosh tourney, so be it.

 

Good post Greendaddy:ylsuper:

The schools are in it to win the varsity games, and in order to win the varsity games they take every chance to get the best and most promising kids ready, both physically and mentally, to play and experience the thrill of a high pressure game, which includes the frosh and JV tourneys. Any "JV player" that is a frosh gets more experience and thrill out of playing in the frosh tourney than a routine JV game... ask any kid. JV and frosh do not get ink in the papers, the name of the game is to get your kids prepared mentally and phisically for varsity play.