Safe at Home is right on point. It is tremendously tough and is so much heartache. I often think the 6 years I've coached without a kid playing were easier and less stressful than the 8 years I've coached with a kid playing. Balancing the relationships with your kids and other parents or thoughtless outsiders is difficult to say the least. Having said that, it is impossible to say that I wouldn't do it again in light of the fun and many rewarding experiences along the way.

Try this one on for size. My coach my freshman year, who is a legend in my hometown and has the field named after him, decides he's "tired of it all and if I can't give you all everything then I need to step down." Just a coincidence that his oldest son is entering the 7th grade the next year. We have a coach get hired from a different part of the state, an "outsider" if you may. The old varsity coach, and his head asst. for years who's son is entering the 7th grade also, attend all the middle school practices for two years, while at the same time criticizing everything the new varsity coach is doing. After two years the new "outsider" is let go, and guess who gets their job back? That's right, and his and his asst. boys both become four year starters at the varsity level. The coaches son won several awards his senior year and got a scholarship to UK so I guess it worked for that family, but it SUCKED for my entire class. And then to name the field after him was crazy. Almost my entire senior class turned out at the ceremony and stood with our backs to the field as a protest. We were asked why and told to get over it. But like we said, you never get over being screwed. So I guess you could say I don't like this situation of coaches leaving with their kids. The only honorable way of doing this would be telling your players a couple of years in advance, that way everyone can plan for it. But coming from a kids point, this kind of action hurts.

 

Baseball is such a cool game. I know it's been said before...Baseball is life. Things aren't always going to go my way in life. So how am I going to handle it?

 

Maybe I didn't get to play as much as I thought I should have. Did I continue to listen to my coaches? Was I a good teammate to my friends? Did I continue to pick someone else up when they made a mistake? Or did I get moody and quit? Because all of these things can affect the team.

 

Everybody must face things that don't go according to plan. Did these people continue to do there best?... I would want people to say about me, "He continued to do the right things for the right reasons." Now, have they always said that about me? Nope. But I am going to keep trying.

 

So you are mad because your coach didn't stay? Apparently you felt that he was a worthy coach at one time. Or you would not have felt screwed that he resigned. Right? You wanted him there for your Senior year. He took the program to a prominent level and you wanted to be part of that. But for whatever his personal reasons, the coach decided to step down. Well, how did you handle that?

 

I'll tell you how. You went to a ceremony meant to honor the man. His family and friends were probably there to also honor him. But for your own personal bitterness, you and your buddies tried to ruin the ceremony....to embarrass the guy. To me, it says a lot more about those immature Seniors than it does about that coach. It doesn't sound like someone tried to do the right thing in this case. Who really got screwed here?

 

Of course the ex-coach should have kept his mouth closed about the present state of the program after he left. Obviously, he wasn't perfect either. In life there are jealous people who will try to bring you down. How will you handle it?

 

Yea. Life in the real world comes with challenges. If you are working at Kroger and the assistant manager tells you to stock the shelves, what are you going to do? You'll probably do it. But when stocking that shelf no longer has the same thrill, will you be giving the store your two week notice? Or will you give them a "couple of years notice" so they can "plan for it" and not feel screwed.

 

I'm trying to see your point. Right now I don't.

I think he screwed my entire class. We were freshmen, had grown up hearing all the stories about how our coach was one of the best in Ky and how we were lucky to be able to play for him. To get the sob story about how he was tired of coaching and how he couldn't give us his all and that's why he had to step down. Then to watch him for two years do nothing but criticize and backstab the new coach and staff was pathetic. And to have to go to our practice and watch him and his head asst. coaching at the middle school level EVERY day told us that the whole story about being tired of coaching was a joke. Probably had more to do with the fact that we graduated a huge senior class and had nothing but freshmen and soph's coming back We took our lumps for two years and heard about how it wouldn't be happening if our old coach was back. Then after two years to watch the way the whole small-town politics played out and our new coach, who we are very loyal to and who's become our family, run out of town on a rail. Now this is a football tale so stay with me. Our starting QB for the two years "the legend" was gone was a returning senior. The coaches son was a freshman. Guess who started QB, the third year returning starter? Nah, let's give it to my son since I left all these seniors so I could make my son a better player, why not sacrifice their last year of high school. and yes it was sacrificed. The son got hurt and sat out a game. We won by 30+ against a very good team. Son returns, we start losing. We lobby to have the senior start, but this only make the coaches mad. It was the entire situation of knowing that I had been given a less of a chance to succeed just so his son could prosper. Just like most spoiled kids though he last about two months at UK before coming home and quitting the game. I love my son more than anything in life, but I don't think I could sacrifice others this way for him. Just one opinion though.

You are selfishly telling someone else not to be selfish. The world doesn't revolve around you. Get over it and move on.

No matter what if the Coaches heart is not in it, it is time for him to move on. I coached Youth League for 16 years with 1 team and during that time I had son's playing only 7 years. When my youngest was in his last year I announced at the beginning of the year that it would be my last. I set the team up with good assistant coaches to take over for me. I could have stayed on, but wasn't about to miss seeing my son play at the next level, so I would have had to miss games. I wouldn't do that because coaching part time is worse than not coaching at all, especially when your heart is not in it anymore.

I guess I'll never get over it, and NO NONE OF US WANTED HIM BACK! We wanted to keep the coach that we had watched STICK BY US, not the one that used his power to manipulate the system because he knew he could. What's the old saying, do right by somebody and they'll tell someone; do wrong by someone and they'll tell ten people? Well this coach did us wrong and I guess you'd have to have been in this situation to understand it. I did well; got a scholly even after blowing an ACL my senior year, so yeah I handled the situation as best I could. But to then have this coach say in our banquet "If I'd only had this kid four years he may have been the best I've ever coached," well, I had to step back and ask, "Why didn't you coach me four years?" Because you were tired of coaching, like you told all of us but then we see you coach just as hard at the middle school level. Even a high schooler knows when he's being fed a line of crap, especially when it's forced down their throat every day. If your son had been in this situation I don't think you would have taken the lieing so light-hearted. Like you say, be a man and stand up for your beliefs. WE have talked about this at our reunions and we would have respected him IF he hadn't lied to us so blantantly. To me that makes him no good. You may feel different, but WE wanted to make sure that no one forgot that this HERO hadn't been a HERO to everyone. That was the point we were making, and if I had to sink to his level to make our point, well then I am no better than he but at least I feel better. My bottom line in the whole arguement is to not lie to and betray the trust of the young men that grow up admiring you. As I got older I realized he wasn't the perfect man that everyone made him out to be. Just hard to lose your heros, even if they are just a silly old ball coach. You never forget the feeling of being flat out lied to by someone you thought would NEVER do that to you. If he wanted to coach his son he should have told us that. We could have understood that, but lieing to a bunch of kids is a joke, especially when you know it will hurt them. Maybe you feel different and would do the same thing. If you would I feel for the kids you coach. Remember, as a coach every player is a member of your family, or at least that's the way I coach.

I think that Greenup County coach Greg Logan is only in it for his son Billy in my opion...who else think that

I think that Greenup County coach Greg Logan is only in it for his son Billy in my opion...who else think that

 

Absolutley! No doubt about it since day one!

Why do high schools hire parents as coaches in the first place? You know it's wrong and you know they're leaving when their kid graduates. Surely a HS can find a qualified person to coach at a varsity level without having to get blood involved. I've seen several HS teams when it's daddy ball and it's not right to the school, teammates and coaches kid.

I certainly know of a place where this is bound to happen. Yes, it aggrivates me, because it shows the coach wasn't in it entirely for the team.

Why do high schools hire parents as coaches in the first place? You know it's wrong and you know they're leaving when their kid graduates. Surely a HS can find a qualified person to coach at a varsity level without having to get blood involved. I've seen several HS teams when it's daddy ball and it's not right to the school, teammates and coaches kid.

 

Some smaller schools truly cannot find anyone else qualified to do it.

I certainly know of a place where this is bound to happen. Yes, it aggrivates me, because it shows the coach wasn't in it entirely for the team.

 

So, you would of preferred the team to be coachless and not field a team.

I certainly know of a place where this is bound to happen. Yes, it aggrivates me, because it shows the coach wasn't in it entirely for the team.

 

That could be entirely false. Maybe a guy or gal wants to help their own kid, as well as the school? They coach their pants off for several years. Then they realize, that either A. Without their kid there they just don't feel like they can dedicate their time and effort like they were willing to in the past. or B. They want to watch their kid play at the next level, or spend time with other younger kids they have.

 

I do have to say that watching this thread since it has been up is nothing but a reminder as to why it is hard to find coaches anymore. Take a look at the thread, people don't expect coaches to be selfish for their own kid, yet people want to be selfish for THEIR kid, and have a coach stay?

That could be entirely false. Maybe a guy or gal wants to help their own kid, as well as the school? They coach their pants off for several years. Then they realize, that either A. Without their kid there they just don't feel like they can dedicate their time and effort like they were willing to in the past. or B. They want to watch their kid play at the next level, or spend time with other younger kids they have.

 

I do have to say that watching this thread since it has been up is nothing but a reminder as to why it is hard to find coaches anymore. Take a look at the thread, people don't expect coaches to be selfish for their own kid, yet people want to be selfish for THEIR kid, and have a coach stay?

 

Well said.:thumb:

Absolutley! No doubt about it since day one!

I know it really ticks me off that we would have a coach like him, coaching baseball @ GC. 2 years = 2 state tourney's.

 

This has been a great 2 years for GC baseball, and hopefully next year will make it 3 years in a row. Get over it, and enjoy the ride.

Edited July 21, 200818 yr by STRIKE3

I know it really ticks me off that we would have a coach like him, coaching baseball @ GC. 2 years = 2 state tourney's.

 

This has been a great 2 years for GC baseball, and hopefully next year will make it 3 years in a row. Get over it, and enjoy the ride.

 

I have been around the program for a long time. I'm not the only one who feels like this because a lot of people know what's going on. Remember, I'm not the one who brought this up. With the talent at GC, a lot of coaches could have done as well and quite possibly better.