[ballfan87]

I am a very big fan of Lawrence Co Baseball and I have been attending many games both Varsity and JV...I have heard numerous complaints by parents and players of the very poor attitudes displayed by the coaches both off and on field..especially at the JV level. These coaches have young boys are there for the love of the game and these coaches are role models. The poor sportsmanship and bad attitude of the coaches is far worse than that of any player. Sitting at 2 recent games.. I have heard players yelled out in the dugout, told there were losers and not fit to be on the field. These boys look up to these men and the men should behave in a way to earn their respect. The kids should be encouraged to do better and educated on what they are doing wrong. Most of all should be shown the respect the coaches themselves would want Not simply viewing the rage of an angry coach. Since the beginning of this young team this season.. many players have already quit to date at least 4 players with lots of potential. In looking at the Varsity team it is alarming how few players are now freshman and I believe only one sophomore on the team. What is to happen to the legendary baseball team Lawrence Co is expected to have if there is no feeder system and the kids are in masses going to player other sports. Look at the following of the youngsters to the football team where coaches use positive reinforcement and constructive criticism. Coaches you may want to take heed before to you start to see your program weaken.:please:

[monster_energy]

lol LC you havent seen nothing. go watch some Sheldon Clark games and seat close to the dugout. you want to hear a crazy, cursing, bad attitude coach. just watch mike hall lol. the man has no respect for his players what so all. if your hearing losers and words like that yelled out of the dug out then your lucky cause you will hear words that you have never heard of yelled out of the SC dugout.

[dawgeers]

You are a complete liar. I am at the game as well, and the varsity coaches say NOTHING like that. You are probably a disgruntled parent of one of the players who quit. Admit you are lying and move on. Trust me folks, this person does NOT know what they are talking about. They are just trying to start problems.

[IRISH4]

I've watched many games over the years and have played a lot of baseball (high school and college) and I've come to some conclusions about coaches and their yelling. Coaches do not yell to intentionally hurt a player's feelings or to belittle them for an ego/power trip. Any person who is willing to do that I view unfit to work close to a group of monkeys let alone an impressionable child. However, coaches yell at their players to allow them to know they made a mistake and they are capable of doing better. If a coach says nothing when mistakes are made then it would be viewed as an acceptable behavior/action which isn't the case. That would be about like a parent not whipping their child for drawing on walls with crayons, grounding their child for failing in school by not doing their work, or get upset with them for a run-in with the law (all hypothetical situations, but all are actions shown by parents that do care). I would worry when a coach would stop yelling because if that's ever the case it means that they have given up or just don't care about what's going on.

Coaches know what their players are capable of and want them to all perform at his/her best even if it seems that might not be the case. I played under one of the toughest, hard-nosed baseball coaches in the history of Kentucky baseball in the late Charlie Adkins. You better believe if you made a mistake you were yelled at, but no one took it to heart. We knew that we should've made the throw, got the bunt down, made the catch, etc....but more was expected from us. We were expected to execute and expected to win each time we stepped on the field. It worked for him for 34 years and helped him win 805 games and become a legend and no one was upset for him yelling.

I think that kids aren't mentally as tough as they used to be. I know the Lawrence Co. staff well and have seen several of their varsity and JV games and couldn't ask for a classier guy than Randy Bowen. Once again, coaches yell to get the most out of their players and for them to reach potential....not to put them down.

[Future HOF'er]

Travis Feltner is one heck of a guy. His program is in fine shape, and I am sure his coaches all the way through the program are top notch, he wouldn't accept less. Kids need to toughen up.. Today's kids live in the reset generation. They are video game oriented and when things get tough they can just hit reset instead of fighting through it. I took plenty of chewings and rippings from coaches over the years and it only made me want to succeed and get it right next time.

[JCHS Alumni Eagle]

The biggest problem with players these days are the parents. Parents need to sit in the stands and cheer for the kids and not try to play coach. It is the coach's job to get everything they can out of a group of kids, and if it involves yelling or pretending to make a big scene to make them understand they can do better then so be it... Parents need to get the bottles outa their kids mouth and allow them to become men. If they don't then we are going to have 30 and 40 year old men running back to their mommies when their boss at work gets onto them. Putting young men in uncomfortable positions and requiring them to push through the situation is what creates maturity. A bunch of parents standing at the fence babying them only makes them bigger babies and does nothing to foster strong young men.

[dawgbyte02]

I think that some coaches are better suited at certain age levels. At a varsity level you need expert knowledge, extremely strong discipline and extremely hard practices so only the players that truly want to be there will be. At the FR/JV level you are still developing players and in Louisville/Lexington this is 15/16/17 year old players. Most east KY FR/JV teams are made up of 13/14/15 year old as this is the only way they can field a team. Most of these parents and kids came straight from Little League where everybody is a winner and everybody plays and positive coaching is the norm. They are not used to their kids being told that they "suck", "hope you get beat by 40 runs so we can leave early" etc which is just how high school coaches try to challenge kids to step up and prove them wrong. This works better with 15/16 than 13/14. The 13/14 still just thinks this is just a fun game and has not realized it is a very serious business at the high school level

[Joker]

There is nothing wrong with a coach yelling at a kid for making a mistake. But, you need to also tell them what they did wrong. If you just yell at them for making a mistake and don't try to correct it, then the coach in turn should be yelled at for his mistake. Every once in a while the kids should be told "Good Job". How often do the coaches do that?

[ballfan87]

I am absolutely not a liar.. my kid plays every game by the way and if you read the post thoroughly you would have seen the mention to the JV team. The kids are degraded throughout the entire game told they are worthless and should not be playing. The whole team was also told by the coach..which I did hear that he didn't care if any of them showed up at the next game. I do think that Brad Laney is the one small hope at keeping these young players on the field. He still tries to make the game fun and teach them from their mistakes. You have to remember because so many boys have chosen to quit that your JV team and your freshman teams are 95% 7th and 8th graders. The excellent ball players who have quit have included Grant Kiser Matt Ratliff and Braden Bevins. These boys are all very talented multi-sport athletes and should not have been run off by the temper tantrums of the coach The high school roster does show only 1 sophomore and I believe 4 freshman. Lawrence Co has consistently had a great baseball team but if you run off your feeder program eventually your team will come to an end. Once again my hat is off to the football coaches and the way the encourage the boys and although my Yell at times do not destroy the self esteem of the players

[ballfan87]

You are a complete liar. I am at the game as well, and the varsity coaches say NOTHING like that. You are probably a disgruntled parent of one of the players who quit. Admit you are lying and move on. Trust me folks, this person does NOT know what they are talking about. They are just trying to start problems.

I invite you to come to a JV game and see the difference

[JCHS Alumni Eagle]

I would say that the coach's are frustrated because they are telling the kids what to do in practice and the they are doing what they want during games. Parents need to remember that coach's are coaching for a job. If they don't win then they get fired. If kids are being told and taught to do one thing but they refuse to listen then they deserve to be yelled at and jumped on to. Parents need to remember that when they tell their kids to do something they expect the child to do it. The coach's expect the same. Honestly, if the parent and the kid can't handle that then they probably need to stop playing sports. High school coach's don't take time away from their families for kids not to listen to them. Parents also need to remember that they are not at all practices so they don't always know what is and is not being taught. If kids are being taught to do something one way and the kids refuse to do it then they should be yelled out END OF STORY! If they don't like it or can't take it, its simple quit, no one is required to play sports.

[RAM-A-DEVIL]

We live in the feel good world people.....Every kid is an all-star.....and everykid is the star.....Just ask their parents. I think it was said that the kids aren't as mentally tough these days. IMO the parents aren't mentally tough enough. I am one of those coaches that gets on to kids when I need too....and I too have been criticized for my coaching tactics. I get loud at times....but i have never cussed a kid or gotten on to him for no reason. Mostly I get loud because of lack of effort. i don't care if you kick the ball around all day and can't catch anything as long as you are giving full effort. 99% of the time it's the parents and not the child who has the problem with the coach. Granted.....there is that 1% of the time when the coach probably doesn't belong on the field with kids but, not often.

[dawgbyte02]

I would say that the coach's are frustrated because they are telling the kids what to do in practice and the they are doing what they want during games. Parents need to remember that coach's are coaching for a job. If they don't win then they get fired. If kids are being told and taught to do one thing but they refuse to listen then they deserve to be yelled at and jumped on to. Parents need to remember that when they tell their kids to do something they expect the child to do it. The coach's expect the same. Honestly, if the parent and the kid can't handle that then they probably need to stop playing sports. High school coach's don't take time away from their families for kids not to listen to them. Parents also need to remember that they are not at all practices so they don't always know what is and is not being taught. If kids are being taught to do something one way and the kids refuse to do it then they should be yelled out END OF STORY! If they don't like it or can't take it, its simple quit, no one is required to play sports.

As far as high school your are right. The LC high school coach could coach or manage a team at any level of baseball. He is a person who has worked with young people all of his adult life not only on the field but in the classroom. He is a professionally trained educator. You could not do a national search and get any better. The problem is that at the FR/JV level you get parent volunteers or retirees that don't have a lot of experience in dealing with teams or kids on these teams. Just because someone asks you to go coach a team does not make you a coach. An untrained, unprofessional person can cause a lot of grief. On the other hand some of the best coaches in the world are in youth sports. It takes more than knowledge of a sport and a loud voice to earn the title of coach.

[Hitters_Count]

We live in the feel good world people.....Every kid is an all-star.....and everykid is the star.....Just ask their parents.

I agree 100% with this statement. I coach Jr. High Baseball and the first thing I do is meet with the parents and players. My first comment is "this isn't Little League, your son will have to earn playing time and he will sit the bench until he proves he belongs on the field. We are a competitive program that is fair to all, but I will put the best 9 on the field at my discrection."

I see kids who in LL were average at best, but begin to catch up physically to the better ones and this makes the parents of the better players uncomfortable that someone is challenging their son for playing time. If you tear a kid down for making a mistake, you should talk about it with him and build him back up, most kids respond well to this and will preform at a higher level for the coach. Lack of effort is completely unexcusable imo. If you dont want to put in the time and effort required to help your team win, quit and take up tennis or track.

[dawgbyte02]

I agree 100% with this statement. I coach Jr. High Baseball and the first thing I do is meet with the parents and players. My first comment is "this isn't Little League, your son will have to earn playing time and he will sit the bench until he proves he belongs on the field. We are a competitive program that is fair to all, but I will put the best 9 on the field at my discrection."

I see kids who in LL were average at best, but begin to catch up physically to the better ones and this makes the parents of the better players uncomfortable that someone is challenging their son for playing time. If you tear a kid down for making a mistake, you should talk about it with him and build him back up, most kids respond well to this and will preform at a higher level for the coach. Lack of effort is completely unexcusable imo. If you dont want to put in the time and effort required to help your team win, quit and take up tennis or track.

A mark of a true coach is meeting with the PARENTS and players to go over what is expected. I have found this one single thing does more to prevent misunderstandings. For example the LC football coach prepared a packet that had every single thing to do with the football program through November. One of the items was a MANDATORY parents meeting. Also complete practice schedules, required fundraisers, camp schedules etc. A lot of work went into this and most "coaches" don't do this but a true coach will. This allows a parent to schedule a July vacation in March because they know the schedule. True coaches don't yell at a player for throwing his batting helmet then turn around and kick a bucket of balls all over the dugout because he is upset. I think maybe a new thread should be What is the definition of a true coach?

[candi]

I agree with dawgbyte2 about true coaches. In Eastern KY it is hard to find them. Some of our local school have big babies for coaches. If they are to lead these kids, they don't need to throw a tantrum and then yell at the kids for doing the same thing. Kids repeat what they see and hear.

[dawgeers]

So players repeat what they see/hear? If that's the case, then we are in trouble because all they see/hear from their parents is complaining, moaning, griping, and pointing the finger at someone else. Right?

[candi]

Could be! They absorb things just like a sponge.

[dawgbyte02]

I think by and large most high school varsity coaches do a good job. And the complaining at that level mostly has to do with win/loss records as opposed to playing time, exceptions to team rules, abusive language, tantrums etc. Most of the problems lie in the FR/JV programs. A lot of "coaches" at this level usually have very little experience with players, teams, or parents. For example if a coach makes a team rule that states: Any player missing a practice or game will sit out a game one for one, we all understand that to mean ANY PLAYER will sit no matter what the reason. If your Dad died and you missed you will sit. An experienced coach would allow for exceptions to give himself some leeway. So that rule may state: Any player missing a game or practice will sit one for one WITH EXCEPTIONS. The following exceptions will constitute an EXCUSED absence: death in the family, medical/academic etc. Good experienced coaches have well thought out rules and make PARENTS as well as players aware of these rules. One coach may feel that as long as a player does not miss practice or a game he is free to go to spring football weightlifting, track, tennis academic team, soccer, band etc while another may not allow this.

[dozerdawg707]

Here is the deal, I have coached baseball in the past at this level. I have played at the D1 level. Many people on here have valid points. It is very important for a coach and the parents to be on the same team. The coach makes all of the calls concerning every situation. The parents need to know that at the beginning of the season. The coach at this level is usually getting feedback from the varsity coach on who they feel should play. At this level of athletics the players are 1 step away from varsity experience and whether they are in 7th grade or in 10th grade there is a level of play and a level of effort that is mandatory. If in the collaborative coaches eyes the level is not being met then something must be done. That is where parents get mad. I don't agree with cursing but the kids and parents better get used to getting yelled at. It is going to happen and should happen. Just ask the Paintsville players if they ever got yelled at. Charlie Adkins is a legend then and would still be a legend in todays game. I could tell stories about what I heard in his dugout and guess what, he put out some of the best players ever to play the game in eastern ky and in the state. If parents can't take it then they should stay away. Please don't speak negatively of your coaches in front of your children. It w/ destroy a team. Parents can discuss things with the coach but parents should stand together for their coach in front of their kids. Talking the coach down is the beginning of the end for your kids athletic careers and it is a bad example for their future. Try talking your boss down and you will find the pink slip.

[UncleFester]

We have no such problem with the Paintsville program....

[shadow308]

how is it that you know all of his coaches are top notch? And yes feltner A **** of a guy, but when you let a JV coach get mad at his 7th and 8th grade players and tell them their not worthy of wearing an LC jersey and make them take there jerseys off and give them to him right after the game in front of everyone and tell them they can get them back when they earn them. because they lost to a team who's 90% high school kids. thats pitiful, and the next day they had a game and had there jerseys gave back to them. So how did they earn them back? No point or justification for actions like that.
If these kids are playing so badly, why do they only practice for 45min to an hour in the baseball building. I dont understand why the JV doesnt practice at stella moore at the senior league field, no one ever uses it. point being is that you cant take kids and practice them for 1 hour a week and except them to correct their mistakes. No matter what age or what level of high school they play.

[ballfan87]

Is the rumor true that the Paintsville Coach got in a fist fight after one of the games with a parent due to an argument with his wife?

[ballfan87]

I see kids who in LL were average at best, but begin to catch up physically to the better ones and this makes the parents of the better players uncomfortable that someone is challenging their son for playing time. If you tear a kid down for making a mistake, you should talk about it with him and build him back up, most kids respond well to this and will preform at a higher level for the coach. Lack of effort is completely unexcusable imo. If you dont want to put in the time and effort required to help your team win, quit and take up tennis or track This is very true..