Little League - parents are nuts

[Icepick]

Is it just me? Or does Little League seem to attract a lot of people (parents) who hate themselves?

Here are two examples that are fresh in my mind from last weekend's game. Keep in mind this is the Pee-Wee division (7 & 8 year olds). Sitting behind me in the stands were a mother, father and older sister of one of the players. Each of these people spent the game complaining about the skills of the kids on their son's team and constantly criticized them. It seemed out of line because my belief is that Little League exists for the kids to have fun. Who cares who wins the game? Nobody cares because it's Pee Wee Little League!! These are 8 year olds who are just getting their feet wet in the game.

Secondly, there was a very close call made at home plate. The umpire made a split second call and called a kid on my son's team "safe". Well, the coach of the opposing team went into a tirade and berated the umpire. Keep in mind the umpires at this level are teenagers from the upper divisions. The coaches on that team made disparaging comments to the umpire, shot dirty looks and shook their heads for the rest of the game. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

People, this is Little League (Pee Wee). In my opinion we're lucky if the kids are able to hold their focus for 2.5 hours. Stop taking it so seriously and let them have fun (which is the whole purpose). Parents need to stop thinking about it as an ego booster for themselves and let their kids enjoy the game.

 

[joesmoke]

Id be in the bigs except my high school coach was an asshole like you and ill be damned if your talentless son is gonna keep my steven from playing with the dodgers one day!!!!

 

[waggy]

yeah its disgusting at times. My daughter does pee wee baseball. some of the parents are fucking nuts and act as if they are playing for the world series.

We learned early to sit in the grass away from teh others. I enjoy it much more when i don't need to hear the other parents.

 

[dabanow]

Hah sounds like the South Park episode about baseball.

http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/154917/

 

[Spineshank]

Another reminder for me to not have kids.

 

[Key West]

Another reminder for me to not have kids.

 

[CKent]

~80% of parents out there have absolutely no business propagating our species. Maybe 90%.

 

[ShawnD1]

Another reminder for me to not have kids.

Man admits he would turn into a crazy soccer mom :awe:

 

[CPA]

Dude, I'll trade you that with what I see on Saturday's during our Fall youth football season. I'm the President of the league so I get to hear it from everyone. It's usually about the refs, but I also hear it about coaches, other parents and even players. People will bitch about the stupidest stuff.

 

[7window]

it's bad all over. been there done that..

 

[Triumph]

The problem is that parents think that their kid's own shit doesn't even stink. More parents should be like mine - complete disinterest in the child's development, activities, welfare, upbringing....wait, maybe not. Damnit.

 

[7window]

milf is the only best part at this games.

 

[ViRGE]

Dude, I'll trade you that with what I see on Saturday's during our Fall youth football season. I'm the President of the league so I get to hear it from everyone. It's usually about the refs, but I also hear it about coaches, other parents and even players. People will bitch about the stupidest stuff.

If you're the President, why don't you just eject the parents?

 

[Icepick]

The problem is that parents think that their kid's own shit doesn't even stink. More parents should be like mine - complete disinterest in the child's development, activities, welfare, upbringing....wait, maybe not. Damnit.

Yes! The parents I commented on above had nothing but praise for their own son! LOL

 

[Icepick]

Id be in the bigs except my high school coach was an asshole like you and ill be damned if your talentless son is gonna keep my steven from playing with the dodgers one day!!!!

 

[Fingolfin269]

I remember officiating basketball when I was in high school. I officiated games for different age groups from 5-9 years old. Let me just tell you OP, I agree with your assessment from the officials point of view. Do they want an official to blow the whistle every single time a 5 year old double dribbles? Travels? Fouls? That would be the longest game ever. Hell the kids would possibly all be 6 years old by the time that game ended.

 

[rh71]

parents in the stands want to fight the refs at my rink for hockey. Parents also argue among each other... kids games.

Even our adult league games there have been a few occasions where some roid-rager spectator friend of someone on the team we're playing wanted to get in on the action on the rink itself... it's pretty amusing. Oh and I'll never forget the time when a girlfriend of one of the players that got ejected threw a trash can at the owner in the front office where everybody comes through... he was about to tear her a new one but restrained himself somehow.

 

[Tristicus]

~80% of parents out there have absolutely no business propagating our species. Maybe 90%.

Like yours!

 

[Sho'Nuff]

I used to umpire 12-13 year old little league baseball a number of years ago. Despite it being one of the best paying summer jobs around ($70/game (~$35/hour) in northern VA), I quit because the parents were f'ing nuts. At that age, the pitchers are just starting to throw from 60 feet, and have trouble getting the ball to the plate consistently. I would tell each coach before the game, "Look, I want to keep this game moving, so the strike zone is going to be big. Armpipts to just below the knees. Tell your kids to swing."

Despite that warning, I would invariably get berated by one of the coaches or parents for calling strikes high in the zone, or when their little Timmy struck out on a called strike three. Most of the time I put up with it. But every now and then, if I'd taken one to many balls to the sac (the catchers suck at that age too), I would start tossing people. My record number of toss outs for one game is 6. Both coaches, two moms, and their two kids. How did that come about? From a close call at home. One player tried to steal home on a passed ball. When he came into the plate, he attempted to slide, but ended up essentially flying karate kicking the pitcher (who was covering home) in the face. Although the kid stealing home was technically safe, I called him out for unsportsmanlike conduct (a league rule). All hell broke loose. One coach went into an uproar, the other coach started pushing him around (they ultimately got into a fist fight in the parking lot), the two kids got into a fight, and their mothers started fighting because their kids were fighting. Craziest damn thing I have ever seen. In the end, I tossed all of them, the coaches were banned from the league (no tolerance rule for fighting), the kids were suspended for 3 games, and the mothers were barred from attending any of their kids' games for the rest of the year.

So yeah. Little league is batshit crazy.

 

[dfuze]

Between several years of soccer and baseball with my young kids, I have yet to experience anything worse than a parent telling their kid to look alive or pay attention on the field. I guess I've been lucky.

 

[CPA]

If you're the President, why don't you just eject the parents?

We've had to, but we have so many kids (2,000) and so many games going on at once we don't always get to see everything that goes on. Most of the bitching comes afterwards. And don't even ask about the number of parents who want us to "look at the video". I would spend all week reviewing video clips of referee calls if the parents had their way.

 

[preslove]

I used to umpire 12-13 year old little league baseball a number of years ago. Despite it being one of the best paying summer jobs around ($70/game (~$35/hour) in northern VA), I quit because the parents were f'ing nuts....

*snip*

So yeah. Little league is batshit crazy.

Jesus christ! How old were you when you were dealing with middle aged parents acting like babies?

 

[Billb2]

There has to be a balance here.
I coached Little League baseball for 5 years, 8-12 year olds.

While I don't subscribe to the "everybody gets a trophy" philosophy. Why give a reward for not accomplishing anyting? What does that teach? Neither do I subscribe to the "Win at any cost" theory. We all know those people!

I had each team adopt a motto. "Winning isn't everything, but loosing really sucks.". And established a rule that the "The umpire is always right, even if the call is incorrect. Period.".

I neither tolerated kids who weren't putting forth their best efforts, they got less at bats, nor allowed anyone to question a call (that included parents) It was explained at the begining of the season that the coach, and the coach only, would discuss calls with the umpires.

I would post batting averages and on base percentages before every game, right next to the batting order and whom was sitting out what innings. It was amazing how quickley the kids would "get with the program". And parents always knew what was going on and why.

As for parents, they were made well aware of the no one questions calls rule. At times, when necessary, personally, in the stands.

If I could, I'd like to relate one incident that kind of sums up how well it worked.

Semi-final playoff game. Score tied, bottom of the 6th (last) inning. We're up, bases loaded, two outs. In our league you could rearange the batting order at the beginning of an inning, and it was typical for coaches to do so to pad the batting order for a crucial win. I didn't hold to that philosophy. We were a team amd we lived and died as a team. The whole bench was atwitter with whom would get he coveted 4th at bat for that last inning.

This little Asian kid is due to bat. He had probably gotten 5 hits all year. He batted last, played right filed and sat out the most innings all year. He was deathly affraid if getting hit with a pitch. His parents didn't know which end of a bat to hold. But, a few time he really tried, I mean really tried hard. Well, on a hunch I left the Asian kid to bat fourth. He hits a grounder between first and second and we win the game.

My rewards were seeing the whole team mob the kid. He was the hero! I said nothing to him other than the typical "good job", but, by look in his eyes, I knew he had learned something about himself that day. And while his Asian parents didn't say anything, I knew there was a "thank you" there.

That's what little league baseball is all about.

 

[Kyteland]

There has to be a balance here.
I coached Little League baseball for 5 years, 8-12 year olds.

While I don't subscribe to the "everybody gets a trophy" philosophy. Why give a reward for not accomplishing anyting? What does that teach? Neither do I subscribe to the "Win at any cost" theory. We all know those people!

I had each team adopt a motto. "Winning isn't everything, but loosing really sucks.". And established a rule that the "The umpire is always right, even if the call is incorrect. Period.".

I neither tolerated kids who weren't putting forth their best efforts, they got less at bats, nor allowed anyone to question a call (that included parents) It was explained at the begining of the season that the coach, and the coach only, would discuss calls with the umpires.

I would post batting averages and on base percentages before every game, right next to the batting order and whom was sitting out what innings. It was amazing how quickley the kids would "get with the program". And parents always knew what was going on and why.

As for parents, they were made well aware of the no one questions calls rule. At times, when necessary, personally, in the stands.

If I could, I'd like to relate one incident that kind of sums up how well it worked.

Semi-final playoff game. Score tied, bottom of the 6th (last) inning. We're up, bases loaded, two outs. In our league you could rearange the batting order at the beginning of an inning, and it was typical for coaches to do so to pad the batting order for a crucial win. I didn't hold to that philosophy. We were a team amd we lived and died as a team. The whole bench was atwitter with whom would get he coveted 4th at bat for that last inning.

This little Asian kid is due to bat. He had probably gotten 5 hits all year. He batted last, played right filed and sat out the most innings all year. He was deathly affraid if getting hit with a pitch. His parents didn't know which end of a bat to hold. But, a few time he really tried, I mean really tried hard. Well, on a hunch I left the Asian kid to bat fourth. He hits a grounder between first and second and we win the game.

My rewards were seeing the whole team mob the kid. He was the hero! I said nothing to him other than the typical "good job", but, by look in his eyes, I knew he had learned something about himself that day. And while his Asian parents didn't say anything, I knew there was a "thank you" there.

That's what little league baseball is all about.

Just to nitpick, how could he bat 4th with the bases loaded and two outs?

 

[blackdogdeek]

Just to nitpick, how could he bat 4th with the bases loaded and two outs?

bottom of the order start the bottom of the inning and get the first two outs. top of the order all get on base.