OT: Is it just me or is this really sleezy?

[Coronita]

[quote=desmond]When your your kids get older and have their own interests you will realize that supporting them is what is important. Guiding them in one thing, demanding they do something because you think it is right (or macho,makes you look good, etc,) well good luck with that. Its is your personal values, not your own hobbies, that will help make your kids what you hope them to be.[/quote]

I would agree with that. Like I said, I only plan to influence when i can. I’m sure when she’s a teenager, everything I say will just go out the ear until she’s in her twenties…

[SD Realtor]

I guess in my case I will try to not guide my kids to much. When I grew up sports were everything. I loved them all….From backyard football to little league to hoops to golf (I had a hole in one at Penmar (in west LA 143 yard par 3!) to indoor and beach volleyball (once upon a time I had a AA rating) to surfing to snowboarding and skiing…well snowboarding wasnt around then but when it came I was into it… The one thing that was constant was that my parents were not really into it at all. My pops watched sports all the time and I did as well but playing and competing was it for me. Also being outside was good and imo is even more important in this day and age. Our kids are young, 4 and 5 but alot of their friends already have handheld video games and systems at home. We are trying to vow not to do that and so far our kids have not asked. We also have alot of animals in the home and I think exposing kids to them is good. So yes I guess the downside of sports with kids is fanaticism and pushing the kids into it. However, I guess I see alot of upside because I experienced alot of upside. Being outdoors, competing, losing, winning, being challenged and pushing yourself. To this day I remember events of 40 years ago with regards to sports and stuff. Both good and bad memories. Cannot get enough of them.

[SD Realtor]

I guess in my case I will try to not guide my kids to much. When I grew up sports were everything. I loved them all….From backyard football to little league to hoops to golf (I had a hole in one at Penmar (in west LA 143 yard par 3!) to indoor and beach volleyball (once upon a time I had a AA rating) to surfing to snowboarding and skiing…well snowboarding wasnt around then but when it came I was into it… The one thing that was constant was that my parents were not really into it at all. My pops watched sports all the time and I did as well but playing and competing was it for me. Also being outside was good and imo is even more important in this day and age. Our kids are young, 4 and 5 but alot of their friends already have handheld video games and systems at home. We are trying to vow not to do that and so far our kids have not asked. We also have alot of animals in the home and I think exposing kids to them is good. So yes I guess the downside of sports with kids is fanaticism and pushing the kids into it. However, I guess I see alot of upside because I experienced alot of upside. Being outdoors, competing, losing, winning, being challenged and pushing yourself. To this day I remember events of 40 years ago with regards to sports and stuff. Both good and bad memories. Cannot get enough of them.

[SD Realtor]

I guess in my case I will try to not guide my kids to much. When I grew up sports were everything. I loved them all….From backyard football to little league to hoops to golf (I had a hole in one at Penmar (in west LA 143 yard par 3!) to indoor and beach volleyball (once upon a time I had a AA rating) to surfing to snowboarding and skiing…well snowboarding wasnt around then but when it came I was into it… The one thing that was constant was that my parents were not really into it at all. My pops watched sports all the time and I did as well but playing and competing was it for me. Also being outside was good and imo is even more important in this day and age. Our kids are young, 4 and 5 but alot of their friends already have handheld video games and systems at home. We are trying to vow not to do that and so far our kids have not asked. We also have alot of animals in the home and I think exposing kids to them is good. So yes I guess the downside of sports with kids is fanaticism and pushing the kids into it. However, I guess I see alot of upside because I experienced alot of upside. Being outdoors, competing, losing, winning, being challenged and pushing yourself. To this day I remember events of 40 years ago with regards to sports and stuff. Both good and bad memories. Cannot get enough of them.

[SD Realtor]

I guess in my case I will try to not guide my kids to much. When I grew up sports were everything. I loved them all….From backyard football to little league to hoops to golf (I had a hole in one at Penmar (in west LA 143 yard par 3!) to indoor and beach volleyball (once upon a time I had a AA rating) to surfing to snowboarding and skiing…well snowboarding wasnt around then but when it came I was into it… The one thing that was constant was that my parents were not really into it at all. My pops watched sports all the time and I did as well but playing and competing was it for me. Also being outside was good and imo is even more important in this day and age. Our kids are young, 4 and 5 but alot of their friends already have handheld video games and systems at home. We are trying to vow not to do that and so far our kids have not asked. We also have alot of animals in the home and I think exposing kids to them is good. So yes I guess the downside of sports with kids is fanaticism and pushing the kids into it. However, I guess I see alot of upside because I experienced alot of upside. Being outdoors, competing, losing, winning, being challenged and pushing yourself. To this day I remember events of 40 years ago with regards to sports and stuff. Both good and bad memories. Cannot get enough of them.

[SD Realtor]

I guess in my case I will try to not guide my kids to much. When I grew up sports were everything. I loved them all….From backyard football to little league to hoops to golf (I had a hole in one at Penmar (in west LA 143 yard par 3!) to indoor and beach volleyball (once upon a time I had a AA rating) to surfing to snowboarding and skiing…well snowboarding wasnt around then but when it came I was into it… The one thing that was constant was that my parents were not really into it at all. My pops watched sports all the time and I did as well but playing and competing was it for me. Also being outside was good and imo is even more important in this day and age. Our kids are young, 4 and 5 but alot of their friends already have handheld video games and systems at home. We are trying to vow not to do that and so far our kids have not asked. We also have alot of animals in the home and I think exposing kids to them is good. So yes I guess the downside of sports with kids is fanaticism and pushing the kids into it. However, I guess I see alot of upside because I experienced alot of upside. Being outdoors, competing, losing, winning, being challenged and pushing yourself. To this day I remember events of 40 years ago with regards to sports and stuff. Both good and bad memories. Cannot get enough of them.

[NotCranky]

[quote=CardiffBaseball]There are no boys at tennis or golf matches flu.

Or if you are into chicks (not that there is anything wrong with that), they aren’t there either. Kids tend to congregate where most of the other kids are hangin’ out.

When I wuz a 3-year starter at PG about 120 lbs. ago in HS, we had a group of farmers that would come to the game as the rowdie rooters. They went to the games and screamed their fool heads off, and I loved it. Not sure why the girls cheering on the boys is any different.

Look I am the anti-russ in this case, my kids live on COD Modern Warfare, and they also play the macho team sports. In reality kids tend to go where their parents influence them so guilty as charged…. dad just doesn’t care about golf or tennis so the kids were never really exposed. (could we have lost the next Sampras?) Lacrosse, we didn’t mess with because rarely does a kid who hits the snot out of a baseball quit playing, but it’s a cool game too.

So yes I agree that if I had a daughter I’d probably be pushing something like softball/basketball not cheer. I just think these cheerleaders are getting a bum rap here. Sorry to the original poster, I seem to have hijacked… The competitive cheer squads are athletic as hell. How do we measure a great male athlete? Vertical leap, 40 times, how many times you can bench 225, what is your power clean, agility cone drills, etc.

I am guessing if you devised some kind of similar athletic test at the high school level I’d be willing to wager money on the competitive cheerleader over the most high school tennis players. Look at the legs, who do you think will squat or deadlift more? Now if you are talking about really pushing tennis, living at the club, using personal trainers and the whole prodigy thing, that’s different.[/quote]

I don’t think you are guilty of anything Cardiffbaseball. If the kids adapt to that kind of “support” it’s probably working O.K. and falls under the different strokes category.I know many kids end up disappointed that their dads didn’t help them more with sports.Sometimes I regret not being more the athletic director, especially with baseball, because it seems to be the major sport that kids can benefit most from early training and continuity. In basketball dribbling with each hand early is very helpful.

I ask my kids, boys 3,5 and 7, what their preferences and interest levels are. I don’t have any illusion that they are cut out to be certain standouts at anything.

A this stage, I do dislike it when the much more driven and win/lose oriented parents put pressure on average kids and parents who are likely just experimenting and teaching self confidence and good sportmanship. I think you can teach a kid self confidence when they are lousy as well as when they are the best.It’s also a chance to help kids see themselves realistically if they are prone to fantasizing too much about their talents.( I know my little slow poke thought he was a human rocket). Now if they never improve or get more enthused maybe you might want to move along but without all the judgements and expectations. I think kids should have a at least couple of seasons to work this out but not all people do. Even those questionable attitudes are an opportunity to teach kids about people though.

[NotCranky]

[quote=CardiffBaseball]There are no boys at tennis or golf matches flu.

Or if you are into chicks (not that there is anything wrong with that), they aren’t there either. Kids tend to congregate where most of the other kids are hangin’ out.

When I wuz a 3-year starter at PG about 120 lbs. ago in HS, we had a group of farmers that would come to the game as the rowdie rooters. They went to the games and screamed their fool heads off, and I loved it. Not sure why the girls cheering on the boys is any different.

Look I am the anti-russ in this case, my kids live on COD Modern Warfare, and they also play the macho team sports. In reality kids tend to go where their parents influence them so guilty as charged…. dad just doesn’t care about golf or tennis so the kids were never really exposed. (could we have lost the next Sampras?) Lacrosse, we didn’t mess with because rarely does a kid who hits the snot out of a baseball quit playing, but it’s a cool game too.

So yes I agree that if I had a daughter I’d probably be pushing something like softball/basketball not cheer. I just think these cheerleaders are getting a bum rap here. Sorry to the original poster, I seem to have hijacked… The competitive cheer squads are athletic as hell. How do we measure a great male athlete? Vertical leap, 40 times, how many times you can bench 225, what is your power clean, agility cone drills, etc.

I am guessing if you devised some kind of similar athletic test at the high school level I’d be willing to wager money on the competitive cheerleader over the most high school tennis players. Look at the legs, who do you think will squat or deadlift more? Now if you are talking about really pushing tennis, living at the club, using personal trainers and the whole prodigy thing, that’s different.[/quote]

I don’t think you are guilty of anything Cardiffbaseball. If the kids adapt to that kind of “support” it’s probably working O.K. and falls under the different strokes category.I know many kids end up disappointed that their dads didn’t help them more with sports.Sometimes I regret not being more the athletic director, especially with baseball, because it seems to be the major sport that kids can benefit most from early training and continuity. In basketball dribbling with each hand early is very helpful.

I ask my kids, boys 3,5 and 7, what their preferences and interest levels are. I don’t have any illusion that they are cut out to be certain standouts at anything.

A this stage, I do dislike it when the much more driven and win/lose oriented parents put pressure on average kids and parents who are likely just experimenting and teaching self confidence and good sportmanship. I think you can teach a kid self confidence when they are lousy as well as when they are the best.It’s also a chance to help kids see themselves realistically if they are prone to fantasizing too much about their talents.( I know my little slow poke thought he was a human rocket). Now if they never improve or get more enthused maybe you might want to move along but without all the judgements and expectations. I think kids should have a at least couple of seasons to work this out but not all people do. Even those questionable attitudes are an opportunity to teach kids about people though.

[NotCranky]

[quote=CardiffBaseball]There are no boys at tennis or golf matches flu.

Or if you are into chicks (not that there is anything wrong with that), they aren’t there either. Kids tend to congregate where most of the other kids are hangin’ out.

When I wuz a 3-year starter at PG about 120 lbs. ago in HS, we had a group of farmers that would come to the game as the rowdie rooters. They went to the games and screamed their fool heads off, and I loved it. Not sure why the girls cheering on the boys is any different.

Look I am the anti-russ in this case, my kids live on COD Modern Warfare, and they also play the macho team sports. In reality kids tend to go where their parents influence them so guilty as charged…. dad just doesn’t care about golf or tennis so the kids were never really exposed. (could we have lost the next Sampras?) Lacrosse, we didn’t mess with because rarely does a kid who hits the snot out of a baseball quit playing, but it’s a cool game too.

So yes I agree that if I had a daughter I’d probably be pushing something like softball/basketball not cheer. I just think these cheerleaders are getting a bum rap here. Sorry to the original poster, I seem to have hijacked… The competitive cheer squads are athletic as hell. How do we measure a great male athlete? Vertical leap, 40 times, how many times you can bench 225, what is your power clean, agility cone drills, etc.

I am guessing if you devised some kind of similar athletic test at the high school level I’d be willing to wager money on the competitive cheerleader over the most high school tennis players. Look at the legs, who do you think will squat or deadlift more? Now if you are talking about really pushing tennis, living at the club, using personal trainers and the whole prodigy thing, that’s different.[/quote]

I don’t think you are guilty of anything Cardiffbaseball. If the kids adapt to that kind of “support” it’s probably working O.K. and falls under the different strokes category.I know many kids end up disappointed that their dads didn’t help them more with sports.Sometimes I regret not being more the athletic director, especially with baseball, because it seems to be the major sport that kids can benefit most from early training and continuity. In basketball dribbling with each hand early is very helpful.

I ask my kids, boys 3,5 and 7, what their preferences and interest levels are. I don’t have any illusion that they are cut out to be certain standouts at anything.

A this stage, I do dislike it when the much more driven and win/lose oriented parents put pressure on average kids and parents who are likely just experimenting and teaching self confidence and good sportmanship. I think you can teach a kid self confidence when they are lousy as well as when they are the best.It’s also a chance to help kids see themselves realistically if they are prone to fantasizing too much about their talents.( I know my little slow poke thought he was a human rocket). Now if they never improve or get more enthused maybe you might want to move along but without all the judgements and expectations. I think kids should have a at least couple of seasons to work this out but not all people do. Even those questionable attitudes are an opportunity to teach kids about people though.

[NotCranky]

[quote=CardiffBaseball]There are no boys at tennis or golf matches flu.

Or if you are into chicks (not that there is anything wrong with that), they aren’t there either. Kids tend to congregate where most of the other kids are hangin’ out.

When I wuz a 3-year starter at PG about 120 lbs. ago in HS, we had a group of farmers that would come to the game as the rowdie rooters. They went to the games and screamed their fool heads off, and I loved it. Not sure why the girls cheering on the boys is any different.

Look I am the anti-russ in this case, my kids live on COD Modern Warfare, and they also play the macho team sports. In reality kids tend to go where their parents influence them so guilty as charged…. dad just doesn’t care about golf or tennis so the kids were never really exposed. (could we have lost the next Sampras?) Lacrosse, we didn’t mess with because rarely does a kid who hits the snot out of a baseball quit playing, but it’s a cool game too.

So yes I agree that if I had a daughter I’d probably be pushing something like softball/basketball not cheer. I just think these cheerleaders are getting a bum rap here. Sorry to the original poster, I seem to have hijacked… The competitive cheer squads are athletic as hell. How do we measure a great male athlete? Vertical leap, 40 times, how many times you can bench 225, what is your power clean, agility cone drills, etc.

I am guessing if you devised some kind of similar athletic test at the high school level I’d be willing to wager money on the competitive cheerleader over the most high school tennis players. Look at the legs, who do you think will squat or deadlift more? Now if you are talking about really pushing tennis, living at the club, using personal trainers and the whole prodigy thing, that’s different.[/quote]

I don’t think you are guilty of anything Cardiffbaseball. If the kids adapt to that kind of “support” it’s probably working O.K. and falls under the different strokes category.I know many kids end up disappointed that their dads didn’t help them more with sports.Sometimes I regret not being more the athletic director, especially with baseball, because it seems to be the major sport that kids can benefit most from early training and continuity. In basketball dribbling with each hand early is very helpful.

I ask my kids, boys 3,5 and 7, what their preferences and interest levels are. I don’t have any illusion that they are cut out to be certain standouts at anything.

A this stage, I do dislike it when the much more driven and win/lose oriented parents put pressure on average kids and parents who are likely just experimenting and teaching self confidence and good sportmanship. I think you can teach a kid self confidence when they are lousy as well as when they are the best.It’s also a chance to help kids see themselves realistically if they are prone to fantasizing too much about their talents.( I know my little slow poke thought he was a human rocket). Now if they never improve or get more enthused maybe you might want to move along but without all the judgements and expectations. I think kids should have a at least couple of seasons to work this out but not all people do. Even those questionable attitudes are an opportunity to teach kids about people though.

[NotCranky]

[quote=CardiffBaseball]There are no boys at tennis or golf matches flu.

Or if you are into chicks (not that there is anything wrong with that), they aren’t there either. Kids tend to congregate where most of the other kids are hangin’ out.

When I wuz a 3-year starter at PG about 120 lbs. ago in HS, we had a group of farmers that would come to the game as the rowdie rooters. They went to the games and screamed their fool heads off, and I loved it. Not sure why the girls cheering on the boys is any different.

Look I am the anti-russ in this case, my kids live on COD Modern Warfare, and they also play the macho team sports. In reality kids tend to go where their parents influence them so guilty as charged…. dad just doesn’t care about golf or tennis so the kids were never really exposed. (could we have lost the next Sampras?) Lacrosse, we didn’t mess with because rarely does a kid who hits the snot out of a baseball quit playing, but it’s a cool game too.

So yes I agree that if I had a daughter I’d probably be pushing something like softball/basketball not cheer. I just think these cheerleaders are getting a bum rap here. Sorry to the original poster, I seem to have hijacked… The competitive cheer squads are athletic as hell. How do we measure a great male athlete? Vertical leap, 40 times, how many times you can bench 225, what is your power clean, agility cone drills, etc.

I am guessing if you devised some kind of similar athletic test at the high school level I’d be willing to wager money on the competitive cheerleader over the most high school tennis players. Look at the legs, who do you think will squat or deadlift more? Now if you are talking about really pushing tennis, living at the club, using personal trainers and the whole prodigy thing, that’s different.[/quote]

I don’t think you are guilty of anything Cardiffbaseball. If the kids adapt to that kind of “support” it’s probably working O.K. and falls under the different strokes category.I know many kids end up disappointed that their dads didn’t help them more with sports.Sometimes I regret not being more the athletic director, especially with baseball, because it seems to be the major sport that kids can benefit most from early training and continuity. In basketball dribbling with each hand early is very helpful.

I ask my kids, boys 3,5 and 7, what their preferences and interest levels are. I don’t have any illusion that they are cut out to be certain standouts at anything.

A this stage, I do dislike it when the much more driven and win/lose oriented parents put pressure on average kids and parents who are likely just experimenting and teaching self confidence and good sportmanship. I think you can teach a kid self confidence when they are lousy as well as when they are the best.It’s also a chance to help kids see themselves realistically if they are prone to fantasizing too much about their talents.( I know my little slow poke thought he was a human rocket). Now if they never improve or get more enthused maybe you might want to move along but without all the judgements and expectations. I think kids should have a at least couple of seasons to work this out but not all people do. Even those questionable attitudes are an opportunity to teach kids about people though.

[CardiffBaseball]

Russ I have a strong heart for kids just out there playing a sport and not trying to get to college. So I’ve coached Rec YMCA basketball in two states, rec soccer and rec baseball. I also have managed and run a travel baseball team since our kids were about 9 (meaning the guys that stuck with me). Even on the competitive travel baseball I’ve carried one or two kids who really shouldn’t be on the team, but they are loyal and work hard so we keep them. For me it’s not about cut-throat winning but about trying to get them to love the game since most of the kids are clearly above average skill-wise. Meaning if we have a bunch of potential college players here don’t chase them away screaming about mistakes in some meaningless 12 year old ball game.

But with the rec kids I bust my butt to make sure these kids have some good hits and have a good season, because most kids never play baseball again after 12. My dad used to manage and this guy I know in LA who played on our 8-9 year old team was telling me all these great stories about my dad and I was just dumbfounded, I didn’t remember any of it. For this kid though if those were the last years he played baseball he remembers it well, so that’s the impression I hope to leave on some of these kids.

Now this being the internet and me choosing to have fun with my words I am not nearly the blowhard I am coming across here on the macho stuff. The reality is I want to play with my kids, I only have two, and these are the last years I get to be a boy with them. Naturally they wanted to play with dad and learned to play the things dad was good at. I had a basement in Ohio and by the time they were 6 they could dribble with two hands, go between the legs and around the back (with one of those small balls). I thought for sure my kids would be basketball players like daddy, I am a 6’1″ PG, and my wife is 5’10” so they’ll be big kids. We even had 10-game passes to Cavaliers games, and I watch hoops all the time around the house. Neither one plays basketball anymore. So it’s true the kids will choose what they like. Mine have a knack for baseball so I educated the hell out of myself to help them succeed. And I get to play with the kids even longer because as I stop coaching them I can still pitch BP.

Now bringing all this back to the girls, notice I said I’d probably expose my girls, heavily to basketball and softball. Mostly because it’s what I know. I can help my kid in those sports. If my girl is Dance, I am a spectator. If she is a tennis player, same thing, I’ll master the tennis clap and that’s about it.

I just had a long talk with my 7th grader we were out hitting this afternoon with one of his buddies and the father is a PGA golfer that lives in Encinitas. My son asked me why I don’t golf since many of the dad’s do. I told him look I basically said once I have boys I am not golfing anymore. If I went and shot 18 somewhere by the time you get on, play through, have bite to eat afterward you’ve shot 8 hours on a Saturday. I’ll be damned if I am not going to miss my kids YMCA basketball game to chase around a golf ball. Plenty of time for that, I won’t even be 50 as both are finishing their bachelor’s degree. Now to be fair at this point in my life, not golfing is purely financial I just don’t have the means to golf a whole lot, but initially it was not wanting to take away time from the kids. The reality is if I had just a little more scratch, it would be a good time to get them into golf, so we can keep playing once I am too old to throw to them.

[CardiffBaseball]

Russ I have a strong heart for kids just out there playing a sport and not trying to get to college. So I’ve coached Rec YMCA basketball in two states, rec soccer and rec baseball. I also have managed and run a travel baseball team since our kids were about 9 (meaning the guys that stuck with me). Even on the competitive travel baseball I’ve carried one or two kids who really shouldn’t be on the team, but they are loyal and work hard so we keep them. For me it’s not about cut-throat winning but about trying to get them to love the game since most of the kids are clearly above average skill-wise. Meaning if we have a bunch of potential college players here don’t chase them away screaming about mistakes in some meaningless 12 year old ball game.

But with the rec kids I bust my butt to make sure these kids have some good hits and have a good season, because most kids never play baseball again after 12. My dad used to manage and this guy I know in LA who played on our 8-9 year old team was telling me all these great stories about my dad and I was just dumbfounded, I didn’t remember any of it. For this kid though if those were the last years he played baseball he remembers it well, so that’s the impression I hope to leave on some of these kids.

Now this being the internet and me choosing to have fun with my words I am not nearly the blowhard I am coming across here on the macho stuff. The reality is I want to play with my kids, I only have two, and these are the last years I get to be a boy with them. Naturally they wanted to play with dad and learned to play the things dad was good at. I had a basement in Ohio and by the time they were 6 they could dribble with two hands, go between the legs and around the back (with one of those small balls). I thought for sure my kids would be basketball players like daddy, I am a 6’1″ PG, and my wife is 5’10” so they’ll be big kids. We even had 10-game passes to Cavaliers games, and I watch hoops all the time around the house. Neither one plays basketball anymore. So it’s true the kids will choose what they like. Mine have a knack for baseball so I educated the hell out of myself to help them succeed. And I get to play with the kids even longer because as I stop coaching them I can still pitch BP.

Now bringing all this back to the girls, notice I said I’d probably expose my girls, heavily to basketball and softball. Mostly because it’s what I know. I can help my kid in those sports. If my girl is Dance, I am a spectator. If she is a tennis player, same thing, I’ll master the tennis clap and that’s about it.

I just had a long talk with my 7th grader we were out hitting this afternoon with one of his buddies and the father is a PGA golfer that lives in Encinitas. My son asked me why I don’t golf since many of the dad’s do. I told him look I basically said once I have boys I am not golfing anymore. If I went and shot 18 somewhere by the time you get on, play through, have bite to eat afterward you’ve shot 8 hours on a Saturday. I’ll be damned if I am not going to miss my kids YMCA basketball game to chase around a golf ball. Plenty of time for that, I won’t even be 50 as both are finishing their bachelor’s degree. Now to be fair at this point in my life, not golfing is purely financial I just don’t have the means to golf a whole lot, but initially it was not wanting to take away time from the kids. The reality is if I had just a little more scratch, it would be a good time to get them into golf, so we can keep playing once I am too old to throw to them.

[CardiffBaseball]

Russ I have a strong heart for kids just out there playing a sport and not trying to get to college. So I’ve coached Rec YMCA basketball in two states, rec soccer and rec baseball. I also have managed and run a travel baseball team since our kids were about 9 (meaning the guys that stuck with me). Even on the competitive travel baseball I’ve carried one or two kids who really shouldn’t be on the team, but they are loyal and work hard so we keep them. For me it’s not about cut-throat winning but about trying to get them to love the game since most of the kids are clearly above average skill-wise. Meaning if we have a bunch of potential college players here don’t chase them away screaming about mistakes in some meaningless 12 year old ball game.

But with the rec kids I bust my butt to make sure these kids have some good hits and have a good season, because most kids never play baseball again after 12. My dad used to manage and this guy I know in LA who played on our 8-9 year old team was telling me all these great stories about my dad and I was just dumbfounded, I didn’t remember any of it. For this kid though if those were the last years he played baseball he remembers it well, so that’s the impression I hope to leave on some of these kids.

Now this being the internet and me choosing to have fun with my words I am not nearly the blowhard I am coming across here on the macho stuff. The reality is I want to play with my kids, I only have two, and these are the last years I get to be a boy with them. Naturally they wanted to play with dad and learned to play the things dad was good at. I had a basement in Ohio and by the time they were 6 they could dribble with two hands, go between the legs and around the back (with one of those small balls). I thought for sure my kids would be basketball players like daddy, I am a 6’1″ PG, and my wife is 5’10” so they’ll be big kids. We even had 10-game passes to Cavaliers games, and I watch hoops all the time around the house. Neither one plays basketball anymore. So it’s true the kids will choose what they like. Mine have a knack for baseball so I educated the hell out of myself to help them succeed. And I get to play with the kids even longer because as I stop coaching them I can still pitch BP.

Now bringing all this back to the girls, notice I said I’d probably expose my girls, heavily to basketball and softball. Mostly because it’s what I know. I can help my kid in those sports. If my girl is Dance, I am a spectator. If she is a tennis player, same thing, I’ll master the tennis clap and that’s about it.

I just had a long talk with my 7th grader we were out hitting this afternoon with one of his buddies and the father is a PGA golfer that lives in Encinitas. My son asked me why I don’t golf since many of the dad’s do. I told him look I basically said once I have boys I am not golfing anymore. If I went and shot 18 somewhere by the time you get on, play through, have bite to eat afterward you’ve shot 8 hours on a Saturday. I’ll be damned if I am not going to miss my kids YMCA basketball game to chase around a golf ball. Plenty of time for that, I won’t even be 50 as both are finishing their bachelor’s degree. Now to be fair at this point in my life, not golfing is purely financial I just don’t have the means to golf a whole lot, but initially it was not wanting to take away time from the kids. The reality is if I had just a little more scratch, it would be a good time to get them into golf, so we can keep playing once I am too old to throw to them.

[CardiffBaseball]

Russ I have a strong heart for kids just out there playing a sport and not trying to get to college. So I’ve coached Rec YMCA basketball in two states, rec soccer and rec baseball. I also have managed and run a travel baseball team since our kids were about 9 (meaning the guys that stuck with me). Even on the competitive travel baseball I’ve carried one or two kids who really shouldn’t be on the team, but they are loyal and work hard so we keep them. For me it’s not about cut-throat winning but about trying to get them to love the game since most of the kids are clearly above average skill-wise. Meaning if we have a bunch of potential college players here don’t chase them away screaming about mistakes in some meaningless 12 year old ball game.

But with the rec kids I bust my butt to make sure these kids have some good hits and have a good season, because most kids never play baseball again after 12. My dad used to manage and this guy I know in LA who played on our 8-9 year old team was telling me all these great stories about my dad and I was just dumbfounded, I didn’t remember any of it. For this kid though if those were the last years he played baseball he remembers it well, so that’s the impression I hope to leave on some of these kids.

Now this being the internet and me choosing to have fun with my words I am not nearly the blowhard I am coming across here on the macho stuff. The reality is I want to play with my kids, I only have two, and these are the last years I get to be a boy with them. Naturally they wanted to play with dad and learned to play the things dad was good at. I had a basement in Ohio and by the time they were 6 they could dribble with two hands, go between the legs and around the back (with one of those small balls). I thought for sure my kids would be basketball players like daddy, I am a 6’1″ PG, and my wife is 5’10” so they’ll be big kids. We even had 10-game passes to Cavaliers games, and I watch hoops all the time around the house. Neither one plays basketball anymore. So it’s true the kids will choose what they like. Mine have a knack for baseball so I educated the hell out of myself to help them succeed. And I get to play with the kids even longer because as I stop coaching them I can still pitch BP.

Now bringing all this back to the girls, notice I said I’d probably expose my girls, heavily to basketball and softball. Mostly because it’s what I know. I can help my kid in those sports. If my girl is Dance, I am a spectator. If she is a tennis player, same thing, I’ll master the tennis clap and that’s about it.

I just had a long talk with my 7th grader we were out hitting this afternoon with one of his buddies and the father is a PGA golfer that lives in Encinitas. My son asked me why I don’t golf since many of the dad’s do. I told him look I basically said once I have boys I am not golfing anymore. If I went and shot 18 somewhere by the time you get on, play through, have bite to eat afterward you’ve shot 8 hours on a Saturday. I’ll be damned if I am not going to miss my kids YMCA basketball game to chase around a golf ball. Plenty of time for that, I won’t even be 50 as both are finishing their bachelor’s degree. Now to be fair at this point in my life, not golfing is purely financial I just don’t have the means to golf a whole lot, but initially it was not wanting to take away time from the kids. The reality is if I had just a little more scratch, it would be a good time to get them into golf, so we can keep playing once I am too old to throw to them.

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