To the Coach That Killed My Passion

[catiii]

https://www.theodysseyonline.com/to-the-coach-that-killed-my-passion

 

[Crazed Liotta Eyes]

https://www.theodysseyonline.com/to-the-coach-that-killed-my-passion

This story reminds me of why I quit playing baseball.

 

[Corso]

I remember playing basketball in high school.
I'm a pretty short dude (5'8") so I defaulted to the PG position, but it just worked because I liked being the floor general and enjoyed setting up my teammates for success.

I always waved off coach's plays for my own and he hated it.

I ran so many wind-sprints...

I ran so many wind-sprints.



I remember, my junior year, I scrabbled up the money to take driving lessons during one of my summers and who was my driving instructor?
Coach.


We both had to laugh and cry. He hated me! But I was his best PG and it wasn't close.
Ya'll should have been there the first time he had me get on the highway.
He totally had the itchy foot on that passenger brake.

Lol!

He gave me more problems than the traffic.

 

[Ranching]

I was 6'4" about 220lbs my senior year. I had never played organized basketball and decided to go out.
Tore up my ankle the day before the first official practice. I required a complete reconstruction and ligament transplant. Still have three pins in it, 36 years later. I couldn't stand up. The coach came up to me, looks me in the eyes and said F you! He had two guys carry me to the parking so I could wait for my dad. He never talked to me again...that year. I ended up coaching at one of his feeder schools when I was a young coach. He never looked me in the eye again. He's about a foot shorter than me. I wanted to kick his butt soooooo bad.....

 

[Bigdog]

I would tell the parents that I coached that I want to win just as bad as anyone else but not at the expense of my players. I had an autistic kid one year on a team I coached and some of the parents asked me what I am going to do with her. I simply said she is playing. Even her own mother told me that she doesn’t really need to play especially if it is going to hurt the team. I told she is playing and will hurt her more if she doesn’t play in the long run.

 

[Tabascocat]

I had a coach that almost ruined me from baseball. Long story short, there were two of us infielders that could play either SS or 3B and we we were both heavily recruited for College. After a long, grueling season, we finally met the other high ranked team in our state(Bellaire) in the playoffs.

We played in the 8th wonder known as the Astrodome, a place we idolized as kids. There we were, under the lights with about 15K in attendance and nervous as can be. I got the nod at third and what do ya know? I got a bad hop off those terrible seams in the 2nd inning and botched a double play.

Coach Mallory called time and strutted out to me, yanked me by the ear and slammed me on the bench.....I was done for the day and totally embarrassed

I was livid because no one would have made that play. I thought long and hard after that if I wanted to continue into College but luckily I already had a scholarship at that point or I would have probably quit.

Our coah was known to be hardest on those with the most potential but that was not the time IMO, still can’t stand him to this day 30 years later

 

[cowboyec]

can't remember all my coaches names but one i'll never forget was our head football coach at western heights h.s. here in okc...hershell mosier.
played ball in college at uco.
was drafted late by the browns.
i wish i had played harder for him.
quit on him.
quit on myself...not easy to admit.
all true.
he was worth playing hard for but i didnt know that then.
they aren't all a-holes.

 

[HotDog37]

Coach I had in HS baseball did the same to me. I used it to make my way, transfer, got a college scholarship and a degree. I fully flipped his negative comments to me to make myself better. Never once thought about complaining on a blog.

 

[Creeper]

I guess I am not surprised to see so many people with a similar experience to mine. I quit baseball in High School because my coach was a total jerk. I loved baseball at the time. I played in little league, summer leagues and constantly with my friends when the weather permitted. I played infield since I was a kid on every team I ever played. My HS coach forced me to pitch and I hated it. But what really angered me was he would not let me play my natural position because in his head pitchers only pitched and rested for when they would have to pitch. Maybe I was a bit immature to quit but I was playing for fun. It was not fun for me. Plus he gave me a lot of bad instruction. After I quit I continued to play what was called "Knickerbocker" ball which had leagues for High School kids. I played rec ball in college but I was done with school teams with two bit coaches. The college coach tried to recruit me but I told him no. But, upon giving up baseball, I found golf which was my new sports passion.

btw, a few years after I graduated I read in the local paper my HS coach was fired for some pedo stuff with students in the elementary school where he taught. Hated that guy.