1st Day of Baseball Practice!

[gatorbogey]

it's arrived: first day of practice!

who's local that can swing by a few practices and check out the team? be the eyes for the forum, give us the low-down? who's on first? i don't know's on 3rd, etc.

[DoubleDown11]

And here's the official roster for 2013.

http://www.gatorzone.com/baseball/bios.php

[gatorbogey]

young team! only 2 seniors - right? - dent and ramjit

who will emerge as the team leader(s)?
gotta replace the leadership, not just the playing ability of guys like fontana, zunino, randall & rodriquez and tucker

[dadx4]

What happened to our seniors? We only have two? Wow......

[jsc28]

Originally Posted by dadx4

What happened to our seniors? We only have two? Wow......

Most signed. Comes with the territory if you get talented kids.

[gatorbogey]

how did the first practice go?

[swampgas44]

It's a real shame that Coach Walton doesn't treat softball practice the same way that Sully treats his baseball practices. I have been asked to leave twice when they were just having informal batting practice. He acts like he has a "Manhattan Project" going on over there. In my opinion this really hurts fan interest in the team. Sure hope he keeps winning, because........

[gatorbogey]

that is curious about practice. wonder why? of course football now is treated top secret too.

really do think it helps build the fan base / fan interest. if you're such a good fan to show up for practice, i think you need to be celebrated. or there any nefarious issues though? w/ agents or scouts? softball doesn't have those issues, though, right?

if anything, walton should have some 'fan days' - allow the fans to watch a scrimmage game every now and then.

you know, for me, just watching a practice now and then is almost more instructive and interesting than the game.

[gatorbogey]

alright, you dudes/dudettes w/ camera's,....get out to the ball field, snap some pics, post on the forum! let's see some action pics of the new faces especially.

[apkgator]

Some coaches feel that having fans there distracts the players and can also be problematic from a coaching standpoint. Let's say coach wants to really rip into a player for some reason, maybe as a motivation tool. Well, if the coach rips into that player with fans there, then in a few hours it is posted on GC and the intended impact is now swept away into a public discussion....not beneficial to anybody. I can understand a coach wanting to be free to run things without public discussion of every action.
I have known FAR more coaches that close practice than vice versa. Most high school coaches close practices to keep parents out.

[gatorbogey]

yep, there can be troublemakers that ruin it for the rest of us. and intrusive parents. might be that sully's never had to deal w/ those sorts of distractions. and it depends on your coaching style too. or public persona. i would imagine bobby knight would close practices completely if he could do it all over again, eh?

[apkgator]

Originally Posted by gatorbogey

yep, there can be troublemakers that ruin it for the rest of us. and intrusive parents. might be that sully's never had to deal w/ those sorts of distractions. and it depends on your coaching style too. or public persona. i would imagine bobby knight would close practices completely if he could do it all over again, eh?

I think you are probably correct that different coaches/personalities view things differently.
I'm totally guessing, but I bet Walton wants to protect his players from public discussion, and I get the sense Sully probably doesn't worry al that much about the guys feeelings,lol.
But I have talked to coaches who said they want to be free to tear into a guy without having a parent or fan there watching it. Want to get their message across and coach the way they want but without publically humiliating someone.

[gatorbogey]

that makes sense.


still: we've all - that have played sports can relate. been coached by some old school yellers, etc. i don't think it should be viewed necessarily as humiliated, but i do think you'd have a sense of empathy. and that works both ways. some fans think the coaches should be chewing out the players more, you know and love to see it :P

for me, i just like to see what's going on. see how the coaches 'coach' and watch the drills etc. hearing the instructions makes it even better.

funny though, walton doesn't strike me as a ripper type. at least his game manager persona doesn't seem to indicate that. especially coaching women. i think you almost have to have a different approach. can't do the tom hanks 'there's no crying in baseball' routine.

[apkgator]

I think Walton may be a little tougher than most believe...and probably the exact reason why he closes practice. I think most of us that played football expect to get yelled at in practice, not sure the same is true of female softball players.

[dadx4]

Is the softball team suppose to be any good this year?

[Juggernautz]

Possibly better than last year w\ less distractions as well.