WHO SHOULD YOU START

[BC28in80]

If the two are equal, why would you play a Senior and sit the underclassman on the bench?  He needs to be getting better and you can't do that while sitting down.  That Senior will not be back.  Playing him in front of the underclassman does not benefit your team.  You should not be on the field just because you are older.  Someone mentioned earlier that the older player probably has a better mental game.  If that is the case, then the two are not equal.  Your mental game is just as important as your physical one.  If the older player is left out, that's life. This is not an easy game.  It's simple, but not easy. If it was easy, everyone would play!

[STiger85]

Boy I'll tell ya'll, ya'll read to much in this. The question is IF skills are the same who do you start? A senior or a underclassman? Now ya'll just took off with this and added a hole lot of "what if this and what if that". Stick to the question on how it was ask.  There is no way I'm telling a senior, that a underclassman that is not better than him to sit the bench.  What kind of credit would the coach have on the other seniors or to the underclassmen. What kind of message is he sending out. Now remember, there SKILLS are the same. Just thank about it, how would you feel?

[Red1]

If the two are equal, why would you play a Senior and sit the underclassman on the bench?  He needs to be getting better and you can't do that while sitting down.  That Senior will not be back.  Playing him in front of the underclassman does not benefit your team.  You should not be on the field just because you are older.  Someone mentioned earlier that the older player probably has a better mental game.  If that is the case, then the two are not equal.  Your mental game is just as important as your physical one.  If the older player is left out, that's life. This is not an easy game.  It's simple, but not easy. If it was easy, everyone would play!

Well, grasshopper its called paying your dues.  If you burn that senior, the message to the underclassmen is that they are all expendable.  So why would an underclassman want to stay with a program, that will put them out to pasture when they are seniors when their skills are equal with someone younger then them?  I have seen and heard a bunch of talk on the local level about this very same thing.  The thing is the facts and figures did not back up the playing of underclass players because they were better.  The stats showed they were not performing better but worse then the older ones.  Maybe all the underclass players were school board members kids.........either that or that coach is a cheese head.......and that is being nice.

[shadow]

well its a good thing that there are stats and error logs that helps them cheese heads decide...

[warfan]

Good post all.  All things being EQUAL, start the senior (as in seniority) then play the underclassman as some point in the game. But the retiredoldcoach has a point as well?

[Guest BC boy 17]

If they had equal skills, i would start the senior because of more experience.

[TXBaseball]

Funny reading all of this because kids will ALWAYS put the best on the field...providing there is no ADULT bias input.

[soking]

Exactly! It is all about how the year went. If you have no shot at going to playoffs but have alot of kids coming back next year, you really need to start the underclassman. If this is a deciding factor on whether or not you get in the playoffs you start the senior. That is of course both pitchers are healthy.

[BC28in80]

Grasshopper?  My hop left a long time ago!  My opinion comes from being around Chuck Young for a many a year and that was the philosophy he used.  It seemed to work for him.  I suppose the two different ideas are just that - different ideas. Some like Ford, some like Chevy.  If you are passing out keys..........