Expert: Dennis Girardi - 1/6/2009

Question
My son told us that he doesn't want to sign up for baseball this year.  He is 9 and has been playing for four years.  He will not tell us why.  He just says that he doesn't like it any more.  We think it is because he made it onto a tournament team last summer and hardly played at all. (Some games he didn't play at all.)   He thought he was just as good or better than most of the other players and thought it was unfair.  (We thought this was the case also.)  He was struggling some with his hitting because the pitching was better in the tournaments. He is a good player and always seemed to have fun playing.  We would love to hear your thoughts on this.

Answer
Hey Joan,

Hopefully when Spring rolls around, he will feel differently.  How come he has to play tournament baseball anyway? Why don't he just play house ball?  I have the same issue with my 11 year old girls.. I have 1 that wants to bowl and is the best girl in the league. And then I have her twin sister who doesn't want to bowl in a league.. So now she watches her sister bowl every Saturday morning and has no regrets.. I hate it..

Anyway, ask this question.. Will the coach of the tourny team be the same guy as last year?  If not, it can all be different. Yes, it is much harder to hit in tourny ball cause you see all the all-star pitchers..  but that's what makes you better..

I say get him to play house ball and the rest may work itself out.. My guess is that he is a star in house ball.. The worst thing he can do is drop out for a year, then go back to it..
Does his interest lie in soccer, perhaps?

Good Luck, and tell him to "Play Ball."