Donnie Ecker Out at Los Altos High
- Thread starter 1giantsfan
- Start date
I have no notion about why (could be any number of things). He was an excellent baseball player for Los Altos. However, it is very difficult to be a high school baseball coach, especially with many expectations of parents, academic eligibility issues, discipline issues, etc. The one that bugs me is the expectation that a high school coach should be expected to promote his players to the next level....I think it enough that he simply coaches his team during the high school season. There are, now, many showcase tournaments out there to be seen by the college/pro systems. On the other hand, there are very few great players that will get missed, using the old grape vine of coaches and umpires.
Yes, I know, I am very old fashioned....
Yes, I know, I am very old fashioned....
Supposedly taking a college job is what I hear. But didn't hear it from the horse's mouth so take that for what it is worth.
IT IS ALWAYS some kid or parent who signs on for the FIRST time to talk S about somebody that was and is a very good person, player and coach. SMH I am sure 1giantsfan is very proud of her/himself.
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Fellow dinosaurs (Craig and Tom)- I think the good coaches from high school and summer/fall work together and compliment each other in the development /networking of players. A good example was the conversation I had today with a coach the three of us know well and respect. We had a certain Lhp at our event this weekend that I felt should be at the USA trials so I called on his behalf. I then contacted Coach H because I felt he should be the official liaison as his coach/mentor and he followed up. We worked together and the result was a positive for the young man.
Perfect scenario (on how it should be done). My two cents.
This post was edited on 6/11 10:57 AM by CityVibesII
This post was edited on 6/11 10:57 AM by CityVibesII
College job
http://fb.me/6v2ido9If
This post was edited on 6/12 3:52 PM by tired of this
Ecker to Bakersfield
http://fb.me/6v2ido9If
This post was edited on 6/12 3:52 PM by tired of this
Ecker to Bakersfield
http://www.losaltosonline.com/news/sections/sports/194-baseball/47756-
This post was edited on 6/19 4:53 AM by 1giantsfan
This post was edited on 6/19 4:53 AM by 1giantsfan
1giantsfan,
Could we assume you linked to a nearly identical article as that provided by tired of this for some reason...such as to read the one comment?
Seems to me that comment and the two you have posted, and the "2 and out as predicted" perspective is an illustration of why coaching HS baseball is becoming, rapidly, a less and less attractive coaching option for those who are really talented. Could you be one of those who predicted 2 and out so your mind and goal was set before the first practice two years ago?
Seems to me Coach Ecker is making a wonderful choice heading to Bakersfield to coach at the JC and to pursue his Masters, which will be very important if he wants to continue to pursue coaching...at the college level.
In general, those who make HS baseball coaches some type of vendetta, such as predictions of "2 and out" are either living through their son, do not understand the game, do not understand good coaching from something other than good coaching, didn't like their son's playing time or BA, or number of AB's, or some combination or all of these, and more.
In addition, they hide behind the anonymity of a message board such as you are doing here, which, in my view, says much more about the poster than the coach.
Threads like these and the comment in the linked article may well cause any qualified future potential coach to seriously consider and weigh the off field grief in any decision to take a position, if offered.
This post was edited on 6/20 9:10 AM by tu2004
Could we assume you linked to a nearly identical article as that provided by tired of this for some reason...such as to read the one comment?
Seems to me that comment and the two you have posted, and the "2 and out as predicted" perspective is an illustration of why coaching HS baseball is becoming, rapidly, a less and less attractive coaching option for those who are really talented. Could you be one of those who predicted 2 and out so your mind and goal was set before the first practice two years ago?
Seems to me Coach Ecker is making a wonderful choice heading to Bakersfield to coach at the JC and to pursue his Masters, which will be very important if he wants to continue to pursue coaching...at the college level.
In general, those who make HS baseball coaches some type of vendetta, such as predictions of "2 and out" are either living through their son, do not understand the game, do not understand good coaching from something other than good coaching, didn't like their son's playing time or BA, or number of AB's, or some combination or all of these, and more.
In addition, they hide behind the anonymity of a message board such as you are doing here, which, in my view, says much more about the poster than the coach.
Threads like these and the comment in the linked article may well cause any qualified future potential coach to seriously consider and weigh the off field grief in any decision to take a position, if offered.
This post was edited on 6/20 9:10 AM by tu2004
Geez, who knew? Coaching High School can be a tough job that involves more than on the field x's and o's. You've got to deal not just with players, but parents, boosters, and administrators. Especially when the parents are well-heeled, involved, and the sort of people that are used to being listened to when they speak, it can be an especially tough job. Indeed, a coach who knows his x's and o's but lacks sufficient maturity, character or self-confidence to deal with all those "outside" forces might just get eaten alive. Ask the two most recent Mountain View High Coaches about that. Asks Donny Kadokawa about his brief tenure at Paly about it too. So I get it. Plus it pays almost nothing at least not directly. (But there are the outside benefits -- a set of players to funnel through your travel team operation, your private lessons, or private conditioning program) So I doubly get it. I do.
But you know what? Save me the pity party for high school coaches in general. Seriously, tu2004, what would you say to a player who bellyached about playing time, unfairness, place in the order, being played out of position -- blah, blah, blah -- instead of just stepping up to the plate and getting the job done when the the opportunity arose? You'd say, cut the whining kid, and do the job or I'll find somebody else who will. Surprise, surprise, the same thing applies to coaches. Get the job done, don't lose focus, don't bellyache. Or move on.
This post was edited on 6/21 11:55 AM by 1giantsfan
But you know what? Save me the pity party for high school coaches in general. Seriously, tu2004, what would you say to a player who bellyached about playing time, unfairness, place in the order, being played out of position -- blah, blah, blah -- instead of just stepping up to the plate and getting the job done when the the opportunity arose? You'd say, cut the whining kid, and do the job or I'll find somebody else who will. Surprise, surprise, the same thing applies to coaches. Get the job done, don't lose focus, don't bellyache. Or move on.
This post was edited on 6/21 11:55 AM by 1giantsfan
"You've got to deal not just with players, but parents, boosters, and administrators."
I accept and agree the HS coach has to deal with the players and AD and even the administrators at times.
Why do they "have" to deal with parents and boosters, most of whom are often the same? My view is that is bogus and a completely broken concept to rationalize. I played for one of the great HS coaches in Santa Clara County. During my time and for a few years after, he never had to deal with parents. He dealt with players on the issues which related to baseball and he was highly successful.
Coaches should have a high degree of accountability to the players, the team, the AD and even the Administrators on some issues. In my view, they do not have accountability to, or need to deal with, parents and/or booster club members.
It appears that many upcoming parents feel they do have to be "dealt" with in one way or the other, which is too bad, in my opinion.
What good comes out of your posts on this site about Coach Ecker? None, absolutely none. It appears it makes you feel good to hide behind message board anonymity and be vindictive about a former HS coach now that he has moved up a level and is furthering his education. Like I said, your posts and links say more about the poster, and the message of the poster, than the coach. Efforts to put a former HS coach into a villain position, when contrasted against the comments of the High School Administration just suggests more dysfunction into the future for the program, coaches and players.
It will be pretty rare to have a young HS coach who has the skills and abilities to coach, succeed and build, and live in this area. They will become even more rare if part of the job is they "have" to deal with parents and others with a vendetta.
This post was edited on 6/22 12:50 PM by tu2004
This post was edited on 6/22 2:00 PM by tu2004
I accept and agree the HS coach has to deal with the players and AD and even the administrators at times.
Why do they "have" to deal with parents and boosters, most of whom are often the same? My view is that is bogus and a completely broken concept to rationalize. I played for one of the great HS coaches in Santa Clara County. During my time and for a few years after, he never had to deal with parents. He dealt with players on the issues which related to baseball and he was highly successful.
Coaches should have a high degree of accountability to the players, the team, the AD and even the Administrators on some issues. In my view, they do not have accountability to, or need to deal with, parents and/or booster club members.
It appears that many upcoming parents feel they do have to be "dealt" with in one way or the other, which is too bad, in my opinion.
What good comes out of your posts on this site about Coach Ecker? None, absolutely none. It appears it makes you feel good to hide behind message board anonymity and be vindictive about a former HS coach now that he has moved up a level and is furthering his education. Like I said, your posts and links say more about the poster, and the message of the poster, than the coach. Efforts to put a former HS coach into a villain position, when contrasted against the comments of the High School Administration just suggests more dysfunction into the future for the program, coaches and players.
It will be pretty rare to have a young HS coach who has the skills and abilities to coach, succeed and build, and live in this area. They will become even more rare if part of the job is they "have" to deal with parents and others with a vendetta.
This post was edited on 6/22 12:50 PM by tu2004
This post was edited on 6/22 2:00 PM by tu2004
Imagine a classroom teacher who didn't want to have to deal with parents. A HS coach is a teacher, whose classroom is the playing field. Parents come with the turf. You act as though you think HS sports are not part of the educational mission of a school, but something else, a thing unto itself, where the coach should be insulated from parental scrutiny. That's nonsense. A coach is a teacher. And just as teachers have to be responsive to all stakeholders in education, so do coaches. And I'm sorry if some coaches don't appreciate it, but parents are legitimate stake holders in the athletic education of their sons and daughters, just as they are legitimate stakeholders in the academic education of their sons and daughters.
This post was edited on 6/24 10:04 AM by 1giantsfan
This post was edited on 6/24 10:04 AM by 1giantsfan
There is absolutely no question about it - parents are overstepping their boundaries all over the place.
They are showing up with their kids to job interviews. They are calling bosses to ask why their child didn't get a raise. They are writing their kids' admissions essays. They are calling college professors about their child's grades. They are calling college coaches about playing time. They are talking their sons into transferring rather than buckling down and winning playing time. They are hanging out in HS principals' offices...in long lines, in attempts to make teachers teach 30 different customized programs to 30 kids in a class. They are involved in HS coach hiring and firing when the only issues have nothing to do with safety or ethics (actually sadly, they seem to ignore some of those - are we opting for performance over integrity? Thats a worry of mine).
Yes, parents are the 'stakeholder' and have a role. But they've gone too far. We see it now with our younger employees where I work. They're used to mom and dad doing it for them. Its rather incredible to observe.
Has your son ever had a 1-on-1 with his coach about whatever?
I know nothing about this coach, this situation although he was a friend of our older son when they played against each other in HS. I would guess Mountain View's average tenure for a baseball coach over the last 15 years to be less than 2 years. Parents have been involved in that low tenure rate. Its sad. Its too much.
What are the results? Too many young adults who haven't learned life skills and are ill prepared to enter the real world. Even ill prepared to enter college life including baseball...mentally at least. And lastly, we're losing our best HS coaches because of this behavior.
Keep it up if you want. You will continue to sleep in the bed you make.
They are showing up with their kids to job interviews. They are calling bosses to ask why their child didn't get a raise. They are writing their kids' admissions essays. They are calling college professors about their child's grades. They are calling college coaches about playing time. They are talking their sons into transferring rather than buckling down and winning playing time. They are hanging out in HS principals' offices...in long lines, in attempts to make teachers teach 30 different customized programs to 30 kids in a class. They are involved in HS coach hiring and firing when the only issues have nothing to do with safety or ethics (actually sadly, they seem to ignore some of those - are we opting for performance over integrity? Thats a worry of mine).
Yes, parents are the 'stakeholder' and have a role. But they've gone too far. We see it now with our younger employees where I work. They're used to mom and dad doing it for them. Its rather incredible to observe.
Has your son ever had a 1-on-1 with his coach about whatever?
I know nothing about this coach, this situation although he was a friend of our older son when they played against each other in HS. I would guess Mountain View's average tenure for a baseball coach over the last 15 years to be less than 2 years. Parents have been involved in that low tenure rate. Its sad. Its too much.
What are the results? Too many young adults who haven't learned life skills and are ill prepared to enter the real world. Even ill prepared to enter college life including baseball...mentally at least. And lastly, we're losing our best HS coaches because of this behavior.
Keep it up if you want. You will continue to sleep in the bed you make.
Very well said. Parental involvement isn't a bad thing and the right amount is actually very good and necessary. It is the over involvement that has created an entitlement issue with this generation (my generation)
Here is one difference between a classroom teacher and a coach. In my classroom, if you meet the requirements I set out, you can get an A. On my baseball team of 22, I can only give 10 A's each game (starters) and the kids take their tests in front of a couple hundred people. That one makes the teacher parent relationship a little more complicated.
This post was edited on 6/24 4:17 PM by tired of this
This post was edited on 6/24 4:17 PM by tired of this
If I'm a coach these days, then, I'm taking 10 A players and just a few others who I can actually make "part of the team" in some way that keeps the player motivated and their parents satisfied. Why is anyone taking 22+? Or 15+? Coaches: once you get past that critical mass aren't you just asking for it?
One fundamental flaw in the reasoning, and makes the assertion on nonsense to be clear "nonsense," is that an education under our laws is a "right." Athletics is a privilege.
Even assuming a parent is also a stakeholder in their child's athletics, that comes with the reality that sports do not create character. Sports reveals character. To me, a stakeholder for their son/daughter takes on a number of ethical considerations to their son/daughter, teammates, coaches, and others which are too numerous to detail.
One ethical aspect for a stakeholder who is also a parent would be guiding their student-athlete on issues of respect, sportsmanship and what is involved as one athlete being on a team. From my view, within those ethical considerations for a stakeholder who is a parent, would be the fundamental question of the propriety of starting and continuing a thread like this one, focused on one coach and an apparent vendetta fulfilled for the stakeholder, when the School Administration supports nothing which is asserted in this thread..
If parents truly are stakeholders in athletic education, perhaps that starts with the realization and appreciation that each minute of athletic participation is a privilege for the athlete and for the parent who views themselves as a stakeholder.
This post was edited on 6/25 8:45 AM by tu2004
atc - have you really had parent's show up for their kids' interview and/or call to ask why the kid didn't get a raise? HR policies be damned, but if a parent showed up for the interview that would be an automatic "strike 3" for the possibility of me hiring them (hell, it would be a Golden Sombrero). And if the parent called to lobby for a raise, the kid would be in my office in about three minutes and told to take care of their parents or pack their bags immediately.
I agree with everything you said (I usually do), but I cannot even comprehend a visual in my mind of the parent waiting in the lobby or parking lot during an interview, let alone trying to join the meeting...just makes me laugh.
As for coaching and parent accountability, the coaches should be accountable to the parent, but only for setting expectations. It should be made crystal clear early in the game as to what is expected of the students and what is expected of the parents...and that includes when and where to be at specific times, effort, off-field behavior, classroom achievements, etc. It should also include the expectation of not having any expectation of the kid playing at all...any time they do get is a bonus. It should be understood that the parent will only contact the coach away from the field (and by what means).
At the end of the day, it seems as though the winning teams (or those teams that exceed internal expectations) have fewer problems (not in every case) and like the man said "winning is a good deodorant". It is that way in Little League, Travel Ball, high school and even college.
I agree with everything you said (I usually do), but I cannot even comprehend a visual in my mind of the parent waiting in the lobby or parking lot during an interview, let alone trying to join the meeting...just makes me laugh.
As for coaching and parent accountability, the coaches should be accountable to the parent, but only for setting expectations. It should be made crystal clear early in the game as to what is expected of the students and what is expected of the parents...and that includes when and where to be at specific times, effort, off-field behavior, classroom achievements, etc. It should also include the expectation of not having any expectation of the kid playing at all...any time they do get is a bonus. It should be understood that the parent will only contact the coach away from the field (and by what means).
At the end of the day, it seems as though the winning teams (or those teams that exceed internal expectations) have fewer problems (not in every case) and like the man said "winning is a good deodorant". It is that way in Little League, Travel Ball, high school and even college.
atc - that is beautiful, I am laughing out loud in the office and people are looking at me. I am guessing you sat the parent down and had a heart-to-heart to explain how the business world works. Either that or the parent made a phone call to the ACLU to complain about your shoddy treatment of their child. 
Ecker lands on feet
Ecker is apparently going to be a minor league instructor for the St Louis Cardinals. (Wasn't it they who drafted him?) Won't have to deal with meddlesome parents in that environment. Certainly suits him better, since the politics at Los Altos High seemed to have been his undoing there, more than anything else.
Ecker is apparently going to be a minor league instructor for the St Louis Cardinals. (Wasn't it they who drafted him?) Won't have to deal with meddlesome parents in that environment. Certainly suits him better, since the politics at Los Altos High seemed to have been his undoing there, more than anything else.
Confirmed -- Ecker to the Cardinals.
http://www.losaltosonline.com/news/sections/sports/194-baseball/49216-from-an-eagle-to-a-cardinal
http://www.losaltosonline.com/news/sections/sports/194-baseball/49216-from-an-eagle-to-a-cardinal
