Tony Vanetti has been let go as the baseball coach at San Marcos High, Presidiosports has learned.
Vanetti told Presidiosports in an email on Wednesday that he was “fired for reasons not really known.”
San Marcos Athletic Director Abe Jahadhmy said Vanetti was offered another position in the San Marcos baseball program but he declined to accept it.
“We asked if he was willing to stay within program,” Jahadhmy said. “We have lot of respect for Tony. He is a good man and a good person.”
Vanetti was elevated from JV coach to head varsity coach in January when Rob Crawford resigned to fully commit to a full-time job. Crawford coached two years, taking the Royals to the CIF playoffs both seasons.
Vanetti inherited a young, inexperienced team that struggled through the season. The Royals went 2-18 and 0-12 in the Channel League.
For a great guy like Tony, what a terrrible way to treated by the new administration and of course the parents. He was handed the job with no real time to prepare, the talent level was down, but yet he worked his tail off and worked at a full time job to support his family, lost his dear Father right in the middle of the season, coached the next day. Men like Tony don’t come around that often. He gave way more than he ever got. Every school should be as fortunate to have a man like Tony. I coached against him for years. Always a class act and a gentleman. Your loss, San Marcos!
Coach Vanetti, On behalf of most of your players, I am so sorry this has happened. Thank you for stepping in and coaching us. Thank you for you care and concern for us. If I could, I would apologize for our parents who forget that this is just a game, and who all think they could out coach Joe Torre. But I guess the thing that really makes me sad is that any school administrator would listen to them. Under the circumstances you did a great job.
Wow!!! If their is nothing more to this story than a 2-18 record..Jahadhmy should be ashamed!! This guy took over a program void of talent(except for their 21rst rd selrcted Catcher who batted about 240 all yr) and you give him 1 yr?? that’s just awful!! look for the primadonna parents on this team with the deepest pockets and you will find out why Coach Vanetti was run off.The AD need’s their checks to keep on rolling..”so hey what the hell fire the coach” Way to treat your Alumni Abe, what a disgrace!!
I guess the” Once a Don always a Don” tradition is something to be very proud of!!
Hey THe truth, I thought Jahadmy went to DP.
Terrible that Vanetti got fired. Sad day and age when the parents have so much influence.
nope
Must be another Abe Jahadmy then
Impartial Charger fan here but it appears like this coach got a rotten deal. What’s the saying? When the team goes bad you can’t get rid of the all the players but you can get rid of one manager. The SM parents would disagree but their team had no talent this year and that’s why they lost so many games. Seems like it’s unfair to blame the coach when there is no pitching, fielding, or hitting from the players. When the player talent on the team improves and the team wins more games next year will the new manager get the credit?
Maybe the San Marcos girls varsity basketball and softball teams should have their coaches fired too. Those girls teams were almost as bad as the boys baseball team but their coaches are still coaching. The point being if this is all about winning and losing high school games then some people (especially parents) should check themselves.
Wow. The girl’s basketball team won 5 games and went winless in league. Save it, there is basically no difference and it is blatantly obvious. “If she had the athletes to do it, she would win CIF.” No S*&% Sherlock!! A gerbil could coach the most talented players to a championship. That was one of the most ignorant comments I have ever heard. The baseball team had ZERO talent outside of Moore and Ghaz and if you think otherwise than you have never watched a game of baseball. San Marcos has been the joke of channel league baseball for YEARS, yet Vanetti was the only SM coach who was fired after one year. That is just not right, period. Goletalad is absolutely correct in his assessment of the AD’s decision being based on win-loss record and the disparity between Vanetti and the rest of the school’s coaches. On a baseball team of 20+ players, where only 9 can play at a time, SOMEONE is not going to be happy. It is the same at any school, at any level of the game. The difference between SM and other schools is that other parents are able to realize that their kids just aren’t good enough to play on a consistent basis (or at all). If any of you parents are upset that your kid did not play “because the girl took their spot,” you really need to look at yourself in the mirror. First, from everything I saw, Ghaz was better than most of the players on that squad. Second, if your son gets beaten out by a girl, then he probably shouldn’t be playing the game, end of story (not a shot at Ghaz, much respect to everything that she has done). I’m sorry, I know parents are partial toward their own children, but at some point you have to understand that you (the parents) just don’t know much about baseball. There is no conspiracy here, Vanetti is a stand up guy. If your kid doesn’t play, there is a reason and it is probably that he isn’t very good. Just because you show up to little Jimmy’s little league games and saw him get a few hits does not make you a qualified assessor of the game. The coach is with the players every day; he knows exactly how good they are and there is just no debating that. If this firing is truly a result of the complaining of parents then that is one of the most pathetic things I have ever come across and you should all be extremely ashamed of yourselves. Oh, and by the way, I was a member of that 05 DP team and this smells EXACTLY like what happened to Yok, and whoever says that the “true story never came out” does not know the true story and needs to keep their mouth shut. 2 radical parents followed the DP team around and took note of “illegal whiffle ball batting practice” and other utterly ridiculous infractions of that nature. Please, you were not there, just stop talking.
wow. I didn’t know a softball team with a .500 record is considered to be bad. Thanks for educating me.
have to agree with goletalad on this. saw them play this season and they were bad. just a comment not a criticism.
Sorry to hear about coach Vanetti. Parents can be brutal in high school sports these days. They tend to live through kids a bit too much. I remember hearing that in 1999 when San Marcos Baseball was about 12-2 and 8-0 in league to start the season there was a group of parents whose kids were not playing getting together and crying to head coach Will Gonzales about why they were not playing?? Well, maybe the reason is that this no longer is little league and the best players are going to play. The team got wind of this potential meeting and their season went south from there and lost first place to SB on the last day of the season by half a game. Stay out of it parents!!
Coach Vanetti, I am so sorry. I know how much you gave of yourself, and how badly you wanted to coach at San Marcos. Sounds like the same parent(s) and his buddies who used to be at DP that forced their coach out several years ago might of had something to do with it. KEYT even announced that Stathopolous is the new coach!! So they hired a new coach before they fired the old one? This just keeps getting better.
sorry but no comparison here to the dp baseball situation back in 05. that coach clearly violated cif rules but the true story never came out. of course he is still coaching at bishop but favoritism and nepotism isn’t so obvious at small private schools like it was at dp back then.
our Bishop friends called it the ABC team
all bout Cody, that is normal let’s be honest.
They did well and I think the son is playing
in college. They all said he knows the game.
The team I hear is very young with a great
shortstop that does flips!
Vanetti sealed his fate when he let a girl on the baseball team. I am sure the AD advised otherwise knowing what type of distraction it would be. If you are an upcoming player looking at the SB, DP, and SM there is no way you would want to go to SM. He should have shown the girl the door to the softball team and to stop wasting his time. Boys spend years dreaming to play for the HS boys baseball team and do not want to be part of a side show that detracts from the game. When guys tried to transfer out (i.e. Brakka, Moore) they were told they would have to sit out a year due to CIF rules – so basically they were stuck.
Void of talent? Is that why there were so many all-league selections? How about void of any team cohesion or respect from other ball clubs.
Having your team participate in an all-girl pitching duel and losing must have been a humiliating experience. Whose idea was this? Basically you are telling your team – it is really about the girl vs. the team.
I feel bad for all of the SM seniors who had to have their final year of HS baseball become a side show.
As a neutral observer on this all i can say is you sound like one of the disgruntled parents who pressured the AD to fire the coach. Just saying. i may have missed something but were there any all league selections from sm this season?–there were many from dp and sb but i don’t remember any baseball royals. A team with 0 wins in Channel League and 2 wins the entire year couldn’t have “so many all-league selections” as you claim. Finally your remarks about the coach “letting a girl on the baseball team” and “showing the girl the door to the softball team” and all the “distraction” that caused smacks of sexism but everyone is entititled to their opinion.
Sports can serve two purposes: to get you into college on a scholarship or to teach you lessons you can apply elsewhere in life. Judging from the record, not many of these kids were scholarship material, so hopefully he taught the kids something during the year.
As far as his coaching skills goes? Well, I’m not sure you can teach kids to hit in a single season. What was the most the team put up? 3 runs? Sounds like the parents staged a coup when they realized their kids couldn’t play and decided they needed someone to take it out on.
(Also, having the team compete in an all-girl pitching duel and losing probably
should have made the players realize that either they should learn to hit, they
should shut-up about having a girl on the team, or both.)
Where have you been, Royal baseball alumni! It’s no longer a man’s world!!!
“Is that why there were so many all-league selections?”
1 first teamer, 1 second teamer…do your research and dont even start with “honorable mention” because that means nothing. Brakka has already posted on here defending Vanetti. Figure it out. SM has never had any talent and this year was no different. People will continue to choose to send their kids to DP and SB over SM NOT BECAUSE OF THE GIRL, but for the same reasons they always have: SM has terrible facilities, a poor tradition, and lack of notable alumni. End of story. Oh and this year was a “sideshow” because of ONE GAME in which two girls faced eachother on the mound?? Really? A sideshow because of one game? Aside from the fact that the aforementioned game was the most notable thing to happen to SM baseball probably in its history, IT WAS ONE GAME!!! Goodnight now, you are done.
“respect from other ball clubs” doesn’t win you games.
ya truthat
I feel sorry for you RBA and your old way of thinking. So should San Marcos give back the CIF Golf title they won back in the 70’s when they had a girl on the team? Or how about giving back the boys water polo season when a girl played on the boys team.
btw, the girl was one of the leading hitters on the team this year, and had a better ERA than all but 2 of the pitchers. Just so you know.
and if you are wondering about all league selections, the Channel League never changed the number of all league selections from when it was an 8 team league. Now just 5 teams, but same number of selections. More to go around.
How about title 9?
Is it true the girls father threatened a lawsuite
that was the rumor when she was at DP
fact or fiction?
Wreaks of a fanatical parent lynch mob…interesting to note that certain parents associated with DP’s vilification of coach Y back in 05 are again lead architects in the character assassination of a good man like Coach Vanetti. Shameless. Too bad there aren’t rocks big enough for these individuals to crawl back under.
Maybe you can send coach busters towards
bishop I hear they need another quite clean up
lots of upset parents, same old stuff by same old
dog, he is always the victim. Any one catch
the loaded bat that was blamed on the ump
that made the paper. How many games did
yokaliar put out the illegal bat before he got
caught that’s the question. Is that ok? Blame the ump
game I get it. Great role model for our children.
lady gaga coach Y is not my favorite
he preys on innocents, he lies,
and is mentally abusive to children.
he should not be around children I have had
my fill of him at DP …. I was silent then, best
Tell parents to stay close or just play another sport.
I agree the guy just needs to get out of dodge.
Boys game, moms are left to dry the tears.
followers/puppets/girlfriends/lovers/those who receive money and gifts from Lady gaga – you need to break free and stop letting her control your mind and your every action…is it worth it to let someone else tell you how to think and act?
What a shame. Coach Vanetti is an experienced coach and a great man. No one has more heart than Coach. Over this season he had to deal with the loss of his father, his wife was in a serious bike accident that could have been life-altering, he had parents and other coaches that undermined him at every turn, and he had a team of kids with lackluster feelings. San Marcos Baseball will never recover from this. It’s truly devastating.
Alright guys, I have never said that I wanted to transfer from San Marcos. I’m not the type of player to join a team just because it is better than the one I’m on. if anything it inspires me to work harder and try to get my teammates better. So whoever claims that I said that iwantedso transfer you are wrong. And last time I checked we did have a Player who made first team all-league.
Congratulations to you Jimmy! From everything I heard from your coach, you deserved it!
Vanetti isn’t a coach, he’s a fan. He’s had kids quit baseball the last 3 years that he’s coached because of him and his assistants. (He was JV coach before this season) He’s a nice guy who lacks leadership skills that had zero respect from his players and allowed his assistants to show up whenever they pleased. There was zero improvement from any of his players, in fact they got worse as the season went on. He has alot of friends who are showing their support but they obviously didn’t see any of the Royal’s games this season. All you have to do is ask his players, past or present, what they thought of the coaching staff and there you will find the truth.
Sounds like you are one of the disgruntled parents on the club team lynch mob. I did go to the games. And go ahead and ask players he coached past or present (not their parents) and you will know the truth
I wonder where those kids learned not to have respect? The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I hope all you inadequate parents are happy with the outcome of this unfortunate situation!! As far as I’m concerned, your kids are the ones who loose!
So…let me get this straight there was “there was zero improvement from any of his players, in fact they got worse as the season went on”? First, I seriously doubt that is true. Most kids in high school despite heavy academic loads, community service hours, and extra-curricular activities still try to improve over the season. But let us presume for a moment that you are correct. That means the PLAYERS were not working hard enough or did not have the time and dedication to devote to the team. If a player is on a sports team and does not improve at all that means the PLAYER did not do any work to improve. Players “get worse” over a season due to injuries, fatigue, overwork, lack of interest, etc.
Baseball, due to the timing of the season, has to compete with final exams, seniors working hard to keep their grades up, the stress of the college admissions/acceptance process, and the dreaded senioritis. If no one on the team improved that means the kids were overworked, lazy, and completely without talent. I simply cannot believe that this is true for the players on Vanetti’s team (although I can believe that about the parents of the some of the players). This situation seems related to parents who were pissed off that their precious little princes had to have “the insult” of playing with a girl combined with the fact that it seemed from the games I watched that the talent on the team was just not up to par compared with the rest of the league. Sometime that just happens, sometimes talent transfers to other schools (due to wanting to be on a winning team or just simply hating the block scheduling).
In terms of Vanetti’s coaching, my brother was one on of his teams. Coach Vanetti is great with the players, not abusive, the kind of coach who is fair (doesn’t give in to parental pressure but plays kids when they deserve it) and works with every kid willing to put in the effort to improve. Anyone else think that the parents of the kids who didn’t work hard enough to earn playing time are meddling here? Of course, San Marcos has a long history of wealthy, snotty parents pressuring coaches…in my experience this was why many athletes in the San Marcos attendance area transferred to SB or DP.
Meddling parents have been a problem @SM for at least 25 hrs that I know of in the athletics dept. Royals alumni want their kids to go there, but others who see what goes on want their kids in a different school.
Why does everything go back to the girl on the team. yeah thats me. ghaz. last time I checked, softball and baseball are different. the way you pitch is different. the field is different, compared to a baseball, a softball looks like a watermelon. march 5th, 2011, wasn’t a side-show, it was history. the message wasn’t about having one player bigger than the team, if it was, I would have refused to pitch. The message was about believing in dreams, and never letting adversity ot doubters stand in your way. believeing in the impossible, and creating oppurtunites so people who want to walk in my shoes years from now won’t have the same harships I’ve had to face in my journey. and by the way, Marti and I are NOT publicity stunts, were just two girls who fell in love with the game. So know that I told you who I am, why don’t you come out from under your rock and tell me who you are. its really ok, not that scary, Im onll about 5’3 and 145 pouds and in in Canada right now playing on a semipro team, so theres nothing to get your panties in a bunch about. keep perspective and God bless.
Right on Ghaz!! Would there be woman’s basketball or golf or water polo, for that matter, if it weren’t for woman like you? I think we all know the answer to that. Do what you love, sister, and be happy
One more thing Ghaz. I went to San Marcos myself and I remember my good friend Patricia McQuillen was on the boys water polo team. She took a lot of crap from the boys back then (in the mid 70’s). There was no girls water polo team, but she loved the game. Thank goodness today girls do not have to suffer like she did and I suspect you did. Today there is girls water polo for all who love it
Comparing water polo to baseball is a joke.
Hey Costner (really? Kevin Costner is your name on here? wow), Kmvanetti was simply comparing the situation of a woman playing on a men’s team. Are you really that ignorant? You tell me what the more PHYSICALLY demanding sport is: water polo or baseball? Go away
Why are you saying you got a baseball
scholarship. Church is the last place
Missy hit confession before you exit.
Academics right? Not really a baseball
scholarship for the record.
Maybe you should enroll in a basic english composition course so you can express your viewpoints in a way people can understand. Right now your comments make no sense at all.
Funny how “Lady gaga” twists this whole issue into her own agenda so she can slam Bishop and Coach Y…her posts are perfect examples of her rambling, psychotic-ness and need to control everyone in the world…after she enrolls in a basic english composition course, she needs to find a qualified therapist to help her work through her extreme anger and bitterness
are u that innocent, you believe these blind
posts/ just skip…. she /he/ plz it’s all smoke
it’s fake/ its kid’s. a story teller
how about a game of chess?
Or maybe you should stay in elementary
school, the streets are not the place for
you, you will get lost.
Another unintelligible poster. Was that a criticism of me? It is kind of difficult to respond to inane and inarticulate comments that are incomprehensible. It might be a good idea for you to go back to school, yes probably elementary school, so you can learn the basics of writing.
U must be a teacher ….. U Like talking to
children.
very low self worth …. up meds 20mg
NOw we R talk nnn
We All NEEd those Meds!
You ALL NeeD to hug SomethiNG
This Is ADUlt XBox
Ummm, it’s okay to get a scholarship based on academics…the not-very-intelligent jocks have to rely on baseball scholarships, because they can’t cut it academically. The kids who get academic scholarships will run the world, while the athletes will get jobs selling insurance
All the salesman I know are the ones that rule,
all my smart friends lost their jobs sadly.
I am just a very lucky mom.
“San Marcos Athletic Director Abe Jahadhmy said Vanetti was offered another position in the San Marcos baseball program but he declined to accept it.”
Oh, yeah, that’s a plausible scenario: “Hey, Tony, um you’re fired buuuut wanna stay on as an unpaid assistant???” Good God, what a joke. If he was not qualified (in Jahadhmy’s opinion) to be the head coach, why keep him on at all? Oh yeah, to save face and distract the public from the fact that it was the complaints of a few pathetic parents that led to Coach Vanetti’s firing. What a shame.
It wasn’t a few parents.
It wasn’t a few parents.
Settle Down.
I have never been able to figure out why Coach Y was let go at DP. He’s turned around the program at Bishop twice, turned DP into a winner, was personally chosen by Coach O to take over the program at DP. He led The Foresters to the World Championship, he coached at Westmnot, in my opinon he should be at the top of the list for the UCSB baseball job. You claimed to have played under him, what special knowledge do you know that others do not?
I find it hard to believe that the school board would have not rehired him if it was only minor infractions like playing whiffel ball. I was at the school board hearing when everyone stood up for Coach Y, and only one person stood up for the firing, and I assume that person was one of the radical parents you spoke of in one of your other comments. With so much support I was a litte surprised that Coach Y did not stay and fight more for his job. I heard that teachers and students were going to shut down the school in protest at the start of the school year. So I was a very surprised when he left at the last moment and took his son with him to Bishop, his son was one of the top SS in the Channel league. I have tried to get more information over the years but have never been able to gather many details, I was hoping that maybe you could enlighten me from your own personal knowledge. Thanks.
Revisionist history.
As a member of the 05 team, as well as a member of Coach O’leary’s final team, I do know exactly what happened at DP. I apologize, however, because I (unlike most of the creatures on this blog) have the decency to keep these matters private and not expose information that could be detrimental to Yokubaitis, Dos Pueblos, or my fellow players. I will say that there are two sides to the story, but aside from that, I cannot and will not expand upon the topic. I will say that the CIF does have some absolutely ridiculous rules (one of them being that players are not allowed to hit whiffle balls on the field prior to game time- an extended batting practice issue) and I am sure that if you followed around any coach from any school in any state, you would find the same infractions (it is as common as driving 66 mph in a 65mph zone). That is as far as I am willing to go on a public site
I thought that Coach Y was cleared of all the CIF charges according to the Newspress. So I have always believed that there was more to the story then what was being told. Anyone who truly knows anything about the school district knows that there must be something more then minor violations to not rehire a good coach. It’s good that you want to protect the innocent people from being smeared. From your own persoal experience it sounds like you have a high regard for Coach Y and your fellow players, good for you.
Lads yokaliar is a piece of work a master
manipulator, he is just fun to watch, and
I have enjoyed and am waiting for him
to blow up again. His bishop BS is a carry over
let’s see how many of his starters return.
Maybe with scholarships in hand they play
golf insted. Time will tell caseys will walk
wonder why?? Ask the jv parents, haha they really love
him. Can’t wait and will sit and watch stay tune
folks lots more to come!!
He “led the Foresters to the World Championship?” Not!! Last I read some guy named Pintard has been the driving force and manager of the Foresters for the last several years, including this season. Your remark that you “heard that teachers and students were going to shutdown the school in protest” is simply not true. BTW there were many parents who were against the coach who did not attend the meeting for fear of retribution so it wasn’t just one or two “radical” parents.
UCSB Job?????? This has to be Coach Y or someone related to him. If you get fired as a high school coach, you probably aren’t wanted at a Big West school. Come on buddy, he coaches 6-man baseball at Bishop. He’s not wanted at the public schools in SB for a reason. The Big West is for real-deal coaches who don’t bounce from place to place. He’s coaching at Bishop, enough said.
Vanetti told Presidiosports in an email on Wednesday that he was “fired for reasons not really known.”
I think the answer is the last sentence: The Royals went 2-18 and 0-12 in the Channel League.
I actually went to one of the games this year to scout the catcher and saw a girl pitching for the team. I thought it was a joke. The team walked on/off the field between innings, uniforms were untidy, coaches seemed disinterested. Not a real inspiring experience.
What I did realize is that having a girl player is a good way to get fans in the seats. Not a bad gimmick.
You’re a scout? Really? Come on!
I don’t think goletalad was singling out the sm girls varsity basketball coach. He was making the point that if it’s about winning and losing high school games then people have to re-evaluate their priorities. You are right, the SM girls won more then two games but they played some games against small private schools with weak teams like Providence Hall, Laguna Blanca, Thacher. Without those games the royals might have gone 2-23 instead of 5-20
Thacher has an enrollment of around 250 students.
To compare this to the DP situation is flat out wrong. To think that Coach O’leary hand picked the coach to follow him is absolutely absurd! He had nothing to do with it. The coach was chosen by the then principal who took advantage of a situation that had no AD and chose a personal friend without going through the proper protocol of finding a new coach. Coach Y recruited kids (a CIF violation) and was filmed at illegal practices, therefore, he was let go. ‘Recruiting’ at a private school can be disguised as an academic purpose so it is much easier to hide.
Alright, I both agree and disagree with what you are saying. First, the truth: Coach O’leary had nothing to do with the hiring of Yok, that is accurate, I was there with both coaches. Now for the absurdity: you say that he recruited kids? From where exactly? Bishop Diego? Please, name one player, aside from AJ Cavaletto, from Bishop Diego in the last 70 years who has gone on to play baseball at the division 1, 2, or 3 level and would thus be worth “recruiting.” I’ll wait. Secondly, “recruiting” involves some sort of enticement from coach/school to player. Do you consider Yok saying “hey guys, I’m going to coach DP, I have been coaching most of you for years and you are welcome to follow me” recruiting? You clearly have never been recruited or involved in any recruiting process. Corrazza and Jeffries came with Yok. Jeffries moved houses just for the opportunity to play under Yok and for a winning program. I fail to see how any of this is recruiting. You see, at a school like Mater Dei they can offer scholarships and waive district housing rules, THAT IS RECRUITING. Somebody saying “hey I’m out of here, you can come if you want,” is not recruiting. You say he was filmed at illegal practices. I’m assuming you are referring to weekend and summer practices that several of the bitter parents so pathetically followed their kids to just for the opportunity to play detective and go behind Yok and his players’ backs. Yeah, sorry for practicing more and trying to get better. If you don’t like it then get out of the sport of baseball because you are a softy. End of story. I guess all I have to say is: are you Jim or Mike (and dont think others dont know exactly who I am talking about)? If you indeed are Jim or Mike, you are lucky I have the decency to leave your last names out of this because I know exactly who you are and how you operate.
Recruiting at the HS level is spelled out very distinctly in the CIF handbook. “I am out of here and you can come if you want” is recruiting as far as CIF is concerned. As you stated in an earlier post, the rules might be absurd, but they have been in place for a long time and EVERY coach knows them and I imagine understands the consequences if he gets caught. As far as the ability of the kid he recruited thats neither here nor there. The fact is he had “undue influence” in that kids decision to attend his school. I was standing within 5 feet of him when he had such a conversation with an 8th grade kid. He stopped when I wondered aloud “What would the CIF office have to say about your talk?”.
I am all for a student /athlete trying to get better. That is exactly what a HS coach is supposed to do. This you would know having played for Coach O (who in my opinion is the best coach to ever be in this area). I’m just not down with an adult who illegally assists with that process. And yes, the Mater Dei’s and St. Bonnies of this world circumvent the system, mostly because CIF doesn’t have the man power to police the situation.
As far as getting out of baseball because I’m a softy?? You have no clue what I’m about. Rest assured I am not Jim or Mike whoever they are. I am just a well respected local HS coach who does not like when an adult is put in charge of a situation and is not a good role model.
Ok, you misinterpreted much of what I said. #1- not calling you a softy, if you actually read what I wrote it would be clear that I was referring to the complaints of kids who are enduring the “hardships” of extra practice. Obviously I have no clue what you’re about because I do not know who you are. Have some composure and relax. #2- you say you are a well respected high school coach…I am going to say this in the nicest way possible: there are currently 2 local high school coaches who have respect. 1 of whom is Nate Mendoza who I know personally and also know that he would not be on this blog narcing on fellow coaches. The other is Fred Warrecker who you can be sure would not waste his time on here. Therefore, I have a hard time believing you are a “well respected HS coach.” Look, maybe I have not read the CIF handbook line for line, but my point was that the talent level at Bishop was unworthy of recruitment. Thus, the fact that Yok informed players of his departure was much more of a pleasantry than an act of recruiting. Was it legal according to what you have laid out as CIF rules? Yes (I suppose). Is it worthy of a parent uprising and the loss of a man’s JOB? Absolutely not. If you want to be technical down to an exact science (and if you are the coach that you claim you are), you cannot possibly state that there is any coach out there who has not violated some sort of rule at some point in his career. A simple example: Chord Phelps lives in Gaviota, he went to SBHS, how exactly did that one work out? Look, I am not trying to call you out here, but you came onto a blog that began about Coach Vanetti and started trashing Yokubaitis. Also, if your only point is that he “recruited” players whose talent levels were inferior to the players who were already at DP, then that is a pretty weak argument. I understand he violated the rules but, as I said, who hasn’t? This is a blog about the firing of Coach Vanetti. He was fired because parents got butt-hurt just like the parents of a few players on my 05 DP team (and the JV team)- that is a simple connection which needs not be expanded upon. Don’t come on here and start narcing out other coaches, have some respect for yourself, fellow coached, and the sport of baseball
There is nothing worse than when someone pretends like they know somethng, and they do not know crap. Settle Down it is obvious that you do not know crap. I have never been afraid of people knowing who I am, and what I have done. That was because I was not ashamed to have stood up to someone who created an environment of fear. My last name is Dykstra and if you want to use it as you spread your nasty hate, you have my permission. I only ask one thing, and that is that you tell the truth, and that you do not continue to pretend like you are the next Jim Rhome and tell people to shut up becasue you know the real story. I will assume that you would admit that I know the real story, and it has absolutely nothing to do with CIF violations.It might have had something to do with the contract that Dan signed saying he would make improvements after the AD did a whitewashed investigation. Or maybe it was after Dan had to get his attorney and union rep invoved a month later after the Principal did his own investigation. You probably have no problem with the fact that the freshman class from Coach O’Leary’s last year (a freshman class that won the Channel League) were all gone by their senior year. Great kids like Klye Hufford, Ken O’Donnell, Sam Talbot, all driven out of the program. I could go on and on but what would be the point since you believe you know everything. You claim that there are two sides to every story. You only know Dan’s, becasue I know that you never talked to me to hear my side. Sadly for you, and most of Dan’s backers they only heard what Dan wanted them to know. After Dan was not rehired I personally met with several prople to try to explain my side, some listened, and others did not want to hear what I had to say. From the beginning I never asked people to choose sides, I only asked that they tell the truth about what was being done to some kids in the baseball program. You would think that telling the truth would be easy, but when people are afraid then sometimes the truth can be a very heavy burden. Settle Down it’s sad that big mouths like you are given a fourm like this to voice your comments. I have received several calls from people saying how you were talking trash about me. I would hope that the next time you write that you would be willing to use your real name, and not hide behind the curtain as if you were the Wizard of Oz. I will agree with you on one point. This blog was started about Coach Venetti not being rehired. I knew Coach Vanetti when he was DP, he is a very nice man and was alway a pleasure to work with. But as I recall didn’t Coach Vanetti ger run off by Dan when he was at DP, along with some of the other long time coaches, like Fredrickson who got moved down to JV’s? Settle Down it was you who brought up the fact that this sounded just like what happened to Coach Yoke, so don’t criticize others for talking about Dan on this blog. Remember Settle Down to never be afraid of the truth, maybe it will set you free from your demons.
PS when attacking Guest, you forgot to mention Dan as a coach in town that you respect. Maybe Guest was not a baseball coach, did you ever think of that? And just for the record I don’t know who Guest is either.
PPS, there was never one instance of kids being filmed in the DP baseball program except for their parents own personal use, try to get your facts straight.
I am this particular ‘guest’ and I choose to remain anonymous because I have young children and you never know what some people might try to do these days. That being said, my mistake was not replying directly to the person who tried to say the Vanetti and Yok situations were similar. They are not! One coach cheated and broke rules and paid the consequences. The other coach played by the rules and suffered the same fate. Different actions, same result. I along with Settle Down have strayed away from the first topic. Vanetti was wronged!!
In an earlier post Settle Down stated that he will not “expose information that would be detrimental to Coach Y, DP, or his fellow players.” Plus continually admits ‘minor infractions’ committed by Yok. As I have stated before, every coach knows the CIF rules and understands the consequences if they are broken. Talent level is not a factor in whether or not a violation occurs.
I am not a baseball coach, nor did I ever say I was, but having played for Coach O and being hired by him to coach a couple different sports at DP for the better part of 25 years and certainly learned ethics as it pertains to coaching HS kids. I am the coach I say I am. I can look anyone in the eye and with a clear conscience and say I have never cheated. Numerous coaches at DP, SM and SB can do the same thing. I didn’t ‘narc’ anyone out here. Any thing I wrote about was either public record (a school board meeting) or happened next to me in a public setting (a DPLL game). Luckily I don’t need ‘Settle Downs’ respect to validate me. I know the 100’s of kids I have coached respect me, as I them, when I see them around town and catch up on how life is treating us.
As to your Cord Phelps example, 100’s of kids each year attend a school within the SBHS District that they live outside the attendance area of. They follow the rules by filling out the proper paper work and are then granted an ‘inter-district’ transfer. It’s not hard to follow the rules.
Lastly, Vanetti was wronged!! When I run in to him somewhere around town I will express my sympathy to him. The way his situation was handled puts ALL area coaches on alert because if it can happen to him it can happen to anyone else who follows the rules.
Hey Bill Sobkow (if it really is you)–
I dont even know where to begin with you. There are several possible scenarios to be played out here: first, you actually are Bill Sobkow. If this is true, then you are the biggest hypocrite on Earth. You claim that you went to a SM baseball game to scout Moore and saw a girl pitching to him which, according to your post, was a “joke” and a “gimmick” to get fans in the stands. You filthy, disgusting human. According to the Yorktown Cardinals webpage (http://www.yorktoncardinalsbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=183:cardinals-sign-ghazaleh-sailors&catid=46:news&Itemid=87)
YOU JUST SIGNED THE “JOKE/GIMMICK” TO YOUR TEAM!!!! You could not possibly be more of a low life, hypocritical, scumbag!
Now, scenario number two: you are not, in fact, Bill Sobkow and you chose to hide behind his guise for some reason. Unfortunately, this is a more likely scenario, seeing as how no scout in the history of baseball has ever made an observation about an “untidy uniform.”
Most likely scenario: you are just some a-hole who spent way to much time researching the name of a scout in an attempt to validify your moronic point.
Please people, if this really is Bill Sobkow, you all need to check out the link I posted just to see how much of a hypocrite he is.
“…something is rotten in Denmark.”
Amusing to me to find a displaced member of the baseball community surface (for obvious reasons…ie. DP, ’05) at San Marcos. Do the words persona non grata mean anything to you and your cohorts? You have come crawling back to the very hand that is now feeding you after shamelessly thrashing the program you now want to serve. You know who you are…we all do. Your services are not welcome and neither are the services of your subjects….those miscreants that you mislead under pomp and circumstance. You are every thing that is wrong with high school athletics! It will be interesting to see the direction that this administration will take the program. You are temporary and self serving and will reap what you sow!
Let’s go ahead and end this…
Having gone to a couple San Marcos baseball games this season, Coach Vanetti was working with the most disgustingly pathetic collection of Division 2 Southern California baseball talent in prep history. He should have received a congressional medal for being willing to plan “practices” and take the reins of this sloppy program. San Marcos baseball will always be in the shadow of SBHS and DP. Always. Kudos to Coach Vanetti for taking on the grandest challenge in Santa Barbara youth sports in quite some time, all the while being an extremely high-quality man and role model.That this thread has turned into a slam of Yok is miserable. I’m pretty sure this has nothing to do with DP baseball so cut it out!This thread SHOULD be a crucifixion of Abe Jahadhmy for his executive decision to offer Coach Vanetti “another position in the San Marcos baseball program.” How kind of you Mr. Jahadhmy! You’re lucky you have a stand-up gentleman willing to call your brutal program his own. Did Vanetti steal from the program or school? Did he grotesquely violate CIF policy? Did he hit a player? No, no, and no. There is no way you can justify the firing of a prep baseball coach of a terrible program after one failed season with brutal “baseball players.” And to offer him the position of Associate Assistant Director of Weed Picking and Sand Movement at your putrid “facility” is unreasonable in its generosity. You suck.For the parents that were behind this (because that’s the only conceivable beginning to this tragedy), and the parents of just about every kid that plays baseball in this town, your son/daughter is not that good! I promise. Coaches play favorites and always will. Big league managers play favorites. Did you know that Albert Pujols is Tony LaRussa’s favorite? It’s true! Who would have thought?To Caoch Vanetti and the San Marcos players, my sympathies. You ousted a good man and a brave one as well. To Abe Jahadhmy, the ball never lies…
Time to get Jahadhmy out!!!!!!!
The players from the “most disgustingly pathetic collection of Division 2 Southern California baseball talent in prep history” would like this to end. As captain of these players, these facts need to be said. We played our hardest for coach Vanetti. The change was not about lack of playing time, or playing of favorites. Lay off Jahadhmy, he interviewed all the players before making the tough decision. The change was best for US, not coach Vanetti, not the parents, but the players. We do not appreciate being called “disgustingly pathetic” by a person that’s too afraid to man up and write their real name..how “macho” of you. The rest of you people need to move on as you do not know what happened with San Marcos baseball, there must be bigger things for you all to worry about.
p.s. all you anonymous people need to watch this brad paisley video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UE6iAjEv9dQ
by the way if you don’t know royalplayer is me, Jimmy Brakka
Jimmy U16 and Az is all that matters
right now. You have only said nice things
and were a true leader on this team.
Looks like someone didn’t make their highschool team…
Everyone in the baseball “community” knows what the real reasons were – it’s
political. A few loud, obnoxious, meddling parents who always make a stink,
and make life miserable for others, because apparently they know best, or perhaps
because of some “perceived” grievance against the coach
Wow! How did this discussion go from the SM coach Vanetti, to every other incident in baseball history? The disgruntled parents on this board are so transparent – everyone knows who you are, and that you will spread your poison as far as it will go, to serve yourself and your own kid. Newsflash: maybe your kid isn’t as good as you imagine him to be. Maybe everyone knows this, except you, but they’ll never tell you to your face, because you’re so intimidating. Maybe you’re so desperate for your kid to get a baseball scholarship, because you know that’s the only way to get to college, since they obviously don’t have the grades/academics. Maybe you should stop trying to control every situation, and sit back and let things play out. Or maybe, just maybe, instead of spending your life ranting and raving to others (that means you, Lady gaga) you should just pull your kid out and send him to a different school – no one’s forcing you to send him there – you have a choice – quit acting like a big fat spoiled know-it-all. It’s getting old, and guess what – everyone’s copped on to your “act”
These ticked off parents kids were drafted
so guess what …… we see you.
Dr No
i think this is candy store for someone
with split personality disorder.
just no negs on kids, I am a don, married
a royal. To bad for SM coach he will be
in our prayers.
Is this a thread of children or adults? All you people are complaining about a problem that has no concern to you whatsoever. Anybody here ever played at San Marcos in the past 5 years and know the inside? I doubt it. Your all hiding behind your computer screens and sticking your bs opinions in that have zero relevance thinking your opinion matters and your voice needs to be heard. Like the rest of the liberal prius driving environmentalists hippies people that is more than half of Santa Barbara where all you care about is if the damn itchy rag weed can grow in some sewer system no one cares about. Get a life. There are more important things in the world like soldiers dying for the right of you people to say and do the stupid things you do. Pathetic.
You wrote the stupidist and most pathetic comment of all. Trying to follow your logic is like trying to understand a 4 year old so yes this must be a thread of children. For the record i drive a hybrid car and am a die hard conservative republican who hates sierra clubbers and am certainly not a hippie but i do follow local high school sports and have every right to comment since this is, after all, a free country. Next time fed up should shut up. Just saying
“Your all hiding behind your computer screens and sticking your bs opinions in that have zero relevance thinking your opinion matters and your voice needs to be heard.” –he/she says, hiding behind their own computer screen, offering their bs opinion. Could you be more of a hypocrite? If you think that the loss of a man’s job is pathetic, then why did you come on this blog and post a comment (if it can even be called such a thing)? You’re right, soldiers dying for our country is more important than this blog…so is global warming, so is over population, so is the fact that the sun is going to die out in 5 billion years…WHAT IS YOUR POINT? Just because you can find an example of a more important topic does not instantly negate the value or importance of every other topic on Earth. You are the one who needs to get a life, learn to write, and learn to formulate intelligent thoughts. Goodbye now.
Good bye now, ha good one! You were on the DP team in 05 so you’re what 23-24 now granted you were 18 then (dang guess I can only do math and not write) and you’re arguing over the internet about a high school baseball team that you never even played on and probably never had anything to do with. Oh wait I was the one who needed a life
“Settledown” didn’t actually say he was a player on the team, just that he was there. Perhaps he who protests too much is actually the coach from ’05, ’06? Hiding behind anonymous posts and e-mails is easier than actually talking to people face-to-face.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but remember to treat people
with the same respect as you would want to be treated with… Abe
Jahadmy does his job incredibly well. He is friendly and understanding
and acts with professionalism. As a student athlete at San Marcos, I
could not ask for a better athletic director. Jadamy was put in a
difficult situation and was forced to make a tough decision. Did Vanetti
deserve to be fired? Probably not. He inherited a program that lacked
talent just weeks before the season started. Yet, the decision had its
reasons and it is not fair for people who have minimal knowledge of the
situation to be lambasting San Marcos and its administration. The fact
that there are people here who claim to be adults, and are making
heinous comments about HIGH SCHOOL athletes is ridiculous. They are not
professionals and don’t deserve to be scrutinized like they are (i.e.
calling the San Marcos varsity team a “pathetic bunch”). Some of you
need to get a hold of yourselves. Brakka and Sailors are teenagers and
they are handling this with more class than a good deal of you.
Amen
This is enough. there comes a time when all things have to come to an end. It’s only the smart thing to do to end this little soap opera. We as humans, as creatures with feelings can only tolerate so much. Since this article has been published, we’ve gone from feeling sorry for Vanetti, to ripping on him, to blaming me for making the season into a publicity stunt, to some off topic battle about the DP Baseball programs problems with Coach Yok to ripping on Coach Yok, and bishop, to debating title IX, and finally calling the san marcos baseball team the “most disgustingly pathetic collection of division 2 southern california baseball talent in prep history.” There comes a time when it has all got to stop, and it’s only smart to stop it now. The number one problem we face in our schools today is bullying, if you are all adults which you claim to be, why do you hide behind fake names like little children and try to bully the kids on the san macos team, or Coach Vanetti, or Jahadamy, or the parents, or Coach Yok? Every therapist and counselor will tell you what bullying leads to in children: depression, self-destructive behavior, suicidal actions, substance abuse, emotional distress. so why keep adding to it. You don’t know theses people as people, you know them as local athletes and coaches, and in a country where we are innocent till proven guilty, why are you slamming your gavel down? Who are you to judge? You dont know these kids, you don’t know where their journies in life have taken them. I honestly have enough faith in our community to think for the most part, we are good people. that we dont want to drive people off the deep end. Why doesnt each and every one of us look inside our hearts and take it from a life perspetive and not a sports perspective.put yourself in the shoes of the person you’re puting down and please, don’t play with fire, because there will come a time when someone gets burned.
Ghaz – Please stop with the self promotion. We get it – you are a girl who likes baseball and see it as a way to make a name for yourself, feed your endless ego, or whatever point you are trying to prove. Comparing yourself with the likes of Jackie Robinson who I happened to see play just highlights your delusion.
BTW – what do you say to boy who wants to play on the girls softball team? I imagine hitting a Harris pitch is just as difficult as hitting a Zandona curveball. So, why not let a boy who wants to prove his softball skills be allowed to play with the girl softball team.
I dont think you know me, I think you know of me. If you really saw Jackie Robinson play, with all do respect, you’re a lot older than me. so why are you picking on me? Why aren’t you the mature one here who is trying to protect people. why are you hiding behind the name settle down? I doubt you know me personally, you have no right to judge me that I have an ego, is it the way I pitch? Did I ever do anything to harm you? Is it because I have swagger on the mound, because I hike my pants and wear stirrups instead of socks, because I sprint out to the mound, or pump my fist after the inning. If thats the case you have it all wrong t, I love this gaime, it lives inside me, you have no idea what I’ve been through in order to play the game THAT I LOVE. AND THAT IS WHY I PLAY IT, NOT BECAUSE I WANT TO “MAKE A NAME FOR MYSELF”. by the way, I’ve never hit a softball, but I would tell anyone to let nothing stand in the way of his/her dreams. So are you gonna tell me who you are, or would you rather not shame your name, and hide behind the comfort of your computer screen?
2 different settle down’s-check the profiles. 1 said he saw jackie r play, the other at dp in 05…just saying
oh and one more thing, first you say you have much respect for everything Ive done, then you have my back and call out “Bill Sobkow” who is my coach on the yorkton cardinals, then you call me egotistical and rip on me. did u have too much captain morgan or did somebody change your mind within the last day about who I am..
Have to disagree with you on this. Posters on this blog making comments about all the individuals you named above do know these people as people and that’s why they are saying the things they are saying. It’s not like they are making up all this stuff just to be mean spirited, there must be some basis to all these remarks. There are many many people who could comment but don’t and they haven’t forgotten what happened to them and their baseball playing kids who were in the DP program back in 05 and 06 and never got a chance to play because they were not part of the “in crowd.”. You wern’t there and don’t know what happened so don’t make it out like these people are innocent and didn’t do anything wrong.
wow 82 comments in three days–what a hot button issue here in sleepy goleta town.
something very fishy going on here–compare this to the 2009 presidio sports article regarding the unexpected firing of the DP girls volleyball that went something like 27-6 and lost in CIF finals. that coach was fired within a week of the end of a very successful season and like in this case he may have been ousted due to pressure from unhappy parents on the volleyball team. not one (1) comment posted on the presidio sports article–check the archives back to 09.
Alright guys, this is ridiculous. Why don’t you guys ask a player on the San Marcos team about what happen. Abe didn’t change coaches because of the parents, or himself, he did it for the kids. Don’t get me wrong I like Vanetti, he’s a great guy. And he he’s a good coach. But when you assistant coach tells the team that they suck, it’s not exactly the best thing to hear when you’re going through a tuff year like we did. So before you say all this stuff, why don’t u ask one of the players on the team last season.
Alright guys, this is ridiculous. Why don’t you guys ask a player on the San Marcos team about what happen. Abe didn’t change coaches because of the parents, or himself, he did it for the kids. Don’t get me wrong I like Vanetti, he’s a great guy. And he he’s a good coach. But when you assistant coach tells the team that they suck, it’s not exactly the best thing to hear when you’re going through a tuff year like we did. So before you say all this stuff, why don’t u ask one of the players on the team last season.
Spellcheck Jimmy.
Girls playing baseball is right up there with boys playing soccer.
HS baseball is about winning. A coach looks at his talent and
determines what is the optimal way to develop in order to create a
winning program. If there is a Senior and a Sophmore with equal talent –
you play the Sophmore. Why? Because you get the benefit of 2 more
years from the same player. It is not about making a kid feel good or
fulfill a dream. I am sure SM had some younger pitchers who could have
benefited from getting more innings – but instead they were wasted on a
girl looking to fulfill her dream. This is why the team sucked and
will continue to suck.
Good nite now.
What if the senior had played the year before? I’m trying to follow your argument but past history shows that typically the senior with equal talent as the sophomore would get to play. Why?Because if the senior doesn’t get their opportunity to play varsity then that’s it for them as far as h.s. baseball is concerned whereas the sophomore would still have two more years to play. This is true in other sports. It is not unusual to have a senior on a varsity girls team that has less talent then an underclassmen but that senior is on the time because she “paid her dues” by playing in the program for four years going back to the 9th grade frosh team and continuing through a couple of years of JV. If a senior does not make the varsity then that persons high school sports days are done since you can’t play JV (who would want to?) as a senior. I’ve heard mediocre/below average skilled seniors say they don’t care if they play or not they just want to be on the varsity team.
Exathlete – that is the difference between winning programs and programs that are just happy to field a team. I know it sounds brutal but if you are a coach you need to put subjective things like “well he is a hard worker and been with us for 3 years” or “has paid their dues” aside. You may have a team with 9 seniors who all have started since Freshman year, but if 9 new Freshman come in who you believe are better players and give you a better chance of winning, then you play the 9 Freshman. It is very unlikely this scenario will ever happen, but if it does then that is what you need to be prepared to do. Once you waver from this commitment to win it begins a slippery slop of mediocrity – since players will have a sense of entitlement based on your past decisions. By installing this discipline in a program over time the bar will rise. Players will strive to improve always knowing that nothing is guaranteed. This is what separates the winning programs at any level from the doormats.
Now with this said you also need to have rules – if your star player breaks the rules, then he rides pine. Period. To the same extent you waver from this you also will go down a slippery slope.
It sounds like the the SM Admin and baseball players want to be winners vs. a program that is just happy to field a team.
These are just high school kids after all. Are we trying to produce as many professional baseball players as we can? Or are we trying to teach something deeper? Winning is nice and fun, but ask any athlete and they’ll tell you, loosing can be a good learning experience too. School is supposed to be about education!!!! Baseball is considered extracurricular
We are trying to teach kids to work hard versus wait for Obama hand outs. We are becoming a society of lazy wimps that expect things should be handed to them just for showing up. If liberals had their own way there would not be any competitive sports.
The best stories are about the kids who worked their ass of to achieve despite great odds.
So, no we are not trying to produce professional athletes – we are trying to create kids who become productive contributors to society versus leaches.
The level of civil discourse on this has deteriorated to the point that posters are blaming Obama and the liberals for the little soap opera controversy taking place at a local high school. Actually it isn’t too surprising–when people don’t have solutions they go out of their way to blame others.
Actually Kmvanetti is explaining the rationale for the solution that has been implemented (i.e. get a new coach). Abe realized that running a half-ass baseball program is akin to Obama putting in place welfare programs for people too lazy to get a job.
Letting a girl play baseball is like giving a liberal a subsidy to build an electric car.
Exactly! If you work hard, you have a chance to play and get better! Eventually your hard work will pay off in some aspect of your life. Therein lies the lesson.
Yes there are bad coaches just as there are bad teachers or administrators, but for the most part a credentialed coach is better trained to handle most situations involving sports. For every sucess story there are countless examples of failures, but for the most part the lessons learned from competing if channeled properly will help a child develop into a productive citizen…and who better to teach that then a certified coach. With the growing problems surrounding sports and the increased obesity rates amongst our children, perhaps more attention should be given to P.E. and our school sports program.
That’s what happens when a non credential person is hired to coach…just think what might’ve happened if he were teaching a chemistry class…Kaboom!!!
many coaches employed by the local school district don’t have teaching credentials partly because many full time teachers don’t want to have to deal with all the hassles and pressures of coaching high school sports—besides the schools save thousands of dollars hiring non-credentialed coaches paying them a small stipend for all their work.
When all is said and done, a conscientious coach will be working well below minimum wage with the stipend that is offered. And maybe that is why the rest of the world has caught up to the USA in sports at the international level. In some instances there is a huge drop off in coaching talent from the elite clubs to the high school teams. While many elite coaches are not qualified to coach/teach at the high school level, most have had specialized training to coach their sport. With that said I wouldn’t be suprised to see vast improvements in your school’s soccer program in the coming years.
In 10 years I can see schools just leasing their
facilities to organized scout or club programs
and less developed players should be folded into a
expanded HS city league softball program. There is then
no drama, the school gets there money, and kids
just pay a monthly fee. Those kids have a better
chance advancing. schools will just stick to the
books.
So you must have teaching credential, not just a bachelors degree and experience to coach? An English teacher with a teaching credential can teach a chemistry class?
To all coaches wanting pointers on how to win I will be offering a “how-to” clinic on winning. The first 10 attendees get a free vile of tiger blood. Please no trolls.
Date/Time: June 15th, 2011 from 1am – 3am
Location: Eddie Mathews Field
Cost: A pack of Marlboro cigarettes
It’s hard to imagine this situation getting any worse. But it continues to sink to new depths. Rather than focusing on the larger issues (e.g. how to improve the athletic programs at SMHS) it’s become personal attacks on Tony (i.e. what type of baseball player he was in 1975) and on a girl who dared to play baseball and chose not to remain silent when attacked in this blog (thank you Barry for removing the gross comment posted this morning).
So where does the situation stand now? One of the posts implied that Tony wasn’t a good coach because he isn’t a credentialed teacher. Are there any credentialed teachers at San Marcos stepping up to fill the vacant head baseball coach position? And would anyone besides a masochist want to take over this program given how Tony was treated by the parents, the principal and the AD?
And one of the things that remains unspoken is the real reason Tony was fired. On the surface it’s an easy answer: the team’s record. But how does the baseball team’s performance measure up vis-a-vis the other programs at San Marcos. Football was winless in league, while water polo and soccer each had one league win (I might be slightly off here). The most successful boys programs at SMHS this year were basketball and volleyball, both of which were .500 in league.
Spring arrives and San Marcos is without a baseball coach, again. And Tony is called upon to place himself at the head of a program that has been marked by parent uprisings for at least 10 years. What did the principal, vice principal, or athletic director offer in the way of tangible support? So as the loses mount, the anger builds, and eventually heads must roll. And I ask is Tony more culpable than anyone else? Or is he just the most disposable? It’s hard to imagine San Marcos athletics being competitive anytime soon.
Royals Athletic Director Abe Jahadhmy said in a statement released by
the school. “We were fortunate to have a Coach of Tony Vanetti’s caliber
take over our program. He loves and lives baseball and has a great
rapport with the players. It was very important to have continuity and
keep our Coaching staff intact.”
Vanetti told Presidiosports in an email on Wednesday that he was “fired for reasons not really known.”
OUCH! Apparently his rapport with the players was not good enough since they pulled a mutiny on him when the AD asked why they sucked so bad. The next coach coming in better clean house. Step 1 – meet with all of the parents and tell them it is my way or the highway – do not like it, then there is always soccer. Step 2 – meet with the players – tell them it is my way or the highway – do not like it, then there is always soccer. Step 3 – meet with the AD – tell him what you just told the parents and the players. If he disagrees, then hand him your whistle and move on.
Practice makes perfect. No amount of practice would have made last year’s San Marcos baseball team perfect but it would have helped them be more competitive. The kids were embarrassed not by loosing but by being unprepared and told how bad they were by the assistant coaching staff. Ask a player why the team wasn’t successful on certain plays during the game and over 75% of the time the response is we don’t practice that or we practiced that once two weeks ago. The response should be we practiced this play all the time but just made error. Toni’s error was not bringing in better qualified assistant coaches when he was promoted to the varsity level. My bet is that none of you saw a San Marcos practice. All you need to do is watch the organization and drills and the pace of the practices at Santa Barbara and Dos Pueblos and you would be able to tell which teams won 20 or more games and which one won two. While SB and DP were playing tournaments over the holidays to get better before league, San Marcos varsity did not even practice. I listened to the kids all year. I listened to kids the year before when Tony and his assistant were the JV coaches. Same coaches, same complaints, even worse record.
How were we supposed to have good practices with a girl on the team? You are only as strong as your weakest link and we had a pretty weak link – not only did we have to endure her egotistical sense of self-importance – but instead of players with potential being able to get innings we had to waste time attending a media circus er girl on girl baseball game.
It is amazing to me how many of the comments on here attributed to players at San Marcos sound just like their parents? My own son played on the team, quietly accepting his role, and my job as a parent was to counsel, love and support. He never once blamed the girl or the coaches for a loss. He would come home and talk about a team mom who would insult the coach, play it off as a joke, always around the kids and other parents. I hate that I am writing in this forum but enough is enough, the stress that the kids are feeling in this situation is not justified. I even witnessed parents and lower level coaches who would go out to dinner together after the games and in front of their kids ridicule the coaches and the girl. I thought the lower level coaches were suppose to support the program and the kids? With this kind of role modeling it is no wonder things have turned out the way that they have. The worst news of all, is it sounds like those parents and coaches who were the most undermining will be coaching next year!
The more people comment on this the less of a feel-good story concerning the two girl pitchers this becomes. Sounds like there was lots of hidden behind the scenes stress and tension regarding this issue inside the SM baseball program. All I can say is if the team would have had the talent that SB and DP had then this would not be an issue because there is no way that any female would have been, let alone pitch, on a boys varsity baseball team. Reading some of these comments it appears that she was one of the best players on the SM team—no way she makes the team at the other two local high schools. Sounds like some of the boys and their parents on the team turned against the coach for playing the girl.
She would have made it on bishops team
lower level league, no cuts, pitching coach
for a coach, they had a girl on the football
team years ago.
basically, we all know Ghaz’s problem. she actually is a baseball player, she actually wants to break barriers and have dreams. thats the problem. she should know by now that this is the real world. I know shes playing now, but whats the point. shes gonna get this stuff wherever she goes.
So I guess all boys who have a dream of playing a girl sport should pursue it even though there are plenty of boys sports that are offered. Title IX rightfully so has already done so much for girls athletics – but it seems this is still not enough for some.
San Marcos got to have a feel good story for one girl at the expense of all of the boys looking to be part of a “boys” baseball team. Now that this social experiment is over the program can move on and hopefully begin to compete.