Different Era?

Players should not be punished for being versatile. Quality players will often play various positions as the need is dictated throughout the season. Especially with all the injuries that seem to be occurring. If a player should be rewarded and listed with multiple positions.

Joe I am curious and wanted to get your thoughts on this but I wasn't sure where to post my question.

Should an entire girls high school program be told they cannot attend club tryouts this weekend? Most, if not all, Frosh, JV and Soph programs are over for the season but yet these players cannot attend at all. One parent made the comment that it had to do with their sectional - I'm not sure how that would interfere. Any thoughts?

To Joe and the Sun Times Sports Section: Rather than musing over yet another hypothetical soccer proposition, why not just cover actual soccer games, like the Chicago Public School City Finals, which took place last night between Walter Payton and Lane Tech High Schools? These hardworking, dedicated players go unremarked upon during your season-long blogging, and this reader really doesn't care: who has the latest injury and who’s getting on what bus doesn't draw this sports reader in. Some of us are purist sports fans: we just like to read a great write-up of a game we were at, or a game we weren't at but want to read about. Was there no space in the unlimited space provided on your blog, or the space in your paper, to cover a Chicago Varsity Finals game? At least from what I see, Sun Times sports reporting came up short, and missed a game worth reading about. But perhaps I'm wrong: perhaps you are diligently typing away a write-up of the game; maybe a short article about how far City soccer has come, or a quick blog about the Chicago players who have been recognized this year at the City, Sectional and State levels for their play: that would be great! Given your lack of attention to city soccer this season, this reader isn't holding her breath. One Chicago newspaper found some space on today's sports pages to cover Chicago's Girls' Varsity Soccer Finals; it just wasn't yours.

Well Lisa, I wish we could cover everything and at the end of the day, we try to cover as many games as possible. OK, now that I used the corporate line, let me be blunt. If you don't like the blog, don't read. I'll save you the trouble. Go read another soccer blog. Oh wait, there isn't one. Maybe you should start one. I'll be your first reader.

If you don't like the coverage, don't read. Let's play a game of facts here - are you ready? How many times has the Sun-Times covered the Public League title game and been the only paper there over the past 10 years? Hmmm...nice. In the grand picture, as much as I go to bat for the Public League, that game last night was not one of the top games in our entire coverage area.

Let's go to your next stupid statement - yes, stupid or maybe I should say clueless - "maybe a short article about how far City soccer has come." First of all, you should know this because you are a fan of a player at a prep school - the word city should be with a lower case 'C.' But let me get back to your statement, do a little homework and get a clue - I've gone to bat for Public League teams more than your maid has cleaned your front room this year.

And lack of attention to city soccer this season - do me a favor, hold your breath. You'll do us all a favor, because you are another ranting parent that needs to visit the common sense fairy.

Now, why don't you do this - maybe you should wonder why a school like Payton and countless other schools in the Public League don't have soccer fields?

And Lisa, please, have a great weekend and thanks for reading.

In reference to your reply to "Lisa" regarding her criticism of your coverage of the Public School League games . I'm not fully aware of the facts . but I think you would be better served from calling your bloggers "stupid" and clueless . It's insulting . We have high school students that read this ( I hope ) , and it seems that whenever someone has a critiscm of you , you then choose to rail on them.

I read your blog every day , and your devotion to the sport and commitment to high school sports is unquestioned.

But Joe , have some class , will ya .

You're better than that

I agree and disagree. What I won't put up with is a clueless parent. Coaches and admins might have, too, but I won't. Period. And always remember, I'm the first person to call myself stupid and clueless at times. But when a parent sits there and talks about something they don't have a clue about and elects to go public, I'll be the first to defend a player, coach, team or in this case my dedication to covering all teams - including the Public League - which has received more pub (positive or negative) than anywhere else since 2000.

I find it appropriate that two different coaches may assign a player to two different positions. A parent may feel his child belongs in a certain position because of the skills or wants of the child.
As a former coach I can tell you if I had the same child on two different teams he/she might play a different positions.
Coaching is the art of taking the talent you have and covering the field well. If you feel that you have the best team, you may try to make the other team play your game. If you feel that you may be playing a team with more talent you could adjust your team to play the specific team you are up against.
At any rate the coach has the responsibility of the team first and the individual players second. A good club program should have the player develop in more than a couple positions over a club career. It is just a better way to teach soccer.
All players who find themselves at multiple positions should be proud of their acheivment. We should be proud of them too.

A coaching mentor of mine once responded this way when a player said that he was a midfielder and not a defender: "If Bruce Arena (the national team coach at the time) came to you and asked you to play defense, would you?"

"Of course I would," was the reply.

"Well son, as far as you're concerned I'm your national team coach, because he ain't coming."

Granted it was tongue-in-cheek (sort of), but it brought home the point. Players need to learn that she or he may be asked to play different positions on their high school and club teams, respectively, and need to learn to adjust to the needs of the team.

As far as your question, Joe, yes, I think a player should just have one "main" position on the all-area team, or to put it more clearly, the number of players on the all-area team should not be reduced because a player plays more than one position and occupies multiple "spots" on the all-area team. The all-area team is a way to honor the best players and I feel it is better to honor more players than less. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying everyone gets a participation certificate and blue ribbon just for putting on a uniform. However, there are always plenty of deserving players that don't make it, so why reduce that number even more?