Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company

Craig Smith

I've been around the block a few times and there are still things that baffle me about high-school sports.

What follows is my list of things I can't comprehend. In compiling it, I talked to friends in coaching and sports administration and some fellow sports writers.

The Smitty "I-don't-understand-this" list:

• Parents who have the opportunity to watch their kids play high-school sports but don't do it.

• Coaches who either don't want to take their foot off the gas when a game gets lopsided or don't know how to do it gracefully.

• Coaches who don't insist that players say "thank you" to the bus drivers who drive them to games and other folks who do things for the team.

• Basketball coaches who scream at officials and then are surprised when their players receive technical fouls.

• Parents who are so obsessed with their child's sports that they watch practices, but then never attend a parent-teacher conference or an open house. These same parents will ask their son or daughter, "Are you starting?" but won't ask, "Are you ready for the math test?"

• Coaches who say they are in it for kids and then fight over players in the offseason with coaches of other sports in the school.

• Basketball players on teams that are hopelessly behind who decline to attempt miracle shots at the buzzer. You can't be worried about your precious shooting average, can you?

• Administrators who listen to a complaint from a parent before that parent has talked to the coach.

• Coaches who don't have their varsity team watch an occasional JV or C game. Having the eyes of seniors and juniors on them means a lot to young players and helps develop the feel of a "program" to the sport at the school.

Read on...