Does Rank Have Its Priviliges?

I hitched a ride from home from the game last night (a three hour ride) with a very nice family with a daughter Beaver's age and another young man who is a senior. Our conversation ran from favorite movies, books, etc. to the curriculum at the school, and somehow ended up on expectations of your senior year in high school. The young man is a player on the team, and a good one, but not the best. He explained how he was a bit disappointed at not having more time on the field. He did get to pitch a little, much like a closer in a couple of games, and he was actually moved down in the batting order, and he also plays center field.

I've been to all of the games and I just figure the coach is making the best choices for the team, using the stats and his own judgment, to give them the optimum chance to win. After all, he's the coach. There is an assistant coach and I know that they don't always see eye to eye, but amiably so.

Anyway, I began to think about it. Should being a senior give you a little more sway on the team's roster? It is, after all, high school ball not the major leagues. Or is PC thinking creeping in, you know, being fair and not so competitive? Should the coach always put the best player in? Considering you have to develop your younger players too, it's always going to be a juggling kind of situation. Do seniors deserve more time on the field, even if they're not as good as some of the younger players? Good questions. I'm glad I'm not the coach! What do you think?