Chapter 2 of the 2011 baseball season at San Quentin Prison

The Memo[1]

Our coaches are in agreement–to begin again with the team selection process.

Either of the following two approaches is acceptable for the 2011 season.

1. Work off the present arrangement with the players for the Giants to be selected by the Giant’s coaches, and to disregard the players selected for the A’s team which was done by the inmates, and the A’s coaches select the players for that team.

OR

2. Have a draft wherein all the potential players are put into a pool and the coaches select the teams, 17 players for each team plus 3 inmate coaches.

This last concept we intend to put into place for 2012, the draft from a pool of players where the coaches select the players.[2]

Our consensus is that under the present situation where the inmates are allowed to determine the makeup of the team–this is unacceptable and undermines the entire coaching concept.

From my perspective, and to prevent more grumbling, the first option might be better. I am however willing to go with either. My concern is twofold: one, preserve the fine coaching staff we have in place right now. Two, avoid situations that might jeopardize the sports program in toto. As I observe things, with twenty-nine years at the prison and sixteen as the baseball coach, we have a potential disaster on our hands with the inmates in charge. Some of them may respond that they have their coach, but it is a coach who deliberately lets the inmates run the program. This is dangerous, especially if this particular coach is allowed to set his own agenda and begin bringing in his own teams and cross scheduling games.

Kent Philpott

March 1, 2011


[1] This is the exact memo I executed for the prison staff that oversees the education/recreation programs.

[2] Our Giant’s coaches have since rejected the pool-draft concept for the 2012 season.

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