Andy Barkett begins his second season as manager of the Jacksonville Suns,  after spending three seasons as manager of Class-A Lakeland with the Detroit  Tigers organization. Barkett guided the Suns to a 70-70 record in 2011, but the  Suns failed to make the playoffs after winning the Southern League pennant the  two previous seasons. Jeff Elliott met with Barkett on Tuesday for his thoughts  about the coming season, his progression as a manager, what type of team the  Suns will field this year and more.

What did you learn about the Southern League last year in your first  season at this level?

I had heard if you’re an exceptional player in the Southern League, you can  play in the big leagues, and I saw that. It’s not that I didn’t know it, but I  saw it with my own eyes. Being able to manage in the All-Star Game and watch the  caliber of players that we have in the league, it’s definitely a league where  there’s a lot of stars and a lot of great players that you’re going to watch on  TV one day.

It’s tough for players to make the jump from Single-A to Double-A — is it equally tough for a manager?

Somewhat. I think there’s some managers better suited for different levels  based on personality and the way they run their teams. In A ball, you have to be  a little more stringent, a little more sergeant-like, where here, they need to  start growing up. There are maybe 100 A-ball managers but only 30 Double-A  managers so it probably is harder to get to this level.

How much more comfortable are you at the Double-A level now that  you’ve got a year’s experience behind you?

Much more comfortable, more comfortable and confident going into this season.  I know what to expect as far managing a game. I went through many situations  including a ton of extra inning games that we had last year. So I was actively  managing a lot of the time which was great experience for me. In baseball,  there’s something new that happens every 24 hours. I feel I’m better prepared  for those things as they come to me this year. Just knowing now about the other  ball parks and what you can expect there, the hotels, etc., there was a little  anxiety last year because we’ve never been there before.

How important is it to have John Duffy returning as your pitching  coach?

Coming into a new organization, you’re always a little apprehensive about who  can you trust, who can you build a relationship from. Duff and I were from two  different backgrounds, two different heritages, but we’re both baseball guys and  we really care about players. So we had that common ground and with that common  ground, builds a friendship and a trust. So he knows how I operate and I know  how he operates. He knows normally what I’m thinking and how I want to manage a  game. He works his tail off and takes care of things that I don’t have to take  care of. I’m happy and blessed to have him.

It’s your first year with hitting coach Kevin “Smoke” Randel. What’s  your background with him?

I don’t really have any. So we’ve gone through a familiarity process getting  to know each other throughout spring training and talking baseball  philosophy.

Will your approach as Suns manager be any different this  year?

I want to be a little more active in the instruction of my club. Last year  coming into a new organization, I wasn’t really familiar with the hierarchy of  work. I was a little bit timid with how I wanted to run my team. With this  organization, managers manage; hitting coaches serve as hitting coaches and they  don’t cross each other’s lines. Not necessarily in a bad sense so that the  hitting coach can implement the program. But this year, I feel there is a little  bit more freedom for me to run it how I want to run it and I plan to do that  from Day 1. I’m going to use the organization’s manual, but at the same time,  I’d like to be more active in how we run the club and how we teach and  everything.

As a collective group, how would you describe this year’s pitching  staff?

I would say we have late-in-the-game arms. I don’t think we have a glaring  star in the whole group. I think guys like [Evan] Reed and [AJ] Ramos are  definitely on the radar and will be watched closely just like the rest of them  will be. But they’re moving through the system quickly. Our starting pitchers  are durable guys, they’re workhorses. Our pitching staff will keep us in games I  believe. If we can get five innings out of our starters, I can get some guys in  there that will get us to late in the game.

Same question for the hitters, how would you describe the group of  position players?

I would say question marks, not necessarily in a negative fashion, but more  the fact that we could go a number of different ways offensively. We have a lot  of players who have the ability to hit very well in this league. But several are  unproven at this level and some are repeating this level but didn’t really  dominate it. We have a lot of guys who are “in the frying pan” offensively. We  have a lot of potential in the group, potential for a big year if guys can be  what we think they can be. But there are a lot of question marks. Will the new  guys at this level respond offensively? We’ll find out and we’ll know soon,  maybe by the end of April when they’ve had 100 at-bats or so.

Will the Suns have the same kind of speed they’ve had in the  past?

We don’t have a lot of speed. We’re going to have to hit the ball in the gap  or over the fence. We’ve got singles hitters so it’s going to take three hits to  score them. We’ll have to hit doubles or homers to win games. It’s a little  different going into this season, unlike last year when we had a guy [Kevin  Mattison] who could fly.

Kyle Skipworth was a former No. 1 draft pick of the Marlins who  struggled in his first season at the Double-A level last year, hitting .207. Are  you expecting bigger things from him this year?

I said at our organizational meeting, April through July last year, I was  hitting my head against the wall [about Skipworth's play]. But in August, I saw  the makings of a baseball player, a big-league player, for the first time. It  was flashes, it wasn’t every day but it was there a lot more than it was the  first four months. He has a plus-tool that he can the ball way over the fence  that not a lot of people can do. Even when he mishits it, he can still hit it  over the fence. This spring towards the end of camp, he really showed progress.  But he knows he has to limit his strikeouts and put the ball in play with two  strikes. I think if he maintains his approach, we’re going to see big things out  of him. I believe in him, but he’s got to believe he can do it. When that  happens, the sky’s the limit.

This is the third time in four years that Graham Taylor has been with  the Suns. He’s pitched at the major league level. Is this the year for him to  get back there?

No question. If he pitches like he did in spring training, he’s got a chance  to pitch a few more years and get to the big leagues. He’s in the best shape of  his life and is pitching as well as he ever has. If he can carry that into the  season, we may have a great story here.

Were you comfortable with your objective of getting players from last  year’s team to advance to Triple-A or the big leagues which is what the Marlins  are looking for?

Yes, I’m very proud of what we were able to do last year. We got a couple  guys like Luke Montz and Kevin Mattison, both of whom barely made our roster  coming out of spring training last year. Both have moved up and Mattison is now  on the Marlins 40-man roster. Chris Hatcher, Sandy Rosario, Brad Hand, they all  went to the big leagues last year. Skippy [Skipworth] started looking like a  baseball player. Some others had the best season they ever had. From a  development standpoint, I believe we definitely did our job and we did it  well.

Hundreds of college athletes were asked to think back: “What is your worst memory from playing youth and high school sports?”

Their overwhelming response: “The ride home from games with my parents.”

The informal survey lasted three decades, initiated by two former longtime coaches who over time became staunch advocates for the player, for the adolescent, for the child. Bruce E. Brown and Rob Miller of Proactive Coaching LLC are devoted to helping adults avoid becoming a nightmare sports parent, speaking at colleges, high schools and youth leagues to more than a million athletes, coaches and parents in the last 12 years.

Those same college athletes were asked what their parents said that made them feel great, that amplified their joy during and after a ballgame.

Their overwhelming response: “I love to watch you play.”

There it is, from the mouths of babes who grew up to become college and professional athletes. Whether your child is just beginning T-ball or is a travel-team soccer all-star or survived the cuts for the high school varsity, parents take heed.

The vast majority of dads and moms that make rides home from games miserable for their children do so inadvertently. They aren’t stereotypical horrendous sports parents, the ones who scream at referees, loudly second-guess coaches or berate their children. They are well-intentioned folks who can’t help but initiate conversation about the contest before the sweat has dried on their child’s uniform.

In the moments after a game, win or lose, kids desire distance. They make a rapid transition from athlete back to child. And they’d prefer if parents transitioned from spectator – or in many instances from coach – back to mom and dad. ASAP.

Brown (pictured below at podium), a high school and youth coach near Seattle for more than 30 years, says his research shows young athletes especially enjoy having their grandparents watch them perform.

“Overall, grandparents are more content than parents to simply enjoy watching the child participate,” he says. “Kids recognize that.”

A grandparent is more likely to offer a smile and a hug, say “I love watching you play,” and leave it at that.

Meanwhile a parent might blurt out …

“Why did you swing at that high pitch when we talked about laying off it?”

“Stay focused even when you are on the bench.”

“You didn’t hustle back to your position on defense.”

“You would have won if the ref would have called that obvious foul.”

“Your coach didn’t have the best team on the field when it mattered most.”

And on and on.

Sure, an element of truth might be evident in the remarks. But the young athlete doesn’t want to hear it immediately after the game. Not from a parent. Comments that undermine teammates, the coach or even officials run counter to everything the young player is taught. And instructional feedback was likely already mentioned by the coach.

“Let your child bring the game to you if they want to,” Brown says.

Brown and Miller, a longtime coach and college administrator, don’t consider themselves experts, but instead use their platform to convey to parents what three generations of young athletes have told them.

“Everything we teach came from me asking players questions,” Brown says. “When you have a trusting relationship with kids, you get honest answers. When you listen to young people speak from their heart, they offer a perspective that really resonates.”

So what’s the takeaway for parents?

“Sports is one of few places in a child’s life where a parent can say, ‘This is your thing,’ ” Miller says. “Athletics is one of the best ways for young people to take risks and deal with failure because the consequences aren’t fatal, they aren’t permanent. We’re talking about a game. So they usually don’t want or need a parent to rescue them when something goes wrong.

“Once you as a parent are assured the team is a safe environment, release your child to the coach and to the game. That way all successes are theirs, all failures are theirs.”

And discussion on the ride home can be about a song on the radio or where to stop for a bite to eat. By the time you pull into the driveway, the relationship ought to have transformed from keenly interested spectator and athlete back to parent and child:

“We loved watching you play. … Now, how about that homework?”

FIVE SIGNS OF A NIGHTMARE SPORTS PARENT

Nearly 75 percent of kids who play organized sports quit by age 13. Some find that their skill level hits a plateau and the game is no longer fun. Others simply discover other interests. But too many promising young athletes turn away from sports because their parents become insufferable.

Mom or dad, so loving and rational at home, can transform into an ogre at a game. A lot of kids internally reach the conclusion that if they quit the sport, maybe they’ll get their dad or mom back.

As a sports parent, this is what you don’t want to become. This is what you want to avoid:

• Overemphasizing sports at the expense of sportsmanship: The best athletes keep their emotions in check and perform at an even keel, win or lose. Parents demonstrative in showing displeasure during a contest are sending the wrong message. Encouragement is crucial — especially when things aren’t going well on the field.

• Having different goals than your child: Brown and Miller suggest jotting down a list of what you want for your child during their sport season. Your son or daughter can do the same. Vastly different lists are a red flag. Kids generally want to have fun, enjoy time with their friends, improve their skills and win. Parents who write down “getting a scholarship” or “making the All-Star team” probably need to adjust their goals. “Athletes say their parents believe their role on the team is larger than what the athlete knows it to be,” Miller says.

• Treating your child differently after a loss than a win: Almost all parents love their children the same regardless of the outcome of a game. Yet often their behavior conveys something else. “Many young athletes indicate that conversations with their parents after a game somehow make them feel as if their value as a person was tied to playing time or winning,” Brown says.

• Undermining the coach: Young athletes need a single instructional voice during games. That voice has to be the coach. Kids who listen to their parents yelling instruction from the stands or even glancing at their parents for approval from the field are distracted and can’t perform at a peak level. Second-guessing the coach on the ride home is just as insidious.

• Living your own athletic dream through your child: A sure sign is the parent taking credit when the child has done well. “We worked on that shot for weeks in the driveway,” or “You did it just like I showed you” Another symptom is when the outcome of a game means more to a parent than to the child. If you as a parent are still depressed by a loss when the child is already off playing with friends, remind yourself that it’s not your career and you have zero control over the outcome.

FIVE SIGNS OF AN IDEAL SPORTS PARENT

Let’s hear it for the parents who do it right. In many respects, Brown and Miller say, it’s easier to be an ideal sports parent than a nightmare. “It takes less effort,” Miller says. “Sit back and enjoy.” Here’s what to do:

• Cheer everybody on the team, not just your child: Parents should attend as many games as possible and be supportive, yet allow young athletes to find their own solutions. Don’t feel the need to come to their rescue at every crisis. Continue to make positive comments even when the team is struggling.

• Model appropriate behavior: Contrary to the old saying, children do as you do, not as you say. When a parent projects poise, control and confidence, the young athlete is likely to do the same. And when a parent doesn’t dwell on a tough loss, the young athlete will be enormously appreciative.

• Know what is suitable to discuss with the coach: The mental and physical treatment of your child is absolutely appropriate. So is seeking advice on ways to help your child improve. And if you are concerned about your child’s behavior in the team setting, bring that up with the coach. Taboo topics: Playing time, team strategy, and discussing team members other than your child.

• Know your role: Everyone at a game is either a player, a coach, an official or a spectator. “It’s wise to choose only one of those roles at a time,” Brown says. “Some adults have the false impression that by being in a crowd, they become anonymous. People behaving poorly cannot hide.” Here’s a clue: If your child seems embarrassed by you, clean up your act.

• Be a good listener and a great encourager: When your child is ready to talk about a game or has a question about the sport, be all ears. Then provide answers while being mindful of avoiding becoming a nightmare sports parent. Above all, be positive. Be your child’s biggest fan. “Good athletes learn better when they seek their own answers,” Brown says.

And, of course, don’t be sparing with those magic words: “I love watching you play.”

– Steve Henson is a Senior Editor and Writer at Yahoo! Sports. He has four adult children and has coached and officiated youth sports for 30 years. He can be reached at henson@yahoo-inc.com and on Twitter @HensonYahoo