PLAYING POLITICS DIFFERING PERSPECTIVES CAST VARYING SHADES ON COACHES' DECISIONS.(SPORTS)

Byline: DAN HOWLEY Staff writer -

Steve Price can teach the fine art of pitching a softball. What he can't teach his students is how to get over the hurt of not making a team, nor explain to them the politics that sometimes shape such decisions.

``The kids work hard to better their game, but when politics are involved, it doesn't matter how good you are,'' said Price, who has worked with many of the Capital Region's top pitchers over the past seven years. ``I've found it's not based so much on talent, it's whose father knows the coach.''

Price, who initially was reluctant to speak about the subject, said high school softball teams are ``pretty much already picked'' when tryouts are held during the spring.

``It's got to be said. They should just base it on talent and be fair to the kids because they are the ones who are working hard and putting in the hours to improve,'' he said.

Price, now 39, led Team Canada to fast-pitch softball gold medals in the Pan Am Games in 1995 and 1999 and played for the world champion Toronto Gators. Formerly considered one of the world's top left-handed pitchers, he has worked at …