Baseball people

[Campbeller]

As much or as little as you are willing to pay....

O OK ..... I guess I was asking specifically about the ones you had experience with.

[PBiz]

I can promise you this; if you show up at a tournament and you face off against a team with a duffel bag full of bats, helmets and catcher’s gear and their wearing t-shirts for jerseys you’d best buckle up because you’re about to get your ass kicked

Orrrr…

If East Cobb is anywhere in their team name, it’s probably gonna be tough..

[Panther11]

The most detrimental thing travel ball does is it kills the competitive drive. There’s always another tournament next weekend. Travel ball kids don’t know how to compete and if you can’t compete then you can’t win and if can’t win…….well, you’re a loser.

Think this is relative to each kid. I fought travel ball hard early on. My oldest was on the early edge of it. Finally relent due to how bad rec ball had become. His age group was early in the game and played extremely good talent most weekends. He was thrown into high stress situations regularly. He excelled is is still the go to guy when it counts in most things. Little boy was a few years behind his brother. Saw most of the same situations. Never really got totally comfortable high stress situations. From what I have seen, all depends on the kid. Also, travel ball is what you make of it. We were extremely picky on who our boys played for. It wasn't about ball most of the time. If we weren't comfortable that the coaches weren't the kind of folks we trusted our kids to live with, they didn't play for them. I still think travel ball is bad for most kids but it ain't going anywhere. As long as high school coaches are coaching "showcase" ball, travel ball is here to stay! Parents are the key to travel ball. In my opinion they are responsible for what happens with their kids on or off the field. Most are to scared to say anything. That is when travel ball really comes unglued. Had coach tell me if my 12 year wasn't allowed to throw curve balls he could not play for him. Yep, we went home.

[Panther11]

O OK ..... I guess I was asking specifically about the ones you had experience with.

Sorry. Didn't quite understand what you were asking. The cost was all over the place. From 40 dollars a weekend to 1200 for a season. But has they got bigger and better, was just playing for travel when we went with them. A lot of the best players aren't paying with the big teams. It is all of the sub team players in the organizations that are footing the bill.

[Panther11]

Sorry. Didn't quite understand what you were asking. The cost was all over the place. From 40 dollars a weekend to 1200 for a season. But has they got bigger and better, was just playing for travel when we went with them. A lot of the bets players aren't paying with the big teams. It is all of the sub team players in the organizations that are footing the bill.

We never did it with the thought that we were going to get it back in college money. If you know much about college baseball scholarships you understand. We did it because that is what the boys were interested in and it kept them busy. If you don't find something that they want to do, they will more than likely find something you don't want them to do. We spent many, many hours together. Either on the field, in a hotel or in the truck. They learned a ton about life along they way. Would I do it again? for my boys, absolutely! But again, it is not for every kid or family and I certainly am not advocating travel ball at all.

[Panther11]

Orrrr…

If East Cobb is anywhere in their team name, it’s probably gonna be tough..

The top East Cobb teams used to be the best (Think their top teams were all the "Astro" teams). Not even close.

[huntinghagen#12]

Orrrr…

If East Cobb is anywhere in their team name, it’s probably gonna be tough..

Unless it's changed, ECB used to have a few watered down teams as well. If you played the Astros, you better be ready, but there were a couple teams that had ECB across their chest that were basically the JV and they were there to bring in more revenue.

[Panther11]

Back in 09 or 10 we went to a 12 u NIT tournament in Raleigh. That was when NIT meant something. First two days were for seating. Son was playing for one of the better teams out of NC/SC. We were a good team! We had out scored everyone one in first 4 games by like 28-1. First game Sunday morning our opponents rolled up in two silver eagle buses. They had seven coaches and two tutors on board. Most couldn't speak English. They run ruled us like 17-0 in four innings. Beat the breaks off of us! Like a D1 team playing a high school b-team. They played like a college team. Then they destroyed the East Cobb Astros.

[Mars Bluff]

Just get those chin straps on in August & all is well. That'll separate the mens from da boyz!

[DoubleSprig]

these topics always turn out the same with youth sports.

- let your kid pick up with a competetive team for a weekend tournament, see how he compares to others his age… your prince might be more of a natural ball player than dandilion picker.

or go the rec league route like the Uncle Ricos who’ve posted above.

[willyworm]

It's hard to read this thread and not think back in time.

Yup. I was talking with another parent who came in the same era I did, and it never dawned on me until he said it... But they don't use pitching machines anymore.

Here I am pitching to all the 7/8yos on my son's team I never once thought "man, you know when I was this age we hit off a pitching machine..." It threw a perfect strike almost every time too. Wish I could do that.

No idea when that changed or why. I mean, I guess I could see the value in a human pitching and the boys getting accustomed to that, but it's hard to throw strikes consistently in their tiny little strike zones. I'm not great, but some of these dads are way worse than me. Got me to thinking, why not use a pitching machine?

Drives me nuts when I throw a perfect strike and they watch it without moving a muscle. Then swing at the next pitch that's 3" outside or one in the dirt that hits the plate. Never fails...

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[TheVisorGuy]

Just get those chin straps on in August & all is well. That'll separate the mens from da boyz!

Man my oldest needs to play football bad. When I coached 5-6 football I saw a lot of young kids come out of their shell, understand how to use their size and strength, and just change overall by playing football. My dad drug me by my neck to football. I hated it until I realized how good I was. Then I fell in love with it. Prior to having kids I always said I would make mine play football just as my dad did me. But once they got here I just can't seem to make them. I guess I'm not as much of a hard ass as my old man. All the other baseball and soccer coaches tell him "dude you need to play football". Once me day he may say yes. I hope he does.

I'm gonna make them play baseball to a certain point. Nowadays you can't just up and decide you want to give baseball a try at 12 years old. Hell you can barely do it at 7-8. You'll get laughed off most fields. I don't want them to go out for middle school baseball with some of their friends and be like "dad, how come you never taught me to catch or throw?". On the flip side there are a ton of kids who decide to play football in middle or high school and do just fine.

[TheVisorGuy]

Yup. I was talking with another parent who came in the same era I did, and it never dawned on me until he said it... But they don't use pitching machines anymore.

Here I am pitching to all the 7/8yos on my son's team I never once thought "man, you know when I was this age we hit off a pitching machine..." It threw a perfect strike almost every time too. Wish I could do that.

No idea when that changed or why. I mean, I guess I could see the value in a human pitching and the boys getting accustomed to that, but it's hard to throw strikes consistently in their tiny little strike zones. I'm not great, but some of these dads are way worse than me. Got me to thinking, why not use a pitching machine?

Drives me nuts when I throw a perfect strike and they watch it without moving a muscle. Then swing at the next pitch that's 3" outside or one in the dirt that hits the plate. Never fails...

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I feel you. A few years ago the coach pitch kids in our Rec league decided they wanted to use machines. It was all good until they had to play in our district tournament that doesn't allow a machine. I'm not sure if any of those kids ever even made contact with an actual pitch. It was ugly.

[willyworm]

I see both sides of it.

My boy had a rough go at first. He played 5yo Tee ball, then the leagues in 2020 were canceled for covid, then we messed around and missed the deadline to sign up in 2021. So he hadn't played in 3 years. And it was some these boys' first time ever playing.

It's taken a lot of backyard instruction time to get him better on catching, throwing and especially hitting. He plays catcher and is better at defense than anything, but his hitting is coming around. All using to learn to use the lower parts of his body.

We're gonna play it by ear and see if he wants to play the fall league. From what I understand everyone is a less competitive and it's much more about developing the players' skills than winning.

From what I've seen, many of these parents and coaches get a little too much into it and care too much about winning. Yelling at these kids, the whole 9 yards. I'm just an assistant coach that got pegged as "all time pitcher" cause the other dads couldn't throw straight to save their lives, but in my mind I'm just trying to help make these boys better little human beings and get better at baseball somewhere along the way.

One of our regular umps was telling me today about 2 teams that played last night, it got down right rowdy. Parents/coaches yelling and fussing at him, I think a parent even got escorted to the parking lot.

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[TheVisorGuy]

I see both sides of it.

My boy had a rough go at first. He played 5yo Tee ball, then the leagues in 2020 were canceled for covid, then we messed around and missed the deadline to sign up in 2021. So he hadn't played in 3 years. And it was some these boys' first time ever playing.

It's taken a lot of backyard instruction time to get him better on catching, throwing and especially hitting. He plays catcher and is better at defense than anything, but his hitting is coming around. All using to learn to use the lower parts of his body.

We're gonna play it by ear and see if he wants to play the fall league. From what I understand everyone is a less competitive and it's much more about developing the players' skills than winning.

From what I've seen, many of these parents and coaches get a little too much into it and care too much about winning. Yelling at these kids, the whole 9 yards. I'm just an assistant coach that got pegged as "all time pitcher" cause the other dads couldn't throw straight to save their lives, but in my mind I'm just trying to help make these boys better little human beings and get better at baseball somewhere along the way.

One of our regular umps was telling me today about 2 teams that played last night, it got down right rowdy. Parents/coaches yelling and fussing at him, I think a parent even got escorted to the parking lot.

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Dude when I first took over our Rec league stuff about 8 years ago there were fistfights, tires getting slashed and police called just about every night during tball games. Most of this stuff caused by sorry coaches and all around trashy people. We have got rid of a lot of the riff raff. Who wants to be around that much less have their kids around it. Fall ball is much more laid back.

Just keep being involved. Ain't many decent people willing to get involved in stuff like you are doing nowadays

[willyworm]

That's wild. I know Sumter County doesn't have the bestest of reputations but it's pretty tame. Nothing like slashing tires. Least not that I've seen or heard. I remember last time my daughter played softball, there was a guy I knew from high school whose girl was on the other team screaming at the ump during a game I was like bruh, it's 8yo softball, calm TF down.

We have one kid that's real good, super competitive but he's a little soft. The coach decided to try his dad at pitcher a few innings. Kid got maybe one good pitch in the at bat and was shaking crying in the dugout. When I asked what he was feeling he said "my dad struck me out". Just told him bud that's just baseball. Gotta get out there and make the next play and get the hit next time. Same kid got an earful from dad last night for giving one of his teammates a hard time when he got tagged out on the base paths. Had to tell the kid that's not acceptable. We're here to lift each other up, not tear down. Asked him if one of your teammates gave you a hard time every play you botched how would you feel? That's right, you wouldn't like it... So ease up on him.

I mean, he's 8 so he hasn't perfected how to deal with his emotions yet. Hell many adults haven't accomplished that feat, me included. I try to help him out. Iron sharpens iron right?

Youth baseball is an interesting life experience. Lots of personalities and egos (adults and kids), kids that have it pretty tough at home and are filled with sadness/ anger (I know those feelings having lived through my parents splitting at 5ish-yo, then they had so much fun doing it they got back together and did it again when I was 15ish).

These kids have come a long way since the beginning of the season. Will be interesting to see where it all leads.

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