Travel Ball - Baseball Article Summaries

12 Year old passed over - RD (length=1374)
Is select better baseball as far as talent? Yes. However everyone seems to forget that there are boundaries in LL but not in select ball(for the most part). And if there are boundaries in select ball ...

12 Year old passed over - THE COACH (length=1998)
I brought select team baseball to Texas in 1986 and often wonder what I have wrought. First, todays "select" teams are playing way to many games. Secondly, there is nothing select about todays "select ...

Another perspective on playing too many games - Colorado (length=1867)
"At what point do the number of games played in a year become too many" When your boy hears about the next tourney and asks you "do I have to?" Its like when my doctor had me on a treadmill and kept r ...

Another perspective on playing too many games - Colorado (length=1053)
The games and tournaments start to run together after a while. In 2003, my son played for a number of teams including travel (about 90 games) and rec ball/AS tourneys/summer league (about 40 games) fo ...

Are we SURPRISED....? - Kathy (length=2641)
***When such "ELITE" squads are created and the "inferior" players are weeded out, it's my personal opinion that we've thrown away the true meaning of youth sports, especially LL baseball.*** Though I ...

Are we SURPRISED...? - Repost for Knowledge Base - Hopper (length=5176)
People often wonder why I get so set off about AAU, travel, tournament and all star teams from time to time. Things like the Danny Alomonte issue is a perfect example. Now, someone please tell me this ...

Caliber of Play - Randy Dykstra (length=2276)
Well, seeing how I have experience with most at their Championship level...LL, Pony, AAU, AABC, USSSA, CABA, USABF...(see photos) there are two distinct groupings... REC BALL and Travel Ball Rec Ball ...

Competitive Rec Ball - J Ross (length=1944)
Our LL is structured T-Ball (combination tee and coach pitch), Farm for 7-8 year olds (combination kid pitch/coach pitch - no walks), Minors for 9-10 year olds (all kid pitch), Majors for 11-12 year ...

Could use an opinion here. - bbcoach (length=1604)
CJ, Speaking to you from experience. When I was playing as a 9 through 12 year old way back when, I played on the top teams in this area. When I started playing in JR High school (yes we had jr HS bas ...

Expensive Select Team Plays Coach's Boy Ball - Seadog (length=2306)
Baseball Nut, Unfortunately you are so wrong about what I know about travel ball. I have coached many travelling teams and my first priority is player developement.That my friend is what a coach does, ...

Expensive Select Team Plays Coach's Boy Ball - Seadog (length=1501)
Baseball nut, If you came to me and said the only position your team can offer my son is Blankety blank and wanted me to agree to a contract for your 9 yr old son and his playing position I would poli ...

From Rec to Cal Ripken-need advice - Scorekeeper (length=3148)
I mean they didn't play together, I meant they "all" didn't play together. And assuming that you're correct and at least 8 of the kids remain as the core, you are more than likely cheating yourselves ...

From Rec to Cal Ripken-need advice - Scorekeeper (length=1047)
The only thing I would take issue with you on is about whether or not its the coach's responsibility to try kids out for positions. At the very beginning of the season, the most important thing a coac ...

From Rec to Cal Ripken-need advice - Scorekeeper (length=6142)
Why does everyone assume that their team should have won more games than they did? Let me make it clear that your team won exactly as many games as it should have. Anyone can use hindsight and say "if ...

From Rec to Cal Ripken-need advice - Scorekeeper (length=4850)
Yes, they are the hardest working now, but my contention is, they outght to be looking back to see if anyone is catching up. I don't see not developing new positions during a season as being a drawbac ...

From Rec to Cal Ripken-need advice - Scorekeeper (length=5587)
You have to understand that when I make a statement like that I don't necessarily mean its absolute, one way or the other. There is some bonding that occurs in the sense that there are always new play ...

Gone to AAU? - Kathy (length=1689)
Most travel teams here are not made up of kids who's families are financially well off. All the teams I know of work very hard to raise the money that's needed for the team. Travel teams get NO money ...

Help with starting a 16-17 y/o tournament team? - Mom of 2 BB players (length=3606)
I'm in Illinois. Teams here would contact one of the state reps for a program like USSSA, CABA, AAYBA or whatever. You can contact them or check their websites for the names of the reps. If you go wi ...

How Much Is Too Much!!!? - THE COACH (length=2898)
TIPS FROM THE COACH How much is too much? I have a friend with twin 12 year old, ball player sons. These kids, this spring, played in two leagues and on a “select” team on weekends! By the end of May ...

How Ugly can Competitive/Tournament/Travel Ball get! - Lori (length=4673)
I have to say, Baseball Mom, there are always two sides to the coin. And I think there are those out there that will agree with me when I say this in response to your post. I apologize if I hurt feeli ...

How many games - Bear (length=1577)
I am not able to answer nor authenticate averages nor maximums. I can only attest to what I have heard, seen & done in the past (and it probably won't change much more in the future). (And of course ...

LL - child stays down, parents get mad. - roddnet (length=1010)
In our LL we have Majors, Minors, AAA, AA, A and t-ball. The kids are evaluated during tryouts by prospective coaches and a groups of 3 persons (ex coaches with kids no longer playing in the league). ...

Losing leagues to travel teams - Splitter (length=3032)
I have been on a BoD as player agent for LL and now coach a travel team. I think I can fairly say that the knife cuts both ways. LL does a GREAT job for the average players and even those below that l ...

Playing for multiple teams - roddnet (length=1054)
We have played both AAU baseball amd LL baseball for 3 seasins together. we have not had any conflicts with practices as AAU is WED/FRI and LL is MON/SAT. AAU games are Sundays and LL games are TUE/T ...

Select / Elite - Scorekeeper (length=2146)
As you so aptly made the point, its a twin edged sword. What we have here is a Harlequin doing a juggling act for the king! One day the king will like it and the next, its "OFF WITH HIS HEAD!: As I've ...

Select / Elite - Scorekeeper (length=3747)
It depends on where you are. I'd say that in general you have "Rec" baseball that encourages every kid, boy and girls to play baseball. Those programs proves the first taste of "organized" ball for al ...

Select / Elite - Scorekeeper (length=2038)
Your experience notwithstanding, what you say may be one of those "absolutes" and I have no disagreement with it at all. But I guess my feelings for the "underdog" keep coming out when I think about w ...

Select Ball Snobs - JT (length=1293)
FYI: Travel ball is for those who want to expose their sons to the advantage of playing REGULARLY with and against top-flight competition. (I think public education has shown what happens when we grou ...

Short Fence for Dist Playoffs - Scorekeeper (length=2137)
We just came back from Tucson for a tournament with 72 teams played on 12 ML spring training fields. Even though the fields at each of the 2 complexes were built at the same time, none were the exact ...

TOO PRECIOUS TO PAY SOMEONE ELSE - bgtx (length=3332)
In 1987, I brought “select” team baseball to Texas. My God, what have I wrought? Saturday December 21, I accompanied my son, the pro ballplayer, to a tryout for a “select” team. He was asked to act ...

Then I Became A Travel Parent - THE COACH (length=2628)
This was recently sent by a dad of a ballplayer who took lessons from my son. He had sent it to other members of his son's team. I thought you might enjoy it. "I used to have a regular life. (Actually ...

Travel Baseball and Little League - Dave Kreiss (length=3375)
Splitter and Jon, I appreciate the time and effort you put into your responses which contain excellent examples and great ideas. Let me say that sometimes I may sound like I'm attacking LL which is re ...

Travel Baseball and Little League - EagleCoach (length=1344)
Baseball Mom, Keep in mind when deciding whether to play travel ball or not, that it is a very large commitment, and very expensive also in most cases. Travel expenses, tournament expenses, equipment ...

Travel Baseball and Little League - Jerry Z (length=808)
To Baseball Mom, Parents and coaches who think that just because a kid is not on a travel or select team before high school is bizare and unrealistic. For example, When I was in little league I never ...

Travel Baseball and Little League - Jon Toner (length=3012)
I agree with you on several points. Minors. These are the kids who are going to be in your majors program. Only 15% of our Majors kids were drafted directly out of Farm League. The remainder came from ...

Travel Baseball and Little League - Walter K (length=1577)
You know it just doesn't seem to matter what sport, you always get fanatics or kooks who figure that a kid is washed up by 11 years of age if he didn't play for this team or that league. The most impo ...

Update on new Select for LL---Scorekeeper - Scorekeeper (length=3667)
Sorry I'm late on responding. Somehow I missed the post! The only thing I'd question about the pitching is whether or not 12 pitches will really tell the tale, and was wondering if you had any cut off ...

What Does it Mean to Keep Your Word? - Colorado (length=1620)
Speaking only as a parent, I sympathize. If as you say, each parent made an expressed commitment to you without condition (did they say "we have another tryout that we are considering and will let you ...

What Does it Mean to Keep Your Word? - Scorekeeper (length=3682)
Don't blame the parents for this one, blame the system! I think almost everyone agrees that nearly ever kid who plays organized ball starts out in a rec league of some sort, be it LL, BR, or anything ...

What Does it Mean to Keep Your Word? - Scorekeeper (length=4898)
I guess I should have made it more clear that the "real" ugliness goes on in really a very small percentage of the teams available. But, the chances are, at the very highest levels of competition, you ...

What Does it Mean to Keep Your Word? - Scorekeeper (length=2338)
I was trying to say that as soon as we move our kids "up" and rationalize it by saying "they" want to do it, or that its "better" for them, we are little more than pimps prostituting the kids. There's ...

What Does it Mean to Keep Your Word? - sco (length=2471)
Altho our reasons had to do with having made that commitment but also avoiding the label of being deemed travel team prostitutes. No one should ever kid themselves about their children participating i ...

When Should Preseason Training Begin? - roddnet (length=1096)
"It appears to me that these coaches aren't good judges of inate ability. Nor can they be at U12. They set themselves up for failure by trying to make predictions during preadolescence and before thes ...

When Should Preseason Training Begin? - roddnet (length=1305)
Our new AAU travel team 12U or Spring is associated with an "academy". we call it a training facility here. the place is one of the sponsors for our team and as a sponsor gives us time at the facility ...

Why do they do it? - roddnet (length=1330)
What is wrong with parents? Are they all nuts? Our LL Fall Ball decided that at the end of the season they would run a little tournament between the teams. Nothing special. Not even a trohpy to the wi ...

travel and/or select teams..Hi Bean - Kenneth Bean (length=1060)
Hi Back, Sal In "Bean's" I spent the entire first chapter, (entitled 'Playing To Win'), trying to adjust the parents'direction of motivation only about 3 to 5 degrees in most cases. Not 30 degrees. No ...

travel and/or select teams - Kathy (length=1285)
Bean, Do you also think all children should be taught academics at the same pace? Advanced/gifted students learning at the same pace as students with average abilities and learning disabilities? When ...

you make the decision - lefty (length=1199)
you're on the p&r board. Congratulations. I'm here at your meeting because I started a travel team two years ago. My friends and I decided we needed a travel team because we don't like the way the lo ...