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Message
re: Legendary youth baseball coach lays the smack down on travel ball
Posted on 3/12/16 at 9:30 am to ATH216
Posted on 3/12/16 at 9:30 am to ATH216
quote:
Not every travel team is out there recruiting kids from team to team. We traveled all over the southeast and I had some of the best memories with that team. I really think the generalization that all travel ball is bad is ridiculous.
Think about all the money and time your parents spent on it. Travel ball is so millennial, hey mom and dad give up all your weekends and drive around the SE so I can play baseball.
1
Posted on 3/12/16 at 9:49 am to barry
quote:
Think about all the money and time your parents spent on it. Travel ball is so millennial, hey mom and dad give up all your weekends and drive around the SE so I can play baseball.
I played travel ball from 15-18 and parlayed that in to a junior college scholarship.
If a kid is an exceptional talent and wants to play up to his competition, then travel ball is going to be his best bet. If he just wants to play and just hack around with his friends, rec ball is probably best for him. This isn't some black and white issue where you're right or wrong one way or the other. It's all about preference.
And to your point, my parents traveled for a lot of my games. They also didn't go to others. But they never regretted the ones they came to because they loved watching me play and that was what made them the most sad when I hung up the cleats.
Posted on 3/12/16 at 10:00 am to Jim Rockford
Anybody know what youth baseball is like in countries like Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic? Is it at all comparable to our travel ball system? Considering the number of foreign players in the majors (a quarter I believe), other systems seem to work just fine.
Posted on 3/12/16 at 10:02 am to Jim Rockford
Travel ball made me not like baseball that much as a kid. Children will get burnt out on the game so quickly if you steal every summer away from them for baseball.
Posted on 3/12/16 at 10:04 am to Bill Dauterive
We played in Puerto Rico every summer for tournaments against the teams over there. Their travel circuit isn't nearly as big as ours but they have some very competitive teams. The teams really just lack the money and play locally.
In the Dominican it's a different story because they really lack the funds to be able to support any sort of travel structure. They field local teams that are sponsored by larger, local groups and organizations. For example, my former HS coach started an FCA Baseball Academy down there about 6 years ago.
In the Dominican it's a different story because they really lack the funds to be able to support any sort of travel structure. They field local teams that are sponsored by larger, local groups and organizations. For example, my former HS coach started an FCA Baseball Academy down there about 6 years ago.
Posted on 3/12/16 at 10:13 am to WG_Dawg
quote:
This is so woefully, indescribably off base it's almost hard to comprehend.
I live in an Atlanta suburb that closed Rec ball from 10 and up because of low participation. Kids play "travel ball" or nothing.
Also, kids don't give a shite about baseball like they use to. Lax has influenced that as well.
In other word, there are use cases that say you're wrong.
Posted on 3/12/16 at 10:23 am to gatorhata9
A junior college scholarship? Really? I got one of those also and I never played a lick of travel ball. If you can play you can play, and if good enough will get a chance at the next level. Of course, no one played travel ball when I played in the mid to late 80's.
Posted on 3/12/16 at 10:25 am to msudawg1200
Hell, I would encourage my kid not to go to junior college.
Posted on 3/12/16 at 10:28 am to tigerskin
In some cases I agree. Most can go free to the JUCO's here in Mississippi, and if you are halfway decent they'll give you a uniform. You don't have to play "travel ball" for that.
Posted on 3/12/16 at 10:45 am to msudawg1200
I'm coaching my son's team in the 5-6 year old group. We have 5 teams, which is down from 6 last year. 7-8 year olds have 4 teams.
9-10 year olds....... have 9 KIDS! TOTAL. They are now forced to try to find another player or two, and become a "travel team" or they can't play baseball. That freaking sucks. Travel teams are all the rage down here and ANYONE can start one up, and pretty much have been doing so the last couple of years.
On the flip side though, rec soccer is completely booming!
9-10 year olds....... have 9 KIDS! TOTAL. They are now forced to try to find another player or two, and become a "travel team" or they can't play baseball. That freaking sucks. Travel teams are all the rage down here and ANYONE can start one up, and pretty much have been doing so the last couple of years.
On the flip side though, rec soccer is completely booming!
Posted on 3/12/16 at 10:47 am to gatorhata9
quote:
I played travel ball from 15-18 and parlayed that in to a junior college scholarship.
When I see "legendary youth baseball coach" I expect Tom Emanski. Pls edit OP.
Posted on 3/12/16 at 11:07 am to DEG
quote:
I live in an Atlanta suburb that closed Rec ball from 10 and up because of low participation. Kids play "travel ball" or nothing.
I'm assuming east cobb somehwere, but you're not really refuting my point. You're pointing out one isolated, specific region (which is a baseball hotbed nationally) that has gone this route. That is clearly the exception and not the norm. I'm sure you could drive 10 miles down the street and find a rec league up to 14U.
quote:
kids don't give a shite about baseball like they use to
Wouldn't this reinforce the point that rec leagues will always be prevalent? I mean if the kids DGAS about baseball it stands to reason that they'd be more likely to join a fun rec league wiht their friends instead of travel ball.
quote:
In other word, there are use cases that say you're wrong.
Pretty sure there's exceptions to just about every rule ever. That still doesn't make this statement
quote:
rec leagues will be a thing of the past not long from now
any less absurd or inaccurate. Rec leagues will be around until the end of time, and far outnumber the specialized travel ball type leagues.
Posted on 3/12/16 at 11:08 am to brgfather129
quote:
I expect Tom Emanski
BACK
to BACK
to BACK
titles.
And you can learn to throw a ball from the CF wall into a teacup at home plate. Don't forget the fred mcgriff endorsement. Man those commercials rocked.
Posted on 3/12/16 at 11:15 am to lake2280
quote:
My kid has been playing rec ball ever since 5 and is one of the better kids in the league and probably the fastest. These travel ball a-holes will not leave us alone constantly calling,emailing, even stopping by the house to try and get us involved. They are amazed that we do not want to participate and act like I'm not doing what's best for my kid. We spend our weekends in the woods or on the water mostly and my kids love it.
keep fighting the good fight brother, it's sad how many go to the dark side because of peer pressure. Cause that's essentially what a lot of it is, it's just the parents wanting to be part of something and having a sticker to put on their SUVThis post was edited on 3/12/16 at 11:19 am
Posted on 3/12/16 at 11:15 am to WG_Dawg
quote:
This is so woefully, indescribably off base it's almost hard to comprehend. We're talking about REC YOUTH sports, it will NEVER go away. THe numbver of people with your mindset (and the crazies who are 10x more extreme than you) is FAR inferior to the regular joe who has an 8 year old and just wants him to get outside and play some sports with his buds.
what you're saying is akin to thinking that the rise of AAU teams the last 20 years is eventually going to eliminate youth basketball.
I'm glad that you equate anyone with a kid playing travel ball has having a mental condition. I gave my honest opinion. I hope it never does. I wish travel ball was never a thing. You can probably find post from me 5+ years ago on this site with a negative slant towards travel ball. As I said in my post, I am not big on it. But I am also not big on my kid playing on a team where 7 kids show up for a game, 5 show up for practice, the lights are not on and there may be 1 umpire there.
quote:
what you're saying is akin to thinking that the rise of AAU teams the last 20 years is eventually going to eliminate youth basketball.
No, not really. But continue to try to make attenuated comparisons.
Posted on 3/12/16 at 11:16 am to gatorhata9
quote:
If a kid is an exceptional talent and wants to play up to his competition, then travel ball is going to be his best bet
Posted on 3/12/16 at 11:18 am to rmc
quote:
I'm glad that you equate anyone with a kid playing travel ball has having a mental condition. I
Please show me where I did this. Might be waiting a while.
quote:
what you're saying is akin to thinking that the rise of AAU teams the last 20 years is eventually going to eliminate youth basketball.
No, not really. But continue to try to make attenuated comparisons.
Well, tell me the differences? AAU is the step above rec league basketball. It's where kids who want to get serious take their skills to improve and play against other kids of higher skill levels. They travel all over, practice far more than normal kids, it costs a great deal more than rec sports. There are nationall AAU tournaments that draw teams from all over america probably every weekend. It's also become somehwat of a feeder system into the good basketball programs. It's actually extremely similar to travel ball.
Posted on 3/12/16 at 11:20 am to msudawg1200
quote:
A junior college scholarship? Really? I got one of those also and I never played a lick of travel ball. If you can play you can play, and if good enough will get a chance at the next level. Of course, no one played travel ball when I played in the mid to late 80's.
Where is the hostility here. No need to downplay getting a college scholarship. I wasn't good enough to go D1 out of high school but I was good enough to get some good D2 looks but chose Juco because I got 100% of tuition paid, which is rare in baseball.
quote:
Of course, no one played travel ball when I played in the mid to late 80's.
And there it is. You're just being a grumpy grump this morning.
Posted on 3/12/16 at 11:22 am to HarrisLetsRide
quote:
HarrisLetsRide
I don't see what's so hilarious about that statement. It's the way it is nowadays. The better players, on average, play travel ball. That's not an opinion it's just a fact.
Posted on 3/12/16 at 11:23 am to WG_Dawg
quote:
Please show me where I did this. Might be waiting a while.
Maybe crazy means something else to you.
quote:
Well, tell me the differences? AAU is the step above rec league basketball. It's where kids who want to get serious take their skills to improve and play against other kids of higher skill levels. They travel all over, practice far more than normal kids, it costs a great deal more than rec sports. There are nationall AAU tournaments that draw teams from all over america probably every weekend. It's also become somehwat of a feeder system into the good basketball programs. It's actually extremely similar to travel ball.
I think its a good bit different. Maybe its just here in Louisiana. Kids do not get recognized for travel ball. They are recognized in high school. At least locally, once you are on the high school team you pretty much play with them year round in one form or the other. Now, we have a travel ball organization that does feed a lot to the HS, but it certainly is not a requirement to be on the team. And we have one of the top 3-5 programs in 5A in Louisiana consistently.
I think two people have cited examples in this thread of diminishing rec ball. Also, "inner city" kids and black kids in large part simply do not play baseball at all anymore.
ETA: My point in summary is that AAU's influence on bitty ball is not equivalent to Travel ball on rec ball. Just MO.
This post was edited on 3/12/16 at 11:26 am
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