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Youth Baseball Thread: the "What Are We Getting Ourselves Into" edition.
Posted on 7/18/17 at 4:18 pm
Posted on 7/18/17 at 4:18 pm
First of all, pardon my youth baseball ignorance but I'd love to get the OT's take here.
My kiddo played t-ball last spring... you know, in actual baseball season. One of the other dads on the team was telling me about how his 7 year old plays on a summer league as well, and starting this fall there's a tryout league. I was asking them about flag football, soccer, basketball and he says that their kid is all baseball.
It got me to thinking. Is this really a thing? Where the kids only play baseball all year round? I'm sure it feeds into travel ball and I mean, if my kid likes baseball then whatever. But at 7 years old? There was a parent on our team last year that has an 11 year old at Cypress Mounds (I think) and she told me that they paid something like $2500 for last season and they were going up to $3000. Now that's obviously a long ways out from my t-ball playing shorties but still. Is that legit? I want to make sure we don't get onto some train we get off of.
When I was a kid, we played all sports in their respective seasons. What the hell is going on these days?
My kiddo played t-ball last spring... you know, in actual baseball season. One of the other dads on the team was telling me about how his 7 year old plays on a summer league as well, and starting this fall there's a tryout league. I was asking them about flag football, soccer, basketball and he says that their kid is all baseball.
It got me to thinking. Is this really a thing? Where the kids only play baseball all year round? I'm sure it feeds into travel ball and I mean, if my kid likes baseball then whatever. But at 7 years old? There was a parent on our team last year that has an 11 year old at Cypress Mounds (I think) and she told me that they paid something like $2500 for last season and they were going up to $3000. Now that's obviously a long ways out from my t-ball playing shorties but still. Is that legit? I want to make sure we don't get onto some train we get off of.
When I was a kid, we played all sports in their respective seasons. What the hell is going on these days?
25
Posted on 7/18/17 at 4:23 pm to Giantkiller
Yep, every dad in the city thinks their kid is going to play at LSU or the majors. It is getting ridiculous! $2500 for summer is baseball is accurate. And they play all the time. That money doesn't include the tourney travel expenses. Yes that is right. 8 year olds travel all over the south to play games.
Posted on 7/18/17 at 4:25 pm to Giantkiller
It's definitely a thing, and it's awful - especially at that age. Aside from burnout, the kid is at a higher risk for arm injuries, plus they just miss out on other experiences. I can't imagine growing up not getting the change to play all the different sports I played.
Some parents are freaking morons.
Some parents are freaking morons.
Posted on 7/18/17 at 4:26 pm to Giantkiller
quote:
When I was a kid, we played all sports in their respective seasons. What the hell is going on these days?
I believe it's idiotic. My kid plays football and baseball in community leagues. Travel ball is only good for the best of the best players.
Posted on 7/18/17 at 4:26 pm to Andy Bernard
Yeah, spend $100,000 shuttling your kid all over the place playing baseball and then he gets a scholarship worth $40,000 total over four years. 
This post was edited on 7/18/17 at 4:27 pm
Posted on 7/18/17 at 4:29 pm to Giantkiller
Encourage your kid to play and do everything possible. As long as he keeps enjoying it, then continue on through high school. Never try to make him choose one sport. Most of the time the other sports will help them in the sport they are best at anyway. You are doing your son a disservice if you make them stick to one sport you think they are better in.
Posted on 7/18/17 at 4:36 pm to Giantkiller
Yes, I've got at least 6 kids in my small league that play over 70 games a year. Terrible for their arms. I encourage them to play another sport, preferably basketball in the winter.
Posted on 7/18/17 at 4:40 pm to Bham Bammer
quote:
eah, spend $100,000 shuttling your kid all over the place playing baseball and then he gets a scholarship worth $40,000 total over four years
would be lucky to get a partial scholly.... baseball scholarships are very limited by the NCAA (thanks to prop 48 and women's sports)
I know things are different now, but when i was in the 80's/90 playing ball while in school, most did american legion then and played school ball. On the team when i was a freshman, i think 8-9 people on that team later went on to play college ball, with one going on to LSU to pitch
Posted on 7/18/17 at 4:40 pm to Giantkiller
A guy I work with has a daughter who has been playing travel softball since she was 9 years old. He's spent around $10K a year on coaching, fees, travel, etc. At 16 she's turned into an above average HS player, but that's her plateau. If she plays on the next level it will be as a walkon at a small college. If he had been putting that money away he could pay her full tuition at any college in the country.
Posted on 7/18/17 at 4:43 pm to geauxbrown
quote:
Yes, I've got at least 6 kids in my small league that play over 70 games a year. Terrible for their arms. I encourage them to play another sport, preferably basketball in the winter.
Tommy John surgery at 19 comes from overuse at 12-13-14.
Posted on 7/18/17 at 4:44 pm to tigeraddict
Exactly. $10,000 a year is probably what, 25% for in-state at LSU? Maybe 30%?
Posted on 7/18/17 at 4:45 pm to Giantkiller
If your kid isn't getting scouted by age 4, you might as well hang up the cleats.
This post was edited on 7/18/17 at 4:54 pm
Posted on 7/18/17 at 4:45 pm to Hold That Tiger 10
quote:
Encourage your kid to play and do everything possible. As long as he keeps enjoying it, then continue on through high school. Never try to make him choose one sport. Most of the time the other sports will help them in the sport they are best at anyway. You are doing your son a disservice if you make them stick to one sport you think they are better in.
Exactly. I'm just concerned if he has friends on the team who's parents are putting them on this constant baseball treadmill. Am I a bad parent for telling him to try other things? We throw a nerf football around the backyard and shoot hoops... He loves to watch NBA, etc. But he's getting friends on this team that I think develops into the machine.
For every parent that drives to Hammond, Covington, Mandeville, Lake Charles, Lafayette, etc for travel ball tournaments, I wonder how many of them just got dragged into it because their kid has friends on the team.
Posted on 7/18/17 at 4:48 pm to Giantkiller
Really sucks for other kids in the family when baseball is "the" family activity and they aren't involved except as a spectator. That's gotta be miserable spending your weekends sitting on bleachers eating crappy concession stand food and watching Aiden play baseball.
Posted on 7/18/17 at 4:48 pm to Giantkiller
tl/dr-
quote:Here's one-
Giantkiller
Posted on 7/18/17 at 4:52 pm to Giantkiller
yeah
I was shocked to find zero softball leagues where i was in Florida, while living down there. It's baseball and football on those fields, year around.
I was shocked to find zero softball leagues where i was in Florida, while living down there. It's baseball and football on those fields, year around.
Posted on 7/18/17 at 4:56 pm to Giantkiller
Not to hijack this thread, but are there competitive baseball leagues in Baton Rouge for kids 11-13 yrs old (no travel)?
Posted on 7/18/17 at 5:02 pm to Jim Rockford
quote:
Really sucks for other kids in the family when baseball is "the" family activity and they aren't involved except as a spectator. That's gotta be miserable spending your weekends sitting on bleachers eating crappy concession stand food and watching Aiden play baseball.
I'm really concerned about this as well. We already drag one to his brother's games and he can really not give less of a shite.
Posted on 7/18/17 at 5:04 pm to Giantkiller
Just put your kid on the Dominican training program. Cardboard glove and stick will run you about $3 and they seem to be doing just fine in the majors.
>
> Posted on 7/18/17 at 5:58 pm to Tony The Tiger
Competitive Rec leagues are few and far between.
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