re: Travel Baseball

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The reason travel ball 'works' isn't because of exposure or stupid shite like that, it's because kids spend hr after hr repeating and honing their skills. That's how all good athletes come about. The kids who make it past travel ball and so on are the ones who out worked everyone else (depending on size and age).

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That is about the best answer I have ever heard regarding travel baseball.

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left up to the kid

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That is the problem that I see with this though. Sometimes, things can't be left up for children to decide. I am a realist, and brutaly honest when it comes to things. However, most people just want to make everyone happy in life, which can not happen.

My nephew is 8 and is very good at sports. Last year, he played baseball through the entire summer and into the next school year, as well as playing football and soccer. Needless to say, he was well burned out before the summer ended, and I really believe that as a result, he is perfering to play football more. Not sure yet, due to the fact that he is a child and kids change their minds like Louisiana weather.

I will give my son every opportunity to succeed in life. But with whatever he chooses to do, he WILL undetstand that hard work and dedication is how someone succeeds in life.

I understand the concept of showcasing players.

The problem is that it seems like everyone is playing baseball these days to get that coveted slot on a high school team or a college team... and they feel like playing baseball for baseball's sake is a WASTE OF TIME.

Playing baseball is its own reward. Your childhood and teen years are the ONLY time the VAST majority of people will ever play the game!

And the problem... particularly in Baton Rouge... is that this attitude is ruining "casual" baseball in order to over-serve the allegedly "elite" players in the sport.

How?

Let me give you an example. Team A and Team B play league ball. Let's say they are 11 year olds. After the season, Team A and Team B's coaches say... hey... let's take your best 5 and my best 5 and make a tournament team. They do, and leave the league for the tournament circuit. Good for them. Excellent opportunity to be showcased and seen by people in the know. Seriously. Good for them.

Now, let's examine what happened when they left. First, the league lost two teams, which hurts a lot for the health of a league. Secondly, the other 7 or so players remaining on each team are now out of a team.

But they can find new teams, right? Well, maybe... but what's more likely to happen is that 10 of those 14 kids will hang up their cleats at the ripe old age of 12.

I'm not knocking tournament ball for how it serves the upper crust of the sport. It serves them QUITE well. The issue here, though, is that we have a TON of kids that want to play ball, and no resources are going toward helping them. It seems like no one cares casual play anymore, from the parental, coaching or administrative levels of baseball.

Our focus is so much on the development of star players, that average players are being denied access to the sport past a certain age.

It shouldn't be that way.

We feign concern about our kids being overwieght, getting no exercise and playing video games all day, but you tell me... who's going to provide baseball to that kid playing X-Box? When his parents decide that it's time for him to get out of his room and play baseball, where will they go? Who will he play for?

The teams aren't there anymore. Not in this town.

There is an overwhelming need for lower-level baseball in Baton Rouge. No one wants to commit to it, though. It's a shame.