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re: The case against Travel Ball by Dr. James Andrews
Posted on 1/15/15 at 3:33 pm to Stevo
Posted on 1/15/15 at 3:33 pm to Stevo
quote:For those scoring at home, it is now good to be a great athlete and not specialize in 1 sport.
you'll notice I said that it wasn't absolute. Jazz is an exceptional athlete for sure.
![](https://images.tigerdroppings.com/Images/Icons/Iconcheers.gif)
Posted on 1/15/15 at 3:40 pm to GeismarGeauxer
But he really likes it!!!! It's been dumb to play 100 games a year since the day they started doing it .mDumb I say
Posted on 1/15/15 at 6:17 pm to Mung
quote:well, I don't like to brag
you were the best 1B our rec league softball team ever had
quote:or eat myself fat....I coulda been a contender if I hadn't lost my blazing speed
Don't sell yourself short.
This post was edited on 1/15/15 at 6:19 pm
Posted on 1/15/15 at 10:32 pm to lsupride87
Damn, this thread blew up.
I could have been a position player in college at one point. But it was very obvious that I was going to be a pitcher if I wanted to accomplish my goals...I'm 6'5'' and left handed. A couple seasons of focusing on pitching and there was just no way I had the skill to be a sufficient hitter anymore. Could have messed around at a less talented school for a bit but baseball is a craft, rivaling golf, tennis, or QBing. You ignore it and you WILL fall behind.
Once I figured out I was serious about the game, my parents did everything possible to help me get to where I needed to be. If they would have been more heavy handed I have no doubt that I would have rebelled from all that shite.
Saw a few posts about scholarships in Louisiana and in general. Can kids in Louisiana not receive both sports scholarships AND academic scholarships? I ended up signing with UCF, then a JUCO(3 years is WAY too long to have to stay in school if you're a pitcher). Staying in Florida made the most financial sense but there were definitely other options.
Recruiting budgets for baseball are a joke. And it's harder than the other big sports to narrow down who to recruit. Coaches will typically stay pretty close to their own turf to find players. I made a list of my top 50 schools and my dad emailed them to let them know I was interested. We made a schedule of everywhere I'd be pitching with dates and times. Words can not describe how ecstatic 90% of these coaches were. Every single one, in one way or another, told me how much easier and cheaper it was to recruit me this way. I stayed in contact with them and as they saw me the offers started coming in. Got the list down to about 10 and then started talking numbers. I won't get into it but baseball scholarships are a damn joke. Thanks title IX? I'm not sure. Anyways, my dad and I took all the info we had and I made my final decision. I found that coaches were blown away by the process we took. Depending on their situation, many were even willing to wave out of state tuition. I've contemplated a business designed around a process for young baseball players finding schools but haven't ever gotten too serious about it.
My point with all this is you don't need to ship your kid all over America and wear him down in order to be seen. Make it easier on yourself, your kid, and the coaches trying to find them. Hell, teammates and I would have requests to attend showcases in Arizona and pretty much everywhere. My dad and I would go play golf while they were spending a fortune busting their arse out west. It's pointless and causes more harm than good.
quote:With baseball, I'm not so sure this post is all that accurate. Everything is becoming so specialized that you sorta need to focus on what it is you want to do if you have really high hopes.
These travel ball parents need to realize if their kid has it he has it. Practicing hard is important, but the sheer amount they do is ridiculous. They should go look at LSUs national champ team of 2009. 8 of those players on that team played High School QB. They were well rounded freak athletes that played more than one sport. Hell, most mlb players were studs on their high school football and Basketball teams as well. The only sports that truly take 100% focus to go D1 are tennis and golf. The rest are usually the athletes that played multiple sports in high school
I could have been a position player in college at one point. But it was very obvious that I was going to be a pitcher if I wanted to accomplish my goals...I'm 6'5'' and left handed. A couple seasons of focusing on pitching and there was just no way I had the skill to be a sufficient hitter anymore. Could have messed around at a less talented school for a bit but baseball is a craft, rivaling golf, tennis, or QBing. You ignore it and you WILL fall behind.
Once I figured out I was serious about the game, my parents did everything possible to help me get to where I needed to be. If they would have been more heavy handed I have no doubt that I would have rebelled from all that shite.
Saw a few posts about scholarships in Louisiana and in general. Can kids in Louisiana not receive both sports scholarships AND academic scholarships? I ended up signing with UCF, then a JUCO(3 years is WAY too long to have to stay in school if you're a pitcher). Staying in Florida made the most financial sense but there were definitely other options.
Recruiting budgets for baseball are a joke. And it's harder than the other big sports to narrow down who to recruit. Coaches will typically stay pretty close to their own turf to find players. I made a list of my top 50 schools and my dad emailed them to let them know I was interested. We made a schedule of everywhere I'd be pitching with dates and times. Words can not describe how ecstatic 90% of these coaches were. Every single one, in one way or another, told me how much easier and cheaper it was to recruit me this way. I stayed in contact with them and as they saw me the offers started coming in. Got the list down to about 10 and then started talking numbers. I won't get into it but baseball scholarships are a damn joke. Thanks title IX? I'm not sure. Anyways, my dad and I took all the info we had and I made my final decision. I found that coaches were blown away by the process we took. Depending on their situation, many were even willing to wave out of state tuition. I've contemplated a business designed around a process for young baseball players finding schools but haven't ever gotten too serious about it.
My point with all this is you don't need to ship your kid all over America and wear him down in order to be seen. Make it easier on yourself, your kid, and the coaches trying to find them. Hell, teammates and I would have requests to attend showcases in Arizona and pretty much everywhere. My dad and I would go play golf while they were spending a fortune busting their arse out west. It's pointless and causes more harm than good.
Posted on 1/16/15 at 9:20 am to ReauxlTide222
seems like a great thread to point out that friday night tykes season 2 starts Saturday
![](https://images.tigerdroppings.com/Images/Icons/Iconcheers.gif)
![](https://images.tigerdroppings.com/Images/Icons/IconLOL.gif)
![](https://images.tigerdroppings.com/Images/Icons/Iconcheers.gif)
Posted on 1/16/15 at 10:21 am to iglass
quote:
Regarding cost of travel ball for parents...
I used to shoot the action photography for a hockey complex. We would have four or five major tournaments each year. These teams would come in from all over the southeast and east coast.
One weekend, one of the teams was in from Atlanta playing in the tournament (only certain age teams). It really strikes in my memory because Tom Glavine had a kid on the team and he was there. Anyway, was talking to one of the parents, and I was just asking about the travel hockey process.
He said that he had two boys of different ages. This week, he was in Alabama with one son, and his wife was in Tampa at a hockey tournament with the other son. He said they swap up every other weekend for tournaments, adn that two weeks later, he would be with the other son in Dallas and his wife would be with this son in Chicago.
I asked him how in the world he could afford it, and he just joked, "I have two boys and one daughter - the girl is an equestrian and jumps competitively in shows. Compared to housing, feeding, and driving around a horse for a year, travel hockey is pretty cheap." He said that he spent over $50K/yr on his kids sports and had done so for the last several years.
Jeez, that's insane.
It would be much cheaper for him to just move to Minnesota for hockey. Travel hockey costs that much in the south/southeast because the teams are so far apart and you have to travel to the major urban areas each weekend for games. The costs of the travel and hotels is more expensive than the hockey itself. Up here you can have 40-50 high level town teams within an hour drive.
Funny part is about those teams you watched down there, alot of those parents probably think they are really good. Then they travel up to a big tournament up in Fargo or Minneapolis and their regional all-star team gets smoked by a some small town team like Roseau or Warroad, MN (populations under 10,000 easily) that play the game for a fraction of the cost and the kids spend their free time on the free outdoor ice just playing around all winter. That's just Minnesota, I'm not even talking about some of the teams/players I've seen playing against Canadian teams.
Like I tell my son, as good as you think you are there is always somebody out there who is better, so you better practice hard if this is what you want. I'm under no delusions though, trust me.
Posted on 1/16/15 at 10:24 am to BigEdLSU
quote:There is also a show about to start on competitive go kart racing. That's the one I want to watch. Can't wait for Lil Johnny to flip his lid and got nuts on his dad for not tuning his motor right!
seems like a great thread to point out that friday night tykes season 2 starts Saturday
![](https://images.tigerdroppings.com/Images/Icons/IconLOL.gif)
Posted on 1/16/15 at 11:03 am to SoDakHawk
quote:
Funny part is about those teams you watched down there, alot of those parents probably think they are really good. Then they travel up to a big tournament up in Fargo or Minneapolis and their regional all-star team gets smoked by a some small town team like Roseau or Warroad, MN (populations under 10,000 easily) that play the game for a fraction of the cost and the kids spend their free time on the free outdoor ice just playing around all winter.
So, it's sort of like when they try to bring their baseball, or football, or track, or golf, or tennis all-stars down here to play?
Posted on 1/16/15 at 11:24 am to CadesCove
quote:
So, it's sort of like when they try to bring their baseball, or football, or track, or golf, or tennis all-stars down here to play?
Pretty much, yes. I'll give you guys baseball, golf, and tennis as you have the year round weather for it. Track, fast kids can come from anywhere. Not giving you football yet as football is played in the cold and snow too. The FBS champ (Ohio State), the FCS champ (North Dakota State), the D3 Champ (Wiconsin-Whitewater), and the D2 runner-up (Minnesota St) are from up north here. I'd say we're doing just fine in that sport.
Posted on 1/16/15 at 11:29 am to SoDakHawk
How 'bout those Hawkeyes? ![](https://images.tigerdroppings.com/Images/Icons/IconLOL.gif)
![](https://images.tigerdroppings.com/Images/Icons/IconLOL.gif)
Posted on 1/16/15 at 11:34 am to lsupride87
quote:
These travel ball parents need to realize if their kid has it he has it. Practicing hard is important, but the sheer amount they do is ridiculous. They should go look at LSUs national champ team of 2009. 8 of those players on that team played High School QB. They were well rounded freak athletes that played more than one sport. Hell, most mlb players were studs on their high school football and Basketball teams as well. The only sports that truly take 100% focus to go D1 are tennis and golf. The rest are usually the athletes that played multiple sports in high school
It's always kind of amused me that Pedro and his friends in the slums of Santo Domingo have like a 20X greater chance of playing professionally when their parents make as much in a year as these travel parents do in a week. A lot of times, either you got or you don't.
Posted on 1/16/15 at 11:40 am to CadesCove
My son enjoyed it for the most part, but I was thrilled when he decided to play for his future high school coach in metro league rather than continue with travel ball.
It was a positive that he got so much experience (he wasn't a pitcher), and no time wasted to get into trouble with (although he found ways, anyway) but as far as furthering his 'career' LOLOLOLOLOL. I always encouraged him to try hard and practice, but I NEVER disillusioned him with promises of scholarships/ pro career, and I don't think he did for long, either.
Wreck ball sucked, he was a man among men, but travel ball wise...it just made him too self-conscious and worked against him after the 3rd year or so. We only allowed fall ball one year, and he rotated with football each year after that...we watched his team mates suffer from over-use and I would've been damned to allow his "glory days" end up over with at 12 yrs old.
We made the move to Tx his freshman year, and he made the HS team without much issue, but he is far from a star on the team...not out of lack of ability, but because he simply is burnt-out. I didn't push him to play travel ball year after year, he wanted to...but looking back, I know now that he really just wanted to do what his friends were doing more than he wanted to play baseball.
I would give anything to have some of that time and money back...
It was a positive that he got so much experience (he wasn't a pitcher), and no time wasted to get into trouble with (although he found ways, anyway) but as far as furthering his 'career' LOLOLOLOLOL. I always encouraged him to try hard and practice, but I NEVER disillusioned him with promises of scholarships/ pro career, and I don't think he did for long, either.
Wreck ball sucked, he was a man among men, but travel ball wise...it just made him too self-conscious and worked against him after the 3rd year or so. We only allowed fall ball one year, and he rotated with football each year after that...we watched his team mates suffer from over-use and I would've been damned to allow his "glory days" end up over with at 12 yrs old.
We made the move to Tx his freshman year, and he made the HS team without much issue, but he is far from a star on the team...not out of lack of ability, but because he simply is burnt-out. I didn't push him to play travel ball year after year, he wanted to...but looking back, I know now that he really just wanted to do what his friends were doing more than he wanted to play baseball.
I would give anything to have some of that time and money back...
Posted on 1/16/15 at 11:44 am to GeismarGeauxer
Not sure if this has been posted........
quote:
Plain Dealer: The most complex surgery you've ever done?
James Andrews: Marcus Lattimore, running back from South Carolina -- his leg. Drew Brees' shoulder. I'll say this about Drew: It's amazing that he's been able to come back and throw a football, let alone play at the level he does.
Posted on 1/16/15 at 11:49 am to CadesCove
quote:
How 'bout those Hawkeyes?
No, not so much.
Posted on 1/16/15 at 11:56 am to AbuTheMonkey
quote:
It's always kind of amused me that Pedro and his friends in the slums of Santo Domingo have like a 20X greater chance of playing professionally when their parents make as much in a year as these travel parents do in a week. A lot of times, either you got or you don't.
here's some useful info re Pedro's baseball development in the DR. Some of these MLB sponsored teams are pretty amazing.
Pedro's Slum Baseball
This post was edited on 1/16/15 at 11:58 am
Posted on 1/16/15 at 11:56 am to SoDakHawk
Speed comes from the warm weather areas too ![](https://images.tigerdroppings.com/Images/Icons/Iconcheers.gif)
![](https://images.tigerdroppings.com/Images/Icons/Iconcheers.gif)
Posted on 1/16/15 at 12:03 pm to SoDakHawk
quote:
No, not so much.
Sorry, had to take the shot. TN has been irrelevant for a decade now, and we are going to have to learn how to act again now that we are on the rise.
![](https://images.tigerdroppings.com/Images/Icons/Iconcheers.gif)
Posted on 1/16/15 at 12:05 pm to BigEdLSU
Guess how many current LSU baseball players were on the LBA Pelicans 9u team? and how many D1 players were on it?
Posted on 1/16/15 at 12:19 pm to SoDakHawk
quote:
Track, fast kids can come from anywhere.
![](https://images.tigerdroppings.com/Images/Icons/IconLOL.gif)
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