re: Ben Sheets Travel Team. 65-6 record

Worse thing is dumb dad paying 3-5K for the right to say he did all he could do to get that scholarship ........

He coaches a 7-8 all star team to. We had a scrimmage with them on Tuesday. They beat us pretty good but our team isn't great anyway. He is a good guy though. We used to go play basketball with him at his house in the Bend and he hoop pretty good to.

His 7-8 year olds aren't too strong I have seen them play at several tournaments this year . But the dude has got to be stretched thin he has like 4 different teams

Wasn't assessing so much as stating a fact . The guy seriously coaches like 4 different travel baseball teams . And even at 8 years old you it's easy to see which kids are studs and which ones aren't . A lot of people don't really understand the whole travel baseball thing . It's actually worlds better in all facets than local league play where you have 5-6 good players per team and 5-6 that will never play after they are 10 . It also gets rid of all the coaches from the bleachers who are upset that their kid is the best player on the field that can't catch simple grounders or hit the baseball whatsoever .

quote:

---

Worse thing is dumb dad paying 3-5K for the right to say he did all he could do to get that scholarship ........

---

those dads are probably somewhat responsible for the LHSAA split... bc you know they're choosing high schools like they're choosing travel teams

quote:

---

It seems travel ball is loved by parents who have kids that play and hated by those who dont have kids playing

---

This has some truth to it, but of course, it's not universally true. I coached recreational ball for a long time, and I've run across good and bad people in the travel circuit. We most often would interact in fall ball, where teams are more scarce and there's more interaction between the two levels of teams.

During interactions like that, I was exposed to both the good and bad of travel team coaches and culture, and I can say that the best travel coaches were the ones who approached the game from the standpoint of making everyone better - the ones that have the interests of baseball at heart. Those people see a rec team across the field from them and they want to lift them up as well - they recognize they aren't a threat. Those coaches are a joy to work with. The worst kind are the ones that view a rec team like a punching bag, and make the whole experience miserable, like a zero-sum game, where no one walks away feeling good but the travel coach.

Like an earlier poster said, it gives kids the opportunity to play more baseball and to get better by having more exposure to games. Travel ball sometimes also provides coaching from former college and pro players who are involved in the system. Travel ball works best for kids who would rather play baseball than do anything else. These players are out there, and this is who travel ball should be intended for. It also provides opportunity for families to do things together all year long. In my opinion, travel ball should be viewed like a gifted and talented academic program. It's not for everyone. It shouldn't be the "norm" and you shouldn't get any extra pats on the back for doing it. It should feel like a good fit for the kid naturally, and that's reward enough.

More than "wearing kids out" or "being too competitive," my main gripe with travel ball, as a dedicated recreational coach, is how the travel ball explodes in growth at the expense of recreational ball. As I have detailed before, some coaches have the right idea. But I can't tell you how many kids I've lost from my team over the years, particularly in the under-12 age groups, to travel teams raiding my roster. In addition, I can't tell you how many good teams I had that would have ordinarily won a rec league championship if it wasn't for that one travel team masquerading as a rec league team in our league, going undefeated and mauling everyone they play. I've coached 17 years, and I've seen this happen every single year. Sometimes it's one team, sometimes two. But they are always there, fouling up our league. Rec leagues would be better if there were more equitable talent distribution across the board and coaches worked together to be better coaches. The two styles of youth baseball don't have to work against each other. They can and should coexist.

I don't hate travel ball. I've never been a part of it. It doesn't fit my coaching style or schedule, or that of my team's parents. I just wish they could conduct their activities without interfering with rec ball in a number of different ways. It has been my experience over time that many in the travel circuit just cannot do this.

quote:

---

No doubt. Wonder how many lsu players played travel ball. I know alex lange did

---

Maybe 15-30%. CPM is very keen on getting multiple sport athletes. Hell, our 09 championship teams had 7 high school Qbs alone


ETA: And when I am watching an MLB game, it seems almost everytime they talk about one of the All stars high school years, they were a multi sport athlete

Yea I had to laugh at that comment as well

LINK

Check this roster history. You might know a few of these guys that were based out of Thibodaux.

baseball is becoming a rich kid sport, part of the reason they are losing kids to other sports....