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re: Rec baseball is slowly creeping toward extinction in my area
Posted on 4/11/26 at 12:40 pm to High C
Posted on 4/11/26 at 12:40 pm to High C
quote:
The younger age groups are still ok in my local rec league. You really see the drop off after 8U in number of kids playing. I think that by then the better players have moved on to travel ball, and the lower end players realize it’s not for them and stop playing baseball altogether.
Yeah and sport specialization is causing much of that as well. Coupled with the fact that when there is money to be made.....
0
Posted on 4/11/26 at 12:56 pm to DRock88
I used to be involved at King's Grant(even though I lived on the Eastbank. How is the status of playground tackle football. I remember the last year I was involved our team played was supposed to be a very good Girard team that should have been running clock, it really wasn't fair or fun. The iroic part is one of the kids on that team lived down the street from me and ended up being a good player at Jesuit.
Posted on 4/11/26 at 12:58 pm to DRock88
Also most fun I had playing baseball and it's not even close was 7-11 years old park ball when we would all walk or ride our bikes to practices and games.
and then in legion ball. everything else was not nearly as fun.
and then in legion ball. everything else was not nearly as fun.
Posted on 4/11/26 at 1:01 pm to elmo 57
elmo I'd also wager that some of these injuries today is because kids legs aren't conditioned like they were when we were young. I rode my bike probably 35 miles a week 7 years old through 15. My kid and his tribe likely had less than 35 miles a year.
Kids are bigger and stronger today, but from what I see they aren't nearly as over all conditioned or acclimated like we were. Too much inside time
Kids are bigger and stronger today, but from what I see they aren't nearly as over all conditioned or acclimated like we were. Too much inside time
Posted on 4/11/26 at 1:02 pm to CastleBravo
quote:cheer, dance and hoops way way worse. and the 7on 7 cult is gaining ground FAST
Baseball travel leagues seem like a whole other level of obsession.
Posted on 4/11/26 at 6:20 pm to choupiquesushi
quote:
How is the status of playground tackle football.
Playground tackle football is still pretty good on the Eastbank and Westbank, but also dying some. The parish all star teams still do well in the tournaments in Gatlinburg at the 10U and 12U level. East and West combine now, too, though. The 10U team went undefeated and unscored upon until the ship in TN, but lost 6-0 on an early fluke TD, fumbled multiple times, etc. They played some big NORD teams before TN, too. The 12U team never lost a game. Beat Curtis' 6th grade team badly, some NORD teams, and swept TN pretty easily. Christian Brothers takes some kids away from JPRD for football now.
Posted on 4/11/26 at 6:25 pm to High C
Rec baseball has failed to adapt to the maturation of a baseball player
Playing 46/60 at 12 years old is ridiculous.
You then have one year to adapt to 60/90.
Tell me how that’s a good thing ?
Playing 46/60 at 12 years old is ridiculous.
You then have one year to adapt to 60/90.
Tell me how that’s a good thing ?
Posted on 4/11/26 at 8:41 pm to Teauxler
Ive coached rec baseball (and basketball) now going on my 9th year i think.
I usually drsft the Sandlot kids and we have a ball. I let way more serious kids get drafted by a few coaches that are hustling tournaments and all stars after rec ends. I teach fundamentals and drill em pretty hard but I do move kids all over so they get to play everywhere.
Like an old man said... A lot of these kids it'll be the last time they ever play competitive sports. Let em play.
Ive seen some amazing kids come through that are naturally head and shoulders above everyone else. Some playing with shite equipment or gloves and bats I loaned em. I cant tell you how many baseballs ive purchased and given away to kids.
One thing that I have noticed is these Sandlot kids know how to do things outside baseball. Ive coached a bunch of the same kids and they can work on their lawnmowers, they fish, cast net, hunt, and help their dads build shite...well rounded.
The kids that play ball year round dont seem to know how to do anything else but that.
I wonder how it will do them when they grow up after school and not made it anywhere else and all of a sudden have to do grownup things....
Its not a critique, just an observation.
I usually drsft the Sandlot kids and we have a ball. I let way more serious kids get drafted by a few coaches that are hustling tournaments and all stars after rec ends. I teach fundamentals and drill em pretty hard but I do move kids all over so they get to play everywhere.
Like an old man said... A lot of these kids it'll be the last time they ever play competitive sports. Let em play.
Ive seen some amazing kids come through that are naturally head and shoulders above everyone else. Some playing with shite equipment or gloves and bats I loaned em. I cant tell you how many baseballs ive purchased and given away to kids.
One thing that I have noticed is these Sandlot kids know how to do things outside baseball. Ive coached a bunch of the same kids and they can work on their lawnmowers, they fish, cast net, hunt, and help their dads build shite...well rounded.
The kids that play ball year round dont seem to know how to do anything else but that.
I wonder how it will do them when they grow up after school and not made it anywhere else and all of a sudden have to do grownup things....
Its not a critique, just an observation.
This post was edited on 4/11/26 at 8:43 pm
Posted on 4/11/26 at 8:43 pm to SlowFlowPro
quote:
you have to play travel ball and devote crazy amounts of time to be middling within travel ball
Most of yall have no clue what 90% of travel ball is
Most travel ball teams are AA - they don’t play tournaments in the fall - maybe practice a handful of times - 99% of the kids play 2 other sports
Start tournaments in March play 2 weekends a month and play all games within a 50mile area
Their season ends early- mid June and they don’t do any baseball the rest of the summer
Rec all stars last all the way to the back half of July
This post was edited on 4/11/26 at 8:47 pm
Posted on 4/11/26 at 9:17 pm to High C
All travel team sports are a cancer and most of the parents act like it’s a badge of elitism.
My six year old daughter wanted to take gymnastics lessons this school year. I hear some of the conversations amongst the competition team parents and they are beyond delusional. Maybe a few of those girls will go on to get a scholarship at a smaller school. They all think their daughters will be at an LSU caliber school and some even think the Olympics are a possibility. They practice 3 hours per day 3 times per week. Completely unreasonable.
My six year old daughter wanted to take gymnastics lessons this school year. I hear some of the conversations amongst the competition team parents and they are beyond delusional. Maybe a few of those girls will go on to get a scholarship at a smaller school. They all think their daughters will be at an LSU caliber school and some even think the Olympics are a possibility. They practice 3 hours per day 3 times per week. Completely unreasonable.
Posted on 4/11/26 at 9:37 pm to High C
Coached 2 years of rec baseball. Most rec organizations suck. Terrible fields, equipment etc. The lack of other parents to help out is a huge issue. 13-15 kids on a team doesn’t allow you to actually get anything done bc 5-6 are really into baseball. 5-6 are there because their parents are making them play a sport. And the other 2-3 have no clue what baseball is. It’s 6 weeks long with 2 games a week and you’ll probably have at least 2-3 rain outs with no make up games.
My kid wanted to play more baseball so we went to travel route. We enjoy it. I’m the Gamechanger dad. One of the kids was complaining bc his double the other weekend was ruled an error! lol!!
My kid wanted to play more baseball so we went to travel route. We enjoy it. I’m the Gamechanger dad. One of the kids was complaining bc his double the other weekend was ruled an error! lol!!
Posted on 4/11/26 at 9:46 pm to Cosmo
I’m played for Napa we were loaded. Played for a pizza place in Mandeville… we sucked but got free pizza.
Posted on 4/11/26 at 10:01 pm to SlowFlowPro
I feel like this is the same argument of, "Public schools wouldn't be so bad if all the kids in private school went back to public school."
I coached a rec league team around 2021. I was appalled by the lack of quality players. Seemed very few parents practiced with them at home. These kids needed to atleast spend some time at home watching some games. You can learn some things from just watching games on TV.
I coached a rec league team around 2021. I was appalled by the lack of quality players. Seemed very few parents practiced with them at home. These kids needed to atleast spend some time at home watching some games. You can learn some things from just watching games on TV.
This post was edited on 4/12/26 at 1:08 am
Posted on 4/12/26 at 6:10 am to PrideofTheSEC
quote:
I feel like this is the same argument of, "Public schools wouldn't be so bad if all the kids in private school went back to public school."
I can speak on this much more authoritatively than baseball and what I said is true there too.
In that scenario I was the "kid who could go pro" and played in "rec league" (diverse public school)
quote:
Seemed very few parents practiced with them at home.
You're just making the school comp that much better.
Posted on 4/12/26 at 9:03 am to DRock88
quote:
Playground tackle football is still pretty good on the Eastbank and Westbank, but also dying some.
St. Bernard doesn’t even have an official tackle football rec program anymore… Rage has taken its place
Posted on 4/12/26 at 10:11 am to chalmetteowl
Wow
Posted on 4/12/26 at 2:34 pm to GeauxtigersMs36
quote:I managed & played on a Dallas co-ed C league softball team that was sponsored by a bar.The bar was down the street from my office. Most of the team were from my office. We ate lunch at the bar some days and stopped in on the way home from work on occasion. The field we played on was only 10 or 12 blocks away. After games they gave us three pitchers of beer and a shot of tequila. We finished 2nd in our league.
Played for a pizza place in Mandeville… we sucked but got free pizza
The next year I got the company I worked for to sponsor the team. The same group of people won our league and made the citywide playoffs. We won one playoff game but lost our 2nd game. We had to move up to a B league. We never won at that level, but the other teams had former college softball players on them. We had lost three of our better female players who moved to other companies. Our 24 year old 1st baseman, a pitcher and an outfielder who was as good as any of the guys on the team. I never found another female willing to play 1st base. They didn't want people throwing the ball to them so hard.
Posted on 4/13/26 at 8:53 am to Midtiger farm
quote:
Most of yall have no clue what 90% of travel ball is
Most travel ball teams are AA - they don’t play tournaments in the fall - maybe practice a handful of times - 99% of the kids play 2 other sports
Start tournaments in March play 2 weekends a month and play all games within a 50mile area
Their season ends early- mid June and they don’t do any baseball the rest of the summer
Rec all stars last all the way to the back half of July
100% this
SFP was talking about our area...there is like 1 team per age group in SWLA that travels more than lafayette or beaumont more than once per year
I have coached both, coached rec for 8 years if you think its remotely close to the same or that kids arent much much better, both top end and middle then you have zero clue
and no offense against SFP but he is the typical type in this thread. zero kids, didnt play sports in HS, is not around the game at all......yet feels the need to come tell everyone how they are wrong.
its real simple for me, if you think travel ball is crazy...cool just play rec. I dont really care either way, but just understand what the competition to make the HS team looks like if that is something your kid wants to do.
the fact that people still think the DR or VZ kids are just streetball kids or that it cost tens of thousands to play travel or that normal travel kids are flying all over the country is laughable or that travel kids dont play any other sports or have terrible grades etc. these are the same people that think if you are good enough they will find you and that you are born to be able to play and nobody needs all the training
ignorance is bliss and if you want your kid to play only rec..i 100% support that. I do not understand why yall have to come bash parents who allow their kids to chase their dreams and can afford it
i guess same type of people who get mad if a kid chooses to go to a better private school....god forbid that they choose something better. Cant be having people feeling like they are getting left behind.
Posted on 4/13/26 at 9:00 am to High C
My boys play rec league baseball right now in Tennessee and there are a lot of teams, but there are a couple teams in the league that are “travel ball” groups that play together year round in various leagues and don’t play other sports. We’re talking 8 year olds. They have mullets and swaggy clothes and stupid names and redneck parents. They’re also good as shite. There’s one kid on our team that is clearly the best player and one of these “travel ball” coaches asked his parents if he’d like to play for them next year instead of with all of his school friends. They said absolutely no. But that’s how they recruit.
We just laugh about it, get our arse kicked by those couple of teams, play competitively against the rest, and go play a different sport every couple months. I’d MUCH rather my kids be “pretty good” at a bunch of sports than amazing at one sport. We don’t have the genetics to be professional athletes.
We just laugh about it, get our arse kicked by those couple of teams, play competitively against the rest, and go play a different sport every couple months. I’d MUCH rather my kids be “pretty good” at a bunch of sports than amazing at one sport. We don’t have the genetics to be professional athletes.
Posted on 4/13/26 at 9:03 am to Chef Curry
quote:
All travel team sports are a cancer and most of the parents act like it’s a badge of elitism.
Which cracks me up, because they're usually white trash.
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