re: Little League baseball parent sunk to an all-time low

quote:

---

Is travel ball just a team that plays tournaments instead of being in a league?

---

It's a chance to play a more competitive level than your rec leagues. The poster you responded to is correct on the parenting part of it though. Travel offers more practice and games too.

quote:

---

Is travel ball just a team that plays tournaments instead of being in a league?

---

When I was a kid pretty much everyone played in the rec league. Most years we had 16 teams so it was a big league. The best kids at the end of the season would be put on 2 or 3 all star teams. Those teams would play in the summer and play in tournaments.

But as I got older more kids started to get put on select teams. But most of us had parents who couldnt afford that so we had to still play in the rec league. Of course those boys who played select were arrogant and acted like they were better. Yet I and others would play on those all star teams in the summer from the rec league and we would play these select teams in tournaments and beat them more often than not

Then come 9th grade for freshman baseball tryouts it was heated. 18 spots. Basically kids north of 183 played select, those south were poor and couldn't. Yet the roster makeup was 12 kids who played rec league, and 6 who played travel ball. We had kids who played travel ball for years not make it and their kids throw a fit.

Some of the best players at my high school never played an inning of travel ball. And got scholarships to big schools.

Fact of the matter is if you have baseball talent you will have baseball talent regardless of whether you play select or rec league. And just because you play select travel ball doesn't mean you will be good.

quote:

---

It's a chance to play a more competitive level than your rec leagues. The poster you responded to is correct on the parenting part of it though. Travel offers more practice and games too.

---

At what expense though. Most experience I have with kids whose parents forced them to play travel ball all year end up hating it and quitting in high school or even before them. Hardly any actually play beyond high school

My dad was as hands-off as it got. Yet I probably had more athletic success than 99% of kids whose dads did push them. My dad never pushed me even though he played both football and baseball in college and played minor league ball as a pitcher. I think because he was so hands off I actually enjoyed it and pushed myself to get better. I was always in the back yard hitting balls off a tee or throwing pitches into the pitchback. And if I asked my dad if he could help me with my pitching or play catch or sign me up for hitting lessons he would gladly do so but only if I asked.

Parents need to be more hands off IMO. Stop micro managing your kids sports life and think that if you push him so hard he will be a big leaguer. The key to a kid truly improving is having him enjoy it so much that he wants to get better

quote:

---

So the same as club soccer.

---

not sure. I have friends that coach and others with kids on travel teams. The organizations that put on the tournaments are making bank...they rarely cancel games for weather just to collect admissions. I have heard a lot more bad things than good. Of course every parent I know with a son on a travel team thinks they will make the majors one day.

The oddest thing is these parents are willing to waste a whole weekend in some podunk place and get home at midnight sunday...my parents would have never been down for that

quote:

---

The dad said, well, we will play but only for Coach T because he's a good friend. So Ben was nice and said he wants players who want to play for him so he would trade with Coach T.

---

thats nothing.....happens all the time.....youth sports can be horrible.

quote:

---

Pitching at 9-10 sucks no matter what level you play at, and the coach-pitch travel ball teams are absolutely hysterical in how stupid of an idea that is.

---

Both make me laugh

I get why travel ball leagues exist at age 11-12, I truly do, I think its retarded, but I understand why the demand is there

But anything before that is stupid.

Kids have short attention spans. If you make them do something too much they will just view it as a chore.

For me it was simple growing up

Football in the fall.

Basketball in the winter.

Baseball in the spring.

If I wanted to, I'd play on the all star team in the summer. I did most years but one year I didn't because we had a big vacation planned.

I don't remember a draft when I was that age

quote:

---

I don't remember a draft when I was that age

---

I actually had the same scenario happen to me in 5th grade.

My best friend's dad was coaching a team in our rec league and was going to draft me. Problem is he had the 3rd pick. I got drafted 1st and got put on the team of some guy I didn't know. But guess what, my parents didn't bitch about it, I was disappointed but got over it and played on that new team and made new friends in the process.

quote:

---

So Ben was nice and said he wants players who want to play for him so he would trade with Coach T.

---

Hopefully Ben also got that dude's 3rd, 4th, and 5th round pick to move down one spot

At the end of the day, all that matters is that they make good grades and are happy. I wish I would have realized that before my oldest was finished playing. I did a much better job with perspective on my second.