re: The reality of travel baseball

Had a nephew that loved football but his dad was not into sports AT ALL. But this kid hit the genetic lottery. His dad is 6’7 280lb welder. Didn’t figure he would be as big as dad because mom was a short coonass but could always tell he would be bigger than average. By middle school he was one of the taller kids on team and had above average speed. Played outside linebacker. Once he made his High School team I started telling them they need to get him in camps every summer. They said he did a local camp in East Texas where they lived. I kept telling them that they need to get him into some of the college camps like LSU, Oklahoma or Texas. They thought it was ridiculous because kids from small podunk schools didn’t make it to college football. Didn’t matter how many examples I gave them of guys coming out of small schools making to college ball they just would laugh off. They kept saying there was no way he could play at that level. Told them that who knows, maybe even if it wasn’t D1 he could possibly get school paid for by someone like South Arkansas or Southern Miss. By his senior year he was starting LB, 6’2” 220 lbs and ran a 4.6 forty and was strong as a fricking ox.

Did get a few looks from some smaller programs but ended up joining the Navy.
He is a freaking Navy Seal now…lol, but mom and dad always thought it laughable that he could play college football.

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You can't say it's all made up then say your son never played fall ball.

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He's probably referring people to think there are only the extremes. Like this statement

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The toughest part of it all is finding something between hardcore travel ball where it’s intense practices year round and the rec leagues where half the kids aren’t really interested in baseball but signed up because their friends are playing.

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Of course there is the in between. Probably the majority play only Spring ball. Trickle some practice in late fall and then ramp up after the new year. Finish up late May, beginning of June.

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yes, it was such glorious times when my kids went into a recreational draft and i had no control over which daddy and psycho mother was going to be my kid's coach for a season that I had no idea who the teammates were, what their skill levels were going to be and no prior talk to how my child fit into the team/roster/ or development. Then we got to do the same thing 3 months later for the next season. Whole new coaching staff and roster for my kid that he had no idea who half of the numbnuts were before. Those times were so great.

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“No prior talk about my child would fit into the team/roster/development”


Personally a new coaching staff and roster every year or every other year sounds extremely healthy.

From a roster standpoint they become more social have further community ties and exposed to kids around town that they would never know otherwise.


As far as coaching you never know when someone might see something and say something that clicks.

Also means that kids get time with more positions.





With that said Pandora’s box at this point has been opened and it’s hard to go back as the local recs have been destroyed.

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The reality of travel sports

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The largest ponzi scheme in the US

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Roughly 7% of high schoolers play in colleg

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does that include junior college and/or community because that seems pretty high

The funniest part about travel ball is the absolute ceiling for many of the players is Delgado or Nicholls State, all of that mess to maybe attend Nicholls on a 10% discount