re: Travel ball teams sitting on the side of the road asking for money?

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Don’t give them money.

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Yeah, I addressed that with above comment. The rest of it was addressing all the irrational travel ball hate on this board (as evidenced by the original subject matter).

If I saw one begging on 30A, I’d be tempted to say something to one of the adults.

There are other causes I think deserve any money I decide to donate, than a travel ball team.

If someone is going to start a travel team, it is their responsibility to finance the team, within. If you want your child to play travel ball then you should be responsible for the financial side of it. Just like anything else. If you want your kid to go to some type of camp, you have to be willing to pay for them to attend.

How important is travel ball, when it comes to kids getting noticed, when it comes to recruiting? I know in football, to get on the national ranking list and get national attention, players have to attend certain camps, but every once in awhile, a player gets noticed by scouts, who go to HS games to watch someone else.

But there is a lot more talent available in baseball and a lot more teams, that the landscape of recruiting for baseball.. Is a little different, but I don't know the details of it. Can anyone explain?

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just $1,000 a year

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Is that it?

Good thread TDcline. I've said the exact same thing you said several times lately. These people are all coming out in large amounts lately. They piss me off. Like these kids are running in the roads with passing cars and the lazy inconsiderate parents are on the side asking for money for their kids and get mad at you for not giving them your hard earned money. And like you said they're not setting up a car wash or making lemonade or whatever. They just beg. They're trying to get free handouts like any lazy arse person in society today. It's kind of pathetic really. They're no different from homeless people to me. Hate them both.

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I mean, how fricked up are these parents for getting their kids out of the house, teaching them how to commit and work hard and spend time with friends and family.

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These parents are not the problem.

I can't exaggerate this story enough, but I use to work right next to a guy's office, who was a "travel ball dad". Every second he wasn't doing something work related, he was talking travel ball. He was one the phone trying to recruit players, arguing with other parents, etc. It's all he would talk about. He would drop the occasional "if you want to get the attention of the LSUs of the world you have to ____________". If I recall, I think he said his son was 11 or 12..

One day he is all fired up. Evidently another team "stole" one of their players. And in his words "the only way they can remain competitive is if they get a kid, who can't afford to pay the travel ball expenses, to play" so he was bitching about how he and other parents would have to foot the bill for this kid to play. Again, I can't exaggerate how obsessed this guy was with this. Those are the type that turn people off to travel ball.

About a month ago, a friend of mine, who coached his daughter's travel team, send us (a group of friends in a group text) this text.

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I got a good one for y’all. We played the worst coaching team and unruly fans I ever saw this past Sat night.

I have never seen two coaches (women coaches at that) talk down to their players and our players like this team’s coaches did. They were from _______. We up 5-4, we are home and bat last. 5 minutes remaining on the clock.

His daughter is my first batter of the inning. Gets a single, and then steals second. While sliding in second her knee got jammed a bit she is laying on the ground so I I run to check on her.


Now remember this coach has been running her mouth the whole game at my players. I never said a word. As I’m running out she starts yelling at me that I’m milking the clock so we can win.

After I checked on his daughter at second, 1 minute I was out on the field tops, she was still running her mouth as I walked off the field. I turned and looked at her and said why don’t you shut up and let me check on my player. These girls are 10 and nobody cares who wins.

I shite you not, this woman coach takes off running and charges at me from her dug out. They were on 1st base dugout and I was coaching third. She is yelling at me I’m not gonna tell her to shut up. The umpires had to restrain her and hold her back at the pitchers mound.

This goes on for another 2 or 3 minutes. I hear a male parents yelling at me saying I bet you won’t yell that to me. The umpires made me and her stay in the dugout for the rest of the few minutes left in the game. My next batter we have a close play at 1st my player gets called safe.

The guy that yelled at me from the stands that I bet I wouldn’t tell him to shut up yells at the umpire "you are fricking pitiful blue". Umpire stops the game and ejects him. He wouldn’t leave so they had to wait 5 minutes for him to leave. It was 11pm at night. We had to walk out as a team to our cars because their parents and coaches were still running their mouth after the game. Straight pitiful man.

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I copied the text and emailed it to myself so I could edit a few things

But again, it's parents like the coach he is referring to and the parent in the stands... That makes it "rational hate".

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But you have to play more than just HS ball to get noticed right?

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I mean it helps, but it can all depend on what school you attend, how successful your team is and if your coach is willing to help.

However, being a part of a summer league, paying Perfect Game, etc.....gives a player an edge...

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I feel the same way about public school every time I pay my property taxes.

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Same here, I don’t have kids in public school.