Kids and baseball

[MoValley John]

I may be able to offer a slightly different opinion here. While the guy in the article is way over the top and extreme, I have absolutely no problem with select travel ball. I played for Standiford with the Wichita Sluggers Academy and was able to receive D1 offers due to good showings my senior year, specifically when the UNL coach asked to see me pitch at Haymarket. For the right kids and the right families, select travel ball can be a huge blessing (though an expensive one). Exposure can be a great thing for a ball player. The problem lies often times in the coaches of high school teams that play politics with the select teams. A high school coach that only cares about having select players on the roster is no longer a coach, he is merely a recruiter.

Honest questions, did you accept a scholly? If so, did you play? If you accepted a scholly and played, did the scholly come anywhere close to the amount of money your parents put into your travel ball?

I'm sure some kids do well with travel ball, I've seen it. Far more burn out. Many end up getting cut anyway. Furthermore, surgeons are now making fortunes off of the elbows of unsuspecting 14 year-olds who didn't have the guts to say, "hey, coach, my arm hurts" and their parents who were too scared to shut their kids down for fear of them being cut.

Whether you like it or not, if you played more than 30 games a summer, you played too much. After July 4th, it's time for your dad to take you fishing and the family to head off to see the Grand Canyon. Far too many kids in travel ball don't even have any social experiences outside of their 15 teammates. Unfortunately, I'm stuck with the reality of probably having to stick my two youngest kids in the stupid travel ball mill.

[DJShocker10]

Honest questions, did you accept a scholly? If so, did you play? If you accepted a scholly and played, did the scholly come anywhere close to the amount of money your parents put into your travel ball?

I'm sure some kids do well with travel ball, I've seen it. Far more burn out. Many end up getting cut anyway. Furthermore, surgeons are now making fortunes off of the elbows of unsuspecting 14 year-olds who didn't have the guts to say, "hey, coach, my arm hurts" and their parents who were too scared to shut their kids down for fear of them being cut.

Whether you like it or not, if you played more than 30 games a summer, you played too much. After July 4th, it's time for your dad to take you fishing and the family to head off to see the Grand Canyon. Far too many kids in travel ball don't even have any social experiences outside of their 15 teammates. Unfortunately, I'm stuck with the reality of probably having to stick my two youngest kids in the stupid travel ball mill.

I can tell you that I accepted an offer and redshirted my freshman year. Hurt my elbow during the summer following my redshirt year and never quite recovered to full strength. I never really had a problem with having a social life outside of baseball. I totally agree that there are teams that go overboard. I would guess we were probably playing around 30-40 games per summer, typically showcase tournaments where you are limited to 3-4 games in a weekend with one or two off weekends. Mark Standiford took care of us down here with the Wichita Sluggers Academy and I've never seen him or any of his other coaches misusing players. If you're reluctant, but still feel travel ball is necessary for your kids, I've played against several Nebraska Sluggers teams and always seemed like they ran their program well. I think they are out of your area.

[MoValley John]

There are two triple a teams that feed our high school. No majors. The Millard schools have a couple majors, as do others. Both teams that feed the hs play 65-80 games a summer, March-August, break then additional fall ball. You can enroll your kids in lesser programs, or the travel component of the rec league, but the hs coach will hardly give them a look. My two older boys are very athletic and overcame the bias, my younger boys are good, but without playing in one of the two feeders, the coach won't even give them the time of day. I have tough, unfair, expensive choices to make.

[ArtVandalay]

One thing that has drastically changed in youth baseball is what games kids are playing. I have a son at Westurban, and some of the best 10 & 11 year old teams have already stopped playing league games. They have chosen to play exclusively tournaments. Westurban no longer has leagues past 8th grade. You play tournaments only or you don't play.

[Sam Axe]

And yes, the mom with the bedazzled "Soccer Mom" shirt is an absolute nutbag. I don't care if she has a nice rear and big rack, do not engage her in conversation.

I'm willing to take one for the team, message me her phone # and I'll talk to her.

[Boss1786]

Soccer gets intense earlier than baseball. The money parents throw into soccer will never be recouped through scolarships, but I know literally dozensof parents chasing the soccer scholarship dream.

Here is the quote you here over and over, "I don't push my kid, he just loves it. I hate spending the money and most kids never make it, but honestly, my kid is one of the few that's good enough. I would be doing him a disservice to only let him play rec."

I have no problems with parents that do that for their kids. I am actually one of them. I am blessed with an 11yr daughter that plays Club V-ball, Tournament B-ball and Club Softball. My 12yr daughter was the same way but this year chose to play volleyball and fill in occasionally for the other two. I gladly pay the money only because they love to compete and they strive to be the best. I enjoy watching their successes AND FAILURES as I know it is all healthy life lessons.

I am not anti-club sports (obviously)...but I get upset at Club coaches that sell parents into the single sport philosophy (which is proving to be more detrimental than effective), the win at-all-cost attitude and the parents that yell at their kids on every mistake like they just blew their scholarship!

Enjoy your children and let them be kids!

[WuShock16]

I have no problems with parents that do that for their kids. I am actually one of them. I am blessed with an 11yr daughter that plays Club V-ball, Tournament B-ball and Club Softball. My 12yr daughter was the same way but this year chose to play volleyball and fill in occasionally for the other two. I gladly pay the money only because they love to compete and they strive to be the best. I enjoy watching their successes AND FAILURES as I know it is all healthy life lessons.

I am not anti-club sports (obviously)...but I get upset at Club coaches that sell parents into the single sport philosophy (which is proving to be more detrimental than effective), the win at-all-cost attitude and the parents that yell at their kids on every mistake like they just blew their scholarship!

Enjoy your children and let them be kids!

Lutz was talking to Chris Lamb on the radio a year or two ago, and the topic of single sports/multi sports was mentioned. Bob is very much in favor of kids playing multiple sports. Lambo said, "You aren't going to like this answer, but for sports that involve a high amount of specific skill like volleyball, you do need to specialize." His further example was golf. "Show me a guy on the PGA Tour, and I will show you a guy who played at his dad's country club at a very young age."

I still would agree that I would rather see kids play multiple sports, but it was interesting to hear Lambo raise that point.

[DJShocker10]

There are two triple a teams that feed our high school. No majors. The Millard schools have a couple majors, as do others. Both teams that feed the hs play 65-80 games a summer, March-August, break then additional fall ball. You can enroll your kids in lesser programs, or the travel component of the rec league, but the hs coach will hardly give them a look. My two older boys are very athletic and overcame the bias, my younger boys are good, but without playing in one of the two feeders, the coach won't even give them the time of day. I have tough, unfair, expensive choices to make.

We probably would've been lucky to get that many games in a full year. KSHSAA limits teams to a 20 game regular season with 25 games being the maximum you can play throughout the state championship. Probably 35 games over the summer, then we would only really play fall ball games against local jucos, usually only 4 or 5 games.

[Dan]

Lutz was talking to Chris Lamb on the radio a year or two ago, and the topic of single sports/multi sports was mentioned. Bob is very much in favor of kids playing multiple sports. Lambo said, "You aren't going to like this answer, but for sports that involve a high amount of specific skill like volleyball, you do need to specialize." His further example was golf. "Show me a guy on the PGA Tour, and I will show you a guy who played at his dad's country club at a very young age."

I still would agree that I would rather see kids play multiple sports, but it was interesting to hear Lambo raise that point.

Multi sports are good in theory and work when you grow up in a small town and have the luxury of not having a lot of competition. In reality, a lot of the kids going to big high schools with stronger competition almost have to specialize to stay competitive.

[Boss1786]

I know CL has been successful and will agree that at some point one or two sports have to become primary (if their seasons don't overlap) but that shouldn't come until high school.

Between 5-14 to 15yoa, there is too much benefit to multi-sports. Coaches in every sport will tell you there are technicalities to their sport. I am a firm believer that it is easier to teach the technical side of the sport to those who have learned teamwork, physical development, how to be competitive, how to push yourself, how to develope skills, develope strategy...all of which are enhanced by learning/playing different sports.

[Boss1786]

Add on top of that that the parents have pushed them to specialize in a sport the parents want them to play without giving the kids a chance to explore what they like.

[MoValley John]

https://youtu.be/HoTu0U6AhdA

[Awesome Sauce Malone]

One thing that has drastically changed in youth baseball is what games kids are playing. I have a son at Westurban, and some of the best 10 & 11 year old teams have already stopped playing league games. They have chosen to play exclusively tournaments. Westurban no longer has leagues past 8th grade. You play tournaments only or you don't play.

Westurban is a waste of time and money up to a certain point. For as much money that has been pumped in there that facility should be 100 x better than the Bettis Family Sports Complex in Topeka. They do a HS fall ball league which is really loosely organized .
The city of Wichita runs a HS league over at McAdams & WSAF http://www.wichita.gov/ParkandRec/Yo...Baseball.aspx#

My son has played baseball exclusively since he was 7. He did basketball for a year when he was 10-11. I tried to get him to play football but the only sport he really wanted to do was baseball. he's going to be lucky to get into college on baseball schollie The skill is there but the mental portion of it isnt. And thats okay. he's an excellent student and will move onto good things. My POV was if your gonna play you might as well learn how to do it the right way.
With that said I have a 9 year old daughter who is pretty gifted athletically/physically. At 7 she had a softball coach give us the "choose 1" speech and after laughing at him we decided to change teams. My daughter does cheer and that is all 100 x worse than anything any baseball coach has ever done to their kid. Except that guy from Bad News Bears who smacked his kid on the field. I've even told her I wish she would stop it but only from the aspect of injury. They tell you from the get go if you miss anytime your gone. She had an ankle injury last year that wasnt serious but she could have used some time off.

[MoValley John]

https://youtu.be/br9sUwOShKI

[MoValley John]

Westurban is a waste of time and money up to a certain point. For as much money that has been pumped in there that facility should be 100 x better than the Bettis Family Sports Complex in Topeka. They do a HS fall ball league which is really loosely organized .
The city of Wichita runs a HS league over at McAdams & WSAF http://www.wichita.gov/ParkandRec/Yo...Baseball.aspx#

My daughter does cheer and that is all 100 x worse than anything any baseball coach has ever done to their kid. Except that guy from Bad News Bears who smacked his kid on the field. I've even told her I wish she would stop it but only from the aspect of injury. They tell you from the get go if you miss anytime your gone. She had an ankle injury last year that wasnt serious but she could have used some time off.

Cheer is the worst, by far. It's dangerous, many coaches don't have proper safety training and it's a racquet controlled by one company, Varsity. I have no idea how cheer took off the way it did, nor how Varsity maintains a stranglehold on all aspects of the business.