Thanks for the great article I can share with the parents of my students. Thankfully, we have a great group of players, coaches, and families. Nowadays boys don't know how to catch at age 9-10. re: Little League Baseball Really is the Worst. Once I got to be 13, we left Havenwood Little League to create our own team and I played with that team through age 15, when I stopped playing. I played college baseball and never once played Travel Ball in the summer until I was 17. Those conflicts are becoming more common with the increasing secularization of our country. Do I think that she will go pro? When I was a kid, I played baseball under the Little League umbrella from age 8 through age 12. home. I chase my boys all over creation and its very taxing in many ways. Travel ball is expensive but studying for class is free, and an SAT book is like 20 bucks. Now, this doesnt mean that her coach and teammates like it, but we have found that our commitment has opened the door for spiritual conversations. He looked great in his fancy uniform and matching cleats, but that didnt matter. And it certainly does nothing to address the issue of middle and working-class suburban residents and the expense involved in playing the game at a high level. Our hope as parents is that they think of themselves first as members of Gods family and then our family, and then perhaps as an athlete, etc., after that. If your kid is good and loves to play, you wont be able to keep them from it. and our It is no wonder so many of our children leave the church when they go to college. The best coaches and the best players stop playing rec ball in favor of travel ball, leading to fewer teams and a lower level of competition in the rec league. Spoiler: I wasnt good enough to keep playing. Dont get me wrong there are alot of rec leagues that are great but if you live in the middle of no where lile wr do that was out only option to make her the best that she could be and to teach her to challenge herself and not settle for just good enough. He told us last week that he is glad that we have taught him to focus on his eternal future. My Kids Dont Play Sports Hello, Im Paul, a 45 year old passionate baseball fan and the owner of this website. Because COVID, This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. coming down the pike. Focusing on winning games is short-sighted and ignorant. Get involved with the sports governing board and voice your opinion. | GWG Clips #2 from GWG episode #1| Daniel Otero and Ty Osborne - YouTube Blessed to have Tyrone on with us for this episode! looking over our back," John DeMasi told ABC News' "20/20." (This, too, however, isnt a litmus test. Our children assume that Sunday morning is time to worship with our church. Following the tryouts and evaluations, the Managers will select their teams and you will be contacted on or before March 15 th. Well, this certainly diverged off the main topic of traveling versus rec sports, but I hope it provides a little more to talk about, especially among family members. Build this league and you will have travel on the decline. I know because I was her coach for years. I stayed with the Little League program because I was told that for my sons 7-year-old season, there would be kid pitching. Too many times parents want what they want, not whats best for their kids. Travel Ball Travel ball softball is the next step up from recreational softball. Jesus is God not baseball. I don't have to tell you that millions of Americans just simply can't afford that. Learn from others short comings and honor God with your precious time on the field. Never played fall ball, never took private lessons, and never played on a travel team. We only have 1 high school senior playing basketball. I am confident that there are better ways to steward those thousands of dollars. I could now study what I wanted to study, and my classes were no longer determined by baseball practice. The only time we had awful politics was before our team separated and we joined the head coach. While I wasnt thrilled hed be hitting off a tee because he could already hit a pitched ball, I figured we had to start somewhere, and Tee Ball was all that was available. Who are these kids being forced to play? Continue with Recommended Cookies. As Ive talked to people about this dilemma, one friend proposed this to me: he said that I should start my own travel ball team, and I should commit myself to being low-key about it. The Fall baseball/softball season includes league play at all division levels. Thats why Im writing this post. I found a local travel ball organization that was offering tryouts for several 10-U teams. Its not a coincidence that two of the most iconic golfers of the last thirty years, John Daly and Tiger Woods, were nothing like their peers in their own ways. Identity: Think about how your child views his or her identity. Just like you, he burned out after two years and transferred so he could pursue his other passions and, more importantly, gain much-needed work experience which benefited him tremendously when he graduated from college and was looking for a job. Unlike travel baseball, Little League is mostly a local affair and is organized with a lot of effort and goodwill from the locals. After looking at the tournament schedule, I realized Id miss days at work and the expenses would pile up. I understand that now I may be bringing up an exception to the norm. Think brands like Mercedes-Benz. Nonetheless it's something that I hope that I can enjoy with her (and any future kids, too) for the rest of our lives, much as I still enjoy talking and watching baseball with my parents to this day. Christians need to be gathering with the same group of people every week to worship the risen Lord Jesus, to hear his word, and to fellowship with each other. For millions of American families, paying private for-profit clubseuphemistically termed "travel teams"thousands of dollars a year to organize athletic games for their children is now an. Please advertise when you have this league so I can get the 70 or so kids I will bring with me to get in registration line. Sabathia and the Upton Brothers have become big league players. Do not tolerate conduct of the weak and uneducated. Too many surgeries, other arm problems, leg issues and other health issues that kids at that age shouldnt have to endure. Likewise, I appreciate the voices of parents who have been there on both sides. Until more teams see value in helping the game at home, this problem for the entire sport will continue. Nor am I categorically condemning their decisions and choices. Coaches pitch from a shorter distance than Rookie with a softer exterior ball. Eternity is at stake. They also have T-ball divisions. Teams advancing to the regional level in the U.S. receive an additional $200. The closest Little League organization to Pasadena now is in Davidsonville, 23 miles away. Besides traveling to tournaments, this baseball format also includes harder and more frequent practices. March 28, 2014 -- A Little League coach and his family said they feared for their safety when their East Meadow, N.Y., neighbor terrorized them for a year with threatening anonymous letters because her son failed to make the summer travel team. Personally, if I could have done things differently I would have kept my child in the rec leagues but I guess Im not sure if she would have learned to pursue excellence in the manner she did had she done so. However, players who do participate in any non-Little League activity, and miss games or practices because of such participation, may be suspended or dismissed from their Little League team by action of the local Little League Board of Directors. Also, Im more interested and more compelled by Scripture to promote the spiritual health of my own children than of their team mates. How do you help your childs best come out, leaving the potential open for higher levels of competition, while avoiding the possible detriments of rigorous levels of the sport? The best outcomes were consistently when we stayed in the local rec leagues. I could be wrong. She excelled once she wasnt under my leadership and under the leadership of a professional. Whos forcing their kid to play??!! Maybe my son will get a chance to play as long as he continues to love the game. Once-proud public institutions are being privatized, with many unintended consequences. I wrote about this for Camden Chat in 2016: Orioles baseball will not be the most important thing that we teach our daughter about. I agree with some that was said. The physical and mental challenges of pursuing more than one sport is healthy in every respect. Every year, MCLL designates players in our All-Star Tournament teams to represent MCLL in the Little League Tournaments within various age groups. While my son made a ton of new friends and had fun, I felt he needed more. Little League International respects the rights of a parent(s), or legal guardian(s), to allow a child to participate in any Little League activity. They open/close each practice and game with prayer and are not overwhelming us with lots of games. Is the travel ball opportunity your 714 year old kid has more important than Friday nights and Saturday mornings at home with the family? ), What is the Easiest Position in Baseball? And you should. But this, which I encourage you to read in its entirety, is a very damning piece about the state of baseball in America. Al Mohlers Culture Shift Baseball cant raise the dead, but Jesus will do just that when he returns to make this world into the new heavens and new earth. Coach B, Come play in SBMSA in Houston. For one thing, their bodies just arent developed enough to handle the strain. A lot of these coaches have other full-time jobs and simply dont have enough time to focus on their team. We played Upward for quite some time and my wife was amazed at how many parents going to the practices are unchurched. In addition to a spring season, PSLL offers a summer league, summer camps, fall ball, and a winter skills clinic. That the glory of the Lord might cover the dry land as the waters cover the sea. Added together, the average cost per player for a season must be well over $1,000. As a pastor, I require my daughter to be in church every Sunday, which means that she misses all Sunday games that interfere with worship. The result: In the United States, baseball is becoming a mostly white country-club sport for upper-class families to consume, like a snorkeling vacation or a round of golf. We also pushed the season back deeper into the summer so to allow high school kids (mostly JV players) to play rec ball as well. But most of them still play, in one way or another. Well, at registration, I learned my leagues Board of Directors decided to use a pitching machine for 7-year-olds, and that MAYBE toward the end of the season, there MIGHT be some kid pitch. vs. travel. For additional information please contact Tony Carter 615-202-9606. Confused! I thought I had found the answer. The best coaches and the best players stop playing rec ball in favor of travel ball, leading to fewer teams and a lower level of competition in the rec league. . And thats a problem for baseball at every level, all the way up to the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball. Nevertheless, Deuteronomy 6 and Ephesians 6:1-4 still stand in Scripture as commands, not suggestions. We practiced a lot, doing as much as the NCAA allowed, all year long, in season and out. Being part of a team, no matter how long its for, isnt permanent, so as nice as it is to identify with activities that we love, we dont want them to define us or our kids. Thanks for posting this. Despite the beautiful fields the travel ball team played on, the grass wasnt greener. When my life ends, I will have to give an account to my Lord as to whether I obeyed the command in Matt28:19 that says Go. All of the travel players MUST play rec ball. NASCAR started as bootleggers in the 1940s and 1950s trying to see who had the fastest car. Jan 25, 9:37am. The fear that if children dont specialize in one sport by eighth grade they will miss opportunities is unfounded. This is what we due when we gather for worship. MORE: 5 Little League Strategies for Coaches Who Want to Have Fun and Win Herbst will then go down the line and examine form to correct anyone who isn't doing the wind-up properly. But heavens know there has to be a way to save the sport of baseball. A fun, family-friendly, reasonably affordable activity you can do with the kids? If the ultimate goal is for the kid to get to the pros, then joining a travel baseball program is definitely a better choice. Educate them. Here at Select Baseball Teams, we have worked hard to comprise one of the most comprehensive lists of Alabama travel baseball teams looking for players. But it hasnt been enough to revive baseball completely in inner cities to what it once was. 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