Burnout

I've got two playing right now. My oldest is a 2017 pitcher playing with his school fall team, my youngest is playing 10U rec ball.  On top of that, I'm head coach of that 10U team and the 2017 is an assistant.

 

This past weekend was about as much baseball as I can take.  2017's team was playing in a PG event on the other side of the state that started on Friday. We drove over Friday afternoon for a 7:00 game.  Finished the game, ate dinner and drove back - arriving at about 12:30 AM.  Up at 7AM to get to the field in time to warm up the 10U team for a 9AM game. Send 2017 and mom off at 10AM so he can be back at the PG event in time for the first of two games that started at 1:00.  FInish 10U game at 11. Head off with youngest to PG event and arrive about 30 minutes into first game. Watch team get no hit (boo) in first game, then shut out in second game.  Head back across the state home, arriving about 8:00PM.  Get word that Sunday's game will be at 8:30AM - be there by 7:30.  Wake up at 5AM, hit the road. Watch team get shutout again. Head home, get there at 1:00. Eat lunch, take youngest to first soccer practice at 3:00. Get home. Collapse. 

 

In summation, Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon:

Saw 4 HS level baseball games

One of those we were no hit (although not a shutout).

One of those we won by a 3 run walk off HR.

The other two we were shutout.

Coached a 10U game.

Drove for 12 hours, approx 800 miles.

Watched 10 year olds kick a ball around.

Ate way too much junk food.

 

Did I mention we had another 10U game last night (Monday)?  How about tomorrow having a HS fall game at 4:30PM and a 10U game at 6:30PM?

 

I love baseball, but man it's been a little much this week.

 

 

(Rob T, not at all meant as a criticism)

 

Could the 2017 have driven himself to his PG game?  Or he/you/mom stayed in a hotel on the overnight Sat?  I'm kinda counting on my son driving when he is 16 to get to some practices/games to reduce some of the back and forth.  Sometimes a dad will keep three or four kids in a hotel room on even short distance tournaments when it is a late evening, then early morning turn around.  At least it gives the parents the extra hour or so to get to the field in the a.m., you know, just show up at game time.

 

"Nutrition" (eating out of paper bags in the car) are a struggle, when it gets to be a lot of driving.

I'm with you brother. Totally burnt out on the travel.  Glad our last games are this weekend.

 

 

My 16 year old son now drives himself.  I kind of miss the time in the car with him. But it nice to have some free time back :-)

 

 

The Monday morning worn out baseball hangover can be as bad or worse than any booze hangover.  Add several weekends/months/years of that together and some level of (temporary) burn out is unavoidable.

I'll give you the opposite end of this story.  Son (2015) freshman at a D1.  Practice has been going on for 4 weeks.  I've seen 2 inter squad games in that time.  He texts me each night and tells me how things went.  I missed the intersquad last week where he went 2-3 against the top 2 returning pitchers.  Told me today he's the only guy who doesn't have a K yet.  It's driving me nuts sitting at work and not seeing games (he's only 45 minutes away).  Heading up Friday for an intersquad....hopefully get to see him at the plate....he's pitching Thursday....but I can't make that one.

 

Looking back...yes, I had times where I felt like you guys....long weekend, lots of driving and not enough sleep.....but trust me....someday you'll be wishing you got to see that much baseball every weekend 

How much bb games  does your 10 yo get in each year?

Never thought about parent burnout before -- but I definitely understand, joes.

 

When I read that you 'travel across the state' I looked up your profile. To be clear: In Florida, that's the equivalent of traveling almost anywhere in Texas!) But I get it. 

 

I'm actually ready to send JP on his way ... to say goodbye to all the 'good times': hotels, fast food, park fees ... and begin spending vacation time with my bride.

 

Now ... what to do with all those danged cheap plastic trophies ???

 

 

.....In exchange for college road trip hotels, different fast food restaurants, and away game tickets!  (Add into the budget air fare or gas).  The difference is you can still be with your bride and not have son with you!

 

As for the trophies....they are in the attic.  Can't part with them.... yet.  Along with a jersey for each team he has played on since t-ball.

"Along with a jersey for each team he has played on since t-ball."

 

Whew!

 

I'm not alone.

I'm glad my son plays football so I can get burned out on another sport. ;0)

During my son's HS years it was 20+ games of HS ball followed by 40 games of Legion ball during the summer and another 20 or so fall league (HS based) games.  By November I was ready for a break.  Well, at least, my wallet was......

 

Prior to HS it was travel ball from March to early November with a break in late May/early June and another break when school started (early September).  One year when he was 11, he played LL (majors) and travel ball (12U).  Between practices and games for both teams we were carting him to a field at least six days a week, sometimes everyday.  Talk about needing a break........

 

 

I'll agree with Buckeye - it goes by very fast and you will miss it... Figure 8 years perhaps between U10 and U18... And those last couple of years - they can drive in most states. Whether they have *time* to get their license is another story ;-).  There is a huge void in your life when it's over and filling those evenings and weekends is a harder task than you can imagine right now.

 

As much as I felt burned out while it was happening, I'm sure glad I was able to take part in it. I'm glad I wasn't one of those parents that dropped their child off at practice, spent 2 hours doing who knows what, and then complained when my kid wasn't "on the field" while I was there for the weekend games.

 

I'm just wondering what happens when my youngest plays his last collegiate game. It was hard when my middle son finished his 4 years and after a summer of so-so men's league action has decided he's done. Maybe that itch will come back in a few years for him, but it still seems like yesterday when we started on the journey - those 15 years *flew* by. My oldest gave up baseball in HS in favor of football, but only got 1 year of collegiate football before an injury put an end to his playing days. He thought about picking up baseball again, but studying and getting ready for the next phase in his life changed all that.  They do grow up fast...

Thanks for the info.  I hear you on the driving thing.  I am glad he can get himself back and forth to practices and the local games.  Still a little uneasy with him driving 2 to 2.5 hours through Chicago into Wisconsin or Central IL for an early morning Saturday or Sunday game or exposure event.  

 

Im pretty sure by the time the HS season rolls around I will be itching to get back to watching him play.  As I said taking a step back from anything but watching the games has helped.  

There were a few comments / questions from my post, so I'll try to answer everything...

 

The 2017 drives himself to most things now, thankfully.  On this particular trip I was leary of having him make the drive himself for a couple of reasons.  His vehicle (2003 Explorer) has been pretty dependable, but I don't really want to risk something going wrong with it a hundred miles from home.  The other issue is the road from Ft. Lauderdale to Ft. Myers is a limited access highway that only really has one exit for about 90 miles.  It's high speed, unlit, prone to fog and torrential thunderstorms.  He'd probably be fine, but his parents would be paranoid.

 

We probably would have stayed over Saturday night if I knew the Sunday game was going to be so early. We were half way back when we got that news.  Son would have probably asked the coach if he could have the day off (not his scheduled pitching day anyway), but the team we were facing is made up of about half of his summer teammates.  He wanted to get a chance to see them, and my wife wanted to spend some time catching up with those team moms.

 

As for my youngest...  He plays about 16-18 games in the spring, and 14 games in the fall.  This year because of the way the calendar worked out, the league has to squeeze in the fall games plus pre-season practices into a 7 week window.  We are currently in the middle of a 5 game in 9 day stretch.  It's a mess really.  I think we've gotten in 3 practices because of lack of fields and rain.  I wish they would cut back to 10 games and give us more time to practice.  Most of these kids are just moving up from coach pitch and really need the practices more than games. Of course nobody consulted me on this...

 

As for the soccer thing.  The season doesn't officially start until baseball ends, but the coach is trying to get in some practices before then.  This is the first time he is playing.  The 2017 doesn't play, but his girlfriend does, so the younger one has been to a few games and wanted to try it out.  I'm fine with it, the wife thinks he may have been switched at birth. (As far as she is concerned, soccer is what you do when you can't hit a baseball.)

2017 drives himself to practices now, if games are local he drives to them as well...personally I miss it. We (couple dads) used to hang out during practice and have a couple beers in the parking lot. I had so many tremendous conversations with the boy in the car...it is part of the process but no I can't say I ever felt burnt out.

 

What I do hate are showcase games, nobody is worried about the score, just play well and be seen...I get the process but IMO they suck.

this applies to volleyball, soccer and lacrosse IMO!!

My 16 year old son now drives himself.  I kind of miss the time in the car with him. But it nice to have some free time back :-)

 

Just sent mine to college. We drove all over the southeast for years and I don't think my son was awake for 10% of it. We joked that he'd never been on a long road trip in his life. Ha

Sitting in a hotel room now 800 miles from home, we drove as many families did. This fall closest tournament has been two hours away. All in all eight weeks in a row save for one rainout (very thankful for that one). HS season will start in February and will go straight into the summer. Putting a ton of miles on the car, losing sleep, and spending money on hotels and travel costs as well as using almost all my vacation time. My son and I were talking in the car after today's game; remembering the trips and discussing next summer will be the end as we know it. Can't imagine trying to get to two kids games. I've missed a few over the years but not many and not if I can help it. After next summer I'll have vacation time I'll not know how to use and a lot more free time. I wouldn't trade the trips we've had for anything. Will never have the opportunity to do it again so I'm going to savor every moment until the end.

Baseball is pretty much 365/24/7 in our life.  Even when doing something else there are phone calls about baseball.  It's definitely tiring at times, but don't know what I would do without it. It was actually a bit easier when I had kids playing. Not much though!

Hey PG I sent you a PM.

joes87, when they are out of the house, you are going to miss it.  I know this isn't really what you want to hear right now, but try to enjoy it.  It will pass way too soon.

 

College aged son missed summer ball and now fall ball due to surgery and rehab.  Last night my husband sat down at the piano and played "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and I had to laugh.  

I had burnout at the end of my 2020's season this summer. I was so ready for it to be over and I just LOVE watching him play.  

 

Two months later and I wish he was doing fall ball b/c I miss it so much.  He's playing soccer instead... not the same.

Have any of you who felt burnt out think about how your players might feel?  

 

By the time mine reached his senior year he was so burnt out it was scary.

 

I know that you guys dont think about that, but it happens.

 

Enjoy the moments.

I realize this.  I still very much enjoyed going to his games.  It was the away from game stuff that did it to me.  It may sound funny, but we were dealing with baseball in someway every night.  Even though he drives himself to practice and local events our lives seemed more hectic then ever.  Even with his older brother in college and my 2017 no longer playing football.  Dinner every night was a few hours later then normal. We like to try to eat as a family.  In addition, and I know many will not understand this, having to deal with some college recruiting stuff at night played into it.  I was at a point where I basically had no free time to decompress.  Now that fall ball is pretty much over Im in a lot better place. 

Actually I watch very closely for this with my son.  He is good at letting us know when he is overwhelmed.

wife thinks he may have been switched at birth. (As far as she is concerned, soccer is what you do when you can't hit a baseball.)

 

As I approached a friend's son's D3 game last spring a bunch of lacrosse players walked by in the parking lot. I turned to some parents I thought were headed for the baseball game. I said, "Those are he athletes who couldn't hit the curve ball." Turns out I was being a smart ass to lacrosse parents. I'll bet I'm right though.

After playing in showcase level tournaments and traveling all over I was thinking, "Oh, God! Another summer of this next year." Be careful what you wish for.

 

in the first weekend of summer ball after junior year my son tore his MCL and PCL. After three months on crutches he started rehab. He stumbled, fell on his shoulder and suffered a separation and had surgery. He missed his senior year of soccer and the opportunity to do baseball showcases in the fall and winter.

 

His surgeon told him he wouldn't be able to throw until May. My son looked him in the eye and said, "I'm going to be in the opening day lineup March 15th. You're going to help." He DHed opening day. He played left in two weeks. He was back in center in another two.

 

But we didn't have to travel for showcases after junior year. He finished his senior year of baseball without any offers. The only question was, has he recovered? The plan was to rehab in summer, play Legion and showcase in the fall while taking two JuCo courses to start college but not start the eligibility clock! and hopefully start college in he spring even if he wouldn't be fostered that year. The following is why he right showcase team is so important. Late August my son received an offer from a previously interested program based solely on the word of his former travel coach. His former travel coach initiated the contact. My son was off to college on three days notice. He had to sit out a year since there weren't any roster spots available that year.

 

There are two lessons in this story. 1) Be careful what you wish for. It would have been much less stressful to spend his post junior year traveling all summer rather than stressing over his injuries and recovery. 2) Don't get stressed out. If a kid has talent it will all work out.