Why doesn't (didn't) your kid play...

threeunassisted posted:

Instead of fighting TB our local LL embraced it. They go so far as to make the LL schedule as TB friendly as possible. They schedule age groups every other Saturday off. So this saturday TB and CP play and Minors and Majors are off. The next Saturday its reversed. So any rec player who wants to double down and play TB can play every other weekend without missing Rec games.

The year my youngest was a league age 12 year old, of the 12 kids on his rec team, 10 played some sort of TB.

The league is thriving and has won several State Championships at several age levels over the last 8 years. About 95% of the kids on last years Varsity of the nearest HS (an AAAA school that has been a top 10 school statewide the last few years)  came up through that LL. 

That is great to hear.  I am hoping that our youth travel league makes this transition as well.  So far they have fought it, and it's been decimated.  For the "all star" travel team, in order to be considered, a player has to make a minimum of 80% of the rec games, and has to commit to be at 100% of the travel tournaments as well.   As a result, they have driven away a lot of good players.   

To be fair,  another way to look at that is that more kids get a chance to play travel ball, it's just that the quality of the baseball suffers. 

Dadof3 posted:

Here is the perfect example of why I want to leave our local team.  This just happened last night as well. My 11 year old has only played 3rd base 2x in the last 16 innings (3 games including last night's).  He is no worse then the one kid who currently plays there and way better then the other kid who gets time at 3rd.  He has also only pitched one inning in 18 games.  He had a hitting lesson the other day where a coach from a prospective club was watching and asked him if he could seem him pitch.  My son did and they were shocked he wasn't pitching for the team he currently plays on.  Mind you he is not the fastest pitcher currently but he is decent and has great accuracy.  Again, bless the current coach for volunteering his time, but come on!  There is no 11 year on our team that is so good he needs to be at 3rd and none so bad they shouldn't play third (although the second kid is close - he is afraid of the ball).  I pray to the good Lord he takes care of my son and helps me find a good fit for him next year.  We have this weekend and next and then we are done for the season. 

Assuming that is a rec league team be forewarned it doesn't necessarily get better in travel.  In fact it could get worse.  

pabaseballdad posted:

threeunassisted posted:

Instead of fighting TB our local LL embraced it. They go so far as to make the LL schedule as TB friendly as possible. They schedule age groups every other Saturday off. So this saturday TB and CP play and Minors and Majors are off. The next Saturday its reversed. So any rec player who wants to double down and play TB can play every other weekend without missing Rec games.

The year my youngest was a league age 12 year old, of the 12 kids on his rec team, 10 played some sort of TB.

The league is thriving and has won several State Championships at several age levels over the last 8 years. About 95% of the kids on last years Varsity of the nearest HS (an AAAA school that has been a top 10 school statewide the last few years)  came up through that LL. 

That is great to hear.  I am hoping that our youth travel league makes this transition as well.  So far they have fought it, and it's been decimated.  For the "all star" travel team, in order to be considered, a player has to make a minimum of 80% of the rec games, and has to commit to be at 100% of the travel tournaments as well.   As a result, they have driven away a lot of good players.   

To be fair,  another way to look at that is that more kids get a chance to play travel ball, it's just that the quality of the baseball suffers. 

You have to be careful here.  LL/Rec and travel should be able to coexist but not overlap seasons.  You can't draft up a LL with 12 or so players per team and have several miss scheduled games in favor of TB.  Combine that with the occasional family vacationers and you start dealing with game forfeits and your league deteriorates in a hurry.  

Also, when juggling both simultaneously, managing kids' arm health and maintaining the quality of play become a huge challenge for both team coaches as well.  There are valid reasons a LL/rec league ask that kids refrain from TB during the LL season.  This doesn't make them bad, stupid or uncooperative.  There is plenty of time to play travel after the short LL season.  The idea of the local LL/rec developing a higher and lower division (provided the numbers warrant) is a viable solution for some or cultivating a community environment where kids can play LL during that season and then TB immediately afterward are the best solutions, IMO.

It is extremely difficult to manage a youngster's arm health if he is playing simultaneously on a travel team and LL team.   I cannot express into words just how much I would advise against that.

3and2Fastball posted:

It is extremely difficult to manage a youngster's arm health if he is playing simultaneously on a travel team and LL team.   I cannot express into words just how much I would advise against that.

I see your point. I suppose it worked for us because most of our TB coaches were our rec coaches too. Having the TB pitchers on the rec roster actually opened  up pitching opportunities for the non studs in the rec games as coaches saved the studs arms for the more competitive  TB games. 

Their has been talk about two lebels of Rec/park ball in this thread.  While nice in theory it can back fire in a bad way. In my opinion it creates a haves and have nots environment.  There are parents who think their son was over looked. Or sometimes politics can become involved. I have seen issues with it more than I have seen success. 

I love rec ball. My sons played until 10 or 11. There just were not that many opportunities back then. I still go and watch sometimes.  

Golfman25 posted:

Dadof3 posted:

Here is the perfect example of why I want to leave our local team.  This just happened last night as well. My 11 year old has only played 3rd base 2x in the last 16 innings (3 games including last night's).  He is no worse then the one kid who currently plays there and way better then the other kid who gets time at 3rd.  He has also only pitched one inning in 18 games.  He had a hitting lesson the other day where a coach from a prospective club was watching and asked him if he could seem him pitch.  My son did and they were shocked he wasn't pitching for the team he currently plays on.  Mind you he is not the fastest pitcher currently but he is decent and has great accuracy.  Again, bless the current coach for volunteering his time, but come on!  There is no 11 year on our team that is so good he needs to be at 3rd and none so bad they shouldn't play third (although the second kid is close - he is afraid of the ball).  I pray to the good Lord he takes care of my son and helps me find a good fit for him next year.  We have this weekend and next and then we are done for the season. 

Assuming that is a rec league team be forewarned it doesn't necessarily get better in travel.  In fact it could get worse.  

Actually this is our local travel "b" team.  On the way home yesterday my son was crying because he only got to play third one inning (the 3rd time now in 20 innings of play) He stated he doesn't understand why these other kids who make errors get to play more then him.  He had a great diving catch at third for a 3rd out in that inning.  I am not sure if it is worth trying to talk to the coach or not.  He is trying out for this club team and there are only about 5 games left in the season.  7 tops.

He is no worse then the one kid who currently plays there and way better then the other kid who gets time at 3rd.   

do not take this the wrong way but your opinion does not count . Just the way it is. It will be that way as long as he plays . 

Dadof3 posted:

Golfman25 posted:

Dadof3 posted:

Here is the perfect example of why I want to leave our local team.  This just happened last night as well. My 11 year old has only played 3rd base 2x in the last 16 innings (3 games including last night's).  He is no worse then the one kid who currently plays there and way better then the other kid who gets time at 3rd.  He has also only pitched one inning in 18 games.  He had a hitting lesson the other day where a coach from a prospective club was watching and asked him if he could seem him pitch.  My son did and they were shocked he wasn't pitching for the team he currently plays on.  Mind you he is not the fastest pitcher currently but he is decent and has great accuracy.  Again, bless the current coach for volunteering his time, but come on!  There is no 11 year on our team that is so good he needs to be at 3rd and none so bad they shouldn't play third (although the second kid is close - he is afraid of the ball).  I pray to the good Lord he takes care of my son and helps me find a good fit for him next year.  We have this weekend and next and then we are done for the season. 

Assuming that is a rec league team be forewarned it doesn't necessarily get better in travel.  In fact it could get worse.  

Actually this is our local travel "b" team.  On the way home yesterday my son was crying because he only got to play third one inning (the 3rd time now in 20 innings of play) He stated he doesn't understand why these other kids who make errors get to play more then him.  He had a great diving catch at third for a 3rd out in that inning.  I am not sure if it is worth trying to talk to the coach or not.  He is trying out for this club team and there are only about 5 games left in the season.  7 tops.

That's too bad.  Been there and it sucks.  Especially on a "B" team.  Not like you're competing for the World Series.  The Cubs are and even they mix it up.  

It is hard to figure out what coaches are thinking.  Many times there are background issues.  We have a squeaky wheel problem on our team - parents who squeak the loudest get the most playing time.  Coach complains about all the strike outs, yet continues to hit the kids who strike out the most.  

But the good news is that each year is a new opportunity.  Hang with it. Keep improving.  Good luck. 

Dadof3 posted:

Golfman25 posted:

Dadof3 posted:

Here is the perfect example of why I want to leave our local team.  This just happened last night as well. My 11 year old has only played 3rd base 2x in the last 16 innings (3 games including last night's).  He is no worse then the one kid who currently plays there and way better then the other kid who gets time at 3rd.  He has also only pitched one inning in 18 games.  He had a hitting lesson the other day where a coach from a prospective club was watching and asked him if he could seem him pitch.  My son did and they were shocked he wasn't pitching for the team he currently plays on.  Mind you he is not the fastest pitcher currently but he is decent and has great accuracy.  Again, bless the current coach for volunteering his time, but come on!  There is no 11 year on our team that is so good he needs to be at 3rd and none so bad they shouldn't play third (although the second kid is close - he is afraid of the ball).  I pray to the good Lord he takes care of my son and helps me find a good fit for him next year.  We have this weekend and next and then we are done for the season. 

Assuming that is a rec league team be forewarned it doesn't necessarily get better in travel.  In fact it could get worse.  

Actually this is our local travel "b" team.  On the way home yesterday my son was crying because he only got to play third one inning (the 3rd time now in 20 innings of play) He stated he doesn't understand why these other kids who make errors get to play more then him.  He had a great diving catch at third for a 3rd out in that inning.  I am not sure if it is worth trying to talk to the coach or not.  He is trying out for this club team and there are only about 5 games left in the season.  7 tops.

At age 10 my advice to my son would be "The coach does what the coach wants to do, it may not be fair but it's their choice.  Nothing you can do about it other than get really good at other positions and hope the coach next year gives you another shot at third.  This is nothing to be upset about to the point you cry, because if you aren't having fun then you won't be playing baseball.  What's your choice, are you going to work hard to be the best all around baseball player you can be, or are we going to try another sport?"

Thanks Caco - excellent point.  And whether or not he is the best fit for that position, the coach is going to make his decision and it doesn't matter what I or any other parent thinks.  He needs to accept it and work on getting better.

Dadof3 posted:

Golfman25 posted:

Dadof3 posted:

Here is the perfect example of why I want to leave our local team.  This just happened last night as well. My 11 year old has only played 3rd base 2x in the last 16 innings (3 games including last night's).  He is no worse then the one kid who currently plays there and way better then the other kid who gets time at 3rd.  He has also only pitched one inning in 18 games.  He had a hitting lesson the other day where a coach from a prospective club was watching and asked him if he could seem him pitch.  My son did and they were shocked he wasn't pitching for the team he currently plays on.  Mind you he is not the fastest pitcher currently but he is decent and has great accuracy.  Again, bless the current coach for volunteering his time, but come on!  There is no 11 year on our team that is so good he needs to be at 3rd and none so bad they shouldn't play third (although the second kid is close - he is afraid of the ball).  I pray to the good Lord he takes care of my son and helps me find a good fit for him next year.  We have this weekend and next and then we are done for the season. 

Assuming that is a rec league team be forewarned it doesn't necessarily get better in travel.  In fact it could get worse.  

Actually this is our local travel "b" team.  On the way home yesterday my son was crying because he only got to play third one inning (the 3rd time now in 20 innings of play) He stated he doesn't understand why these other kids who make errors get to play more then him.  He had a great diving catch at third for a 3rd out in that inning.  I am not sure if it is worth trying to talk to the coach or not.  He is trying out for this club team and there are only about 5 games left in the season.  7 tops.

I hesitated to respond to this, but it is possible the kid missed a real opportunity to learn a good life lesson there.   "Life isn't fair".   And "it isn't enough to be just as good as those other kids who play Third, work hard to be way better than the rest.  Make it impossible for the coach to deny you."

When my kid was 10U and playing LL All-Stars the coach penciled him in to play LF at the start of practices.   My kid said "yes sir" to the Coach but complained to me about it.   I told him to suck it up and get to work.   He worked his behind off and ended up starting every game at 2B except when the SS pitched and then he started at SS.  Ended up 3rd on the team in hitting.   I told him I was proud of him for working hard.   That was pretty much the only lesson worth learning at 10U Baseball.   3 years later none of those kids give a whiz-bang about where they played that season or how many games they won.

3and2Fastball posted:

Dadof3 posted:

Golfman25 posted:

Dadof3 posted:

Here is the perfect example of why I want to leave our local team.  This just happened last night as well. My 11 year old has only played 3rd base 2x in the last 16 innings (3 games including last night's).  He is no worse then the one kid who currently plays there and way better then the other kid who gets time at 3rd.  He has also only pitched one inning in 18 games.  He had a hitting lesson the other day where a coach from a prospective club was watching and asked him if he could seem him pitch.  My son did and they were shocked he wasn't pitching for the team he currently plays on.  Mind you he is not the fastest pitcher currently but he is decent and has great accuracy.  Again, bless the current coach for volunteering his time, but come on!  There is no 11 year on our team that is so good he needs to be at 3rd and none so bad they shouldn't play third (although the second kid is close - he is afraid of the ball).  I pray to the good Lord he takes care of my son and helps me find a good fit for him next year.  We have this weekend and next and then we are done for the season. 

Assuming that is a rec league team be forewarned it doesn't necessarily get better in travel.  In fact it could get worse.  

Actually this is our local travel "b" team.  On the way home yesterday my son was crying because he only got to play third one inning (the 3rd time now in 20 innings of play) He stated he doesn't understand why these other kids who make errors get to play more then him.  He had a great diving catch at third for a 3rd out in that inning.  I am not sure if it is worth trying to talk to the coach or not.  He is trying out for this club team and there are only about 5 games left in the season.  7 tops.

I hesitated to respond to this, but it is possible the kid missed a real opportunity to learn a good life lesson there.   "Life isn't fair".   And "it isn't enough to be just as good as those other kids who play Third, work hard to be way better than the rest.  Make it impossible for the coach to deny you."

When my kid was 10U and playing LL All-Stars the coach penciled him in to play LF at the start of practices.   My kid said "yes sir" to the Coach but complained to me about it.   I told him to suck it up and get to work.   He worked his behind off and ended up starting every game at 2B except when the SS pitched and then he started at SS.  Ended up 3rd on the team in hitting.   I told him I was proud of him for working hard.   That was pretty much the only lesson worth learning at 10U Baseball.   3 years later none of those kids give a whiz-bang about where they played that season or how many games they won.

Yup, I used this as a learning opportunity for him.  I sat him down and told him he might not like it, but it is the coaches decision.  He either must choose to work his tail off not only in that position (of), but any other he wishes to play or to not play at all.  I also told him to show that he wants the ball.  Run after every ball, back up every play....  He understood what I said and applied it to the next practice they had.

Good for you Dadof3!  It really is best to lay these things out to the kids so they don't get an entitlement chip on their shoulder.  Life really isn't fair and neither is baseball.  The truth is he may never play 3B again, coaches decision, but he either loves the game or he doesn't, and he needs to understand that those decisions aren't up to him.