thx again for all the in-site and great advice, posted here. I totally agree with what one poster said about keeping the game fun and enjoyable. If its fun , the kid will want to do it. If the kid wants to do it, then he does it more and gets better. It's hard to get better at something you hate. Anyway, we are still shopping around for a select team that will be a good fit for us here in Corpus. Until then , we are looking forward to a FUN season in the Junior's Division of Little League. This summer we will get a little more serious, and perhaps progress to a travel team. At least that's our plan.