Doughnutman:
Every player on the Arrowhead team also was a rec player because that is what LL is. I just don't see how you can make such blanket statements. And how do you know where they became good? Probably they joined travel teams because they were already good, which is a manifestation of their talent and their (rec) coaches, some of whom later became travel coaches.
But, again, the argument is not travel vs. rec. It is when does it matter and it certainly is not under 13. I guarantee you that a number of those Arrowhead players will NOT play high school baseball, or play it very well.
Bobblehead:
I have had three sons play for the Arizona Firebirds, which have played three times in the Connie Mack World Series in Farmington and won it once.
The Firebirds are a bit of a mix. They don't travel a lot (certainly far less than was once the case) and nearly all of their players are Phoenix-based. In the purest sense of the word, they are a rec team, as was my Don Mattingly team a year ago that finished in the top four in the Don Mattingly World Series as was our 13u Babe Ruth team (especially) that won the Pacific SW regionals and advanced to the World Series in Jamestown (a Babe Ruth team is by definition a rec team). Three of the players off of that Babe Ruth team just got done playing in the Area Code games.
Again, the point is that there is no single way to get the job done and a universal dismissal of rec baseball (especially at the younger ages) just is not accurate everywhere.
Tim Alderson, the first-round pick of the Giants a few years ago, played in our Little League's Junior Division, as did Danny Coulombe, who pitched this past season at USC, as did my own son, who will be playing his college baseball at ASU.
Ryan Hubele, who was the catcher for the National Championship Texas Longhorns the last time they won, played in Little League's Big League division, as did Matt Abram, who started for two years at Arizona and played three years of pro baseball. I don't remember for sure, but Brian Bannister, now of the KC Royals might have been on that same Big League team.
The common thread for all these players was uncommon talent and outstanding coaching, including in what is classified as rec baseball.