American Legion World Series

4th day in a row....so sad. 

Apples and oranges to compare legion to PG.  

My kid played legion as a rising HS Soph & Junior because it was an inexpensive way to play and practice a lot of baseball mostly very nearby.  He saw some mediocre competition, but he also saw mid 90's from guys who are going  on to Pac 12, Big West, etc., as well as quite a few pretty good Juco players.

If I had to do over again, I would have ponied up a little more money to get him wider exposure to D1 schools, but at that time he hadn't developed enough and wasn't focused on that goal so it didn't make sense.   But like I said, it's apples and oranges because his legion team was maybe $400  for either practice or a game 5-6 days a week over 9 or 10 weeks.  Call it $1K if you factor in gas and a few hotel rooms.  A kid playing that much ball at PG events could run up, what $10K to $20K including travel expenses?

JGC, I'm not here to bash legion ball. In fact, I am not familiar with it at all. I just have read on here multiple occasions of people that are in legion comparing it to high level travel ball. 

This is for parents out there who don't know different and maybe are looking in the wrong pool for their player. I think it would do a lot of good for people to tune in and watch this verses PG national that is going on at the same time. 

Unfortunately, not everyone agrees with your take that it is apples and oranges. Many feel it is apples and apples. I will agree with your post that it isn't the same. It is the same game being played at different levels. This is just what I see. Again, with my limited knowledge of legion ball I could be wrong. But to be this deep in their World Series, these have to be two of the better legion teams. 

Legion Ball in our area is worse than AA Travel Ball, let alone PG type events.   I'm sure it varies by region

In my area it's nothing more than rec and daddy ball. It's terrible what's happened.  It's the coaching, they're attracting kids that are only capable of playing rec ball. 

This thread pops up every year when the Legion World Series rolls around. My son has played Legion for two summers now - single A between Frosh & Soph years and AAA this summer between Soph & Junior year. As JCG said, it's a great way to get a lot of games in over the summer and the level of play is definitely going to vary by region. Most high school coaches in our area still require players to play for them over the summer. Legion baseball is way more competitive than the alternative high school summer league that some schools play in. 

For a rising junior, playing with and against kids that already have a season of college baseball under their belts was very challenging and we saw huge growth in his level of play over the summer. 

My son played both Legion and a 16U showcase team this summer. The pitching was way better on some Legion teams than what we saw at the Showcase tournaments (these were tournaments at D1 schools run by the coaching staff at those schools) featuring club teams from Washington, Oregon and California. Granted, the kids he faced in showcase ball were 15-17, while the kids he played against in legion were primarily 17-19, so there is some difference based purely on age. The #1 pitcher on the Legion team sat around 88 (19 year old college freshman who is not pitching at the collegiate level). The top thrower on the showcase team was around 80 (15 year old high school freshman who was a varsity starter as a frosh). At our Legion state tournament, just about every college coach from the area was in attendance, from D1 to D3 and NAIA and JC. In fact, the head coach of the top D1 baseball program in the state was in attendance because his son plays Legion baseball. 

I will say I was surprised at the (low) velocity of the pitchers in the innings I watched last night - suffice to say I expected more than 78-82 from the top 4 Legion teams.  One would figure that would mean the batters would do better, but the scores don't paint that picture.  While it wasn't a strikeout fest, the pitchers got their outs as long as the fielders made their plays. Ironically, as I'm watching last night I'm wondering when the topic would come up here! The format they used this year for the finals was 4 team pool play over 5 days which taxes everyone's pitching more so than 8 team double elimination - especially for the team in the winners bracket. Everyone is "even" when it comes to the semis/finals.

w/r/t level of play: In NH a few MA travel teams were taking better pitchers (and some position players) away from SR Legion... I would also say jobs, girls, and the beach took away a few players... After all for many it's the summer before college and if they're not going to play in college and they really don't want/like the grind of game/practice every day, then it's as they say "an easy choice".  For the most part the ball was what you'd expect. Decent baseball, but not great. I never went to a PG event so I cannot compare, but I can infer what the level 'should' be based on the talent.  

I don't live there any more, but I noted that NH "lost" a two SR Legion teams during the summer and their JR program was hit with non-participation issues this year with many teams folding before the season started. Sadly, I think it's a trend that will continue. 

For whatever reason, and there are many, it seems like the best teams don't always make it out of their region or state tournaments. I have seen teams that were great during the season lose key players right as the playoffs start. Usually D1 guys who have to report early for second session of summer school. Or a team with a couple of dominate pitchers who have to shut down in the middle of the summer due to arm soreness or injury.

Feel like I can talk to this one a little...I live in the area of the North Carolina team playing in the finals tonight.  I coached three of their players in travel ball, one I've had the last three summers/fall after legion ball.  The other two played for me last year only.  We played in a big  PG event at Emerson, we played the highest level showcase tournaments we could play in the Carolina's against all the big boys.  A vast majority of my team was made up of Legion players that played for me after Legion season, I had guys from three Legion teams that came together onto my team.   We lost a total of 5 games in two years.  We got knocked out in Emerson by the #1 travel team in the country, East Cobb Yankees, after advancing from pool play into the playoff bracket.  They beat us 5-0...was 3-0 going into last inning and we were throwing our #4 pitcher that game. Were they better than us, yes, for sure...were we overmatched...probably so, they had two first rounder's on that team and 16 D1 signees, most of those going to ACC /SEC schools...most every travel team in the country was overmatched by them. We ended up with three guys who got D1 offers, one of those pitched the first 7 innings for North Carolina Sunday in the Legion World Series.  He tops out in mid 80's and is a 6'3 lefty.  He passed on the D1 offers and is going to play for Catawba because of the relationship he built with their coach through his Legion experience.  He could have played for any travel program in the state, believe me I know because they called him all the time trying to get him away from me.

Legion is certainly stronger in some areas of the country than others.  In our area...in my opinion unless you are the best of the best, and a big time D1 talent, you need to play Legion.  For those that haven't followed the NC team, their head coach is the coach of Catawba College.  They were the D2 national runner up in 2014.  Every kid in the Legion conference gets exposure to that guy many times.  If you look at the roster of Catawba, a perennial D2 power, nearly all the players on that team come from a 45 mile radius of this Legion program. 

It's certainly not apples to apples to compare Legion to top tier PG events.  After all, the best PG teams are getting the best of the best from all over the country, not kids from one county or town.  The kid that pitched last night for NC that you saw throwing 78-81...played for me last summer as well.  He's probably the #5 starter on the NC team but has a ton of upside...has  only pitched for a couple years and has a great frame.  He could have played showcase for one of the teams around here that would have gladly accepted his $4-5K year and not played legion and ended up at a lower tier D2/D3 school because the Velo isn't here yet, instead he's going to play for his Legion coach at Catawba as well, because he knows the upside with this kid.  Will not be surprised at all to see him in upper 80's after two years in college.  There are three other really kids in that same small county that play only showcase, no legion.  Most would consider those three to be the best players in the county...one is already at UNC taking classes and will be fighting for a starting SS position as a freshman, another is a rising Senior committed to UNC and the third will probably never see a college field, RHP that PG has at 94 as a rising Jr. in high school.  There are a couple others that played showcase and no legion and ended up with no offers for whatever reason.   Basically didn't stand out enough at top tier events, or have a weakness that could not be overcome to play at the D1 level.  Had they played Legion they would have likely gotten a lot more chance to be seen and appreciated by the best D2 program in our area. 

Sorry for the length of the post, I do think it comes down to being honest about your talent level and definitely the area you live in.  I doubt many have it as good as the area of our NC team.  They have at least 500 fans at every home game, usually probably closer to a thousand or more.  They get to play for a fantastic coach that tirelessly gives of his time and talent.  They get to play 60-70 games, each of which matters, for $200-300 and get to be around their childhood friends all summer.  Now they are one win away from something really special. 

Any kid who gets the opportunity to play for Coach Gantt is a very lucky young man. He is one of the best coaches I have ever been around. Great post.

Next week we can dump on the LLWS.

Lol. You know it's coming.

I lost a lot of respect for American Legion after what happened in the regional finals in Arkansas.  Bryant was the winner of the winners bracket.  Texarkana (who will play in the championship game) was the winner of the losers bracket.  Texarkana beat Bryant forcing a deciding game.  The game gets rained out.  The next day there is more rain but they find a nearby college with a turf field that will host the game.  Everyone agrees that the game will played there and then one of the American Legion chairmen says we aren't playing that is the final decision and leaves.  He won't answer questions from other officials, coaches, or the media.  Texarkana gets the berth based on the tiebreaker.  Bryant had their stud SEC signee ready to pitch and he hadn't given up a run in 15 innings.  The state Legion director has said how bad of a decision it was and how they were told the game would be played and the next thing you know the game is cancelled and the chairman took off out of town. 

Stafford posted:

For whatever reason, and there are many, it seems like the best teams don't always make it out of their region or state tournaments. I have seen teams that were great during the season lose key players right as the playoffs start. Usually D1 guys who have to report early for second session of summer school. Or a team with a couple of dominate pitchers who have to shut down in the middle of the summer due to arm soreness or injury.

Yep. We lost our All-State center fielder right before state because he joined the military. We sure missed his bat in the line-up. Ended up being a plus for my son as he got moved to that third outfield position, but I think we would have made a deeper run in the tournament if we had him.

I'm not sure why people are always surprised by the level of play at the Legion level. There are rules around where you can draw your kids from, which means most teams aren't going to have the best-of-the-best up and down the lineup. You work with what you have. The powerhouse teams in our state are all from an area that basically has no travel ball programs to speak of. Legion baseball is their only option, so they are very tough competition. For the $400 we paid, I would say the season was well worth it. Not only for the experience, but the exposure to coaches in the area. 

d-mac posted:

I lost a lot of respect for American Legion after what happened in the regional finals in Arkansas.  Bryant was the winner of the winners bracket.  Texarkana (who will play in the championship game) was the winner of the losers bracket.  Texarkana beat Bryant forcing a deciding game.  The game gets rained out.  The next day there is more rain but they find a nearby college with a turf field that will host the game.  Everyone agrees that the game will played there and then one of the American Legion chairmen says we aren't playing that is the final decision and leaves.  He won't answer questions from other officials, coaches, or the media.  Texarkana gets the berth based on the tiebreaker.  Bryant had their stud SEC signee ready to pitch and he hadn't given up a run in 15 innings.  The state Legion director has said how bad of a decision it was and how they were told the game would be played and the next thing you know the game is cancelled and the chairman took off out of town. 

Unfortunately, you can find a major political/contradictory/polarizing decision every year in the Legion playoffs at either the local, state or regional level that leaves fans mad and impartial observers scratching their heads. In each of the cases, someone feels like they got screwed by a backroom decision instead of being able to decide the winner on the field. The decision is made by Legion officials instead.

My son played Legion and enjoyed the experience and his coaches. However, there were things that happened every year at the local level that were screwy. Kids would get multiple releases from their Legion program, and those in between, in order to play for another team. Yet, that team would not grant releases, etc... And then once the playoffs started, some weird decision would happen that would disqualify a team.

This year, the reverse happened. A team forfeited in the area playoffs due to not having enough players. Their upcoming opponent was then granted a forfeit win into the next round. Three hours later, the team that was granted the forfeit was told they no longer had a forfeit, and would have to play a team that had already been put out of the playoffs. So, a team that had been defeated in the playoffs was allowed back in???

And, for the record, I actually like Legion ball.

kandkfunk posted:… I'm not sure why people are always surprised by the level of play at the Legion level. There are rules around where you can draw your kids from, which means most teams aren't going to have the best-of-the-best up and down the lineup. You work with what you have. …

It’s the same kind of thing where people talk about LLI or HS ball vs travel or showcase ball and it’s foolish talk. When the pool you can draw from is limited and defined, it’s nearly impossible to compete equally with teams that have no limits on who can play for them.

d-mac posted:

I lost a lot of respect for American Legion after what happened in the regional finals in Arkansas.  Bryant was the winner of the winners bracket.  Texarkana (who will play in the championship game) was the winner of the losers bracket.  Texarkana beat Bryant forcing a deciding game.  The game gets rained out.  The next day there is more rain but they find a nearby college with a turf field that will host the game.  Everyone agrees that the game will played there and then one of the American Legion chairmen says we aren't playing that is the final decision and leaves.  He won't answer questions from other officials, coaches, or the media.  Texarkana gets the berth based on the tiebreaker.  Bryant had their stud SEC signee ready to pitch and he hadn't given up a run in 15 innings.  The state Legion director has said how bad of a decision it was and how they were told the game would be played and the next thing you know the game is cancelled and the chairman took off out of town. 

More and more people are losing respect for American Legion.  The Bryant team thought they were in the championship no matter what.  The game they lost was merely a placeholder game.  Players, parents, and coaches left the field not knowing that the team would never step foot on a field to play another game.  End of season, end of many kids' organized baseball playing.  They were blindsided.  No photos, no hugs, no goodbyes.   More info on the above:

 http://www.bryantdaily.com/leg...man-was-it-right-no/

http://www.bryantdaily.com/par...our-accomplishments/

I just realized ... I don't think there was one new member, our LL is rigged, my kid was screwed out of all stars post this year. Is this a first?

if I hear that Cleveland County commercial one more time

Lol! I was thinking the same thing. But it's a great game.

that was a fun game to watch. both teams should be proud of that performance.

when was the last time there were 8,000 people at a travel team game?  Great community support.

Being from the Pittsburgh area, we are always trying to find ways to make fun of Cleveland, when I first saw the commercial I was thinking Ohio, after the tenth viewing or so I figured it out!

Well...that was a heck of a game to be at!  The 8,500 attendance was probably an understatement.  No where to sit and about ten deep standing all around the concourse.  What an atmosphere!  Definitely not the result I was hoping to see but the summer those kids have will not be forgotten for a long time.  The first baseman for NC has played for me for three years and is one of the best people you'll ever be around, not to mention a heck of a player.  For him and the others going to Catawba for college baseball...festivities end around midnight, drive home, get home around 2AM...they had a bunch of people waiting on them at their field and I believe got an escort through town...so get home around 4AM ...first day of college today...bright and early at 8AM.  Sure would have been a sweeter first day of college with a W but one heck of a run! 

Outstanding game. I really enjoyed watching the entire WS. That was an awesome display of support for those kids and baseball in that area.

When was the last time there were 8,000 people at a travel team game? Great community support.

I've always tried to explain the situation to travel people who don't get the attraction of the LLWS. Joe Channel Surfer typically isn't going to watch a baseball game between the Aces and the Flames long enough to determine if it's worth watching. But if he sees his region of the country on the front of the uniform he has an instant rooting interest.

A large number of people in the community attend one or two games max during the ALWS. The Shelby ALWS committee pairs each team with a local church that provides some meals, invites them to attend on Sunday, and supports them as fans.  So, when that team plays, even if they are from California, a group of local church members will show up and support that team along with the small contingent that may have made the long trip to NC.

There are some local baseball fans, and some statewide and regionally who will make the trip to see a game or two because they love baseball and support Legion baseball. But, a large number of those in attendance may only watch baseball in person one time per year, at the ALWS. The organizers have done a great job of making it an annual event/happening/social gathering that locals want to attend and be a part of.

They've nurtured tremendous local support and turned it into the type of event that even the most casual fan would want to attend. I would say that they've modeled it as a mini Omaha.

RJM posted:

When was the last time there were 8,000 people at a travel team game? Great community support.

I've always tried to explain the situation to travel people who don't get the attraction of the LLWS. Joe Channel Surfer typically isn't going to watch a baseball game between the Aces and the Flames long enough to determine if it's worth watching. But if he sees his region of the country on the front of the uniform he has an instant rooting interest.

Speaking of the LLWS...it starts tomorrow    If you've never been there, I highly recommend it....great time, you won't be disappointed!

RJM posted:

When was the last time there were 8,000 people at a travel team game? Great community support.

I've always tried to explain the situation to travel people who don't get the attraction of the LLWS. Joe Channel Surfer typically isn't going to watch a baseball game between the Aces and the Flames long enough to determine if it's worth watching. But if he sees his region of the country on the front of the uniform he has an instant rooting interest.

The legion program in our area separated from the national group a few years ago, I don't know all of the particulars but it boiled down to cost and being competitive at the legion tournament level.

The local legion program has always been a continuation of the local leagues. The LL, pony, colt programs always fed into the legion age. There are probably 5-6 different programs that feed the same HS, as a result the talent gets spread out. Take away the players that go to the travel programs and each team gets farther watered down.

Regardless the games get a lot of local support, newspaper articles and  attendance.  These kids have usually played together since they were 8 years old, the bragging rights for winning the games and the league title go on for years.

These players aren't the most talented in he world, but they love to play the game, love to compete, and love their teammates. I appreciate the effort put in by the players and the league. Kids from ages 17-20 don't have a lot of options to keep playing baseball. We are fortunate in our area that they have that option. I think the league had maybe a dozen teams in this year. Its not always about developing future college or pro players, fortunately there is room for all.

I went to a game about a month ago, sat with a dad who my son played with years ago, his son was also a former college player. Our reason for being there was summed up perfectly by him " I just like watching baseball"

Stafford,  Shelby did an awesome job!  I've been to Omaha and I've now been to the ALWS...loved them both but have to say last night was even better than Omaha.  If I was fortunate enough to go to Rosenblatt that might have swayed it back to Omaha.  I had a rooting interest last night so that probably did the trick.  I'm not sure which place was hotter though...blistering both places...really glad my people got there 3 1/2 hours before game time last night to get us a seat in the shade!

Buckeye 2015 posted:

RJM posted:

When was the last time there were 8,000 people at a travel team game? Great community support.

I've always tried to explain the situation to travel people who don't get the attraction of the LLWS. Joe Channel Surfer typically isn't going to watch a baseball game between the Aces and the Flames long enough to determine if it's worth watching. But if he sees his region of the country on the front of the uniform he has an instant rooting interest.

Speaking of the LLWS...it starts tomorrow    If you've never been there, I highly recommend it....great time, you won't be disappointed!

When my son was ten, eleven and twelve we went three or four days. We lived 150 miles away. We did day trips over the two weeks. The environment is Disneyland for baseball.

When he was twelve the Mid Atlantic team eliminated my son's team. There was a sense of respect that created post tournament friends. My son ended up being a travel teammate with some of them.

My son has a picture of Jurickson Profar, himself and a couple of other Curaçao players from when he was eleven. I had crossed paths Curaçao  admin guy on a chat board before the LLWS. I introduced myself. He took our address. He sent my son a Curaçao media pack. It included a press guide like a college team and a Curaçao flag among other things.

mmm1531 posted:

RJM posted:

When was the last time there were 8,000 people at a travel team game? Great community support.

I've always tried to explain the situation to travel people who don't get the attraction of the LLWS. Joe Channel Surfer typically isn't going to watch a baseball game between the Aces and the Flames long enough to determine if it's worth watching. But if he sees his region of the country on the front of the uniform he has an instant rooting interest.

The legion program in our area separated from the national group a few years ago, I don't know all of the particulars but it boiled down to cost and being competitive at the legion tournament level.

The local legion program has always been a continuation of the local leagues. The LL, pony, colt programs always fed into the legion age. There are probably 5-6 different programs that feed the same HS, as a result the talent gets spread out. Take away the players that go to the travel programs and each team gets farther watered down.

Regardless the games get a lot of local support, newspaper articles and  attendance.  These kids have usually played together since they were 8 years old, the bragging rights for winning the games and the league title go on for years.

These players aren't the most talented in he world, but they love to play the game, love to compete, and love their teammates. I appreciate the effort put in by the players and the league. Kids from ages 17-20 don't have a lot of options to keep playing baseball. We are fortunate in our area that they have that option. I think the league had maybe a dozen teams in this year. Its not always about developing future college or pro players, fortunately there is room for all.

I went to a game about a month ago, sat with a dad who my son played with years ago, his son was also a former college player. Our reason for being there was summed up perfectly by him " I just like watching baseball"

When I was a kid travel ball didn't exist. There were four of us who won state titles from LL through Legion. Nine of us were together in BR and Legion.

 "When the pool you can draw from is limited and defined, it’s nearly impossible to compete equally with teams that have no limits on who can play for them."

This should be obvious.  But apparently it isn't.

Every August on this and other forums,  the talent level of community-based teams is compared to ringer teams.  blah blah blah

freddy77 posted:

 "When the pool you can draw from is limited and defined, it’s nearly impossible to compete equally with teams that have no limits on who can play for them."

This should be obvious.  But apparently it isn't.

Every August on this and other forums,  the talent level of community-based teams is compared to ringer teams.  blah blah blah

 

Freddy: I am with you.  I have heard where some travel teams call in a pitcher for a weekend ("Do we have an extra uniform?"). As Stafford mentioned for some reason, the top teams don't always win the state. There is a sense of patriotism playing for the oldest organized program in the country. As for the issues, I saw a couple of the residency rules take form; some are caught early--forced one team to forfeit season--really changed standings. The competition is good at the higher ends, and the rivalries are what are unparalleled. Some states are wood bat Legion which also adds to the product. Legion ball was good for son- allowed him the opportunity to play up at an early age. Showcases Ripken Fan Jr.he attended may have opened eyes, but the two offers he considered the most (accepted one) were made after the coaches came to see him play in one or more Legion games.

You know the game is so much more fun to watch and enjoy when you don't spend the entire time making comparisons. He's only throwing 83? Man that kid is small! We would have smoked these guys. On and on it goes. I went to a AAA game the other day. One of the guys with me spent the entire game talking about how this guy wasn't as good as this guy. That guy shouldn't even be in pro ball. It's the same way when I go to HS games. Man get over it or just be a negative person and miss out.

Baseball is a beautiful game played by the best kids this country has to offer. Yes I know I am biased. So what? Why can't people simply watch a game and enjoy what "THOSE" guys can do? Why can't they simply enjoy the competition and the game? Has it always got to be a comparison situation for them? Those kids played all summer long together. They competed as hard as they could to the best of their ability. Isn't that what it's all about? You do the best you can possibly do. You play as hard as you can play. You compete to the best of your ability. Why can't we simply appreciate that instead of constantly comparing one kid to another, one team to another, one level to another?

Over 8 thousand people thought it was a big deal. They shut down that entire area to come watch those boys play. Some traveled across the country for the biggest moment in their kids baseball career. It was a big deal to them. And they should be proud. Yeah I know many will never play at the next level. So what? Someone's watching your 87 mph fastball and saying "He only throws 87." Let the haters hate. Some will say they are only pointing out the level of play compared to other levels of play. Do we really need you to do that for us? As RR once said "There you go again."

I once had a kid who was having a tremendous Sr year. A side arm guy that topped out at 83 84 but he could flat out pitch. I was not going to call any professional scouts to come watch him. I did contact some JC's and small colleges. An opposing coach who by the way was a nice guy but didn't have a clue contacted a Scout he knew and told him the kid was upper 80's and he needed to see him. So this scout shows up at his next start at our place and walks over to be before the game. He tells me he is there to see the kid pitch. Wants to know what I think. I tell him well he's got a chance to be a pretty good guy at the small college level maybe a situational guy against RHH. He is floored and tells me what he has heard. I say "Hey just take a look at him tonight. He's a great kid you will enjoy watching him pitch."

Well the guy throws a 3 hit shut out and k's about 10 hitters. The scout comes over to me after the game and says. "Thanks Coach. I knew after he threw his first batter there was no need for me to stick around. But to be honest with you I haven't had that much fun watching a guy pitch in a long time. In fact I haven't enjoyed a baseball game that much in a long time. I just became a fan after that first inning and just enjoyed watching Kurt pitch. He's going to be a good pickup for someone. Make sure you tell him I loved watching him pitch."

Kurt pitched at Lenoir Community College and did a great job. He played 2 years and now is the HC at my old High School where he won a State Championship two years ago and lost in the final game of the State Championships this year. Pretty darn good for kid who threw 83 84. Lose yourself in the game and the beautiful game that it is and enjoy it. Or spend your time constantly comparing your son to other kids, your team to other teams, your level to other levels. And miss out. Your kid has a certain level of God given talent. What he does with that is up to him. If he is giving it all he has. Competing as hard as he can compete. That should be celebrated and appreciated and never diminished simply because he wasn't graced with more God given ability. All I ever asked of any player was their best. If I got that they were a stud in my book. I had guys that were graced with tremendous God given ability that had all the intangibles and they were studs as well. But to me they were all equal. Because they took what they had and made the most of it. That's all we should ever ask of any player.

This is not an attack on anyone that has posted. Feel free to disagree with me. It's just my opinion. For what it's worth.

Doesn't get much more real than what Coach May stated above, thank you sir!  

Coach_May posted:

You know the game is so much more fun to watch and enjoy when you don't spend the entire time making comparisons. He's only throwing 83? Man that kid is small! We would have smoked these guys. On and on it goes. I went to a AAA game the other day. One of the guys with me spent the entire game talking about how this guy wasn't as good as this guy. That guy shouldn't even be in pro ball. It's the same way when I go to HS games. Man get over it or just be a negative person and miss out.

Baseball is a beautiful game played by the best kids this country has to offer. Yes I know I am biased. So what? Why can't people simply watch a game and enjoy what "THOSE" guys can do? Why can't they simply enjoy the competition and the game? Has it always got to be a comparison situation for them? Those kids played all summer long together. They competed as hard as they could to the best of their ability. Isn't that what it's all about? You do the best you can possibly do. You play as hard as you can play. You compete to the best of your ability. Why can't we simply appreciate that instead of constantly comparing one kid to another, one team to another, one level to another?

Over 8 thousand people thought it was a big deal. They shut down that entire area to come watch those boys play. Some traveled across the country for the biggest moment in their kids baseball career. It was a big deal to them. And they should be proud. Yeah I know many will never play at the next level. So what? Someone's watching your 87 mph fastball and saying "He only throws 87." Let the haters hate. Some will say they are only pointing out the level of play compared to other levels of play. Do we really need you to do that for us? As RR once said "There you go again."

I once had a kid who was having a tremendous Sr year. A side arm guy that topped out at 83 84 but he could flat out pitch. I was not going to call any professional scouts to come watch him. I did contact some JC's and small colleges. An opposing coach who by the way was a nice guy but didn't have a clue contacted a Scout he knew and told him the kid was upper 80's and he needed to see him. So this scout shows up at his next start at our place and walks over to be before the game. He tells me he is there to see the kid pitch. Wants to know what I think. I tell him well he's got a chance to be a pretty good guy at the small college level maybe a situational guy against RHH. He is floored and tells me what he has heard. I say "Hey just take a look at him tonight. He's a great kid you will enjoy watching him pitch."

Well the guy throws a 3 hit shut out and k's about 10 hitters. The scout comes over to me after the game and says. "Thanks Coach. I knew after he threw his first batter there was no need for me to stick around. But to be honest with you I haven't had that much fun watching a guy pitch in a long time. In fact I haven't enjoyed a baseball game that much in a long time. I just became a fan after that first inning and just enjoyed watching Kurt pitch. He's going to be a good pickup for someone. Make sure you tell him I loved watching him pitch."

Kurt pitched at Lenoir Community College and did a great job. He played 2 years and now is the HC at my old High School where he won a State Championship two years ago and lost in the final game of the State Championships this year. Pretty darn good for kid who threw 83 84. Lose yourself in the game and the beautiful game that it is and enjoy it. Or spend your time constantly comparing your son to other kids, your team to other teams, your level to other levels. And miss out. Your kid has a certain level of God given talent. What he does with that is up to him. If he is giving it all he has. Competing as hard as he can compete. That should be celebrated and appreciated and never diminished simply because he wasn't graced with more God given ability. All I ever asked of any player was their best. If I got that they were a stud in my book. I had guys that were graced with tremendous God given ability that had all the intangibles and they were studs as well. But to me they were all equal. Because they took what they had and made the most of it. That's all we should ever ask of any player.

This is not an attack on anyone that has posted. Feel free to disagree with me. It's just my opinion. For what it's worth.

Amen brother!

Spot on Coach May!  Just enjoy the game regardless of player ability (LL, HS, AL, MLB, etc). It's the greatest game ever invented!

Coach May,

That was a great post. Unfortunately, there are two very different perspectives observers of the game have. One is the perspective of trying to project or compare what’s being observed to what the observer believes is a higher level. The other is the one expressed in your post, that being what’s taking place at the moment.

Great post Coach! My family watched the end of that last game. What really struck me were the kids playing baseball for their last time. There was one kid (I can't remember the team) who isn't playing college ball. The announcers were very clear that we were watching what could be his last at bat in competitive baseball. What an honor to share that moment with him. 

Someday, that will be our kids. It will come sooner for some than others, but that day is coming. I hope it's as memorable for my son.

I bike a lot. I'll stop by almost any game. Sometimes I target a game as my biking destination. I'm there to enjoy the game. I adjust my expectations relative to the level of ball I'm watching. Is it quality LL baseball? Is it quality Legion baseball, etc.. I don't compare them to travel.

A couple of summers ago I biked past opening night of LL districts. I stopped to watch. I had fun watching the game, talking to a couple of dads and watching parental behavior. It was enough fun I decided to bike to an all star game every night for the next sixteen days.

it wasn't travel ball. But it was fun. It was enough fun I biked to states twenty miles away to watch two games per day. Sections was too far away to bike.