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Baseball Summit Meeting...HELP...

observer44observer441,000+ posts
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I'm gonna throw this against the wall and see what sticks....

While I know, understand, have experienced, know all the arguments for and against, and value both...

I am hearing more and more stories about the conflict between...I'll call it "outside ball"...and community ball - that includes high school. And while it has all been out there for a while, I for one believe that it is reaching crisis proportions. And I believe that it is the kids who are losing and confused...

I believe the the whole youth/high school/travel ball thing REALLY needs to be thought out by ALL parties before it all implodes, baseball turns into the mess of s****r/tennis/gymastics, and everybody scrambles and bites for the spoils and talks about the "good old days"....We all know that Baseball by far has the best set up for developing our young men, but I fear that it is breaking down, and again, it will be the kids who pay the price as it does....

I would LOVE for baseball to show some real leadership and conduct a summit meeting with ALL organizations attending (High School Ball, AAU, LL, Pony, MLB, NCAA, PCA, PG, the major trvael organizations....) to try to make some logical, if not calendar, sense out of it all.

The time is right, the real problems are just beginnning. I have watched the disaster befallen other youth sports from the inside and I can assure you that it is only going to get more confusing, more cut throat and the kids are going to be the ones who suffer in the end if nothing is done.

I posted some of this on the NorCalPreps Website and got some encouraging response. The people in Northern California for one are talking seriously about this...I have also talked to TPM about this...It's out there...its time to pull it all together folks...

I really hope this thread starts some dialoge and that the people who have the reins of the youth baseball world are listening and are encouraged to begtin to find a solution to save our game and protect as well as develop our young players as kids, as players, as people and as members of their communities.

Maybe I'm the only one, and maybe I'm just spitting into the wind, but thanks for listening.

Sincerely,

Cool 44

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Last edited {1}
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rz1rz15,000+ posts
I guess an upside being from the North is that we don't seem to have all the issue the "hotbeds" around the country have. While I agree with Observer44 that things should be done, I feel that these are issue should be resolved at the local levels. From the youth to the HS/AAU levels the problems are different depending on where you live. The WI issues are not the same as the CA issues or the FL issues and governing one areas problems may complicate anothers.

I hope I did not misinterprut Observer44 comment.
gratefulgrateful1,000+ posts
The youth organizations outside of the school systems need to respect the traditions and sense of community that exists in most areas in high school sports. If those people/organizations will respect high school baseball for what it is, and allow it to remain an important part of local communities and school districts, then there would be no 'crisis'.
rz1rz15,000+ posts
Grateful,

In order to get anything done that respect has to work both ways. The other side of your reasoning says that HS have to respect that the select programs are also strengthening the HS programs and providing the select athlete the opportunity to compete at the next level. That is part of the player development process.
Last edited by rz1
TRhitTRhit10,000+ posts
RZ1

You make a great point about the differences in regions--here in the northeast there are not a load of fall programs and during the summer whwihc ends baseball wise for summer programs roughly at the beginning of August --there is not a lot of conflict

We begin our travel program after the summer programs end
Last edited by TRhit
tychcotychco1,000+ posts
rz1,

I agree. There are different levels and goals among players on any given HS baseball team. Some have the ability and want to play college/pro. Some are good HS players.

If there was a mutual respect among the coaches and organizations, where the select players can play on their teams after the school season, and the kids that can't or don't want to play on those teams have the HS summer program available to them. There would be fewer issues involved if that were the case.
itsinthegameitsinthegame5,000+ posts
Just speaking from the two areas of the country I have lived in:

The little leagues seem to be doing pretty good.
And their doesnt appear to be too much conflict with high school and the Select/Travel teams.

I see the real problem as the years immediately after Little League (what we used to call senior league) - during the summer/fall seasons.

It seems nowadays more than ever - you are either on a Select/Travel team - or you are out of luck.

I think that is where youth baseball has taken the biggest hit. JMHO
S soxnole1,000+ posts
Well......

First of all LL will be talking with absolutely no one. I have been down that road prior to the new TV deal and since "it's good to be king" (regardless of the mickey mouse rules, playing fields and level of play), don't expect word one from them.

Pony has a similar view but is losing ground to high end travel and the many different organizations in between. Some like Oak Park's are way ahead of others but provincial in thier attitudes regarding travel and what is truly the best thing for the highest level players.



HS coaches are the ones that are getting things done. Communication with the various groups can lead to a kind of "nirvana" situation which I really believe is happening in the Chicagoland area.

Go's like this:

1)LL loses out to the young and aggressive travel leagues which number in the 100's of teams @ each age level.
2)Pony fills the void for players and parents that either can't afford or won't join travel teams.
3)HS has roughly 35 games per season.
4)HS summer teams play about 30 games per season.
5)Travel teams (in summer)allow HS coaches to turn thier best players over to travel while they work to improve the rest of the team and....the entire team gets back together for the playoff's.
6)Fall ball schedules approach the 30 game level.

RESULT:

Wallah...planty of games for all...lots of evaluation time for the coaches and...a whole winter to get to work at all the private facilities which proliferate here in our area.
gratefulgrateful1,000+ posts
RZ.....I agree with you completely about the respect going both ways.....but perhaps I am missing something here......

I am guessing that I don't really understand the potential 'crisis' that observer is writing about.

Do the high schools and their coaches need to do something to show respect for summer travel programs? Is that not happening?
M Missouri-BB-Dad100+ posts
I'm not sure if I fully understand the concern here.

There certainly isn't any conflict going on between the high schools and other programs in our area. During the hs season, high school rules and everybody knows it. Can't play or practice with any other team. This is required by the state's dept. of education. I assume that is the way it is everywhere else. If you want to change it you better start talking with your state legislature but be ready for a fight from the NEA and every school district in the state.

There is a lot of animosity between local leagues, tournament directors and the sanctioning organizations. They don't like each other and are vocal about it. The fact in our area is that tournament, select or travel baseball (or whatever you call it) especially in the older divisions has grown so enormously that the local leagues cannot ignore them like they used to. The leagues are now working around travel team schedules in order to keep the team in the league. Without that there would be no community baseball in the 14 y.o. age group and up. Without travel teams participating in community or local league ball you might have only 2 or 3 teams to compete against each other.

We like to travel and play in the local league because it's baseball and we want as many games as we can get. It also provides the opportunity to get everyone on the team lots of playing time.

I can't speak to college issues. Don't know if there are any.

You know what? The conflicts we have experienced are a pain sometimes but IT'S ALL BASEBALL and it's great! As long as we are playing somewhere with another good team, the world is good.

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