Great line from article on youth sports

justbaseball posted:

Some will roll their eyes at this, but...folks, how about just enjoy your 10 and 12 year old sons and try not to worry about what they'll or their peers will be at 18 or 21 or as a future MLB star.

 My 6 year old daughter REALLY likes art class this year, so for Christmas she is going to get a wide array of art things with the usual kid stuff.  Perhaps this will spark an interest in a specific type of art, or maybe I just blew $50.  I put a lot of thought into the various type of art things to get, did research, read reviews..etc.  I think it might be something she can enjoy, and if she does, I'll get her more, maybe some private classes, a camp, who knows.  None of this means I think she is going to be the next Picasso and none of it means I am not enjoying that a 6 year old enjoys her art class. I am just trying to give her a path to explore things she really likes.

With my son and baseball it is the same thing.  I enjoy watching him on a higher team than he theoretically should be on, he loves the challenge and gets to do things he hasn't been allowed to do in past years, for example, in 8 years of baseball he has NEVER been allowed to bunt in a game, until this year and that is because he is no longer the biggest and strongest kid on the team.  After he bunted the look on his face was sheer joy, he was SO excited to get to do something new in baseball. Some might say I'm rushing him through his baseball experience, that I need to slow down, that I should smell the roses, but I just think I'm allowing him to try new paths to explore what he really likes.

I see no difference between the two. Some will say AHA and THAT is the problem, but for me it's just helping my kids explore their passions.  If those passions change tomorrow and ice hockey is the big thing then fine, I hope my stand heater can be used in those stands too!

It isn't baseball that I am passionate about, I am passionate about my kids passions. If my daughter sets a goal that she will attend Julliard for dance then I will do everything I can to support that goal.  My son wants baseball to be his career, so I will do everything I can to support that goal.  I don't see why that means I'm not enjoying them, I'm actually having a pretty good time.

Where in the world did you read that I don't think you should support your child's passions?    Goodness gracious!!

(But I do think its wise to not make something like art, dance...baseball so important at age 6...10...12 that we box our kids into believing mom's/dad's approval only comes from that thing we are perhaps...overly exuberant about).

I think all I (and others) are advising is don't be in such a rush to get to Juilliard at age 6 (or D1/MLB at age 10/12) and miss the little things along the way.  When I read post after post of people trying to project 10-12 year olds on their sons' teams and actually believing they can figure out who the future D1 or MLB players will be I think they are in jeopardy of failing to 'enjoy' the moment.

It's OK TD, I got it.

Seems to me that justbb is saying almost exactly what NBA player Jeremy Lin recently did in his Facebook blog post in connection with a local teen suicide cluster being discussed in the media.  Here are some things Lin said which seem mirror justbb's views and might be contrasted with perspectives of  adults and parents trying to pick MLBer's out of 10-12 year olds:

"One day, I remember attending a panel discussion where a college student was asked, "What is your biggest regret from high school?" Expecting to hear about opportunities missed or paths not taken, I was surprised when the student replied, "My biggest regret is not enjoying high school more and thinking that my grades and test scores mattered so much. In fact, I don’t even remember what I scored on the SATs." I had filled out more Princeton Review practice test Scantrons than I could count and one day, I wouldn’t even remember my SAT score?!?"

This observation seems particularly apt here:

"Separating myself from my results is not an easy lesson and I’ve had to relearn this in every stage of my life."

What I read justbb and some others referencing is, especially with sports and other extra-curriculars, that it might be preferable/is preferable at younger ages and  into the teen years for those who parent, coach and impact and influence sports to allow the sport to be played without the context and reference to a scholarship, playing in college, etc.  Might even be saying it is the role of a parent to guide through the ever present and growing push toward early verbals, so our son's and daughters never say they "wished they had enjoyed HS and their formative years more" and so they realize, appreciate and understand that their "results" in a sport don't define them and are not a reflection of  their life or identity. Maybe it is preferable for the sport context to be our son is playing in college, rather than our son is D1?

 I kinda like justbb's reference points!

2017LHPscrewball posted:

I'm sure it gets a whole lot more complicated as age goes up, but wanted to see what others thought were the early signs of natural ability.

I knew my son was going to play baseball when i bought this to keep him busy at our uncles house one year when he was almost 3. He was the only toddler there, my daughter and neice were babies, so we knew we had to keep him distracted in the large backyard. My son was hitting the ball off of the tee and his cousin was cheering him on. Then he watched his 13U cousin take a turn, fold the tee down and use the automatic launch feature to pop up the wiffle ball to hit it, instead of the integrated tee. I can still see it like it was yesterday, he goes back outside after he had seen his cousin to fold the tee down, then used the bat to tap the launch button...wait a few seconds and then the ball is popped up ready to be hit in midair. He basically mimicked my nephew and hit the ball the first try and every time afterward. I knew he could throw a ball, we had played toss but when i saw his hand/eye with the bat, i signed him up for tee ball the next spring. 

I just want to know your secret for that grass!  

I bumped into a friend of mine today, her son just turned 5.  The recreation dept of the city in which she lives told her that her son cannot play Tball as he is too advanced, he doesnt need a tee to hit the ball?

I am like, say that again?  She wanted to know if son could give her son lessons, I said no, he doesn't need lessons, he needs to have fun at 5 and you call them back up and tell them that they have to accept your son unless he is not of age. 

I can understand how the attitudes develop that the players will definitely be a baseball player someday!  I didnt know what to say after that, and that is very unusual for me!

Shoveit4Ks posted:

2017LHPscrewball posted:

I'm sure it gets a whole lot more complicated as age goes up, but wanted to see what others thought were the early signs of natural ability.

I knew my son was going to play baseball when i bought this to keep him busy at our uncles house one year when he was almost 3. He was the only toddler there, my daughter and neice were babies, so we knew we had to keep him distracted in the large backyard. My son was hitting the ball off of the tee and his cousin was cheering him on. Then he watched his 13U cousin take a turn, fold the tee down and use the automatic launch feature to pop up the wiffle ball to hit it, instead of the integrated tee. I can still see it like it was yesterday, he goes back outside after he had seen his cousin to fold the tee down, then used the bat to tap the launch button...wait a few seconds and then the ball is popped up ready to be hit in midair. He basically mimicked my nephew and hit the ball the first try and every time afterward. I knew he could throw a ball, we had played toss but when i saw his hand/eye with the bat, i signed him up for tee ball the next spring. 

 

Thats pretty cute. He definitely had the stuff then and has it now! 

I knew DK was going to be a ball player when the first word out of his mouth was "bawl"!

TPM,

Don't know bout 5 year olds, but I have seen 12 year olds that should never be allowed to play in any local 12 year old league.  So guess I could see how an advanced hitter would not be allowed to play in a TBall League against 5 year olds that can't even protect them self.

I was giving my kids hitting lessons at a very young age.  I think it helped them a lot and made baseball more enjoyable.  Why is there anything wrong with teaching kids how to play?  Isn't that part of the fun?

I think you are referring to people that go overboard.  Those already planning out the future for their 5 year old.  But I don't consider a young kid taking some lessons going overboard.  Nothing wrong with learning the fundamentals at an early age.  Also nothing wrong with just allowing them to play without any instruction at all.  Guess I don't see it much different than a young kid taking piano lessons.  Except I would guess there are some kids forced into those piano lessons.  I suppose there are some kids forced into baseball lessons, too.  That approach I would disagree with.

You and she agree PG. And no one disagrees with moms and dads teaching their sons (or I guess giving lessons as you say) to hit or throw or kick a ball. 

But far fewer kids just play all on their own. It's all too organized too early IMO. Let kids be kids. 

Go read infielddad's post on the academic pressures and the sometimes tragic results with kids these days and it's not too hard to see the same pressures evolving in sports on today's youngsters as mom and dad search for the big scholly to an elite school from a very young age.   You knew how to keep it in check. I have some firsthand encounters with parents that say many do not. 

I am ready as a parent of one of the younger.ones (14 is still a younger one right?) To make my confession...  I could see when he was 8 1/2 months old he was a ballplayer - not like any ordinary 8 1/2 month old ballplayer  - he set himself apart.  Maybe it was the way he wore his white sox onesy, or maybe the cold steely eyed look of sheer grit and determination as he crawled.  His crawling was filled with athleticism like a  panther stalking.  I knew it then.  I started researching major division 1 programs right then and there.  Soon though when he was three and had his giant wiffle ball, plastic tee and bat I could see we did not have a college ballplayer on our hands at all...  he was looking like a first rounder - more than likely top three pick - right out of high school!  I dropped my college research and started researching agents.   I can't wait til WE are in the major leagues!  He doesn't really care for baseball anymore - says he's burned out.  But then I remind him again this is about ME ME ME!  He has to do it to make up for my pathetic past.  I am living vicariously through him an it feels so good.  If he really loves ME it shouldn't be a great sacrifice for him  he wants to be a ballerina but what he wants doesn't matter.  He can't waste this phenominal gift he has been given.  And crush all the dreams I have for US!  We are on a super elite team, probably the best in the country although we had  few bad breaks last year and lost 20 games.  That was the fault of the other kids, the coaches and the umpires.  I of course scream at them all like  crazy raving lunetic, they are making a deliberate attempt to derail my little boys future mlb career.  They are all jealous.  Even the cops who have escorted me out of a couple dozen games over the last two years.  I actually spent some time when I chased the umpires to their cars with a tire iron.  The worst part of those three months of incarceration was missing our 9 hours a day baseball specific training (our version of home schooling)  Long story short I love my son - but only as long as he is a baseball player.  If he should ever quit or not get drafted in the first round i am pretty much done with him.  I will then have another son at the age of 60 so that he and I , together, will rise to greatness!!

Agree, except if we left it up to kids to go play on their own, baseball would die.  It isn't like the old days where kids would go play ball all day on their own.  I can remember when the play grounds and ball fields would have kids playing some form of ball all day.  Now I drive by those places and they are empty.  When you see kids playing it's actually organized teams practicing or playing a game.

So in a left handed sort of way, those of us that love the game and want it to grow, should be very thankful that there are a lot of crazy parents out there.  In a round about way, they are keeping the game we love, alive!  And yes, those going about it the right way are the most important of all.

I'm all for letting kids be kids.  I have 13 grandchildren, not one of them plays baseball.  We have a long history of baseball in my family.  Wonder if that will continue many years from now?  Is it important, I suppose not? Wonder what would happen if everyone's family quit playing?  BTW, we have a lot of girls among the grandchildren.   None of them play softball.

Thank God there are many parents that get there kids involved in baseball. I don't think the game could exist these days without their involvement and interest.  Yes, even those that do go over board.

PGStaff posted:

TPM,

Don't know bout 5 year olds, but I have seen 12 year olds that should never be allowed to play in any local 12 year old league.  So guess I could see how an advanced hitter would not be allowed to play in a TBall League against 5 year olds that can't even protect them self.

I was giving my kids hitting lessons at a very young age.  I think it helped them a lot and made baseball more enjoyable.  Why is there anything wrong with teaching kids how to play?  Isn't that part of the fun?

I think you are referring to people that go overboard.  Those already planning out the future for their 5 year old.  But I don't consider a young kid taking some lessons going overboard.  Nothing wrong with learning the fundamentals at an early age.  Also nothing wrong with just allowing them to play without any instruction at all.  Guess I don't see it much different than a young kid taking piano lessons.  Except I would guess there are some kids forced into those piano lessons.  I suppose there are some kids forced into baseball lessons, too.  That approach I would disagree with.

One thing that I learned long ago is that a child will love that which he masters.   My son learned to pitch starting at age 8.  By nine year old season he was one of the top two pitchers in the league.  He was pretty good.  As a result, he loved pitching.   However, he would not have just decided to take up pitching all on his own.  I had to get him going. 

So the moral of this story is yes, lessons are good, and yes, one does need to push a bit. 

TPM posted:

I bumped into a friend of mine today, her son just turned 5.  The recreation dept of the city in which she lives told her that her son cannot play Tball as he is too advanced, he doesnt need a tee to hit the ball? 

 

I know the feeling, at 4U my son was the only one on the T Ball team that could hit a tossed pitch and didn't need the Tee. In our league, if you couldnt hit the tossed ball after 3 attempts, they tee'd it up for you. He was also the only one who could throw it across the infield, catch thrown balls and was the most athletic on that team. Then and there, i had a premonition that he would play Power5 ball one day and throw harder than many bigger kids....that day, in the yard, i knew he would be awesome-er.

At 4U, my son was the only one who could throw the ball across the infield - was the only one that could catch thrown balls.  Luckily he was fast enough that he would throw the ball from 3B and then run to 1B and catch it.  I think he had an unassisted quadruple play one time.  I think he had 42 HR's as the other team fought tooth and nail over who would get to throw the ball in.  Those were the days.

Also, he kept his pants dry the whole season!

"Could he pick up the spin out of the pitcher's hand with his peripheral vision while drinking a juice box?"

The Consultant

(just kidding Bob, Merry Christmas!) 

Shoot.  My kid could read the label on a spinning CD at age 5.  Not just that, but they were Austrian composers, so they were in German. And, he could loosely translate.

  So... He's got better eyes than Ted Williams. Spoke and read a second language (on a spinning CD, no less) and is going to Juliard as a classical composer in training.  He's 12 now and has a 90+ fastball with nasty late sinking action.  The White Sox want him in the 1st round as well as to compose a 7th inning stretch song to rival "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."

 We're all just staying humble and watching where this all goes. 

Merry Christmas all!

Nice touch with the German names...

PG,

Dk missed the cut off  due to a late birthday and he couldn't play tball until he was 6.  He cried when I told him he had to wait, no wait he threw himself down on the ground and had a fit!  It was all about baseball. And because of his age he had to play TWO years of tball. I don't think this hurt him one bit.

Luckily,  we live in a place where lots of baseball is played in lots of places. So instead of playing tball he and his dad attended lots of milb games, spring training and HS, college. I actually think that is how he learned to play, along with watching hours and hours of Greg Maddux and the gang from Atlanta on TV every night.

When he got to tball he was older than everyone, could line drive a ball into the outfield from the T. He knew the baseball ready position and he knew when you hit you ran to first not third, unlike many others. He had fun and so did we!

Well, actually I am kind of going back 25 years, but you get the jist of my story. 5 year old boys do not need lessons, especially when parents have trouble paying their bills.  The whole idea is about learning how to be part of a team, and not all about ME. I believe that is the first skill in learning how to play the game!  

PGStaff posted:

Agree, except if we left it up to kids to go play on their own, baseball would die.  It isn't like the old days where kids would go play ball all day on their own.  I can remember when the play grounds and ball fields would have kids playing some form of ball all day.  Now I drive by those places and they are empty.  When you see kids playing it's actually organized teams practicing or playing a game.

 

The reason why is because there are too many that don't let their kids be kids, they have to have them signed up for travel ball or some other sport before they get out of kindergarten!

So many things changing as time moves forward and technology, which I love BTW, has changed things so much for our kids.  When my sons were toddlers I spent lots of time with them playing games with various kids of balls (e.g. baseballs, footballs, basketballs, soccer balls, tennis balls. . . even golf balls).  I always tried to encourage the boys to go out and play with neighborhood kids, but that didn't happen very often as it seemed very few neighborhood families allowed their kids to go out and play on their own or the kids just weren't available as many families had tight schedules for their own agendas.  This was so probably because I lived in the middle of a high-tech silicon-valley neighborhood where both parents worked long hours and tended to have their children in daycare until they got off work.    And of course this was a time when computers and hand held gaming devises were just becoming popular where if kids weren't watching TV they were playing Nintendo games or even playing around with computer games.  As the kids grew I noticed that parents seemed to use organized sports as a form of daycare for their kids, whether it was piano lessons, swimming lessons, soccer or baseball teams.  You didn't see parents at practices, except maybe to pick the kids up, but they would show up on the weekends to watch their kids compete.  For me as a father, I decided that it was important for my boys, who early on showed early physical athletic talent, that I engage them with physical activities.  Sons saw that I went out three times a week to play basketball and to play golf every now and then.   So they knew I liked athletic activities as I would also play with them indoors or out in the yard running, throwing or hitting some type of ball.  And occasionally I'd invite friends or neighbors over who had kids of similar age and get them going with some type of game.  One day a parent suggested I should get my kids into one of these "organized sports" and that I should be a coach.  After a little thought, I did exactly that.

As I coached baseball and soccer, one of the things I noticed was that some kids who had some athletic abilities had parents that were really athletic neophytes.  Yes, some were classic "nerds."  So, for them to get their kids into some kind of "organized sports" program was a good choice since they didn't posses much ability to directly engage their children as I tended to with my own children.   And being the "nerds" they may have been, I can see where it would seem like the right thing to do to get their kids into an expensive elite program in order to give their kids the best possible chance for success in an athletic sport.  For those parents who are or seem to be "over the top" when it comes to getting their kids into "elite" athletic programs, it seems to me to be mostly rooted in ignorance. 

I'm very thankful that I was able to take time and play physically with my boys.  Sometimes it wasn't easy given the competition with electronic devices.  And if fact, to my boy's disgruntlement, I had very strict limits on the time they could engage such devices.  They'd complained a lot how all their friends had this or that or could do this or that.  With regards to that, they used to say I was "mean".  But interestingly, now days they applaud what I did.  So, now I feel pretty good that I stuck to my guns.   All I every really wanted was for my sons to have fun with physical activity and when baseball became more serious as my youngest advanced to high levels, I still ask him if he's having fun.  Because if he's not, I don't feel he should be doing it any more.

When I think about how youth baseball is played today, I often wonder if the youth enjoy it any more or any less than I did when I would play with friends on the nearby corner dirt lot or at my school's field.   I think not and that they enjoy it just as much.  It's just a different environment than it used to be.  But when I think about the times when, back in the 50's, I used to play catch with my father on the front sidewalk in front of our home and compare it to playing catch with my sons in our yard or at the LL ball field, I hope I've passed on a legacy for a father and son activity that's very pleasing to reflect on.

BTW:  At my advance age, I'm still having fun playing catch with my sons.  Though it can be a little scary catching a professional player who's throws don't ever seem to fall below 80 mph.    

Sometimes we start on a path not aware where it'll lead or where it'll end. 

Here, oldest son (far left) at Y-Ball; the youngest, here at 2 1/2 yrs old, always trying to keep up and compete with brother and follow his footsteps:

TPM,

My comment was directed back to what you said about the decision to not allow a kid to play TBall.  To me I can understand that decision if he is very advanced.  To me this would make him extremely dangerous, especially to that little ünadvanced kid standing at the pitching rubber.

I have seen this stuff first hand where one boy is basically dangerous In his peer group.  It's not about my son did this or did that.  It is about watching one 12 year old kid hit a ball so hard that it barely missed the ear of another 12 year old boy playing first base.  The kid didn't/couldn't even react.  Had that line drive hit him between the eyes it would have been very ugly.  I doubt that that kid was having much fun at the time.

So yes, I can see a very good reason for separating kids that are nowhere near the same level.  That reason being safety!  And I believe the things I have seen at the 12 year old level, could also be true at the 5 year old level in TBall.  At 5 years old safety should always be the biggest concern.  IMO

Though I don't think playing any type of organized baseball is very important at 5 years old.  I do think teaching the game can be.  It doesn't have anything to do with me or I instead of team.  There is plenty of time for a five year old to learn how to be a team player.  It's not about my kid did it this way so that is the way it works for everyone.  Just because the way you did things worked out well, doesn't mean it works that way for everyone.

Fun, Yes... organized baseball, who cares... Lessons, who cares... Spending money on their kids, who cares...  Safety, everyone should care.  When my kids were young I could have cared less about what other parents were doing.  Didn't care if they were spending money on lessons or organized baseball.  Simply wasn't any of my business.  if someone asked me to help their kid, I would do it whenever possible and I would do it for nothing. If someone wanted to sell the farm to do something for their child, it wouldn't bother me a bit.  That was their decision!

BTW, some of these kids that started early taking baseball serious are now in the Big Leagues.  Others are playing in college.  How does anyone tell their parents they went about it all wrong?

I gave my son a Little Tykes tee ball set when he was eighteen months old. I showed him how to stand and swing by putting my arms around him. He figured out the rest. He was "going yard" before age two. He was hitting of the pitching machine at three. I had access through his sisters machine pitch team.

Tee ball started at six. He chose to attend his sister's 12u travel softball practices to playing tee ball. He said hitting off tees was for babies. I think it was as much as dad would be at softball practice versus coaching tee ball.

in 7-12 rec ball I begged opposing coaches to keep their second basemen alert. He nearly drilled a few. Although there was opportunity he never played up until twelve when he played grade appropriate (13u). At fourteen he played up two years.

He never had a hitting lesson until after his soph year of high school. He hit over .300 as a soph.  But a pro scout convinced he could be a better hitter if he used the entire field. I had been telling him the same thing for two seasons. The competition was getting better. He couldn't overpower every pitcher anymore with his swing. The over swinging grounders to second and quails to right became line drives the other way. The quality drives to right were still there. He hit over .500 junior year. 

My daughter didn't start playing sports until she was seven. Softball was machine pitch. The niht before her first practice she asked if I would show her how to swing and throw.  I spent the first year reminding her not to lunge and wait for the pitch to get to her. She never had a lesson. My daughter was the ultimate late bloomer. She was passive. Softball didn't involve physical contact so she was fine. When she grew to 5'10" she became very physically and mentally aggressive in every sport. It was then she transitioned from a decent high school prospect to a college prospect.

Both kids had natural, self taught swings. At about ten I taught them about rotational swings. From then on any adjustment was on their own. By high school they would ask me to watch for certain flaws. They could feel if their swing wasn't quite right. Neither one had a batting stance that was anything like mine or I would have taught if they asked for help. In fact, my daughter had a "what the hell is that stance." Think Marlon Anderson. She was relaxed and didn't look ready. She had the bat on her shoulders and wiggled her fingers until the pitcher started the windup.

My son wanted to practice with me all the time. My daughter never practiced outside the teams until high school. In high school softball/baseball became year round efforts regardless of other sports.

Jerry,

I respectfully disagree. Tballs are softer and lighter than a regular baseball. Arent they designed for safety on purpose. Haven't ever heard of a tballer getting seriously hurt. These are not 12 year olds. I am not sure of the comparison.

Young children  need to be learning to be a part of a group, baseball, soccer, basketball, etc.  You shouldn't just involve your kids in sports because you think they may be a professional someday.  So many young adults have so many serious issues because they never felt like they belonged. I majored in elementary ed, you design your lessons with the group concept in mind. Playing in group situations reenforces  that. They even have projects and study groups in college for a reason.

Sorry, but I am just not getting why you feel its OK to not allow a 5 year old to play tball.

Those are good points.  To be honest I didn't even know TBall's were softer.

I'm all for kids playing baseball at any age.  I suppose there are some parents that feel like their young son will someday play in the Big Leagues. However, I think most parents aren't thinking that far ahead.  

Anyway,  IMO the two most important things to consider in the beginning stages of playing baseball are Fun and Safety.  I actually think parents can play a large role in teaching their son to be a team player.  Coaches also play a big part in that process.  

Also, IMO There is nothing wrong with improving at any age.  Isn't that the way education works?  Isn't the beginner leagues all about learning?

So to me seeing that TBall is a beginner league it seems  it should be fun, safe and kids should learn.  The few people that see it as some kind of MLB  farm system have gone off the deep end.  But these days when so many don't even know what their kids are doing,  I think it is great when they spend time at things like baseball.  All the other activities are good too, but many of those things cost much more.  My perfect world would have every boy playing baseball and every girl playing softball.

In the end, I have seen so many success and failure stories in baseball that one thing has become crystal clear.  There is no certain way or path that works for everyone.  While there are certain traits and skills required, many different paths are taken.  What works for you may not work for me and vise versa. Nobody has all the right answers.  I've seen good parents end up with bad kids.  I've seen terrible parents end up with great kids.

Allowing kids to be kids, I'm all for that.  But every one of those kids is different.  They don't all have the same interests.  When I was a young kid all I wanted to do was play sports all day, every day.  No one forced it on me.  I wouldn't have liked it if someone made me do other things that kids do.  They allowed me to be a kid!  Or maybe they were just happy I was out of their hair.  So I ask, what exactly is a kid being a kid?  Wouldn't that be something different to every kid?  BTW, I will admit that I might not be a good example, but did turn out to be a decent citizen. IMO

TPM, it sure would be boring around here if everyone agreed on everything.  I enjoy reading the different opinions, just don't always agree with them.  Likewise I sure don't expect everyone to agree with my opinions.

Hope everyone has a great holiday season

My only point was that my friend sought out the opportunity to play tall and was discouraged  because he was a bit advanced. 

I just don't get that, he is 5 and now she doesn't know what to do. She doesn't want him on a travel team. He has got plenty of time ahead of him for that.

So the way I see it, this wasnt a good thing for organized sports. We don't have to agree with the way to do things, but I completely understand the point made by justbaseball.  

Let kids be kids.

Merry Christmas.

Got to play some indoor catch with our "almost" two year old grandson yesterday.  Have to admit, it got me a little excited when he fired that rolled up sock right by me with his left hand. Wish I would have got the velocity on that.

I guarantee that this one is a kid.  He likes everything that requires lots of energy. Guess what, not sure if he will be a baseball player, but if he is I'm pretty sure he will have a strong arm.  Hope I live long enough to find out.

PGStaff posted:

Got to play some indoor catch with our "almost" two year old grandson yesterday.  Have to admit, it got me a little excited when he fired that rolled up sock right by me with his left hand. Wish I would have got the velocity on that.

I guarantee that this one is a kid.  He likes everything that requires lots of energy. Guess what, not sure if he will be a baseball player, but if he is I'm pretty sure he will have a strong arm.  Hope I live long enough to find out.

Enroll him in PG Toddlers.

2017LHPscrewball posted:

I'm sure it gets a whole lot more complicated as age goes up, but wanted to see what others thought were the early signs of natural ability.

It had nothing to do with baseball, or sports for that matter.  And I really didn't think much of it at the time, but looking back I do.

We were walking out of a Staples. In front of the store there were 5 or 6 concrete pillars about 12 to 14 inches in diameter and about 3 or 4 ft high and about 2 or 3 ft apart. So the kid is like 5 or 6 at the time, and he says "dad, watch this". He scrambles up onto the first one, then jumps to the next one by one until he got to the last one. 

Looking back that was pretty ballesy for a kid that age. Not sure how many kids could, or would try to pull that off. Then that lead to......

2017LHPscrewball posted:

I'm sure it gets a whole lot more complicated as age goes up, but wanted to see what others thought were the early signs of natural ability.

For both my sons I remember clearly when they were around 2 1/2 to 3 years old and how they played with some of the balls and related items.  For my oldest I would toss a Nerf ball at him and he would catch and throw it back with a pretty good degree of coordination.  But what really stood out was he had this little cushioned plastic bat that when I did a soft-toss to him from 5 or 6 feet away he would make a might swing and connect a high percentage of the time with line drive hits.  I though it would pretty impressive for such a little kid at 3 yrs old.  When younger son was about the same age, I did the same thing and he too seem unusually consistent in making good contact with the ball.  But, what really blew my mind with my youngest was when he got a gift of little plastic golf club with balls to hit and when I set the balls on the carpet he not only made full golf swings, but he was also making consistent contact with the  little plastic golf ball.  If you've ever watch an adult who just starting to swing a golf club for the first time and how badly they miss, you might understand just had hard it really can be to hit a golf ball off the ground for someone unpracticed.  For me, these were the earliest signs of them having above average hand-eye coordination.   Then as they got a little older when they first started to play team sports (e.g. soccer, baseball or basketball) they seems to have an intuitive sense above most of the other kids for the objective of the game in terms of playing as a team rather than just as an individual and knowing what they need to do with a ball. 

I tend to be skeptical, so when other parents might comment about them being really good, I really didn't think they knew what they were talking about.  I din't know what or how to compare them to anything else.  I just didn't think my kids were really THAT good, I just thought that probably the small group of kids they played with were simply not very good and not something to try and measure my own against.   My skepticism didn't really fade much until my sons were about done with Jr.High School and their performances were really standing out.

As I mentioned some time before, my youngest started Jr.High with aspirations of going to the Olympics some day in track and field.  So, he participated in various track and field events throughout JH.  The track coach was having him do several events that included running the hurdles and as one might expect, kids that age just don't quite get how to do it as they spend most of their energy jumping vertical over the hurdle and then running.  I gave my son a single simple instruction for getting over the hurdles to minimize the air time and he understood right away.  During a big tack meet I was standing near the hurdles finish line to take pictures and as my son came down the tack with a lead of about 25 feet, a Dad next to me asked if that was my son.  I said "yeah."   He said "Wow, did you have a professional coach coach him?"  I told him I just kind of told him what he needed to do and he does it.   This is one example of many that has chipped away at my skepticism.   

So, as my son grew it became more and more obvious that he was a good athlete and could do well at any sport he chose to do.  I was very happy that he chose baseball to focus on as I felt that Baseball was the sport that was best suited to him that he might achieve the highest levels (not to mention, I do love baseball above other sports. . .except maybe golf).  And I'm happy to say it has indeed turned out really well for my youngest and we count our blessings.   If it gets any better, it'll be more icing on the cake.  

The ride is still going and I've really enjoyed it all the way.