Has baseball become golf?

It has been trending towards, what I have called, "a country club sport", for several years now.  Thankfully there are still many "less expensive" avenues to play competitive baseball with decent instruction. 

Teaching Elder wrote "In before "Payoff comes through scholarships":  Not true.  You will spend far more in training, travel ball fees, gas, hotels, dinning, equipment and 6 expensive training videos/systems that promise you'll make the money back through scholarships than you'll ever get back from scholarship money."

Niece recently finished a full ride at a power 5 in Volleyball.  When I congratulated him when she originally signed her LOI, he said it was break even at best.

Or football specialized trainers as in this article http://sportsday.dallasnews.co...98c77caec8b647a3e0f3

It's not just baseball.

Yes.  There are other sports as well....it is not limited to baseball.  The perception is athletic scholarships lead to economic benefits.  Access to those economic benefits requires an investment.  It takes money to make money. 

There are players whose talent overrides any travel team they might play for. Plus chances are with a lot of talent the player would get subsidized on a travel team. A kid from our high school was a minority, other side of the track kid. He played free for a top travel team. He received a ride to a ranked college program. He was drafted in the 7th round pick. 

Assuming a certain level of God given talent a lot of paid instruction might tip the scales between D3 versus not playing or mid major D1 versus D3. 

To me, playing for the right travel team at 17/18u is more about exposure and contacts than training. 

Well.  The big question is whether or not you've thought about the whole donation thing.  You'll get a photo of "Your child" and a letter from him.   We're also putting together a promotional video with Sally Struthers to come out soon.  

Yes.  At a certain age it does become a matter of exposure and contacts.   But, boy!  People can blow a wad trying to develop a kid.  And a lot of them do in fact develop.   The science is fascinating.    Then there is the factor of did God bless the kid to be 6'3" 190 at 15. LOL.

Elder - the last part of your post made me laugh.  Mine was a 5'7" 155lb 13 year old.  He was a really solid player and my father asked me how far do you think he will go?  I said there are two parts - one is up to him - will he work enough at it and the other is up to God....just like you said.

God did not have a baseball future in mind for him - he ended up being 5'10" and 165 lbs.

God didn't have a plan for me in baseball either.  I was 6'1" 140, not very good and no work ethic.   But He did have a plan for me, none-the-less, and He has one for your son too.  I guess that's the beauty of it all.

If my kid can leverage his baseball ability into a top school in the country, its worth it.  For us it's a way to eliminate the 36 ACT competition with a 32.  Be a strong player and be strong in the classroom.  Opens lots of doors.  Even if he goes to a #100 ranked institution he'll likely get more academic money than baseball money.  That's a good combo for player and coach.

But yes, can't disagree it's become so expensive.  I don't know how families manage the cost; every out of town trip is at least $700.00, then times 7 tourney's.  Plus showcases, lessons, off season development.  Easy $20k per year...

Not being cavalier with my first para, just been our plan.  If he's that good of a player it will open up more doors.  Academic chops are  in place.

Gov!  Where you been hangin' out lately, honey.   Good to see you again.   (Back slaps all around)

eta. Oh, man.  That song quote I used is making me cringe a little.  Man code violation.

Ha... It's been a whirlwind past few months: 2016 graduation and lots of baseball with 2018. We've been at Stanford camp past 3 days, which was well run & good interaction with son & coaches.  Enroute to Ft Myers as I type for 16U Super 25.  Then on to to PBR New England Academic games at Harvard. Two favorite cities: San Fran & Boston, all within two weeks.  Having fun with son on this experience as he learns how to talk with college coaches.  Great father-son journey as well...

Isn't everything more expensive these days. Stephen Curry is doing a camp for kids. The cost... $2,250.00 and you have to travel to Hawaii.  I hear the camp is sold out. Hey, who knows, maybe some kid will learn how to shoot like Curry and get one of those gigantic NBA contracts.

Travel ball isn't just a baseball thing.  Instruction and training isn't just a baseball thing.  Young tennis players and gymnasts have spent 10 times what a young baseball player spends.

Here is something many will not want to hear.  The best players often spend the least money.  And it is true in other sports as well.  The best teams want the best players.  There is no shortage of instructors, trainers, coaches, that will gladly work for free if they think the kid might become the next Bryce Harper or Mike Trout.  After all think how good it is for business if you were the instructor that taught Mike Trout how to play.  Think how good it is for business, when your travel team had a Mike Trout. Ask TriState Arsonel.

I think most would be surprised by how little it can cost the exceptionally talented.  Problem is, most people are not exceptionally talented.  So many of them will never get a return on the money they spent.  Those people have to decide if it was all worthwhile.

The bigger cost is when someone has the desire to become one of these exceptional people.  Just like many other sports and activities, it can get expensive for those chasing success.  But there are other ways to play and enjoy the game.  To me, that is what seems to be missing these days... Just the go outside and have fun playing ball.

See the topic I started about WhiffleBall.

Personally, I don't think parents should look at money spent on baseball as an investment.  Take sports out of it and ask if the investment in college will assure the appropriate return. That to me is a true investment.  Truth is, many have invested a small fortune in college and never benefitted from it.  BTW, the price of college has also increased a lot over the years.  Thing is, most everything seems expensive these days.  Brand new cars were selling for $2,500 when I was a young adult.  Same car today is closer to $50,000 or more.

Here is how I see this issue.  When I was a young boy we had Kids League starting around 8 or 9. Many sponsors had teams all around town.  They provide Shirts and hats. It didn't cost anything, you just had to sign up and the volunteer coaches picked all the players.  No kid was ever cut and thousands played Kids League.  It was as good as it got back then. All the best players were scattered on different teams.

Then a few years back all of a sudden someone decided to put together a team of the best players.  They would play around the state.  Then others started to do the same thing and more of these type teams were started. Then more and more and they all had to cut kids.  The old Kids League became obsolete and gave up.  Now there was no teams for all those kids that were cut.  In my lifetime, I would never ever cut a young 10 year old boy from my baseball team.  If needed I would simply start more teams.  2 reasons...  1. It just isn't right. 2.  Because I know that it is possible the boy I cut could become a much better player than the ones I would keep.

Any of this sound familiar?  I will bet others have seen similar things happen where they are from.  Just like most everything else, it will never be the same.  Trying to return to the old days is nearly impossible.  So new ideas are what is most important. Adjusting to the times!

luv baseball posted:

Elder - the last part of your post made me laugh.  Mine was a 5'7" 155lb 13 year old.  He was a really solid player and my father asked me how far do you think he will go?  I said there are two parts - one is up to him - will he work enough at it and the other is up to God....just like you said.

God did not have a baseball future in mind for him - he ended up being 5'10" and 165 lbs.

My son was always the youngest and smallest kid on his travel teams.  He could always hold his own with the big guys, but talk of him playing D1 was always kind of met with a little snickering from others.  At 13 he was probably 5'2 and maybe 100#.   He just turned 19.....6'1, 175 and has been hitting 90 pretty regularly for the past year and a half.  Snickers are coming from me now....lol

Elder, don't know what is in your coffee today but I like it... very entertaining.

Yes, things have definitely moved in that direction but there are still affordable options.  Those doing the research to find the right travel teams and best instructors still have to be hard workers and put in significant effort to find the right path.  Those who are less financially able can also put in that same effort and find their right path.  Find a recent college grad or willing mentor to provide good instruction for free or reasonable rate.  Play in the best local leagues and then get sponsored to attend a few key events.  Everyone has access to a computer these days.  Use the vast information available to assure mechanics are in check, find the right strength and conditioning/ speed & agility workouts that can be done at home with very little equipment, etc.  It can be done.  

BTW, Sally Struthers is probably not your best bet... heard she is a good hitting instructor but her pitching knowledge is lacking.

Awesome Buckeye!  Love hearing it.   Did he do JUCO in order to continue to develop?  Noticed he's 19.

With regard to money spent....I don't think that people who've never been involved with travel ball understand exactly what it is.   Sure, when my son was 10, we were gone every weekend....Detroit, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, wherever....and spending 2-3 nights/week at a hotel.  People thought we were crazy.  Those same people were driving to their cottage  in their $30,000 convertible to jump in their $25,000 boat and play around on the lake all weekend.....but we were crazy for spending so much money??  Funny thing is, we were spending our weekends exactly like them.  Hanging out with friends (some of who are my best friends today, even though we only met thru baseball when our kids were 10), swimming, having a couple drinks in the bar, etc, etc, etc.

When my son was 14 and again when he was 16 we took a week long trip to Georgia for "baseball"....a whole week....crazy right??  Oh wait, we split a house on the lake with another family who had a boat and a couple jet skis.  Of our 24 hour day, we spent maybe 3 at the baseball field.   Sounds to me kind of like a vacation....just like everyone else does with their time off of work, except we went to watch a baseball game each day instead of playing golf. 

I guess my point is, sure, 8 years of travel baseball cost us quite a bit of money, but I enjoyed it, spent quality time with my family and made some great friends.  Others spend money on a convertible or a boat or a cottage...and spent quality time with friends.   My son??   Well, he learned that if you work hard for something that you really want, it pays off....and it was work...both on the field and in the classroom...knowing full well grades would play a big part in his college baseball future.   He's paying about half of what the typical kid in college is paying...a savings that is much more than what we spent in 8 years of travel ball......so I guess in reality I got all of those summer "baseball" vacations for free   

Teaching Elder posted:

Awesome Buckeye!  Love hearing it.   Did he do JUCO in order to continue to develop?  Noticed he's 19.

Nope, he will be a sophomore this fall.  Got to throw about 30 innings his freshman year.  Started out as a reliever, got 3 weekday starts and finished up in the pen again after the weekday games ended the last couple weeks of the season.  His school lost a weekend starter....he's hoping to get a shot at one of those spots and if things keep going the way he's throwing this summer he should have a chance to earn one

Several people have pointed out that youth sports cost a lot more across the board.  I guess my heart just lies with baseball so that's what I've really paid attention to.  

PGA has a First Tee program to teach lower-income kids to play golf.  Wealthier guys looking to get a new set of clubs will donate some really nice sets to First Tee and they give them out to kids.  They have some very, very affordable training for young players too.  My nephew got to go to the final day of the Masters this year through First Tee!

Any other sports have something like this that y'all know of?

Go44dad posted:

Teaching Elder wrote "In before "Payoff comes through scholarships":  Not true.  You will spend far more in training, travel ball fees, gas, hotels, dinning, equipment and 6 expensive training videos/systems that promise you'll make the money back through scholarships than you'll ever get back from scholarship money."

Niece recently finished a full ride at a power 5 in Volleyball.  When I congratulated him when she originally signed her LOI, he said it was break even at best.

Or football specialized trainers as in this article http://sportsday.dallasnews.co...98c77caec8b647a3e0f3

It's not just baseball.

Was this person a she then he then a she then a he again?

Please take this the way it is intended.  I have been on these various websites for a very long time now.  I know it is big money for most BUT because of the "D'I Dream."  There are so many more options out there.  My daughter had several D-I offers but decided to go D-II.  It was a great choice and she had a blast.  Unfortunately, there was a "stigma" attached to going D-II instead of D-I with her friends and their parents.  It was almost as if she was a failure.  In the long run, I'm positive that they wish that their daughters had followed my daughter's path.  I've coach a lot of players that have played professionally.  At least half of them have been either JUCO or D-II.  While it might mean being more local in our search and isn't as glamorous, please consider these other options if you can't afford the big time showcases and exposures.

Also, while it cost an arm and a leg now for both pitching and hitting lessons, that doesn't have to be the case.  I know of players that are going every two weeks instead of every week because their parents can't afford lessons.  I shouldn't advertise this too much and have made at least one enemy of a local "expert" but my daughter and I are now giving lessons.  We charge a whopping $15 per half hour.  Unfortunately for us, half of the time, we forget to take the money.    I turned down approximately 50 players in the last two weeks.  Currently, the daughter and I are coaching twenty one fast-pitch players and a few baseball players.  (Note, several players come every two weeks.) Tomorrow, I will be giving another lesson to a young man with a huge arm and no clue as to how to pitch.  His parents can't afford any lessons and this young man has a future with that cannon.  I know that there are people like my daughter and I in every neighborhood.  I don't think baseball is a rich man's sport just yet.  JMHO!

Dadof3 posted:

Go44dad posted:

Teaching Elder wrote "In before "Payoff comes through scholarships":  Not true.  You will spend far more in training, travel ball fees, gas, hotels, dinning, equipment and 6 expensive training videos/systems that promise you'll make the money back through scholarships than you'll ever get back from scholarship money."

Niece recently finished a full ride at a power 5 in Volleyball.  When I congratulated him when she originally signed her LOI, he said it was break even at best.

Or football specialized trainers as in this article http://sportsday.dallasnews.co...98c77caec8b647a3e0f3

It's not just baseball.

Was this person a she then he then a she then a he again?

Thank you for the grammar/sloppy writing correction.  "When I congratulated her father when she..."

I dunno . . . I think an awful lot of money gets spent during 6U - 10U that need not be spent. As in, very little, if any, advantage is gained. In the older ages, I don't think there is a need to go to every out-of-town tournament. You could instead . . . just not go.

Baseball is similar to golf in that it involves fine motor skills that need to be taught and practiced a lot. But that doesn't need to be expensive.

But then again, maybe I'm completely wrong. To this day, 2019Son has never had pitching lessons and didn't start playing travel ball seriously until 12U. Maybe he'd be better if I had shelled out the big bucks!

The 13U team I coach (14U in 2017) has spots available within our roster budget for "scholarship" players to play at a significant discount.   There are other teams that charge a lot less than the typical Academy teams.  Both the Wisconsin Vipers & Wisconsin Thunder have player fees way under $500 and that includes topnotch training, Majors level Tournament competition, uniforms etc.    And those 2 teams are two of the best in the state.

For my own son, from November of 2015 through May of this year at age 13 I did get him weekly lessons with a great hitting instructor for about 7 months straight.   There were things in his hitting mechanics that needed to be ironed out.  Honestly I could have taught him those things myself but he didn't want to listen to Dad!   I looked at it the same as if my kid was into piano and wanted piano lessons or into ballet and wanted dance lessons.  

Now that his swing mechanics are ironed out my plan is to just keep taking him to the local high school field that has an L Screen, like I've been doing all summer and pitch to him.  He has fun hitting on the field instead of the cage and there is no cost.   I might have him still get lessons with the hitting instructor once a month or once every two months, just because he really likes the guy.

The biggest thing I plan on continuing to pay for, for my son, are Speed & Agility classes which are mainly for injury prevention/durability (there's a great place near our house that charges $10 an hour) and Math/Science tutors.  His older brother has basically had most of undergrad/grad school paid for with academic scholarships and while my 13 year old doesn't seem as academically gifted as his bro', we recognize the value of investing in his education.

Having coached for a while and just being aware of how things are, if my son ends up being 6'3" 220 and is still hitting laser line drives and can still play middle infield at that size, things could get interesting for him in terms of playing after high school.  My wife is 6'2" and there are plenty of D1 athletes throughout both sides of the family.   Lots of people 6'5" and over.   He has a cousin who is 6'5" and is on the USA Junior Developmental Volleyball team.   She's got a shot to someday be an Olympian.  Playing college ball is just what most folks in our family tree do.  Just looking at his skillset and his gifts (hand-eye, work ethic, slick glove with first step quickness and range) and weaknesses (straight ahead foot speed and throwing are not elite), if he doesn't end up 6'3" 210 then he's going to be a longshot to being anything more than a D3 athlete, more than likely.  And I'm fine with that.  It is his road to walk.

Point being, I'm not going to invest $$$ much into his Baseball career until his size and skills warrant such a thing.  And it is entirely possible to play high level travel ball without investing much.

PGStaff posted:

The old Kids League became obsolete and gave up.  Now there was no teams for all those kids that were cut.  In my lifetime, I would never ever cut a young 10 year old boy from my baseball team.  If needed I would simply start more teams.  2 reasons...  1. It just isn't right. 2.  Because I know that it is possible the boy I cut could become a much better player than the ones I would keep.

I've been thinking lately about this...as my boys get older and start playing, how do I make sure there is a venue for kids that just want to have fun playing ball?  Do I have enough energy to dedicate to rejuvenating decimated town leagues so 8-10 year olds have a place to play?  How does one go about doing that anyway?  How would I balance that with the strength & conditioning at Power Alley, where some of the dedicated kids are coming that want to play at the next level?

I've had some of the same thoughts over the past few months....thanks for posting!

I've said for years that "baseball is becoming how good can you afford to be" at the youth and teen levels.

With that said, D1 is an equalizer IF you can get there. Everyone, regardless of offer, is going to get descent equipment, training and instruction at the D1 level. Or at least have access to it for little to no cost. You see many players catch up to the highly trained/instructed/traveled player once on campus and on the same program as everyone else. Coach wants to win at the mid-major to lower high-end D1 for that next big opportunity at a major D1.

Of course that doesn't account for the occasional mommy/daddy big booster PT factor at some schools. Not a factor at many programs. 

Money can do a lot of things, but you can't buy your way to the top.

Every person is born with a certain ceiling for potential.  Very few, if any, ever realize 100% of that potential.  Money can provide opportunity and help a person attempting to reach their potential, but no amount of money can buy potential that doesn't exist.

The Major Leagues are full of people that have come closer to reaching their potential.  That includes those that came from wealthy and poverty stricken backgrounds.  Sure money can help, it is an advantage, but money falls far behind many other ingredients it takes to be among the best in baseball.  For one, desire will take a player farther than money.

A baseball player simply cannot buy his way to the top.

You're correct, Jerry, about potential and ceilings.  However, I think that most people have 2 ceilings.  One is that to which they can reach on their own.  The other is that which they can reach with proper training.  Bo Jackson may possibly have had one ceiling.   With the preponderance of great training, more and more people are achieving the second ceiling.  And so, less and less might you see the blue collar kid becoming exceptional.   There are certainly those who do become so.  It obviously takes money to reach the second ceiling.

My son was naturally pretty gifted at throwing a baseball.  I worked with him the best I could.  However, after I paid some money to a really good instructor he began to take my son to a new level.   

Now, can a person have lots of money and not really reach the second ceiling?  Yes!  Give money to a guy who doesn't really know what he's doing, and that will happen.  Fail to work hard.  That will happen.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm not sore.  The way I look at it, God didn't make my son big at a young age.  But he did gift him with skills.  Some guys he made big young, but didn't gift them with skills.  I don't really hear those guys complaining that they are big but don't have a good arm or bat.  Some guys are little and have no skills. We will take what we've been given and go with His plan.

I appreciate your input, Jerry.  You're kind to take time out of your schedule to drop in and share with us when able.

Coachb25; your post was more helpful and encouraging than you may realize.

2019Dad posted:

I dunno . . . I think an awful lot of money gets spent during 6U - 10U that need not be spent. As in, very little, if any, advantage is gained. In the older ages, I don't think there is a need to go to every out-of-town tournament. You could instead . . . just not go.

Baseball is similar to golf in that it involves fine motor skills that need to be taught and practiced a lot. But that doesn't need to be expensive.

But then again, maybe I'm completely wrong. To this day, 2019Son has never had pitching lessons and didn't start playing travel ball seriously until 12U. Maybe he'd be better if I had shelled out the big bucks!

Parents can be totally nuts!  I post on a youth board, 6u-14u, today there was a post asking if  anyone knew of a hitting instructor in area XYZ for an 8 & under team. A Coach is reaching out because the parents want off season instruction, they are wanting the hitting instructor to "help the kids generate consistent swings and a basic approach to the plate."  My reply, "Any reason why you think kids 8 and under NEED to generate consistent swings and have a basic approach to the plate for Coach pitch?"

I actually held back, I wanted to talk about how 8 and under can't consistently go to the bathroom sometimes but I held back....still got blasted by another poster about how important it is to teach proper mechanics at young ages so major things don't need to be corrected later on.  They went further to say "I commend any parent who seeks to have their kids taught properly."

There is a time and place for "proper training", but 6-10u isn't it.  Also, I'd like to point out that I just dished out $450 for Freshman Football that consists of SEVEN games, he doesn't get to keep the Jersey or the pads or the helmet and that was before I had to "upgrade" to secure tickets to every game and a parking pass....I don't think only baseball has gone up.

I think that like most things you can spend as little or a much as you want.

My golf clubs tend to run out of good shots because they are 2 years old and I saw new model on the shelves, does that mean it is mandatory to spend that much to be better? I play at local CC because I am able but does that mean I practice more and get better then the guy who has a yearly membership at a local muni for 800 bucks? Obviously not.

Baseball is no different, some people will spend whatever the number is because they can and others will scrap by with the minimum because they have to.

A good friend of mine can't afford all the perks, his son learned most of his stuff from picking up teaching points from people who had many lessons(your welcome buddy), he then researched them and his boy worked very hard - his mechanics are top notch not because he paid for them but because he worked hard for them. He is being looked at by many different schools right now and he has never been in GA or Ft. Myers.

There are lots of ways to skin a cat.

FWIW,  spending money on travel ball is fine if that's how you want to spend your money.  I can think of a lot worse things to spend money on than your child and his dreams....

However having gone through this 4 times myself I can say without a doubt I made some mistakes...

In my opinion any travel ball before 10-11 years old is a waste unless that's your only option.  So many things are going to change.. body, desire, afraid of the ball , too hot.... so please do not stress over it.

I am going to write a book here but maybe it will help.  When 2013 came along at about 13-14 he was tall and skinny... pretty good glove, average bat but no power, pretty good pitcher, smart but lacked a lot of velo  but he loved the game.....  He was on travel teams but was also that bullpen pitcher... he did well and was able to handle not being the number 1 guy... every year as players fell off he continued to hand around and get a little better.  Did I spend money on pitching lessons yes I did.... did it help him ?   I'm sure it did  but not as much as you would think.  So he continues to play through high school and makes good grades.. he plays 2 years at a JUCO and now a Mid-Major... And he is still not the number 1 guy.... but as his career winds down ( one more year) and look back, the thing he had was desire, heart, work ethic and some talent...  He will graduate and is headed to grad school.....  So the money I spent on him was worth it to me... Now I was not a crazy spender, but he never lacked for anything. 

when 2014 came along, he was 6'3 in middle school hitting 82 and the sky was the limit..... this kid was going pro... no doubt about it and I was going to do all I could to make it happen.... Well he was pretty good and had a great high school career.  I bought lessons , travel ball, camps... you name it  .... I tried to convince God of this kids abilities.... work harder, your not working hard enough...... He received some D1 interest until they saw that 21 ACT and 2.9 GPA... was he talented enough for D1 but not so much to take a chance with those grades.  So off to Juco we go...... and he did well until the grind got him, he was talented and could ride that talent through high school but once the grind kicked in well it was more work that he wanted to do..  He did manage to get through 2 years of playing Juco... and a D1 offer..... last week he told me he was done... just did not have the desire any longer... I knew the day was coming.... I hope he's making the right choice, a chance to play D1 ball and is passing on it.

all the time I spent with 2013 and 2014 ..... 2016 and 2018 just had to wait.... play locally .... I'll get to you... I'll make the games when I can.... Well 2016 came a long and was a good pitcher.... played on his terms, he picked his travel team, he decided when he would play, if he thought he needed lessons ( which were few)  he had a 34 ACT and 4.4 GPA..  I spent less money on him that I did 2013 and 2014... But yet he secures a 97% deal to Tufts University.....

At the bottom was 2018.... tagging along with 2016's team did well in middle school... and once in high school did very well.  Never had any lessons, and now  10 of the top travel teams want him to play.... the cost was negotiable with these teams... I spent the least on this one with so far is the most in return because of talent....

So did I push 2014 too hard.... yes I did ...  I don't take all the blame for his wanting to quit playing , and I know it's not the end of the world .   2013 had less talent but much more heart and will.  2016 .... never really considered D1 ball always a big picture guy.... 2018.... god given ability.... , no lessons of course he works hard but at some levels you either have the body and athleticism or you do not.   No money lessons and travel teams are going to make you have that.   So can you take lessons and throw 90+  very doubtful.... can you make yourself better sure you can... the coach cannot make you better the lessons cannot make you better.... they can help you make yourself better.... if that's what you want.  

But please understand not very many are going to have all that it takes to play high level D1 ball or pro ball.... and that's fine.... 

We have alot of local recreation ball leagues here in Atlanta that play spring seasons that lead to summer All Stars and also offer a fall season. Most parks are on the nicer side, some arent. These parks are actively seeking kids to play baseball and cost a  few hundred bucks to play. My 9 yo son did that when we moved and really enjoyed that fall ball experience. He was back in travel at 10 after all stars. Atlanta is obviously one of the best places to be for youth baseball and i still believe there are options for most kids, even the ones who are arent as fortunate. I know we would try to work with whomever it was to get them on the field. Believe me, we had kids from all types of backgrounds, and skill sets .  

I look back on the journey with my son and i think we will break even after his 4 years in college, maybe be a bit ahead....i hope. We enjoyed it and while i would change a few things, mostly things about me and the way in which i went about things at times....i would do it all again. 

Speaking of the Atlanta area, it should be a baseball model for the rest of the nation. There is more diversity in that location than we have seen anywhere in the country. There are kids that lack resources receiving great coaching and leadership. There are more black players in that area than anywhere in the country. There are so many teams and highest level teams it is astounding. And the talent level is equal to anywhere in the USA.  I should also mention Southern California and the things MLB is doing there with the UYA and RBI as well as other locations.

There are hotbeds all over the country, especially in California, Texas, and Florida. There are hotbeds throughout the south and the west and in the MidAtlantic. There are hotbeds in the NE, the Midwest, basically every part of the country has them. But I think these days I would say the Atlanta area has surpassed everyone when it comes to providing youth baseball opportunities. And especially opportunities for all!