"How travel baseball has hurt player work ethic and attitude"

Interesting. Travel baseball is good, it's parents allowing kids to break commitments when they don't get what they want that hurts the player.

JMO.

Dedication and work ethic are not hurt by travel ball, those characteristics and others are simply revealed.

quote:

Riding the bench has always played a major role in sports. But travel baseball has all but eliminated that. As long as you know how to write a check you can start every game. Every player needs a different kind of check though at some point in this game - a reality check - to ensure his work ethic and attitude are in the right place as he strives to accomplish something in this game.

Travel ball has diminished some of the problems parents have like dealing with coaches that won't favor their child but at some point the kid has to have talent. Even with some talent every kid will become "exposed" at some point. At some point, no amount of money can buy continued play. If you have money, you can participate longer for awhile. All that money spent for cool uniforms, hotel rooms, travel expenses, weekend road trips, tournaments, indoor practice facilities, top priced equipment, etc. really needs no justification to others.

The one thing that can't be purchased is desire. You can't buy the proper attitude or work ethic. Kids aren't stupid. They know what you are spending. They know that they don't have to earn it. Travel ball in and of itself isn't harmful. There are great memories created. We all purchase our brand of happiness with every dime we spend. However, there are still baseball experiences that can be had for little or no money. These experiences can be as fulfilling as the travel ball gig. It has been this way forever. It will all sort itself out in the end, when your son becomes "exposed." Hopefully the love of the game will still smolder somewhere in that heart of his and life lessons will play out for many many years.

I'm with floridafan. I don't think a year on the bench is going to completely turn around a kid's attitude. Most likely switching teams will just keep the kid playing where he might have quit rather than play behind someone who is better.

quote:

Riding the bench has always played a major role in sports.

When I read this, I found myself thinking of the line in Caddyshack when the judge said "the world needs ditch diggers too."

I like some of the author's stuff, but I think he's off base on this one. Couple things; I have yet to see a team put together where a player (past 12u, anyway) paid his way onto a prime starting spot he didn't deserve. Has it probably happened in greater or lesser circumstances? I guess it probably has, but I suspect that the other ballplayers and coaches might have SOME influence.

In my opinion, while you can learn some of the game riding the pine, I think few ballplayers are going to hang around when they can find a team so that they can prove what they can do. My experience is that these guys are self-starters and are moving so that they can prove they can get the job done. These aren't the guys waiting for mommy or daddy to write a check so they can say they played "up the middle."

"Basically, if a player is unhappy these days, he just goes to where he is happy - never getting that reality check that he really isn't that good and he needs to work hard(er)."

I just don't see this as cause and effect; I mean, flip it around, players can avoid working harder by moving to a different team? No, if you don't want to work, you're done. That's baseball, no matter the team.

Not every players goal is to play in the major leagues or college.
Baseball is a game and some kids play it for fun, why not go to team that allows you to play.. Does the sport have to always be some sort of lesson in life??

I think the logic might not be quite there, but I think I know what he means.

Look, I think there are two entirely seperate aspects (he might be confusing them) and one is served in one venue and one in another.

Every kid should play every inning, every summer imho. Whatever it takes to play, they should play. Whether that be the lowest rec league, legion team, travel team, showcase team, or select team or whatever you want to call it. The whole idea at the youth level is to play the game so I think every kid ought to go find that place for themselves.

At about 9th grade however, things change in one respect during the school season (summer remains similar). There, kids will be asked to make a freshmen team or higher and they are often competing against other kids from other travel teams. It is about desire and heart at that point. The first time a kid may be asked to go out and beat out a better player if they ever want to see the playing field. As Coach May has said, competition is the ingredient that forges steel.

Travel ball/summer ball teaches kids how to play the game. High school ball teaches kids how to compete. Both are equally important imho.

I could buy his theory for pre-highschool but from there on in the large highschools playing time is earned with plenty of reality checks in the winning programs. As for DI players overestimating their ability it takes two. The coach recruiting him and the players desire to reach for his highest opportunity. I see nothing wrong with some " free agency " in college. The five years to play four goes fast enough and both parties deserve the chance to find out. Also, dropping down to a " quality DII " is no guarantee either.

I gathered what the author was talking about was that there are so many travel teams now, that any kid at any talent level can get on some team and start and even get on some team and be the star. Then once he gets to HS, both he and his parents are in a position where they are so enamored with his "starting spot", they think he is the best player ever and should be starting varsity. They don't realize the real talent that is out there and are disillusioned with the HS coach and program because they don't see how good their son is.

I have seen this on more than one occasion. Lower level, pre-HS travel teams that play other low level teams sometimes don't realize what is actually out there. When they get to HS, where it is truly a competitive environment, they just don't know how to deal with it.

I agree with bballman.

There are so many programs out there for a kid to play travel ball where back in the day you really had to be a special player. As it is, if their kid isn't as good as the parent believes, then it's real simple, the dad starts his own team and Johnny plays every inning.

I have no beef with the dad who does it to try and help his kid progress. I've seen and played with late bloomers, so that's not the problem. The problem arises when the dads that swear their kid is travel-caliber and they get to JHS or JV level and they realize he's not going to be the next Jeter.

Then it's "everyone elses fault" or "they just don't know how good my kid is". As mentioned here, that's when reality kicks in and the kid's (or really the dad's(?)" dream ends.

There are some kids cut for travel-caliber ball and others that simply aren't. I just don't see the need to pursue the delusional and not just accept where your kid is and let him do have fun. If he's good enough to play upper-caliber ball, then great, and if he's not, there's nothing wrong with in-house or other recreational ball more suited to his skill-set.

I read the article and I certainly don't agree with it. How has not playing ever helped any player? Travel is all about finding the right fit where you can play, kinda like finding a college program that is right for your kid.

Sitting the bench has never helped any player get better. Unless his goal is to be a manager.

The author was a 4 yr starter at a tremendous D1. That means he never sat bench and chased foul balls...
Kids need to be on teams they can play on and get their hacks, there will probably be a bench in their future (hs or college) so there's no need to rush it.

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Welcome aboard the HSBBW InBetweenHop.

Nice input on your very first post. Thanks.




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Basically, if a player is unhappy these days, he just goes to where he is happy - never getting that reality check that he really isn't that good and he needs to work hard(er).

I have had conversations with some parents who spend money for an elite travel, or whatever name the team has and they complain they spent time and money to go somewhere and their kid gets 2 at bats on a trip. I spent all that money etc etc . On the other hand I talked to a father whose kid got cut from the high school team and came out a year lat er and made it.

Some great comments above. I absolutely agree that there are a lot of players that don't realize the depth of the pool they are in, but I think they need to be somewhere where the game will teach them that. The players that move to another team don't believe the game is more than they can handle. If the game teaches them that, they may or may not move again, but they have the opportunity to find out. Contrary to the article, I think that that is a good thing.

Now, there is an argument that the explosion in travel ball has done its part to minimize the number of young folks playing baseball in this country overall (basically, the only way to be successful is to play it ten months a year). THAT is a conversation I'd like to have....

Travel ball isn't the cause of the attitude in the article. The parents are the cause of the attitude. Travel ball only allows the attitude to play out.

It's ironic I found this post. I'm sitting in Panera. I just listened to two mothers complaining their son's were always all-stars until the high school coach got a hold of them. Neither son made varsity as a sophomore.

The author has added a part 2, or rather explained what exactly he meant the first time.

quote:

I just listened to two mothers complaining their son's were always all-stars until the high school coach got a hold of them. Neither son made varsity as a sophomore.

Yes it is those high school coaches. they have no idea what they are doing.

Two sides to every story. Some places are just not a good fit and never will be to some talented players. Some can't buy a break and some are handed them.

"Find coaches to play for have the ability to help you improve your weaknesses and who can see and appreciate what you “can do” versus focusing on what you “can't do.”



http://www.prospectwire.com/pw...layers-can-do-part-1


not always easy on the first try.