It is getting scary !!!

TR,
I do beleive people have to do that to GET people to read their sites (the bashing). Been there, seen it.

I guess for some of us old timers it's a bit distressing to see all the hype these days going on. National championships, all americans. It does however make for good memories.
I just don't like anyone making parents feel that if son isn't playing "elite" by 10 he won't get a scholarship offer. Paying huge fees, extended travel, recruiting at 10, that's a parents choice.

TR,

Agreed, but it is up to the parents to control what they do with their kids.

My HS freshman plays for a travel organizational team. My 10 YO plays for a local team that is coached by two retired gentlemen who love the game. No travel (maybe one weekend) and local tourneys. He loves the team and has fun.

I guess in the end, if someone is willing to pay, these guys will take advantage of parents who have the "dream" that their kid will play pro ball.

It is scary. Well put TPM Son was on a 17U Elite team and they had optional trips. I remember 1 parent dipping into his retirement savings to send his 16YO on a trip he couldn't afford. $800. I talked him out of it and told him to talk to his son. His son couldn't have cared less. My son didn't go and several others. They took players from other teams and they had a terrible week weather wise. The father thanked me for talking him out of it. 2 years later his son quit baseball to work to buy a junker car.
Sometimes we put undue pressure on our selves to do everything for our kids.

tr
the scary thing to me is that these people make money doing it.it is a different world we live in.who would have thought the usa's largest employer would be walmart?as long as parents are willing to pay somebody will take there money,i don't see it so much up here ,we are hard to sell new englanders.most still have 8 tracks.

quote:

as long as parents are willing to pay somebody will take there money,

My god how did we ever survive with all the stuff going on today.

TRHit this is an important issue. Last year I let my son play for a team which went to the World series in Steamboat Springs. We decided as a family to make it into a vacation so it went very well but very expensive. About a week later he was invited to play in Cooperstown and the cost for it was out of control. I put my foot down and decided not to let him go. Needless to say I saved alot of money and the team didn't fair well against the other competition.

Sometimes enough is enough. Sometimes batting lessons, instruction, and tourney's can get out of control. It really is up to the parents to say enough is enough already.

TR - Some valid concerns. IMO, if a site, a coach, a parent, or anyone else begins a conversation by "defaming" anyone, they instantly loose credibility with me. That should be a red flag immediately to one and all.

Any program or coach that can truly help your child doesn't need to use tactics. Their work speaks for itself.

When a kid begins traveling is a personal decision. To allow a child to devote that much time and money to baseball isn't something I would ever allow for a young child of my own. I personally think those decisions hinge on a parent's dream of having a teenage phenom. If he's going to be the next Upton, he'll be so without traveling as a 10 year old. JMHO.

quote:

Sometimes enough is enough. Sometimes batting lessons, instruction, and tourney's can get out of control.

and that is for the kids that have some talent

Definitely SCARY! Problem is that the internet lets every wannabe become a star - maybe in their own mind only, but it opens up opportunities for everybody and their brother to promote themselves as "IT". I guess maybe I'm old-school...I always thought that you waited until OTHER people told you you were good before you thought about proclaiming it to the world?

Coach Knight

I am with you !!!!

TRHit,

It is like dejvu (sp), you brining up some of those topics. On Friday February 24, 2006 my son and I went to an indoor facility to hit just like we always do. There was a bunch a little fellas running around with their coach barking instructions and it brought back old memories.

My son was stretching out and I ask him...."Does that look familiar", he said, "reminds me of when I was a little fella in Little League." Well we were promptly corrected by a parent that said...."Oh no, this is much better than LL, this is a 9 & 10 year old travel team."

I did not say anything but I was thinking...if this is a 9 & 10 year old travel team, I hope they are not traveling to far. It was not pretty, in that their skills for that age should certainly have been a little farther along.

I guess I am not used to this "new-age" baseball.

O42

I can remember a few years back (not sure if they still do it) our local rec league had an All-Star T-ball team!

I have been coaching Travel ball for 2 years. The first year was 9 under and this year 10 and under. We aren't hardcore and 90% of the kids are from the same athletic association. We didn't really recruit any kids, just the parents looking for a little more competition showed up at open tryout 2 1/2 years ago. We travel around FL with an occasional trip to south GA. We are just trying to develop the kids against good competition and we have set goals of getting as many kids as possible on their respective high school teams. I have definitely seen the "ugly" side of the travel team thing with the 10 yr old curveballs and kids changing teams like underwear for a shot at the titles. We have a lot of fun with the kids and hold the expenses to minimums required and by no means seek glory for ourselves but when it all comes together it sure is fun.