LLWS Regional last night

quote:

Originally posted by willj1967:
That's not true in some cases. Some of these teams are select teams....many of the kids on the "all star" team are from the same select/travel team. I know of two little leagues that select their "all stars" before the season even starts. They have dedicated all star coaches that practice this group of kids all during the regular season and they play regular little league games with their LL teams during week nights and play select/travel tournaments most weekends. By the time the real all star tournaments begins in late June, the team has been playing and practicing together all year. They play the minimum required number of LL games to qualify for all stars. And these two LL teams have made the LLWS in recent years.

Jon

I'm pretty sure this is against Little League rules.

I've heard of the same scenario happening up our way also willj1967.

quote:

Originally posted by gotwood4sale:
I've heard of the same scenario happening up our way also willj1967.

Here is the Little League suggested method for selecting all-stars. I thought it was a rule, but I guess not. After seeing here what is going on, maybe it should be, huh?


The following plan was presented to the International Congress, Washington, D.C., 1965, as a guideline, taken from the experience of the International Advisory Council. The principle is to have all components of a league determine and participate in fair and democratic selection of the tournament team. This would eliminate many of the complaints, abuses, pressures and charges of favoritism which are directed toward the league president.

The following groups should each select its tournament team.

Group 1 - Players
Group 2 - League Officers
Group 3 - Team Managers
Group 4 - Team Coaches
Group 5 - Volunteer Umpires

Every player on the eligible teams is entitled to vote. Each group submits its list of players at a meeting of the Board of Directors of the league. The names are to be read and counted from each of the groups, and the players in the order of total votes received will become eligible for the tournament team. Where more than one player has an equal number of votes to qualify for the last position or positions, final selection should be made by a majority vote of the Board of Directors at the time of the meeting.

NOTE: The above suggested method for selecting Tournament Teams (All Stars) is not required. The method of selection is to be determined by the Local League Board of Directors, which may or may not include portions of the above suggestions.

Our Rec program was affliated with Babe Ruth so did things a little different I guess.

The select team was picked at the beginning of the season, it is a different tryout but everyone was invited. (The coaches knew who they wanted though) All Stars were another tryout about mid season, same as above.

The select season ended when the regular ended, and the all star tourneys started. Obviously, the select team was basically the all star team, you just couldn't call it that.

The age change to 4/30 was not LL's lead. It was USA Baseball's decision. LL followed along with almost every other baseball programs. The goal is to ultimately get the date to 1/1 which is used in all sports as the international age break. 4/30 was step once since there was resistance to the big step of 1/1.

When the date changes to 1/1, LL and other youth programs are going to have to decide whether the smaller fields end at age eleven or expanding the field size, which may be tough for some programs with fields squeezed into smaller areas.

quote:

Originally posted by micmeister:

quote:

Originally posted by willj1967:
That's not true in some cases. Some of these teams are select teams....many of the kids on the "all star" team are from the same select/travel team. I know of two little leagues that select their "all stars" before the season even starts. They have dedicated all star coaches that practice this group of kids all during the regular season and they play regular little league games with their LL teams during week nights and play select/travel tournaments most weekends. By the time the real all star tournaments begins in late June, the team has been playing and practicing together all year. They play the minimum required number of LL games to qualify for all stars. And these two LL teams have made the LLWS in recent years.

Jon

I'm pretty sure this is against Little League rules.

There are ways around the LL rules. Many leagues are doing it. I would say it violates the spirit of the intention of LL.

quote:

It's a Community All-Star Baseball Team. Not a Select or Summer Travel team.
These Players are representing there District, there State, There Region.
Are they the Best of the Best 12u Teams out there?
Not Hardly. But I hope there having Fun

This is an innaccurate statement. You are assuming that these kids don't play travel ball. I will bet a lot of these kids play both. We see it in our local LL all the time.
I do aggree with the changing the rules in the "Majors" 12U LL division though (ages 10-12). Not teaching these kids the true game at that age is doing them an injustice.

quote:

"Go show your father that baseball." - Sandy Koufax (this is what Sandy Koufax said to me after he signed my baseball and found out I didn't know who he was. I was 12 yrs old.)

Pat... I was watching an interview with Cal Ripken. He was teaching a group at his camp. One of the kids asked if he should know who he (Ripken) is. He asked him if he was ever any good.

I hope he replied, "I was good, just not that durable".

"That's not true in some cases. Some of these teams are select teams....many of the kids on the "all star" team are from the same select/travel team. I know of two little leagues that select their "all stars" before the season even starts. They have dedicated all star coaches that practice this group of kids all during the regular season and they play regular little league games with their LL teams during week nights and play select/travel tournaments most weekends. By the time the real all star tournaments begins in late June, the team has been playing and practicing together all year. They play the minimum required number of LL games to qualify for all stars. And these two LL teams have made the LLWS in recent years."

Surely noone is suggesting that anyone would cheat to win a youth baseball tournament. I just can't imagine that.

Surely noone is suggesting that anyone would cheat to win a youth baseball tournament. I just can't imagine that.[/QUOTE]

These teams aren't cheating. They are holes in LL's rules a tank can be driven through.

I can't remember what team the broadcasters made this statement about, but it is telling. "this team has been playing together since they were 8 or 9"

Do you people see what I see? Fastball , curveball , fastball , curveball , curveball etc etc etc. I love the way the announcers say "He is using his off speed stuff very well to keep the batters off balance". Every other pitch is a breaking ball by a 11 or 12 year old kid. At least every other pitch. Sometimes more often its 2-1 breaking balls to fb's. These coaches are sitting over there behind that wire fenced dugout putting their fingers on their noes then ears then cheek but the result is always the same. A steady dose of breaking balls followed by a fastball at some point and time. It makes me sick to see these young kids out there doing this. The fact is these great young arms will never be great HS arms. But the coach can sit around and brag how he took a team to a regional or a LLWS. What a shame. No what a sham! Its not very good baseball by the way either. Especially for kids that age. Its who has the best cb and who hits the most pop ups that go over the LL fence. I would much rather see an AAU or USSSA game with kids playing real baseball rules. Man when I was coaching this age the coaches I coached against just had unwritten rules about this kind of stuff. FB , Change up - which was really just a pitch where you tood a little off your fb and locate. Sorry for the rant but its time to get this stuff of the TV. If they are going to televise youth baseball then lets televise legitimate youth baseball. JMHO

quote:

Originally posted by Coach May:
Do you people see what I see? Fastball , curveball , fastball , curveball , curveball etc etc etc. I love the way the announcers say "He is using his off speed stuff very well to keep the batters off balance". Every other pitch is a breaking ball by a 11 or 12 year old kid. At least every other pitch. Sometimes more often its 2-1 breaking balls to fb's. These coaches are sitting over there behind that wire fenced dugout putting their fingers on their noes then ears then cheek but the result is always the same. A steady dose of breaking balls followed by a fastball at some point and time. It makes me sick to see these young kids out there doing this. The fact is these great young arms will never be great HS arms. But the coach can sit around and brag how he took a team to a regional or a LLWS. What a shame. No what a sham! Its not very good baseball by the way either. Especially for kids that age. Its who has the best cb and who hits the most pop ups that go over the LL fence. I would much rather see an AAU or USSSA game with kids playing real baseball rules. Man when I was coaching this age the coaches I coached against just had unwritten rules about this kind of stuff. FB , Change up - which was really just a pitch where you tood a little off your fb and locate. Sorry for the rant but its time to get this stuff of the TV. If they are going to televise youth baseball then lets televise legitimate youth baseball. JMHO

I have to agree with you Coach! They should ban the curveball altogether until a kids Freshman year. And the fence distance is a joke! It should be at least 220' IMO. The pitching distance is also too short. It should be 50' at least. Those two things would eliminate the need for some Coach's reasoning for calling so many curves and make them teach the game!

It would be nice if at this age they played real baseball. Leads, stealing but they would have to go to 70ft bases and 50ft pitching. Geez at least make the catcher catch a third strike. Our kids did not throw curves at that age and we limited them to a max of 75 and usually less depending on any difficult innings. Last year I read somewhere that there were 3 kids with broken arms from pitching in the regionals. Unbelievable.

quote:

Originally posted by TG:
These teams aren't cheating. They are holes in LL's rules a tank can be driven through.

Yep, but Danny Alamonte'? The thing I can't figure out is "WHY" they want to cheat or manipulate the system. Is winning that important? Is honor, integrity and dignity dead? I have Coached Pewee ball to Travel ball and if I couldn't win by doing things the right way, I wouldn't want to win. I wouldn't feel like my team or I had earned it.

quote:

Originally posted by bb1:
It would be nice if at this age they played real baseball. Leads, stealing but they would have to go to 70ft bases and 50ft pitching. Geez at least make the catcher catch a third strike. Our kids did not throw curves at that age and we limited them to a max of 75 and usually less depending on any difficult innings. Last year I read somewhere that there were 3 kids with broken arms from pitching in the regionals. Unbelievable.

Speaking of that, did anyone see the game the other night where the kid was holding his elbow and looking at the bench for three innings? Finally it looked like the Umpire just called time until someone came out and talked to him and the trainer finally said take him out. The kid could barely move his arm and the Coach actually put him at 3rd base instead of taking him completely out. Geez!!! Talk about child abuse!

quote:

Originally posted by gimages:
I can't remember what team the broadcasters made this statement about, but it is telling. "this team has been playing together since they were 8 or 9"

They tried to do the same thing in our league years ago, but by the time the kids reached the 12 year old age group, half of them stunk! LOL

The Cal Ripken baseball is head and shoulders above LL as far as baseball goes. LL is a waste of time.

quote:

Originally posted by no-e2:
The Cal Ripken baseball is head and shoulders above LL as far as baseball goes. LL is a waste of time.

A program is as good as the local people running it. The CR program in our area is a disgrace.

quote:

Originally posted by TG:

quote:

Originally posted by no-e2:
The Cal Ripken baseball is head and shoulders above LL as far as baseball goes. LL is a waste of time.

A program is as good as the local people running it. The CR program in our area is a disgrace.

I was speaking more to the comparison of the tv games versus LL. I'm sure your right on the local levels. But comparing Cal Ripken World Series to LLWS, Cal Ripken wins all they way. They are actually playing real baseball.

quote:

Originally posted by no-e2:

quote:

Originally posted by TG:

quote:

Originally posted by no-e2:
The Cal Ripken baseball is head and shoulders above LL as far as baseball goes. LL is a waste of time.

A program is as good as the local people running it. The CR program in our area is a disgrace.

I was speaking more to the comparison of the tv games versus LL. I'm sure your right on the local levels. But comparing Cal Ripken World Series to LLWS, Cal Ripken wins all they way. They are actually playing real baseball.

I don't consider baseball real until I see a rubber sixty feet, six inches from home plate and legitimate high school fence distances.

I also don't consider the way the game is played on the smaller fields to be relevant to a player's future. But that arguement was just done to death.