Midwest vs. Warm Weather Players

I'm showing my age but I believe back around 1981, the Pequads, who were from the City of Chicago, won the Connie Mack World Series. I belive they also may have won it or finished very high a few year before that. The team was compromised from players mostly from the Chicagoland Catholic League.

Gamer:

A team from Chicago won in 1979; a team from Joliet in 1982. MI teams won in 1974 and 1980. Midland has won nine times I think.

Here's a link showing past champions.

http://www.fmtn.org/depts/parks/cmack/cmack.html

In this day and age I don't think geography makes much difference. I don't think there is any doubt that a team from the Midwest can compete on the national level. Many already do. With today's awareness of training methods, and with indoor facilities cropping up everywhere, any player from any area can develop his talents. I think many Northern players migrate south to play college baseball; my guess is to take advantage of the extended baseball season and better facilities?
Fungo

Last year (2003) a team from Michigan (all the players were Michigan kids) went to the final four, lost a close game in the semi-finals of the Connie Mack World Series to eventual champion East Cobb Yankees.

04Parent. Thanks for info on the site. It must have been 79 that I was thinking of. Looking at the site there are quite a few northern teams that have won the Connie Mack World Series over the years proving that teams from the north can have have competed well at the national level.

I have always considered the Connie Mack World Series to be the #1 national baseball event for the 18 year old age group.

being an 05 and playing in the caba world series three illinois based teams competed very well against some top competition.. i think two of the three made it to the final 8 or so

I have always said, if a kid can play in this kind of weather, just think what he can do when it gets nice out. We start our season in 40degree weather, how much tougher do you want it?

Having a son who grew up in Chicago, and now plays JUCO baseball in AZ, I will tell you that the kids from the warmer area's don't work at the game as hard as the players from the "cold" area's. They aren't as fundementally sound and they complain about the weather MORE. He loves that he is outside in shorts and a t-shirt...on a field in January..but he has called out a team mate or two for not wanting it bad enough or not working hard enough to make a change.
I have heard coaches there say that they would take a kid from a cold climate over one from a warm climate, all things being equal...because the cold climate kid will out work and out hustle the warm climate kid....and I agree with that. I am not saying that all warm climate kids are lazy...but I think you you were to look at the players...day in and day out...you'd see the difference. The only advantage the warm weather players have is that they can play more...but work less on fundementals

Just my opinion from what I have seen over the last year

i agree with Mde5 that us southern people are more lazy and dont have to work as hard because we work longer and have a longer season. But 2ndbaseballmom i live here in texas and we start in 40 degree weather too

Mine has gone knee deep in an outfield snowbank to get a fly ball! Lots of underarmour and hand warmers in back pockets!

Almost every year, the state of Illinois ranks fourth behind the "Big Three" of Florida, Texas, and California in the number of players that are drafted. Granted that is only one northern state but it shows that there is talent.

I agree with the previous posts that say that Illinois kids seem to want it a bit more when they come to southern schools. The northern kids I know who play in the south all are praised by their coaches for their level of committment and work habits. Sometimes those from the south take for granted the fact that it is 60 degrees in March.