Summer and travel ball ?

Had games this morning. Third day of a tournament. Baseball was a little sloppy. Was a little surprised that halfway through one of my games today, the kids from one of the teams stopped warming up in the infield between innings. In small conversations with some of the kids, they said their arms were hurting. Not sure if trying to do too much too early, but it's only June 7 and here was a team with a bunch of sore arms. This team is from a very established program in the area too.
Not surprised. Highly doubt many regularlt went out and threw.

Ive seen a few kids throw 2 strong innings and then hit the wall in the third.
 
Not surprised. Highly doubt many regularlt went out and threw.

Ive seen a few kids throw 2 strong innings and then hit the wall in the third.

Definitely not surprised. Once HS season was cancelled, many kids gave up. Of course the ones who are 100% dedicated to the sport still put in plenty of work but that's just not the majority. Most just started practicing full time two weeks ago. We kept all our pitchers under 30..made for long games but it's in the best interest of the kids. Other teams didn't and their pitchers were gassed after two innings anyway.
 
Definitely not surprised. Once HS season was cancelled, many kids gave up. Of course the ones who are 100% dedicated to the sport still put in plenty of work but that's just not the majority. Most just started practicing full time two weeks ago. We kept all our pitchers under 30..made for long games but it's in the best interest of the kids. Other teams didn't and their pitchers were gassed after two innings anyway.
I imagine most kids who did put work in mostly focused on hitting, maybe some ground balls, and light throwing.
 
Took in part of a game over the weekend, it was two teams of college players, pretty well played. One thing I did notice, no masks by anyone. Kids were fist bumping and the dugouts were full. I think it's time to get everyone back to doing what they do. It's early June. There's still plenty of time to put together some leagues and tournaments.
 
First summer game of the year last night. Chairs set up to limit numbers in the dugouts. Umpires in their usual positions. Son still couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat.
 
Took in part of a game over the weekend, it was two teams of college players, pretty well played. One thing I did notice, no masks by anyone. Kids were fist bumping and the dugouts were full. I think it's time to get everyone back to doing what they do. It's early June. There's still plenty of time to put together some leagues and tournaments.

Saw the same in NE Ohio tourney. Let's move on from this societal experiment and live normally. Pretty funny how it is OK for crazy radicals to riot, loot and destroy cities but the good people of Gotham City must still distance, wear mask and pretend this more than what it is....the flu. Anyone that still believes in this nonsense and still wears mask to the store and ballgames, deserves all the discomfort, lack of oxygen, over heating and silly tan lines on your faces as this virus is fading quickly in the heat and ultraviolet rays provided by Mother Nature. Let's get back to reality Mike Dewine.
 
Saw the same in NE Ohio tourney. Let's move on from this societal experiment and live normally. Pretty funny how it is OK for crazy radicals to riot, loot and destroy cities but the good people of Gotham City must still distance, wear mask and pretend this more than what it is....the flu. Anyone that still believes in this nonsense and still wears mask to the store and ballgames, deserves all the discomfort, lack of oxygen, over heating and silly tan lines on your faces as this virus is fading quickly in the heat and ultraviolet rays provided by Mother Nature. Let's get back to reality Mike Dewine.
I truly feel by the end of the summer, we'll be back to nearly normal and we'll have fans at games. I wonder if the minor league teams wish they would had played? We're only at early June, most of the summer is still ahead of us and many little leagues and summer activities shut down way too early IMO.
 
I truly feel by the end of the summer, we'll be back to nearly normal and we'll have fans at games. I wonder if the minor league teams wish they would had played? We're only at early June, most of the summer is still ahead of us and many little leagues and summer activities shut down way too early IMO.
I agree.
Way too many places bagged their whole season. Maybe they should sue the Govt for falsifying their numbers that prompted the cancellations and loss of revenue.
There is not reason why every two weeks they could not reasses the situation.
May 1 decide on if games will start on June1.
May 15 decide if games will start june 15
and so on and so on.
It is not that difficult to figure that out but many places bagged their events and now are just SIL
 
I agree.
Way too many places bagged their whole season. Maybe they should sue the Govt for falsifying their numbers that prompted the cancellations and loss of revenue.
There is not reason why every two weeks they could not reasses the situation.
May 1 decide on if games will start on June1.
May 15 decide if games will start june 15
and so on and so on.
It is not that difficult to figure that out but many places bagged their events and now are just SIL
I think alot of little leagues, at least in the NW Ohio area tries to be done by July 4. This gives families a month to do the "vacation" thing. Well, for some, they've been on vacation since mid March and I just think someone with a little more fortitude could have pushed things back a little. We're going to have a group of kids who've been largely inactive for about 6 months by the time schools open up again.

The next push will be all the kids who are grossly overweight. We took away activities, we took away parks and forced people to stay inside and eat. And then we wonder why kids are fat and out of shape?

Also, look at alot of these smaller counties that rely on their county fairs. All down the tubes. Again, it's June 9 and fairs all across the summer's been cancelled. Along with all the food trucks and carnies who rely on that income for their livelyhoods.
 
First summer game of the year last night. Chairs set up to limit numbers in the dugouts. Umpires in their usual positions. Son still couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat.

Love the honesty...a parent not looking at things through the rose colored glasses....throw him some extra BP Dad!!!
 
Love the honesty...a parent not looking at things through the rose colored glasses....throw him some extra BP Dad!!!

Too smart to listen to me. To be honest, given my career batting average he probably made the right choice.

Just glad to be able to watch him play. Time goes by so quickly ?
 
Too smart to listen to me. To be honest, given my career batting average he probably made the right choice.

Just glad to be able to watch him play. Time goes by so quickly ?


Coached with a guy whose son was also on our Summer team. We had a system where we would tell each other sometimes what to say to our sons. They seemed to listen to the other guy a little better at times instead of from their dad. Told my son this after we we were all done with baseball and we had a good laugh.
 
Coached with a guy whose son was also on our Summer team. We had a system where we would tell each other sometimes what to say to our sons. They seemed to listen to the other guy a little better at times instead of from their dad. Told my son this after we we were all done with baseball and we had a good laugh.

Unfortunately, the guys I've coached with in the past were too invested in their own sons, to the point of stopping practice to go discuss the finer matters of doing tee work at a different station 150 feet away. I think my kids have suffered over the years from me neglecting them to work with the others on the team first. Again, I'm pretty much a self-taught moron so it probably all equals out in the end. Plus they were stuck with my short and small, but also slow genetics...
 
Unfortunately, the guys I've coached with in the past were too invested in their own sons, to the point of stopping practice to go discuss the finer matters of doing tee work at a different station 150 feet away. I think my kids have suffered over the years from me neglecting them to work with the others on the team first. Again, I'm pretty much a self-taught moron so it probably all equals out in the end. Plus they were stuck with my short and small, but also slow genetics...
If you are coaching your son then it is my belief the one-on-one instruction should be saved for non-team related activities. Treat them as any other player during practices and games.
It is when coaches give extra attention/opportunities during games/practices to their sons that they run issues with the team.

Last two summers deal with 2 coaches who used the games as their kids own proving ground and getting them experience all over the field, many times out of position, all for their own good while ignoring other kids for positions that they wanted/were brought in to play.
 
One thing I noticed over the years, and it came out quite a bit in the last game I attended, is with all these mixed teams where they never really get to work together much on the practice field it really effects little intricacies of the game such as pick off plays.


We ran though them so often in our practices and the coaches wanted them to all be non verbal and given on the field. Often times it was a very subtle sort of sign, or even just 'a look'. They would tell us if we waited for a coach to call a PO play it was likely too late! Many have to be in the moment, often times by just a look or knowing what your buddy was going to do from all the reps.

As a coach I would always listen from the dugout while I was on the field and any time the coach spurted out something out of the ordinary then you knew something was on.

Just like the last game. Not to toot my own horn, but 3 times i correctly called out a pick off play was coming (likely a 4th from the catcher if the pitch wasnt hit but we;ll never know...) but simply listening to the HC say something (and then usually noticing the fielder displaying a sign). The one dad asked if the boy told me the signs because I was saying it before they happened.

Little things like that sort of teach chemistry just goes out the window when ya have teams like this.
 
Curious how summer ball is for HS aged kids this year. Even though it's not technically ACME this year, the summer seasons are rolling around in western Ohio.
 
Curious how summer ball is for HS aged kids this year. Even though it's not technically ACME this year, the summer seasons are rolling around in western Ohio.

Just worked a travel tournament the last three days: yesterday had a 14U team based in Columbus with players from 4 states playing a team "coached" by a pizza heir from Detroit with a SS from Venezuela and a P from Delaware throwing in the low 80s and buckling knees with a 12-6 curveball. They were playing on a gravel field near Toledo because it was one of the few places to play this weekend.

Our ACME team has been playing 2-3 games/week. 14U rec league is basically playing a 4 week schedule.

Kids were supposed to be out of the dugout on the bleachers when up to bat, but that went away as soon as the facility manager left for the day and it was just the kids running the concession stand.
 
14u throwing low 80s, impressive

Stats are off the website of the organization that runs the game. I meant the state of Delaware, not Delaware, OH. The team in question rosters players from all over the country and the coach's son goes to the big sports academy down in Florida. The son seems like a nice player - very good for 14 and probably a local travel league stud. Not sure he's on the same level with his teammates, but when the family owns a MLB franchise I suppose you have a chance to maximize your talents.

Funny to see the "coach" show up 5 minutes before the game with the lineup, handle the home plate meeting, and then run down to coach 3B after the kids warmed themselves up. Meanwhile the opponents have 5 coaches on the field running through as many drills as space and time will allow.
 
Curious how summer ball is for HS aged kids this year. Even though it's not technically ACME this year, the summer seasons are rolling around in western Ohio.

We've played 3 games. So far, our head coach (who owns a string of pharmacies and has a heart condition that makes him vulnerable) is the only person I've seen wearing a mask. We aren't changing balls every 1/2 inning. We aren't staying 6' apart in the dugouts. Coach sanatizes stuff, but nobody else does. Coaches exchange written line-up cards before the games. So...basically other than Coach wearing his mask, it's business as usual. Oh-no handshakes after the game tho.
 
Went to watch some summer Fast Pitch Games Saturday. Dumb move on my part, was stupid hot and humid! Thought was well ran though. Teams had and handled the Game Balls. Each team posted a lineup card on a small clipboard on the backstop. Teams informed one another on changes and the Umpire recorded on his scorecard/gamecard. A 14 yr old hit a grand slam and there was a party at home plate and in the dugout, nobody said a word. Saw an Umpire on a different field that would not let the girls on Defense high five or congratulate the pitcher on a strikeout (seems to be normal part of fast pitch). Overall thought the Tournament was well ran, very crowded and the girls played ball and had a great time!

Not sure if true or not but I heard from a few Umpires that at a Baseball Tournament here (Cincy area) this weekend a 3rd Base Coach gave a high 5 to a kid who hit a HR. After crossing the plate the kid was called out for the high 5 and the Run didn’t count. This obviously led to the 3rd Base Coaches Ejection. Hope they didn’t make the Coach sit out a game or for a High 5.
 
Went to watch some summer Fast Pitch Games Saturday. Dumb move on my part, was stupid hot and humid! Thought was well ran though. Teams had and handled the Game Balls. Each team posted a lineup card on a small clipboard on the backstop. Teams informed one another on changes and the Umpire recorded on his scorecard/gamecard. A 14 yr old hit a grand slam and there was a party at home plate and in the dugout, nobody said a word. Saw an Umpire on a different field that would not let the girls on Defense high five or congratulate the pitcher on a strikeout (seems to be normal part of fast pitch). Overall thought the Tournament was well ran, very crowded and the girls played ball and had a great time!

Not sure if true or not but I heard from a few Umpires that at a Baseball Tournament here (Cincy area) this weekend a 3rd Base Coach gave a high 5 to a kid who hit a HR. After crossing the plate the kid was called out for the high 5 and the Run didn’t count. This obviously led to the 3rd Base Coaches Ejection. Hope they didn’t make the Coach sit out a game or for a High 5.
WHy did they call the kid out for the high five?

Corona-rule?

It is a rule myth that you cannot touch the player. You cannot ASSIST the runner in any way i.e. push, hold, nudge, grab, etc.

Number of years ago a team "took the lead' on a HR, a player touched the hitter before he to got to HP, and was called out, and game stayed tied.
Coach from the OTHER team set the umpire straight. Run counted. Went into extra's and the team won who had the coach inform the umpire of the rule, of which hurt his team at the time, but was the right thing to do in my opionionl
 
No real controversies over the weekend other than the ole 'slide or not slide' at home rule. Ball was dislodged from the catcher in the last inning to take the lead. Personally I thought it was the right call, play on.

Other than Mr. Flamingo Shorts, (the tournament director) telling coaches who complained about the lack of good baseballs 'what do you expect, its only a hundred dollar tournament' and coaches left to do the field work, with one rake, after rain delays, but overall a decent weekend.


Had to laugh though with fans complaining about a team using an illegal bat. That is always fun to listen to!
 
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No real controversies over the weekend other than the ole 'slide or not slide' at home rule. Ball was dislodged from the catcher in the last inning to take the lead. Personally I thought it was the right call, play on.

Other than Mr. Flamingo Shorts, (the tournament director) telling coaches who complained about the lack of good baseballs 'what do you expect, its only a hundred dollar tournament' and coaches left to do the field work, with one rake, after rain delays, but overall a decent weekend.


Had to laugh though with fans complaining about a team using an illegal bat. That is always fun to listen to!

Highlight of the weekend for me was listening to two moms argue over hit/error ruling on Gamechanger.

"You know, not to be that Mom, but the coaches look at that stuff..."

Uh, yeah. That's why he has another Mom doing it on her phone.
 
WHy did they call the kid out for the high five?

Corona-rule?

It is a rule myth that you cannot touch the player. You cannot ASSIST the runner in any way i.e. push, hold, nudge, grab, etc.

Number of years ago a team "took the lead' on a HR, a player touched the hitter before he to got to HP, and was called out, and game stayed tied.
Coach from the OTHER team set the umpire straight. Run counted. Went into extra's and the team won who had the coach inform the umpire of the rule, of which hurt his team at the time, but was the right thing to do in my opionionl

It’s my understanding that the kid was called out for high fiving the Coach rounding 3rd on an over the fence HR so no Assisting the Runner.... Virus Guidelines yes, why called out and run didn’t count. From what I was told the Coach was Ejected for arguing (told he never even raised his voice) a Virus Guidlines Violation and he participated in that Violation. Personally think this Coach and Team received enough punishment that sitting out games wouldn’t be warranted.
 
It’s my understanding that the kid was called out for high fiving the Coach rounding 3rd on an over the fence HR so no Assisting the Runner.... Virus Guidelines yes, why called out and run didn’t count. From what I was told the Coach was Ejected for arguing (told he never even raised his voice) a Virus Guidlines Violation and he participated in that Violation. Personally think this Coach and Team received enough punishment that sitting out games wouldn’t be warranted.
Well at least the ump did not get the no assist rule wrong. You hear fans and players and coaches say don't touch him all the time on HR. If I am an umpire...I am not calling him out. That is just wrong.
 
Well at least the ump did not get the no assist rule wrong. You hear fans and players and coaches say don't touch him all the time on HR. If I am an umpire...I am not calling him out. That is just wrong.

No doubt the kid should not have been called out. Umpires are not the Virus Guidelines police and they already have enough to do during a game for what really is very little money.
 
No doubt the kid should not have been called out. Umpires are not the Virus Guidelines police and they already have enough to do during a game for what really is very little money.
If the coach did it already and was warned, I think banishing him to the dugout would have been the only prudent thing to do in this situation.
 
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