Agree with Voice and Wimp, both bring up good points. Here is something maybe you could all kick around, I am not a fan of travel baseball prior to 14U...there in lies the pressure that is mentioned to throw too hard too soon. Weekend after weekend of having that much pressure put on kids physically, but more than that mentally to please their parents and coach adds to that arm stress. Gets back to too much organized ball, for goodness sakes they have Coach pitch travel ball for 7 yrs olds I have heard about, C'mon! What a money grab that is.
My town has some youth travel, but it is just a few local 'cow town' tournaments but how they run their youth baseball program is someting I think you would be interested in.
After school lets out....Late may through July.
*Mon-Wed-Fri.
*10 AM for the 3rd/4th graders
*1PM for the younger kids.
*No uniforms.
*New teams picked each day. (used to work there, you use some sort of number system so no kid is picked last)
*10AM kids play 5 - 6 innings, time dependent.
*1pm play 3 innings, each kid hits each inning.
*10am the park worker pitches, so its like coach pitch,and you play basic baseball rules. Kids change positions almost every inning.
*1pm block the kids just play wherever.
As i stated, no assigned teams, no uniforms, no high pressure situations, and with it being during hte day most parents are not there to yell, scream and pressure the kids.
The workers, usually HS baseball players and recent graduates, teach the game and you just go out and have a blast.
FREE!
WIth no assigned teams if a family wants to go on vacation, they can do so without "letting down the team".
There are a few tournament teams as I stated that go to some local tournaments, but nothing like what you see at berliner and these high cost places.
A premium is placed on FUN, and teaching the game, and the kids get to play a myriad of positions.
LIttle league age is Tues/Thur games that have a very strict innings count which FORCES the coaches to use A LOT of pitchers.
To many of you city folk, who spend thousands and thousands of dollars for the team, even more for travel, and see their kids get overused this may seem like a 'pipe dream' , stupid, old fashioned, but it has worked for decades and the program routinely is one of the tops in the state.
Kids play with their buddies from age 5-18