Went to watch a 9U game tonight. The park had 4 Fields going of different ages. I saw nobody other than employees wearing a mask. Also must say was only there for 45 minutes due to some nasty lightning.
Summer and travel ball ?
- Thread starter Old Wildcat
- Start date
Went to watch a 9U game tonight. The park had 4 Fields going of different ages. I saw nobody other than employees wearing a mask. Also must say was only there for 45 minutes due to some nasty lightning.
CedarBuck92
Well-known member
I fully understand that I am likely in the minority here. But my experience this summer has been opposite. My brother plays for a travel team and the school ACME team (coach literally said you WILL play for me or there is no point in trying out next year).
The majority of his travel team have been together since 10U. There are of course a few new guys each year as some of the other kids move on but the core has been the same for 7 years. My most of the boys play their natural position or at least one of them. Coaches develop kids but also play to win.
As for the ACME team. Its pretty much the high school team and no one takes it serious at all. Coach is playing favorites badly. For context my brother is a 2x all conference first team selection in CF and the coach is playing someone else there simply because they are/were a senior and want to play there. There is nothing wrong with running a team out there with the sole purpose of just having some fun but don't make it a requirement of trying out next year.
This sounds like SOME of the huge acme people. Not all mind you. Some high school coaches do make it mandatory. SAD!! They do it for their selfish reasons. Most great baseball minds push kids to challenge themselves and play against toughest competition. I’ve witnessed acme baseball for about 20 years. It serves a purpose but level of ball is average except for a few programs that make their kids play for them.
None that I know of. Virtually every team in this area has had kids play for travel teams instead of ACME and those kids played high school ball in the spring. We actually encourage it. If a kid can go up against better competition and get coached by someone with a different approach, what can be bad about that? Our #1 pitcher is not playing with our summer team because he is playing travel ball. sure-we could use him, but now we have to develop other arms because he can't pitch every game next spring. (Assuming there is a next spring......)
How it should be.
Thavoice
Well-known member
I dont know any in particular that make their kids play ACME and not allowed to play elsehwere, but I imagine it happens.
What I have noticed in being involved in both is that the ACME coaches are there to help build a program. I have always been a 'front of the jersey' guy. Kid wants to play elsewhere, that is fine but I think at times it can be detrimental to parts of his game.
We had guys go elsewhere for a bit of time but return as they were not going to be used like they had wished on said team. INF/Pitcher/Hitter was only going to be used in 1-2 of those aspects of the game, and/or playing out of position and the kids wanted to work on the positions they will be playing that next spring.
Not unlike a kid going to some football summer camp for a few weeks, a QB on his HS team, but at the camp he is only allowed to work at a different position.
I get it, being versatile can help but missing all the reps and situations does not help a program...
CedarBuck92
Well-known member
My gripe with our coach is he told the boys it was required at the beginning of June after commitments to play elsewhere had already been made. If he says this back in February that changes the equation. Still disagree with making summer ball a requirement to play next spring, especially if you aren't going to play serious. But I could live with it with the proper warning.
Since son's college season was cut short, he has been able to help coach one of his former travel ball's organization teams this summer. Guess they have been going close to 2 months now, tournaments every weekend. Seems the initial restrictions put in place by the Governor re face masks, social distancing, etc have slowly eroded away into more of a suggestion rather than a mandate, especially by the fans, mostly parents. You see team pics on social media every week of game action, selfies, & group team photos of winning teams after tournament success. No masks from coaches, no social distancing, and yet as far as I know, few if any positive Covid 19 for any player, coach, or umpire. I imagine some must have tested positive, but most likely that type of info would have spread across every form of media by now, especially on twitter & here on Yappi. The interesting fact it certainly appears that the kids aren't contracting or spreading Covid 19 among their peers or even adults, like most of the experts have said for awhile now. Seems like a good argument why you should send these kids, including high school kids back to school in the Fall. The chances of students of all ages spreading the virus now certainly seems significantly low as evident thru this shortened baseball summer.
mrroosevelt
Active member
Can't believe no one else went HERE!!!!
....After Warden Norton throws Andy Dufresne in solitary confinement for a week after calling the warden OBTUSE!!
Andy: I'm done. Everything stops. Get someone else to run your scams.
Norton: Nothing stops! Nothing! Or you will do the hardest time there is. No more protection from the guards. I'll pull you out of that one-bunk Hilton and cast you down with the sodomites. You'll think you got ****ed by a train. And the library? Gone! Sealed off brick by brick! We'll have us a little book-barbecue in the yard. They'll see the flames for miles. We'll dance around it like wild Injuns. Do you understand me? Are you catching my drift? Or am I being obtuse? (to guard)Give him another month [in solitary] to think about it.
-Greatest Movie Ever Made. AKA....."The Shawshank Redemtion"