You’re right about that. Personally, I never understood how expensive tennis is when all you need is a racquet and a pair of shoes?
Will we ever again see a city school win a state title???
- Thread starter scbuckeye99
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Mr. Slippery
Well-known member
When I was in HS, I remember hearing 1 of the assistant coaches making some disparaging remarks about a couple kids who played with "Kmart rackets" during team tryouts.
ShoelessJoe
Active member
The best public school baseball programs are still the ones with good community based Little League programs - not travel ball. Yes, a few kids play travel ball on top of the community league, but it takes a good Little League (9-12), Coach Pitch League (7-8), a 13-15 League to produce the number and quality of players to be constistently competitve on the HS level. This is not true for Private Schools who may not be associated with a community and gather students from all over. They depend on travel ball for players.
Philly_Cat
Well-known member
I don't see what you're saying play out in SWO. I can't speak for the rest of the state, but in Cincinnati little league has no affect on the high school programs. Otherwise Hamilton would be making every other high school IN THE STATE look silly every year.
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Thavoice
Well-known member
A solid, local rec program with strong numbers can go a long way in producing a long standing, successful program at the HS level, I concur with that notion at least at the public school level. Private schools by nature are different and need to consistently 'seek' or round up talent. At the public level, a solid rec level can be very important in sustainability. That, of course, counts on a never ending volunteer coach involvement, mostly dads.
It behooves HS coaches to have some sort of involvement as well
Many folks look at the top couple players of a team. Sure, a sure fire stud pitcher can take you a long way and he may play some sort of summer travel and such, but a solid sustainable program is more than just a stud on the mound every so often.
The ideologies and experiences vary dependent on your own experiences. Many rural areas see kids stay local and play on their rec teams, and form a tournament team to play in a few local tournaments (which cost wise pales in comparison to what the city folk experience).
I am a rural guy, and when I talk to folks in the city areas about what their kids do in terms of baseball in the summer it is just insane. The cost, travel, jockeying for positions/teams, kids accepting to play on a "better" team only to play out of position of what they would normally play, more and more dads getting mad at PT so they form other teams, etc. Last two summers I have been asked by a couple of dad's to break off from a current team and form their own and it is just insane the round and round nature.
Baseball used to be a fairly inexpensive sport for a kid to play. Buy a glove that lasts a few years and new spikes every year or two, and that was just about it. That is long gone is so many areas and it is quite sad.
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*67
Well-known member
Travel baseball, like so many other things, isn't about development of the kids. It's a status symbol for parents. Earlier in the thread someone said parents demanded an out of state trip. Why do you think that is? Because the best players are somewhere else, or because the parents got a reason to rent a 14-person AirBNB in Myrtle Beach for $1,300 a night.
It ain't about the kids. It's about the parents. It makes the parents feel warm and fuzzy that their kid is playing on an "elite" team, spending ridiculous amounts on travel, and they get to pretend like they're helping their son earn a scholarship to a sport that at best might pay for half your tuition.
It ain't about the kids. It's about the parents. It makes the parents feel warm and fuzzy that their kid is playing on an "elite" team, spending ridiculous amounts on travel, and they get to pretend like they're helping their son earn a scholarship to a sport that at best might pay for half your tuition.
rossford_resident
Active member
Silly season at the end of July/beginning of August when teams hold tryouts, parents shop around, and all the hurt feelings that have been brewing all year bubble to the surface during the last tournament when it's 95 degrees in the shade is something to behold.
nupanther
Well-known member
I also want to emphasize what others have said in passing on this thread.
In inner city schools the best athletes gravitate to track. Yes there are school that have successful track and baseball teams, but unfortunately in a lot of inner city schools you dont have as many willing participants to have both teams successful. Also with more females as head of households in inner cities you'll have less kids being thrown a baseball in the yard
In inner city schools the best athletes gravitate to track. Yes there are school that have successful track and baseball teams, but unfortunately in a lot of inner city schools you dont have as many willing participants to have both teams successful. Also with more females as head of households in inner cities you'll have less kids being thrown a baseball in the yard
Thavoice
Well-known member
Two routes i see:
1. Most likely, but not preferred:
Influential coach attracts talent from around the city that currently attend other programs.
2. Less likely, but more in the spirit of HS athletics:
Great coach, likely a standout baseball player in his day, has a son and is an integral part of the program as he the kid goes through the system. He fosters an environment of fundamentals and getting kids to come out and play at a young age. This influences other kids and families that baseball is a legit path and stick with it throughout their formidable years.
1. Most likely, but not preferred:
Influential coach attracts talent from around the city that currently attend other programs.
2. Less likely, but more in the spirit of HS athletics:
Great coach, likely a standout baseball player in his day, has a son and is an integral part of the program as he the kid goes through the system. He fosters an environment of fundamentals and getting kids to come out and play at a young age. This influences other kids and families that baseball is a legit path and stick with it throughout their formidable years.
Iroquois
Well-known member
It's a sad situation. I'm from the Columbus area, so I can talk about it and give some detailed info.
I don't think a Columbus City League baseball team will ever compete for a state title. Those days are long over. I see so many kids now days who's dad's were very good baseball players in the 80's and 90's at a City League School that have son's who are currently playing at one of the four Olentangy schools, Dublin's, Westerville, Worthington's, UA, DeSales, or one of the Southwestern schools (Grove City area) and i'm sure i'm missing a few.
Most folks have moved out of the City into the burbs, very very few families have stayed.
Columbus City League schools that were state Champions.
Central-1929
South- 1932
North- 1940
East- 1969
West- 1975
I don't think a Columbus City League baseball team will ever compete for a state title. Those days are long over. I see so many kids now days who's dad's were very good baseball players in the 80's and 90's at a City League School that have son's who are currently playing at one of the four Olentangy schools, Dublin's, Westerville, Worthington's, UA, DeSales, or one of the Southwestern schools (Grove City area) and i'm sure i'm missing a few.
Most folks have moved out of the City into the burbs, very very few families have stayed.
Columbus City League schools that were state Champions.
Central-1929
South- 1932
North- 1940
East- 1969
West- 1975
I remember going over to IL to watch that game since Celina had eliminated us that year and it was a short drive. Figured Start would roll but Grimes shut them down.
Mr. Red Raider
Well-known member
As far as Akron, Firestone High School made it to the District championship game, and I believe won the City Series championship in 2019. They finished 20-8 on the year and IIRC, it was the furthest a City Series team has gone in the OHSAA postseason. As long as they have the talent, they have the potential to make a deep run and catch some of the big teams off guard.
As far as the Cleveland area, Rhodes High School won the Senate Athletic League baseball championship four years in a row until John Marshall won it last year. The deepest a Senate team has gone in the postseason in recent memory was when Lincoln West went to Districts in 2011. They had a player by the name of Bryan? Ruiz that was drafted by the Indians later that year too IIRC. They had a close loss to the eventual District champions, Midpark.
But the talent gap is VERY wide. Rhodes was in the Strongsville and Baldwin-Wallace Districts for the past three years, and even in the years that they
advanced to the sectional final, they've run into St. Ignatius. AFAIK, John Hay has tried to up their non-conference slate.
And the gap between Rhodes, John Marshall, and John Hay and the other CMSD schools is even larger.
I covered a game between Ravenna and Glenville a couple years ago, and Ravenna won 15-2. Glenville made it to the Senate Playoffs, but had only played eight games coming into the tournament, and didn't have a team the following year. The problem is that a lot of inner-city teams don't get the chance to play as often as their suburban counterparts.