2 coaches - 6 parents tossed down ten...

This thread is spot on. I have loved just about every post. I last coached in 2014(?). I had a gut-load then. I love baseball but you cannot pay me to go back to the awful product it has become.

I went to the local rec center to see the HS team play (Oregon. lol). I stand in the outfield so I do not have to listen to anyone.

I look over my shoulder and see these kids that appear to be 8 or 9 walking up wearing $500 worth of gear and carrying $500 more in their backpack. They looked fat and out of shape and their dad was wearing an arm sleeve (kid you not) and had the team hat (bill flat). Smh. Exit stage right.
 
irish_buffalo said:
This thread is spot on. I have loved just about every post. I last coached in 2014(?). I had a gut-load then. I love baseball but you cannot pay me to go back to the awful product it has become.

I went to the local rec center to see the HS team play (Oregon. lol). I stand in the outfield so I do not have to listen to anyone.

I look over my shoulder and see these kids that appear to be 8 or 9 walking up wearing $500 worth of gear and carrying $500 more in their backpack. They looked fat and out of shape and their dad was wearing an arm sleeve (kid you not) and had the team hat (bill flat). Smh. Exit stage right.
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Gotta love the ones that have 4 bats, wear a shin and arm guard, and that damned oven mitt when they get on base......
 
irish_buffalo said:
This thread is spot on. I have loved just about every post. I last coached in 2014(?). I had a gut-load then. I love baseball but you cannot pay me to go back to the awful product it has become.

I went to the local rec center to see the HS team play (Oregon. lol). I stand in the outfield so I do not have to listen to anyone.

I look over my shoulder and see these kids that appear to be 8 or 9 walking up wearing $500 worth of gear and carrying $500 more in their backpack. They looked fat and out of shape and their dad was wearing an arm sleeve (kid you not) and had the team hat (bill flat). Smh. Exit stage right.
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Who's bright idea was it to put a splash pad right next to #6? Hope they give the kids batting helmets before they get too distracted by the water...
 
green_genes said:
Lady, there are about 30 parents here and two umpires...guess who's more important?
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cant play with out us!

I recently told a coach who told me I was screwing his team: "Do you really think I woke up today, took the day off work, decided to do 3 games, am sweating my off with all this gear, not knowing any team who was playing, just to screw you over?"

He was flabbergasted.

thavoice said:
Gotta love the ones that have 4 bats, wear a shin and arm guard, and that damned oven mitt when they get on base......
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And know in no way, shape, or form how to use any of them. But they will tell you (or their parents will) that bat/guard/sliding glove increases their performance by x points, etc.

Remember phiten necklaces? "The titanium controls my xxxx levels and makes me faster."

Classic.

I've umpired 25 years, coached, played at many levels, and my son barely plays baseball (he's a soccer and others sports kid) and I am perfectly fine with it. I had a local 'select' (see the other forum) coach ask me to have him tryout. It took three questions for the guy to hang up on me.
 
umpire16 said:
cant play with out us!

I recently told a coach who told me I was screwing his team: "Do you really think I woke up today, took the day off work, decided to do 3 games, am sweating my off with all this gear, not knowing any team who was playing, just to screw you over?"

He was flabbergasted.



And know in no way, shape, or form how to use any of them. But they will tell you (or their parents will) that bat/guard/sliding glove increases their performance by x points, etc.

Remember phiten necklaces? "The titanium controls my xxxx levels and makes me faster."

Classic.

I've umpired 25 years, coached, played at many levels, and my son barely plays baseball (he's a soccer and others sports kid) and I am perfectly fine with it. I had a local 'select' (see the other forum) coach ask me to have him tryout. It took three questions for the guy to hang up on me.
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Soccer is the only sport where I've seen a kid get ejected, tell the ref "f you" and then tell his dad to "F off" when pops started yelling at him to get off the field.

HS kid playing in a tournament down in Middletown. If my kid did that he'd be walking back home.
 
OHIOVSTW419 said:
Its really crazy. My sons team has played in two tournaments this year. All kids from one school. Played in a "travel tournament" in May. Every team had walk up music, gamechanger livestream ( we have since that tournament, had a parent do this ), 3 of the 11 teams were named Elite, full on MLB rules. Hour and 45 minute time limit reached in all 4 of our games, including a game in single elimination which was ended because it was 7 minutes to the time limit going into the 6th. It was a 5-4 game. Game had about a 10 minute stoppage in the 2nd and another in the 5th due to team from Adrian, Mi coach arguing/discussing judgement calls by the blues.

Last weekend in Archbold. 5 teams, all from the community in which they live. Little league rules. Not one game went to time limit (hr45) and some of the cleanest baseball ive ever seen from 10 year olds. Baserunning blunders were minimum, teams were bunting, defenders moving, pitchers throwing strikes, coaches were just coaching. Not one call was contested by a coach in 4 games I watched my boy play and the 3 or 4 other games we watched between games.

I know its a small sample size, but there is a fraction, still playing and teaching the game the correct way
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Oldest boy played "travel ball" from 9U on. Total $schit show for all of the reasons listed. The youngest boy, who could really play, did not play "travel" until 12U. We had a great group of parents and kids and all understood the benefits of keeping our kids in a rec. program. The games were every Tuesday and Thursday night at either 5:30 or 7:30 and Saturday mornings at 9 or 11. It was great. Games ran smooth and kids got a lot of reps at different positions. Several old timers umped with young kids who were mostly juniors and seniors in HS. We had a great relationship with all of them.

Then he felt pressure to play super magnificent elite travel and all of that ended.

Today there is no rec. program.

Both boys were successful and so were their teams but the parents that think this is everything got incredibly overbearing. There were summer tournaments where I would rather be in a pool or on a boat and I know the kids felt the same way.
 
umpire16 said:
cant play with out us!

I recently told a coach who told me I was screwing his team: "Do you really think I woke up today, took the day off work, decided to do 3 games, am sweating my off with all this gear, not knowing any team who was playing, just to screw you over?"

He was flabbergasted.



And know in no way, shape, or form how to use any of them. But they will tell you (or their parents will) that bat/guard/sliding glove increases their performance by x points, etc.

Remember phiten necklaces? "The titanium controls my xxxx levels and makes me faster."

Classic.

I've umpired 25 years, coached, played at many levels, and my son barely plays baseball (he's a soccer and others sports kid) and I am perfectly fine with it. I had a local 'select' (see the other forum) coach ask me to have him tryout. It took three questions for the guy to hang up on me.
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I have used that line. Do you think the ump came to the park today to screw you? I have seen some poor umpires but never anything malicious. We all have bad days.

$300 bat, .5 cent swing.
 
I think we should print out this thread, and make copies of the Matheny Manifesto and pass them out at the tournaments!

If ya havent read it...get ahold of that manifesto...
 
irish_buffalo said:
Oldest boy played "travel ball" from 9U on. Total $schit show for all of the reasons listed. The youngest boy, who could really play, did not play "travel" until 12U. We had a great group of parents and kids and all understood the benefits of keeping our kids in a rec. program. The games were every Tuesday and Thursday night at either 5:30 or 7:30 and Saturday mornings at 9 or 11. It was great. Games ran smooth and kids got a lot of reps at different positions. Several old timers umped with young kids who were mostly juniors and seniors in HS. We had a great relationship with all of them.

Then he felt pressure to play super magnificent elite travel and all of that ended.

Today there is no rec. program.

Both boys were successful and so were their teams but the parents that think this is everything got incredibly overbearing. There were summer tournaments where I would rather be in a pool or on a boat and I know the kids felt the same way.
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Oregon had a great rec program around 10 or 11 years ago - even a modified "travel" league where we played with HS rules and teams could pick their roster. It pretty much fell apart in a year.

Not sure Northwood even has youth baseball now...they've had parents asking if their kids could play in Rossford. When my oldest was in elementary school Rossford had enough kids for a 6 team league for 9-10 year olds.
 
green_genes said:
Oregon had a great rec program around 10 or 11 years ago - even a modified "travel" league where we played with HS rules and teams could pick their roster. It pretty much fell apart in a year.

Not sure Northwood even has youth baseball now...they've had parents asking if their kids could play in Rossford. When my oldest was in elementary school Rossford had enough kids for a 6 team league for 9-10 year olds.
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That was the league. It was great. Gone now.
 
irish_buffalo said:
That was the league. It was great. Gone now.
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Yeah. The first couple of years my kid played over there it was competitive. The last year he played there were a bunch of basically rec-level teams, one pretty good Oregon team, another that had one good pitcher, and an 11U Nations team that never had any pitching because they saved them for their other league games.
 
Two of the four summers I have followed the fleecing tournaments I had dad's approach me about splintering the team and taking some kids that next year and form a new team. Always parents of kids who werent playing as much/out of position.

That therein lays the problem. New team after new team after new team stemming from dads not being happy and taking their johnny to form a new team that next year.

but i digress.......
 
thavoice said:
Two of the four summers I have followed the fleecing tournaments I had dad's approach me about splintering the team and taking some kids that next year and form a new team. Always parents of kids who werent playing as much/out of position.

That therein lays the problem. New team after new team after new team stemming from dads not being happy and taking their johnny to form a new team that next year.

but i digress.......
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It is why places not butting up to a metro area have more success.

Places like Bryan and Eastwood are far enough from Toledo that the dads really have no other choice. AND the HS can be involved to a degree. Eastwood's travel teams are never special but they always end up being successful in HS because they keep the kids together. And usually the parents get along. The jealousy and competition amongst parents in the travel world is downright sickening. Most decisions are not based on the kid wanting to play for a certain team but usually dad's ego.
 
irish_buffalo said:
It is why places not butting up to a metro area have more success.

Places like Bryan and Eastwood are far enough from Toledo that the dads really have no other choice. AND the HS can be involved to a degree. Eastwood's travel teams are never special but they always end up being successful in HS because they keep the kids together. And usually the parents get along. The jealousy and competition amongst parents in the travel world is downright sickening. Most decisions are not based on the kid wanting to play for a certain team but usually dad's ego.
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Finding the appropriate level of competition is the biggest thing. The problem I saw as my younger kids came through is the talent/skill level was so varied that finding the right league/tournaments was impossible. I had kids who were good enough in HS to be all-league/all-district playing on the same team with kids who'd never played baseball when I was coaching 12U.

When my youngest came through we basically went winless and got run-ruled every game one year and went undefeated and run-ruled everyone the following year when we dropped down a level in competition. He lost almost an entire season of development by only playing 3-4 inning games, which really showed up in HS. IMO, if Northwood and Rossford combined they'd solve the problem of field availability for practices and games and hopefully have enough kids at each level to field two separate teams chosen through tryouts.

Those that really want to play travel are going to go that route anyway, but I think both communities have enough kids who can't afford the money or the time commitment but could develop enough to be good varsity players if they had a well-run rec level program.
 
These travel teams, which are leading to the death of local rec leagues, is a huge contributing factor in the declining minority participation in baseball. Not everyone can afford to pay thousands of dollars for a travel baseball team once all the receipts are added up. The rec leagues are drying up and leaving so many kids screwed and nowhere to play.
 
thavoice said:
These travel teams, which are leading to the death of local rec leagues, is a huge contributing factor in the declining minority participation in baseball. Not everyone can afford to pay thousands of dollars for a travel baseball team once all the receipts are added up. The rec leagues are drying up and leaving so many kids screwed and nowhere to play.
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100%

I'd a never played today. I can think of countless good players from my day who would not even play today.

Most "travel" teams are assembled at 8U by dads who are all usually buddies and acquaintances. Normal parents not indoctrinated in baseball say no to the thought of "travel" and dropping $3000 to play at 8U.
 
irish_buffalo said:
100%

I'd a never played today. I can think of countless good players from my day who would not even play today.

Most "travel" teams are assembled at 8U by dads who are all usually buddies and acquaintances. Normal parents not indoctrinated in baseball say no to the thought of "travel" and dropping $3000 to play at 8U.
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Like I always say, the best ability a kid can have when it comes to travel ball is the parents ability that is willing to pay the $$$ to be on said team.
 
green_genes said:
Soccer is the only sport where I've seen a kid get ejected, tell the ref "f you" and then tell his dad to "F off" when pops started yelling at him to get off the field.

HS kid playing in a tournament down in Middletown. If my kid did that he'd be walking back home.
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Mine wouldnt make it to the car, I'd end him as he walked off the field lol
 
Team I have been watching reminds me of the Bad News Bears, so I watched it last night. Hadnt seen it in decades and man, it is hilarious.


There are a couple of very, very poignant moments of the film that ring true after following these fleecing youth teams and tournaments. In the end, it was the PLAYERS teaching the kids a lesson.

1. When Buddermaker realizes he went too far with his words and actions when they were heading to the last inning, tied, in the championship game and empties the bench.

2. Opposing Yankers coach, a dad, slaps his kid in the face and knocks him down on the mound.

3. The celebration of the Bad News Bears and enjoying the loss more than the Yankees enjoy the win.

There is/was a lot to learn in that movie and shows this isnt a 'new' thing with overzealous adults ruining kids games.
 
New Jersey, lots of angry people there, so I can’t say the location surprised me. Forty years ago I saw an irate and very angry man follow a waiter into the kitchen because he was not happy with his bucket of steamers It wasn’t filled to the top. A loud exchange of words ensued. I don’t remember if he got more or not.

Regardless, I’d like to see assault charges against the Coach. No place for this in youth sports.
 
With scoreboard operations rare at these tournaments even with charging 1000 foe the team and for each spectator to enter we like to try and figure out whom is winning when we arrive by focusing on the fans. Generally within an inning ya can tell who's winning.
Walked by a game Saturday as we were leaving and after a call at first a fan yells....that's the 7th call you blown for us today....

Easy to tell who was losing that one ha....h


And what's up with stealing when you up 14? Gotta get that run differential up eh?
 
I have seen a lot of the issues in travel ball and hate seeing them. With that said, my brother learned way more playing travel than he did from his HS coach.
 
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