Let's talk select baseball

51,059 Views | 428 Replies | Last: 4 yr ago by Al Bula
agsalaska
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
DannyDuberstein said:

Didn't say it was all unhealthy. But some of it is. I also think it is ridiculous for an 8-9 year old to be locked in on one sport already. I just think it's unwise to force decisions that require abandoning other sports and activities when kids aren't even 10-11 years old yet, and the business model is designed to do just that.
I know you didnt say it was all unhealthy. I was referring to the general attitude of some other posters. I meant to clarify that when I typed it. My bad.

As for the 'locked into one sport' I agree with that. My son plays three sports, Baseball, Basketball, and Golf. The older boys are 12u majors and most of them play at least two if not three sports.

Maybe it is the difference in living in a smaller town compared to what the inner city kids deal with. But here our kids play multiple sports. And our coaches encourage it.
The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you never know if they are genuine. -- Abraham Lincoln.



Bonnettecj1
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Ghost91 said:

My only advice to the OP is that he let Junior bat with the giant stick that he seems to have up his a**. Should be a guaranteed homer every time.

I'm getting told that my kid is going to hate me by 16, that I'm burning him out, being asked for pictures of my wife's cans, and I'm the one that has a stick up my ass? GTFO dude. Say it to my face, and don't be the keyboard tough guy. I'm in the woodlands and am willing to meet you anywhere. Don't be a *****.

This thread right here is what is wrong with society today. Someone asks a simple question, looking for tips on how to maneuver through something new, then people come in from the woodwork with low blow personal shots. Have I taken some myself? Absolutely. But I'm going to punch back when someone throws one my way.

The stick that's up my ass is a Marucci Cat 8 and he does just fine with it. Again, meet me in the woodlands and I'll show you said stick, you low life POS.
ThunderCougarFalconBird
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
agsalaska said:


The kids have a blast. The parents have a blast.
Looks like it's a different equation when the social dynamic is good.
MJ20/20
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Bonnettecj1 said:

Ghost91 said:

My only advice to the OP is that he let Junior bat with the giant stick that he seems to have up his a**. Should be a guaranteed homer every time.

I'm getting told that my kid is going to hate me by 16, that I'm burning him out, being asked for pictures of my wife's cans, and I'm the one that has a stick up my ass? GTFO dude. Say it to my face, and don't be the keyboard tough guy. I'm in the woodlands and am willing to meet you anywhere. Don't be a *****
We get it, you vape.
DannyDuberstein
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Quote:

Maybe it is the difference in living in a smaller town compared to what the inner city kids deal with. But here our kids play multiple sports. And our coaches encourage it.
It may be this. I live in the burbs, and with both boys and girls sports, there's this pressure by 10 years old to lock into one thing. It basically happens by default, because to pursue that lead sport, the business model is set up to run pretty much year-round in many cases. And then the casualty are the rec leagues that support the diversification - they basically fall apart so many of these young athletes have abandoned them because they are doing one thing year-round. So even for the kids that would like to stay "diversified", they are basically forced to choose between everything at a rec level that's barely being held together with bubblegum and duct tape, or to do one thing at an extreme level. The middleground is lost.
Scoopen Skwert
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I'm noticing way too much anger in this thread.

Why don't we pick a place. All meet there on a Thursday, wear speedos and get all oiled up and hug it out. Remember as long as it is a Thursday, we wear socks and don't make eye contact that it isn't gay.
agsalaska
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Hey man post this same OP on one or both of the baseball boards. You will get a lot better responses from very experienced people without all of the General board nonsense.

Meant to tell you that earlier. Sorry.
The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you never know if they are genuine. -- Abraham Lincoln.



agsalaska
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Totally agree on the breakdown of the rec leagues. They are the biggest casualty. We are seeing that here a little bit, although the younger divisions are still really healthy.

Kids should play multiple sports. THe funny thing is the people that I hear encourage multiple sports are the pro athletes. Heard Gary Woodland and I think Aaron Rogers very recently.


I was raised in the city and lived almost all of my life in large cities. Moving out of town 5 years ago has many benefits. Appears this is one of them.
The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you never know if they are genuine. -- Abraham Lincoln.



agsalaska
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
blindey said:

agsalaska said:


The kids have a blast. The parents have a blast.
Looks like it's a different equation when the social dynamic is good.
Probably so. I am relatively new to the community(5 years), but a lot of these kids' parents were all raised here and have known each other for years. Ten of the twelve boys on our team go to the same three elementary schools that all feed into the same middle school. The other two go to the little private christian school. They have been playing with and against each other since t ball. Same story for our older team. They all wear their jerseys to school if they are clean.

That is a lot different than playing on a team with tryouts and a bunch of kids and parents that dont know each other.

Both of our teams are good too. They win a lot more than they lose.


Advantage small town.
The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you never know if they are genuine. -- Abraham Lincoln.



DannyDuberstein
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Yeah, the big city deal tends to be more transient and mercenary. Lots of shopping by both the teams and the kids/families, and then moving on to the next opportunity when they get unhappy with the last one. They aren't all that way, but I'm sure it differs from your experience. I think the small town version is very much apples to oranges.
ac04
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Quote:

Say it to my face, and don't be the keyboard tough guy. I'm in the woodlands and am willing to meet you anywhere. Don't be a *****.
Uncle Howdy
How long do you want to ignore this user?
S
Bonnettecj1 said:

Ghost91 said:

My only advice to the OP is that he let Junior bat with the giant stick that he seems to have up his a**. Should be a guaranteed homer every time.

I'm getting told that my kid is going to hate me by 16, that I'm burning him out, being asked for pictures of my wife's cans, and I'm the one that has a stick up my ass? GTFO dude. Say it to my face, and don't be the keyboard tough guy. I'm in the woodlands and am willing to meet you anywhere. Don't be a *****.

This thread right here is what is wrong with society today. Someone asks a simple question, looking for tips on how to maneuver through something new, then people come in from the woodwork with low blow personal shots. Have I taken some myself? Absolutely. But I'm going to punch back when someone throws one my way.

The stick that's up my ass is a Marucci Cat 8 and he does just fine with it. Again, meet me in the woodlands and I'll show you said stick, you low life POS.
So where are we on pics of your wife's cans?
agsalaska
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I was talking to one of our rec league board members last week about how to solve the rec/select issue. Most of our boys play both leagues in the spring, but as they get older they drop rec.

He said Cedar Park(I think) does it right. Their rec league sponsors a select team that only the kids that play in rec are eligible for. That model keeps the best kids in rec and prevents schedule/priority clashes between the two. And from what I understand it has been successful.

Interesting enough I coach our rec team and have five of the boys off of the select team including two of the select coaches' kids. Four of the other boys play on two other rec teams. So we can all coordinate together pretty easily. But again that's a convenience that would be difficult in a big city environment. However if the rec league would sponsor a select team and see them as potential partners instead of adversaries I think that could work.
The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you never know if they are genuine. -- Abraham Lincoln.



03_Aggie
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Bonnettecj1 said:

Ghost91 said:

My only advice to the OP is that he let Junior bat with the giant stick that he seems to have up his a**. Should be a guaranteed homer every time.

I'm getting told that my kid is going to hate me by 16, that I'm burning him out, being asked for pictures of my wife's cans, and I'm the one that has a stick up my ass? GTFO dude. Say it to my face, and don't be the keyboard tough guy. I'm in the woodlands and am willing to meet you anywhere. Don't be a *****.

This thread right here is what is wrong with society today. Someone asks a simple question, looking for tips on how to maneuver through something new, then people come in from the woodwork with low blow personal shots. Have I taken some myself? Absolutely. But I'm going to punch back when someone throws one my way.

The stick that's up my ass is a Marucci Cat 8 and he does just fine with it. Again, meet me in the woodlands and I'll show you said stick, you low life POS.


Yep, a picture perfect match for select ball.
JoeAggie5
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Quote:

Why don't we pick a place. All meet there on a Thursday, wear speedos and get all oiled up and hug it out. Remember as long as it is a Thursday, we wear socks and don't make eye contact that it isn't gay.

Ah man, can't Thursday. Junior has baseball practice.
Big Tuna
How long do you want to ignore this user?
agsalaska said:

Totally agree on the breakdown of the rec leagues. They are the biggest casualty. We are seeing that here a little bit, although the younger divisions are still really healthy.

Kids should play multiple sports. THe funny thing is the people that I hear encourage multiple sports are the pro athletes. Heard Gary Woodland and I think Aaron Rogers very recently.


I was raised in the city and lived almost all of my life in large cities. Moving out of town 5 years ago has many benefits. Appears this is one of them.
Two things -

The small town living makes a huge difference. My son plays rec soccer n town after dropping down from Academy in the suburbs. He enjoys it and gets to play with his friends. He also plays basketball and football with the school team. That just doesn't exist much in town and in the large suburbs.

Baseball is a different animal in this part of the country. Same for softball. If you are playing at a select level at, say, 8 years old. And then you sit out a year or so ... you are going to fall behind. My son was one of two kids that plays multiple sports. And the only one who plays 3. Those other kids are playing baseball year round. They practice 3 times a week. They are getting hitting and pitching lessons. And if they aren't, they are going to be behind. Bud didn't want to play catch every day or go hit on the weekends. All good. Let some other kid who loves the game take your place on the team and give me back my weekends.

There is no real point to my post. Just pointing out that rec leagues are not dead in all sports and in every nook and cranny of the country, and that baseball is a different animal.
JoeAggie5
How long do you want to ignore this user?
OP is it possible that some of us have had experience with select baseball and are giving you advice?

You live in The Woodlands. Have you even been to the Scrap Yard or Baseball USA yet on a tournament weekend to have a clue what you're getting into?

You seem to want to us to justify your decision, here is a serious response.

IF you are not a sponsor or coach, or no f***ing kidding your wife doesn't have big cans, you're kid has to be by far no questions asked the best player, if not prepare for him to play outfield and bat 6th or later regardless of kids' abilities.

Select Baseball is not unreasonably priced except for a few groups, BUT that's just the baseball part (tournament fees, practice rental fees). Where the sport has gone totally nuts is all the coordinated bags, equipment, specific bats, Mom's getting matching outfits, earrings, dad's having to buy a hat, team shirt. Chip in for this team "event". Houston teams that travel to Alabama for a "World Series". There is so much talent in Houston, no reason to have to travel that far for a tournament.

For an actual tournament, not always BUT expect to play a couple of games on Saturday, pay for parking Saturday and Sunday (at least at Scrap Yard and Baseball USA). You will miss entirely or fall asleep during Aggie game, get a text at 10:00PM Saturday night that game is at 10:00AM on Sunday so everyone must be on field by 7:30AM for warmups. IF your lucky you lose first game and go home. IF your team is good, prepare to finish Sunday evening or night. This is after 3 practices during the week.
PipelineMoeNorman
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Can we get some bets going of the fight? Maybe a live stream sponsored by the liucci?
Bird Poo
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
JoeAggie5 said:

OP is it possible that some of us have had experience with select baseball and are giving you advice?

You live in The Woodlands. Have you even been to the Scrap Yard or Baseball USA yet on a tournament weekend to have a clue what you're getting into?

You seem to want to us to justify your decision, here is a serious response.

IF you are not a sponsor or coach, or no f***ing kidding your wife doesn't have big cans, you're kid has to be by far no questions asked the best player, if not prepare for him to play outfield and bat 6th or later regardless of kids' abilities.

Select Baseball is not unreasonably priced except for a few groups, BUT that's just the baseball part (tournament fees, practice rental fees). Where the sport has gone totally nuts is all the coordinated bags, equipment, specific bats, Mom's getting matching outfits, earrings, dad's having to buy a hat, team shirt. Chip in for this team "event". Houston teams that travel to Alabama for a "World Series". There is so much talent in Houston, no reason to have to travel that far for a tournament.

For an actual tournament, not always BUT expect to play a couple of games on Saturday, pay for parking Saturday and Sunday (at least at Scrap Yard and Baseball USA). You will miss entirely or fall asleep during Aggie game, get a text at 10:00PM Saturday night that game is at 10:00AM on Sunday so everyone must be on field by 7:30AM for warmups. IF your lucky you lose first game and go home. IF your team is good, prepare to finish Sunday evening or night. This is after 3 practices during the week.
Yep. Ran away from this BS as fast as I could. My favorite are the teams that have walk-up songs for every batter.

If you want to call that "growing closer to your kid", then I say to each his own. Keep in mind he's watching his dad watch him play baseball, thinking that is what dads do. And that to be a good dad, he will have to suffer through the circus bolded above.

I would rather spend those times on the water, in the woods, or doing something else with my kids.
PipelineMoeNorman
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Walk up music and the idiotic banners of the kids in some pose is dumb as well.

Fall baseball, dumb to.

Play April - June, plenty of baseball to be played against good competition, rest of the year play soccer, football, lacrosse, and hope the Dad's get to play with their wives cans.

Come down to good coaching and if the kid likes it but no way anyone 6 - 12 should be doing any one sport year round.

Anyone telling u different, they want your money
DannyDuberstein
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Quote:

Baseball is a different animal in this part of the country. Same for softball. If you are playing at a select level at, say, 8 years old. And then you sit out a year or so ... you are going to fall behind. My son was one of two kids that plays multiple sports. And the only one who plays 3. Those other kids are playing baseball year round. They practice 3 times a week. They are getting hitting and pitching lessons. And if they aren't, they are going to be behind.
Yeah, this is where the machine that has been established pushes otherwise reluctant and sane people into the madness. You may not want to specialize at 8-9 years old, but the train is leaving the station.
chimpanzee
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Quote:

prepare for him to play outfield and bat 6th or later regardless of kids' abilities.

I think I played "deep right field" one season in LL back in the 80's. They told me to take off my hat and stand behind the fence. I batted 103rd, so my spot never came up in most games.
MAROON
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
my advice - play the local rec league with all your neighbors and his classmates. That's assuming the rec league is even in existence. we were lucky - our rec league is strong.

Then find some other Dads (who are fun to hang with) in that league and start up a summer travel team. Play four to six tourneys (max) in the summer and fall. You will get your asses kicked at first but if you have kids who respond to adversity they will get better.

Then in the spring go back to rec league. Repeat. Ain't no one earning a college scholarship from 8-12 year old travel baseball.

If your kid makes his high school team you can then ask him if he wants to do the summer travel stuff -= which is a bigger grind for those trying to get that minimal D1 ship.

I was lucky - my kid said no more summer stuff once he made the high school team. He and I had no illusions about a D1 offer, so why spend all summer travelling between Goat Frick Missouri and Pig Sheet Arkansas.

He will play his last season in D3 this year - never played one minute of high school select.

But overall its was a great experience as some of our best friends are the neighborhood families we did the 9-12 year old summer stuff. Two of those kids just got drafted and are now in the minors.
ThunderCougarFalconBird
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
PipelineMoeNorman said:

Can we get some bets going of the fight? Maybe a live stream sponsored by the liucci?
you may have just had an accidental stroke of genius.

These parents are so crazy and stuck in baseball-only mode, we should probably set up a kiosk for sports gambling at these tournaments. The dads will be headed to place bets in droves because they're so damn bored of watching kids play "select" baseball.
Post removed:
by user
MAROON
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG

Quote:

There are far more important things in life.

you think people who watch their kids play a few tourneys a summer don't do anything else?
Baseball-Junkie
How long do you want to ignore this user?
SoupNazi2001 said:

These threads are always a combination of sad and pathetic. People spending nearly all of their family free time playing/watching a kid less than 10 years old play baseball and traveling all over the city every weekend. It is especially unfair for the siblings that gets dragged to the games to watch Junior, but why people allow all of their family free time to watch Junior play baseball at age 10 and below is sad. Junior will not make a living playing baseball. Most 8 year olds don't go to their parents asking to be on a select team. The parents planted the idea in their heads and gently pushed them that way. Do different family activities, expose him to a variety of experiences. Who cares if he plays high school or D3 college ball. There are far more important things in life.

We go deep sea fishing, watch sporting events, go on other trips, visit family, etc. Baseball takes up a lot of time, but it's not the only thing we do.

Most kids might not want to play select baseball, but those that do, the majority want to be there. I ask my son all the time if he's happy with the team and he said he wouldn't ever want to go back to LL, Rec or elsewhere. You're really missing how much these kids love baseball and love each other. If they aren't playing baseball together, they are on the PS4 playing the Show 19 in a big party. We recently had a B-day party for one of the kids on the team and it was a pool party -- after a little bit of swimming -- most were out playing a pickup game of whiffle ball. It's their passion and it has nothing to do with anything bigger later down the road. There might be a few, but the majority of people don't ever think about their kids getting to college or pro ball. They just know their kids have fun and want to play competitive baseball. If they want to play and are good enough, why have them playing crap baseball?

You're kid probably isn't going to be Jimmy Houston, Bobby Flay, Jim Shockey or Andrew Zimmern -- so does that mean we can't let them explore hunting, fishing, traveling or cooking? A passion is a passion and it's stupid for you to care about the passions of other kids.
agsalaska
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Good post. You said it better than I could. The idea that the kids dont like it and it is all forced on them by crazed parents is total nonsense.
The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you never know if they are genuine. -- Abraham Lincoln.



Big Tuna
How long do you want to ignore this user?
JoeAggie5 said:

OP is it possible that some of us have had experience with select baseball and are giving you advice?

You live in The Woodlands. Have you even been to the Scrap Yard or Baseball USA yet on a tournament weekend to have a clue what you're getting into?

You seem to want to us to justify your decision, here is a serious response.

IF you are not a sponsor or coach, or no f***ing kidding your wife doesn't have big cans, you're kid has to be by far no questions asked the best player, if not prepare for him to play outfield and bat 6th or later regardless of kids' abilities.

Select Baseball is not unreasonably priced except for a few groups, BUT that's just the baseball part (tournament fees, practice rental fees). Where the sport has gone totally nuts is all the coordinated bags, equipment, specific bats, Mom's getting matching outfits, earrings, dad's having to buy a hat, team shirt. Chip in for this team "event". Houston teams that travel to Alabama for a "World Series". There is so much talent in Houston, no reason to have to travel that far for a tournament.

For an actual tournament, not always BUT expect to play a couple of games on Saturday, pay for parking Saturday and Sunday (at least at Scrap Yard and Baseball USA). You will miss entirely or fall asleep during Aggie game, get a text at 10:00PM Saturday night that game is at 10:00AM on Sunday so everyone must be on field by 7:30AM for warmups. IF your lucky you lose first game and go home. IF your team is good, prepare to finish Sunday evening or night. This is after 3 practices during the week.


Absolutely nailed it. I would say the sponsor/coaches son/big cans has a modicum of truth. I will say the kids who are new to the team will, without question, play in the OF and bat at the end of the order unless they are great.
Bonnettecj1
How long do you want to ignore this user?
You said it a lot better than I could have, and that's obvious.
Kid just wants to play baseball and got tired of playing rec ball. Our leagues here have been gutted into select.
Post removed:
by user
Post removed:
by user
Baseball-Junkie
How long do you want to ignore this user?
SoupNazi2001 said:

MAROON said:


Quote:

There are far more important things in life.

you think people who watch their kids play a few tourneys a summer don't do anything else?


The select leagues my friends and coworkers kids play in aren't a few weekends per year.


It's still not every weekend. Do you prefer some weekend Fortnight for the kids?
03_Aggie
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Baseball-Junkie said:

SoupNazi2001 said:

MAROON said:


Quote:

There are far more important things in life.

you think people who watch their kids play a few tourneys a summer don't do anything else?


The select leagues my friends and coworkers kids play in aren't a few weekends per year.


It's still not every weekend. Do you prefer some weekend Fortnight for the kids?


Good hand/eye coordination workout.
agsalaska
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Yea I see some of that. But it's one kid and one parent. It ain't all like that.
The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you never know if they are genuine. -- Abraham Lincoln.



 
×
subscribe Verify your student status
See Subscription Benefits
Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial.