Baseball These Days...

[cover2]

The thread on Tim's attempt at pro baseball made me think of what baseball at the high school and sub-levels has become these last several years and I'm curious to know what those on here who have had experience with a younger player during the development stages thinks about travel ball, one-sport athletes, and playing the same game year around.

Most know that I spent a long time coaching HS ball, so I have that bias. I think that when travel ball (in its infancy) was kind of an extension of a summer high school or rec program, it may have been at its best. Now, however, I see hundreds of kids in my area that play only baseball and do so 9-10 months out of the year, all in search of a college opportunity. Sadly, many of these kids will get to their 10th or 11th grade year and just become sick of it and/or develop overuse injuries. Either way, they're out of the game and as they look back, many will realize they missed opportunities that being a multi-sport athlete would have provided (e.g. developing a different skill set, keeping a consistent fitness level from sport to sport, interacting with a greater variety of teammates, etc.). I hate to see so many kids like this due to the belief, true or not, that there is a scholarship at the end for them when in a lot of cases that just isn't so. But that happens when the belief is bolstered by a lot of $ that is ultimately invested.

My own son is playing for a small JC in South GA. The only way he got there was as a walk-on/red-shirt and he was a little behind developmentally due to the fact that he went to a small HS and played three sports and we never bought in to a lot of the really extensive travel stuff. He'd have rather played football a little longer, but as it stands, he's glad he's able to play something beyond HS and some of the things he learned playing the other sports made up for what he lacked in pure baseball skills. He'll have the opportunity to play this year, but he knows that when it's over, it's over and it will have been a great experience for him. If I had it to do over, I don't think his mother and I would do it any differently. He did play a little travel ball these last few years, but they didn't go all over creation and break us and the guy in charge put more into practices, individual workouts, and overall player development than simply seeing how many games and tournaments they could play in.

I appreciate any of you sharing your opinions. Thanks a bunch in advance.

 

[gators4224]

I think it hurts the game and the player imo. It has become so competitive for kids that they lose sight of what's important, and it can become a stressor for many kids worrying about how they perform and if colleges are going to want them or not. I'm not saying being competitive or wanting to better yourself is wrong, but it seems like in youth and high school baseball today kids are only worried about being good enough to play in college instead of having fun. I think it would benefit a lot of kids to play more than one sport instead of getting "burnt out" playing one religiously year round. I think trying to diversify yourself, and becoming involved in different areas of your life (sports, academics, service) outweighs the potential consequence of making baseball not fun anymore.

 

[divits]

Unfortunately, I think the way things have gone has sucked a lot of the joy out of sports and has made it as much about the parents as the kids. Sometimes even more so. Although specialization in just one sport year round may make for better athletes in that one sport, it deprives the kids of variety and exposure to different experiences. For example, my experience playing football was totally different than baseball. The nature of each game provides different perspectives. And playing different sports instead of one keeps things fresh and prevents burnout which is very common.

Kids I talk to that are on travel squads seem to me to not really enjoy themselves as much as you would think. Many of them regret the many weekends they spend away from other friends and experiences. And from what I've seen it's the parents who are the driving factors as to their kids being on these teams. And the politics and drama among and between coaches, parents and leagues is ridiculous and teaches the kids horrible lessons.

 

[gators4224]

Unfortunately, I think the way things have gone has sucked a lot of the joy out of sports and has made it as much about the parents as the kids. Sometimes even more so. Although specialization in just one sport year round may make for better athletes in that one sport, it deprives the kids of variety and exposure to different experiences. For example, my experience playing football was totally different than baseball. The nature of each game provides different perspectives. And playing different sports instead of one keeps things fresh and prevents burnout which is very common.

Kids I talk to that are on travel squads seem to me to not really enjoy themselves as much as you would think. Many of them regret the many weekends they spend away from other friends and experiences. And from what I've seen it's the parents who are the driving factors as to their kids being on these teams. And the politics and drama among and between coaches, parents and leagues is ridiculous and teaches the kids horrible lessons.

Couldn't agree more, life isn't only about baseball. There are much more important things that would benefit young players to help them develop well-rounded lifestyles, instead of focusing on one thing that takes the fun out of it and makes people lose sight of what's important.

 

[cover2]

Certainly agree with your observations. Yeah, parents can sure make it more about them (being able to tell their friends about how far away "they" traveled to play ball last weekend and who among college coaches was there to see "them!"). One of my HS students who was in my discipline group unexpectedly dropped out of baseball as a junior and he had been a travel ball warrior, playing for his dad, for many years. When I asked him why he stopped playing, he told me that HS baseball was too much like a job and that the really fun things about travel ball (staying in hotel rooms with friends, swimming in the pool, playing video games, and eating out just weren't fun anymore! I'm thinking we've lost our way somewhere along the line.

 

[Gator Fever]

I know a few parents in my area that have spent a bunch of money on this stuff including personal training and the rest thinking they can manufacture a pro baseball player. I understand being proud of your kid but this has reached a crazy level imo and is probably not good for the kids spending so much time with baseball as they end up missing out on other things. Its crazy how many parents really think their children will end up in the major leagues one day.

 

[-THE DUDE-]

I didn't play much travel ball other than a few summer tournaments here and there and when i got to high school and played summer travel for our county team i was so far behind it was very discouraging. One player in particular was almost teaching the the entire team on concepts we've never learned...he taught the coaches concepts and they went with it. The guy went from no scholarship offers to college payer to mlb all star, to world series champ, to now starting on the Cubs. He played other sports too but much more baseball. He obviously has talent but his knowledge he grew through paying extensively on highly competitive teams certainly helped.

 

[cover2]

I didn't play much travel ball other than a few summer tournaments here and there and when i got to high school and played summer travel for our county team i was so far behind it was very discouraging. One player in particular was almost teaching the the entire team on concepts we've never learned...he taught the coaches concepts and they went with it. The guy went from no scholarship offers to college payer to mlb all star, to world series champ, to now starting on the Cubs. He played other sports too but much more baseball. He obviously has talent but his knowledge he grew through paying extensively on highly competitive teams certainly helped.

Good points from the other side. Perspective, or lack thereof, might be the biggest mitigating factor, particularly with parents in many cases.

 

[-THE DUDE-]

Good points from the other side. Perspective, or lack thereof, might be the biggest mitigating factor, particularly with parents in many cases.

Agreed...and maybe list in that is that i still believe kids need to be well rounded and is good to pay all sports available when young.

 

[Captain Sasquatch]

If you talk to coaches at a higher level, be it football, baseball, basketball, or any other sport, pretty much all of them will tell you they prefer to have multi-sport athletes on their team. You learn other skills and can hone other parts of your athletic abilities by playing more than one sport, and they typically end up doing better in the long run.

 

[cover2]

If you talk to coaches at a higher level, be it football, baseball, basketball, or any other sport, pretty much all of them will tell you they prefer to have multi-sport athletes on their team. You learn other skills and can hone other parts of your athletic abilities by playing more than one sport, and they typically end up doing better in the long run.

No doubt about it. Some of the better athletes I had the privilege to coach stood out in one sport, but most all played 2 or more. The other skills they developed translated among the sports, but maybe neatest of all is that every one of those kids were always looking forward to whatever the next season was. The best of this type kid played football, basketball, and did the jumps for the track team, excelling in each sport. He also was top 10 in his graduating class and wound up playing DB at Georgia Tech before finding his way into the NFL as a Giants' FA. Played 9 seasons and was a starting FS in the Giant's Super Bowl victory in 2007. He'll tell you that the best thing he ever did was play the different sports.

 

[GatorRaz]

I am currently a HS baseball coach who has a 12 year old son and an 8 year old son who play travel ball. I agree w' Cover 2 that there is way too much on these kids these days. Our 12 year old plays for our middle school coach who took kids from 1 school and competes w' kids from all over. I am currently doing the same w' the 9U kids. For our HS program it is more about development and coaching. We want kids who eat in the same cafeteria. Not kids from 6 different regions. I don't want my kids playing 80 games per year. My boys play multiple sports and I wouldn't have it any other way. We are coaches not talent collectors who just make a random team and play. I agree that when travel ball is used as an extension to a regular season the quality is way better. Its too watered down now. Great thread Cover2

 

[Double Gator Dad]

I agree with the group that focusing on one sport deprives the student of many valuable experiences and learning. Unfortunately, like many of the problems with youth today, it is the parents that are driving this obsession and the kids suffer the consequences.
Although I raised two boys and saw this on a regular basis, I am now seeing this impact the girls side as well. I have friends that have driven their daughters to exhaustion working for a swimming scholarship only to have them crash and burn as 16 year olds.

 

[ppinesgator]

My older son went to HS at Archbishop McCarthy, the team that has won the Florida state championships six of the last seven years. Their baseball program is currently more sophisticated, and better funded, than many college programs. Former Marlin Alex Fernandez became a benefactor to the program after retiring from MLB and his kid had a great career there. Alex Aviles (Tigers catcher) Danny Farquar (Mariners pitcher) and many others are alumni. The program was less organized and funded when he went there 15 years ago, but the same AD and baseball coach, Tony Massaro, ran it then and runs it now.

Back then, most the students played sports and nearly all played at least two of them. That's because there were only 300 to 500 students enrolled at the time. My kid began playing football for the first time in high school and it greatly improved his athleticism, translating into him becoming a heavier and stronger starting pitcher. Football also made him more aggressive as an athlete.

However, Massaro carefully nurtured his pitchers. They had very strict pitch counts, their own training program and none of them were allowed to bat, because Massaro did not give them enough time to take batting practice. They were too busy with the training regime.

My kid probably could have pitched in a D2 program, but decided to not play college ball because he had a lot more things to do with his life High school baseball gave my kid the tools to succeed life and football made him a better baseball player

 

[rogdochar]

Harvard Medical School has stats on kids' injuries = 39% single sport athletes
get injured compared to 26% multi-sports athletes.

Want an indictment against concentrated single-sport dominance? Just look to
Japan. An author wrote : Junior high age Baseball: The stands to the left held all
the Blue Team parents-fans, the stands to the right held the fans rooting for the
Red Team.... Game over = Red Team won 12-9. Immediately, The Blue players
burst into tears as did the Blue parents too. True observation.

In Japan, as a kid enters Junior High he brings home many crucial forms to be
studied and signed. It explains all the sports available, explains you should have
the correct idea of what sport your child is singularly best at, and that you are
signing him to play that sport all through Jr. High and through Sr. High.

You see, Japan has "Sports Clubs" embedded in the school system ... but
actually separate. The Kids practice at school extended 2.5 hours after school,
and then several hours on Sat & Sun. "You will play perfectly. You will win."

One parent, expatriate from India said, "I miss my daughter. I rarely see her
and then she says she doesn't have time to waste (on me?).
Another parent, American expatriate, had twin girls enroll in volleyball. After,
2 years, one 13 y.o. stopped liking it and wanted to quit. Well, both parents had
to go to interviews with all involved coaches, separate times, and fill out a stack
of papers. Then that child was gently ostracized by classmates for quitting.
(See, it is a cultural thing.) Japan thinks that following a straight line makes for
good "rules-obedient" citizens.

My nephew moved to Japan when he married a Japanese girl he met at a small
college in N.C. His son, my great-nephew, is in college on a rugby scholarship.
He's played only Rugby since around 12. My Nephew showed us home videos
of Naioki playing rugby. I had to stop myself from saying, "Jimmy which one is
Naioki? They all look alike."

 

[BNAG8R]

What I would give to have rog show up at a tailgate.

 

[rogdochar]

What I would give to have rog show up at a tailgate.

Thanks BNAG8R, that is a friendly compliment.

 

[cover2]

Harvard Medical School has stats on kids' injuries = 39% single sport athletes
get injured compared to 26% multi-sports athletes.

Want an indictment against concentrated single-sport dominance? Just look to
Japan. An author wrote : Junior high age Baseball: The stands to the left held all
the Blue Team parents-fans, the stands to the right held the fans rooting for the
Red Team.... Game over = Red Team won 12-9. Immediately, The Blue players
burst into tears as did the Blue parents too. True observation.

In Japan, as a kid enters Junior High he brings home many crucial forms to be
studied and signed. It explains all the sports available, explains you should have
the correct idea of what sport your child is singularly best at, and that you are
signing him to play that sport all through Jr. High and through Sr. High.

You see, Japan has "Sports Clubs" embedded in the school system ... but
actually separate. The Kids practice at school extended 2.5 hours after school,
and then several hours on Sat & Sun. "You will play perfectly. You will win."

One parent, expatriate from India said, "I miss my daughter. I rarely see her
and then she says she doesn't have time to waste (on me?).
Another parent, American expatriate, had twin girls enroll in volleyball. After,
2 years, one 13 y.o. stopped liking it and wanted to quit. Well, both parents had
to go to interviews with all involved coaches, separate times, and fill out a stack
of papers. Then that child was gently ostracized by classmates for quitting.
(See, it is a cultural thing.) Japan thinks that following a straight line makes for
good "rules-obedient" citizens.

My nephew moved to Japan when he married a Japanese girl he met at a small
college in N.C. His son, my great-nephew, is in college on a rugby scholarship.
He's played only Rugby since around 12. My Nephew showed us home videos
of Naioki playing rugby. I had to stop myself from saying, "Jimmy which one is
Naioki? They all look alike."

Good stuff, Rog. It strikes me on one hand how crushed many of these type athletes look when they lose and how soul-less they can look at other times during competition. I've often wondered how big the sense of relief was when athletes from these factories conclude their careers? The Olympics used to be the biggest showcase for amateur athletics. Now, not so much.

 

[rogdochar]

Good stuff, Rog. It strikes me on one hand how crushed many of these type athletes look when they lose and how soul-less they can look at other times during competition. I've often wondered how big the sense of relief was when athletes from these factories conclude their careers? The Olympics used to be the biggest showcase for amateur athletics. Now, not so much.

Right focus on the "life" picture "coveralso" ( that's Italian for cover2).
S. Korea & Japan are the only highly developed Nations to place in the Top25
in Suicides. The U.S. is # 47.

So, looking at Japan might give us insights toward steering our kids away from what
pulses kids towards depression ... the precursor for suicide. =
1) isolation- just what video games do, the internet, social media is actually anti-social.
2) pressure to be near perfect -- get A's only
3) must break thru the kid's tendency to be shy -- A very helpful life-training is to convince
your youngster to join Speaking Training = Toastmasters, Dale Carnegie Org., Debating
society. This will be difficult, for the child and parent. However, this actually teaches bravery,
courage that extends to many areas of character.

For your really young youngsters, encourage them to "show-off" to the family circle,video tape
that with as much pride as you would their sporting events. Watch those tapes with your family
loving it (that's an order).
4) struggles with schoolwork (a horrible cursed lifelong event for a developing brain)

Of course for Japan, suicide-acceptance is a long cultural thing. That's why the
WWII kamikaze orders worked.

**Around age 10-12, sign your youngster onto the computer course developed by
Dr. Michael Merzenich's Brain Plasticity Development Exercises (games designed
to "grow" neurons & branching neurofiber connections) choose his designs over
Lumosity - they just use a more commercial-driven alteration on Merzenich's
brain research discoveries. Google Dr. Merzenich's name & read about his discoveries.
Go to his site : positscience.com. There are free trial "games" you or your child can
test on. His site & method includes phone appointments for brain-improvement
counseling - a personal coach. (Lord, what brain would I have now if, when I was 2,
I told my parents about this?) This stuff thru brain plasticity stimulates fiber branching
in all directions making connections with various "main trunks") and this is what makes
persons smarter = higher IQ. Can you imagine your gift when your child relishes
homework ... because it takes them 1/4 the time to do as the typical kid ??

Sorry about the long post, but what an excellent way to help. Sum yu guys
have infants, so read about brain growth-spurts and brain plasticity. Read about
Merzenich's & associates research to avoid the buck$ focused packages like
Little Einstein, Lumosity etc.

Just an example about those growth-spurts of the developing brain. When a child
hits that questioning age where he/she hits you with question after question.
Sometimes that child will start on a second question before you have finished
your first answer. Why ? Because inside that brain a "timed" growth spurt is
growing a lot more neurofibril connections and the child is feeling a "force" to
use them all = many questions.