Travel Ball Debate

[1chapterahead]

This will be the first time in 3 years that my son will not be playing travel ball. The coaches think I'm crazy, and beleive I am taking my son to another team. And many parents can't understand when I say it's just too much too early. He's 10 this year and has been the Ace pitcher, 3b and 1b. He's batted 3-5 and generally handles the pressure well, although there have been moments. Opinions on this?

[TG Coach]

Where your son plays in his preteen years will have no bearing on his future success. However, where your son is the ace pitcher, you may be saving his arm. Many preteen ace pitchers burn out their arms before high school. Their travel coaches pitch them way too much. When your son is thirteen evaluate whether the local programs can help him advance to high school ball, or will he need to return to travel. It depends on your area.

My son played local community based travel in the summer at 9U and 10U following the rec season. The only purpose was to play an additional 24 games to the 18 game rec schedule. At 11U and 12U he played in a weekend USSSA AA Sunday doubleheader league scheduled around LL (didn't play Sundays). At 13U he went travel full time since our teen level rec programs are brutal, with bad coaching and loaded with daddyball.

[Jake Patterson]

I have never been a proponent of pre-pubescent travel ball... But I won't go down that road. There is a great deal of information on BBF about that.... That said. I think you are doing the right thing.

This will be the first time in 3 years that my son will not be playing travel ball. The coaches think I'm crazy, and beleive I am taking my son to another team. And many parents can't understand when I say it's just too much too early. He's 10 this year and has been the Ace pitcher, 3b and 1b. He's batted 3-5 and generally handles the pressure well, although there have been moments. Opinions on this?

[1chapterahead]

Coach/Jake.
Thanks for the quick responses. I've actually seen some of these posts this past summer, and that's what gave me the idea.

I was just curious if there was anyone else who had done this, and how their son/daughter progressed later in contrast to their peers who continued with TB.

[Jake Patterson]

Coach/Jake.
Thanks for the quick responses. I've actually seen some of these posts this past summer, and that's what gave me the idea.

I was just curious if there was anyone else who had done this, and how their son/daughter progressed later in contrast to their peers who continued with TB.
My son made the LL AS team at ten and decided not to play. He had had enough. Some of his teammates went on to play TB that season... Long story - short... By the time he made his HS team what he did at ten did not matter.

[RayR]

This will be the first time in 3 years that my son will not be playing travel ball. The coaches think I'm crazy, and beleive I am taking my son to another team. And many parents can't understand when I say it's just too much too early. He's 10 this year and has been the Ace pitcher, 3b and 1b. He's batted 3-5 and generally handles the pressure well, although there have been moments. Opinions on this?

Good for you and your son! Won't hurt the wallet, either...

[korp]

Won't make a difference really .... I mean hes 10...

[TG Coach]

Coach/Jake.
Thanks for the quick responses. I've actually seen some of these posts this past summer, and that's what gave me the idea.

I was just curious if there was anyone else who had done this, and how their son/daughter progressed later in contrast to their peers who continued with TB.

Regardless of where they play (travel or rec) there are three levels of preteen talent: 1) talented and destined to succeed at the next level, 2) marginally talented but will get by on work ethic at the next level, and 3) forget about it, you can't buy talent.

Now, because kids preteen physical development can be plus or minus three years of their actual age, I've seen kids at age ten people thought would be 1's, who became 3's by high school. These kids peaked around age eleven or twelve. I've seen kids people thought were 3's become 1's because they were late bloomers. The reality is the first group were 3's all along (relative to the 60/90 field and high school ball) and the other group were 1's all along. It just wasn't visible until kids physically matured. When your son is playing high school ball, no one cares who won those preteen trophies except the parents of kids who didn't go any further.

One of my friends was the klutzy, chubby kid at age twelve who didn't make LL all-stars (when it was all there was). As adults he teased me if I thought winning the LL all-star state championship game was more exciting than him saving the seventh game of an ALCS to go to the World Series.

[1chapterahead]

One of my friends was the klutzy, chubby kid at age twelve who didn't make LL all-stars (when it was all there was). As adults he teased me if I thought winning the LL all-star state championship game was more exciting than him saving the seventh game of an ALCS to go to the World Series.How sad that some of these kids are chased from the game before they bloom.

[TG Coach]

How sad that some of these kids are chased from the game before they bloom.

Picture a klutzy, chubby kid turning into a 6'4" 245 MLB pitcher with some serious heat. If you didn't know the family background you never would have guessed it was possible. But the dad and two older brothers were pro athletes. This kid was just behind the curve early. His coordination was way behind his size.

[1chapterahead]

Picture a klutzy, chubby kid turning into a 6'4" 245 MLB pitcher with some serious heat. If you didn't know the family background you never would have guessed it was possible. But the dad and two older brothers were pro athletes. This kid was just behind the curve early. His coordination was way behind his size.And there was no TB than either, go figure.

I don't know, for some reason it just feels right for us, although I did have to sell him on it a bit.

[halfguard]

the main difference i see between travel and rec (besides the price) is the quality of competition. where im at, you usually play 2 games a week, the same as rec...the teams are usually better coached, and better structured.....im not sure what the complaints are. if your gonna play, why not play against better kids. what are your complaints?

[callyjr]

This will be the first time in 3 years that my son will not be playing travel ball. The coaches think I'm crazy, and beleive I am taking my son to another team. And many parents can't understand when I say it's just too much too early. He's 10 this year and has been the Ace pitcher, 3b and 1b. He's batted 3-5 and generally handles the pressure well, although there have been moments. Opinions on this?


are you having him skip the entire season od just the travel ball aspect?

[callyjr]

This will be the first time in 3 years that my son will not be playing travel ball. The coaches think I'm crazy, and beleive I am taking my son to another team. And many parents can't understand when I say it's just too much too early. He's 10 this year and has been the Ace pitcher, 3b and 1b. He's batted 3-5 and generally handles the pressure well, although there have been moments. Opinions on this?


are you having him skip the entire season or just the travel ball aspect?

[HYP]

Regardless of where they play (travel or rec) there are three levels of preteen talent: 1) talented and destined to succeed at the next level, 2) marginally talented but will get by on work ethic at the next level, and 3) forget about it, you can't buy talent.

Now, because kids preteen physical development can be plus or minus three years of their actual age, I've seen kids at age ten people thought would be 1's, who became 3's by high school. These kids peaked around age eleven or twelve. I've seen kids people thought were 3's become 1's because they were late bloomers. The reality is the first group were 3's all along (relative to the 60/90 field and high school ball) and the other group were 1's all along. It just wasn't visible until kids physically matured. When your son is playing high school ball, no one cares who won those preteen trophies except the parents of kids who didn't go any further.

One of my friends was the klutzy, chubby kid at age twelve who didn't make LL all-stars (when it was all there was). As adults he teased me if I thought winning the LL all-star state championship game was more exciting than him saving the seventh game of an ALCS to go to the World Series.


Based on your scale, which I tend to agree with, my son is a 2 on his way to a 3. He is a late bloomer put on 25lbs in a few months.

The travel ball really helped him going into his freshman year. He played on an older team as well as his own age group. All of the extra games and the level of play put him ahead of most of the kids in his class who didn't play.

[1chapterahead]

are you having him skip the entire season or just the travel ball aspect?No, he's playing rec., just skipping travel. In my town you "have" to play rec. if you play travel. He was pitching twice a week, sometimes throwing 120 game pitches within 7 day period.

[TG Coach]

The travel ball really helped him going into his freshman year. He played on an older team as well as his own age group. All of the extra games and the level of play put him ahead of most of the kids in his class who didn't play.

I believe the right competion leading into high school can buy a year of advancement. It did for my son. He started at short and led off for the JV team as a frosh. The two others sophs on JV also played USSSA Majors travel starting at 13U. He's the only soph projected to start on varsity in a large classification high school. The other two travel players will make varsity and be important subs.

[CoachB25]

1chapterahead, I agree with the other posts for a 10 year old. However, I'd also suggest that some rec leagues are very hard for an advanced player to tolerate and so, it might be worse. Here, we have 5 run innings, no stealing, coach pitch after so many balls before a walk is allowed,... It makes these game go on and on and so, no much fun. Interestingly enough, we have a situation on my daughter's softball team that might give you some ideas. We have a very good team but not great. We play A LOT OF BALL. We have a player wanting to play for us but her parents don't want her to play that many games. So, we're talking with the parents now about a schedule that they'd agree to. It'd be roughly half. Their fees would be half. We are asking that they commit to nationals. I think we're all going to be happy with this arrangement since we have a reserve player that we could call in emergency and yet, all the other players are going to get plenty of playing time. Just a thought.

[callyjr]

What is travel ball in your opinion. Is it playing tourneys for extra games? what if the games are all local with in 45 minutes. in the league we joined this year, we will play our 20 game rec league schedule(games are only 5 innings) and also have 6 tourneys schedules as well. Our rec league games are on weekdays and weekend are open. I have 11 of my 12 kids that can pitch so no kid will pitch more then once every other week except during the tourneys and then we will still cap at 3 innings in a weekend.


Where do you guys say it becomes travel ball vs just some extra games.

[wogdoggy]

1chapterahead, I agree with the other posts for a 10 year old. However, I'd also suggest that some rec leagues are very hard for an advanced player to tolerate and so, it might be worse. Here, we have 5 run innings, no stealing, coach pitch after so many balls before a walk is allowed,... It makes these game go on and on and so, no much fun. Interestingly enough, we have a situation on my daughter's softball team that might give you some ideas. We have a very good team but not great. We play A LOT OF BALL. We have a player wanting to play for us but her parents don't want her to play that many games. So, we're talking with the parents now about a schedule that they'd agree to. It'd be roughly half. Their fees would be half. We are asking that they commit to nationals. I think we're all going to be happy with this arrangement since we have a reserve player that we could call in emergency and yet, all the other players are going to get plenty of playing time. Just a thought.



see that seems to be the major problem with travel..TOO many games..we'd play sometimes 3 during the week and at least 1 or 2 on the weekends..It gets stressful and after a few years you wonder why you have to travel so much to play baseball..you think your giving junior more experience and a better shot at moving to the next level BUT it doesnt really matter once they hit freshman year..the coach doent care about you playing travel with the tadpoles for the l;ast 5 years..hes looking at SIZE and projectability..we have a kid 6 foot 4 throws hard but cant play the game or throw 3 out 0f 6 strikes...GUARANTEED he's the number 1 starting pitcher,,so does travel really matter? u get the experience but after that?;)

[TG Coach]

I'd also suggest that some rec leagues are very hard for an advanced player to tolerate

My son learned a very valuable lesson in 9/10 rec ball. He learned composure on the mound. He learned the only part of the process he had control over is the quality of the pitch he delivered. He learned errors are part of the game. I told him when he played on his summer community based travel team the fielders were more likely to make the plays, and when he got older his fielders would almost always make those plays.

[shake-n-bake]

What's his feeling about it? My son wants to play travel ball. He wants to play against better competiton for one reason - it's more fun.

[HYP]

What is travel ball in your opinion. Is it playing tourneys for extra games? what if the games are all local with in 45 minutes. in the league we joined this year, we will play our 20 game rec league schedule(games are only 5 innings) and also have 6 tourneys schedules as well. Our rec league games are on weekdays and weekend are open. I have 11 of my 12 kids that can pitch so no kid will pitch more then once every other week except during the tourneys and then we will still cap at 3 innings in a weekend.


Where do you guys say it becomes travel ball vs just some extra games.
I consider travel ball a team of players who want to play at a higher level of competition and who can handle it. We have travel ball leagues and tournaments. My team mostly plays tournaments, 2 weekends a month.

What I see happening to travel ball is it is becoming a glorified LL. Everybody is putting together a team and playing. We can go to a tournament and play 2 teams that we route and then in the playoffs face some good competition. I wonder how much the kids on the teams that we route are learning.

[HYP]

see that seems to be the major problem with travel..TOO many games..we'd play sometimes 3 during the week and at least 1 or 2 on the weekends..It gets stressful and after a few years you wonder why you have to travel so much to play baseball..you think your giving junior more experience and a better shot at moving to the next level BUT it doesnt really matter once they hit freshman year..the coach doent care about you playing travel with the tadpoles for the l;ast 5 years..hes looking at SIZE and projectability..we have a kid 6 foot 4 throws hard but cant play the game or throw 3 out 0f 6 strikes...GUARANTEED he's the number 1 starting pitcher,,so does travel really matter? u get the experience but after that?;)
With my son we played travel ball from the age of 11 and the year before his freshman year we played in as many games as possible. His freshman year you could see a difference in the kids who played and the ones that didn't. He is now a sophmore and he only plays for a "showcase" team not as many games but a lot more exposure.

IMO travel ball at a more competitive level benefits the kids. The ones I feel it benefits the most are the ones that TG Coach described as 2s, the ones that get there through hard work. The ones that are already studs will play high school baseball any ways.

I also believe that once in high school, unless you are a D1 candidate, where you play during the summer is more important then the high school you play for.

[TG Coach]

I also believe that once in high school, unless you are a D1 candidate, where you play during the summer is more important then the high school you play for.

Unless a D1 candidate wants to play for a local college he's playing for a showcase travel team. Even those who want to play locally are showcasing. At 16U my son is playing for a 16U team that feeds into an 18U showcase team. The only major tournament they're doing is the Junior Olympics in Jupiter, FL.

[HYP]

I also believe that once in high school, unless you are a D1 candidate, where you play during the summer is more important then the high school you play for.

Unless a D1 candidate wants to play for a local college he's playing for a showcase travel team. Even those who want to play locally are showcasing. At 16U my son is playing for a 16U team that feeds into an 18U showcase team. The only major tournament they're doing is the Junior Olympics in Jupiter, FL.
i can agree with this. i guess my point is that a lot of the D1 prospects are being recruited. Kids like my son who have good skills and are good players with great grades can really benefit from the showcase teams.

My son played in the AAU Junior Olympics in Reno this year and had a great time and a very good tournament. To brag a bit he had 2 game winning doubles.

[wogdoggy]

With my son we played travel ball from the age of 11 and the year before his freshman year we played in as many games as possible. His freshman year you could see a difference in the kids who played and the ones that didn't. He is now a sophmore and he only plays for a "showcase" team not as many games but a lot more exposure.

IMO travel ball at a more competitive level benefits the kids. The ones I feel it benefits the most are the ones that TG Coach described as 2s, the ones that get there through hard work. The ones that are already studs will play high school baseball any ways.

I also believe that once in high school, unless you are a D1 candidate, where you play during the summer is more important then the high school you play for.

most kids play showcase ball after their hs season or after they play summer league with their HS team,,seems again they will be playin 50 sixty games again over the spring summer season..no showcase ball for us anymore..either he plays with the high school team and they cart him to the games or its over..no more running all over the place to play ball anymore.

[tominct]

most kids play showcase ball after their hs season or after they play summer league with their HS team,,seems again they will be playin 50 sixty games again over the spring summer season..no showcase ball for us anymore..either he plays with the high school team and they cart him to the games or its over..no more running all over the place to play ball anymore.

And why is that?

[wogdoggy]

And why is that?

he wants some time to work on his golf game,, cause he plays golf in the fall,he golfs for 16 bucks cause he's on the team great deal ..i figure theres enough baseball between the two leagues high school regular season and hs summer league,,, and dad isnt carting him to showcase tourneys all summer so he can be "DISCOVERD".After traveling around since 10 yrs old I feel if he's got it someone will discover him...if not he gets to play golf and that aint so bad..last fall golf season they either played every day or went to the range,,the kid played more golf than any ceo ..lol

[AltaLomaStorm]

No, he's playing rec., just skipping travel. In my town you "have" to play rec. if you play travel..
I am curious as to how "they" can make you play both...are both leagues affiliated somehow? One is usually community funded (except for registration fee) and the other is totally private. Plus, doesn't LL have a rule you can not play in another league while participating in LL (at least in all-stars)?

He was pitching twice a week, sometimes throwing 120 game pitches within 7 day period.
If I read this correctly, he was playing as a 9 year old during this time. If you are inferring 120 game pitches in a week is too much for a 9 year old, why did you allow it? Again...just curious.

[wogdoggy]

I also believe that once in high school, unless you are a D1 candidate, where you play during the summer is more important then the high school you play for.

Unless a D1 candidate wants to play for a local college he's playing for a showcase travel team. Even those who want to play locally are showcasing. At 16U my son is playing for a 16U team that feeds into an 18U showcase team. The only major tournament they're doing is the Junior Olympics in Jupiter, FL.

they will find you if your good enough even without showcasing,,am I wrong?

[tominct]

he wants some time to work on his golf game,, cause he plays golf in the fall,he golfs for 16 bucks cause he's on the team great deal ..i figure theres enough baseball between the two leagues high school regular season and hs summer league,,, and dad isnt carting him to showcase tourneys all summer so he can be "DISCOVERD".After traveling around since 10 yrs old I feel if he's got it someone will discover him...if not he gets to play golf and that aint so bad..

So then, was it worth it?

[wogdoggy]

So then, was it worth it?

dont get me wrong i love the game BUT rushing home from work and trying to feed the kid and rush him to another suburb by 5.30 can really become stressful,

all the high school kids seem to be on showcase teams,personally it may help a few kids ger "discovered' BUT i truly believe if you are a STUD you will be found period.word gets around that this schools got this stud kid etc etc,,We had a junior QB at our school who was 6 four 230 fast and could throw the ball a good 60 yards like a rocket,,they were ALL over this kid junior year,northwestern notre dame IU,,all of em,,he didnt have to "showcase" his talent.maybe "showcasing" may help a kid get a second look or maybe a consideration by a small college BUT the good kids are ALREADY getting offers..Why showcase a freshman player?half of them still arent even grown yet.

[TG Coach]

they will find you if your good enough even without showcasing,,am I wrong?

You're more wrong than right. The NCAA recently cut back recruiting time. Recruiting budgets have always been an issue for a lot of colleges. Which is more cost effective? A) Seeing players at high school games one or two at a time, or B) Seeing one hundred or more college prospects at a regional showcase over a summer weekend? Also college coaches are busy coaching college ball during the high school season.

It is possible a local college coach drops in on a nearby high school game. But, that's because he heard of a kid throwing in the 90's, not because he's checking to see if there is talent there that day.

When my daughter played softball the entire starting team went on to play college ball at some level. In four years of varsity ball I saw a college coach there twice. One was when the older sister of a player brought her college team to the game when they were in town a day early. The coach was interested in the sister and two other players. The other was when two of the top pitching prospects in the state were pitching against each other in a district playoff game. Both had already signed. It was nothing but being a fan.

[TG Coach]

dont get me wrong i love the game BUT rushing home from work and trying to feed the kid and rush him to another suburb by 5.30 can really become stressful,

all the high school kids seem to be on showcase teams,personally it may help a few kids ger "discovered' BUT i truly believe if you are a STUD you will be found period.word gets around that this schools got this stud kid etc etc,,We had a junior QB at our school who was 6 four 230 fast and could throw the ball a good 60 yards like a rocket,,they were ALL over this kid junior year,northwestern notre dame IU,,all of em,,he didnt have to "showcase" his talent.maybe "showcasing" may help a kid get a second look or maybe a consideration by a small college BUT the good kids are ALREADY getting offers..Why showcase a freshman player?half of them still arent even grown yet.


1) The word will get around to the local schools if a kid is a stud. I know of a kid from Maine who was planning on playing at Univdersity of Maine. Then he showed off his 97 mph fastball at a major showcase. Every college in the country wanted him. He signed as the 5th pick in the draft for over 2M.

2) Is your kid a stud? And I mean A STUD, not just all-conference. Is he all-conference?

3) I agree there's no reason to showcase a freshman or an incoming soph in the fall unless he is a stud. We passed on having my son play on a team that did two showcases last fall. He will be playing on a 16U feeder team to a major 18U showcase team next summer. They will make one trip to Jupiter, FL. My son will probably be doing a weekend showcase on his own for colleges in the region next summer.

4) Football is different. Football has huge coaching staffs. They have multiple recruiting coaches. There are recruiting coaches who are never at their team's games. In college baseball the recruiting coach (all one of him) is also coaching at the games.

[HYP]

they will find you if your good enough even without showcasing,,am I wrong?
Actually I believe you are wrong. Colleges don't have the money to send the recruiters out to see 1 or 2 players and if a kid is that good, the colleges are competing against the Pros.

Just a quick bit of numbers I got from a program based in my area, California. This program deals with mostly the higher GPA players. There are around;

455,000 High school players in the nation
25,000 NCAA D1, D2, D3 players
21,000 NAIA and NJCAA players
2,100 JC players in California

This leaves around 406,900 players with no where to play.

So the more your son/daughter gets seen and the better their grades are the better chance of playing in college and getting money to do so.

For instace my son is not a NCAA D1 caliber player yet but with his high GPA and the exposure he gets he can still possibly play baseball in college at a NAIA school. The NAIA schools no they are most likely not going to get the "horse" so they really don't even look for them. They are looking for a talented player with good grades.

Most players don't get recruited. You must recruit yourself.

HYP

[TG Coach]

The NAIA schools know they are most likely not going to get the "horse" so they really don't even look for them. They are looking for a talented player with good grades.

Last summer we played a 16U travel tournament sponsored by a D2. I started a conversation with the coach about his program. My son plays high school ball for one of his former players. He explained they look for the undersized, talented player who may blossom into a bigger, stronger athlete. He said it's a waste of time to compete with the D1's in the state, especially the one nearby. Since it's a "state" university and not THE state university, they sometimes get a very talented player the D1's don't want to take the academic risk.

[Jake Patterson]

I think your numbers are understated as it does not seem to include the private schools.

[jcwilb]

We call it summer ball and we have a great time. All kids from same little league with parents who get along well. This is time to play extra ball, picnic, swim, party for 4-5 tourneys after LL season is over. Would not trade it for the world. Good for everyone and kids are competitive. Were lucky that way I guess. Would not do travel ball if it was like the teams we play... 11U by the way. Will do it till everyone goes their own way.

:clapping

[FiveFrameSwing]

What young girls like about ASA travel ball. (http://www.infosports.com/videos/softball/5003.htm)

[jcwilb]

What young girls like about ASA travel ball. (http://www.infosports.com/videos/softball/5003.htm)

Got 2 of them comin up as well. If you don't like it make it better...:D

[bbb3601]

I really found this post interesting. My son (11) decided he doesn't want to play a "travel season" this year. We have played TB for the past three years, and have had very very sucessful seasons, but the grind wore on him I believe. A few weeks ago he came to me (after deer hunting) and said he misses camping and fishing and some of the other things we used to do often pre TB. I then told him that travel baseball was up to him, and he didn't need to play TB at this point in his life. This being said when I called the coach he was irate accused us of going elsewhere etc (I knew my kid was above average but geesh) All in All in am looking forward to a hopefully less pressure packed rec season. At times he would put too much pressure on himself and I was worried about some burnout occuring. He seems to be at peace with his decision even though his fellow team-mates are laying it on him heavy at school. As much as I have loved the travel team we played on and the great memories we have also made some great non baseball ones like the eight pointer he bagged with one shot this year! On the other hand maybe he just has new interests? He started playing music this year and seems to have a knack at it. I love baseball and I know he does as well, but if his interests take him elsewhere then so be it. Thank God for video recorders.

[AltaLomaStorm]

I really found this post interesting. My son (11) decided he doesn't want to play a "travel season" this year. We have played TB for the past three years, and have had very very sucessful seasons, but the grind wore on him I believe. A few weeks ago he came to me (after deer hunting) and said he misses camping and fishing and some of the other things we used to do often pre TB. I then told him that travel baseball was up to him, and he didn't need to play TB at this point in his life. This being said when I called the coach he was irate accused us of going elsewhere etc (I knew my kid was above average but geesh) All in All in am looking forward to a hopefully less pressure packed rec season. At times he would put too much pressure on himself and I was worried about some burnout occuring. He seems to be at peace with his decision even though his fellow team-mates are laying it on him heavy at school. As much as I have loved the travel team we played on and the great memories we have also made some great non baseball ones like the eight pointer he bagged with one shot this year! On the other hand maybe he just has new interests? He started playing music this year and seems to have a knack at it. I love baseball and I know he does as well, but if his interests take him elsewhere then so be it. Thank God for video recorders.
Great post bbb...I especially like the opening line that states he is not playing TB this year because HE didn't want to :applaud: Encourage him in whatever he does and good luck to both of you.

[shake-n-bake]

I really found this post interesting. My son (11) decided he doesn't want to play a "travel season" this year. We have played TB for the past three years, and have had very very sucessful seasons, but the grind wore on him I believe. A few weeks ago he came to me (after deer hunting) and said he misses camping and fishing and some of the other things we used to do often pre TB. I then told him that travel baseball was up to him, and he didn't need to play TB at this point in his life. This being said when I called the coach he was irate accused us of going elsewhere etc (I knew my kid was above average but geesh) All in All in am looking forward to a hopefully less pressure packed rec season. At times he would put too much pressure on himself and I was worried about some burnout occuring. He seems to be at peace with his decision even though his fellow team-mates are laying it on him heavy at school. As much as I have loved the travel team we played on and the great memories we have also made some great non baseball ones like the eight pointer he bagged with one shot this year! On the other hand maybe he just has new interests? He started playing music this year and seems to have a knack at it. I love baseball and I know he does as well, but if his interests take him elsewhere then so be it. Thank God for video recorders.

First off, hope everyone had a super X-mas. We were talking about New Year's resolutions and plans that we'd like to make and keep for '09. I can really see the relief one could get by coming up for a breath and having time to squeeze some other activities in. My son completed his hunter's safety course and wants to deer or elk hunt this fall. He doesn't want to miss any baseball or football though. It's going to be tough to pull off, but I think we'll get a few mid-week days of hunting in.

I didn't get my first preference for vacation time. So, it looks like it'll be my wife, daughter, and I going to Disneyland. My son won't give up any baseball to go. I remember his friend going on vacation with his family last year during All-Stars and my son being bewildered as to how his friend could do it. His buddies response, "I didn't want to go - my mom and dad didn't give me a choice."

[crazyhawk]

Shake-n...are you saying that you are actually going to leave your 11 year old with friends while your family goes on a FAMILY vacation to Disneyland..just so he can play baseball???? Even if that is his wish, come on. I have read your posts and I know he loves ball and I can tell you love it just as much....but that is kind of over the top. Just my opinion. 7 years from now, b-ball will probably be over for him...but family trips are pretty darn important and usually are pretty few and far between.

[shake-n-bake]

Shake-n...are you saying that you are actually going to leave your 11 year old with friends while your family goes on a FAMILY vacation to Disneyland..just so he can play baseball???? Even if that is his wish, come on. I have read your posts and I know he loves ball and I can tell you love it just as much....but that is kind of over the top. Just my opinion. 7 years from now, b-ball will probably be over for him...but family trips are pretty darn important and usually are pretty few and far between.


Crazy as that may seem, it looks that way. We enjoy winter sports, so next year this time I think we'll take a family vacation (whole family) up to the mountains.

I hope that he and the rest of the family don't someday regret the time invested in sports. My daughter isn't really hardcore about sports, but plays a sport pretty much year round also. We had some fantastic weather this fall and I wanted to take the family for a weekend somewhere to enjoy it. It never happened - baseball, football, and volleyball. It did get me out of some yard projects, so I guess there's a little silver lining.

On the bright side, my wife has become the ultimate soccer mom. She loves going to the kids' games and never looks at a weekend of their games as a disappointment. Still there's a trickle down that often has us giving up time together to spend time with the kids and as a family.

Definetly going to make it a priority in '09 to make more time. I'm sort of lazy. I like my beer, Barkolounger, and ballgames. Might have to give up some of that time. Maybe start reminding the wife why she married me with little things, so lack of weekends together aren't such a big deal. And spend the time when the time is there.

I do miss the outdoors stuff like bbb3601 is talking about. I know my son (who was once known as King Kokanee) does too. Gotta fit that some of that in this year. He'd like that just about as much as Disneyland.