An Open Proposal to Little League
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I was reading an article the other day on a girls fast-pitch website that was discussing the options for a player, boy or girl, once the Little League spring season was over. The article, titled That Time of Year, told the plight of a parent who was looking for options once the spring season of Little League ended. He went on to tell about finding a fall program that was less than stellar and then discovering the hyper-competitive, and VERY expensive travel ball. Unfortunately, he says, there is no “middle ground”.
I have discussed this with many friends on a regular basis, and he (Dave) is dead on here. There are no middle options. Don’t get me wrong, travel programs have their place, and as kids get older and are serious about their careers showcase teams are a must, but for everyone 12 and under, why do they have to end their life for the game?
My 9 year old son this year kept a schedule that every week included 2 Little League games, one Little League practice, one pitcher-catcher practice, one travel ball practice, and a travel ball double header on Sunday. And our travel team wasn’t really all that active compared to the others!
Why do we do this? Because we want more than Little League and travel ball is the only option. Don’t get me wrong, I bleed red and blue of Little League. My son had way more fun playing against his friends in Little League than against strangers in travel ball. Even though the talent level was much less.
But how about creating a middle ground? I hear about parents not wanting to leave on Friday night for a tournament and return Sunday evening every weekend. Little League is uniquely positioned to offer a solution that suits the middle ground kids.
Face it, the extreme kids that love the game and are potential college or professional players are going to play extreme level travel ball, as they should. But in any Little League, those kids comprise less than 1% of the players at most. Little League cannot meet their needs, if they play, that is a bonus, but there is no way to offer a solution to them, they are where they want and need to be.
But, what about the stars that don’t want to play baseball or softball 7 days a week and twice on Sunday? Where do they turn? Right now, the answer really is nowhere, that’s where Little League comes in. Little League can fix this problem!
Currently for 12 and unders, Little League offers their competitive program, Majors, an instructional program, Minors, and a t-ball program. After the season ends, most District managers hold some version of a Tournament of Champions, and then on June 15th All-Stars are announced and begin practicing.
Why not add one more division? Call it “elite”. In my Little League hometown of Sterling, VA, where I cut my teeth, they have one of the best softball programs in the country. But it is Pony League. Or at least it was when I lived there over 10 years ago. They actually host the Pony National Tournament and World Series there, or they did then.
The structure of their league is a majors/minors equivalent, with a travel program as well. The top players in the league play on one team and travel and play against other teams in the area, while the rest of the kids play in the local version of the league. Additionally, the travel players are spread amongst the local teams and play there as well. Bingo, problem solved!
What positions Little League uniquely to accomplish this, and better than any other program in the world, is their District alignment setup. They already have hundreds, if not thousands, of districts set up all over the world that include 10 or so teams in them. It is the first level of play during the all-stars.
Why not have each league put together an “elite” team that plays against all the other league’s “elite” teams during the season? This provides the league structure that travel programs lack, the ability to still play with all your friends, a truly competitive environment, and a commitment that doesn’t cost you $10,000 a year or your entire life!
Little League could impliment this next year if they wanted. They have the structures in place and the lines of communication from Williamsport to the local leagues are impecable.
So what do you say Little League International? How about an “Elite” division for the spring of 2010?
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Scene It TV Travel Edition
We played Scene It? TV Travel DVD Game 
For parties they have a party mode where it plays continuously. This would be a great option for conversation starters!
Go ahead and buy this game by clicking here:
It was most entertaining!
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Raising Money at Tournaments
Image via Wikipedia Yesterday we had the honor of hosting our district’s sectional tournament for the major softball division. The sectional was created to reduce the burden on the state tournaments, but in our case is a bit silly. We have only three districts in it so it is a 3 game round robin . Whoever shows up in their two games wins and goes to states. That is for a different article though. Today, I would like to discuss making money for your league hosting a tournament.
The cost we have to put out to host the tournament is about $700. This includes the flag for the champion, pins, medallions, and medals. The problem with only three teams playing is that there is no way to make that money up with concessions. We sold almost $500 in concessions, but that is revenue, not profit. We still had to purchase the stuff that we sold.
Therefore, we needed to find a way to raise more money. Our initial thought was a souvenir t-shirt. Everyone wants a momento of the tournament right? WRONG! We sold only about 20. Why?
I think it is because the girls play in a tournament every weekend just about and purchasing a shirt at each one is not feasable. Had this been the state tournament we probably would have sold enough to justify the costs, but at the sectional they simply did not sell.
This creates quite a dilima for the hosting league. First we have to feed all the umpires and district adminstrator. There is a cost for that. Then, we have to make sure all the volunteers have water and such to keep them going. And then theres the city guy which we have to make sure he is watered and fed as well. Suddenly we are losing a lot of money hosting this event!
So how can we raise more money at this event? We tried a 50/50 drawing and didn’t sell a single ticket! What tactics have you used in the past to raise money at tournaments? Please share with us so we can all reap the rewards of the hours of effort that goes into hosting a tournament.
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Season Over Finally!
Image via Wikipedia
I have to admit that it has really been a learning experience for me working with an 8 and under travel baseball team . They have really come a long way and I am proud of all of them even though we didn’t win a single game. But the did have fun! I know that.
At least now I will have Friday’s and Sunday’s free! We used to practice on Fridays and play double-headers on Sundays . Guess that just means more housework ! Oh well, that keeps Momma happy, and when momma’s happy, everybody’s happy!
Congrats boys! Proud to have worked with you.
Little League Bulletin MAJOR All Star Rules Changes
Image via WikipediaBREAKING NEWS!
April 24, 2008
Little League Baseball sent out an emergency rules change bulletin today that will have a major impact on the tournament teams.
From the Bulletin :
Participation in Other Programs
The rule that prohibits players from participating in non-Little League programs (dual participation), once Little League tournament play has begun, has been rescinded at all levels of play for baseball and softball. However, the local Little League retains the right to dismiss a player from a tournament team if the player repeatedly misses games and practices.
Big League
The maximum number of players that can be named on a tournament team affidavit is now 17 (increased from 15).
Senior League
The maximum number of players that can be named on a tournament team affidavit is now 16 (increased from 14).
Wilson, W.P. (2008, April 23). Tournament Bulletin. Little League International.
I have mixed emotions on this. I understand the reasoning, we are losing to many good players to travel ball. But, are we simply giving in to the competition? In the long run I think there is nothing more exciting than the Little League tournament, so the better product should win out. This will give more kids the opportunity to compete in the tournament and make the teams better. So I guess this is a good thing. I just wish they had done it last year!
The Big League and Senior League roster expansion is a good thing.
What do you think? Should players be allowed to compete in other programs and Little League’s tournament? It wasn’t long ago a coach couldn’t even coach in a different program and coach an All-Star team. The times they are a changin’! I just wonder is it for the best? What say you?
Update from Little League 4/25/08
To clarify an e-mail distributed earlier this week regarding modifications to the 2008 Tournament Rules and Guidelines, the increases to the maximum number of players that can be named on a tournament team affidavit apply to Big League and Senior League baseball only .
Big League Baseball - The maximum number of players that can be named on a tournament team affidavit is now 17 (increased from 15).
Senior League Baseball - The maximum number of players that can be named on a tournament team affidavit is now 16 (increased from 14).
Little League International apologizes for the confusion.
Clarification to Rules and Guidelines for 2008 Little League International Tournament . (2008, April 25). Little League International .
Now this one I don’t understand at all. WHY?????? This makes absolutely no sense! According to the original memo the reason for the roster expansion was because they had jobs and other commitments. So according to Little League, girls do not have jobs or other commitments? This is very sexist and discriminatory on their part!
In our league we have an understanding that whatever rules we make for baseball, we also make them for softball. Why would Little League International do any different?
Little League, It’s the year 2008! Get w/ the times! You made a great ruling and then botched it’s application. Fix it!
What do you think? Should rules be different for girls and boys?
SmartMoney Magazine Interview
Yesterday I had my SmartMoney Magazine interview! It went very well! The interview was conducted by the author of the piece, Anne Kadet. She was very friendly and very interested in how the youth baseball programs functioned. The article will publish in the July issue which will be released in June. (Don’t ask me, I just report, you decide)
Uniquely Qualified
I, of course, was uniquely qualified to provide her all the information she needed! My 18 years experience w/ Little League and brief experience w/ travel ball and its effect on Little League was what interested her. She delved deeply to gain a true understanding of how each program worked and how they worked together. She was also interested in where they created conflicts.
Will Your Child Fall Behind?
The point she was most interested in was “do you feel your child will fall behind if he does not participate in the travel programs”? What a great question! She asked, she said, because a hockey parent she had interviewed the day before had stated that they felt their child had no shot at a high school team unless they participated in the travel leagues. I had to agree that those that play in travel leagues definitely have advanced skills.
Quality of Play
She then asked, “Do you feel the quality of play in the ‘elite’ travel leagues is coming down since anyone can start a team and there are more teams available now”? Another whopper of a question! I had to admit that yes, as the numbers increase, it was inevitable that travel teams quality of play decline. I also pointed out that travel ball is for play, not for gaining fundamentals, nothing can replace Little League for that.
This is an interesting concept though. Many of you know that I used to be a hardcore metal head in my younger days. I used to complain to my super-cool boss at the time (he tolerated my late nights and frequent early afternoon departures as well as my unique travel schedule) that radio stations never played the kind of music I liked. He used to say, “if the radio stations played it, then it wouldn’t be cool to listen to it any more”. I didn’t agree then, but wisdom has taught me what he meant.
I think this might be a decent analogy to travel ball. If everyone is playing, is it really an elite travel league any more? Or is it simply a league of the same kids playing Little League circumventing the draft process?
What does the Future Hold?
Of course everyone doesn’t play travel ball, and Little League provides a home for EVERYONE. But I have to wonder what the face of travel ball will look like in 10 years? They certainly do not have the money that Little League has, nor the corporate sponsorship or media coverage. ESPN’s multi-million deal to cover every division of Little League’s World Series on TV will certainly boost participation.
This will be an interesting topic that I will visit often over the next few years.
What effect do you feel that travel ball is having on Little League? Is it positive or negative? What would you change about the current situation? Post a comment below and let us know about it.
Check out some prior posts that may interest you:
Variation of the Around the Horn Drill
New Pitching Drill
Blowout, Pitching Questions, Resume for Article
SmartMoney Magazine Interview
It’s All About the Fundamentals
AAU
Just when I thought I was out, they drag me back in! My son has AAU practice on Wednesday and Friday! I thought I would get a break, but no rest for the weary. Oh well, he has fun and I want to make it possible for him to play. Plus, truth be told, I love it too!
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