Make Them Better
Tonight I had dilemma. We have a travel pitcher that can dominate a game but we were playing against the other team in our division and it is fall ball. I don’t want to be accused of wanting to win at all costs, but I want to get her work and the team as well. Do I pitch her the whole game? Do I pitch her a few innings and bring someone else in? What to do, what to do.
Then I had an epiphany (Like that word E. Peevie?). What is the objective of the fall season for Little League? To make every player better of course! Would I be doing the other team any justice if I pitched a slower pitcher and let them hit the ball all over the place? Of course not! Why not challenge them, let them face the best, and succeed! A few of them got hits, they had huge smiles and provided inspiration for the others.
This division goes straight to the state tournament in the spring all-star season. They will face this level of pitching the entire tournament. Why not get as many players accustomed to it as soon as possible? That was my thinking. I think it was right looking back on it.
By the end of the game all the girls, (whom I love as much as I do my own team I might add) had sped up their bats up and were making contact. Additionally, my catcher was able to gain valuable experience with a pitcher that can “bring it”. The score of the game? Who cares! It’s fall ball! Everyone on the field improved, that’s all that matters! The girls on the other team probably improved more than we did as well. And isn’t that the point?
What do you do when you have a stud pitcher in a game that does not matter? Do you pitch her to get the work or do you give your other pitchers some work?
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Misc. Ramblings
Image via Wikipedia Back to Work
After a long 3 day weekend, we all have to go back to work tomorrow! Yippee!!!! I do love when July 4th falls on the weekend and at least we get the long weekend. When it is in the middle of the week it just makes you have to go in to work the next day tired.
Back to All-Stars
Here in central florida we take off the 4th weekend for the races. I still call it the Firecracker 400, but apparently this year it is the Coke Zero 400, who stole it from the Pepsi 400. Coke Zero is really horrible! It tastes nothing like Coke and leaves a horrible aftertaste. Tomorrow we start the grind again and I will probably be umpiring every night. How about that finish to the race last night? That’s not racin’, that’s smash-up derby at the local track.
Hosting Sectionals
While most league’s all-stars are winding down, we are hosting two sectionals. Major softball and senior baseball. Boy do I wish we were in the major softball, but I blew that one. Oh well, next year!
Movie Night Report
National Treasure: Book of Secrets , a pretty cool movie! It started a tiny bit slow, but improved as it went along. The original kind of bored me, but this one was not as intricate, and much more like Indiana Jones . My 8YO loved it as well, even though he didn’t entirely understand it, the action adventure kept him interested.
Class Coming to an End
My business integration class is coming to an end! WooHoo!!! It took a lot of my time at a time when I didn’t have any time to give! I am very tired and need refocus my life again heading in to fall. Tuesday I move on to consumer behavior, that should be an interesting class. Only eight months to graduation!
Kevin Youkilis is a Sweaty Pig
Did you see Kevin Youkilis sweating tonight on ESPN against the Yankees ? That was disgusting! Dripping off! It wasn’t like he was pitching or anything, even though the pitchers weren’t sweating as much as he was. Yuk. Makes you wonder a bit maybe? Why only him?
First Travel Practice
Speaking of sweating! We had our first 10U travel practice today. It was extremely hot! My 8 year old (9 years old little league age next year) said we "practiced our butts off". That was fairly accurate. Great practice as well! Tons of parents helping, all knowledgeable, lots of stations, lots of coaching going on. It’s no wonder why we consistently compete.
The Yankees Win
Can they still make the playoffs? Never count them out, but they have tough row to hoe. Even if they make it they will probably wear themselves out getting into the playoffs as they have done the last couple of years. But who would want to play them? No team in their right mind.
Can Milwaukee Actually Be Legit?
Can the Brewers actually make the playoffs? Wow, what a trade they pulled off with the Indians eh? Wouldn’t it be cool if they won it all? I love teams like that, the Marlins have done it twice, the Rays this year, the Twins , too many to name. There is always a team that competes with young talent. It’s fun to watch.
Any comments? Come on, let’s debate!
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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
What our Readers are Saying