Travel Baseball... for the kids? ...or for the parents?

[bomelia]

Man am I learning a lot about kids' sports and parents. Travel baseball. Very competitive. A couple of weeks ago, our team beat this other team 24-2 in a pool game (set up for seeding). We beat them in the main series too. Yesterday, we are beating them in the fourth inning, 9-5 and we were still at bat. Their coach calls a meeting with the umps, has the rule book in his hand. On a technicality, he wants our team DQd. He won the argument, but the director begged hm not to insist on a DQ. Guess what he did. DQd us. What a way to win! Their parents were actually cheering their team's "victory". Clapping, and so on. So, being the smart a$$ that I am, I walked over to their stands and joined them. Looking over my shoulder, I said "what a way to WIN! You guys should be so proud."

Maybe not the smartest thing I have ever done, several of their husband's came after me yelling 4 letter obscenities. But some cooler heads on their team prevailed. Yes, I was hoping to get that response. Get them on a technicality...and I almost succeeded (they would have been ejected from the park had the ump heard or seen them). Me? I was just clapping.

We play them again in a couple of hours.

Mike

[fsstnotch]

So what was this "technicality?"

[joe g]

Almost all sports are like this now. Parents who want to live thru the lives of there kids. It's not fun any more. FOOTBALL is the nastiest of all them
joeg

[Buzz]

Beware the riled up hockey mom. I'm sure the baseball parents are just as bad, though. I'm curious too - what was the technicality? That "big kid" on the team was really a major leaguer in disguise?

[bomelia]

Our boys soundly whooped them in their match tonight. 15-1. U tell me.

What was the technicality? A special rule regarding batting order. Our Coach asked about it during the coaches meeting... he was given the green flag by the assistant director. However, the a. director was wrong. So technically, the the other coach was correct. Nobody denies that. However, it was the only way they could win (we were 9-5 at that point, 10 min left in the game)

I do not expect you all to understand this. But it was obvious that their coach knew we were acting in a violation, but waited till it was too late for us to rectify it. Once they were WAY behind in the run count. 10 minutes in the game left. You just have to be around this activity to appreciate it.

They ended up losing the next two games in a row. What did their boys learn? Loopholes and technicalities. What did our boys learn? Play the game, suck it up, but play the game. I was very proud of our coaches and our boys.

Just had to be there.

Mike

[bomelia]

Originally Posted by joe g

Almost all sports are like this now. Parents who want to live thru the lives of there kids. It's not fun any more. FOOTBALL is the nastiest of all them
joeg

No offense, with peace and love and all of that, you could only say that if you have never been around travel baseball. There is no real "travel football" that I am aware of. Baseball (in all its forms) is America's dream sport. Doubt me? Just ask some of your friends around the water cooler in the morning. What amazes me is how good these little guys are. Basball is such a cereberal game with incredible spurts of athleticism.

I love baseball, and am incredibly proud having a son who can play the game. But it is true that kids' sports offer grown "kids" a vicarious path to immortality. To those folks, I say, pitty. Sad.

Mike

[Ron61]

Mike,

What is the age limit on the Travel Baseball? That is still one of my favorite sports after all-of these years, but the Little Leagues around here should bar the parents from getting any closer that 100' to the ball field. You sound as if your group has quite a team. congratulations.

Ron

[Buzz]

Our boys soundly whooped them in their match tonight. 15-1. U tell me.

It was a good ending. Justice does not always prevail, but it sure is nice when it does.

[bomelia]

Well, for our kids, it was bitter sweet. Since they got DQd, they had to play back to back games to get back into the championship game. No two hour break like the other team. No dinner. Just get back out there and play again. In 98 degree weather. This would have been their first real shot at first place in a tourney. They have had other shots, but none so good as this one. That guy (who happens to be the principal of a local high school) really should be re-examined before they let him into another tourney.

Mike

[VRM]

Mike,
You have my support on this one. One of my work buddies is a baseball coach and he says that there are some parents and a couple of other coaches who are the same way. Football also has a lot of similar problems up this way. I told him your story and he thinks it sucks as well, but both he and I appreciate what you did.
The rules are there for a reason, but insisting on the DQ is just poor sportsmanship and does not teach the kids anything good about winning or losing.

Steve

[vector1]

what was the special rule regarding ther batting order?

[4RE KLR]

Mike,
We had the EXACT same thing happen when my son was playing. The other coach was jumping up and down and yelling and acting like a three year old.

I was the assistant coach on the team. Our Head Coach was talking to the Ump and come over to tell me we were going to be DQ'd. Mind you this was at the top of the last inning.

I suggested to our head coach the entire game had been played that way, why did the other coach just now raise the issue. He did because it was obvious they would loose the game.

The opposing coach kept telling the Ump, very loudly that he had seen and had been watching this for the whole game. So he knew he was right.

The end result. The Ump, threw out the request for DQ, since the opposing coach noticed the issue at the first inning but waited until he knew they would loose the game to raise the issue. Therefore, he had forfeited his right and accepted precedence.

The game went on and our boys won the game 12-1.

The opposing coach disputed the game, and lost to the board as well. He was not allowed to coach the following year because of verbal abuse to the boys on his own team. When they were selecting the coaches none of the parents would let their boys play on his team.

[bomelia]

Vector, It was something about subing batting order and continuous batting order. This coach also pointed out he had noticed it earlier. Our coach also argued that precedence should have prevailed, especially since the other coach noted it. But it did not work out.

This is travel ball, not park ball where you can argue to the board. Also, there is no board to pick the coaches or exclude them) for the reasons noted above. Its "real" baseball except for these silly playing-field leveling rules. We end up playing in Tennessee as well as in Alabama since we live near the state border. Although USSSA baseball is nationwide, each state has its own version of the rules. We are a young team and still learning the ropes. It was clear what this coach was up to, the director noticed it also. What can happen in the future is teams can be refused, or not invited. That is the risk this coach is running. No organization wants a team coming in that will cause other teams to withdraw.

This team already has a reputation now. Trust me, word is getting out.

Mike

[fsstnotch]

Sounds very familiar. Parents were like this when I played baseball and really bad in football. Apparently some parents didn't realize their kids were playing a contact sport! I played Free safety and QB. I LOVED to hit people on defense! I was one of the smallest players on the field but one of the most fearless defenders. Parents would complain that I would hit too hard. My coach and the assistant coach(my dad) would laugh at them and point out that the 100lb kid just knocked their 150lb kid on their butt! lol The same parents didn't complain when I would get lit up as QB. Even had a coach complain, as we were making a late game comeback drive, that my jersey was torn to the point that you couldn't read the number. This was against the rules and even though it happened during THAT game, the ref still made me come out of the game. had to swap jerseys with a team mate before heading out to win the game! haha Coach was FURIOUS because I was wearing someone elses jersey now.

I remember when I played baseball. I bet I was in 6th or 7th grade and we played this out of town team. Their pitcher, whom was scary fast, had a full beard!!! Our coach asked to see the kids birth certificate befor ethe game even started! lol Sure enough, he was just a serious FREAK!

[bomelia]

My boy, Caleb, is 10 and STILL under 70 pounds. Going into 4th grade.

Two times in this tournament the opposing first base player blocked the base (stood on it) while Caleb barreled down the line. Each time, Caleb took them out. One time he literaly ran up and over the kids body without ever losing speed. Good thin we are not in metal spikes. That would have been ugly. Oh, each time Caleb did that, the player was laid out flat. Both of them were well over 100 pounds.

Same in football. Caleb LOVES football. Corner back, quarter back. He loves to hit and he loves to run. Crazy funny to hear parents complain about my 70 pound boy hurting their 150 pound kids.

Mike

[fsstnotch]

LOL Yep, sounds very familiar!

I remember doing these drills in practice. Our coach wanted to make a point that we needed to be more aggressive. He lined up a QB, a running back, and a lead blocker. The lead blocker was a lineman, probably 200-250lbs, and the RB was one of our typical backs. Then he asked me to step in and play LB. This 250lb kid ran straight at me to block him and I took him out so the guy behind me could make the tackle. Then he said, "now if this little guy can take out this huge blocker, why can't you bigger guys take out the smaller lead blockers?" It was a rather large ego boost!