Any travel ball dads on ODT?

[WC1911guy]

Interesting video:

http://landing.newsinc.com/shared/video.html?freewheel=91082&sitesection=dash&VID=24608681

This is dead on accurate. My son (pitcher and 3rd base) was a hired gun for several years.

USSSA isn't really the top organization any longer though. Perfect Game rules the upper age groups now at the highest level of play. The tournaments are HUGE and draw literally hundreds of teams from all over the nation. Best of the best literally. Most of these kids are signed or at least committed by 16 or 17 already.

Then add in the showcase events once they get to be 16 and up for scouting. Even the showcase events have hand picked teams when it comes to the best players being seen by the scouts. Saw it first hand with my son. Every showcase he was invited to was free or discounted heavily and the players were put on their own charter bus for the trip to and from with hotels payed for by the program. The boys played on the same team even though it's supposed to be "randomly" picked teams. Typically to Ft. Myers, Jupiter FL and a few other events in the S.E. US.

 

[Buckhead]

I wanted so badly for my oldest son (now 17) to play baseball. He never had an interest in it, always loved soccer. At least now we do play on the same church league softball team. Both my boy's do have a love for hunting and the outdoors, so I'm happy we have that to share.

 

[bassdaddy00]

If that's what your daughter chose and it worked out that way, that's great! The big issue with "child" sports is when parents make all the decisions and burn kids out hoping for them to go Pro or get a scholarship. Again, this is all stuff I think about as my kids approach the age of organized sports. I had my success in sports and I want my kids to choose what they like. I'll enjoy the heck out of it, but it's not up to them to fulfill some athletic goal I was not able to. That happens too often.

I hear ya, it was totally her choice. She is now coaching travel ball so she can help kids that have the ambition to succeed as she has. I was never much of a ballplayer myself. She can still hit a softball out of a 300 foot fence, I never once hit a ball that far lol.

 

[RexProcer]

After playing, coaching, and umpiring, it amazes me the amount of money that is being shelled out by parents. Couple grand at least to play on the team, hotel rooms, gas etc etc. My parents did it for me of course, and I finally learned how appreciative I need to be for it. But yea, it's pretty ridiculous.