2020 Little League Thread of Dominance

[Huckleberry 33,523]

7 hours ago, pepper brooks said:

our league has suspended all activity until at least second week of April. 

 

6 hours ago, Huckleberry said:

Son's league just suspended activities through 3/22. Obviously doubt very seriously they will be up and running again on that date.

 

5 hours ago, BrazilHorn said:

WHLL said they will follow EISD & AISD direction. Those schools opt to close longer then LL will postpone further. Feel terrible for kids.

Apparently Little League International sent out a note this afternoon/evening recommending all leagues shut down until April 6th. My son's league just updated their suspension to that date.

https://www.littleleague.org/player-safety/coronavirus-update/

Edited March 13, 2020 by Huckleberry

[Pato del Muerto 52,858]

Coach just texted a reminder that there’s practice today. So no plans to alter or halt things. Guy is a high school principal, but I get the distinct feeling that people here think we are remote enough that it’s not an issue, or that no positive tests in cody means no cases in cody, or that it’s just the flu. 
they might not understand like I do how many adidas employees have been traveling back and forth from Los Angeles every week for months. 
 

im happy to appear foolish when this is over. 

[jkates 316]

On 3/15/2020 at 11:34 AM, Pato del Muerto said:

Coach just texted a reminder that there’s practice today. So no plans to alter or halt things. Guy is a high school principal, but I get the distinct feeling that people here think we are remote enough that it’s not an issue, or that no positive tests in cody means no cases in cody, or that it’s just the flu. 
they might not understand like I do how many adidas employees have been traveling back and forth from Los Angeles every week for months. 
 

im happy to appear foolish when this is over. 

Some of the LL fields around here are actually on property owned by school districts, so they are forced off even if a coach wants to practice.

[Pato del Muerto 52,858]

Our situation is a private indoor facility to which I paid $200 for annual use. I think he figured most of the kids went to public school, so practice was no additional risk. With no school, now it is. 

[Huckleberry 33,523]

38 minutes ago, jkates said:

Some of the LL fields around here are actually on property owned by school districts, so they are forced off even if a coach wants to practice.

The ones for are league are owned by the city. The local school district has canceled everything and the city seems to be announcing closures one at a time so no guidance there. The league president did say they were basically going to follow what the school district does. But if this thing stretches to summer they'll have to look elsewhere for guidance.

Whole thing is FUBAR. Is there a chance that leagues are allowed to have their regular seasons in June and July? So many possibilities right now. Tournament teams (all-stars) go play the tournament while the other kids still play the regular season? Could get wild.

Maybe a super-shortened tournament. A global single elimination tournament may be what ends up happening if they can get it in at all. Lots of districts and regions have double elimination or pool play before single elimination.

[jkates 316]

3 hours ago, Huckleberry said:

The ones for are league are owned by the city. The local school district has canceled everything and the city seems to be announcing closures one at a time so no guidance there. The league president did say they were basically going to follow what the school district does. But if this thing stretches to summer they'll have to look elsewhere for guidance.

Whole thing is FUBAR. Is there a chance that leagues are allowed to have their regular seasons in June and July? So many possibilities right now. Tournament teams (all-stars) go play the tournament while the other kids still play the regular season? Could get wild.

Maybe a super-shortened tournament. A global single elimination tournament may be what ends up happening if they can get it in at all. Lots of districts and regions have double elimination or pool play before single elimination.

I put in a LOT of work in 2 new roles this year with our sports association that is now for naught.

Role 1: Scheduler. I created the schedule for all of our divisions. 168 teams in 7 divisions. Well, all of those schedules are now worthless.

Role 2: Youth Umpire Coordinator. We have 7th-12th graders that umpire our lower level games. We had over 150 kids looking to earn a paycheck this spring. Managing that was going to be a lot. But now....nothing.

I miss it all.

[Huckleberry 33,523]

No doubt a whole bunch of work seems pointless at this point. Hang in there, man. Still might get some baseball this season.

[Huckleberry 33,523]

Suspension extended until May 11th. Our league followed suit. Yeesh.

https://www.littleleague.org/player-safety/coronavirus-update/

[bschoolprof 6,280]

Baseball is over this spring (and maybe summer) boys. Boo.

Edited March 16, 2020 by bschoolprof

[F250 28,943]

Yeah, hang up the cleats because this season is over.

With that said, practicing at home doesn't have to end. I ran a couple of practices with my daughter this weekend. Had her fielding grounders and flyballs for awhile. Did some batting practice, tee work, soft toss and pitching.

For shits and giggles I let her pitch baseballs for awhile.

[Pato del Muerto 52,858]

6 hours ago, jkates said:

I put in a LOT of work in 2 new roles this year with our sports association that is now for naught.

Role 1: Scheduler. I created the schedule for all of our divisions. 168 teams in 7 divisions. Well, all of those schedules are now worthless.

Role 2: Youth Umpire Coordinator. We have 7th-12th graders that umpire our lower level games. We had over 150 kids looking to earn a paycheck this spring. Managing that was going to be a lot. But now....nothing.

I miss it all.

Lol. Our LL is 4 teams at every level. Schedule making is...not difficult. 

[F250 28,943]

USSSA just pulled the plug on all events today.

[Don Johnson 4,758]

Think we will ever play?  Wonder if rec leagues can be successful in June/July?  May have to redraft teams or combine some due to kids dropping out. 

[bschoolprof 6,280]

13 minutes ago, Don Johnson said:

Think we will ever play?  Wonder if rec leagues can be successful in June/July?  May have to redraft teams or combine some due to kids dropping out. 

Nope.  I think even summer is out.  Fall ball is the only hope, and I'm getting less optimistic.  If there's no pro or college sports in the fall, I doubt many high schools will want to risk it, which will of course filter down to youth/rec sports.   

[Don Johnson 4,758]

1 minute ago, bschoolprof said:

Nope.  I think even summer is out.  Fall ball is the only hope, and I'm getting less optimistic.  If there's no pro or college sports in the fall, I doubt many high schools will want to risk it, which will of course filter down to youth/rec sports.   

Pretty big for everyone to miss a full year of development. 

[bschoolprof 6,280]

Just now, Don Johnson said:

Pretty big for everyone to miss a full year of development. 

Tell me about it.  I seem to be more upset about it than my kids do though.  

 

[F250 28,943]

On 4/4/2020 at 2:55 PM, Don Johnson said:

Pretty big for everyone to miss a full year of development. 

I feel for those kids and parents that were entering their last season of Little League, especially those that were expecting an All Star run in the Summer. The kids 11 and under should be fine but this year's crop of 12 year olds were dealt a bad hand. Similar situation for high school and college seniors.

There are a lot of people that miss out all the time due to injuries. If the kid is 11 or under I would say this is just a bump in the road. If they are 12 and are clearly talented enough for a higher level of baseball it is also just a bump in the road.

I used to coach a kid that was very talented but had issues with his growth plates and couldn't play as an 11 year old and only played half a season as a 12 year old. Despite missing out on a couple of seasons he preserved and by 14U was passed his health issues and became a major talent. Lettered 3 years in high school and is currently in a DII program.

 

 

[F250 28,943]

On 4/4/2020 at 2:59 PM, bschoolprof said:

Tell me about it.  I seem to be more upset about it than my kids do though.  

 

This is usually the case.

[F250 28,943]

For those with kids that haven't hit puberty yet, familiarize yourself with Osgood-Schlatter and Severs disease, particularly those that are catchers. All 3 of my son's had issues with O.S. around 13 years old. Actually a good portion of their teammates had issues with it. It seemed the basketball/baseball players struggled the most with O.S. disease.

Anyways, baseball puts a lot of stress on the joints, ligaments and tendons. To keep your kid who is going through major growth spurts on the field long term, make sure to keep an eye out for any budding health issues and don't be afraid to temporarily pull them from playing.

[HoffaJimmy 316]

On 4/4/2020 at 2:55 PM, Don Johnson said:

Pretty big for everyone to miss a full year of development. 

 

The kids will be fine. The parents not so much. 

The only kids I feel bad for are the HS and college seniors that won't be able to play again. Having your final year taken away from you with at no fault of your own is rough. 

Everyone else will be able to play again, they will survive. 

[F250 28,943]

USSSA just extended the 2020 season to August 31st. They are hoping things clear up by Summer and will try to squeeze in the season at the end of the Summer.

[jkates 316]

There are kids and parents finding ways to try to keep developing.

I took my son to one of our SBMSA fields on Friday. I went to MMS, where there are 4 fields. On 1 of the back fields I saw a tournament team, with 5 or 6 kids present, running a full on practice. On 1 of the front fields, a dad was putting his 2 sons and 1 friend through a workout. On 1 of the front fields, a dad was putting his 2 daughters through a softball workout. I took a back field and threw with my son, then he hit maybe 40 balls off the tee, then I threw to him for maybe 40-50 swings.

There are kids and parents finding ways to try to keep developing. Practice reps are more beneficial to development anyway. You can go an entire tournament and field just a few balls. My son fielded 25 ground balls in about 3 minutes in our time on the field. 

There are kids and parents finding ways to try to keep developing. I've taken my son to these MMS fields 6 times since March 13th and have never been out there alone. (We do go to a lesser known field sometimes and are often alone there.) Beyond just getting out of the house, some of these kids want to keep working on things. My son has told me his specific goals as it relates to his hitting and pitching. Some of them are good, some are silly kid things, but I'm happy that he wants to try to improve. Now how do I make him the same way about reading? 

[F250 28,943]

1 hour ago, jkates said:

Practice reps are more beneficial to development anyway. You can go an entire tournament and field just a few balls. My son fielded 25 ground balls in about 3 minutes in our time on the field. 

Totally agree. The important part of development is found in practice. When my boys were younger they would field 50 grounders a day and 50 swings a day. The count increased as they got older. When they got to high school baseball a majority of their practices were fielding grounders and taking swings. The repetition never ends all the way up to the MLB because those are critical skills that need to be sharpened and they can all be done with just 2 people. The same can be said about fielding fly balls, long toss, pitching and catching drills. There isn't much that can't be practiced with only two people.

Yesterday my high school senior brought out his glove and mine and wanted to play some catch. His season and baseball career have ended but we ended up doing some drills for the enjoyment of the game.

 

 

 

[F250 28,943]

Speaking of long toss. Does anyone have their kid on a Throwing Program like the Jaeger program and does your kid use J bands or similar devices?

[jkates 316]

14 hours ago, F250 said:

Speaking of long toss. Does anyone have their kid on a Throwing Program like the Jaeger program and does your kid use J bands or similar devices?

My son does not but a few of his peers do. His select team and the one above it (10U and 11U) have worked with Kip Wells here in Houston. Kip uses the bands and pitches his program as an "arm care" program, not "pitching lessons." We went to the team/group lessons but I can't afford to send him there solo, but a few on our 10U squad still go. The 11U coach bought bands for his whole team and they use them often.

[F250 28,943]

2 hours ago, jkates said:

My son does not but a few of his peers do. His select team and the one above it (10U and 11U) have worked with Kip Wells here in Houston. Kip uses the bands and pitches his program as an "arm care" program, not "pitching lessons." We went to the team/group lessons but I can't afford to send him there solo, but a few on our 10U squad still go. The 11U coach bought bands for his whole team and they use them often.

I really like arm care approach because it involves training for proper mechanics which is great for long term success and physical health. My youngest son started using a Jr. J Band when he was 9 years old and I started him on the Jaeger throwing program at the same age. His older brothers were older when they started 14 and 12. This is just anecdotal but I think my youngest benefited from being on a throwing program early on. I didn't see a lot of benefits for the first couple of years but once puberty kicked in his new strength combined with clean mechanics was noticeable. His older brothers needed a lot of tweaks when they had their growth spurts.

I've seen a lot of kids injure their arms over the years and a majority of the causes were due to overuse and poor mechanics. If a kid is playing baseball from the Spring through Summer they should definitely be involved in a throwing program.

 

 

[jkates 316]

21 minutes ago, F250 said:

I really like arm care approach because it involves training for proper mechanics which is great for long term success and physical health. My youngest son started using a Jr. J Band when he was 9 years old and I started him on the Jaeger throwing program at the same age. His older brothers were older when they started 14 and 12. This is just anecdotal but I think my youngest benefited from being on a throwing program early on. I didn't see a lot of benefits for the first couple of years but once puberty kicked in his new strength combined with clean mechanics was noticeable. His older brothers needed a lot of tweaks when they had their growth spurts.

I've seen a lot of kids injure their arms over the years and a majority of the causes were due to overuse and poor mechanics. If a kid is playing baseball from the Spring through Summer they should definitely be involved in a throwing program.

 

 

Arm care is legit. My friends who send their kids there love it. Lots of core work. Lots of stretching. Working on mechanics and form. 

What's the best link to learn about the Jaeger throwing program or Jbands? How simple is it to employ? 

[F250 28,943]

38 minutes ago, jkates said:

Arm care is legit. My friends who send their kids there love it. Lots of core work. Lots of stretching. Working on mechanics and form. 

What's the best link to learn about the Jaeger throwing program or Jbands? How simple is it to employ? 

I would just start off by going through the Jaeger website and Alan Jaeger's YouTube channel to get an understanding of the program. The program only works by ensuring proper mechanics so if you are doing it on your own you need to understand what is and isn't proper mechanics. In other words, teach yourself the program before introducing your son to it. It's not exactly simple but it isn't rocket science. Just make sure you understand the reasoning behind the training to avoid teaching bad mechanics. Identifying and encouraging proper form is critical so make sure you know it.

You might as well look into Driveline Baseball too. My boys transitioned to the Driveline program right before high school. I'd say that the Jaeger program laid down the foundation for the Driveline program. Driveline is popular with high school and college programs. That doesn't mean it can't be used for youth baseball but it is a bit more complex than Jaeger.

 

[Mez2 4,036]

i have my son doing some very basic towel drills prior and very light theraband work to get him introduced to using it and becoming more familiar with it as he gets older  (he's 6). i will likely put him through a throwing program over time as get gets older (junior high) but be smart about use and what exactly i'm having him do. i don't know what Kip is doing with his kids, but sounds like he has a pretty good game plan in place. when he gets older (HS), i'll start some concepts of driveline but really not until he's older will it do us much good. just remember the whole body is involved in throwing/pitching so incorporate drills and routines that focus on that. 

like you guys mentioned, getting reps - consistent, quality reps - is just as important as game play at the younger age, reason why I won't do select ball until he's around 12.. I wish we could be out there playing but i know when i'm with him i have him putting in quality work that i can oversee without having to divide my attention across 10 other little kids an ultimately will serve him better.  selfishly i wish we were playing because my son's team is pretty good and likely would've won our league but i'm mostly saddened that i am losing a chance to be his coach. i only have so many times before i am no longer his coach and cherish every chance I get to be his coach. just sucks

 

[F250 28,943]

Anyone familiar with the Water Bottle Drill? I saw Mez2 mention the towel drill and thought about the Water Bottle drill that can be done indoors.

This is a great drill for kids and provides great feedback once you understand how it works.

https://www.highlevelthrowing.com/high-level-throwing-water-bottle-clarification/

[Mez2 4,036]

our spring season is  cancelled - fuck you covid-19. you literally took away a season of me being my son's coach. fuck. you.

[jkates 316]

1 hour ago, Mez2 said:

our spring season is  cancelled - fuck you covid-19. you literally took away a season of me being my son's coach. fuck. you.

That sucks. I'm dreading that email from our league. 

[joeycovers 391]

Our Pony league is going to try and play out the Season in the Summer and start in June.  That’s the chatter at least.  

[BrazilHorn 6,651]

45 minutes ago, joeycovers said:

Our Pony league is going to try and play out the Season in the Summer and start in June.  That’s the chatter at least.  

That's the word from my younger son's select team. Playing tourneys in the summer.

[F250 28,943]

A guy I coached Little League with has Covid 19 and is in the ICU. I was pretty upset when I found out yesterday.

[jkates 316]

SBMSA (Houston) is still going to try to play some sort of season if they let us.

[HoffaJimmy 316]

On 4/17/2020 at 10:41 AM, Mez2 said:

our spring season is  cancelled - fuck you covid-19. you literally took away a season of me being my son's coach. fuck. you.

 

On 4/17/2020 at 9:38 PM, F250 said:

A guy I coached Little League with has Covid 19 and is in the ICU. I was pretty upset when I found out yesterday.

 

Perspective. T's and P's. 

That's the thing that is so tough to realize, for most of us that are sitting in our houses healthy as can be there are people that are getting sick because people aren't being careful around them. It's a total mindfuck and one we all just have to make the most out of. 

 

[Huckleberry 33,523]

LLWS and Regional tournaments canceled. LL left open the possibility of tournaments through the State level.

In all honesty we knew it was coming, but it still sucks. It's one thing to know you have a one in a million shot when it's still a shot and somebody is going to have to eliminate you on the field. It's another to know you'll never have a chance to go to Williamsport your 12 year old year. Tough evening in the Huckleberry househould.

Edited May 1, 2020 by Huckleberry

[jkates 316]

That stinks, Huckleberry. I hate how this is affecting our boys and their baseball. 

[BrazilHorn 6,651]

Just note that 10u select team is looking to start practices week of May 18th.

Fingers crossed.

[Pato del Muerto 52,858]

Coach is starting practice this week with split squad to keep under the groups of 10 rule. 
this puts us in an awkward position of possibly holding our kid back from probably his favorite activity. 

[jkates 316]

17 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

Coach is starting practice this week with split squad to keep under the groups of 10 rule. 
this puts us in an awkward position of possibly holding our kid back from probably his favorite activity. 

Why would you not let him practice?

 

Our dads group text message for my son's select team got really restless this morning. Trying to plan a practice. The problem is we normally rent field space from our local league. Those fields are on school district property, so they are closed. Now, local dads are taking their kids up to these fields all the time, but rarely more than 1 or 2 at a time and holding team practices is forbidden. Our coach is trying to lean on the program director since this wouldn't be a league team practicing together, it would be a select team. We could keep 4 kids in the cages, 4 on the infield, and 3 in the outfield, or something to keep our spacing....

[jkates 316]

Our sports association is still hoping to play a condensed season if the powers that be let us back on the fields. 

Our select team is definitely playing as soon as tournaments open up. We got an email from USSSA saying they were planning on holding their Memorial Day weekend tournament. If that's the case, our team will be there. 

Anyone else hoping to play in their local league or select ball?

[Yarbr 123]

We just signed up for the memorial day tourney. Wondering if they spread the tourney to 3 days or maybe smaller tournaments. Only way they can manage the longer breaks they mentioned.

[Anastasis 23,498]

On 4/13/2020 at 1:58 PM, F250 said:

USSSA just extended the 2020 season to August 31st. They are hoping things clear up by Summer and will try to squeeze in the season at the end of the Summer.

Cause games in 105 degree heat in Texas sun sounds fun. 

[F250 28,943]

8 hours ago, Anastasis said:

Cause games in 105 degree heat in Texas sun sounds fun. 

July and August baseball tournaments sound terrible. June is pretty bad too but usually you have all Spring to acclimate to the heat.

Everyone showing up for Summer baseball after months of quarantine...

 

[Jshep34 2,381]

Our little league is mentioning playing just june. Think we may play some select to. Lilshep is ready for baseball again

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[Pato del Muerto 52,858]

Something for you guys to look for, when the kids do get back together. 
 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/13/health/coronavirus-children-kawasaki-pmis.html

doesn’t seem to be more dangerous or deadly, just different looking. 

[joeycovers 391]

Our Pony league will be starting June 1 - July 17. Practices starting next week. All assuming Abbott goes into Phase 2 tomorrow as planned 

[Jshep34 2,381]

Same for our league, if phase 2 happens then its back to baseball. Curious on plans for people attending games.

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