2019 Select Ball

[pepper brooks 580]

4 minutes ago, F250 said:

I've done this before, it worked out fairly well for us. Didn't win the tournament, eliminated in the semifinals in a tournament of 12 teams. Our biggest struggle was with some of the kids that were not used to lead offs or getting called for a balk. Most of the inexperienced kids adjusted by the time bracket play started.

Those tournaments can go really well like in your case or really bad. Having a group of experienced players really helps.

A few years ago my sons 11U team played in an open 12U tournament. Most of the teams were Majors with some AAA teams mixed in. A Little League AS team signed up and must not been familiar with the Majors/AAA designation. My son's 11U majors team played them in the first game of pool play. The first inning lasted an hour! Our kids were up 21-0 by the 2nd inning, worst game of baseball I have ever seen.

 

 

 

what can happen in those cases, and happened to this all-star team last weekend was this:

more than half the kids on AS team make up a full select team that is ranked as AAA at u-trip.  we wanted to play aa with the AS team to avoid getting crushed.  Larson broke the code and put us in aaa last weekend to go 0-3.  that wasn't good for the kids.  It likely would have been fine, but we were missing 3 of the players who are on that select aaa team for various reasons.  that meant we were short on pitching and middle infield.  we had no chance.  we had those guys back this weekend, and a totally different result.  it also helped to practice and knock off some rust for these kids.  

[hornimal 80]

On 6/3/2019 at 11:41 AM, Lat22 said:

We played against a couple of Adam Dunn coached teams. That’s a guy you want on your side in a fight.

marucci elite from houston (baseball usa).  there are multiple locations?

[hornimal 80]

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Edited June 11, 2019 by hornimal
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[hornimal 80]

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Edited June 11, 2019 by hornimal
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[F250 28,764]

2 hours ago, hornimal said:

marucci elite from houston (baseball usa).  there are multiple locations?

Yeah, they have teams all over Texas now. Several players that play HS ball with my kids are part of Marucci Elite San Antonio. They expanded into the area a couple of years ago.

[F250 28,764]

For the dad's with younger kids in 12U and below, beware of these big name baseball academy teams with well known HS programs that have youth teams. Those youth teams are used to subsidize the HS teams. Especially if they field AA teams. A lot of those kids playing 11U for the Banditos will not end up playing 16U or 18U for the Banditos.

[pepper brooks 580]

On ‎6‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 10:40 PM, F250 said:

For the dad's with younger kids in 12U and below, beware of these big name baseball academy teams with well known HS programs that have youth teams. Those youth teams are used to subsidize the HS teams. Especially if they field AA teams. A lot of those kids playing 11U for the Banditos will not end up playing 16U or 18U for the Banditos.

I just don't think I would want my kiddo part of that banditos program.  they've tried countless times to get him to play with them.  I'm not really opposed to a program putting a premium on winning and an absolute premium on meritocracy as far as playing time particularly when it is bracket day, but I just don't think their atmosphere or program is all that positive.  I know kids who have gotten scholarships to some top D1 programs through them, but it just doesn't seem worth it.  

[VolenteHawk 495]

My boy plays on (and I coach) a 10UMaj team in Austin.  We’re competitive, one of the top 10-ish teams in the state but have been able to keep the focus on development.  Not hitting the full lineup, ESPECIALLY on Saturday, is insane to me.  We’ve hit all 11 at every tournament we’ve attended, though I did kick around the idea of hitting 9 on Sunday at the big tournies around in my head…pretty much everybody else does it, so we’re at a little bit of a disadvantage on turning our lineup over.  We’re technically daddy ball, though the head coach played in the minors and is roughly what you’d get from a paid organization.  His kid is left handed and our best pitcher, so no middle infield muddying and it’s clear when he should pitch.

[Jshep34 2,308]

Last night lilshep won district in thier 5/6 year old all star game. Named team mvp. Kid played some gold glove first base. Back up over throws to pitcher and catcher and saved runs in the process. He was all over the place. Super proud of him for all his hard work and countless practice, learning and desire to get better.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

[Hanrahan 1,306]

Almost 7 and almost 9. They both played 8U coach pitch. 

What team was the 9 year old on? I coached the midget Orioles. Also put together a USSSA 8u tourney team that is playing its first tournament next weekend.

[F250 28,764]

Out of curiosity, does any of y'all's school districts have baseball for middle school? Ours does, Comal ISD has had middle school baseball for about 6 years now.

The program was first installed when my oldest was in 8th grade. There was a pretty good relationship between the middle school program and select baseball but it seems to have soured recently. When my oldest played, the middle school team was made up of a mix of 14U Majors and AAA players and by the time my youngest played, half the players were mostly former Little League players.

A lot of the select kids avoided middle school baseball over the last couple of years because of the lack of competition and interference with select baseball. Personally, I put a lot of value on community baseball so all of mine played middle school and select but select took a backseat to school baseball.

 

 

[gsoda3 3,245]

How do you guys not get burnt out?

My oldest is 8. He plays select soccer and baseball. He's currently better at soccer but I can tell he's going to be pretty good at baseball. I played select growing up and have coached enough to where even though I haven't officially coached in the past few years I still get roped in to help out. I thought if we managed our time it would be ok for him doubling up in the fall seasons. He's done it two years and I've had enough.

Then I have my middle two who are also both playing soccer and baseball and I think they'll be better than their oldest brother. I'm about ready to pull the plug on all select ball.

How do you guys stay sane?

[jkates 316]

9 hours ago, gsoda3 said:

How do you guys not get burnt out?

My oldest is 8. He plays select soccer and baseball. He's currently better at soccer but I can tell he's going to be pretty good at baseball. I played select growing up and have coached enough to where even though I haven't officially coached in the past few years I still get roped in to help out. I thought if we managed our time it would be ok for him doubling up in the fall seasons. He's done it two years and I've had enough.

Then I have my middle two who are also both playing soccer and baseball and I think they'll be better than their oldest brother. I'm about ready to pull the plug on all select ball.

How do you guys stay sane?

I only have the 1 son playing select ball, so it's an intense month of June for us, but not too bad. My wife and daughters are troopers. They deserve some extra time/love. I don't get burnt out yet because baseball is my favorite sport. It's still fun for me at this age. And, thankfully, we're not doing year-round select ball. We still participate in our local rec league.

[F250 28,764]

12 hours ago, gsoda3 said:

How do you guys not get burnt out?

My oldest is 8. He plays select soccer and baseball. He's currently better at soccer but I can tell he's going to be pretty good at baseball. I played select growing up and have coached enough to where even though I haven't officially coached in the past few years I still get roped in to help out. I thought if we managed our time it would be ok for him doubling up in the fall seasons. He's done it two years and I've had enough.

Then I have my middle two who are also both playing soccer and baseball and I think they'll be better than their oldest brother. I'm about ready to pull the plug on all select ball.

How do you guys stay sane?

It really helps if you avoid the select stuff at the early ages like 8-11 years old. Starting at 8 or 9 is just asking for punishment.

Once the kid is 16 things are pretty easy because they can drive but if they started at 8 years old that is a long time of attending practices and weekend games for everybody involved.

 

[JimmyHoffa 1,188]

21 hours ago, F250 said:

It really helps if you avoid the select stuff at the early ages like 8-11 years old. Starting at 8 or 9 is just asking for punishment.

Once the kid is 16 things are pretty easy because they can drive but if they started at 8 years old that is a long time of attending practices and weekend games for everybody involved.

 

 

THIS!!!

8-11 should be 100% about development (and even beyond if you ask me). A travel/select team at younger ages and you are just asking for trouble. I am not saying don't do it but it's easy to get sucked in to the competitive vortex wants things get going. As I have said in the past no HS coach or college coach for that matter gives a shit that your son won the Tri County 4th of July showcase when they were 8. But some coaches and parents let things get away from them far too easily and often. 

I posted this in the CWS thread but thought it would be good for some here as well. 

 

Development, have fun, learn. Winning is WAY down the list at those young ages but that isn't how it works anymore sadly. 

 

[tx 3 putt 76,870]

Good luck to all the kids playing summer ball

pierce needs to watch that video clip about a 100 times 

Edited June 18, 2019 by tx 3 putt

[bschoolprof 6,252]

Been working with my son on the finer points of catching and how to play the game.  We're making some progress - here's a clip from this last weekend.  What do you think?

 

[JimmyHoffa 1,188]

Sadly, that looks about par for the course. 

I don't blame the kid, it's the parents and coaches that lead by example usually. 

I have a kid on my team that doesn't come from a very stable home and his mood and his effort can vary a lot depending on the day. 

He was in an awful mood last week and screwing around while we were warming up before the game (purposely throwing the ball over his partners head, not trying to catch or stop the return throw, etc.) I pulled him aside before the game and asked him if everything was OK and he almost started crying. I told him that he could always tell me if something was wrong and that we were here to have fun and play baseball and that is all he should worry about right now. 

1st inning he was still in a bad mood but by the 2nd he was starting to come out of the funk. He got a couple of hits, made an error followed by a great play and I told him he did a great job not allowing the error to get the best of him. By the end of the game he was completely out of the funk and was smiling and laughing with his teammates. 

Oh and we got smoked by the best team in the league 14-4. Look I am not posting this to say I am some amazing coach or whatever it just really pisses me off when I see parents/coaches forgetting these are still kids and winning is only a small piece of the puzzle. It's a hell of a lot more important for the kids to be kids, have fun, learn the game and the life lessons that it teaches. 

[Carl Spackler 3,479]

6 hours ago, JimmyHoffa said:

Sadly, that looks about par for the course. 

I don't blame the kid, it's the parents and coaches that lead by example usually. 

I have a kid on my team that doesn't come from a very stable home and his mood and his effort can vary a lot depending on the day. 

He was in an awful mood last week and screwing around while we were warming up before the game (purposely throwing the ball over his partners head, not trying to catch or stop the return throw, etc.) I pulled him aside before the game and asked him if everything was OK and he almost started crying. I told him that he could always tell me if something was wrong and that we were here to have fun and play baseball and that is all he should worry about right now. 

1st inning he was still in a bad mood but by the 2nd he was starting to come out of the funk. He got a couple of hits, made an error followed by a great play and I told him he did a great job not allowing the error to get the best of him. By the end of the game he was completely out of the funk and was smiling and laughing with his teammates. 

Oh and we got smoked by the best team in the league 14-4. Look I am not posting this to say I am some amazing coach or whatever it just really pisses me off when I see parents/coaches forgetting these are still kids and winning is only a small piece of the puzzle. It's a hell of a lot more important for the kids to be kids, have fun, learn the game and the life lessons that it teaches. 

Good job.

[Dennis Taylor 18,809]

 

[jkates 316]

Annnnnnnd, we're done. Our brief select season is over. Fun little time with the boys as we all got introduced to kid pitch.

• We farted around with some fall ball in order to get our feet wet with kid pitch. It was 9AA. Went 3-3. Too many rainouts and reschedules to count.
• We played 1 tournament in March and 1 in April while our kids were still in rec league and not practicing together. Those were 9AAA. Went 0-6. 
• We played 5 tournaments over the past 5 weekends (May 24-June 22) while practicing together. One was 9AA. Four were 9AAA. Went 14-5 with 3 tournament wins (though 1 tournament the bracket play was rained out, so we technically won due to our seeding after pool play). 

It was a tough season for Lil Kates but I am proud of the way he worked. He kept his head up and busted his butt in every practice. I believe I did the same on the coaching side. 

Now for a break from baseball...

[F250 28,764]

On 6/20/2019 at 12:28 PM, Dennis Taylor said:

 

That's hilarious. One of my kids pulled a similar stunt and slowly turned his head back to the ump. The blue just shook his head at him. The kid in this video played it smooth, my kid turned around like he was busted.

 

 

 

[PappyVanVinceYoung 85]

I bit the bullet. Just agreed to have my kid join a 9U team that will start play this Fall. Hoping for a good experience. 

[pepper brooks 580]

Good luck.  Our select team gets started August 15 with practice, and play our first USSSA tournament in Houston on 8/24.  we will probably play 6-8 events in the fall as 12U.  Lil' Pepper also plays on a team that will be 13U and while he is a full member of the team (bats in the 3 spot), he's more of a part time/fill in there.

[F250 28,764]

42 minutes ago, pepper brooks said:

Good luck.  Our select team gets started August 15 with practice, and play our first USSSA tournament in Houston on 8/24.  we will probably play 6-8 events in the fall as 12U.  Lil' Pepper also plays on a team that will be 13U and while he is a full member of the team (bats in the 3 spot), he's more of a part time/fill in there.

My son would occasionally drop down to 12U from 13U to assist in a big tournament on Sundays. In the beginning it was like playing in turbo mode when he played with 12 year olds but as the season progressed he actually struggled to downshift to the small diamond and modified play. By the late Spring his 13U team was playing in a number of 14U tournaments and the dynamics and speed of a 60/90 field are slightly different than a 50/70 field, enough to be a hindrance. 

[pepper brooks 580]

For those tourney ball people the new DeMarini CF line has dropped including custom build just in time for tournament season this fall.  After hitting with those little league USA shit sticks the last 6 months this is a welcome respite.  I have mini pep the 31 drop 8 on order.  should be here in time for the our first tournament.  He's neem training with a Marucci drop 5 all summer so I hope he has added some strength and pop.  He's had plenty of pop, but you can always have more!  He hit 6 bombs last tournament season between two teams which led both teams.  This will be his last year playing the smaller fields at baseball usa so he's hoping to get to double digits this season.  

[F250 28,764]

H.S. Summer baseball ended this weekend. My son celebrated his time off by starting two-a-days practice for football today. Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

 

 

[Surly Bevo 24,908]

 

This is a young kid so not aimed at him but generally moves like this (and not nearly that dramatic) are poor catching.

You’re trying to “train” the umpire on what is a strike while at the same time not showing him up. When it’s blatantly obvious that what you are framing is nowhere near the strike zone then you’ve lost trust you’ve possibly showed the umpire up and now those pitches a ball or so outside the zone that you could frame “into” a strike....nah.

Cute kid though.

[Dennis Taylor 18,809]

4 hours ago, Surly Bevo said:

 

This is a young kid so not aimed at him but generally moves like this (and not nearly that dramatic) are poor catching.

You’re trying to “train” the umpire on what is a strike while at the same time not showing him up. When it’s blatantly obvious that what you are framing is nowhere near the strike zone then you’ve lost trust you’ve possibly showed the umpire up and now those pitches a ball or so outside the zone that you could frame “into” a strike....nah.

Cute kid though.

 

Posting that did not constitute an endorsement of the technique or it's potential impact on the fragile catcher/umpire relationship, brah....I thought it was funny 

[VolenteHawk 495]

Timely framing discussion.  My wife just sent me a video yesterday she found digging for something else in her phone.  Mini Volente buying a strike we probably didn't deserve.

[F250 28,764]

Does anyone follow the National Youth Baseball Championship tournament?

12U team from San Antonio Alamo Drillers placed 2nd. Lost 6-5 in the championship game to MVP Hustle out of California. MVP Hustle has won the NYBC Championship 4 out of the last 5 years. Anyways, the San Antonio team was made up of mostly kids from SA with a few from the Houston area.

 

[PappyVanVinceYoung 85]

Good start to both the 8U and 9U teams we're on. Both are playing a Sunday DH league. I'm coaching the 8U coach pitch team. We went 1-1, blowing out a solid AA team and then getting crushed by a really good AAA team. We played okay the last couple innings actually outscoring them 4-1 from the bottom of the 2nd on; the problem was that we fell behind 14-0 to start the game. Oh well, it was a good learning experience.

9U was generally some ugly baseball, but we went 1-1 there as well. We played well against an okay AAA team. Most of our kids were pitching for the first time, and it showed. We lost 9-3, giving up 5 runs in the last inning when our pitcher couldn't find the strike zone. We beat an overmatched team the next game, and my kid pitched one inning. No hits, no runs, struck out 2, walked 1, on a pretty efficient 15 pitches. That level isn't very fun to watch. Feels like it's nothing but walks and steals.