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Cheaper to just send them to college.

WTH are 7 year olds doing traveling around for baseballs? Let them have a season, like most of us did and then have a banquet/awards at the end. Baseball over with until spring or just pickup games at the park.. Why are people pushing little bitty kids so much. I'm 66 and remember how it use to be. Please just let kids be kids, for awhile anyway. I know some won't agree, but this kids sports thing has gotten way out of control. When it starts controlling kids and families lives, it is too much.

Hey, ask permission to post my picture next time.

Claxton already struck out twice and that wasn’t going to happen again. There were DIII coaches scouting today.
BTW, open hand slaps don’t leave near the bruise as closed fists . If I’m going closed, it’s straight to the kidneys. Lessons are learned the hard way. Doyle Hargraves was my dad and he brought me up right. I’m out!

How old are these kids you’re putting in front of DIII coaches/scouts?

Acting stupid at little league game ain’t nothing new. I almost had to shoot a dad at a ball game 30 years ago cause the coach said his kid couldn’t use the new bat he’d just bought for him. Kid barely could drag the bat much less swing it.

Dad starts chasing the coach trying to hit him with the bat, I step out onto the field and point a cocked 45 at him and told him to put it down. He took a couple steps at me yelling that he’d kill me too then thought better of it luckily.

I don’t believe that

I don’t either. You could spend $30 million if you wanted, but no way most people are spending $300,000.

Raised my son playing organized sports. 20 years later, I Refuse to introduce my 5yo daughter to them. If she asks, then I'll consider. But she's horseback riding and seems to like golf. She loves exploring and seems to like fishing. Eventually will introduce her to hunting. My son learned nothing but the worst of human nature in organized sports. Once he was grown we look back and the ATV riding, tubing, camping, hunting, fishing and golf were the things he loved and still does.

The organized sports is a monumental waste of time and money for my household. I handle things much different now than I did when he was younger. Hopefully we can give her a joy for the outdoors and love of life and GOD. I'll count that a win.

Lets see horsback riding, golf and fishing and she's only 5. sounds like you already introduced her to more sports than most kids do.

I did all the travel ball stuff my whole life. I did it because I loved it and was good at it (not sure if I loved it because I was good at it or good at it because I loved it).

I had a few experiences like this picture. It didn't effect my performance all the time, but I do remember a few specific times when it really got into my head and ruined an at-bat or two. Like, I went from looking polished and composed at the plate to having poor discipline and mentality all over the place.

Usually it's the dads who have learned what they are teaching from books or videos doing this, as others have said. Dads who know the game and/or have played at a high level don't do this bc they know how to teach effectively.

I played every sport until narrowing it down to tennis in high school. Thankfully my father just taught me to never quit something you started and taught me to be a good sport. I saw full on fights between fathers at tennis matches though. No we didn’t pay anywhere near that money for tennis but I could see it for those who play all over the country/southern tourneys..I played across the state and a couple southern tournaments but didn’t have the money to do much more. I learned a ton from all the organized sports from perseverance to teamwork to accountability. Between them and Huntin, I didn’t have time to get into anything real bad. My son will be playing all the sports he wants to. Except travel baseball cause it interferes with Turkey season 😂

Not ORGANIZED sports.

So many parents spend valuable time and money playing travel ball and only a select few make it. Bottom line the kid has to be talented enough and most aren’t. My son played travel ball back in 1997 and the teams back then were much more select than they are now. Seven guys on his team either played D-1 baseball or minor leagues and one is still in the major leagues today. It has now become a money maker and there is a travel ball team for everyone. I think the biggest benefit from travel ball is getting to play against good competition, which can make you better or weed you out of the system. If your son is good enough, then take him to the college baseball camps where he is interested in playing and let them spend time with him on a personal basis. My son and his buddy spent one weekend at an FSU camp in the tenth grade and it sparked enough interest that FSU spent time watching them play HS ball and eventually signed both of them. We only spent one year in travel ball and that was enough for me. I told him we were going to spend most of our time fishing!

Reread your story. You’re an idiot being a gun out on the ball field. Sounds like something a non-swimming porch monkey would do. Examples like this is why we as a society shooting in the direction of little girls in playing with balls and people knocking on strangers doors getting shot. Could have just picked up another bat and whacked him in the shin. Point proven and no one dead.

Oh by the way our family thoroughly enjoyed our travel ball time from 7-19 yrs of age. My son met and played with and against some of the most top grade players in the nation just like with his wrestling. He never goes anywhere that he does run up on he’s competed against and he’s 32 now. When had lots of mini-vacations during those times.

I don’t knock anybody playing travel ball. To each his own. I personally think it’s not for us. My son is a good ball player and has been invited to travel with a team before but we just stick with the league ball. My son loves to play. All he wants to do is play sports. As long as he wants to keep swinging a bat, I’ll keep taking him to the park. I don’t see myself ever forcing him to play.

I see a lot of this in the travel ball conversations. Some parents think they’re doing good by forcing a kid to play. In the end a kid may end up hating baseball. I’ve seen that happen too. Like I’ve said before I’ve learned way more by coaching a team than sitting in the bleachers and yelling. Seems like the kids are the more mature ones at the park these days.

Wearing a badge sometimes requires more direct action ( of course being there to have firsthand knowledge and knowing damn well what was about to happen and being confident in my decision and ability, I would have taken the same action had I not been in uniform) and I damn sure ain’t fighting an aluminum bat with bare hands. I’m not a porch monkey or stupid at all and considering I spent many years of my life using firearms for a living on a level and regularity most people very, very likely only sees in movies, you probably should keep your ignorant review of my actions to yourself.

I’m very capable of hitting what I intend to and identifying what’s down range. My ability however to hit someone in the shin with a bat that I’m not holding at 30 yards before they can swing a bat is lacking heavily.

Anybody ever tell you the story of thought a fool and then removing all doubt?

BIL has spent thousands on his kids travel soccer and it seems to have convinced the kid everything is about him, a total brat. Threw a tantrum when I took him fishing and he couldn't catch anything on his own. Kept trying to film everything on his phone, told him to either film or fish not both. Finally put him on a bass and then he threw a tantrum about wanting to go home while the rest of us wanted to fish.

I coached for about 5 years straight (park ball).
I never yelled at my kids at all.
Three worst things I ever did.

1. Was coaching third and snagged a foul ball that the third baseman could have caught. It was just reflex 😂
2. Said out loud to one of my batters , “hey he’s about to walk you too”. Instantly I heard mommas getting fired up, I apologized when the inning was over.
3. I let a family member influence me to where I played their kid. I didn’t play daddy ball with mine, but I let that get to me.

I thought about this Sunday driving to the ball park at 7:30am. I played through my freshman year in college and I never remember but 1 or 2 games on Sunday until college. My dad let me play on Sunday 1 time my senior year but I went to church first. I may loose some money but I’m pulling my son off the team. All tourney’s are on Sat and Sunday. I got more important lessons to teach him.