| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| BaseballMom6 |
Posted - 07/25/2012 : 11:56:17
I have seen a Pope Jr. Feeder and Sprayberry Feeder teams, does anyone know if there is a Lassiter Jr. Feeder team program available? |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| OnDeck |
Posted - 07/27/2012 : 16:11:23
quote:
Originally posted by ChinMusic
not all HS's in the area run a feeder program where they could compete against each other
There are enough feeder teams for them to compete with each other in local feeder leagues just like there are for football, basketball and lacrosse. Middle school teams also play each other in inter-school leagues. Looking through the tryout postings here it also appears that more schools are establishing or expanding their feeder programs for next season. We'll have to see how it plays out. |
| OnDeck |
Posted - 07/27/2012 : 11:49:06
To anwer the original question, there is no Lassiter feeder program and to my knowledge no plans to have one. Plus my opinion is that they are right next to Harrison Park which has an established travel ball program so it would probably not be considered very neighborly unless they decided to collaborate with each other on the project. The East Cobb high schools are so close together that they have such small school zones for player pools which is why Pope and Sprayberry are really the only programs in the area and why they both allow a couple out of district kids to give the Lassiter, Kell, Wheeler and Walton kids a chance to play.
As for the other posts in this thread:
I 100% agree with ramman999 that a team is only as good as its coaching and you don't have to pay the sticker price of a car to have your kid play on a successful travel team. The $3K-7K price tag for a certain local travel ball system does not guarantee quality baseball since much of that cost covers the franchise fee for coaches to bring their home grown travel teams to play there.
Yes there are a few feeder teams that are basically rec allstar teams but most of the local feeder teams are well coached and are affiliated with the high school in some way whether it be direct instruction from the high school baseball staff or instruction from the high school baseball alumni. So the benefit of playing on a feeder team is the interaction with the high school and the exposure it provides. High school coaches do not spend their free time going to watch travel games and practices to see what talent is out there. And like someone else said here it is also about school pride and becoming friends with future classmates.
Many feeder teams in the north and northwest OTP areas are the equivalent of AAA travel ball teams and compete in open tournaments and even make it to the top of the bracket or win. Other school named teams in areas like Dekalb, ITP Fulton and Gwinnett may or not be true feeder teams. Some are middle school teams that play other middle schools as part of an interscholastic sports program and some are pure travel teams that take the high school name because of location. These teams are a mixed bag, some are very talented and some are rec teams.
My suggestion to all parents is to do your homework and ask the parents and players who have previously played on the feeder teams to find out whether they had a good experience and weigh that with the costs of different teams and what your player is looking to gain from playing baseball. Travel baseball is not for everyone just as much as feeder baseball is not for everyone. |
| AllStar |
Posted - 07/27/2012 : 09:31:15
quote:
Originally posted by rippit
quote:
Originally posted by AllStar
quote:
Originally posted by rippit
Amen brother! Big schools have okay teams. Powerhouse schools have great jv teams. The rest are pathetic older rec ball teams.
Wow.
quote:
Originally posted by crashdavis
I think some on this board have gotten away from why they played baseball as kids. It is fun.
You can disagree all you want. I'm telling the ugly truth. I thought the topic was feeder teams vs travel teams.
It's nuts that some high school coaches demand that a kid play only for his June team rather than his higher level travel team. They literally bully you into this "or you won't make the school team". At schools that take virtually everyone in the 9th grade, you do end up playing with kids who just don't have the same experience level you do. Will they get coached up? No. You guys have said it yourselves.
There was another thread mentioning taking players for the money. High schools do it all the time. Write a check. Sit the bench. Water and rake the infield.
Thank you. It has always been about the school team for my son. Nothing he's done in travel, and there have been some very high points, even comes close to the day he found out he made the final cut. He's had some fun with travel, but it's just the warm up act to what happens from late January to (hopefully) late May.
I was reacting to your comment about the jv teams. My son's school doesn't have a feeder team. There are a couple of travel teams with several (6-8) kids from his school team on them, but that isn't/wasn't required. His coaches don't care what the players do after the HS season ends.
Everybody's experience is different. From reading the board, I'm glad every day we're in the district we are. |
| rippit |
Posted - 07/27/2012 : 07:53:30
quote:
Originally posted by AllStar
quote:
Originally posted by rippit
Amen brother! Big schools have okay teams. Powerhouse schools have great jv teams. The rest are pathetic older rec ball teams.
Wow.
quote:
Originally posted by crashdavis
I think some on this board have gotten away from why they played baseball as kids. It is fun.
You can disagree all you want. I'm telling the ugly truth. I thought the topic was feeder teams vs travel teams.
It's nuts that some high school coaches demand that a kid play only for his June team rather than his higher level travel team. They literally bully you into this "or you won't make the school team". At schools that take virtually everyone in the 9th grade, you do end up playing with kids who just don't have the same experience level you do. Will they get coached up? No. You guys have said it yourselves.
There was another thread mentioning taking players for the money. High schools do it all the time. Write a check. Sit the bench. Water and rake the infield.
Thank you. It has always been about the school team for my son. Nothing he's done in travel, and there have been some very high points, even comes close to the day he found out he made the final cut. He's had some fun with travel, but it's just the warm up act to what happens from late January to (hopefully) late May.
|
| ramman999 |
Posted - 07/27/2012 : 07:35:28
quote:
Originally posted by rippit
quote:
Originally posted by bkball
quote:
It seems the 8th grade teams are getting a little stronger but still the overall quality (compared to good travel teams) of baseball is low IMO.
Actually to be honest even JV baseball isn't very good baseball either
compared to good travel teams.
Amen brother! Big schools have okay teams. Powerhouse schools have great jv teams. The rest are pathetic older rec ball teams.
Look, for those that have been playing a high level, yeah, there is probably a drop off.. No different than if you were to lock these elite travel teams down to a geographical boundary - there would be a drop off.
A team is a good as it's coaching... A program will be as good as it's talent pool, and how much the coach can pull out of his players.
Forget the elitist "travel ball rules" talk - Each kid should be trying to achieve his next level - at 12-13 we are talking high school, good bad or ugly. If he has the talent and wants to go play showcase, great. But just because you pay $2600 to some program doesn't make all others "pathetic"
|
| AllStar |
Posted - 07/26/2012 : 22:27:38
quote:
Originally posted by rippit
Amen brother! Big schools have okay teams. Powerhouse schools have great jv teams. The rest are pathetic older rec ball teams.
Wow.
quote:
Originally posted by crashdavis
I think some on this board have gotten away from why they played baseball as kids. It is fun.
Thank you. It has always been about the school team for my son. Nothing he's done in travel, and there have been some very high points, even comes close to the day he found out he made the final cut. He's had some fun with travel, but it's just the warm up act to what happens from late January to (hopefully) late May. |
| crashdavis |
Posted - 07/26/2012 : 21:31:12
[/quote]
Amen brother! Big schools have okay teams. Powerhouse schools have great jv teams. The rest are pathetic older rec ball teams.
[/quote]
WOW!! Pretty harsh to call them pathetic. I think it is great that kids keep playing this wonderful game. Too many kids quit because they feel they shouldn't play anymore because they are not on a travel team. IMO, baseball is a lot like life, most of the time you stand around and nothing exciting happens to you, but every once in a while something comes your way and you have to be ready. It is a great game for kids to play. It is better than playing video games and just hanging out.
I think some on this board have gotten away from why they played baseball as kids. It is fun. As long as the kids are having fun, let them play at any level. |
| rippit |
Posted - 07/26/2012 : 19:48:21
quote:
Originally posted by bkball
quote:
It seems the 8th grade teams are getting a little stronger but still the overall quality (compared to good travel teams) of baseball is low IMO.
Actually to be honest even JV baseball isn't very good baseball either
compared to good travel teams.
Amen brother! Big schools have okay teams. Powerhouse schools have great jv teams. The rest are pathetic older rec ball teams. |
| bkball |
Posted - 07/26/2012 : 17:12:05
quote:
It seems the 8th grade teams are getting a little stronger but still the overall quality (compared to good travel teams) of baseball is low IMO.
Actually to be honest even JV baseball isn't very good baseball either
compared to good travel teams.
|
| gasbag |
Posted - 07/26/2012 : 09:40:29
It depends on WHY your doing it and what you hope to get out of it...we were rising freshman making application to high school. Did not know if we'd get in or not ? Joined the feeder team whom was filled with kids in the same boat. Ultimately, we were accepted and when school started, my son actually knew a handful of kids at school which made the transition easy. On top of that we received excellent coaching and insights into the school and baseball program. Overall it was a great experience and we're glad we did it.
Was it the same quality as travel ball ? In our case, I'd say yes. Is it always, I'd have to say probably not. We also found that it did not conflict with our travel ball schedule. Sure we worked a little harder on coordinating practices and reps but it is doable and was a tremendous experience and exposure for my son. I'd do it again in a heartbeat....not to mention, he had a blast ! |
| ChinMusic |
Posted - 07/26/2012 : 08:22:59
Great point in the know. That, and the fact that not all HS's in the area run a feeder program where they could compete against each other. Many have tried but few feeder teams are really that successful.
|
| ramman999 |
Posted - 07/26/2012 : 07:57:59
quote:
Originally posted by baseballRus
This is why most choice travel, but I will say the big box organizations are not always the best. There are teams with local talent and local coaching that will offer just as much at the fraction of the cost.
I'm with you on this - I've been blessed to be a part of 2 organizations that offered this type of baseball savings - still had pitching and hitting instruction, still had good coaching, but for far less cost outside of traveling expenses.
My challenge today is I have a son who for the first time since he was 7 had a summer off and was looking forward to playing lacrosse and some fall ball this fall, and then playing school ball in the spring. Now I have to tell him there is no school team, and if he wants to play higher caliber baseball he has to commit to 15 weekends and another trip to cooperstown, because it seems every 12u team in the area wants to go. Or go play rec ball and be bored, and probably regress after playing major level ball for the last 3 seasons.. |
| in_the_know |
Posted - 07/26/2012 : 07:45:36
quote:
Originally posted by ramman999
quote:
Originally posted by 743
why? why would anyone want a feeder team? just curious?
I can tell you why...
- my question is, if it is done the right way, with commitment from the HS to manage and organize it, how is it any different than the big box organizations with teams from 6u all the way up to showcase?
I agree with the 4 points you raise. To answer your specific question regarding how it differs from the standard travel model, the feeder system breaks down because of geography. If it's a true feeder program, then it limits player selection to the HS district. The reason that most rec families left the rec programs was to seek a distillation of talent so that their player would be playing with and against like talent. The feeder system limits the boundaries from which a team can draw talent and ultimately the depth and strength of the team. If you are one of the top 3-4 players, the gap between your talent level and the bottom 3-4 can be significantly greater than on a "traditional" travel team.
Feeder programs are another option in the travel ball realm, but I wouldn't expect to see it supplant the larger travel model in place today, largely for the reason stated above. |
| baseballRus |
Posted - 07/25/2012 : 22:08:17
quote:
Originally posted by ramman999
quote:
Originally posted by 743
why? why would anyone want a feeder team? just curious?
I can tell you why...
#1 - Time.... Not every kid wants to spend his entire spring and summer at the ball field. Not to mention the $$$$ most decent organizations charge... Then throw in National tournaments, or Cooperstown or what have you.. Been there, done that, paid the bill and left the tip.. next..
#2 - some kids want to represent their school - a little school pride never hurt anyone..
#3 - Does it groom you for high school? Depends on if your high schools participate in the program the right way - for the schools that do, it is a pipeline for talented players to keep tabs on and bring up through the organization, with the ultimate goal of playing high school ball...
#4 - it keeps the group together -your eventual core at the high school level could very well have been playing together for 4 years..
This is a huge tool for high schools, should they chose to embrace it.. The problem is, people try to knock it because it isn't "travel ball" - my question is, if it is done the right way, with commitment from the HS to manage and organize it, how is it any different than the big box organizations with teams from 6u all the way up to showcase?
All very good points and reasons it should work, but unfortunately it hasn't seemed to catch on. It seems the 8th grade teams are getting a little stronger but still the overall quality (compared to good travel teams) of baseball is low IMO. It all goes back to what's best for your kid and how he is going to keep progressing. This is why most choice travel, but I will say the big box organizations are not always the best. There are teams with local talent and local coaching that will offer just as much at the fraction of the cost. |
| bkball |
Posted - 07/25/2012 : 17:00:59
all good points. I think the football feeder programs work well and it probably could work. would save some money. Who would coach? mostly dads like the football and basketball programs, some are good some are horrible. Is field time an issue. Most of the hs coaches in all sports don't really care about any players that are not in 9th grade yet. Some schools would force you to play which might not be best for some players playing travel. I wonder if people have been happy playing on feeder teams for the schools you have mentioned? It seems to exist for basketball and football you would think they could pull it off for baseball.
Probably cost about $300 to $400 instead of 3 to 4K. |
| ramman999 |
Posted - 07/25/2012 : 15:42:29
quote:
Originally posted by 743
why? why would anyone want a feeder team? just curious?
I can tell you why...
#1 - Time.... Not every kid wants to spend his entire spring and summer at the ball field. Not to mention the $$$$ most decent organizations charge... Then throw in National tournaments, or Cooperstown or what have you.. Been there, done that, paid the bill and left the tip.. next..
#2 - some kids want to represent their school - a little school pride never hurt anyone..
#3 - Does it groom you for high school? Depends on if your high schools participate in the program the right way - for the schools that do, it is a pipeline for talented players to keep tabs on and bring up through the organization, with the ultimate goal of playing high school ball...
#4 - it keeps the group together -your eventual core at the high school level could very well have been playing together for 4 years..
This is a huge tool for high schools, should they chose to embrace it.. The problem is, people try to knock it because it isn't "travel ball" - my question is, if it is done the right way, with commitment from the HS to manage and organize it, how is it any different than the big box organizations with teams from 6u all the way up to showcase? |
| BaseballMom6 |
Posted - 07/25/2012 : 15:40:57
for my son it would be an opportunity to play with local kids that he would also see around school. Possibly a bit more visible to the HS coach. |
| ChinMusic |
Posted - 07/25/2012 : 14:16:01
Lassiter does not have a feeder team. What is the appeal of a feeder team, besides the hope that it will increase your chances of making the HS team?
|
| 743 |
Posted - 07/25/2012 : 14:07:12
why? why would anyone want a feeder team? just curious? |
| 4bagger |
Posted - 07/25/2012 : 13:39:13
I live in the Lassiter district and have not heard of one and have been hoping they would start one. |
