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Dspal32
29 Posts |
 Posted - 02/27/2011 : 20:53:08
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Thanks East Cobb and Triple Crown for putting on a great tourney. The competition was tough and Our boys had to scratch for this tournament victory. Class act all the way as usual.
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Gwinnett
791 Posts |
Posted - 02/27/2011 : 21:30:05
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Congratulations---Stealth
I guess it was the Rays turn this week.
I wish we could have seen those games. |
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Spartan4
913 Posts |
Posted - 02/27/2011 : 21:56:14
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quote:
Originally posted by m72
SSBuckeye, not really comparing the two because they are both classless. My point is that Spartan4 has been very adamant on the subject of calling kids being okay but then has a problem when it comes to the chanting or a player making an attempt to cause another player to lose the ball from his glove. If there is a comparison, it's that they're all classless acts. I just don't see how you can be okay with one of those but against the other is all. Spartan4 certainly has a right to his own opinion on the two even if they differ. Maybe my explanation wasn't clear enough for some to understand what i meant but i didn't mean to imply that i was comparing them in any way other than they are all classless acts. Two or more different acts don't have to have anything to do with each other to be classless. Bush league or not, what does that have to do with the act itself if it's an unacceptable action. Man i feel like i'm talking in circles now just to try and explain myself. Hope i cleared this up. If not, i don't how else to put it so anyone that sees what i'm saying please help me out.
There is a HUGE difference in trying to make your team better and playing the game like a jerk....You have every right to disagree, but how many coaches call a kid that is solid with a team? Usually these calls come after a loss, or a team has a tough loss.....One thing I have learned about travel baseball is these boys/parents are always after the bigger better deal/team. So yes, if your team isn't what your sold it to be to the parents and now they are unhappy and another coach puts a call in then fine!....We were approached today, not for full time but for a summer tourney....I guess that coach is just classless...Like I have said SO SO SO many times before, if you want your boy to play with the same 10 kids every year(I wish I could find those 10 kids!!) then that is COMPLETELY fine!! But it is also completely fine for those of us who wish for our boys to play the most challenging schedules possible...Mine got shelled today, I hated it but in the end it was good for him...A lot better than last year when throwing fastballs right down the middle meant you were a great "pitcher"
Also, my nephew was the one who was elbowed by a kid weighing 50lbs more than him....In an older age group that player would have caught one in the ribs and the whole deal would have been over....But at this age I thought it was better to just vent on this blog...my bad!!
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Spartan4
913 Posts |
Posted - 02/27/2011 : 22:00:40
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Great job Rays today....#24 really had our number....Preston you should be really proud!!!I guess it is 3-2 now...I'm sure we will only play 5867438 more times this season!
My hat is off to the Stealth, they looked really good today in all areas....It was good talking to all of your families again, I hope to see y'all soon |
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tae281
447 Posts |
Posted - 02/27/2011 : 23:02:41
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quote:
Originally posted by Gwinnett
Congratulations---Stealth
I guess it was the Rays turn this week.
I wish we could have seen those games.
Rays played well, great game JT!
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vols
14 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2011 : 00:42:48
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| First trip to Atlanta for tournament for most of our team from Knoxville this weekend. A great experience for our kids. Just wanted to say from an outsider that your area has both some great teams but more importantly great coaches and families who represent your area with class. |
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moccs
349 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2011 : 01:06:38
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| Congrats Derrick on your teams championship .. Just where do yall find all of that talent. We were playing in Conyers but getting updates on each game. Wish we could have been there for the Stealth-Braves matchup.. |
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ecball
72 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2011 : 12:22:54
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Spartan – You are great guy and are doing great things for your nephew on and off the field and I commend you for it. That said, I would recommend dialing it down when it comes to winning and losing. I’m not talking specifically about who called who or whatever the issue is/was. I’m referring to the win at all cost mentality. My team isn’t any better or worse based on if we would have beat Stealth yesterday and nobody is out trying to figure out who we can pick up or drop. It was a great 11U baseball game. The teams are evenly matched and we will win some and lose some but we enjoy the level of play, not who wins/loses. The key is to understand where your team is and have the right expectations for the season and have the entire TEAM get better. Travel teams have to learn to win together and lose together and not freak out at the first loss because if you play a tough schedule you will lose a lot and pointing figures or moving kids in and out is not the answer. There may be rare instances where it’s best for both parties but that should be a rare situation. I saw a team in the past constantly move kids on and off the team and it never worked in the two years they tried it. My goal is for my players to get better each weekend and the W/L’s will take care of itself. In a nutshell, most of the time, the answers for improving your team are within own your team and not outside it. I know we have to get better at coaching our team.
I get killed on this board because everyone says I get to hand pick kids so I can’t relate but it wasn’t always that way. We started out as the 7U Hobgood B team all-stars and we have never recruited. My thought is/was if you take good kids/families and you develop players, kids and parents will notice and want to play for you. It wasn’t like ECB said, you can take the Braves and you get first pick of the kids…..It didn’t exactly work that way.
Side note to all this W/L discussion: I spoke with a coach of a 12U team (with a paid coach) that was in the finals this weekend and I was shocked to learn that they bat all 13 kids (entire team), yes that wasn’t a typo 13 kids batting…..I have no idea what they did in bracket play but I think they continued this approach with their line-up. It just shows that they are into developing kids and aren’t concerned with W/L’s because it obviously put them at a disadvantage but winning isn’t their top priority. It’s funny because the longer I do this the less I care about batting averages and W/L’s and more about making them better players and getting them ready to try out for their high school teams. We could all learn something from the older age groups….I know I have.
Mike Kirksey
EC Braves |
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m72
49 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2011 : 13:06:44
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| Spartan4, This has obviously been a subject you and i disagree on which is perfectly fine. Honestly, i think you're coming from one angle on the subject and i'm coming from another. You had an experience where a coach approaching you about your kid or nephew(right or wrong) ended in a positive for you. However, by the coach doing that, it may have had a negative affect for others if done at the wrong time. Like said before, this situation revolves around the timing of it as to whether it's right or wrong. Also, as you pointed out in the beginning, each case could probably be look at individually and i agree. But based on the original question which didn't have any other factors involved, just a coach calling a kid committed to another team, i think that's wrong. As for the coach that ask you this weekend to play with his team sometime this summer in a tourney, again wrong time unless there're factors i don't know about. If i were your current coach and i found out, i would be asking some questions. By this taking place it could be a potiential disruption among other issues for the team this season. Either way, i wish you and your family a great baseball season. Sounds like you may have yourself a couple good ball players (nephew and your own). |
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Spartan4
913 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2011 : 15:23:30
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Mike, we are very lucky we get to play in Georgia where there are so many great teams to play for. Having said that, the game between your team and the Stealth was BY FAR the two most talented teams in the tournament. It isn't always about winning, it is more about playing not to lose. We are extremely happy with our team, I hated it that we lost but we lost to a very comparable team. I don't know exactly who said we are planning on moving any new players in or cutting anybody but to my knowledge that isn't the case(I'm not a coach)....Several people on this blog seem to be a very laid back mentality, and many people who preach they develop kids have little to none in the way of a baseball background. There is no doubt too much pressure has been put on mine in the past, that is why I am VERY thankful we have a couple other really good pitchers on our team. I know you have gotten some talk on here about picking your kids but when you win at the rate you do most families/boys will want to come to you when you offer them a spot. The point I always try to make is instead of getting on here and blasting the coaches who do things a little differently realize it can be done both ways. There are many teams out there who carry a bunch of kids with similar talent, distribute playing time, and win. Those kids get better every year....From my conversations with other people I may be the only one on here who says it often but often parents/coaches use the term development as an excuse for a loss. The great teams, your Braves, Stealth, Bandits, older Astros groups develop talent, get better and win. Some teams prefer to bat 13 and see how it works, others bat their best 9-10 and have some role players on the team, I prefer to play on a team that bats 9 for the simple reason you really find out what the boys are made of. Two types of boys get put on the bench or taken out of the lineup, ones who don't press the issue to get the spot back, and then you have the boys that will stop at nothing to work their way back up or get the spot back. Those are the boys that will make every other player on the team better, I'm sure we can agree with that. At the end of the day we will all lose nearly a third to half of the baseball games we play(not at this age), the difference is giving games away and playing to the best of the teams ability.
Another thing regarding "win at all cost mentality".....I'm sure you will agree with me on this as well Mike. I have more than once seen coaches(more than one) allow a kid to throw 60-70-80 pitches(mostly curveballs) get ahead in a game, then move that pitcher to a position where they must throw the ball often be it SS, 3b or catcher. Then when the relief pitcher struggles or gets into some trouble the coach will go get the kid who started the game and put him back on the mound(2 innings later) and allow him to throw 30-40 more pitches(again mostly curveballs)....IMO that would be far more damaging to an 11 year old boy than picking up another arm to avoid over pitching a player. I would be more than willing to bet most will agree anything over 60-70 pitches is a lot, much less doubling that number throwing a majority breaking balls. I think that would be considered a win at all cost move there myself.
M72, I like to get on here and stir the pot, nobody will deny that. I believe kids can play for other teams on off weekends and it shouldn't be an issue, occasionally one does get hurt but mine only seems to get hurt in the front yard!! I only have one good ball player around me(nephew), I don't even wanna think about having a kid of my own! |
Edited by - Spartan4 on 02/28/2011 22:53:18 |
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reality check
1 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2011 : 16:54:24
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| I have played the game for many years at a professional level. I am amazed at all the postings here. I totally agree with Mike from the Braves. At this age it is all about the fundamentals and mechanics. The kids that have this solid foundation may not be the best now but will out shine those that do not when it really matters. Most of the kids out there today cannot even throw a baseball correctly. Lets be real here. There are no scouts in the stands right now and from reading all this most of these boys will be so burned out in two years they will not even want to play the game. It is the kids with the CORRECT Mechanics and fundamentals that will even have a shot at playing this game for any length of time. If the coaches can check their own ego's at the front gate and concentrate on teaching these kids the correct way to play the game and use this as a tool for a life lesson then it is safe to say a lot of this non-sense will not be on here. Lets focus on these young boys getting educated first and then teaching them to play the game correctly with the right mechanics and fundamentals. You will get more out of these young boys if you believe in them, teach them, and let them have fun. The teams the that are led by this principal will show long term success no matter what talent level you have on your team. Good luck to everyone this season and remember these are 11 year old boys that are like sponges. You have the ability to direct them in a way that can be either positive or negative. The choice is yours as coach. |
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prestont
197 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2011 : 17:09:38
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Congrats to Stealth on their win this weekend. Their kids had a great run thru the bracket winning the ‘Ship with outstanding games against tough 643 & Braves teams. The Stealth families sure were great to hang out with on Sunday!
Tae & Spartan – Thanks for the kind words! We are proud of how our son pitched against a very good Longhorn team, but it’s a team game and we’re also proud of how his teammates supported him on the hill. You guys hit the ball well, and the kids played some very good defense behind our son.
Congrats to Tony for a very well run event – A LOT of very close, and well played games throughout the tourney!
See all this weekend, and best of luck in the Slugfest!
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sgates
48 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2011 : 18:42:33
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quote:
Originally posted by ecball
Spartan – You are great guy and are doing great things for your nephew on and off the field and I commend you for it. That said, I would recommend dialing it down when it comes to winning and losing. I’m not talking specifically about who called who or whatever the issue is/was. I’m referring to the win at all cost mentality. My team isn’t any better or worse based on if we would have beat Stealth yesterday and nobody is out trying to figure out who we can pick up or drop. It was a great 11U baseball game. The teams are evenly matched and we will win some and lose some but we enjoy the level of play, not who wins/loses. The key is to understand where your team is and have the right expectations for the season and have the entire TEAM get better. Travel teams have to learn to win together and lose together and not freak out at the first loss because if you play a tough schedule you will lose a lot and pointing figures or moving kids in and out is not the answer. There may be rare instances where it’s best for both parties but that should be a rare situation. I saw a team in the past constantly move kids on and off the team and it never worked in the two years they tried it. My goal is for my players to get better each weekend and the W/L’s will take care of itself. In a nutshell, most of the time, the answers for improving your team are within own your team and not outside it. I know we have to get better at coaching our team.
I get killed on this board because everyone says I get to hand pick kids so I can’t relate but it wasn’t always that way. We started out as the 7U Hobgood B team all-stars and we have never recruited. My thought is/was if you take good kids/families and you develop players, kids and parents will notice and want to play for you. It wasn’t like ECB said, you can take the Braves and you get first pick of the kids…..It didn’t exactly work that way.
Side note to all this W/L discussion: I spoke with a coach of a 12U team (with a paid coach) that was in the finals this weekend and I was shocked to learn that they bat all 13 kids (entire team), yes that wasn’t a typo 13 kids batting…..I have no idea what they did in bracket play but I think they continued this approach with their line-up. It just shows that they are into developing kids and aren’t concerned with W/L’s because it obviously put them at a disadvantage but winning isn’t their top priority. It’s funny because the longer I do this the less I care about batting averages and W/L’s and more about making them better players and getting them ready to try out for their high school teams. We could all learn something from the older age groups….I know I have.
Mike Kirksey
EC Braves
To add to what you said Mike, I have had a few people question me taking 12 players and my reponse is just that, We are not only trying to develope these kids fundamentally for High School ball but letting them learn that they have to earn playing time. Its not always going to be 10 kids on a team and little Johnny's hurt so everybody plays in every game all weekend long. We are at 11u now, I saw numerous 12u & 13u dugouts this weekend that even though the team was in the field, their dugout still looked packed with players(my guess rosters around 15-16 for some)! These kids have to not only be able to learn how to earn playing time with large rosters in the next few years but they will have to learn to deal with it mentally as well. And obviously over a 60-80 game season, every player will get plenty of action, at bats, innings pitched, etc.
And finally, Im actually ok with a loss this early to a good baseball team, hopefully it taught my players that we just cant show up and whammo, we get a W, they have to work every pitch, every ground ball, every fly ball, every at bat. We had at least 7-8 walks, 5-6 errors and I think 4 called LOOKING 3rd strikes. That'll get you beat regardless if you play a good team or not.
I got a long laundry list of things we will work on from this weekend and gear up in the next 3 weeks for the Super NIT!
I agree 100% on the W/L's, Ive told our parents, coaches and players, I would rather go .500 and play the best competition we can find, than beat teams 13-1 all weekend long. Anybody can walk to the parking lot after a big win with their chest poked out, how are you going to walk to the parking lot after getting beat!
Gates
EC Stars 11u |
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gloveman
40 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2011 : 19:58:50
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| Great Post ECBALL.... |
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ballfan19
6 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2011 : 20:06:33
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| Great weekend of baseball! The Gold bracket had all of the expected teams, minus the giants. One thing seemed very clear this weekend....50' makes a big difference and power (fast pitchers) will no longer be good enough. Watched a game Saturday night where a fastball was pitched down the middle to a Stars kid and it sailed onto the upper field. Kids are gonna have to pick up more than two pitches to compensate for this. Otherwise, power hitters will have fun this year. Other than that, it appears the playing field will be more level this year than in previous years. |
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Outlaw 425
26 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2011 : 23:16:25
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When you play real baseball you are not going to win 900% of your games like you did in 9u and 10u. When the competition level goes up and the kids get bigger and stronger the teams will start to even out. I think we are seeing that start to happen now and that is a good thing. It happens even more as you go up in age. We are all truly blessed to be playing in a state that has this much talent as ours.
As far as winning and losing goes, I have personally seen certain coaches on this site that say it is not all about winning and losing do anything to win a big game. Does the Triple Crown State Championship finals last year ring a bell. I promise that if that coach did not win as much as he does then he would not have the pick of the best players around every year. If they keep score then you should be playing to win but at what cost and how far are you willing to go. That is the question.
I do agree that moving kids in and off a team is not the best thing for anyone. I have seen it happen many times and very few times did it end well. The secret is to get everyone on board with the same mindset at the start. Then no one is shocked and surprised when you bring a big time player in. It does seem to work better when you add those type players later in the year for the big end of season tournaments. The bottom line is that good player development should lead to more wins. That is what coaching is all about and there are some very good ones in this age group. |
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Spartan4
913 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2011 : 23:34:54
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Seems to be a lot of first posts from members joining 2/28/11 on this topic.....
Also, please go back and read my posts, never once did I say it was a good idea to have a revolving door with players coming and going. Agree/disagree I do 100% believe if a player or two become available that will put your team over the top then you should seriously consider the move, IF your team has the goal of winning. Some kids like that are available for negative reasons, other teams cut their seasons shorter than others. Players like that WILL pick up with someone(even if it is a no good classless win at all costs guy) and they will find their way on the field. Expanding rosters late protects arms, rests catchers in the heat, and adds even more talent to some talented teams allowing them to compete in tournaments with strict pitching limitations as well as the 100degree heat. This goes back to me saying it can be done BOTH ways, good coaches who work on fundamentals and teaching the proper way to play the game generally find a way to turn those skills into wins.... |
Edited by - Spartan4 on 03/01/2011 09:09:04 |
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ecball
72 Posts |
Posted - 03/01/2011 : 10:29:47
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Sparty - I'm just trying to help as I have no issues with you or anyone on your team. I like your squad and I’m glad that we have more good teams in this age group. Your boy is a good player but I don’t want you to alienate him from other teams as many coaches may not agree with your philosophy. It may not just be the weaker teams that disagree – see team I referenced in earlier post. I’m just recommending dialing it down on this board even if those are your beliefs. There isn’t a right and wrong as these are just opinions but some are better not to share. I’m just saying, you are traveling to ECB and look at the example above with a team that many people want to try out for next year. This is in direct conflict with pick up kid, cut a kid, bat only 9, etc. The pick up a better player part is what is funny to me because I’m not sure that everyone has thought this through….Unless your kid is a top 9 player in the state (no doubt about it) then eventually your kid is the one that doesn’t bat or gets cut mid season if your coach agrees with this philosophy and can get those 9 players.
I took two calls from ECB coaches on Thursday asking me how many they should bat this weekend. One was only batting 9 and I told him you will take serious heat from your parents if you do this at 11’s. I actually figured this would change at 12’s and teams would start batting only 9 but I was wrong and I watching another top 12 team play in the semi’s as well. I have 11 kids and only bat 10 so I’m not claiming to be some angel….Just sharing what other teams are doing. We walked through the pluses/minuses and he made some adjustments in his plans moving forward.
The game you are referring to is way off base as you don’t know the background. I had the two best pitchers around last season as there stats mirrored each other. Neither had toed the rubber yet in the entire tournament and we were in the championship game. We were winning 7-0 after 3 innings and I thought we were going to run rule the team after 4 innings so I took my pitcher out to allow the other top pitcher to at least get a chance to pitch that weekend. My starter had maybe thrown 30 or 40 pitches (for the entire tourney) and we brought in the other kid. The second kid pitched an inning and got in trouble in the 5th and we went back to the starter which I already had confirmed with the ump that it was legal so this was always the back-up plan and wasn’t some last minute decision to win a game. He was fresh and I was only taking him out to give the other kid some work. I don’t think I had a kid the entire year throw his maximum allowed innings in a tournament or even get close to it.
Also, my team has not been perfect when it comes to winning first and I’m learning that I should have moved more kids around in years past. We are in a tougher spot when it comes to all of this because we have a target on our back every game so I have to balance winning and developing kids. I was talked into going for the top seed this weekend, which forced me to do other non-productive things in pool play which I’m not proud of. I was just sharing some perspective as I learned a lot on Saturday night in the cage. IMO - that is what this board should be about…..Coaches and parents becoming more educated so we can develop better players.
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ecbbraves
113 Posts |
Posted - 03/01/2011 : 11:10:29
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quote:
Originally posted by Outlaw 425
When you play real baseball you are not going to win 900% of your games like you did in 9u and 10u. When the competition level goes up and the kids get bigger and stronger the teams will start to even out. I think we are seeing that start to happen now and that is a good thing. It happens even more as you go up in age. We are all truly blessed to be playing in a state that has this much talent as ours.
As far as winning and losing goes, I have personally seen certain coaches on this site that say it is not all about winning and losing do anything to win a big game. Does the Triple Crown State Championship finals last year ring a bell. I promise that if that coach did not win as much as he does then he would not have the pick of the best players around every year. If they keep score then you should be playing to win but at what cost and how far are you willing to go. That is the question.
I do agree that moving kids in and off a team is not the best thing for anyone. I have seen it happen many times and very few times did it end well. The secret is to get everyone on board with the same mindset at the start. Then no one is shocked and surprised when you bring a big time player in. It does seem to work better when you add those type players later in the year for the big end of season tournaments. The bottom line is that good player development should lead to more wins. That is what coaching is all about and there are some very good ones in this age group.
I can normally sit quietly but I have to respond to some obvious accusations. This is my 3rd season with the Braves and I can say with certainty that we do play to win but Mike's clear point is that when we lose we don't sit around and debate about it and point fingers but rather move on and look towards the next week. We lost on Sunday to an outstanding Stealth team and we have no doubts that we'll lose many more this season to teams of all calibers. But we'll move on.
As to the point about last season's TC State finals, I will explain what really happened to anyone concerned so that there is zero misconception. We did throw a kid for the 1st 3 innings in the finals and then brought him back for the last 2 when the relief pitcher became visibly ill. Over the 5 innings he pitched, he threw a total of 58 pitches and allowed only 2 baserunners- one on a walk(who was then caught stealing) and one on a double(he was left stranded). Our kid had also not pitched prior in that tourney nor the week before because we were off. We played that same team in pool play as well and I know that one of their pitchers threw 72 pitches over 2 innings in our pool game, one threw 44 in one inning in the same pool game and then their starter in the final threw 39 in the 1st inning and continued to pitch after. If outlaw425 thinks we mishandled our pitcher then he must have really berated his son's coaches for the treatment of their pitchers.
Those that have been associated with our team past and present can honestly say that no other team monitors pitch counts, innings pitched, practice pitches, etc. more than us.
I will also say that the 'Horns and Rays have been fodder for a lot of ribbing on this forum over the last few months but I know they are led by guys who are passionate about the sport and care about the kids. These coaches would be better served if some parents would chill out and just enjoy watching these boys play before the season's gone.
Chris O. |
Edited by - ecbbraves on 03/01/2011 22:36:39 |
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eastcobbkreskin
143 Posts |
Posted - 03/01/2011 : 11:44:30
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Vols, great job taken care of the G-Giants, according to one post in this thread, they were supposed to flat out dominate the "consolation" bracket, winning 8-5, your team put up almost as many runs as the Horns and quite a few more than the Rays against this Giant team, hats off to your team! the Giants did have the toughest pool draw, not sure if they were saving any pitching during the pool play in order to use in the brackets or not?
quote:
Originally posted by vols
First trip to Atlanta for tournament for most of our team from Knoxville this weekend. A great experience for our kids. Just wanted to say from an outsider that your area has both some great teams but more importantly great coaches and families who represent your area with class.
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Edited by - eastcobbkreskin on 03/01/2011 22:36:56 |
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rudeboy
37 Posts |
Posted - 03/01/2011 : 12:04:43
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| Wow!!! Its early in the season! Teach the kids the game! Guys are talking like they play 11u baseball. All this talk puts added pressure on the kids. Ecball, when you have been on top for so long you do have a target on your back. It seems to me you are doing something right. develope and let the kids play ball. |
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ballfan19
6 Posts |
Posted - 03/01/2011 : 12:33:19
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| These posts get really crazy at times and I think alot of parents and coaches forget what their true purpose is....they should be using this time as an opportunity to have a positive impact of these kids lives that will hopefully teach them responsibility,honesty and commitment that they then can apply as they mature. Teaching a kid that it is alright to switch teams mid-year, after they have made a commitment, simply because their kid is not the "best" or the parent thinks the coach is "unfair" is wrong in every aspect. If they learn this practice early in life, it carries over into their adult life. Let's all be honest here, there is probably 1 chance in 1,000,000 that any of these kids will play at the collegiate or professional level. The life skills that are being taught will allow them to mature, get a valuable education and contribute to society long term. The goal of 11U baseball should NOT to teach them to quit/switch when things do not go exactly as we want them to. That is the easy way out...If they are not batting fourth or the pitching ace, we should be teaching them to set a goal and work hard to try and achieve it. By doing so, we are teaching them something far more valuable than simply playing baseball. As far as losing, get used to it, life is full of loses. I can honestly say, once that kid walks off the ball field and gets in the car to drive home, he has already forgotten about it and is looking forward to the next tournament. Sadly, the parents are not the same. We as parents and coaches should teach the kids to win in life and not simply on a baseball field. Of course, playing at the best organization in the country should help us do this. |
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Spartan4
913 Posts |
Posted - 03/01/2011 : 12:54:35
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One reason for the differing opinions IMO is a product of how many more players play travel baseball now than did when I was 11-15. East Cobb is a great name in baseball and it used to be one of the only ones that mattered, my 12U year there were 2 not 10 EC teams, each team had players that sat quite a bit and each team had kids that weren't coming out of the starting 9. The coaches were very concerned with developing the talent they had but those two teams were extremely dominant. The entire culture around travel baseball and EC have changed tremendously in the last 10-15 years.
You know well I have admired your team from a distance for some time, and part of that is because you play to win the games. Many parents admire a particular team or coach for the way they communicate with the players, or for the simple reason they bat 12 and their child can have a chance to play in every game. There are no wrong opinions about most of these things, only two different sides of the fence. Your bat 10 method has worked and had TREMENDOUS sucess in years past, while other teams have tried it and failed because the situations were completely different. But I do think we can all agree that coaching kids properly and starting out with talented kids and reasonable parents who all share the same goal is the key to success. It is up for the coaches and teams to define success prior to the season. |
Edited by - Spartan4 on 03/01/2011 22:38:49 |
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m72
49 Posts |
Posted - 03/01/2011 : 21:30:02
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| I guess you have to be from East Cobb to be heard or understood around here. Kirksey, very nice post. Gates, nice addition. I have a son that use to play baseball and he was very good too, still is. Unfortunately, an 11u East Cobb coach has done everything to make sure he doesn't play anymore. Kirksey and Gates, I'm not talking about you guys so please don't think i am. But i stake my life on it that you know who and what i'm talking about. This isn't about me, but i mentioned coaches with ego's in a few post and more than one person tells me how ego's have nothing to do with with this. Kirksey writes a short story and though the word ego wasn't directly used, i believe we all feel what he's saying, and next thing you know he's novelist/writer of the year. Not intended to be a shot at you Kirksey because you're dead on with what you said. However, Reality Check did mention ego's in his post so i'm just waiting for someone to let him know coaches with ego's have nothing to do with anything. It's just ironic to me that anytime someone from East Cobb says anything it can't be anything but the truth. Don't get me wrong, i'm not against East Cobb. Afterall, they are the premier facility in Georgia and possibly the best youth travel ball program in the south. Anyway, it's not news that East Cobb is a bit watered down especially in the younger age groups or at least the 11's which IMO means there are teams and coaches that shouldn't be there. So while my son struggles as to whether he even cares to play the sport anymore, you guys are wondering where you can get the next big player to make your team better and if it's okay to call on kids at anytime (you know where i stand on that). Maybe if ego's, gossip and W/L's weren't such a part of many coaches itinerary my kid wouldn't be questioning his interest in the sport now. He's a AAA/major player any day of the week. I know that may not be saying alot with some of the AAA and major teams that exsist but he could play with the Stars or Braves any day. I'm not tooting his horn for him either, i just know baseball and know my sons talent level, which is more than i can say for some coaches i know out there that feed from the gossip of one East Cobber. I know all this may mean nothing to most of you but next time you think about dropping that player to make your team better during the season or making a negative comment to other coaches or people in general regarding another parent or player, stop and remember how it may affect the most important person of all, the kid. Sorry if this came out all across the board and drawn out but i actually wrote this earlier today and when i went to post it i realized i hadn't signed in so when i signed in it erased everything i had said. Hey, maybe now i can get novelist of the year,lol. |
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Spartan4
913 Posts |
Posted - 03/01/2011 : 23:32:32
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I can agree with most of the posts above to an extent. Especially with the watered down part, the parents/coaches from the Rays and Longhorns have an AWESOME rivalry going on!! I hope their team likes it as much as I know we do. Even if both teams were horrible(they aren't) it has been a LOT of fun! Winning is a lot of fun, and losing stings but PrestonT will be the first to tell you most of us can eat a little crow! There is quite a bit of talent spread out over these two teams, and I for one would like to see what those two teams look like combined for one big tourney. I would guess they would be pretty successful at EVERY position, with quite a bit of pitching. I don't believe the older age groups are nearly as watered down at EC because of the professional instructors who generally coach the teams. I must disagree with the post that says a kid has forgotten a loss by the time he gets to the car, I think most boys remember a big loss more than a win that isn't of great magnitude. It isn't just mine I get that feeling from, even while coaching last year we could all tell the first practice of the week the boys would be dragging.....
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Edited by - Spartan4 on 03/01/2011 23:35:19 |
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