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baseballpapa
1520 Posts |
 Posted - 08/25/2011 : 09:24:06
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| T13: I think you are right and I am a Bandit. If they chose the best players from say the entire world then I think they would win at the elite travel ball level. It's just a different type baseball game and almost impossible to compare the two. The Bandits almost did just what you suggested but couldn't due to the make up of our team not meeting the LL requirements. We was going to play out of Rossville, Ga. LL but it just did not work. I would much rather skip the TV thing and have our kids learn to play the game the way the game was meant to be played. What the LL kids are doing at 46' and shorter bases will not help them develop at all for the bigger fields. I can see one of them still standing on first base waiting for the ball to be hit before they can leave and losing the game for their middle school team. |
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Dozer
7 Posts |
Posted - 08/25/2011 : 11:14:32
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| Bandits after everything they have accomplished could hands down win the LLWS. Obviously you would still have to play it on the field, but most LL players in the LLWS are on travel ball rosters and I highly doubt the Bandits would have any trouble with the teams they are playing for. With most kids being on travel ball teams, I don't see any of them being stuck on first base to lose the game for their middle school team either. If the kid is doing things like that he probably wouldn't make his middle school team in the first place. None the less it is still exciting to watch and see the kids having a blast playing the game we all love! Don't lose sight of the big picture by being caught up in just winning! Besides I have a funny feeling within a few years or less LL at the Majors Level will be playing 50 70 with leading. |
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vols
14 Posts |
Posted - 08/25/2011 : 11:35:01
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| Coaching both travel ball and little league, the two are different and really not comparable. Very few upper level travel teams could come out of one LL boundry. The two are both fun. There are high points for both. Yes travel ball is more advanced at 12 than LL but the two are played differently. There are a few teams like the Bandits who have the pitching to win the LL world series but again they are not putting their teams together out of certain boundries. Enjoy both. The fact that all the people who play LL and watch it speaks for itself. So does the amount of kids who play travel ball. I'm just glad kids have the chance to play what is truly the national pasttime. |
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gtown71
86 Posts |
Posted - 08/25/2011 : 11:48:03
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t13-i to get tired sometimes of hearing about the bandits. but the truth is that they are the real deal and show it everytime they hit the field. they would run through the llws with no problem. quote:
Originally posted by T13
Getting old having to listen to all this Bandit talk....tell them to go find their little league organization they are eligible to play in have them sign up and let them prove it on the field.......if we took the best little league allstar players from each state (similar to how some ga travel teams recruit 12year olds like they are college athletes)...the games would be equal no matter the playing field......at the end of the day travel ball will always play second fiddle to little league (and the crazy fan support this year only will spread the distance...)......enjoy what you have but williamsport is our national past time!
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T13
257 Posts |
Posted - 08/25/2011 : 12:02:21
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| baseballpapa....thanks for agreeing...we've discussed trying to do it too and think we could be competitive in LL...but the boundries make it so difficult....two different games (little league is best neighborhood team in state (not allstar team from area..Bandits!)... |
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Graniteball
12 Posts |
Posted - 08/25/2011 : 12:46:10
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For some reason, I remember reading a blurb in USA Today that LL has sanctioned 50/70 diamonds for Major baseball.
I was on a board for a rec league and part of a process where we switched from LL affiliation to Cal Ripken. There were several factors, but one of the main drivers was the lack of 50/70 diamonds.
We had huge drop off of participation at the 13U level because kids could not adjust from the 46/60 to a 60/90. Which I recall was the LL method. (Been mny years) I remember if they use a 54/80.
Granted, kids that played AAU could make the transition, because they were getting exposure to a bigger field. But those that only played rec LL experienced a such a huge shock that many left the game.
Interestingly enough, when we made the transition, major ball became so much more fun for our kids that many more wanted to play Travel.
I hope LL is making the transition, despite the millions of dollars of infrastructure in Williamsport built around the smaller field. I am sure this will be painful financially, but the right move.
Unfortunately for LL the penetration of Cal Ripken, Dixie, etc... has been significant in many areas. I don't think they will get these leagues back.
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oldschool
1 Posts |
Posted - 08/25/2011 : 21:36:40
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I have two sons who play/played LL and TB and I have coached both. Both have their place but the allure of LL lies in its purity. First LL requires that you earn your way, no paying for your chance to play @ Williamsport, you win or you go home. Second all players must reside within district boundaries. While it is true that there are exceptions made to this sometimes it is usually due to that player's community not offering LL in favor of some other rec league. Third LL is an international organization. I've yet to see a team from Taiwan playing @ EC.
And so far as the Bandits or any other TB team playing in LL, that is not allowable under LL rules. Everyone enters the draft and is on that team (during the season) for their entire LL career, unless there is extenuating circumstances where their manager allows them to be traded. You cannot bring an entire team into the league and start playing, regardless of where they live. By the way Rossville plays Dizzy Dean (where you can pay your way to their WS) so the Bandits could not have actually played for (official)LL anyway without traveling to Rome (closest LL)and getting a waiver as described above.
LL kids play with their buddies with whom they also play football, basketball, go to church and school with. The parents also are friends, co-workers, church members, etc. This all leads to a sense of community that simply does not come with TB.
It is undeniable that the level of talent and competition in LL is incomparable to TB but well it should be. Just as any local GA high school team would be pounded by any number of state or regional all star teams (which is what the higher level TB teams are) so would any LL team be pounded by the best TB teams.
LL takes many of us "Oldschool" guys back to the simpler (and cheaper) days of our youth where the trip to Williamsport was the biggest thing any 12 yr old could imagine. These kids today are living that dream and the rest of us are somewhat living our dreams through them too.
Playing both LL and TB has allowed us the best of both worlds. We get the development and competition that come with TB and all the "Oldschool" things described above that come with LL. Oh and of course, we also get no life outside of baseball! |
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