High School baseball state tournament

[Gravey]

Anybody catch any of those? Eagleville won the 1A and one of their coaches is my bonus son's travel ball coach so that was cool. We went to the 4A game between Farragut and Hardin Valley. Farragut won their 12th title. Sophomore pitcher went the distance and gave up 3 hits of which 2 were in the last inning. Love watching high school and college baseball.

 

[Hduke86]

I didn't catch any games but I can watch HS and college baseball all day long as long as I'm in the shade.

 

[Gravey]

I didn't catch any games but I can watch HS and college baseball all day long as long as I'm in the shade.

Yeah those travel ball tournaments in the summer can be brutal. My bonus son was supposed to have their first tournament this weekend but not enough teams signed up so they're just gonna play 2 against 2 other teams. Thankfully they're local so I'll go to the first one but not the second. There's a game in between and I've got too much work around the house to do.

 

[Hduke86]

Yeah those travel ball tournaments in the summer can be brutal. My bonus son was supposed to have their first tournament this weekend but not enough teams signed up so they're just gonna play 2 against 2 other teams. Thankfully they're local so I'll go to the first one but not the second. There's a game in between and I've got too much work around the house to do.

I know exactly what you mean about those travel ball tournaments. As bad as I wanted my boys to play baseball year round. I'm actually thankful that they decided they didn't want to play ball like that. It's a nonstop thing and it would have fallen 99.9% on my wife to make it happen.

 

[Union Co. Boy]

Union County won their first ever state title! My son was having tonsil surgery and then had some serious complications, so I missed all of it. It's our first team championship at UCHS. Super proud of our boys!

 

[PalsPal]

I know exactly what you mean about those travel ball tournaments. As bad as I wanted my boys to play baseball year round. I'm actually thankful that they decided they didn't want to play ball like that. It's a nonstop thing and it would have fallen 99.9% on my wife to make it happen.

Year round playing the same sport burns a lot of players out, especially girls.

My oldest daughter was a very good athlete, and played both basketball and softball. We once drove from a softball tournament in Knoxville, passed our house in Crossville, only to make a late afternoon bball game in Shelbyville. It was crazy.

I realize that summer ball is needed for player development, but the kids need some "kid" time.

I do not miss those days.

 

[Gravey]

Year round playing the same sport burns a lot of players out, especially girls.

My oldest daughter was a very good athlete, and played both basketball and softball. We once drove from a softball tournament in Knoxville, passed our house in Crossville, only to make a late afternoon bball game in Shelbyville. It was crazy.

I realize that summer ball is needed for player development, but the kids need some "kid" time.

I do not miss those days.

The year round crap is stupid. Takes away my lake time!

 

[CBU93]

Year round single sports for the majority of youth sports and participants is hurting those athletes long term. Not only do they need mental breaks and kid time, but they are not learning valuable skills that transfer from one sport to another.

 

[kornbread]

I played from the time I was 4 till 21 years old. The format that the Rec leagues have adopted is the problem in my opinion. They try to shadow high school team schedules. Start at beginning of March and be finished by mid May. When I was playing we started at first of May and played till mid July usually 3 games a week. Both my sons played this year and we played typically 2-3 nights a week with a tournament on the weekend. We ended 31-9 on the season. I opted not to deal with travel ball and give them a break before football started in July. So I figured I did the right thing but everyday when I get home from work they are waiting on me to throw and play ball in the yard I personally think it depends on the kid and whether the parent is trying to live through them and make them play. I was burnt out at the age of 20 but had already played 2 seasons in college. I quit football my senior year after committing to a college to play baseball. I regret that. I played my whole life with a group of guys to watch them get beat by a touchdown in the play offs by the team that won the state that year. Would've could've should've I guess.

 

[PalsPal]

I regret that. I played my whole life with a group of guys to watch them get beat by a touchdown in the play offs by the team that won the state that year. Would've could've should've I guess.

Wow, that sounds very similar to my story with football, except I quit after my freshman year because I didn't want to have practices year round. I was a good tight end in elementary and freshman, but by then the team stopped throwing the ball much because they had good running backs, and I wasn't interested in going to all of the workouts and practices to just be a blocker.

But, by the time we all became seniors, they needed more balance. After losing 14-7 in the playoffs to the eventual state champ, my QB in the early years would razz me saying I was the missing link. I, however, never regretted it.

I will say that my decision did crush my dad, and took a while for him to get over.

Basketball was my chosen sport, but I only received interest from some small schools, but no offers. But, by my senior year I was done and also "in love". We got married after my freshman year of college and still going strong after almost 40 years.

Saying all of that, when my daughter decided to give up softball, I was more understanding. Now, she did later regret it.

 

[PalsPal]

I played from the time I was 4 till 21 years old. The format that the Rec leagues have adopted is the problem in my opinion. They try to shadow high school team schedules.

The reason most do that is because once school lets out, it's hard to get kids to the games with vacations etc.

The problem that I had with my daughter and travel softball is that they would want to play 3 of 4 weekends every month all summer long. And throw in a practice or two during the week, it can consume a family's time and money. We had to drag our two other daughters (one was 6 weeks old) to a tourney in Columbus OH one week. That was pretty much the last straw for me.

 

[Gravey]

The reason most do that is because once school lets out, it's hard to get kids to the games with vacations etc.

The problem that I had with my daughter and travel softball is that they would want to play 3 of 4 weekends every month all summer long. And throw in a practice or two during the week, it can consume a family's time and money. We had to drag our two other daughters (one was 6 weeks old) to a tourney in Columbus OH one week. That was pretty much the last straw for me.

My bonus son's high school season wrapped up a couple weeks ago. He had 2 weekends off then travel ball started last weekend. He and my wife left this morning for a tournament in Georgia that's today through Sunday. As they get older they lengthen the tournaments and only play 1 game a day, maybe 2 at times, until Sunday. Then you have to stay in a certain hotel that they've "partnered" with. $50 worth of gate fees, hotels, food, and gas all add up to stupid expensive. It's a money grab!

 

[PalsPal]

It's a money grab!

Bingo.

Two examples:
Crossville built some nice parks several years ago. At the time my daughter was playing softball, one guy had the market on tournaments here. He had teams from all over coming to play every other weekend or so.

Anyway, it's a gloomy Saturday morning with rain expected at any time that was supposed to last the next two days. We waited in the car, but some parents had already paid the gate fee and gone in. Sure enough, it soon started pouring and they canceled the tourney. He would not refund the parents who had paid.

The second one was a radio ad where there was going to be an AAU wrestling tournament. The starting age was FOUR.

That showed me that, if someone was willing to spend the money, there was someone willing to take it.

Heard someone else say that if they had just invested the $$$ spent on travel ball with the hotels, gas, meals, private lessons, equipment, etc etc they could've paid a good chunk of college.