When I grew up, the elite players played a form of travel baseball when they were in high school but not before. They played for the Shoetiques or Twitty City. Younger boys played Dixie Youth (crazy) baseball or Little League baseball in the regular season - followed by all-stars for a few players - then it was time to enjoy the real of summer vacation and to get ready for football season in the fall.
It's all different now. Fall baseball. Spring baseball. Travel baseball, which costs the average family $2,500 per player each season. To be fair, youth soccer started the travel sports concept but baseball and basketball quickly fell in line, too. Why? Because there is money to be made from the parents. Capitalism at its finest, I guess. Trust me when I say I recognize the hypocrisy here, too, as JP and Joe play travel baseball and Joe plays travel soccer, too.
What are we paying for, though? The answer, theoretically anyway, is higher quality coaching at practices and during games. More practices and games. Possibly an indoor facility. Higher calibre competition, although that is often not the case. In baseball and soccer, B and C level players are playing on travel teams now, not only A level players. Why? Again, because there is money to be made from the parents.
All of this brings me back to my fondness for recreational baseball. In addition to playing for HBC, Joe is playing for the Braves in the West Nashville Sports League. We have 24 or 25 players on our roster, several of which are from my original Junior Dodger team. I'm helping out and coaching when Scott McRae needs me, which he did last night when our boys played at Grassland.
For many years, the Grassland Athletic Association has fielded one of the strongest baseball leagues in middle Tennessee. Lots of teams at all ages playing baseball ion weeknights and Saturdays throughout the spring and early summer. Last night, talking to the other coach, I learned that Grassland only has two 12U baseball teams in their entire recreational baseball league. All of the other players have left to play travel baseball. Not surprisingly, when our 7:15 a.m. game ended at 8:45 p.m., the lights were off on all of the other fields, as no one else was playing baseball.
What's being lost is an opportunity for a player like Walker Huey - Joe's longtime USN and neighborhood friend - to have a night like he had last night in Grassland. Walker, an original Junior Dodger, had a bad baseball experience last season and I was able to add him to the Braves' roster with Scott's blessing. He was nervous about joining a new club and thought about giving up baseball or, perhaps, not playing in games. I've been careful to keep an eye on Walker and encourage him because he's a fantastic kid and that's what good coaches do.
We've worked some in the batting cage and Walker has been improving. Last night before the game, as I pitched to him in the cage, I encouraged Walker, a lefty, to make sure his front, right foot was stepping straight toward the pitcher as he swung. He's been stepping out just a bit and he's worked to correct that, which is what good, coachable players do. I could see him, in the cage, bouncing up and down slightly before I pitched to him, stepping straight forward with his right foot as he completed a practice swing.
In the game, the boys faced two of the best pitchers they have seen all season, both of whom play travel baseball on strong teams. The first time up, with two strikes in a good at bat, Walker turned on a curve ball - or what passed for one - and ripped it into right field. He scored a couple of batters later. I was ecstatic. The best part of all, maybe, was that Walker's dad, Derek, was coaching first base when Walker singled to right field. That doesn't happen in travel baseball.
The next time up, against another very good pitcher, Walker singled to right center field. It made my night and, really, my spring baseball season to see Walker have the success he had last night on the baseball field. He worked for it. He wanted it. He got it. Baseball is like life, as I always say. Work for something, want something, and go get it.
After the game, in right field, I told the players how proud I was of all of them. I told them, though, that I was particularly proud of Walker, who was our only player to go 2-2 on the night. I even gave Walker a game ball, something I rarely do. I wanted him to remember the night and his success for a long time. I wanted him to gain confidence from his performance and carry that forward on the baseball field and off.
It will surprise me if Walker ever plays travel baseball. But for one night, he was the best hitter on our recreational baseball team.
I'll remember last night for a long time. I get Walker will, too.
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