Little League World Series Protests??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think he's saying that, in soccer, people are very adamant that it shouldn't be about winning at 11-12 years old or traveling far etc and sports should just be about development but the Little League World Series is going on, which is for 11-12 year olds, and everyone seems to be OK with winning there.

Okay, I'll play.

The Little League World Series is limited to the best of the best in each state and the world.

Unlike travel soccer, where any kid whose parent has a big enough checkbook can compete, the only way to reach the Little League World Series is for a team to compete and win at a very specific tournament structure.

At the end of each little league season, each league nominates approximately 1 dozen of the vert best players from the entire league to represent their league as the "All Star" team. In our league, this is done by coach, manager and player vote. There are 3 different age groups fielding teams: 8-10, 9-11 and 10-12 (the world series bracket). So no 5-7 year olds are eligible for consideration.

The All Star teams compete against other All Star teams from every league in our district tournament (in this case, NOVA). One team per league, and there is no $2000 parent "travel" fee to the league.

The one winner of the district tournament travels to and competes in the state tournament. Only one team per district is represented at state, and all of those district winners went through a similar tournament to qualify.

One state winner from every state goes to the Little League World Series qualifying bracket. They play in regions (northeast, south, southwest, etc) in tournament play. The winner of each region plays in the next bracket, and so on to the world series.

The entire rest of the world follows a similar qualification system, with some big baseball countries like Japan being its own "region" while other regions include several countries, like the Caribbean bracket.

The Little League World Series is truly a world class youth tournament of the best of the best.

There is no way to get there other than to be one of the best of the best, starting at your local little league level.

To even attempt to compare it to travel soccer is beyond laughable and makes you look really stupid OP.

I am in diamond sports, and I would only point out that Little League is but one of several sanctions. It's really not the "best of the best." It's the "best of the best" of Little League...

Travel baseball (and travel softball) are different animals and most true travel baseball/softball teams would defeat most Little League teams playing in the tournament.

[Anonymous]

A few years ago, my son's travel baseball team lost a tournament to a travel team from Pennsylvania. A few weeks later, we saw many of those same players playing in the little league world series as the Mid-Atlantic conference winner. The LL teams that make it to Williamsport are not typical LL teams or even typical LL All-Star teams. They are very planned out, picked out, supported, and put together. People actually move to get into specific LL districts to play for a certain coach who has a specific team rolling. It's made out to be very youthful and innocent on ESPN, but it doesn't work that way in real life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think he's saying that, in soccer, people are very adamant that it shouldn't be about winning at 11-12 years old or traveling far etc and sports should just be about development but the Little League World Series is going on, which is for 11-12 year olds, and everyone seems to be OK with winning there.

Okay, I'll play.

The Little League World Series is limited to the best of the best in each state and the world.

Unlike travel soccer, where any kid whose parent has a big enough checkbook can compete, the only way to reach the Little League World Series is for a team to compete and win at a very specific tournament structure.

At the end of each little league season, each league nominates approximately 1 dozen of the vert best players from the entire league to represent their league as the "All Star" team. In our league, this is done by coach, manager and player vote. There are 3 different age groups fielding teams: 8-10, 9-11 and 10-12 (the world series bracket). So no 5-7 year olds are eligible for consideration.

The All Star teams compete against other All Star teams from every league in our district tournament (in this case, NOVA). One team per league, and there is no $2000 parent "travel" fee to the league.

The one winner of the district tournament travels to and competes in the state tournament. Only one team per district is represented at state, and all of those district winners went through a similar tournament to qualify.

One state winner from every state goes to the Little League World Series qualifying bracket. They play in regions (northeast, south, southwest, etc) in tournament play. The winner of each region plays in the next bracket, and so on to the world series.

The entire rest of the world follows a similar qualification system, with some big baseball countries like Japan being its own "region" while other regions include several countries, like the Caribbean bracket.

The Little League World Series is truly a world class youth tournament of the best of the best.

There is no way to get there other than to be one of the best of the best, starting at your local little league level.

To even attempt to compare it to travel soccer is beyond laughable and makes you look really stupid OP.

I am in diamond sports, and I would only point out that Little League is but one of several sanctions. It's really not the "best of the best." It's the "best of the best" of Little League...

Travel baseball (and travel softball) are different animals and most true travel baseball/softball teams would defeat most Little League teams playing in the tournament.

Well, not really.

Most of those LL kids at that level are also the better travel players.

In baseball, the better kids play LL in the spring for the end of season tournament opportunity. They do travel during the fall. Many of them do travel and LL in the spring, but bot all.

So those LL world series tournament kids are truly among the best youth baseball players in the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A few years ago, my son's travel baseball team lost a tournament to a travel team from Pennsylvania. A few weeks later, we saw many of those same players playing in the little league world series as the Mid-Atlantic conference winner. The LL teams that make it to Williamsport are not typical LL teams or even typical LL All-Star teams. They are very planned out, picked out, supported, and put together. People actually move to get into specific LL districts to play for a certain coach who has a specific team rolling. It's made out to be very youthful and innocent on ESPN, but it doesn't work that way in real life.

Yep.

And those kids who reach that level are better than the travel kids (or are doing LL plus travel).

[Anonymous]

I was hoping this was about players taking the knee.

[Anonymous]

My son played in the Little League World Series regionals after the winning state championship. He and every kid on his team also play travel baseball and have since they’ve been 9. They play Little league on Saturdays and travel on Sundays (double header each Sunday) in both fall and spring and I’d say that 90% of them take weekly batting lessons as well. Several also have private pitching coaches and some do supplemental strength and/or agility training.
The teams they played in the regionals were also compromised entirely of dual little league/travel players..and some from states like NJ and TX were playing even more baseball—up to 5 games a weekend, every weekend in the spring in travel tournaments.

The good hitters on our team were hitting 1000 balls a week in batting practice (either through paying an instructor or by their dad). That’s about 2-4 hours per day in the cages, 7 days a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son played in the Little League World Series regionals after the winning state championship. He and every kid on his team also play travel baseball and have since they’ve been 9. They play Little league on Saturdays and travel on Sundays (double header each Sunday) in both fall and spring and I’d say that 90% of them take weekly batting lessons as well. Several also have private pitching coaches and some do supplemental strength and/or agility training.
The teams they played in the regionals were also compromised entirely of dual little league/travel players..and some from states like NJ and TX were playing even more baseball—up to 5 games a weekend, every weekend in the spring in travel tournaments.

The good hitters on our team were hitting 1000 balls a week in batting practice (either through paying an instructor or by their dad). That’s about 2-4 hours per day in the cages, 7 days a week.

But this is fine. Playing 4 days a week soccer is nuts and playing to win is absolutely bonkers at this age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son played in the Little League World Series regionals after the winning state championship. He and every kid on his team also play travel baseball and have since they’ve been 9. They play Little league on Saturdays and travel on Sundays (double header each Sunday) in both fall and spring and I’d say that 90% of them take weekly batting lessons as well. Several also have private pitching coaches and some do supplemental strength and/or agility training.
The teams they played in the regionals were also compromised entirely of dual little league/travel players..and some from states like NJ and TX were playing even more baseball—up to 5 games a weekend, every weekend in the spring in travel tournaments.

The good hitters on our team were hitting 1000 balls a week in batting practice (either through paying an instructor or by their dad). That’s about 2-4 hours per day in the cages, 7 days a week.

If I had a gifted baseball player I would avoid this kind of travel schedule and stick with little league.

Adult professional ballplayers do not play double (or triple) headers.

You are just asking for overuse injuries by pushing an 8 to 12 year old this hard and in this way, especially since these kids are prepubescent with no guarantee they will have the body to play in college or even high school once growth spurts hit and other kids either catch up or surpass them just due to maturity.

I guess if the end goal is LL world series level play that is one thing, but if the goal is longevity into college and beyond it seems like this would be the least smart way to do it.

You are substituting short term glory for long term achievement.

[Anonymous]

Unless you play LL baseball. : )

http://www.stack.com/a/why-locking-kids-into-just-one-position-goes-against-the-goal-of-youth-sports

[Anonymous]

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because baseball is actually rational in their "travel team" system, and only a small handful of the very best and truly outstanding all-star kids compete outside of their neighborhoods.

Unlike soccer, where every neighborhood fields multiple "elite/premier/amazing-awesome-a+++++" travel teams.

Is this true? Aren't the teams that play just the all-stars of that individual little league organization? You make it sound like they are pooling "only the very best and truly outstanding all stars" to form a team. To me you are making it sound like these teams are comparable to soccer Development Academy teams when aren't they in fact just the rec all start teams of the local club?

In addition to Little League, there are a handful of travel baseball teams. But they're usually (in this area, at least -- I've heard some areas are starting to change) a *supplement* to the Little League experience, not a replacement.

Doesn't seem to hurt Madison's baseball team to have its prospects in "rec" ball at age 12.

It's awful though. Kids are having to play travel ball and rec ball now 6 days a week at age 8 and 9 in order to stay on the travel teams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because baseball is actually rational in their "travel team" system, and only a small handful of the very best and truly outstanding all-star kids compete outside of their neighborhoods.

Unlike soccer, where every neighborhood fields multiple "elite/premier/amazing-awesome-a+++++" travel teams.

Is this true? Aren't the teams that play just the all-stars of that individual little league organization? You make it sound like they are pooling "only the very best and truly outstanding all stars" to form a team. To me you are making it sound like these teams are comparable to soccer Development Academy teams when aren't they in fact just the rec all start teams of the local club?

In addition to Little League, there are a handful of travel baseball teams. But they're usually (in this area, at least -- I've heard some areas are starting to change) a *supplement* to the Little League experience, not a replacement.

Doesn't seem to hurt Madison's baseball team to have its prospects in "rec" ball at age 12.

It's awful though. Kids are having to play travel ball and rec ball now 6 days a week at age 8 and 9 in order to stay on the travel teams.

People are bitching in the soccer forums about 4 days a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What??

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because baseball is actually rational in their "travel team" system, and only a small handful of the very best and truly outstanding all-star kids compete outside of their neighborhoods.

Unlike soccer, where every neighborhood fields multiple "elite/premier/amazing-awesome-a+++++" travel teams.

Is this true? Aren't the teams that play just the all-stars of that individual little league organization? You make it sound like they are pooling "only the very best and truly outstanding all stars" to form a team. To me you are making it sound like these teams are comparable to soccer Development Academy teams when aren't they in fact just the rec all start teams of the local club?

In addition to Little League, there are a handful of travel baseball teams. But they're usually (in this area, at least -- I've heard some areas are starting to change) a *supplement* to the Little League experience, not a replacement.

Doesn't seem to hurt Madison's baseball team to have its prospects in "rec" ball at age 12.

It's awful though. Kids are having to play travel ball and rec ball now 6 days a week at age 8 and 9 in order to stay on the travel teams.

The rec little league teams are very fun, and most kids involved cross train in other sports.

[Anonymous]

For Little League, every player on the 14-player roster for All-Stars must be in the lineup and also play in the field each game. At that age, there's definitely specialization in terms of position, and at least in softball at that level, the girls know where they are better placed. My daughter is cool with almost any position, except pitcher, but she thinks that she shouldn't play 2nd or short because there are others who are better at it than she is. Flipside, she knows that when she's put in CF, it's because she can accurately position herself for fly balls and catch them, and know exactly where she should be throwing the ball for each play.