Chatt Cyclones Love or Hate

[thegreatwhite1]

Maybe this topic should be another thread, but is travel ball killing youth baseball in Tennessee? I read in the Columbia paper where there is a good chance that they will lose their Babe Ruth program for 13-18 year olds due to apathy. There's not enough interest to keep it going. You'd like to think that would mean that they are all going to places like you all are talking about and learning the game. I don't think that's the case.

 

I hate to see baseball go down this AAU road where it's an all or nothing proposition. There's no telling how many potential players will be lost. There's got to be some balance, particularly at the 13-15 level where we are still trying to develop kids.

You are right. In Southeast tennessee i know of very few leagues for middle to high school aged kids to play. Travel baseball is a good deal if it isn't "daddy" ball and you have good coaches. However there are A LOT of families that can't sacrifice the money or time to travel all over the place to play the game. It is taking a toll on the overall talent pool as well. From what I see, the best players now days are as good if not better than say 10 years ago. But IMO a kid that I would consider to be an average ball player today has nowhere near the skill set that the same caliber of player had 10 years ago... I think it directly coincides with player development between the ages of 13-16... or lack there of

[balldad22]

I am not making bad comments. My last post got deleted cause someone must have bashed them. My whole point was why has summer ball turned into a money thing? You talk about promoting kids, being a high school coach etc... However you say Chattanooga is behind which i disagree with totally. Let me ask you a question if you are a high school coach would you rather win or promote your kids? I would rather promote my kids at no charge, and promote all of them not just those that are better than others or talk down about kids. All i am saying is from what i heard the cyclones promote those kids who pay money to take lessons at their building, and do not promote the kids that do not cause they believe they are not working. I am sorry its a touchy subject, but summer ball should not be about money or talent it should be about teaching the kids the game of baseball not screaming at them when they do wrong like i have seen with the cyclones and other summer leagues......

 

 

I would rather promote my kids at no charge, and promote all of them not just those that are better than others or talk down about kids. All i am saying is from what i heard the cyclones promote those kids who pay money to take lessons at their building, and do not promote the kids that do not cause they believe they are not working.

 

In reference to this comment. The whole reason for select ball is to promote your better ball players that have a prayers chance to go to college or the pros in their carrier, and still not all of them go. Also I have some friends that both of their boys play for the cyclones and they have never took a lesson with any of the cyclones trainers and one is a junior being looked at by several colleges and the other is a freshman also already being watched, and playing jv and varsity ball in high school. So that rumor is a lie. Some people just cant stand the fact that just maybe their son is not as good as they think. We are all like that, its human nothing wrong with it just a fact of life not all kids are great baseball players, and if yours isnt their is nothing wrong with it. I do not have a son on this team at this time, but I am looking into him trying out. You see the whole thinking behind select ball is not to take the mediocre players and make them better, its to take the better ball players and make them even better and getting them exposure, for all the work they have put into baseball since they where 4 and 5 years old. It cost money to buy uniforms, pay for practice fields, enter tournaments and pay for insurance for their teams, unfortunately that is life. These select teams you see with mediocre players are called daddy teams not select teams and that is the teams you promote your own kid on and do it for free. George Koontz is the type of coach that you either like him or you dont, if you do not it is because you did not fit the description of a select player or it wasn't the right time for your son. I have been told good and bad about him, but one thing everyone says is he can get your son exposure and into college IF he is a GOOD baseball player, but if he doesnt put in the work to be that better player then it doesnt matter where you play you will never go any further than high school baseball. And that means work with his trainers or work at your own high school facility, if you are working on your skills it will show, if your not the cyclones dont want you, and as a coach I would not want anyone at this level that was not working hard to be the best with or without trainers. Unfortunately there are to many teams out there that should not be playing select baseball, when I was a teenager only the elite players played select baseball.