Why do parents....?

Good points cheeze. I don't think passion can be taught....I think passion has to come from inside a person....it is created when that person really wants to strive to be the best and succeed at wahtever it is they are doing.

 

SouthernNo1

Hey, its good to hear from you. Coach Hedgpeth is the real deal as far as baseball goes. His every waking moment is consumed with teaching the game. We got to know him when Mac was about 13. All I heard from his former players was what a great teacher he was but how hard they worked. Sounded great to us. When we got to the first practice at Southeastern CC, Coach had about fifty kids of all ages on the field going through drills. This was BEFORE our two hours of drilling. I found out later that he was at the field every day of the year for any kid of any age to work out.
As for his career, after playing minor league ball, he returned to Columbus County and coached four state championship teams at Hallsboro High. He then moved over the Whiteville and won one more. Serious medical problems forced him to retire and he struggles with them today. But nothing keeps him away from the field and the kids.
By the way, there were seven kids that started and finished with the Pelicans team. All seven will be playing college ball this fall.

 

Passion

on the subject of passion (boys vs. girls) that reminds me of my dd's girls' tennis team this fall. During pre-season, the coach announced to all the players and at a parents mtg that he would be allowing and encouraging "challenges" at any time. That's where a lower seeded player can challenge a higher seeded player to a match for a shot at taking over the higher seed. This is supposed to keep all players playing at their "best" and thus maximizing the team's performance.
They are now about 1/2 way through the season and I asked the coach if there had been challenges. He replied that there had been none, that the girls seemed to be satisfied with their seeding and didn't want to "rock the boat".
catch my drift?

 

many more scholarships available for softball due to title IX

 

Don't Count Those Girls Out....

Girls and boys are inherently different. Marriage proves that to me almost every day of my life!

I would offer a few thoughts regarding the "passion" thread:

1.) There is a MUCH bigger talent pool in baseball than softball...fastpitch softball made its way to our area relatively recently when compared to how long baseball has been around. More boys than girls playing.
2.) In general, the coaches that coach fastpitch at the rec ball level and the most levels of travel ball have never played the game themselves. (there are exceptions, but that is a "generalized" statement.) Therefore, they can't relate/teach the game from a personal level.
3.) However, if a girl is truly talented and works hard to rise to the top of the heap, I sincerely believe her "fire" is just as strong as any boys that I have seen. In a lot of ways, the girls have more to overcome than the boys do to learn the game at a high level. For example, just try to find a "legitimate" hitting, pitching, or catching instructor in softball. There are very few of high quality. By contrast, there are ex-pro, ex-minor league, or ex-college baseball players that coach in just about every recreation program in NC. They're EVERYWHERE! Where is that in fastpitch???? I haven't found it.
4.) The PASSION and FIRE are just as intense in the young ladies at the high end....it is just a little DIFFERENT in the way that it is presented. My daughter and my son approach their sports differently, but the competitive natures of each is strikingly similar.

In short, passion for softball is a "learned" thing, once the young lady gets to the point where she actually understands the game. Passion in baseball is a little easier to develop, because of dads that played the game and the media (hundreds of baseball games on ESPN every day of the week). Softball players have to work a little harder to learn their passion, but it is just as intense at the higher levels as baseball.

To support my statement, just look at the Olympic teams. I would say that US softball puts out the best they have and are determined to win gold at every opportunity. I don't think the men can say the same. The men play for money....the women play for pride and passion...because there are very few multi-million dollar contracts in softball. In that way, I belive softball is a "purer" sport. The girls do it for love of the game. That, in and of itself, is the definition of PASSION!

That's my two cents.....any takers?

 

In my experience passion is in you or not, it can be brought to the surface thru learning and competing. As for mine she has more passion and drive than any one I've ever coached. Watch for her as she excels this year, 2009 grad, hopefully moving-up full time to 18U.

 

See what you started East of Raleigh

I really like this post a lot. Good job D3!!!

I believe the girls can be just as competitive and in some cases more. And passion may not be taught, but it sure can be nurtured or destroyed.

 

I remember in 1993 was on a high school team with an All-american who was 19 and too old to play legion ball. That summer before he began his div 1 college career, where he went on to be an all-american again, he played in Ohio on and AAU team. I had never heard of AAU except in reference to basketball. he was the only player from NC and the rest of the team was from all over the united states. There was no cost to the player and he was flown to meet the team wherever they played, (every player had the same deal). There were so few of these travel teams that they didn't play every weekend because even on a national level there weren't enough teams to field weekly tournaments. These tournaments were played in Las Vegas, Diamond Bar CA, Norman OK, Kissimmee Fl. These are the names I remember.

in the fall of 1994 I was asked to play in the 1st ever blue-grey classic held at Wake Forest University. There were 18 players from NC and 18 Players from the northeast. It was a three game set played over a saturday and a sunday. There was no cost to any of the players and looking back on it there were about 20 players who went on to play in the ACC, including five that went to Wake Forest.

For the next few years I played in college and a short stint in minor league baseball. I was unattatched from the whole travel ball phenomenon as it hit in the late 90's. from a distance I saw my legion team that used to be a state power house crumble as travel teams started up. I was confused to hear that these travel coaches were selling their programs by saying, "you won't have to play everyday like you do in legion." or, "we have three uniforms that are nicer than the old legion uni's." another coach told my little brother "If we win this amount of games we will take a trip to Florida."

when I got back into baseball and coaching around 2003 I was slapped in the face by how many travel teams there were. I was doing lessons with 8 year olds who were playing on travel teams. That was and is still so bizarre to me. ten years earlier when the five weeks of fall ball finished in the beginning of october I started playing back yard basketball and football to get ready for middle school and then high school try outs.

In 2004 I was asked by the owner of the facility I used to do lessons to start a travel team for them. He told me he would pay me 5,000 for the summer and fall and the hitting facility would still make several thousand dollars.

Around this time I was fortunate to get a college job and have been at the same place since. we certainly go to as many tournaments and showcases as our recruiting schedule will alllow. Most of the players we recruit are either seen at these events or we find out about them through some other way, like a coaching friend we know we can trust.

This is my opinion of travel ball from a coaches perspective. travel has become much like the low minors. Ask anyone involved with professional baseball and they will tell you.... there are about 1-5 prospects on each team throughout rookie league and the different levels of A ball. the rest of the entire team and leagues are fillers. These are guys who no one in the organization believes will make it to the major league team and they are just there for the prospects to have someone to play against. I was a filler and will admit, I didn't know it until I was released.

My point is that travel ball has become so prevalent and so many players are playing that there are usually 1-5 guys on a team that college coaches are truly interested in. the rest are fillers. it's a little harsh but we all reach a level where no matter how hard we try, we are mediocre for that level. It happened to me, it is happening to travel ball kids.

The only negative I can say for travel ball is there are too many kids who don't appreciate how much their parents are sacrificing for them financially and otherwise. they expect to be catered to and they expect the "gear" to be handed to them without a thank you. but then again, most kids nowadays are put on such a pedastal by their parents that it really isn't travel ball that is messing the kids up before they get to the college coaches. It's a whole new way of raising our children that doesn't fit well with being "soldierized" by college baseball coaches or whatever their endeavors.

I think if I was a parent I would make my kid play soccer till he was ten years old because it is easy at that age and good exercise. I wouldn't let him pick up a baseball until he was strong enough to throw it properly and I would spend every minute working on mechanics instead of results. If he stayed interested he would eventually grow into his body and become a solid player. I would encourage him to play football because it toughens up kids. If he was good enough to play baseketball I would love it because it is my second favorite sport. If I had the money to spend on anything I would take the family to europe to visit family in Germany.
He will earn the money to buy his own glove, batting gloves, helmet with weird flames, sliding pants, wrist bands, cleats, turfs, dri fit apparel, nike water bottle, and the bat would be a christmas present that he better never lose.....

 

A lot of good points, lefty, but this one stands out.

Sometimes I wonder how many potential great baseball players are lost out to other sports because of the financial aspect of travel ball, lessons, etc., etc.

Baseball is not a sport that you can put down for a year or so and expect to pick up where you left off.