Showcase or Travel Baseball

What does it matter if teams are called showcase or travel? I once heard Andy say "Showcase SHMOcase" stating that his Impact Baseball Dirtbag teams were not showcase teams. Anyway to me all of these are BASEBALL teams serving a purpose of one kind or another. Some of these teams could be considered great, fantastic, super duper, elite teams and some could be considered weak, awful, ugly, daddyball teams.

Hey maybe they all resemble MLB where you have the Boston Red Sox and the Washington Nationals. I do not see what the big deal is!! We should all be happy that there seem to be opportunities for all levels of talent or lack of and in the meantime many many people are having a good time on weekends.

Now if anyone wants to form an ELITE league of teams/players give me a call as I would like to umpire a game or two!!!

 

I think "Showcase" is more of a "tag" that has stuck over the last couple of years....just as way back when when my son's team broke away from the "rec leagues" his team was refered to as an "AAU Team"....then USSSA, AABC came into the picture and everyone started to call themselves a "Travel Team".

I think people like the idea of saying their team plays "showcase tournaments" thus making them a "showcase team".....

I agree...no big deal, call the teams what you want...the important thing is we have more kids playing than ever and it gives us something to do on the weekends other than the "honey do" lists.....

 

How about an Elite drinking team? The joining fee is a case of brew - the better the brew, the more starts you get. Last one sitting at the table wins. I think that's a team we can all be proud of.

(you too, lurker)

 

Bonsway.....I like your style!!!

 

Coming to your neighborhood soon

This is what will happen real soon. Impact will have invite only events and AP will control the recruiting in North Carolina......(As most believe he does now) I don't know and really don't care either way.

One problem I see with the "Showcase ball" is the supporting cast gets left out. Sure the Levi Micheal's of the state are going to get what they deserve as they should, but how about the kid that is not quite up to that level. It seems they are the ones that get left behind when it comes to getting the attention. Sure the coaches want the easy signee but what about a kid that may need a little bit of help? Where will they fall in the equation? Maybe a new thread about the supporting cast would be a good one. Most people know about the big names but there are only one or two on a high school team so maybe we can give credit to the little guy. The kids that round out the starting nine. As somebody once said the big name will get you there but you need help to win it. The new roster limits have put an end to calling the coach and committing so playing in front of scouts will be a new premium. Wonder how much it will cost to play on one of those Elite teams in the future? Just some random thoughts!

 

NCbsbller....I hear what you are saying but I think you can get into a situation where "Everyone makes the team and everyone gets a trophy"....there are always going to be players that are cut above and then the rest of the team....this doesn't mean the "rest of the team" can't play at the next level.

I agree with you on the supporting cast, we have had many threads on TBR where the "unknown player" and "not the well known superstar" is promoted......

There are teams out there now where the cost to play is unbelievable, but there also teams out there that offer scholarships or charge nothing at all.

 

Why thank you!

 

I think the term "Showcase" is rooted in the structure of the event...it is typically not a tournament where the winner advances in a bracket format, rather it is an event to showcase the skills of individuals, giving rise to substitution patterns that allow more players to be seen, rather that just playing to win/advance. But now it is the hot thing and more "regular" teams are signing up to play so seeing the elite status of showcase teams requires a trained eye. The Invitation-Only format is the ticket for restoring the highest level of competitive play amongst the best teams and best players (the original intent of Showcase). There will still be lots of venues for everyone to play, but there also still needs to be a place where the best hitters will be consistently challenged by the best pitchers, the best pitchers will be challenged by the best hitters, the best catchers challenged by the best baserunners, etc........all controlled masterfully by the best umpires, of course!

 

Blue...are you awake today??

Now this could be a big problem as according to the fans there are no best umpires in the state!!

 

However,

if there are no scouts,college or otherwise present, it seems to look like glorified rec ball. Talent or not?