High School Coaches ????

budman, nothing wrong with paying "a little" for instruction, but there are a couple of organizations in Charlotte trying to assemble "programs" that hook kids when they are 10 and keep them till they are 18 at $3000 a year. I dont' like it a bit. If the trend is to play soley club ball, you eliminate alot of kids with less money from participating. I don't wish to make a dime. I know as much about pitching as anyone in this city and volunteer my services when asked....and enjoy doing it.

NCBBallfan, I am not a profit basher. I am the biggest republican you can find and love free enterprise. Profit drives this country, but you and I both know that the local club programs hide behind "non profit" tax status and are trying to employ themselves by charging ridiculous amounts of money for a kid to play by scaring him that he will go unnoticed if you don't sign up. Lets not compare legit companies to aau/club baseball .

 

I still don't understand the conflict between Legion/AAU that has you upset. In North Carolina this year, the oldest age group that even competed in the AAU state championships was 15U. With college freshmen coming back to play this season in legion ball, those kids wouldn't have had a minute of playing time on the normal legion team.

You want to compete against the toughest competition you can find in order to get better. This isn't going to happen in rec ball. What are the options then?

 

first of all, no college player should be allowed to play Legion. I never understood that one. It just makes them worse. That is rare though.

second, my conflict is that AAU/club ball has crippled Legion ball. The best players now want to play for the Megastars or whoever instead of Legion ball now. can you not see that? anyway, the market will dictate all of this. If baseball is popular enough to spurn all these club teams..... fine, but I think it is unethical to scare panrents and kids into paying $3000 a year to "get noticed" so a few can make money off them, and that is happening.

 

Ok ... let's drop AAU from the discussion and call it "club ball" which is more accurate anyway, since these teams rarely play in AAU events.

The argument seems to be that "Club Ball" has diluted Legion ball. I don't think that "Club Ball" is the villain in this case. Recruiting budgets, Title IX, limited scholarships are more of the problem. The colleges/universities won't fund the baseball program to the point where they can afford to do their scouting at legion games. They are forced to "work smart" instead of "working hard". The Club teams play in tournaments where they can see lots of players at a single venue.

Since the colleges have changed they way they hunt for players, legion needs to adapt to the changing times instead of blaming club teams for the inroads they have made. Instead of having 1 legion game at a H.S. in West Hicksville and another in East Bumtown at the same time on a saturday, get all 4 teams to a neutral site and play a series of games. Make yourself attractive to the college scouts so they have a reason to make the drive. Let them see the best legion players from 4-6 teams at one place over a weekend instead of making the scouts catch 1 game a night and drive through the back roads to find the next town.

If you want something to get mad about, go read about Title IX. It has hurt more college baseball programs than anything AAU or club teams have ever done.

 

I agree with that 100%. I said above in another one of my posts that Legion should adapt better:

 

There is an intrinsic problem with Legion adapting to the changes. Legion teams also have to "break even". They do this through gate receipts and concessions. Moving games to neutral sites, involving multiple teams in a "showcase" type weekend, etc, hits these programs right in the pocketbook. With the loose organization of legion teams, the level of cooperation required to be competitive in the new marketplace is lacking.

Every team make their income some way or another. Legion does it at the gate. Don't look for Legion to change and adapt. They don't have the structure in place and the fan base that has supported them financially isn't going to be receptive to driving distances for the benefit of the scouts. Legion is just rec ball for High School. No more. No less.

Legion can't put the club teams out of business. They operate differently than legion and the method that they operate is a better business model for relating to the needs of their primary client (colleges and universities).

 

who stole my thread?...start your own about showcase vs legion...this one is mine

 

We did get way of task in this thread .... think we should split it??? (but it's been a good topic, regardless)

 

Naw..just kidding. This has been a good debate. I understand where metro is coming from. There are a number of (clubs) that rape the parents of their money...but there are a few that do an outstanding job. It's up to the parents to investigate their worthiness...but I'll say this..I won't invest in Daddy Ball unless we are talking Rec ball. AAU has exceeded it's use.

For the kids that have talent, showcase teams are the only way to go and even then, you must make sure who you are dealing with.

 

My only argument with Metro was his sweeping statement slamming all club teams. There are some bad ones, there are some great ones, there are a lot in the middle, but who do serve a purpose.