Travel Ball vs. All-Stars

[bkballfan]

This year in Little League, District 11 is proposing a new by-law that any player who is involved in travel ball will not be eligible for All-Star league play as well as any individual who manages a travel ball team will not be permitted to manage an allstar team. Good or bad?

[Gopher]

Good

I view All Star as somewhere between Rec ball an Travel. Why would a travel player want to take a step back? Now for the coach it may be a way of recruiting for travel. That's what tryouts in the fall are for.

[bkballfan]

I see what you're saying but what about those kids who love doing both and do want to represent their school district? Now you're forcing them to chose? I just feel maybe there is another way to address the issue.

[fbnut]

terrible idea. I don't really understand why anyone would even propose something like that.

[Jms]

What are we hoping to accomplish with this rule?

[Gopher]

What are we hoping to accomplish with this rule?

Probably trying to elimate having a "stacked" All Star team with all travel players competing against true All Stars.

[fbnut]

What are we hoping to accomplish with this rule?

Probably trying to elimate having a "stacked" All Star team with all travel players competing against true All Stars.

shouldnt penalize a kid or coach because they want to play more organized ball against better competition than most little league districts provide. if they play in the 60% of the games that little league requires you to play and you live in the district you should be able to play. what you do on your own time is none of your little leagues business. all a rule like that would do is hurt your little league.

[bkballfan]

Also I forgot to add. The 60% game requirement will go to 80% game requirement. I completely agree. The kids are being penalized if this rule goes into effect. I think all of this stems because Ironton lost in regionals last year because their #1 pitcher chose to go to Florida and play in the World Series. I believe it was 11/12 division. In my opinion travel ball will just make a player better due to the off season practice and reps.

[Jms]

And when this district 11 team goes to state do you think they will be competing against other "little league only" players.
I dont think so!

[fbnut]

Also I forgot to add. The 60% game requirement will go to 80% game requirement. I completely agree. The kids are being penalized if this rule goes into effect. I think all of this stems because Ironton lost in regionals last year because their #1 pitcher chose to go to Florida and play in the World Series. I believe it was 11/12 division. In my opinion travel ball will just make a player better due to the off season practice and reps.

80% rule is a little tough also. when you get to 11-12 age group you have kids running track, playing junior high softball. with those other obligations and one vacation in early june your done.

[LetsGoPSU]

How do you tell your 9 year old that they can't play all stars because you were trying to better them by putting them in travel ball. No parent that pays to play travel ball will choose all stars instead. What they'll end up with is a tournament of mediocre players

[Riverrat Tiger]

Bringing me out of retirement...LOL. 1st, I don't know of any rule yet that has addressed the travelball situation. I am on the Ironton Board and help with the district. This is something that goes on all over the state. I was a coach of the Ironton 11-12 girls that went to Ashtabula, and they see the same thing up there. Also, the Canfield and Tallmadge girls both had thier own travel teams, they just schedule around the Little League tournament to play for thier leagues at that time. We had more than 1 girl that played travelball, all but 1 went with us. And to be fair, the parents had already let us know that this could be an issue. Talking to some of the Tallmadge people, I believe they said they had played close to 100 games before they got there. They beat us 3-1 on 3 unearned runs (They finished 4th in the World and were televised on ESPN2). The problem that I see that brings about the most talk, was that the Wheelersburg Junior League won the district in a 2-1 game and then defaulted the State Game because thier players had travelball commitments. Why screw another team from moving on when you know you are not going to go on. Travelball is what it is. If you have the money, you can go to any "World Series" at anytime. Google whatever age group for a certain week and see how many "World Series" Tournaments come up. They hold these things everywhere and all the time. I see some people go to travelball tournaments and win games 20-0 in the championship........I have coached a long time, that is not competition, your team gets nothing out of that. I am sure there are some very good tournaments out there that travelball teams have some very competitive games. I personally have no problem with travelball. I coach Junior High, Little League and Fall Ball. I am sure there will be some discussion this year on this issue. But given what I know, the rule as stated above is a BAD idea. Travelball is here to stay and more teams will be added every year. Little League makes sure ALL kids get to play, not just the ones that shell out the money. To me, there has to be a way to coexist.

[fbnut]

Bringing me out of retirement...LOL. 1st, I don't know of any rule yet that has addressed the travelball situation. I am on the Ironton Board and help with the district. This is something that goes on all over the state. I was a coach of the Ironton 11-12 girls that went to Ashtabula, and they see the same thing up there. Also, the Canfield and Tallmadge girls both had thier own travel teams, they just schedule around the Little League tournament to play for thier leagues at that time. We had more than 1 girl that played travelball, all but 1 went with us. And to be fair, the parents had already let us know that this could be an issue. Talking to some of the Tallmadge people, I believe they said they had played close to 100 games before they got there. They beat us 3-1 on 3 unearned runs (They finished 4th in the World and were televised on ESPN2). The problem that I see that brings about the most talk, was that the Wheelersburg Junior League won the district in a 2-1 game and then defaulted the State Game because thier players had travelball commitments. Why screw another team from moving on when you know you are not going to go on. Travelball is what it is. If you have the money, you can go to any "World Series" at anytime. Google whatever age group for a certain week and see how many "World Series" Tournaments come up. They hold these things everywhere and all the time. I see some people go to travelball tournaments and win games 20-0 in the championship........I have coached a long time, that is not competition, your team gets nothing out of that. I am sure there are some very good tournaments out there that travelball teams have some very competitive games. I personally have no problem with travelball. I coach Junior High, Little League and Fall Ball. I am sure there will be some discussion this year on this issue. But given what I know, the rule as stated above is a BAD idea. Travelball is here to stay and more teams will be added every year. Little League makes sure ALL kids get to play, not just the ones that shell out the money. To me, there has to be a way to coexist.

in defense of that burg jr league team I heard they had the players to play the state tourney when it was originally scheduled, the state moved the tourney back a week after districts which created the problems

[bkballfan]

Riverrat you have valid points. I wasn't here to argue for either side. This was my first year involved in league and I've been approached to coach travel ball (still in the works) and I just felt like they are penalizing kids, forcing them to chose one or the other. My biggest concern is the change from 60% to 80% on game participation. What happens if you have a 14 game season, a player gets sick for one game, then goes on vacation for a week, misses two games? They're now not Allstar eligible. I talked some more yesterday and I've heard NOW that a player will still be eligible but if they are selected to Allstars they won't be able to play travel ball while holding an allstar roster spot. If that is the way the rule reads then I have no issue with that at all and I hope that's the way it will read because I would hate to see a talented kid not be able to represent their school or district.

[Riverrat Tiger]

As soon as I know something, I can post it on here. The 60% rule is a national rule, and I can't see that getting changed. The Playing on a travel team during all-stars used to be a rule. They changed it to "no more than 5 on the same team", and then they did away with it all together. I still think it comes down to teams winning the district and not playing at the State Level. fbnut could be correct on the date changing, but it seems I knew when the state would be in the Junior Girls division, because my daughter played for Coal Grove and I had a 10 year old boy going to play State in Bryan, OH the same weekend. We were trying to figure out who was going where, LOL. I know the 11-12 State dates changed 3 times after the district finals. As I said, I think they should be able to play both, but there has to be some kind of rule in place to make it all come together. I can tell you, up North, some teams have it figured out, some don't. But this isn't just a District 11 problem.

[RiverRatRay]

Isn't it true that the Wheelersburg team forfeited a game in the District due to travel ball. This should have been a red flag then that something like what happened then,could happen at the State level. Just my humble opinion.

[Catch24]

No, I don't believe that did happen? When and what age group River Rat?

60% rule will stay. I can't see anything changing, too many girls playing travel. To keep up, you have to.

[Redsfan]

Travel ball in this area is becoming nothing more than an extension of little league. If this would actually become a rule, little league would probably fold just like it has in most areas of the state. There are so many teams popping up that every girl that wants to play is on a travel team......it's not nearly as competitive as most would think. How many teams do u ever see in the little league state softball tournament from Columbus or Cincinnati? Zero!! That's because the girls that want to play ball don't even mess with little league and a lot of the silly rules. If the district is not careful this will happen to our area too. There are only a few districts left that even participate.....luckily we are one of them. Look it up, its the same teams every year....Tallmadge, Poland, Canfield, Elyria, Bucyrus and whoever our district sends (Usually Wheelersburg). So I say leave well enough alone, and just be thankful we still have Little League.

[fbnut]

Travel ball in this area is becoming nothing more than an extension of little league. If this would actually become a rule, little league would probably fold just like it has in most areas of the state. There are so many teams popping up that every girl that wants to play is on a travel team......it's not nearly as competitive as most would think. How many teams do u ever see in the little league state softball tournament from Columbus or Cincinnati? Zero!! That's because the girls that want to play ball don't even mess with little league and a lot of the silly rules. If the district is not careful this will happen to our area too. There are only a few districts left that even participate.....luckily we are one of them. Look it up, its the same teams every year....Tallmadge, Poland, Canfield, Elyria, Bucyrus and whoever our district sends (Usually Wheelersburg). So I say leave well enough alone, and just be thankful we still have Little League.

Good post

[ManitouDan]

Reds fan nailed it . 8-9 years ago when my daughter went to play travel ball for out of town teams and we ask about playing Little League also, we were met with confused looks by several other parents and ask " Whats Little League " ? 90% of Ohio doesnt play LL , dont screw up what the area does have with addt' rules. NOT speaking for myself but others consistiently state " thats why no one plays LL anymore -too many dumb rules" .