The Official 2021 Summer Ball Thread

#727
#727
td23 said:
While you're there go by Cruze Farms and Pick me up some ice cream, please. It shouldn't take long to get to Texas!!!
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If I could think of a feasible way to get some Cruze Farms out to TX, I would do so!

Side note: my kids were placed on the Blue Jays for little league and were disappointed until I reminded them about Cheese playing for the Jays, then they were quite pleased!
 
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#728
#728
Volprofch05 said:
If I could think of a feasible way to get some Cruze Farms out to TX, I would do so!

Side note: my kids were placed on the Blue Jays for little league and were disappointed until I reminded them about Cheese playing for the Jays, then they were quite pleased!
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Very nice.
 
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#734
#734
td23 said:
I'm on board with the Homemade Vanilla!
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Td, I forgot you were in Texas.

I'm in the Houston area. If you are anywhere close to here, let me know if there is anything I can do to make life eaisier as you continue your fight.
 
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#735
#735
txbo said:
Td, I forgot you were in Texas.

I'm in the Houston area. If you are anywhere close to here, let me know if there is anything I can do to make life eaisier as you continue your fight.
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Thanks txbo, I'm on the other side of Beaumont in a ton called Orange. Maybe we can meet when Tennessee comes to Houston? I'm all good.
 
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#736
#736
td23 said:
Thanks txbo, I'm on the other side of Beaumont in a ton called Orange. Maybe we can meet when Tennessee comes to Houston? I'm all good.
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I know where Orange is. I frequently pass through there on my way to Lafayette as I have business interests there.

How did y'all fair with the hurricanes last year? There are many communities surrounding greater Lake Charles that are still a tragic mess.
 
#743
#743
I have not watched it but even in the highlights, he is throwing too many curve balls/sliders or whatever they are calling his. As a leftie with control, he does not need to throw that many but ESPN and LL are making kids do it glorifying those who do. I don't watch LLWS anymore because the umpiring is horrible and the strike zone is really bad. Plus almost cruelty the number of curves they throw.
 
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#744
#744
preacherman20 said:
I have not watched it but even in the highlights, he is throwing too many curve balls/sliders or whatever they are calling his. As a leftie with control, he does not need to throw that many but ESPN and LL are making kids do it glorifying those who do. I don't watch LLWS anymore because the umpiring is horrible and the strike zone is really bad. Plus almost cruelty the number of curves they throw.
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Should a kid that age be throwing a curve at all?
 
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#746
#746
preacherman20 said:
I think you can begin to teach a 12 year old a version of it that does not tweek the elbow. The problem is that most coaches and players see the result and continue to use it regularly.
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Preacherman, I'm guessing you'll know this: Would it be better on the arm or worse to teach a 12 yr old kid to throw a change-up?
 
#747
#747
txbo said:
I know where Orange is. I frequently pass through there on my way to Lafayette as I have business interests there.

How did y'all fair with the hurricanes last year? There are many communities surrounding greater Lake Charles that are still a tragic mess.
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Came out ok.
 
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#748
#748
Change-up but the problem with a change-up is many of their fastballs are being held at 12U just like a change-up. Their hands are so small that they are already putting a lot of skin on the ball. I teach a grip that moves but no spin of the wrist or torque on elbow. How you hold the ball will cause some movement which is all you need at that age. As a leftie, everything should already be moving so no need to add stress on the arm. I also worry about how many pitches this kid has thrown. Supposedly he has thrown 4 complete ball games in 2 weeks. More than any of our guys did in a 2 week period. It has become win at all costs in LLWS. ESPN has made it something I don't want to give my time to. LL has a place but the LLWS and playoff runs has taken it to another level with the ESPN coverage.
 
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#749
#749
preacherman20 said:
Change-up but the problem with a change-up is many of their fastballs are being held at 12U just like a change-up. Their hands are so small that they are already putting a lot of skin on the ball. I teach a grip that moves but no spin of the wrist or torque on elbow. How you hold the ball will cause some movement which is all you need at that age. As a leftie, everything should already be moving so no need to add stress on the arm. I also worry about how many pitches this kid has thrown. Supposedly he has thrown 4 complete ball games in 2 weeks. More than any of our guys did in a 2 week period. It has become win at all costs in LLWS. ESPN has made it something I don't want to give my time to. LL has a place but the LLWS and playoff runs has taken it to another level with the ESPN coverage.
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8 years of lurking and this post is what brings me out of the shadows. Judging by the tenor of your posts, you are anti Little League and pro club baseball. That's fine. But be factual. LL goes to great lengths to protect young arms. Throwing 85 pitches every 5th day from 46 feet is not stressing a 12 year old arm very much. And your comparison is a college pitcher throwing from 60"6" and routinely throwing over 100 pitches? Please. At least compare apples to apples. The rise in Tommy John surgeries in young pitchers can be traced DIRECTLY to the surge in club teams and travel ball tournaments. Don't believe me? Listen to the experts....

Teen Tommy John surgeries, youth sports injuries reach epidemic proportions

Have you never seen bad umpiring in weekend tournaments? I sure have. And those guys get paid very good money per game. The LL guys volunteer their time. Have you never seen overzealous club coaches with a win at all cost mentality? I sure have. And it is much more prevalent than in Little League. Want to see a BUNCH of curveballs? Spend a weekend at a 9 year old club ball tournament. Can't go this weekend? Go next weekend. Or the next. Or the next. They play multiple games every weekend. If you want to talk about overuse, lets start with 6-12 year old kids playing 60-70 games a year.

It almost sounds like you are jealous because ESPN chooses to broadcast the LL World Series but not the 45 different travel ball "world series." You might try watching these kids play (if you are actually not watching). They are insanely skilled and enjoyable to watch. They play with a joy very rarely seen in the sterile travel ball tournament world.

Lovely virgin post. Having lurked here for a long time I know what is now coming. I will go put on my flak jacket LOL.
 
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#750
#750
I'm not anti-LL because forever I believed it was the purest form of baseball for youth. I still think that local LL plays a vital role in youth baseball. I also believe that most travel ball coaches abuse kids when it comes to throwing and what they throw. So you have read me wrong. I don't think youth baseball should be televised on ESPN at all because it leads adults to make decisions to prove their manhood that affects kids' futures. Kids will always want to throw as many pitches as they can and will throw the crazy stuff that normally hurts their arms. It is the adult's job to keep it from happening. But when you glamorize a kid throwing 4 complete games in 2 weeks and 6-8 games in a 3 week period you are part of the problem with youth baseball and I am not talking about you, but ESPN and their commentators. The player in question threw to two batters in one game at LLWS and none of the pitches went over the plate at all and they were called strikes with several of them being 8-10 inches off the plate which is unhittable at that level with the size of the players and length of bats.
I'm not anti-umpire as I have called 4 LL state tournaments and 3 southeast tournaments. But I quit when I was told that we had to start calling pitches 8-10 inches off the plate and open the strike zone up to arm pits and below the bottom of the knee because they wanted the game more watchable. My answer is teach the kids to throw over the plate. I've never questioned the ability of the kids playing at LLWS but I also know that most of them are not the normal LL players. They play enough to be eligible and most of the big time groups that are there don't have a legitimate LL organization and are just travel kids playing as LL, been there talked to the kids at Southeast tournament and investigated it.
Apples and apples is true because a 12 year old throwing from 46 feet as hard as they can and with the curve balls they are throwing is just as stressing as a college guy or more because the college guy's growth plates are closed.
You read way too much into 2 sentences. I spoke on my distaste for bad umpiring, which is not the umpires' fault but is pushed by LL, and most of them are paid just not in money by LL Also the fact that due to ESPN coverage coaches are throwing kids too much and with too many curve balls and ESPN commentators are glamorizing it. I'm pretty open so you don't normally have to read into what I write. Glad you joined the conversations.
 
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