Sad day, 12 year old baseball is over

[berettafan]

Well the boys team had their last game on the small field yesterday. they had a great run and came just short of a state championship. the loss was sad but the reality of no more 'kids' baseball is tougher. 60+ games a year on the 50/70 200' fence fields is gone forever. now we move on to MLB sized fields. Literally MLB sized. DOUBLE the distance to CF wall. 13 year olds looking to make the same plays guys like Machado and Jones make. I've watched a few 60/90 games in the 13-15 ages and my lord are they nowhere near as fun. as one of my sons coaches puts it they are 'way less Ra Ra Go Team'.

Growing up i guess. Acne and smelly pits and muscles. and teen angst. oh the angst! dingers became commonplace. we had a great team both in LL and travel and great crowds at games. We played with wonderful kids and families. Truly had an awesome experience over the past several years and as a dad I'm going to miss it terribly. it just doesn't appear to be the same from 13 on up. fortunately the boy is excited to start hitting with bbcor (ie near wood performance) and seeing what he can do on the big diamond. sadly though the funnel gets much tighter and many friends we've made over the years will slowly fall from the ranks. our boys will have to fight just to stay in the game. the reality of eventually having to drop the sport looms for everyone.

I am so grateful to the coaches and league volunteers who have donated their time over the years to provide such a great experience for our kids. Even the travel coaches are essentially volunteers who just love the game and want to stay near it and share it with kids. youth baseball doesn't have the draw of football or even soccer but it has been a wonderful sport for our family and has taught my son so very much about life, confidence and hard work. i can't imagine what life without youth sports would be like particularly in present times.

[Scott Douglas]

I can almost remember those days.
I was disheartened when my son told me he was done with playing soccer once he reached high school. I was really looking forward to seeing well played soccer and he was just starting to grow then too.
Instead he said he wanted to play baseball. He'd played both coming through the youth leagues.
Baseball turned out to be a good choice though, so I'm not too upset with how things turned out.
I know what you mean about the loss of friends though. We had some good times sitting in the stands with the other parents.

[Scott Douglas]

oh, and don't worry, the boys will grow into the bigger field faster than you might expect.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by Scott Douglas

oh, and don't worry, the boys will grow into the bigger field faster than you might expect.

True.

But nothing beats the intimacy of 60 foot base paths...for spectators and players alike.

It sounds like your family has had a good run behind them with more to come. Great stuff BF.

[berettafan]

you got that right.

LOVE the 50/70 field and wish LL could find a way to get the 11/12s on it. open bases, time for infielders to make plays, 4 more feet for batters who get stuck facing 60-70mph pitching. All the intimacy (great word btw) of the LL game but REAL baseball that brings good catching and good baserunning into play.

[berettafan]

couple pics for interest. sooo much fun!

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by berettafan

couple pics for interest. sooo much fun!

Is your son the Catcher?

Best position in baseball. I outgrew it but it was my first love.

[Scott Douglas]

Gotta disagree with you Seahawk, pitching is where it's at.

[berettafan]

Catches and recently started pitched. He has been yadi-esque behind the plate the past two years. Worked with some great teachers and has a fearless drive. Pitching has caught his interest though. Has hit 70 as a 12u but still a bit raw since he's only been pitching for about two months.


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[berettafan]

Scott everything I see on the black team screams serious talent. Pitcher mechanics, short ready, prep step in outfield, catcher has knees out of the way....awesome all around!


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[Seahawk]

Wow.

I sincerely hope they all have a safe and pleasant baseball journey. I had the time of my life...played over 40/50 hardball just because.

[Scott Douglas]

That (black shirt team) was a fun team to watch play the game. They went to CIF qtr finals if I remember correctly. Son's senior year of high school. He didn't start pitching seriously until he got to high school. Angel's drafted him 23rd round out of high school on a draft and follow type of deal. He went to SDSU on an academic scholarship instead and was kind of a walk on for Tony G. Those were good times.