Well, we just finished our 7-8 year old coach pitch season, and we had a very rough go of it, most of our kids are 7 (as is my son) and it showed. They got better had fun, and now it is time for all star selections.... Why do I say that? Because you guys would not believe the politics that go on by parents to get their kids on the all star team, I have had mom's and dad's in my ear for the last 5 weeks talking up their kids. Yes, I am one of the coaches that votes on it. The funny thing is that there is big brewings in the 7 year old all star team, 2 other father coaches are arguing over whose kid should be on the 7 year old "A" team so that they can both coach. Personally, neither of their kids is "A" team quality, IMO.....so it is funny to me. Also, we pulled our son from consideration for All Stars as we did it last year and it went into July and we are not doing that again this year.....maybe next, but this year, we are going on vacation dang it !! Has anyone else experienced the jockeying behind little league before? I am floored by how much it matters to folks. I mean I care about coaching them up, having fun, and then the pizza and pool party....and yes, I try to win...but if they don't, they still get pizza and stars for their efforts. Just funny... BTW - my son dropped a fly ball tonight, he has to run laps in the morning.... I kid, I kid. DD
Heh, he probably would have made it, but I just don't want to deal with the whole shenanigans. There have been other coaches lobbying me for weeks as well, trying to talk up their friends kids etc....saying vote for me and I will vote for you....then I say...we aren't doing it this year.....followed by a blank stare and a "Why not?".....lol..... My youngest son loves all sports, and he has other fun camps to do this summer, he can avoid the 5 practices a week and 30 some games through the end of june.... He is 7, he has plenty of time to get serious if he wants to later. But man, I feel like I am a politician.......and for me, I vote completely on meritocracy....... Thank GOD it is a blind ballot. DD
Yep it seems it goes on everywhere. Thankfully my oldest is playing travel ball. lots less drama with that and he is having way more fun with it. My youngest is still 5 . His team this year was almost all 5's and played mostly teams with all 6's we only won one game but it is the same situation you had, kids got better thru the year and had fun. I don't expect to have any A team all stars and will probably only have 1-2 b teamers. I doubt my son gets it, although he was one of the better players on his team. I will not be upset either way, but I have seen too many times with my older sons group, many parents get bent out of shape with the selections.
Reject all of the politic-ing by the parents then capture that moment on a polaroid as they get rejected !
When I played LL, the players on the team voted at the end of the year for the 2 most deserving players from the team - coaches tallied the votes, and the 2 All-Stars were selected. Cut practice 15 minutes early, and have the kids vote in the dugout.
every kid I've known who is in an all-star little league has a parent who is 10x more into it than they are
“Success is the result of what sociologists like to call ‘accumulative advantage.’ ” One such advantage is the luck of a propitious birthday – being born at the right time. Gladwell notes the preponderance of winter birthdays in the Canadian Hockey League. That’s because the cutoff date for peewee hockey is Jan. 1. A similar skew occurs in American baseball: Because the Little League cutoff date is July 31, more major leaguers are born in August than any other month. With young boys, a few months can make an enormous difference in size and development – so the rosters are filled with older, bigger kids, “confusing maturity with ability.” These players get more practice, widening their advantage over those who don’t make the first cut. Gladwell rues the wasted talent that could be tapped if there were a pee-wee league for each half of the year.
Not much to add except another story of adults making Little League less fun for the kids: A few years back, my little brother had a heck of a season. Apparently, his little league All-Star selection was as follows: A player bank of around 15 or 16 was selected based on a combination of kid votes and coach nominations. After the bank is chosen, the all-star coaches will pick a team of 12, and the rest of the players, plus the next group of good players, are put on a sort of 'honorable mention' all-star team. Well, my brother made the all-star player bank, but wasn't selected in the final 12. This wouldn't have been a big deal, but due to a miscommunication between the two teams coaches, he (along with the other 3 players who didn't get picked) missed out on both teams. The league admitted the mistake, but did nothing to correct it. So, he had to sit at home all summer while kids who he was voted better than got to play on an all-star team. It sounds petty, but it was rough to see an 11 year old that disappointed, especially when it was all caused by a mistake.
all stars? at age 7? how allstarrish can they be? my kid just turned 8 and plays at the Y. They don't even keep score.
Heck yes, we had all star T-ball last year, and lost in the regional finals by 1 run.... It was nuts...double headers in 105 degree heat....Ridiculous. DD
I'm sure anyone else who played in WestU Little League can attest to this story of mine. I was always on the all-star teams or whatever going through little league, however, there were only 2 of us that were NOT coaches sons on the teams. If you were a son of a head coach of any team in the regular season, no matter how ****ty you were, you made the all-star team. It's stupid, the whole thing is politics.
I forgot to mention, at least when I played, they gathered these "all-star" teams from a very early age because they wanted to assemble their squads for the Little League World Series. I played with the same group of guys during the summer for about 5 years leading up to the little league world series age of all-star competition. The plan failed in an epic way however, we were pretty dominate until that age, but we were worn out when the time came and we were destroyed almost immediately.
You are right about the coaches son's etc......and I have been the assistant coach on this year's team and can see the dad's jockeying for position. We are actually going to be leaving this team because the head coach is burned out and cancels every other practice. So, we are going back in the draft, or I am going to take my own team. What should happen is the All star teams are selected by a group with no ties to any of the kids, a clear meritocracy.....but that will be a cold day in Hades. As for the burnout.....exactly the reason we are not doing it this year.....I mean so many good players are burned out by 10 or 11, because they play so much baseball.......sometimes it is just more fun for kids to just have a great summer doing whatever. DD
