OT: My nephew's buddy ball team finishes 15-0!!!

[cincyreds]

Last night, I had the honor of watching my nephews buddy ball team end the season undefeated at 15-0!! LEAGUE CHAMPIONS!!

They busted out the T-Shirts(which I thought was kind of funny) that read "BOMBERS, 2003 Buddy Ball League Champions!!" He got a trophy in which he was very proud of to get and so was I.

I am so proud of him, he has come along way. I will say he is not the best player on the team, heck out of the 12 kids on his team, I would say that he is probably the 11th best player on the team.

But I have to give him some credit. In the first 10 games, he only had 1 hit in probably 2 dozen at bats. But in the last 5 games, he really blossomed and gets at least 1 hit for every game. One game, he even goes 3 for 3(all singles) but still very much improved. I think he will be much better next year, he is only 7 yrs old.

But anyway, I did get a chance to see them win their last game 20-6, in a game that was pretty much a blowout. The 2 games before this one, they played against what many had claimed to be the 2 best teams in the league. They won game 13 12-9 and squeaked out game 14 18-17! (Whew!) This one was a stress buster!

I just thought I would share this with you guys! Any of you have any kids or relatives playing ball?

I mean 15-0 is an incredible feat for 12 7 and 8 yr olds to put up, I would think.

[Cards4ever]

At 7 and 8 they shouldn't be keeping track of records and just play for the fun of it. What you describe is scary more than anything else.

[cthomer5000]

Originally posted by Cards4ever
At 7 and 8 they shouldn't be keeping track of records and just play for the fun of it. What you describe is scary more than anything else.

agreed. championship trophies and t-shirts for 7 year olds?

edit: spell check

[cincyreds]

I kid you not.

The closing ceremonies were as follows:

Each coach, assistant coaches were announced followed by each player for each team.

Once all team players and coaches were announced and were aligned around the infield, each coach came to the pitchers mound and announced their most improved player. The player would come forward and receive a special award.

After that, trophies were handed out to the 1st and 2nd place team players....the only exception was that my nephews team got T-Shirts with all the players names on them, with the front proclaiming their championship for the 2003 buddy ball league.

It was a pretty cool ceremony, but I can see where as you say Cardsfan as this sounding, "scary".

But I guess this is where it all starts....and how things have come to be today in our sports world.

[Marmel]

What is buddy ball?

[cincyreds]

Buddy Ball is where the coach of each team pitches to their own team while the other team is in the field., some call it a Farm League.

Marmel, was the "F" bomb really necessary?

Now my thread is tainted with profanity.

[Calis]

hell, we always called it Coach Pitch...little easier to understand. Frigging buddy ball.

[detroit_fan]

In the "sdrawkcab" state of Arkansas we also call it coach pitch. Buddy Ball? That doesn't sound right for some reason.

Congrats anyway. My son played on a coach pitch team that also went 15-0 a couple of yeras ago.

[cuervo72]

Hmm, back when I was in little league (that age group we called it the 'Pony' league), kids were pitching to themselves at 7 & 8.

[bbor]

No offence to you guys that don;t think there should be winners and losers in kids sports...but uhh.....WTF??

I understand you don't wanna hurt any 7 YO feelings..but lets face the fact...Life is a gqame of wins and losses...the sooner kids learn this lesson the better.Kids will forget if they won or lost the minute they get their drinking box after the game.

Trust me i know...i have been coaching 7,8,9and 10 YO in hockey for 10 years,and they are more worried about getting the last grape juice after the game rather than what the score is of the game.It is usually the parents who are the ones worried about the score of the games.

[cincyreds]

Here in the good ol backwoods of Mississippi, the league is referred to as the following...

Coach Pitch
Buddy Ball
Farm League

All 3 I have heard parents call it here. But Coach Pitch does sound better than Buddy Ball.

I agree with bbor, you're exactly right.

Right when the game is over and when they go and tell each other "good game", they run through the "human tunnel" with screams and yells of, "alrights, good game, that a boy and way to go guys".

Immediately after they run through the human tunnel they charge straight for the drinks and snacks. No lie! They get one of those "juice pouches and two snacks"

And they could care less about playing another game when they get them too.

[Cards4ever]

Originally posted by bbor
No offence to you guys that don;t think there should be winners and losers in kids sports...but uhh.....WTF??

I understand you don't wanna hurt any 7 YO feelings..but lets face the fact...Life is a gqame of wins and losses...the sooner kids learn this lesson the better.Kids will forget if they won or lost the minute they get their drinking box after the game.

Trust me i know...i have been coaching 7,8,9and 10 YO in hockey for 10 years,and they are more worried about getting the last grape juice after the game rather than what the score is of the game.It is usually the parents who are the ones worried about the score of the games.

I never said that you shouldn't keep score, it's the records and the trophy and t-shirt deal that are the sad thing.

Kids should be playing for the fun of it, not for a trophy.

Tell me bbor, who are the better players when they get to be HS age, the rink rats, the ones who like to go play skinny every chance they get, or the ones who go through the system and never play hockey outside of the structured system?

[Kam]

No offence to you guys that don;t think there should be winners and losers in kids sports...but uhh.....WTF??

This is an issue that I have a strong opinion on. I have volunteered as both a coach and as a referee (in both soccer and basketball), but this story is coach related.

I was coaching a co-ed U-12 soccer team. I had coached many of the players the year before as a U-10 team and we dominated our league. Well as U-12's I decided that we would play as a travel team and play better teams (I oversaw the creation of the soccer league and thus was able to make such decisions).

Anyways, my philosophy is that everyone plays, as long as you give me 100%. I had at least one very good player who never showed up for practice, thus he never started and was the last player off the bench. My goal was to teach the kids how to play, not to worry about winning.

One of the players who came to every practice was an 11 year old girl named Kristen. I had been coaching her for over a year, and she was inherently afraid of the ball. When the ball would approach she would attempt to curl up in to a ball. After a lot of coaxing she began to lose her fear, but only at practice.

Anyways, we were playing in a rather large tournament in Des Moines (Iowa), and we were WAY overclassed. The opponents, who were officially a U-12 team all seemed to have beards and stand about 6 feet tall. My players were all 5-2 and weighed 85 pounds, including Kristen.

We are in the first half of the game, down by a few goals, and Kristen was on the field, when she got hit by the ball. Not only did the ball hit her, but as it did, the crowd went silent, the other team immediately sat down (as appropriate when a player is injured) and the referee started to call for the ambulance.

I ran out to her and she wasn't crying. I thought the worst. The ball had hit her leg and it left a mark, or rather, it left an indentation of the ball on her leg. But she wasn't crying.

I asked her if she was okay. She looked at me, and nodded. I helped her to sit up, and told her that we would carry her to the sideline. She shook her head, still not saying anything.

She then hopped to her feet, looked at her leg, and said to me, "Hey it left a good mark."

I wasn't sure if I should laugh or if she was in shock. She refused to come off the field. Her father said that was fine, and so I left her in.

A few minutes later the ball is coming towards her and instead of curling up in to a ball like before, she went after the ball, and the humongous guy dribbling it down the field. She stuck her foot out, stopped the ball, and took the ball away from him. She then turned and started dribbling down the field. A First for her.

Later in the game, she scored our only goal. That injury was a turning point for her. She was no longer afraid of the ball, the ball had tried its hardest to hurt her, and she realized that she could handle it.

For the rest of the season, she was the second best player on the field and scored one more goal (we scored VERY few goals that year, and only won our last two games, out of about 12.)

Anyways, the point is, she started the season 11 years old and not a good player, but she tried, and so I let her play.

And I was there to witness her breakthrough. I was there to cheer for her and be excited when she stopped being afraid of the ball. If I had been out to win, she would not have played.

But instead I gave her a chance to overcome her fear, and thereby she not only became a pretty good player, but also learned to have more confidence in general.

I refuse to tell young kids that they are not good enough to play. I refuse to believe that young kids need to learn how to win or lose.

I believe that there is time enough for that when they get to high school. Until then i believe you need to encourage children to try their best.

I am sure Kristen's experience was not completely unique, but as a coach I know that I was a success. I helped her feel better about herself.

[BillyMadison]

They shouldn't be playing for fun... they should be playing to win.

If you want to play for fun play with your friends, its called pickup ball... at 7 years old they can handle losing, its part of life... they need to cry when they lose their first ballgame... its the experience, and the competitive nature.

Let the kids live. They want to win, so let them try.

[bbor]

Originally posted by Cards4ever
I never said that you shouldn't keep score, it's the records and the trophy and t-shirt deal that are the sad thing.

Kids should be playing for the fun of it, not for a trophy.

Tell me bbor, who are the better players when they get to be HS age, the rink rats, the ones who like to go play skinny every chance they get, or the ones who go through the system and never play hockey outside of the structured system?

Cards....Sorry..i did'nt meant to jump down your theoat...i agree about trophies...most kids take them home and they are dust collectors.....

On your second point...i think that EITHER one of those players could make it,and i've heard bout it being done.Ithink the greta thing about sports is that there is no set pattern to get to the big leagues.

You have players from all walks of life..who have come from all different directions from all over the world...it's amazing.

Kam...GreaT JOB ...I love to hear stories like that....i have a few of my own....All the kids on my rep hockey team play...even amount of ice time...no matter hwat....Power play short handed...i don't care..the next 5 kids up hit the ice and that's it.I have had parents come to me and say i am fair to a fault...well...if this is the worst thing i do while coaching...i can live with it

[tucker342]

Originally posted by Cards4ever
At 7 and 8 they shouldn't be keeping track of records and just play for the fun of it. What you describe is scary more than anything else.

Agreed, but congrats to your nephew's team!

[cthomer5000]

Originally posted by BillyMadison
They shouldn't be playing for fun... they should be playing to win.

If you want to play for fun play with your friends, its called pickup ball... at 7 years old they can handle losing, its part of life... they need to cry when they lose their first ballgame... its the experience, and the competitive nature.

Let the kids live. They want to win, so let them try.

Kam - great story, and you completely capture the essence and purpose of youth sports.

Billy- I disagree. I think at an age that young sports are not about winning or losing, but are instead lessons about a lot of very important life skills:

• overcoming fears (examples such as Kam's above)
• working as part of a team (self explanatory)
• trying your hardest (self explanatory)
• teaching dedication & discipline (coming to practice when necessary, trusting teammates to do their jobs, etc)

I think the worst thing that happens is parents with a "win at all costs" mentality getting involved in coaching youth sports. It can ruin the experience for many children involved.

[sterlingice]

I gotta second all the other people who have coached. I coached a little league team of 2nd-4th graders in baseball and it should definately be more about having fun and learning about how to play than about winning. Kids aren't nearly as sure of themself as adults and you really don't want them to have their confidence crushed.

SI

[GoldenEagle]

Originally posted by cincyreds
Here in the good ol backwoods of Mississippi, the league is referred to as the following...

Coach Pitch
Buddy Ball
Farm League

All 3 I have heard parents call it here. But Coach Pitch does sound better than Buddy Ball.

I agree with bbor, you're exactly right.

Right when the game is over and when they go and tell each other "good game", they run through the "human tunnel" with screams and yells of, "alrights, good game, that a boy and way to go guys".

Immediately after they run through the human tunnel they charge straight for the drinks and snacks. No lie! They get one of those "juice pouches and two snacks"

And they could care less about playing another game when they get them too.

Cincy,

If the team is dizzy dean (i think yall play that down there) and he gets selected to the all star team, then they will go to Snowden Grove Park in Southaven.

Snowden Grove is the best youth baseball park in the country, bar none.

[GoldenEagle]

Dola

You can check out ssmsports.com for some photos

Snowden Grove has 17 fields, 2 ponds and its own gift shop.

[Easy Mac]

I think we have to look at this from 2 different perspectives.

As a kid, I wanted nothing more than to win. I hated to lose. Perhaps all kids weren't that driven, but even at 7&8 I still played to win. Even then I knew I had to practice to win. And yeah, I never played coaches pitch, I must have missed the places that did that. Never had a pitching machine either.

Now as a pseudo-adult and occasional coach, I find it more important to teach the kids the game. I coached a season of soccer my junior year of HS, coaching 10 year olds. It was the first time there was a season for soccer in my town, and I decided to coach. I'd say 12/15 kids had never played before. I didn't care about winning, I just wanted to teach them how to play. I don't remember how many games the team won (I think we were 2nd?), but I remember having a kid on my team who was autistic and would just stand in one spot, not even moving when the ball came near (all kids had to play half a game). I do remember the one time he kicked the ball, because I saw him smile.

I think the older you get, the more you realize its just a game, and the less important winning becomes... still, I want my future kid to have trophies. If he loses, he's out of the family.

[cincyreds]

Thanks GoldenEagle for the info about Snowden Grove Park, the pics look pretty awesome!

My nephew won't be an All-Star this year, but 4 kids on the team have been selected to play on the all-star team.

There is this one kid named, Lee Ogletree, an all-star he is 8 yrs old and he is probably 5'8 right now, he has a natural 1st baseman's body. He his 3 HR's this year over the fence. The kid has got talent, plays good defense and swings with some authority.

You never know, the kid could end up being major leaguer! Now woudn't that be something?