Baseball Knowledge Base Article Summaries

LL Draft Plan--points, please - Jeff T (length=401)
The system IS allowed under LL guidelines. The system we use is achived below. Players and their points remain with their teams, as indicate ...

Buying "Victory" at Season's End - Coach Bob (length=1682)
Gerald, you have touched on a sore point with me, so I MUST wax philosophical for a moment if I may. Our League (LL) provides trophies for t ...

Need suggestions for building up a working membership in our league - Jon Toner (length=2647)
Boy does this sound familiar. First of all, recognize that YOU CAN NOT DO THIS ALONE. A lot of folks think they can, and they work ...

Selecting Coaches - Paul Faubert (length=930)
We do it a little differently, but not much. We only allow the manager into the draft room-as a matter of fact, managers aren't permitted to ...

League Format - Dave Kreiss (length=1666)
Our league is much like Splitters allowing only 10-12's in Majors except that good 10's go quick, fast, and high in our draft since you get ...

The political side of little league - Jon Toner (length=2369)
Politics in your local Little League?! Who'da thunk it? 1. The only solution is to replace the instigators of this situation. Don't believ ...

What About This? - Coach Bob (length=903)
Our program here in Houston is a combination All-Play and LL. We are LL affiliated (won the state tournament several times), but each player ...

Why send a 10 yr old to majors? - Jon Toner (length=1621)
I've had this questions asked of me dozens of times... Questions to consider: 1. Is my child capable of playing at the higher level? Sto ...

9&10 yr. old Minor "A" Div. - Kathy (length=1376)
Hi Sal, I coach 9s &10s on a select team. The house league here is 5&6yo coach pitch- 5 pitches then hit off tee if they don't hit the bal ...

9 year olds trying out for major leagues - Paul Faubert (length=2593)
I was in the same boast when my son was 9. He was good enough to play with 12's, but our league wouldn't even allow him to play with the 10' ...

9 year olds trying out for major leagues - coach jim (length=548)
my local little league park will not allow 9 year old players to try out for our major league program even though all other parks in my city ...

9-10 11-12 SPLIT VS 9-12 - Gordon (length=347)
Great idea , as long as the kids get to play. Developement, is another way of saying being taught something. If you can teach the kids, your ...

AABC vs. AAU Expanding on an earlier discussion - Kerry (length=1811)
I was interested in the discussion on LL vs. AABC vs. Pony. I am also experiencing all of this for the first time. My son is older than his ...

ALL-STARS - Gordon (length=749)
Major Div. ages are 9-12 pg. 5 1999 L.L. rule book. For the purposes of All-Stars, the ages are 9-10 & 11-12 . That's up to state level. Tou ...

Age limit for Jr. League"Let the Flames Begin" - Walter Kiriaka (length=820)
1: I'm also from Canada and our District has a rule in place that a Major Player can go up and play Junior to replace missing players, so th ...

Age limit for Jr. League - Gordon (length=469)
Jo, here's the answer to your question.Majors ages are 9-12, Minors 7-12, Now any on that's 10 yrs. will more than likely be on the 9-10yrs. ...

Apples and Oranges Comparison - Travel Team Funding - Al (length=1267)
Rich, I don't think the cost comparison is valid. In one case you have a league that I assume is open to all players whereas the other is ...

Canadian Insurance - Walter Kiriaka (length=324)
I better expound a little on the Insurance. The player insurance also pays for the doctors and hospital so that the Tax Payer doesn't get th ...

Canadian Insurance - Walter Kiriaka (length=337)
I'm under the impression that LL Canada has an insurance Broker that most of the Leagues in the Country buy into. More Leagues the cheaper i ...

Canadian Insurance - Walter Kiriaka (length=570)
Yes, you are quite right Doctor and Hospital visits and some physiotherapy sessions are covered. The Insurance that we have for players is ...

Freezing Teams - GS (length=1783)
That's ridiculous, and I'm glad to hear something was done about it. But, I want to say that I'm not putting down coaches... I have the u ...

Ideas for Best, Flexible, LL Age Brackets - Randy Dykstra (length=2641)
My suggestions for LL are to allow overlap at every division to allow for the player who doesn't fit the "norm". I like three year spans wit ...

LL vs. Pony vs. AABC - Dave Kreiss (length=2171)
Danny, everyone grew up with LL. Todays world is different. Sounds like your on top of things asking these questions at his early age of 6. ...

LL vs. Pony - Charles W. Swenson (length=481)
If the LL is a good league, or as good or better than the Pony I would stay at LL. The reason is pitching and catching. At the age of 12 and ...

LL vs. Pony - Kendric (length=1740)
To say that Little League is the lowest form of youth baseball only shows the lack of understanding of the originization. Cathers are not ba ...

My 2 cents worth... - Randy Dykstra (length=3546)
Our baseball club actually encourages participation in both travel and rec up through 12 yo. The benefits to the travel players are they get ...

Need suggestions for building up a working membership in our league - Gary (length=2865)
I have been in your exact position with a similar size league and here is what I did. First I sat down and made list of all areas and tasks ...

Playing on 2 teams??? - Al (length=1290)
The situation you mention (club soccer and baseball) is one that I am now facing with my 8 year old son. I'm hoping it can be largely solv ...

Playing on 2 teams??? - seadog (length=1244)
Steve, You sound like a parent or coach of aselect team player.Part of me agrees with you because I know how dedicated this kid is to the ...

R U READY!!!!! - Manager SWB (length=2709)
We had our draft in mid Jan, and have been practicing for three weeks. I have one 7yr, a couple of 8yr, two 10yr, two 11yr, two 12yr, and th ...

Rules for All-Stars - TJ (length=1759)
Rick, Do not agree with you perception, but understand what you meant about some coaches and their promises. However, Two Exciting O ...

Select teams playing within Pony Baseball - Randy Dykstra (length=1769)
My son played for both a Bronco team and a "Select" travel team this year. The Bronco league ran it like a 'normal" league... 8 teams with ...

Travel players dropping down to play in Little League Tournement - Randy Dykstra (length=1944)
I've heard both sides now.... You wouldn't believe the grief and names the travel players and teams are called when we do go and play trav ...

Travel/Select/Rec League Discussion - Jeff T (length=2200)
I guess the 30 yr old memories of "this date in history" have gotten your jet propulsion cranked up. (hey, I was 8 and lived 15 miles from t ...

Tryout standards and evaluations - Randy Dykstra (length=2869)
The way you pick your team depends a lot on what your goals are for that team. The pros run tryouts and the first thing they do is time e ...

What is the perfect team size? - Al for MRD (length=2529)
We had this discussion going before I brought down the site twice in as many days. I believe team size is the single most important issue ...

What is the perfect team size? - Coach Scott (B) (length=3824)
Regarding the issue of team size, twelve is the minimum legal team (Little League of America (LLA) rules). I lost a player, dropped to eleve ...

Why Send a 10 Year Old to Majors - Fred (length=1583)
Lets reverse your questions and ask what would your 10 year old gain if he didn’t move on? Experience in how to dominate? Dominating is v ...

ADVICE - RICHARD (length=1380)
Thanks for the advice and Kathy I think the word is preconceived. But anyway,Paul we are strictly an 11 yo team. Since I am the commis ...

All Star Selection - John Horne (length=701)
My son plays in the Babe Ruth League.We play around 25 games per regular season including pre and post season touraments.We are not allowed ...

But... - Paul Faubert (length=1415)
It doesn't have to be that way. If the leagues select the manager early enough and allow him to select the team, they can develop as a team ...

Database - Paul Burris (length=775)
The League Assistant Software is MS Access based and quite thorough for Doing league administration. I am using MS Access to "build" my own, ...

Draft Question - Randy Dykstra (length=631)
From what I know about your situation... a lot of kids play two leagues.... Do you have property players??? or complete re-draft?? If comp ...

GAMES - Coach Scott (length=529)
PRESEASON: None scheduled but coaches may arrange them among themselves. REG. SEASON: 21 games (Majors) POST SEASON: {City Tourney} ...

League Fees - Randy Dykstra (length=885)
Our league and most LL in San Diego are similar..... $75 for 20 or so.... games, hat and shirt....Majors provides pants but they must be r ...

League Scheduling - Paul Burris (length=844)
For the 2nd year in a row, I've been saddled with the "opportunity" of helping with our Little League Game Scheduling. The software used by ...

League Structure - Paul Faubert (length=1781)
Wow-lots of questions!! Welcome to the board. 1. Is your league sactioned? and by which sactioning body? And why do you feel that th ...

League Structure - Tony (length=3295)
I am responding only after reading one response to your post. But judging from the tone of the post the other responses must have been inter ...

Little League & Travel Teams - COACH MOLLY (length=449)
WHY PUT UP WITH ALL THE HEADACHES OF LITTLE LEAGUE WITH ALL THE SPECIAL RULES THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE GAME. PLAYING TRAVEL BALL IS ...

Little League & Travel Teams - Coach Dunne (length=1343)
Dear Jeff: Thanks for the reply. I was specifically refering to a certain "coach" who was kicked out of a rival league (probably for doing ...

Little League & Travel Teams - Coach Dunne (length=2156)
Paul, I read with some amazement concerning your article regarding the advantages of playing "Travel Ball" over playing for a Little ...

Little League & Travel Teams - Former LL Coach (length=1012)
Let's face it - LL is a monopoly and the majority of those who run it do not want any competition from another baseball organization. But th ...

Little League & Travel Teams - Jeff T (length=1673)
Let's see: 12 year olds playing on 60' bases, 46' mound, and not leaving until the ball reaches the batter, or....REAL baseball, in some cas ...

Little League & Travel Teams - Kevin Mahoney (length=1799)
I speak as a parent who has 2 boys in LL and a daughter who plays both house and select softball. Question? How did these kids become so goo ...

Mandatory Play/Subsitution Rule - Randy Dykstra (length=1307)
Actually the minimum play regulations in 99 does not say "consecutive" see reg IV (i)......but due to the re-entry rule...3.03 (2) the start ...

Nail on the head - Paul Faubert (length=1561)
Coach Bob hit it squarely. I believe that any LL, Babe Ruth, etc. program is strictly rec. ball and should be treated as such. Let's face it ...

Need drafting rules help fast - Randy Dykstra (length=1465)
Reference: Pages 60-62 of 1999 LL Operating Manual.... There are basically two Drafting "Plans" described in the Ops manual for majors. ...

Now You Wrote It "Keep Getting Better"......Go For the GOLD & Start It! - Bear (length=1352)
Jon, Your passion on and off the field is evident. However the 'timing' may be disconcerning. Jon, your ability to "Keep All A ...

PS-Making Changes - Paul Faubert (length=1579)
I fogot to add a few things. No girls? Where are you guys playing Saudi Arabia? I didn't know it snowed there. I have no daughters, but ru ...

Pledge to Amreican Public - Bear (length=1961)
Jon, there IS "a win-win in there" there IS NOT a "but after watching the league be on the losing side all pre-season, I just want a ...

Selecting Coaches - Coach Mike (length=534)
Currently we are allowed to go into the draft with a manager and up to 2 coaches. Our board is looking a changing this rule to not allow thi ...

Selecting Coaches - Gary (length=1419)
Here is the system we have used for a few years with good success. Managers (Head coaches) are selected for teams based on attitude and g ...

Selecting Coaches - Jon Toner (length=1184)
"Redshirting" (ie: doing an end-run around the draft by having the parents of the best players agree to coach with you) is a problem in most ...

Selecting Coaches - Neill Riddell (length=293)
Gary, we use the identical system and things have always gone well for us. It balances the two important issues at play he(i) team parity; a ...

Selecting Coaches - Ron Sewell (length=1515)
Here is our system. It works better than any I have seen. We used to have a system much like Jon Toner stated. The managers are selected by ...

Selecting Coaches - Steve (length=571)
I guess we're a little tyrannical in our league. We do not protect any coaches. The only kid guaranteed of making a team is the manager's so ...

Starting Travel/Select Teams - Jeff B (length=1017)
welcome to the club Mark. I think the first thing you have to look at is can you get 11 to 12 parents;not players;to go along with ...

Travel team player "contracts" - Paul Faubert (length=1271)
I like the idea of player contracts. It allows you to spell out exactly what you expect from them as well as what they can expect from you. ...

Turnaround in Maryland about 5 yrs ago. - Bear (length=1340)
Overall Numbers did decline around the turn of the the decade. However in the past 3-4 yrs, more kids are playing more games ye ...

UNRULY PARENTS - Paul Faubert (length=1535)
We've suspended people from the diamonds, but usually as an action they have taken when a coach, not a parent in the stands. I am against su ...

UNRULY PARENTS - Tony (length=1310)
The title of the post is UNRULY PARENTS, but in the original post and Jon's post I see the word father alot. Let me tell you that I have had ...

We told you so... - Paul Faubert (length=1130)
If you can recall when you asked about vacating your spot as President, most of us here urged you not to. When I considered resigning last y ...

all-star/house level play - Jeff T (length=653)
In L.L. sanctioned programs, you have a certain date that the all-star team can be announced. The leagues in our area (NC), all end the seas ...

declining numbers of players, why? - DanL (length=1193)
I think our main reason is soccer. Many of the kids, if asked, say baseball is boring. Especially for the 9-10's who, unless they are really ...

declining numbers of players, why? - Jeff T (length=668)
I vote on the increasing politics that are going on in leagues: personal vendettas (especially if you are a proven winner); increasing contr ...

declining numbers of players, why? - RICHARD (length=1168)
I agree with every reason posted so far. The on missed however is the expense of playing baseball. In our area, inner city Phila., the ...

redraft youth players - Jeff T (length=3125)
We draft in the same age groupings when they first move up and players remain on the team both years. We conduct the drafts different for ea ...

Allstar team for 7-8 years olds??? - Kathy (length=1782)
Why is it that this country has become so worried about being PC and the fact that someone might get their feelings hurt if they aren't pick ...

Does anyone have a code of conduct written up? - Randy Dykstra (length=3107)
post your email and I'll send you a WORD version with formatting etc... This was put together from many sources and modified by myself...< ...

Draft and Re-Draft - Kristy (length=1175)
That says alot about you as a coach. Our team is in a similar situation but there are several teams in our league that are the exact same. ...

Drafting of Eleven and Twelve Year Olds into the Little League Majors - Ron (length=1163)
Howdy All, I am a Little League coach and board member on Bainbridge Island in Washington State. I coached in our Intermediate League las ...

Irregularities in Coach Selection Committee - Ron Peltier (length=1459)
Hi Guys, I am a member of our local LL Board and also on the Coach Selection Committee. Our Chair has appointed a special sub committee ...

LL Elections, quorum - Jon Toner (length=2157)
Having been through some of this a few years back (ironically enough, the year I was trying to LEAVE the Presidency of our league)... 1. L ...

Lightening - Kenneth Bean (length=1580)
Hi Darrell Like most Leagues, Ours threw together a "written policy" right after a SCARE! Lightning struck close enough to give everyone ...

Looking for more answers. - BBN (length=7470)
Scorekeeper, It sounds like the league is: Kinda, Sorta, Goin through the motions...No energy....No Expectations....No Life.... Probab ...

Looking for more answers. - Scorekeeper (length=9158)
Let's see if I can say this without sounding like I'm putting down youth players. Your observation about the narrowmindedness of the paren ...

Looking for more answers. - Scorekeeper (length=2415)
Yank, Thank you for the response. When I 1st read it, I quickly reacted by thinking how wrong that was. But when I re-read it, I noticed ...

Looking for more answers. - Scorekeeper (length=3700)
You have hit it right on the head. About 5 years ago we had some people running the league who gave it every ounce of energy they had. Becau ...

Making it fair Part Deux - Walter K (length=1917)
Had a Meeting with 2 Coaches from Team A (Stronger Team) and 2 Coaches from Team B (Weaker Team), brought in the executive with the League D ...

Making it fair - Kenneth Bean (length=1604)
Hi Walter I've been out of pocket and come in kinda' late here, but just a thought or two: I'm all for an annual draft. It's proven to m ...

Making it fair - Ron Peltier (length=4515)
Hey Walter, I helped coach a pretty good Intermediate League team last Spring, made up mostly of kids who had all played together the ye ...

Making it fair - Walter K (length=1228)
I have a problem that I am hoping the good people of this board can help me with. This is a problem that isn't specifically Baseball but can ...

National Database - Scorekeeper (length=2024)
Just to begin, if its in Access I quit! LOL! The "scorekeeper's rulebook" is a great idea really. Personally, I use rule 10 in OBR and fin ...

New League Director:Some Questions - Al (length=1589)
Neill mentioned that he thought the software offered on this site handles scheduling. It doesn't. I have looked at trying to implement a sch ...

Practice Organizer - Darrell (length=1314)
I am President of our local youth sports organization; we offer baseball, soccer, basketball and wrestling. In that role I have attended ...

Straightening Out Local BOD's - Dave Kreiss (length=3082)
In the old days a typical baseball community just turned over facilities and resources to a group to run a LL. Like other sports, todays you ...

THE NEXT GENERATION - THE COACH (length=2198)
"Just exactly what rules are these that do so much to “disadvantage” the “serious and skilled” players anyway? And what is this “disadvantag ...

THE NEXT GENERATION - THE COACH (length=1051)
I recently went to a housewarming for a player I coached when he was 12. He had played 4 yrs of college as had many of his friends in attend ...

THE NEXT GENERATION - THE COACH (length=6064)
Just minute after the last post I came across this article from a Louisiana newspaper.Appropriate? In Oak Grove, too much baseball can lea ...

THE NEXT GENERATION - THE COACH (length=2158)
Neill Riddell Kids do not need baseball to have fun. Having fun is their job. They are very good at it. If there were no baseball, they wo ...

THE NEXT GENERATION - THE COACH (length=1885)
SK Actually, there were rules that "preclude the parents from working with their children? I think not!" Four teammates came over to my ...

Too Young - Splitter (length=5583)
Most of the problems I get being a player agent that fit into this catagory are from the players (parents) that have not picked up the skill ...

What about the other kids? - Kathy (length=1127)
What about the other kids. If a child doesn't make the All star team it's their own parent's job to encourage them... to help them find thei ...

help - ernie (length=1035)
I have a question ,our 9yr old division didn`t have enough coaches for the division so I was ask if I wanted to manage a team and I said yes ...