MLB General Discussion (Official Thread)

[DubCoffman62]

Yeah, that's why there aren't any in MLB anymore. Because it's so easy anyone can do it.

It's probably generally best to not try and equate Babe Ruth ball days to the current reality of major league baseball.

Also, the training facilities that kids have today are other worldly compared to back in my day. I developed my arm at home throwing against a pile of dirt. I developed my swing hitting off of a tee with the heaviest bat I could find. I used a pitch back, don't know if you remember those, to practice fielding ground balls and I would roll the ball off of the roof to practice fielding fly balls.

 

[Jaxbuck]

Also, the training facilities that kids have today are other worldly compared to back in my day. I developed my arm at home throwing against a pile of dirt. I developed my swing hitting off of a tee with the heaviest bat I could find. I used a pitch back, don't know if you remember those, to practice fielding ground balls and I would roll the ball off of the roof to practice fielding fly balls.

View attachment 77063

Oh god yes, those things were awesome.

As an aside, I went through all this with my son the past 10+ years and it really opened my eyes to the development kids get today vs our day. It's not even the same universe.

It's taught me to just completely disregard 99% of anything I was taught or absorbed or think we could do and these kids can't. They are bigger, stronger, faster and trained infinitely better by people who know what they are doing and what they are talking about.

Our rec league dad coaches and HS coaches were wrong on more than they were right about.

 

[DubCoffman62]

Oh god yes, those things were awesome.

As an aside, I went through all this with my son the past 10+ years and it really opened my eyes to the development kids get today vs our day. It's not even the same universe.

It's taught me to just completely disregard 99% of anything I was taught or absorbed or think we could do and these kids can't. They are bigger, stronger, faster and trained infinitely better by people who know what they are doing and what they are talking about.

Our rec league dad coaches and HS coaches were wrong on more than they were right about.

I had practiced so much by myself and developed mechanics/techniques that worked for me. I used to hit with a heavy bat and choke up about 2.5-3 inches, depending on the pitcher, I'd get laughed at my first time to the plate against a new team but the laughing stopped as they watched to ball clear the left field fence.

 

[heisman]

Oh god yes, those things were awesome.

As an aside, I went through all this with my son the past 10+ years and it really opened my eyes to the development kids get today vs our day. It's not even the same universe.

It's taught me to just completely disregard 99% of anything I was taught or absorbed or think we could do and these kids can't. They are bigger, stronger, faster and trained infinitely better by people who know what they are doing and what they are talking about.

Our rec league dad coaches and HS coaches were wrong on more than they were right about.

The investment required to play baseball at a high level over the last few decades is in direct correlation with the disappearance of black baseball players.

 

[Jaxbuck]

The investment required to play baseball at a high level over the last few decades is in direct correlation with the disappearance of black baseball players.

That has a big impact, no doubt but so does the popularity of basketball and football.

Kids have to specialize anymore to keep up, especially in a skill oriented sport like baseball or golf that requires constant work because those skills are perishable.

I see the OSU recruiters always talking about looking for "multi sport" players. Well if you look those multi sports are usually football, basketball and track. Sports where you can showcase yourself based more on physical talent than year round skill work.

Black players aren't gone from MLB but all kids from a poor background (including poor white rural kids) are going to be behind in it on average. There are always freak show outliers that can do anything but for the average human kid, baseball has long ago become like lacrosse or golf at the amateur level.

 

[DubCoffman62]

That has a big impact, no doubt but so does the popularity of basketball and football.

Kids have to specialize anymore to keep up, especially in a skill oriented sport like baseball or golf that requires constant work because those skills are perishable.

I see the OSU recruiters always talking about looking for "multi sport" players. Well if you look those multi sports are usually football, basketball and track. Sports where you can showcase yourself based more on physical talent than year round skill work.

Black players aren't gone from MLB but all kids from a poor background (including poor white rural kids) are going to be behind in it on average. There are always freak show outliers that can do anything but for the average human kid, baseball has long ago become like lacrosse or golf at the amateur level.

There's a park across the street from my house. Years ago it was in constant use for little league practice, pop warner football... no one uses it anymore. I never even see kids playing catch, throwing the football or playing soccer. Youth sport have become so highly specialized, as you say, that the average Joe Schmoe can't even sign his kid up for all the things we did back in the day. remember AYSO? Does that still exist> I have a friend from school that posts pics of her kid at his little league field. It looks like a Jr College field

 

[Jaxbuck]

I could go one for days on the specialization thing. It's really a mixed bag.

Yeah we all used to play multiple sports and all that but we didn't get the things kids are trained on today and the real issue is that "normal" athletic kids are in the same system as the freakshows. All this stuff is a feeder system to college and pro ball in whatever sport.

Look at how advanced college football is in passing now. Woody's old saw about you lose 1 game for every freshman you start is deader than disco. These kids have private coaches, 7 on 7 travel teams, high schools throw the ball all over the place...point being if it wasn't for all that training and specialization, CFB wouldn't be where it is now.

So now your own little Jimmy has to try and keep up and it's hard to even stay on top in 1 sport when kids are training year around, let alone multiple unless your little Jimmy is an elite athlete (and contrary to what most parents think-their kid isn't elite)

I can g one and on. I can see both sides of it and sometimes I felt like it sucks, sometimes I liked it but mostly I think it's overdone and we need to let kids go back a little more to just playing the game to have fun.