This story from a Miami-area newspaper is a must-read, and there are so many head-shaking elements that it's hard to single them all out, and that's even taking into account that they managed to write a story about travel ball without mentioning Biscuit. Let's give it a try:
- An actual head coach of an actual team of actual 12-year-olds says "travel ball is as close as you can get to real major league baseball." Seriously, he said those words.
- One 12-year-old player has played for TWENTY-SEVEN different teams since 2010. I have to assume he got an even bigger RV with each team switch, and there is absolutely no telling what kind of peanut-butter-and-jellies they get on those teams.
- The chief executive of USSSA--the organization putting together the tournament we were supposed to play in this weekend (more on that in your email later today)--makes over $700,000 per year. The organization also has seven other executives who make six figures per year. This is the same organization that charges you $5 per head to watch your kid play baseball.
- One head coach wears a $24,000 championship ring. Similarly, Coach Sean was presented with a coupon to Burger King after Big Blue's tournament win in Mooresville.
- The story contains this sentence: "One 12-year-old player punched an opponent at the behest of his mother." And this sentence: "It's not unheard of for families to offer cash to coaches to put their sons in the lineup." I'll finish this blog post in a second. Right now, I have to run to the bank. What's the going rate for a starting spot for a catcher?
- The story contains this sentence from a parent, describing his child's baseball regimen: "It's not about just having fun. It's not. It's about going out and doing a job." The parent's son is 11 years old.
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