Just wrapping up a fun week in Cooperstown, NY. My 11 year old son plays on a pretty salty 12 year old travel baseball team and we all traveled to NY to play against 103 other teams at Cooperstown Dreams Park. This place is like Disney Land for 12U baseball. The kids live in dorms at the village where no parents are allowed.

We went 5 and 1 in pool play making us the 20 seed out of 104 teams. In the 1st game of single elimination bracket play we came out flat and got our butts kicked....lol, that's baseball. The kids and the families all had a blast....well maybe not the coaches that had to sleep on a single bunk in a dorm room with 12 kids all week long.

My boy had a great time and played some good baseball. He hit 2 bombs and pitched 4 innings of 1 hit baseball in our last pool game to secure a win and earn a high seed. Here are a few pics of my boy and the beautiful park.

Great stuff! Nice full turn and power L on the first hit, and it looks like he's throwing a splitter in the last pic.

What a great opportunity. Glad you guys had fun.

Nice shots Jim. Hard to beat youth baseball. or just baseball, in general.

quote:

Originally posted by ArtieS:
looks like he's throwing a splitter in the last pic.

circle change

Proud papa. Very cool.

quote:

Originally posted by ArtieS:
Great stuff! Nice full turn and power L on the first hit, and it looks like he's throwing a splitter in the last pic.

What a great opportunity. Glad you guys had fun.

That is a circle change. He throws 4 seem, 2 seem and a circle change.

Good on all ya! Glad you enjoyed the events and area. Cooperstown is a pretty place. Grew up not all that far away in Fayetteville outside of Syracuse. I first visited the museum in elementary school back in the '50s. My family had several donated exhibits about Honus Wagner, among others, I got to see. I still remember laughing at the Cardiff Giant exhibit and enjoying some rock candy. Been back a couple times but not in the last couple decades though.

Someone did a great job teaching your kid how to swing a bat, that's for sure. Great pics of great times.

I played a lot of baseball as a kid but there wasn't much available in organized baseball except on school teams. I would have loved to play on a team like that.

Jim

quote:

circle change

Thanks!

Excellent photos! You should be proud. Baseball was my life when I was 12.

My son is 11 and plays on a decent 11u team. They got bumped to AAA/Elite this year in GSSA. That’s the same as Majors in USSSA. GSSA has about run USSSA out of the central gulf coast.

That’s pretty cool to play in Cooperstown. My son has started throwing a slider/cutter this year. He also throws a change up from the same grip and lets it leak off his fingers towards his thumb instead keeping them behind it. Gives him a good off speed breaking pitch without the hard wrist break of a curve.

quote:

Originally posted by bald1:
Good on all ya! Glad you enjoyed the events and area. Cooperstown is a pretty place. Grew up not all that far away in Fayetteville outside of Syracuse. I first visited the museum in elementary school back in the '50s. My family had several donated exhibits about Honus Wagner, among others, I got to see. I still remember laughing at the Cardiff Giant exhibit and enjoying some rock candy. Been back a couple times but not in the last couple decades though.

We spent several hours at the Hall of Fame, I particularly enjoyed the Honus Wagner exhibit with his intact locker. The kids on these team are all pretty serious about their baseball and really drank in the history of the players they have all heard about from the past. It was a lot of fun to see it through their eyes.

A bunch of 11-12 year olds in a dorm with no parents. What could go wrong ?!

That’s pretty cool. I have a buddy who’s son plays travel ball. It’s a pretty big time and money commitment and you have to be good. Congrats to your son. Hope he makes it far. Or at least a college scholarship

Love the high socks look. It's a throwback.

I wish more kids would play baseball these days. It's what we played growing up.

At this age, I assume they do not let kids throw curveballs?

quote:

Originally posted by smithnsig:
My son is 11 and plays on a decent 11u team. They got bumped to AAA/Elite this year in GSSA. That’s the same as Majors in USSSA. GSSA has about run USSSA out of the central gulf coast.

That’s pretty cool to play in Cooperstown. My son has started throwing a slider/cutter this year. He also throws a change up from the same grip and lets it leak off his fingers towards his thumb instead keeping them behind it. Gives him a good off speed breaking pitch without the hard wrist break of a curve.

My son's team is 12U Majors, USSSA still dominates here in Texas but some other organizations are starting to move in and compete.

My boy is fortunate to have both above average velocity and great command. He throws both his 4 seem and 2 seem in the upper 60's and can work in, out, up and down hitting spots pretty consistently. He mixes in a good change up for the meat of other teams lineups but mostly just overpowers hitters with well placed heat. He has a very good curveball but I won't let him throw it in competition. My thought is that the longer I force him to win with velocity and location the better he will be at pitching later when it counts. I have gotten some pressure here and there from coaches to have him throw a curve. I just tell them if he has to throw a curve to pitch for you then just play him in the field.....he still manages to find his way to the mound, lol.

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:
Love the high socks look. It's a throwback.

I wish more kids would play baseball these days. It's what we played growing up.

At this age, I assume they do not let kids throw curveballs?

My kids both wear knickers pants all season long, some do some don't. At the Cooperstown tourney it's required and the uniform is part of the package. The kids each get a full blue uniform and red uniform and change based on home team vs visitors for each game.

As to the curve balls, it's a controversial subject obviously. I have seen kids as young as 9 years old throw them in games. My boy does not. My 14.5 year old just started throwing one. He made it all the way through 13U travel ball pitching successfully without one.

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:
Love the high socks look. It's a throwback.

I wish more kids would play baseball these days. It's what we played growing up.

At this age, I assume they do not let kids throw curveballs?

I was going to comment on this exactly. Glad to see a proper uniform.
It is not throw back. It is how they are supposed to be worn. None of these parachute ghetto britches that are being worn by many today.

I loved me some baseball growing up. I sure hope my boys go down that path.
Luck Dad you are!

If anyone is interested in peeking in, the championship game for the tourney is streaming at this link. First pitch should be any minute.

http://www.dreamsparktv.net/Ga...&GameType=Tournament

That looks like a great time.
These are the good years you are experiencing now.

Son played on a traveling team, never made it to Cooperstown, but that and midget football and 5th & 6th grade basketball were the fun times.

High school sports were ok, his college sports were ok, but those little guys...fun. Enjoy and be proud.

Jim, glad you and your son got to experience the whole "field of Dreams" experience. It truly is a blast. We went in 2010 when my son was 12u. After qualifiers we were seated 6th out of 114 with a 6-0 record. Was pretty cool given kids from other teams would come to our games to see "the team from Florida". We made it to the semi's where we collided with the Dear Park Express out of Texas. Big boys who absolutely crushed baseballs. They handled us and then were clobbered in the championship game. I hope you don't mind, but since I have a ton of pics of the week, I thought I'd share a few.

My son pitching Greg Maddox style. He lives on crazy off speed stuff and then paints the corners occasionally with a fastball.



Mine backing up the play at second. And yes, this guy was out. Logan the kid making the play for us is currently a pitcher on the Stetson team (19-0) prepping to play North Carolina in the NCAA Super Regional.



Boys at the Hall of Fame with the first group inducted.

Not all, great pics!