r/LittleLeague

TLDR: is there a fence option that can be put up and taken down in 20 or so minutes that will protect our infields 6 days a week?

Our league has spent just over a hundred grand in the last two years redoing our fields. We have erected a temporary chain link fence just past the infield dirt trying to keep kids off our infield so they don't ruin it. (kicking dirt onto the grass, ebikes etc) So far kids hop the fence daily to play or retrieve lost soccer balls.

This soccer seasons our outfields will once again be used by Soccer for practices and games on Saturdays. There is no soccer on Sundays.

We will have to limit our Fall program by a couple hundred kids if we do not have access to the two fields.

We are looking for ideas to protect the infield, but allow us to play games Sundays.

Thank you!

My son is moving up to machine-pitch baseball this fall, so it’s time to get him his first hardball bat. Do you guys have any recommendations on brand and size?
Right now he swings a 25” drop -12 Easton Hype Fire for tee ball, and he’s about 4’¼” tall.
Personally, I really like the feel and grip of the Warstic Bonesaber, but I’ve also heard great things about the Rawlings Icon and the Easton Hype Fire. For those of you with kids in machine pitch, what would you recommend?
Also, would you stick with a 26” drop -10, or is 27” -10 a better route ?

I am considering volunteering to be an assistant coach for my son’s team in the upcoming season. I never played high level baseball as a kid, only Little League, and quit at the age when the switch to the big field was being made. My knowledge of baseball is solid, but still learning more of the technical coaching details of the modern game. For example, when i was a kid, they told us to watch the ball and make contact, they didn’t tell us we were casting the bat and swinging wrong.

Trying to determine if i am qualified to be an assistant coach. I did volunteer as dugout manager this past season and i ran some of the warmup drills before games so did a little coaching.

I’m genuinely curious how others would handle this situation.
Our league sent two 8U teams to a tournament, and we ended up playing each other in the championship game. During the mandatory coaches/umpires meeting before the tournament, it was made very clear that coaches were not allowed to adjust the pitching machine’s height or velocity. If there was an issue with the strike zone, both coaches had to agree before the start of a new inning and agree on the pitch placement before processing the inning.
During the championship game, multiple people noticed the opposing coach adjusting the height of the machine on several occasions. It always seemed to happen when the umpires or tournament officials were distracted (after a foul ball, when the umpire was hit in the mask, etc.). Our coach challenged it during the game, but the concern was dismissed.
We also have GameChanger video showing the machine being adjusted, so this isn’t based on speculation.
We’ve brought our concerns to our league because, regardless of who wins or loses, everyone deserves a fair game played by the same rules. However, it seems like this may not be addressed.

So what would you do? Would you let it go since the tournament is over? Would you send the GameChanger video to district or Little League leadership? Would you continue pushing your local league to address it internally? Or would you simply move on and hope it doesn’t happen again?
I’m honestly looking for advice. This isn’t about trying to change the outcome of the championship. It’s about making sure the rules are enforced consistently so every team has a fair opportunity moving forward

This year is the first year our little league has run a summer 8 selects team (typically we have 11/12 all stars, 11 selects, 9/10 all stars, and 9 selects).

My son tried out, was ranked 4th in the tryouts, and made the team of 14. I'll start by saying I realize that summer select ball is going to be different than the regular season...that the batting order may not be continuous, that players won't spend equal time in the infield and outfield; however, what's happening seems to be quite unfair, and I'm not sure if its appropriate to politely address or not.

My child always sits first, so ends up in a group sitting ​the most, and bats 13th every game, so ends up with far fewer at bats than the top of the order. If it was based on performance, I would understand, but in game changer (I also think its insane to have public rankings for this age group, but it is what it is) my son's batting average is 7th and the coach's son who bats 2nd is 11th. My son's fielding is #2 on his team, and yet the coach's son and his hockey friends consistently get to play coveted positions like first and catcher.

If my son was oblivious, I wouldn't really care, but unfortunately he's pretty bummed. I told him it was okay to gently advocate for himself and ask if he could have a turn playing catcher, but he was quite sternly told 'if you ask to play a position, you dont get to'. I dont want to rock the boat, as we've had awesome experiences during the regular season each year and baseball remains my children's favourite sport, but I dont really look forward to the games and leave each one just feeling kind of sad for my son. And again if decisions were based on performance, it would be easier to allay his disappointment. Any advice?

Im at the point where I've already put in for my son to switch teams. This is his 3rd year and he's on 10u.

This year has been horrible. Before, it seemed equal. This year, nothing but favoritism. The catcher, pitcher, basically the entire in field but one kid. And we have done nothing but LOSE! It no point have they thought of switching up the line up for hitting or positions. My son has only been RF. Im so ready for the season to be over.

watching the local all star infield drop throws that hit their glove, bobble ground balls (if they even get their glove down), throws from SS to 1B end up over the fence. look up the worst kids on the team they are all coach’s kids and are permanently planted in the infield. occasionally someone will make a good play and you look it up on GC and there’s a 50/50 chance they are either a random kid or on the coach’s travel team.

I would not care at all if they were honest. I’ve coached and it’s hard and hot and I’m not going to sit my kid on the bench or corner outfield all game every game all practice every practice. if they would just say “the 4 coach’s kids are in the infield, all other kids will sit the bench and rotate outfield” then we could decide if we care or not about “committing” to random mandatory practices that show up on the calendar the day before (scheduled around the coach’s travel team) so we can sit and watch mid tier LL players make errors.

or before making everyone commit just tell us the coaches name and which travel team he coaches and open up the GC stats. it would take 2 minutes in GC to see how this all star team is going to be coached.

instead we got a long drawn out email and meeting about how we‘re here to WIN and everyone will be in the BEST position to win. followed by the exact opposite.

at least it will be a short season.

So will Little League line up with the 9/1 cutoff like the rest of the fastpitch world or continue to be an outlier? At some point this has to hurt LL softball participation.

This is my first year managing an all star team. It has been BEYOND frustrating. My LL director has bascially taken a hands off approach. Originally we were suppossed to start on the 26th, that got moved up to the 22nd. I did not find this out until a parent saw a post and informed me. I sent an email to the director and asked if I missed a communication about the change, the response was "Oh they change things and expect us to notice." He then proceeded to not do any of the paperwork to get us registered until the Friday before the the first scheduled game. I find that odd but maybe it is usual.

Now to today. We were suppossed to have a double header today to decide the winner of our area. The league decided to cancel due to weather and an "umpire shortage." They have now moved the games to tomorrow and the second to later in the week. The issue is many of my families planned trips around the original schedule we were given. They are pushing us very close to the report date for State and in addition due to the change 2 out of 3 coaches cannot come to the second game and I am not sure half the team can make it.

Not looking for sympathy and I know some people will probably tell me this happens to them every year but know I am wondering if I was selected due to how well my team did during the season or if the other coaches didnt want to deal with the headache.

Trying to get a jump on the fall Little League season, because I know they're going to ask me to coach. I've only coached at the 7-8 yr old level, which was player/coach pitch. My son is now 10, and in his last season before majors (12u), and at least one coach is leaving.

Does anyone have any 2-hour practice plans they can point me towards? I have a few ideas from watching for the last two years. I've got Cal Ripken's book. USA Baseball has some good stuff on the app. Ron Polk's Baseball Handbook is awesome, but a little more advanced than the typical 10u level (unless I get a crop of baseball fanatics, which is unlikely).

Coaches, what are some of your favorite resources? I like to look at lots of stuff, and there is plenty of time, so the more the merrier.

My son just finished with his Majors all-star team and we are considering 50/70 with LL. I've heard mixed reviews on this LL division. Really don't want to get into travel ball but feel like I may have to if LL Intermediate is as weak as I've heard. What's your experience with it?

Been in PA Districts and States for the past 4 years. Our local district has always had shenanigans when it comes to the 12-man roster rule.

Every team has 12 kids rostered, but some only show up with 10 or 11 players for almost every single game of District Pool Play and elimination games. The exact same teams for all three years (10U, 11U, and now 12U this year) have had 12 players on paper but always show up with 10. The same 2 kids on their roster have literally never appeared in a box score.

Do other districts around the country see this kind of stuff, or have you experienced this during your time in tournament play?

My son plays 11u LL here in Texas. The all star coaching staff has said for years there is a bias for our team. Our team is lower income by numbers but in a gentrifying part of Houston. It was heavily Latino and is now about 60/40 Latino.

We play travel ball too, so don’t play every spring but played this one.

I wouldn’t have believed it had I not seen it with my own eyes. Umps calling strikes when our batters had to jump out of the way. Calling strikes at the ankles. Calling straight up the middle pitches as balls.

Not even the opposing team knew what was going on. Umpires even questioned multiple time outs called by our catcher as to “why they were needed.”

We’ve only played this league for 6 years and I don’t have the historical understanding of what’s going on….. but it was incredible to actually see it happen.

And when the game was over, the coaches on our team weren’t surprised and told us, that’s how they are every year.

Do better LL.

I am curious about the cost of lighting two of our fields. Can anyone give me a ballpark on what it would cost before I get to far down the line?

Just want to see if it is remotely feasible or not.

One of our coaches said it would be over a million, a coach a league over said they did it for 55k. Someone is very off.

LL Rulebook under Tournament Organization / Playing Equipment says:

>Every member of the team must wear a conventional uniform which includes shirt, pants, socks, and cap. This may be a regular season uniform.

One league in our district spends pretty big on their regular season uniforms, and their dads love them. So they cite this rule and have their 12 kids show up for tournament play wearing four or five different uniforms, depending on which regular-season team the players were on. So the pitcher has on a Dodgers jersey, the catcher has a Rangers jersey, etc.

My interpretation of the above rule is that it's intended to allow smaller leagues with one regular season team to not have to create two sets of uniforms for exactly the same kids.

If the kids are wearing different things on a field, that's not a uniform, right? Just an outfit?

I'm not about to protest a game or anything over this kind of thing, but it's bugged me since they started doing this a couple years ago, and our district folks don't seem to care, evidently. AIO? (Probably)

My son plays 10u. Before the game the the boys usually play catch. My son is usually stuck in right out field.

With that being said, the boys who play infield typically will only play catch with each other and exclude the out field. Which would be fine if the outfield practice together, but one boy is typically late and the other will just sit on the bench. Today I had to tell my son to get his baseball and tell the boy to come practice with him. It did not last long, the boy eventually went back in the dugout and sat down and wouldn't come back out. Which left my son just standing there. And if im being honest, my son definitely needs the practice catching. I guess im looking for things he can do alone for catching as a warm up.

I’m currently coaching a 9U travel team for the summer. 80% of the kids on the team have never played anything beyond rec ball and coach pitch. After about 15 practices we had our first game this week and I’m so proud of the kids. They actually pulled off a win!

However, I’m having trouble with one kid in particular. In practice and games he is a constant distraction. He does whatever he wants, he sits around in the middle of drills, takes his has and glove off and kicks them around. He talks back to the coaches when getting instruction and is constantly causing disruption in the dugout. He throws balls up against the fence, bangs bats on the bench, kicks anything that’s on the floor, knocks other players hats off and can’t focus. I do feel bad for the kid, I’ve seen his father interact with him and he’s constantly yelling at him and threatening him. It’s gotten to the point where we’ve had to speak to the father about his own behavior near the field, let alone the child’s. I’m at a loss for what to do at this point.

He’s the smallest kid on the team but he does have some athletic ability. In the rare moments that you can get him to focus he can actually hit, he’s one of the fastest kids on the team and has a good arm, but it takes an incredible amount of effort and patience on everyone’s part to deal with him and his fathers personalities. Any suggestions?

For the sibling waiver, do both the older and the younger siblings have to have played continuously to maintain eligibility through the waiver? (For example, if younger sibling plays every season but the older sibling decides to play one season with their zones league, could older sibling re-join younger sibling at some point?). And do they have to play both fall ball and spring ball with that league to be considered “continuous”? I read through the LL regs but am still confused….