Popularity of Softball in your state, gaining or losing?

[undergroundga]

Here in So. IL. softball is booming. Every year there are more and more teams and tournaments.
Of course travel is the main division of the sport that is growing, but I don't think that it's cannibalizing rec programs like in most areas. Yes, numbers in rec programs are dwindling but that is more due to poorly run programs, growth of other sports, and economics. Most of the girls in my dd's age group(12u) and younger that play travel ball also play in their local rec league. sure there are a handful that don't but most play both.



On another note, I'm just a coal miner and have no clue what a white nationalist is?

 

[BobInMadison]

(snip)



On another note, I'm just a coal miner and have no clue what a white nationalist is?

Not a phrase I invented, or use. Just what some folks call themselves. What others might call racists of the melanin-deprived variety. They say their just sticking up for the rights of the paler portion of the population, and some of them may be doing just that for all I know.

With me having kids who are a mixture of 3 different races, let's just say I don't always agree with everything they say.

Some appear to be thoughtful people who sometimes can bring up interesting points about the way different ethnicities interact, and can provoke the thoughts of those of us who may differ on their goals.

The less thoughtful of them? Well, I once knew a guy who was one heck of a marksman, former Navy SEAL with 3 Purple Hearts from VN, who lived in the NW part of the country, and who also had tri-racial kids. He said his target practice was to prepare for the less polite "white nationalists". Something about nasty calls he got about "bringing brown babies into our schools" that annoyed him.

As for me, I'm a live and let live sort of guy. As long as they leave me, my family and my friends alone, I'll leave them alone.

However, a stopped clock is right twice a day, and sometimes they make some interesting points.


I apologize if I went too far with this, but I've known of cases that have really disturbed me, such as when I was living in the south in the 1960s and an African-American law student, who was a student of my father, was shot in an anti-racist protest. The guy went on to make a full recovery and had a distinguished career as an attorney. Or the time I was fundraising for my Boy Scout troop, and one of my neighbors asked if there were any n****rs in my troop, again back in the 1960s.

Things have changed tremendously. Now we can worry about details such as how to convince more non-white kids to play on teams with white kids, knowing the white kids, and their parents, will almost always be fine with it.

 

[JJsqueeze]

Not a phrase I invented, or use. Just what some folks call themselves. What others might call racists of the melanin-deprived variety. They say their just sticking up for the rights of the paler portion of the population, and some of them may be doing just that for all I know.

With me having kids who are a mixture of 3 different races, let's just say I don't always agree with everything they say.

Some appear to be thoughtful people who sometimes can bring up interesting points about the way different ethnicities interact, and can provoke the thoughts of those of us who may differ on their goals.

The less thoughtful of them? Well, I once knew a guy who was one heck of a marksman, former Navy SEAL with 3 Purple Hearts from VN, who lived in the NW part of the country, and who also had tri-racial kids. He said his target practice was to prepare for the less polite "white nationalists". Something about nasty calls he got about "bringing brown babies into our schools" that annoyed him.

As for me, I'm a live and let live sort of guy. As long as they leave me, my family and my friends alone, I'll leave them alone.

However, a stopped clock is right twice a day, and sometimes they make some interesting points.


I apologize if I went too far with this, but I've known of cases that have really disturbed me, such as when I was living in the south in the 1960s and an African-American law student, who was a student of my father, was shot in an anti-racist protest. The guy went on to make a full recovery and had a distinguished career as an attorney. Or the time I was fundraising for my Boy Scout troop, and one of my neighbors asked if there were any n****rs in my troop, again back in the 1960s.

Things have changed tremendously. Now we can worry about details such as how to convince more non-white kids to play on teams with white kids, knowing the white kids, and their parents, will almost always be fine with it.

Man you have a good story for everything. You need to change your screen name to Verbal Kent or Kaizer Sose. Ever sing barbershop quartet in Skokie Illinois?

 

[splinterpicker]

I may be off base but this is my opinion. Were I live softball goes up and down especially at the rec level. Here rec has players that may have not played before playing against tb teams. Every thing is all about winning and parents will put there kid on a team and have her sit vs a team were they can get better. Our league has too many one and done player because they usually get beat or do not make allstars the first year. Next I love TB but, there are some things about it that are slowing things down. My team has 75% hispanic players and they are great. Just wanted to throw that out there. The problem to me is we used to play tournaments for a trophy and maybe a state or nationals. Now its about recruitment and how many coaches that are going to be at a certain event. Its about what team you play for, what tournaments a team is going to so kids can be seen, coaches that are always looking for the next best thing, and try outs every year. Some kids I have visited with that are quitting say its the pressure to perform day in day out. And yes it is about money there are the haves and have nots and it will always be that way because it is a business now.

 

[BobInMadison]

Man you have a good story for everything. You need to change your screen name to Verbal Kent or Kaizer Sose. Ever sing barbershop quartet in Skokie Illinois?

OK, I will give 4 stories about myself, three of them true, one of them a lie. One of the true stories wound up in the NY Times, but I was HORRIBLY misquoted. Parts of some of the other stories wound up in prominent newspapers as well. The one that was a lie almost made it to the Washington Post, but my mother set the fact checker straight.


So, which one is the lie?

A. I used to teach science. One of my students, whom we called "Doogie", got his MD at the age of 17, setting the world's record. He then gave an exclusive interview to a supermarket tabloid. He later became a famous Ophthalmologist.

B. I used to play the piano at various people's weddings when I lived down south. The best known couple I played for were named Bill and Hillary. Rather boring reception. The reception was held at the house of a famous Ophthalmologist.

C. One time I called my then-girlfriend right after moving to a different state, far, far away, to let her know I had arrived safely. My girlfriend didn't answer the phone. Instead, my next door neighbor answered the phone. It turns out my next-door neighbor had married my girlfriend's father that day, and my girlfriend didn't bother to tell me. The Governor performed the wedding, and the state's First Lady was the best man. At the time, my gf's father was helping the First Lady with some investments that later made the front page of some national newspapers when the Governor had a somewhat higher elected office. Anyway, that girl wasn't my gf much longer after that! I was still upset because she didn't tell me when her father bought a waterfront vacation house, and I had to hear about it from the Governor. Not very good communication, hm?

D. I once lost 2 college roommates before getting to my room. Both were named Chris, and one of them left some dresses in the closet. One Chris cancelled, so they gave the room to the other Chris. The other Chris moved out with his girlfriend before I ever met the guy, but Chris 2 came to pick up the dresses. Later, I got a new roommate who was a friend of Chris 2, so I finally got to know my ex-roommate long after had moved out. Nice guy, and a real party animal. I remember one time I was getting ready for bed, Chris 2 was drunk and obnoxious, so I literally picked him up and threw him out of the room when I was stark naked. Chris 2 is now a prominent elected official whose name I have recently seen in a newspaper.

One of these is a lie. Which one?

 

[BobInMadison]

I may be off base but this is my opinion. Were I live softball goes up and down especially at the rec level. Here rec has players that may have not played before playing against tb teams. Every thing is all about winning and parents will put there kid on a team and have her sit vs a team were they can get better. Our league has too many one and done player because they usually get beat or do not make allstars the first year. Next I love TB but, there are some things about it that are slowing things down. My team has 75% hispanic players and they are great. Just wanted to throw that out there. The problem to me is we used to play tournaments for a trophy and maybe a state or nationals. Now its about recruitment and how many coaches that are going to be at a certain event. Its about what team you play for, what tournaments a team is going to so kids can be seen, coaches that are always looking for the next best thing, and try outs every year. Some kids I have visited with that are quitting say its the pressure to perform day in day out. And yes it is about money there are the haves and have nots and it will always be that way because it is a business now.

Too bad. It sounds like they are eating the seed corn. In the short term they will get some good, many even great players. In the long term, they may kill off the rec leagues, and then the TB teams might not last much longer.

If they aren't careful, the girls will go off to soccer or volleyball or basketball, and some may just quit sports completely. The ones who stay out of sports completely are the sad cases.

 

[BadMonkeys]

DD #3

That's great. You use the number system too! One day I will remember their correct names!

 

[WaSpeed02]

So, which one is the lie?

I'll guess B.

Great post, Bob.

 

[JJsqueeze]

OK, I will give 4 stories about myself, three of them true, one of them a lie. One of the true stories wound up in the NY Times, but I was HORRIBLY misquoted. Parts of some of the other stories wound up in prominent newspapers as well. The one that was a lie almost made it to the Washington Post, but my mother set the fact checker straight.


So, which one is the lie?

A. I used to teach science. One of my students, whom we called "Doogie", got his MD at the age of 17, setting the world's record. He then gave an exclusive interview to a supermarket tabloid. He later became a famous Ophthalmologist.

B. I used to play the piano at various people's weddings when I lived down south. The best known couple I played for were named Bill and Hillary. Rather boring reception. The reception was held at the house of a famous Ophthalmologist.

C. One time I called my then-girlfriend right after moving to a different state, far, far away, to let her know I had arrived safely. My girlfriend didn't answer the phone. Instead, my next door neighbor answered the phone. It turns out my next-door neighbor had married my girlfriend's father that day, and my girlfriend didn't bother to tell me. The Governor performed the wedding, and the state's First Lady was the best man. At the time, my gf's father was helping the First Lady with some investments that later made the front page of some national newspapers when the Governor had a somewhat higher elected office. Anyway, that girl wasn't my gf much longer after that! I was still upset because she didn't tell me when her father bought a waterfront vacation house, and I had to hear about it from the Governor. Not very good communication, hm?

D. I once lost 2 college roommates before getting to my room. Both were named Chris, and one of them left some dresses in the closet. One Chris cancelled, so they gave the room to the other Chris. The other Chris moved out with his girlfriend before I ever met the guy, but Chris 2 came to pick up the dresses. Later, I got a new roommate who was a friend of Chris 2, so I finally got to know my ex-roommate long after had moved out. Nice guy, and a real party animal. I remember one time I was getting ready for bed, Chris 2 was drunk and obnoxious, so I literally picked him up and threw him out of the room when I was stark naked. Chris 2 is now a prominent elected official whose name I have recently seen in a newspaper.

One of these is a lie. Which one?

I want them all to be true. you need to steal Sluggers avatar..

 

[BobInMadison]

That's great. You use the number system too! One day I will remember their correct names!

Not long ago I called my dog by DD #1's name. Strange, because the dog is male.