It was a rough summer for Carson City Little League all-star teams.
Nobody made it out of district play, and the Senior all-stars played in the state tournament only because nobody else fielded a team.
I may be in the minority here, but if nobody else in the district is going to field a senior team anymore, maybe the program needs to be dropped. Simply put, the best players in Carson, 15 and above, are going to be playing for the Blue Jays organization. If you want to play varsity baseball for Carson, you have to play for the Blue Jays.
In Nevada, once you get past the Little League level, the teams are not good because most kids once they turn 13 are either playing B ball for the high school or are playing travel ball. The upper two divisions in Little League are slowly dying.
The one thing I noticed last week was a lot of bad, fundamental baseball. I saw a Carson runner trying to steal a base nine runs down. Really?
I saw routine balls misplayed in the outfield, and one of the biggest challenges is finding guys who played the outfield regularly during the season.
And, don’t get me started on catching. Too many passed balls, and way too often catchers are just reaching instead of moving laterally and blocking the ball. Somebody needs to come out and give a clinic. A good defensive catcher is worth his weight in gold on any team.
The thing that bothered me was there were a few instances where players went on vacation or quit. If you can’t stick it out the entire time, don’t start the tournament. I don’t care if the trip was already planned or not. It’s not fair to a player who didn’t get picked and would be there the whole time.
Players don’t know how lucky they are. Back in the day there was no mandatory play rule during all-stars, and I don’t think there should be now. On any team in any city, there are going to be A players and there are going to be C players. If all-stars is about winning, should the C players get in if there’s a chance to win? I think not.
Kids of today are coddled; always told how good they are. Kids of today need to work harder on fundamentals. They need to be glued to a TV or be at an Aces game, watching how things are done, and not playing video games all the time. They should have a bat or glove in their hands every day once school gets out.
I know Nevada weather isn’t ideal for baseball players, but there’s no reason why that indoor facility isn’t crowded all the time. You can do certain things all year round, and hitting is one of them.
I’d like to think Carson City can compete against the Reno teams, but the last few years that hasn’t been the case. I’m not sure if it’s the coaching or whether kids in Reno work harder at the game.