Local Ball Association Gets Creative
In recent years, travel or select baseball and softball has grown substantially. There are more teams than you can shake a stick at, and new teams are being formed all the time. This has made baseball and softball more popular than ever in The Valley and in Mississippi. Kids are learning the game at a younger age, and many are becoming better and more refined players earlier than past generations.
However, there are some drawbacks to this surge in travel ball, and one is the decline of the local recreational (rec) leagues. Many of them are struggling to survive because many local players are now foregoing rec to play travel ball. Some kids play rec and travel ball, but most play one or the other. Many rec leagues have shut down, and more will probably shut down in the future unless something changes.
The Valley Youth Sports (TVYS) is going to try to change that trend this year. Their board, which is led by Bob Mamfred, is implementing new measures to lure parents and their kids back to TVYS. Mamfred said, “We came up with some unconventional things to hopefully attract more families this year. We had to do something; we’re almost at the point of shutting TVYS down. It’s really a last ditch effort. I guess we’ll see if it works.”
TVYS is pulling out all the stops. For 10U, 12U, and 14U boys games, a boy from each team will be randomly selected 15 minutes before game time. The two boys from opposing teams will play a quick 5-10 minute game of Fortnite that will be watched by an umpire. The Fortnite winner’s team will be start the game with a 1-0 lead.
Additionally, all kid pitch teams will be able to play with an additional player on defense. TVYS is calling the player a “rover.” You can put him or her anywhere on the field except in front of the pitcher. One coach said, “I coach 10U boys, and our catcher can’t catch a cold. So, I’m gonna put a good player behind our catcher to hopefully cut down on passed balls and steals.”
Another rule change that the kids are super excited about is that each team will be allowed to have a dog present in the dugout during games. One 12U softball coach said, “Our girls get a little uptight sometimes because their mom is yelling like a crazed lunatic, and they need something to calm them down. We’re gonna bring my lab to home games, and he’ll be an emotional support animal for my girls. Hopefully, he’ll have a calming effect on my girls, and help them focus a little better.”
TVYS is adding one more thing to spice things up. Games that are tied at the end of the last inning will have a dance off to decide the winner. Each team will get to pick 3 players to dance on the field. The umpire will pick the dance and or song, and the umpire/s will decide the winning team based on the dance off. Many of the kids I talked with really like this idea. One 11 year old boy I talked with said, “I hope we’re tied at the end of every game, and I hope the umps pick the Griddy. Can’t nobody out Griddy me! The other team doesn’t have a shot.”
Mamfred said, “Some people have laughed at our new changes for this year, and some have said they’re too gimmicky. But, I think it’s going to be a home run, and I think other rec leagues will copy our ideas. Signups are way ahead of last year at this time, so parents and kids are already excited about it.” Additionally, TVYS will give rings to all players regardless if their team wins their league or not. Bling for all! Time will tell if these changes will save TVYS, but it’s definitely going to make things more interesting for the kids.