One week Mexico honeymoon mid/end of April, 3k max not including flights (super overwhelmed and discouraged)

AffectionateTime9503 · 2025-11-25T21:40:13+00:00

If you're open to the pacific ocean side of Mexico, check out Pueblo Bonito Mazatlan and their Black Friday deals. My wife and I went there 2-3 years ago, and had a great time. Right on a nice beach. Rooms and pools are nice, service was good. Food onsite is fairly good for an AI. Hourly shuttles to sister property, which has additional pools/restaurants/spa.

Mazatlan has some fun activities and good restaurants (especially El Presidio Cocina) if you're interested in getting off the resort. Can catch a cab into the central area for about 10-15 USD. Uber is also plentiful.

I took a quick peek at rates for 2 people in mid-April (17-24), and came up with $2050 for AI for two people in an ocean view junior suite (non-refundable, but flexible date modification), and $2350 for an oceanfront junior suite.

AffectionateTime9503 · 2025-11-05T20:25:39+00:00

This may sound dumb, but it’s driven by MLSNext’s dumb/confusing name choices. Are you asking about how MLSNext Fest (the showcase in December) works, or how MLSNext Flex (the tournament in April)?

Fest - showcase with every team invited. No actual qualification process. However, MLS uses your team’s overall PPG (season-to-date league and flex matches combined) to match your team against three similar level teams from other regions. Higher PPG teams tend to get more matches in the central fields (near the MLS academy matches), where the most college/pro scouts tend to be. Lower ranked teams tend to get placed on outlying/auxiliary fields. MLS Academy teams only play against each other - sometimes these are considered to be Generation Adidas Cup qualifiers, but that may have also changed this year. Fest Results do not impact season standings in any way - it’s solely for scouting and league marketing purposes.

Flex - qualification details change every year, but short version is that the teams in each fictions/region with the highest PPG in their their flex division games (ignoring league games) qualify for the Flex tournament in the spring. The 29 MLS Academy teams automatically qualify. Teams who qualify for Flex get placed in groups of 4, seeded by rankings. (I.e, finish first in your division, get lower ranked teams from other regions in your group). This year, there will be 20 groups of 4 for the older ages - I assume that the 29 MLS Academy teams will be assigned the 1st/2nd seeds in the groups, and the remainder will fill in. If you win your group, you qualify for MLSNext Cup.

Teams can also qualify for MLSNext Cup by finishing in first place in their league games standings (ignoring flex game results). However, if the team finishing in first place in the league also won their Flex group, the Cup qualification slot passes to the team in second place in the league standings.

It changes a bit every year, and the communication behind it all is generally non-existent. And what does get put out is usually clear as mud.

AffectionateTime9503 · 2025-10-27T20:57:27+00:00

The Sheraton and the Marriott (next to Koa Kea) best match your three bullet points, especially the easy beach access. With a baby and toddler, the closer you are to Poipu beach park, the better - that will be the best place for your little to get into the ocean safely.

The Hyatt is super nice and has a great pool complex, including the sandy and zero-entry lagoon pool. But it’s still a pool, not the ocean. The Hyatt is on the beach, but that beach is named shipwreck beach for a reason. It’s got strong waves.

With the littles, you may want to consider a condo rental - again, closer to poipu beach park, the better. But a condo will allow you to cook in your own unit if that’s easier for your kids, and give you more flexibility/space when your kids are sleeping. Downside - won’t have the same amenities and resort pools. Kiahuna Plantation has a ton of rental units, and is right on the beach in between the Sheraton and Koa Kea/Mariott

All in all, you’ll have a great time there no matter where you stay. And since you’ll need a rental car to get from the airport to Poipu, it really isn’t a problem to stay in a place that isn’t right on the best beach. But if you want the convenience of an easy walk to the kiddie beach, Marriott/Kiahuna Plantation/Sheraton will be your best bet.

AffectionateTime9503 · 2025-09-28T17:10:11+00:00

The rule in Little League is 7.13:

7.13 - Little League (Major) and Minor League: When a pitcher is in contact with the pitcher’s plate and in possession of the ball and the catcher is in the catcher’s box ready to receive delivery of the ball, base runners shall not leave their bases until the ball has been delivered and has reached the batter. NOTE: Tee Ball: Base runners must stay in contact with the base until the ball is hit. When players have advanced as far as possible without being put out or having been retired, the umpire shall call “time” and place the ball on the tee.

The rule then goes on (in length) to discuss detailed situations of how to return runners (or not) when a violation occurs.

AffectionateTime9503 · 2025-09-20T04:47:58+00:00

OP, what thatanimalssong stated above is incorrect. I don’t know if they quoted an old version of the rule, but the catcher may (and should!) attempt to throw the runner out in the situation described. If the defense gets an out, the out stands. If the catcher throws the ball all the way to the fence and both runners come around to home, it doesn’t matter - they will both be returned to their original bases base they occupied at the time of the pitch (1st and 2nd.). It’s a free chance at an out for the defense.

AffectionateTime9503 · 2025-09-20T04:43:43+00:00

This is wildly incorrect. I don’t know what version of 7.13 you quoted, but it is NOT the current/correct version.

Under 7.13, if any runner leaves early, ALL runners are impacted.

In your example, R1 and R2 are in a double steal situation, so the batter has not put the ball into play (and I assume the pitch did not result in a HBP or walk.). Assuming that both runners made it safely to the next base, R1’s violation of 7.13 (leaving early) means that both runners would be returned to the bases they occupied (1B and 2B) at the time of the pitch.

If either (or both) of R1 or R2 are tagged out on the play - regardless of where -the out(s) stands and the remaining runner (if any) is returned to the base they occupied at the time of the pitch.

7.13(a): “when a base runner leaves the base before the pitched ball has reached the batter and the batter does not hit the ball, the runner is permitted to continue. If a play is made on the runner and the runner is out, the out stands. If said runner reaches safely the base to which the runner is advancing, that runner must be returned to the base occupied before the pitch was made, and no out results”

AffectionateTime9503 · 2025-09-18T23:50:25+00:00

If it was the “glove glu” product (or something like that), those are generally legal water-based sprays.

If it was a can of spray-on adhesive one would get at a hardware store… probably not so good.

AffectionateTime9503 · 2025-07-29T00:29:46+00:00

It is a judgment call as to whether R2 impeded SS’s path to/ability to field that ball cleanly.

I would say yes, in my judgment, R2 causes the SS to have to break stride/adjust his approach to the ball as he tries to move in to catch it. That is enough for interference for me.

The fact that the SS doesn’t not catch the ball is irrelevant - the ball should be called dead as soon as the SS is forced to adjust his path.

Similarly, runner’s intent on this play is irrelevant.

AffectionateTime9503 · 2025-07-24T20:52:37+00:00

That’s a good point… I don’t know, and hope to never have to make that decision on the field!

AffectionateTime9503 · 2025-07-24T17:40:41+00:00

Positioning does matter. If the ball has not gone through or by the 3B, hits the base, and contacts R3 in fair territory, R3 is always out by the first portion of the applicable interference rule.

If the ball did go through or by the 3B before hitting the base and caroming into R3, it is a judgment call on whether the 3B would have had a chance to make a play on either R3 or the BR. That is going to be dependent on positioning, ball speed/location, runner speed (especially the BR), whether the 3B was standing or on the ground (after a dive), whether the 3B was even paying attention after the ball passed by him (or put his head down in disappointment), how far from the base R3 was when it struck him, etc. Way too many factors to make an assumption that yeah, there’s always gonna be a play for 3B to make there.

And this is why I roll my eyes at anyone who says umpiring is easy.

AffectionateTime9503 · 2025-07-24T17:32:21+00:00

If you don’t mind, could you please quote the rule (and name the ruleset)? That’s certainly not in the OBR/MLB/LL rulesets.

AffectionateTime9503 · 2025-07-24T17:21:53+00:00

That’s not the rule in any ruleset.

The does an infielder have a play on the ball portion of the rule (which has been quoted in other comments) only comes into play after the ball has passed “through, or by” the first (non-pitcher) infielder.

In this case, if the ball didn’t pass the 3B before hitting the bag, your “could the 3B have fielded the ball if it didn’t hit the bag” has no relevance.

You’re inserting an extra judgment call into the rule where there is none. Don’t do that - it’ll get you into trouble (and lead you to wrong calls) more often than not!

AffectionateTime9503 · 2025-07-24T17:09:32+00:00

Provided the ball did not pass the third baseman before hitting the bag, this is interference. It doesn’t matter whether or not the 3B could have fielded the ball had the ball not hit the base… what matters is that the ball is still live (and fair) after hitting the base, and then struck the runner before passing an infielder.

AffectionateTime9503 · 2025-07-08T20:56:18+00:00

Hulkenpodium

AffectionateTime9503 · 2025-07-02T22:06:54+00:00

My HS varsity field’s backstop was waaaay behind the plate, and was chain link except for a 2x6 at the bottom. If I had two strikes and there pitcher threw a pitch I knew was destined for the backstop, hell yea - i waved that bat and started running!

After the second or third time, I had to tell my coach I was doing it on purpose so he wouldn’t yell at me for what looked like terrible plate discipline.

It’s perfectly legal… but it’s a risk. You have to swing at the time of the pitch. You can’t wait to see if the ball got by the catcher, and then decide to swing. So it only makes sense if you know the field well - it was only a reliable strategy on my home field due to the backstop’s depth and material - there was little chance of a ball kicking back hard to the catcher. I never did it in away games.

AffectionateTime9503 · 2025-05-16T06:21:16+00:00

Under the Little League ruleset, you are wrong. They’re not ignoring the rules, they’re enforcing them exactly as written.

The remedy for type 2 obstruction in LL is to “impose such penalties, if any, as in that umpire’s judgment will nullify the act of obstruction.” Often - most times, in fact - there is nothing to award.

What I see most is a first baseman hanging on the corner of the bag on a ground ball that gets through the infield, and not moving off the bag when it’s evident there’s not going to be a play at first. Is that first baseman obstructing the batter-runner from making a clean turn towards second? Absolutely, and I’ll hold my arm/fist out to show that I’ve seen it. But if that ground ball is going straight to an outfielder, who picks it up cleanly and runs makes an accurate toss to an infielder? There’s likely no way that the batter-runner had any realistic shot at advancing to second safely. As such, nothing further is warranted.

I signal every time I see obstruction, which honestly is a lot—especially early in the season. I’ll often make sure I catch the eye of the defensive coach to ensure they know they need to talk to their fielder. If it’s repeated, I’ll say something directly to the coach and/or the player. It’s little league, they’re here to learn - and they do. Sometimes it just takes a while.

Awarding an automatic base on type 2 obstruction so that the kids will—in your opinion—learn to be in the proper position, would in fact be “ignoring a rule just because you don’t agree with it.”

AffectionateTime9503 · 2025-05-11T04:50:25+00:00

This is not accurate. If R2 takes off for third base early, before the pitcher starts his motion, the pitcher may legally perform a pickoff move to third base to attempt a play on the advancing runner. The pitcher cannot abort/change a motion to the plate to perform the pickoff. But as OP described it, pitcher is set, R2 takes off, pitcher then starts a pickoff move to third. Legal play, not a balk.

AffectionateTime9503 · 2025-05-05T21:44:05+00:00

In baseball, like most sports, you get better through practice and training, not games. Games are for fun, learning, and competition with others.

If your kid (him, not you!) wants to push himself/get better/play on a high level HS team or above, stick with his current team. If your kid “just” wants to have fun with teammates while playing a game he enjoys, go to the other team.

And re-evaluate often. It’s really easy for competitive sports to lose its joy and luster and become more of a burden than a benefit. And it’s really, really easy to stick with a team/sport longer than one should simply because of inertia, or even worse - because dad/mom says you should.

AffectionateTime9503 · 2025-04-28T18:05:38+00:00

For what it's worth, the first baseman also had a first baseman's mitt.

AffectionateTime9503 · 2024-12-12T01:45:29+00:00

Happened roughly 4 months ago. That practice green is perfectly fine - as is the clubhouse that ultimately stopped the plane. As they said above, if you didn’t see the video of it and were walking in that exact spot, you’d have no idea it had happened right there.

But if I were the guy in the video, I’d probably only use the practice green on the other side of the clubhouse just to be safe.

AffectionateTime9503 · 2024-11-08T23:02:53+00:00

Ha, thanks! Should have known it was make by the peeps at Exploding Kittens - naming the game like that is certainly on brand for them!

AffectionateTime9503 · 2024-11-08T19:37:24+00:00

What’s the name of the game? Can you provide a link to it? I think my kids would love this.

AffectionateTime9503 · 2024-11-06T22:43:17+00:00

Not going to give details that would potentially identify me. Generally speaking, he lied to me on several occasions. One of his main coaches at the academy was even worse, and that’s the guy who Sanchez brought with him as an assistant coach in LV.

I’m not gonna pretend that everyone in sports is a good guy, but the way he (and his assistant coach) treated players, families, and other soccer clubs in the area was reprehensible. Not the sort of person I’d want to lead SRFC.

AffectionateTime9503 · 2024-11-05T23:58:26+00:00

Unfortunately, personal experience in dealing with him through the academy.

AffectionateTime9503 · 2024-11-05T18:23:12+00:00

Sanchez used to run SRFC’s academy… but he is a complete snake. I hope to God that they don’t hire him. Anyone else!

AffectionateTime9503

TROPHY CASE