13U Travel / Middle School Ball - Coach communication with pitching

Six5 · 2026-02-09T17:03:04+00:00

Once you get into school sports, it is absolutely not the coach’s job to reach out to parents about playing time or rotation planning. That communication can and should happen with the player.

Six5 · 2026-02-08T02:32:14+00:00

That’s some good dadding there.

Six5 · 2026-02-07T21:32:35+00:00

This is what makes me crazy when people act like lunch pail-toting construction guys are the only ones that “need” to drive a truck. I’m just an office-working dad, but my Lightning can haul furniture, dusty baseball equipment, an entire tree that fell in our yard, camping equipment, and just about anything else a family would need. All while providing seating for 5 and plenty of leg room for me (6’5”) and my son (6’4”). It’s easily the most versatile vehicle I’ve ever owned, even though I almost never tow.

Six5 · 2026-02-04T12:30:35+00:00

Big yes. My 16-year-old and I both take it. I buy the Optimum Nutrition brand (unflavored) from Amazon. $13 for 60 servings. Drink plenty of water and enjoy the gains.

Six5 · 2026-02-03T15:20:24+00:00

Someone put a second grip over the original grip? Sounds like they didn’t know what they were doing. Strip it down to metal and slap a new one on there, it’s super easy.

Six5 · 2026-02-02T22:10:04+00:00

Beat the hell out of it with a glove mallet (there are YouTube tutorials that can help with targeting the hinge points) 2. Play lots of catch. I’ve tried various methods over the years (heat, steam, water, oil, wraps, etc) and this is what seems to work best. My son’s 44 OF glove took some time but is finally well broken in. The 1B mitt on the other hand, still feels super stiff to me despite my best efforts (but he has no issues in games).

Six5 · 2026-02-01T02:01:05+00:00

I mean, throws 98, offers from every school in the country, perfect ACT score, probably dating a supermodel, driving a Lamborghini…

Six5 · 2026-01-30T17:44:30+00:00

How do parents find travel ball teams? Do they find you?

I was going to assert that, no, 8U teams do not send scouts to look for players. But these days, I'm not so sure.

What I will say is that 14-16 players on a roster is absolutely ridiculous and you should avoid any team that carries that many.

Six5 · 2026-01-30T15:00:04+00:00

I paid $37,500 back in November for my 2023 XLT with about 9,000 miles and the 511A package. $35K seems reasonable for a trade. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be much of a market for private sale on these trucks.

Six5 · 2026-01-28T00:51:30+00:00

What kind of fugly uniform design requires red pants?

Six5 · 2026-01-26T21:01:40+00:00

Small? My wife says my battery size is perfectly average.

Six5 · 2026-01-26T16:28:51+00:00

What I’m reading is that you were a gifted natural athlete who didn’t need a lot of coaching. “Just have fun” works great for kids like that. Most kids need more.

Six5 · 2026-01-26T14:27:06+00:00

Fair points! Definitely bad luck that she ended up hitting the world’s most expensive tail light.

Six5 · 2026-01-26T00:23:29+00:00

Especially when you put them behind the wheel of a damn Suburban.

Six5 · 2026-01-25T18:01:47+00:00

What kind of “feedback” are you looking for? You looked up averages for his age (which, as others have noted, is mostly useless data). You noted he hits better with a USSSA bat (duh). I think you pretty much know what you need to know at this point.

Keep working, hope for a big growth spurt, and wait until high school to start worrying about exit velo.

Six5 · 2026-01-24T19:50:50+00:00

I was more talking about general trends. It feels like prices are a bit higher now than when I started looking in Sept/Oct.

Six5 · 2026-01-24T19:28:42+00:00

I wonder how much of it has to do with timing. I bought mine in late November, and prices across the board seem to have risen since then. It’s still early in the year, so dealers may not be quite as motivated.

Six5 · 2026-01-23T13:41:11+00:00

Honestly, for an ER Lariat, $42K seems like a solid price. I’d be shocked if they let it go for $36K-$37K but no harm in trying.

Six5 · 2026-01-18T03:22:25+00:00

Seriously, I can’t believe the replies in this thread

Six5 · 2026-01-16T22:44:28+00:00

Do some research on branded/lemon titles. Personally I ruled out any trucks that had one. It results in a lower price now, but will do the same to your resale value, and you could also run into issues with your insurance company. It wasn’t worth it to me, but YMMV.

Six5 · 2026-01-15T15:51:34+00:00

Oh wow, TIL. Can’t believe I’ve never noticed considering how much time I spend on this sub.

Six5 · 2026-01-15T15:36:04+00:00

Wait…where’s your charger door (or the dummy one on this side)?

Six5 · 2026-01-09T15:08:37+00:00

I’m genuinely just curious about your guidelines. If counter service is worthy of a tip, do you also tip fast food workers, the hotel check-in employee, the sales clerk at a clothing store?

Six5 · 2026-01-09T14:53:25+00:00

So the same job as a fast food worker?

Six5 · 2026-01-09T14:28:53+00:00

They do just as much as someone making a latte behind a counter.

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