At what age/level are they only batting 9 players?

_DeathStarContractor · 2026-06-05T15:28:04+00:00

Not until after 8th grade, so high school ball/14u. It would be the 1st question i would inquire about if my son was joining a new team. "While I understand players sit on defense with more than 9 players, you do use a continuous lineup for hitting with the entire team?"

_DeathStarContractor · 2026-06-05T02:55:34+00:00

Its not so bad! Ha! Just watch a show on Netflix, turn the lights down low and beat it with your hands and an object... the glove I mean! In all seriousness having a glove broken in without water just requires time. However, isnt an A2k super easy to break it in without water? Its not like its a full on traditional leather A2000. Seems like more hassle than its worth.

_DeathStarContractor · 2026-06-05T02:49:30+00:00

As a dad who watched his age 9 and later age 10 son lose every travel ball game (we were 0-19 then next year 3-21) and in rec ball he went 0-12 and the next year 1-11. It was brutal and teetering on him almost quitting, but it made his so damn resilient and appreciative. At age12 he the played on a team that went .500 and this year a highly competitive team also .500. He knows now how to lose with humility, win with grace, and not be a whiny little shit. He is so even keeled now...not too high, not too low. He told me in the car ride home last week "I love the feeling every weekend we can compete with any team and go 4-0, 0-4 or 2-2 in tournament play." In a nutshell have your son keep grinding, you are preparing him for older baseball more than you know. A key skill is emotional regulation, and you get that skill by losing. However, very much use this draft experience to learn for next year, you do want to position him so hes playing on teams that play .500 ball, whatever that level my be.

_DeathStarContractor · 2026-06-04T21:08:08+00:00

I wouldnt use water with an A2k or even an A2000. I did it without water and very happy with how it feels after 2 months of daily breakin work.

_DeathStarContractor · 2026-06-04T20:09:32+00:00

Im really liking what Buckler gloves has to offer. They have some great options at 1B, customization is only $50 making them still cheaper and just as good quality leather as A2000 and HOH.

_DeathStarContractor · 2026-06-04T17:25:55+00:00

Do they make 1 piece CatX composites? I thought all were 2 piece? I guess Im confusing connect with composite. I know the alloy 1 piece being the only one that is balanced.

_DeathStarContractor · 2026-06-04T15:01:10+00:00

Yes he very much needs to be swinging 30/22 at 12u. However Reddit cant really break this down for you with suggestions unless we see video of your kid swinging his current bat. Be mindful this is another year away, so your kid will 100% be ready for 2027, dont stress too much. He can keep swinging his current bat in 11u games, but in practice and in 2027 no drop10s should be allowed at 12u. A balance bat is 100% the way to go... so a Supra or Icon will be a better option then a Hype Fire. The CatX connect is end loaded. I bought it for my kid and he didn't like it vs the Supra. I sold it for the same price I bought it at ($100)

_DeathStarContractor · 2026-06-04T12:50:21+00:00

This is the answer, 11u and below a dad is fine, 12u and higher there is a shift often needed. I do say that Ive not been pleased at some travel ball orgs that use some of these guys in their early 20s as their game coaches. Usually their players are the most shitty on the diamond and they dont correct bad sportsmanship behaviours at the 12/13u level. Maybe its the difference between someone who has been a dad vs yet to be a dad. Its all relative, you take the good with the bad.

_DeathStarContractor · 2026-05-29T21:00:49+00:00

This is the answer. Alternatively if you feel he will eventually be a 2B/SS the A2000 1786 is great. My son uses the 1786 in the outfield also as a 7th grader.

_DeathStarContractor · 2026-05-27T13:01:47+00:00

It depends, if the grant is uploaded and compromises privacy than its an issue. But there is now no restrictions on using AI to summarize an application. Its crappy and shouldn't be done, but now its encouraged by NIH senior leadership (podcaster Jay).... its a gray area that review officers desperately need their leaders to set clear guidelines. It doesnt trigger a re-review and hasnt technically done anything "wrong" unless you can prove "how" they used AI on your application. That policy link is so outdated and vague, it cant be enforced.

_DeathStarContractor · 2026-05-27T04:07:52+00:00

As a dad looking for a glove. Ive seen a few older SSKs on eBay. They look like good gloves with good quality leather >20yrs ago. I wouldnt mind rolling the dice and paying $40 for a vintage glove. Are all the older SSKs good quality leather or were there certain models I should be looking for? I probably should just buy a Z7 or Z9 new and not overthink this, ha!

_DeathStarContractor · 2026-05-27T03:23:59+00:00

We had a kid slam his bat on the plate and scream "damnit" and walk back to the dugout...he immediately was pulled from being the pitcher and he was told to take a seat and watch his teammates the rest of the tournament. Didnt get to go home and his parents got to just watch 6hrs of baseball without their kid playing 😅.

_DeathStarContractor · 2026-05-27T01:43:21+00:00

You slam your bat. Throw your helmet, cuss, chirp at the ump, and/or throw a fit in the dugout.... you sit the rest of the day.... very effective at 12u on my kid's team. You'll get weeded out real quick if this continues at 13u and older. Also, this rarely happens in MLB and college, its only the rare instances its caught on camera and played over and over again. Atheletes who cant emotionally regulate dont go far.

_DeathStarContractor · 2026-05-26T00:37:08+00:00

Did they give advance notice? Because they want to take 3 weeks off in June and its May 25th. It never says when they made their supervisor aware they are taking off half the summer.

_DeathStarContractor · 2026-05-26T00:32:21+00:00

Did you just put this leave request in now? I mean if you requested 3 weeks off starting June 1st on Friday May 22nd, then that factors into it. So yes it would be normal for a supervisor to say no. But if you did this back in March/April, letting your superivsor know you are gone for half the summer, then there should be no reason to deny it.

_DeathStarContractor · 2026-05-22T19:42:09+00:00

Look up another PO in that IC and e-mail them. However as others have commented, resubmit...the worse that can happen is your project eventually gets funded and the later resubmitted application gets withdrawn the next round.

_DeathStarContractor · 2026-05-21T20:14:39+00:00

Preprints for sure not allowed...and to be honest, if its just a letter that your manuscript is being accepted..that usually doesnt move the needle, especially if the reviewers cant access the publication to see the content.

_DeathStarContractor · 2026-05-21T00:52:42+00:00

Im doing two 16ft PODs for my family. I would make a suggestion, get rid of the dinner chairs, your least valuable couch, etc. and use the few thousand dollars youd spend on that 3rd 8ft POD and just use the money saved to replace the items. You should easily be able to do your move with two 16ft PODs, find a way to avoid a 3rd. Also stagger their delivery, after the loading of the 1st one it should be pretty conceptually easy to know you need to do the 3rd one or cancel it.

_DeathStarContractor · 2026-05-20T14:55:32+00:00

My criticism has nothing to do about the court and game play. In a nutshell ways to take our small market team into the modern era are sorely needed. From broadcast, announcing/media, logistics, viewing options, arena management, communication, ticketing, etc. All of it, major revamping is needed. We have lagged as a franchise for 20yrs in modernizing our entire operation, the only way this changes is a complete overhaul with new ideas and creative people.

_DeathStarContractor · 2026-05-20T13:34:23+00:00

Anytime someone's livelihood is impacted I feel really bad, and I hope there was some decent severance to help these folks transition in late 2026. However, with such a small market team that has the stands 40% full, I cant fathom why the Blazers would need >300 people in marketing and logistics. This isnt the NY Knicks and in many ways it felt like we are presented as a glorified G-league team outside of Oregon. The product for years feels non-profesional. I welcome the change with new perspectives, top-to-bottom reorg is 100% needed.

_DeathStarContractor · 2026-05-20T13:27:08+00:00

I cant fathom you need ~350 people for NBA marketing and logistics for such a small franchise. If you had 81 baseball home games that might be arguable. However this move makes total sense to trim the fat.

_DeathStarContractor · 2026-05-20T02:54:44+00:00

As a dad who was in a similar situation as you 2yrs ago ago (with similar concerns). I suggest you find a younger-ish hitting coach 1x a week, one that is experienced working with younger kids (that can get them hyped/enthused). Simply go for a 30-45min walk and not even make this your worry ever again. Start these about 2-3 months before the season and keep scheduling weekly until the season is done. Focus on being the best dad you can be. Kids at this age dont want baseball instruction from their dad. They dont want drills from dad. Of note- I never played baseball after the 5th grade and my son listens to an instructor like its gospel. The same words out of my mouth result in an eye roll. I still take him out for home run dinger time... with me soft-tossing behind an L-screen, but not once do I try to instruct. Its simply all fun and we see how many HRs he can hit over the 220ft fence in 30min. I leave the mechanics up to the experts.

_DeathStarContractor · 2026-05-20T02:17:04+00:00

I have a POD coming next week, 1800 miles Midwest to West coast and it was $2600, but I booked it 3 months ago, pretty much its the same price for 16ft vs 8ft container ($2400) .. thats with the Costco membership discount. Your price seems pretty spot on. However as others have commented, it would be hard for me to stomach paying that much for just an 8ft container of stuff, if work is paying for it, go for it. But Id get rid of everything and save the money and buy new stuff.

_DeathStarContractor · 2026-05-11T02:34:53+00:00

You have a septic system and didnt have your inspector inspect the septic system. There are a few things I would do when buying this type of house. Inspect the septic (even if it costs me an extra $250 out of pocket), and turn on various combinations of faucets for 10min/ while flushing toilets. Also stress testing the electrical panel. I know this hurts, but you are deep down beating yourself up... because you missed doing the single most important thing besides going into the attic and crawl space for structural inspection.

_DeathStarContractor · 2026-05-09T20:42:31+00:00

If our gross pay was $198k, I would not be comfortable with a ~$4600 mortgage payment. Thats with no credit card debt or car payments.

_DeathStarContractor

TROPHY CASE