CC Random thread

[2Fingers]

I had a post chirping Reef ..... barely..... it was more a response to him barking about hating baseball and being a diehard CFL/Whitecaps guy, which is all good. Poof..... like Keizer Soze it's gone.

Me bad..... put head down and skin knuckles while running my broom and shovel.

I know you did it in jest and I do hate baseball and love the CFL. I am Canadian so I try and support Canadian product but the Jays and Raptors are the only team in Canada so fuck them.

[Cousin Strawberry]

When i was a kid everyone played baseball or softball. Nowadays you rarely see anyone in the ball diamonds.

It used to be a Canadian thing...not just Americans. I think Gretzky used to play it even

[donlever]

Yeah...I think it is played, by kids at least, more than you think Cuz.

Ask AP18.

If his kids aren't playing hockey they're playing ball.

I went and saw AP this time last year at a local field where his kids were playing a tourney and there were, what, 30 teams and 1000 people there?

He was down here last week at Softball City at another big tourney.

Similarly to several of my friend group.

All have/had kids in ball.

I helped coach my kid up until he stopped playing at 18.

Good ball, US College scouted ball (he was not that good but kids he played with were)....

[Topper]

Still a deal here in rural BC.

I've been on the boards of a couple of our local sports leagues and the biggest issue is recruiting and retaining volunteer coaches. Parents aren't willing to sacrifice their time.

The biggest costs to the leagues is insurance.

[donlever]

I did not mind the time sacrifice....

I did not like the (at times obnoxious) parental interference of those who elected to not volunteer their time.

Same with umpiring.

Used to donate my time (during and after when my boy played) to umpire the Mount Seymour Babe Ruth league (13 - 15 age group).

Went out and took a course and got myself certified by the BCBUA so it was done right.

Got tired of the comments from loud mouth parents who thought they knew ball pretty quickly and could see it was going to devolve into unpleasant scenarios so shut it down.

[Aaronp18]

Definitely still a ton of ball being played! What we are seeing a lot of is academies where kids are going to school and playing sports.

Less teams for the minor programs and more geared towards getting kids prepared and attempting to nab some scholarships.

These academies play less on municipal fields and enter tournaments around the province and country. Even into the US. They don’t really have leagues like the good ole days!

Up here we have only 1 other team at the rep level in my daughter’s division. So again, no league. And for ball the rec leagues typically stop mid June because people start their holidays pretty much as soon as school ends.

The kids been in some huge tourneys, you have to know where to find them though. Softball City last week, went down to St George Utah for ASA nationals they qualified for in the winter in Arizona, pretty much down in the lower mainland every second weekend and ending with provincials in Coquitlam July 18-21. They may qualify for Westerns in Pt Alberni as well which is in August.

This time of year for sure is tournament time! So if you don’t see the kids out on the field they’ve likely travels somewhere for some event.

[Blob Mckenzie]

Compared to the 70's, 80's, 90's and up to about 2010, only speaking about the mens side of fastball, it's completely dead..Even baseball which I played a bit, but was mostly a fastball guy; a couple of my best friends were on NBI and played for the Reds and later Puccinis/Coquitlam Athletics. It was good baseball. My dad played in the old Dewdney League which was probably at a Single A level playing down in the States and such. Larry Walker Sr was a great player and good family friend of my late father. I played fastball with his son Gary many years ago. Stud player. I guess when I was an infant my dad played for Kamloops Okonots which went to Natties in Senior Baseball with Randy Rota and the Watson boys, Joe and Jimmy. Back to the coast and starts playing fastball for another decade then umpired and coached us kids.

When I started playing decent ball in the late 80's there was probably 15 leagues in the lower mainland. Now there are 15 teams. Fuck all going on on the island. My buddy Rich Haldane is holding things together with duct tape at Kings Stadium in Kelowna. Kamloops has a crappy 5 team league. There were probably 600 teams in the province in 1990. I bet there isn't 60 teams now. The high level is still good, but there's no depth. I laugh at the girls games when I roll by Mclean Park. Most of the fielders are wearing masks. What the fuck is your glove for?

Kids are too busy with their phones now.

[Carl Yagro]

Most of the fielders are wearing masks. What the fuck is your glove for?

Lol, this made me laugh

My soon to be 6yo nephew recently started to play baseball. He likes it but is horribly uncoordinated like Timmy Lupus. I do worry because a mask would probably be more useful for him than a glove.

Kid enjoys it. All that matters I guess.

[Topper]

Annual event in our area. Good ball. Been a few pros run through the tournament in their younger days. Used to bring in a team from Japan or China every few years. Had a team from India just before COVID.

Trail it's still very serious about their baseball leagues.

https://grandforksbaseball.com/

Beer garden shenanigans was an ex Seattle player who carried around an old cowboy boot and would coerse the drunks to put their beer in the boot then chug from the boot. He died a few years back.

[Blob Mckenzie]

Trail League probably has a few Horcoffs playing.

Funny enough,,Rock Creek used to have an annual fastball tournament on August long weekend.

People are just plugged into their devices too much these days. I have an 80 year old friend. Grew up with my dad. He's trying to get me into pickleball. This nut was a top end soccer player, a batting champ at South Hill and a Canadian 5 pin bowling champion. He screams and flips his shit every time he makes any sort of mistake.

Any pickle players here??I need a new hobby. Golf is fortune. I have great clubs but my tailbone is crushed right now.

I saw one of the Picktons the other day. He asked how the Dude as making out.

[Cousin Strawberry]

Compared to the 70's, 80's, 90's and up to about 2010, only speaking about the mens side of fastball, it's completely dead..Even baseball which I played a bit, but was mostly a fastball guy; a couple of my best friends were on NBI and played for the Reds and later Puccinis/Coquitlam Athletics. It was good baseball. My dad played in the old Dewdney League which was probably at a Single A level playing down in the States and such. Larry Walker Sr was a great player and good family friend of my late father. I played fastball with his son Gary many years ago. Stud player. I guess when I was an infant my dad played for Kamloops Okonots which went to Natties in Senior Baseball with Randy Rota and the Watson boys, Joe and Jimmy. Back to the coast and starts playing fastball for another decade then umpired and coached us kids.

When I started playing decent ball in the late 80's there was probably 15 leagues in the lower mainland. Now there are 15 teams. Fuck all going on on the island. My buddy Rich Haldane is holding things together with duct tape at Kings Stadium in Kelowna. Kamloops has a crappy 5 team league. There were probably 600 teams in the province in 1990. I bet there isn't 60 teams now. The high level is still good, but there's no depth. I laugh at the girls games when I roll by Mclean Park. Most of the fielders are wearing masks. What the fuck is your glove for?

Kids are too busy with their phones now.

I know there are the odd tournaments for the die hards but you and I are both old enough to remember when everyone played, even drop in slow pitch evenings and weekends. It was a good way to spend summers...chugging brownies around the diamonds after games into the night. Nobody wanted to go home and look at a fucking tv in the summers.

This world we've created is such a step down from what it once was

[Meds]

Compared to the 70's, 80's, 90's and up to about 2010, only speaking about the mens side of fastball, it's completely dead..Even baseball which I played a bit, but was mostly a fastball guy; a couple of my best friends were on NBI and played for the Reds and later Puccinis/Coquitlam Athletics. It was good baseball. My dad played in the old Dewdney League which was probably at a Single A level playing down in the States and such. Larry Walker Sr was a great player and good family friend of my late father. I played fastball with his son Gary many years ago. Stud player. I guess when I was an infant my dad played for Kamloops Okonots which went to Natties in Senior Baseball with Randy Rota and the Watson boys, Joe and Jimmy. Back to the coast and starts playing fastball for another decade then umpired and coached us kids.

When I started playing decent ball in the late 80's there was probably 15 leagues in the lower mainland. Now there are 15 teams. Fuck all going on on the island. My buddy Rich Haldane is holding things together with duct tape at Kings Stadium in Kelowna. Kamloops has a crappy 5 team league. There were probably 600 teams in the province in 1990. I bet there isn't 60 teams now. The high level is still good, but there's no depth. I laugh at the girls games when I roll by Mclean Park. Most of the fielders are wearing masks. What the fuck is your glove for?

Kids are too busy with their phones now.

Fielders wearing masks? Like catcher masks?? Or are you talking Covid masks?

[Meds]

I know there are the odd tournaments for the die hards but you and I are both old enough to remember when everyone played, even drop in slow pitch evenings and weekends. It was a good way to spend summers...chugging brownies around the diamonds after games into the night. Nobody wanted to go home and look at a fucking tv in the summers.

This world we've created permitted is such a step down from what it once was

FYP…..and you’re dead right Cuz.

[Blob Mckenzie]

Compared to the 70's, 80's, 90's and up to about 2010, only speaking about the mens side of fastball, it's completely dead..Even baseball which I played a bit, but was mostly a fastball guy; a couple of my best friends were on NBI and played for the Reds and later Puccinis/Coquitlam Athletics. It was good baseball. My dad played in the old Dewdney League which was probably at a Single A level playing down in the States and such. Larry Walker Sr was a great player and good family friend of my late father. I played fastball with his son Gary many years ago. Stud player. I guess when I was an infant my dad played for Kamloops Okonots which went to Natties in Senior Baseball with Randy Rota and the Watson boys, Joe and Jimmy. Back to the coast and starts playing fastball for another decade then umpired and coached us kids.

When I started playing decent ball in the late 80's there was probably 15 leagues in the lower mainland. Now there are 15 teams. Fuck all going on on the island. My buddy Rich Haldane is holding things together with duct tape at Kings Stadium in Kelowna. Kamloops has a crappy 5 team league. There were probably 600 teams in the province in 1990. I bet there isn't 60 teams now. The high level is still good, but there's no depth. I laugh at the girls games when I roll by Mclean Park. Most of the fielders are wearing masks. What the fuck is your glove for?

Kids are too busy with their phones now.

Fielders wearing masks? Like catcher masks?? Or are you talking Covid masks?

Yes the entire infield among girls rock masks and I've seen the outfielders wear them too.

I've felt balls whistle by my ears. Watched my best buddy take a line drive in the grill. I've taken a ball in the knee and one in the chest. I probably coned 80, so I'm ahead.when the good guys like Adam Folkard releases at probably 38 feet, that 84 mph is like 118 mph compared to baseball at 60 feet 6 inches.Feet per second.

Like I get the pitchers wearing a mask, obviously the catcher. But why anyone else? Did some kid with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome eat one in the melon. I played against nut jobs that caught, only wore a mask, didn't rock a chest protector or shin pads and the pitcher threw gas.

When as a society did we become so soft? Grit seems like swearword these days.

But Danny is right. The diamonds used to be jammed. Hockey is a fortune. Is baseball a lot of money for folks? Fastball for girls? My kids dropped out of soccer and ball a few years ago. Disappointing but they will design their own path.

[Per]

Vallvidrera, near Barcelona, has a curling club. Each season, the members of the club go to the local reservoir and toss a stone in to see if the ice is strong enough to play. Since the water never freezes, they go for brunch instead and raise the toast ‘We shall play one day’.