Patriot Son getting it done in Ecuador. Team USA finishes pool play 3-0 with 10-0 win over Puerto Rico. Many thanks to our crew of coaches and parents for sending pictures and keeping us updated on all that is happening to our boys. It is tough following the game on Twitter and live-stats. But it is better than nothing. Patriot wife says he is not allowed out of the country by himself again! She is always over reacting(Ha).
Here is a link to the teams photo site. The country side is quite the eye opener for a 14 yo.
http://u14usa.shutterfly.com/

http://web.usabaseball.com/new...7954&vkey=recap_usab

Great job Patriot - keep us updated on how junior is doing...Must be REAL nice to play baseball overseas while the other 99.99% of 14u kids are in classes.

The team does have two hours of study hall every day (Boo hoo). Wednesday is an off day. Play vs. Ecuador on Thursday. Patriot son pitched vs. PR so he will probably sit for at least one game. The good news is USA is rolling the other teams. The bad news is there are 18 guys wanting to play and not enough innings for the coaches to hand out.

Patriot,

Congrats, thanks for the updates.

If study hall is like last year, be prepared for extra study when he gets home(lol).

Go USA

Got ya Chalkline. But I do think his Spanish has improved. USA 19 Ecuador 0. This game got out of hand after Ecuador relieved their starter. Jarvis Grand Slam. Miller and Kirby HR's. Dudek 4 shutout on the mound. Semi-finals Friday.

When does 10U Team USA roll out?
Just saying.......

Congrats to your son and the boys!

USA!USA!USA!

Thanks for the update and links, Patriot. Best wishes to your son for continued success. The pictures are great and I'm sure they help you feel closer to the action.



There's nothing like visiting abroad to make one realize what a great country we live in.

How about school? This is freshmen HS aged kids? Will they get credit for units? Does this teach them that Baseball > School? 2 hours of study hall is nothing. Im not saying the experience isnt great but...

We talked to his teachers about what material would be covered during the time he would possibly miss. They were very supportive and mapped out what he would need to study. He is on independant study while he is abroad. In our case he is a very good student in advanced classes. This board has always reinforced that without good grades it doen't matter if you are Babe Ruth. Our goal is for him to play baseball in college at whatever level he is capable of achieving.

I think traveling abroad is an education in it's own right. The 18 kids are probably having the time of their lives playing the game they love and meeting kids from all over the world. How sweet is that, huh?

quote:

Originally posted by stayinside11:
The 18 kids are probably having the time of their lives playing the game they love and meeting kids from all over the world. How sweet is that, huh?

I'll bet it's real sweet!

We (USA) seem to absolutely dominate the 14u level internationally. The domination declines as you get to the older teens age groups. I doubt that is due to development...maybe I'm wrong. Do the other countries not place the same emphasis at the 14u age group that the USA has in recent years?

Just curious...

What dimensions do these kids play on? Looking at the pitching stats and they have a cumulative era of like 0.32. Also several home runs. Are these major league sized fields (60.5/90) or smaller? How deep are the fences?

BTW, these kids are absolutely dominant!

Looking back @ my kids education, they're 19 and 24 now, I was way tooooo strict about missing any school. There are some things in life that go beyond what you can learn in a classroom. If the kid is a good student and the teachers/school approve and will let them make up the work then they are having experiences they may never have again.

BTW, both my kids are excellent students and academics were always stressed before athletics.

Good job and good luck with the remainder of the games.

quote:

Looking back @ my kids education, they're 19 and 24 now, I was way tooooo strict about missing any school. There are some things in life that go beyond what you can learn in a classroom. If the kid is a good student and the teachers/school approve and will let them make up the work then they are having experiences they may never have again.

BTW, both my kids are excellent students and academics were always stressed before athletics.

A strict guy from northern California? Breaking all the stereo-types there, huh CaBB?

I agree with your comment too, btw.

I believe they are playing 56/80.

They play 53' mound, 80' bases. Not sure why international baseball is played at that distance for 14u.

Why are we doing well? Well, for one thing, look at who we are playing in the Pan Am games: Ecuador, Brazil, Panama, Nicaragua. Not exactly powerhouse baseball countries. Within COPABE, you have to think that only 3-4 countries could possibly put forward teams to compete with the US. Cuba does not participate in the 14u. Dominican Republic participates, but I think it's safe to say the best 14-year old Dominican players are not playing (for a variety of reasons). Venezuela has been the toughest competition historically, but they managed to lose 1-0 in 8 innings to Puerto Rico, so we won't face them for another 2 years.

So why does the US send a team to beat up on Central and South American teams? Well, the other countries want us there. The 14u US program is also helping to develop baseball in these other countries. COPABE provided a venue for the US when USA Baseball first started the 14u team; has changed their rules several times to accommodate the USA, and for better or worse, they are our strategic partner to grow the game.

With the removal of the "height restriction", the 53' mound seems awfully silly for 14-year olds. I suspect that will be the next thing USA Baseball pushes to change. But for now, they are stuck at 53' so the hard throwers dominate.

XtremeBB, great to have someone with the history of the games at this level. The fences are 260', 280' and 300' in center. A medium fly ball is a homer. Remember, they all play on the same field. Our team in Miami practiced mostly on 60.5/90. Patriot son is the scheduled starter for the gold medal game. Please send his your positive baseball mojo.

The first 14u COPABE event (Pan Am qualifier) that the US played in was played in Guatemala on a field that was something like 230' to center.

So it's getting better.

Gold for Team USA! Way to go boys. Never say die.