A new study confirms an old one on kids and curves

Back in 2009, I wrote an article for the New York Times citing a study that concluded there isn't much evidence to link curveballs and arm problems among kid pitchers. According to the study, the far more serious problem was overuse - too many pitches thrown over seasons dragging on too many months. It turned conventional thinking about kid pitchers and throbbing elbows on its head. Yet the study's primary author, Glenn Fleisig, was quite sure about which way his data pointed.

From the article:

Why for so many decades have most doctors and youth coaches believed otherwise? Fleisig said the evidence had been based largely on anecdotes, and that over the years those stories simply began to sound like fact.

“Why did people believe the world was flat? Because one guy told another it was flat and it looked flat. Until someone discovered that it wasn’t,” he said.

Fleisig took a lot of heat for the study and for refusing to back away from its conclusions. This week, vindication of sorts. A five-year study conducted at the University of North Carolina and commissioned by Little League Baseball reached the same conclusion.

As Glenn said in the Times article, no one is urging ten-year-olds to snap off a curve every other pitch. But data are data, and the curveball apparently isn't as harmful as many of us thought. And I have both hands raised on this one. In 2005, I wrote a piece for the Times lamenting the all-curve all-the-time approach of many youth pitchers at the Little League World Series. I should have been writing about pitch counts.

Want to play in the Little League World Series?

Little League Baseball just released its public-service announcements for 2011. Clever messaging in this one. It begins:

"There's only one Little League where the kids of summer take over the world. The Little League Baseball World Series. Televised worldwide. To be part of this, join a real Little League. Sign up today."

True, only kids playing in youth leagues affiliated with Little League Baseball have a chance to play in the LLWS.

Also true that the chance is nearly the same as digging up uranium in your backyard. About 2.4 million kids play Little League, most in the 10-12 division that holds its championship in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Fewer than 400 make it to that series each year.

It all points to the intense competition for youth players. The number of kids playing baseball in organized leagues is flat, even shrinking. The number of organizations trying to sign up those players - Little League, Cal Ripken, Dixie, travel leagues - expands every year.

A first for a New York Little League - Sandlot Day

I was searching for a league planning to hold a Sandlot Day (when kids organize their own games, with little oversight by adults) when I stumbled on a league that already had. The Philipstown, N.Y. Little League staged its Sandlot Day on May 2.

I spoke with the league president, Eddie Berry. He told me the kids had a blast. About 60 showed up out of 310 in the league.

A few nice touches. Kids were encouraged to use wood bats, provided by the league. A coach brought a snow-cone machine. Most of the players wore shorts and sneakers. Uniforms were not allowed.

Berry said attendance lagged because the Sandlot idea was hard for some of the kids to figure out. "A lot didn’t have any idea what Sandlot Day was all about," Berry said.

I asked the league president about things that had gone better than expected and things that hadn't gotten as well he hoped.

On the plus side, Berry said no one had gotten hurt. That had been a concern for some of the coaches.

On the minus, there were a few complaints from the kids. Not all could be attributed to Sandlot Day, though. It was a very hot day and some players said it was too hot for baseball. Others said the games were boring because they didn't know what the score was.

Berry gently explained, that's Sandlot Baseball.

What's in a name? A youth sports league is asking

I received this the other day.

I am not involved in the research and don't know the researchers. But the project seems worthwhile so I am passing it on.

We are currently conducting research for a national youth baseball league to find out how people view the word "Dixie". Would you be willing to help us in our project?

We have a survey of about 10 questions that will take people no longer than five minutes to complete.

This is a link to the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/J3JYJNW

The email didn't mention it, but I assume the reference is to Dixie Baseball, an organization that as of 2005 included about 400,000 players. The league has a sullied past. It formed in 1955. That year, a Little League program in South Carolina composed of all African American players entered the annual post-season tournament (leading to the Little League World Series). This was during the days of institutionalized segregation.

All-white Little Leagues around the state balked. They refused to play the black team. Instead, 61 leagues organized their own tournament. Eventually, the movement grew into Dixie Baseball. Now Dixie leagues are in 11 states. The organization long ago outgrew its racist roots. Now, it appears open to shedding its name.

In 2005, the 50th anniversary of the controversy, Little League Baseball honored the black players from South Carolina. Nice story.

I recommend participating in the poll.

Little League fields will grow, except in Williamsport

Thumbs-up to Little League Baseball for recognizing that it was time to shake things up.

There have been two major changes out of Williamsport in three months, which just about matches the total over the first 70 years. Monday, LLB announced it is creating what amounts to a new league for kids eligible for the traditional Little League 12-year-old program (and 13-year-olds, too), but mature enough to play on a larger diamond. In the spring, local leagues will have the option of moving games to fields that are, essentially, one size bigger. (Cal Ripken Baseball and numerous "travel leagues" across the country already are doing this).

Another Little League change was announced in November: an increase in mandatory rest days for pitchers in the regular season and the Little League World Series.

This is what Little League is saying about the bigger-diamond division:

"[I]n an effort to further ease the transition from the standard Little League field size (46-foot pitching distance and 60-foot base paths), Little League is offering a pilot program for league age 12- and 13-year-olds. The pilot program will be conducted on fields that feature a 50-foot pitching distance and 70-foot base paths. The pilot program will be available to all Little League programs worldwide for the 2010 season.

"Additionally, base runners will be permitted to lead off in the 50-70 Pilot Program (requiring pitchers to hold runners on base), runners may attempt stealing at any time, and head-first sliding is permitted. In the Little League division, runners cannot leave the base until the ball reaches the batter, and sliding must be feet-first unless the runner is retreating to a base.

"Also for the 50-70 Pilot Program – unlike the Little League division – the batter becomes a runner on a dropped third strike, the bat can have a diameter of 2 5/8 inches, and the on-deck batter is permitted."

Again, I applaud this move, mostly because it will encourage 13-year-olds who otherwise would quit baseball (fearing the big jump to a regulation diamond) to stay in the game.

Now I'm wondering how all this affects the Little League World Series.

Apparently, not at all. Little League isn't giving up the small diamond for that annual spectacle, which generates dozens of corporate sponsors, big crowds, an ESPN deal worth $1.5 million each year and untold exposure for the Little League brand.

Never mind that those kids entertaining us in Williamsport, more than any, are ready for the bigger diamond. You don't mess with a sure thing, which, at the box office, the Little League World Series surely is.

Facebook, Twitter, Little League Baseball

As of this morning, Little League's new Facebook fan page has 3,170 members. On Twitter, "LittleLeague" had 611 followers.

Is this a useful networking tool for the kids, the parents - or neither? I'll check back in a month or so to gauge how quickly the community is growing.

October 8, 2009

Dear Little League Baseball and Softball Volunteers and Fans:

Little League International has entered the world of "social media" with the creation of Twitter and Facebook pages.

A wide range of information is currently available on-line, and we encourage everyone to follow Little League's "Tweets" through Twitter, and stay current with happenings throughout the Little League program through Facebook.

Soon, Little League will have Facebook pages and Twitter posts dedicated to specific aspects of the Little League program, including Little League Softball, Little League's Teenage Divisions, Challenger Division and the Little League Urban Initiative.

Sincerely,

Little League International

P.O. Box 3485
539 US Route 15 Hwy
Williamsport, PA 17701-0485

Logging on to Youth Sports Live for $14.95

I'm going to subscribe this month. I'm not bragging, just informing.


August 6, 2009

Dear Little League Baseball and Softball Volunteers and Fans:

Little League Baseball and Softball International Tournament games can be seen on television throughout the month of August, with nearly 60 games scheduled to be televised. A list of games, dates and times, is available, here: http://www.littleleague.org/media/newsarchive/2009/May-Aug/LLTVSchedule.htm.

Anyone with an Internet connection can log on to Youth Sports Live to watch dozens of Little League International games from several venues throughout the United States. To access the Youth Sports Live, go to: http://www.youthsportslive.com/SummerTournament09/LittleLeague-Tournaments.aspx. The one-month subscription of $14.95 covers all the games and events, including postgame interviews at the Little League Baseball World Series.

To view webcasts of games in the 2009 Senior League Softball World Series, log on to: http://delmarvasports.youcastr.com/season/little-league-senior-softball-world-series. For webcast coverage of the 2009 Little League Softball World Series, log on to: http://www.softballworldseries.com/Videotransferpage.htm.

Little League Baseball = Free grape snowcone

Why not to tamper with your kid's Little League bat

Little League Baseball recently posted a statement on its web site noting that tampering with LL approved bats to "increase their performance" is strictly prohibited.

The statement includes this interesting detail. So far, LL headquarters "has not received any reports of Little League volunteers or players making alterations to bats."

So why issue the statement?

Apparently, it's in response to a tampering trend in college baseball. Several coaches, notably Vanderbilt's Tim Corbin, have questioned whether bats used by players on opposing teams have been doctored. Division I teams got a memo from the NCAA informing them that during the post-season tournament (leading to the College World Series) random bat tests are being conducted.

My question: How do you tamper with a metal bat? Personally, I've never remotely been tempted to tinker with my kids' bats, for reasons both ethical and economic. (i.e., fear of destroying a $300 investment). But college hitters are more than intrigued, according to this very good article in the Birmingham News.

Kudos to Little League for staying ahead of the problem, which, to this point, I guess, isn't a problem.

A billboard in Baltimore. No kidding.

Another warning about kids and curveballs

Little League Baseball continues to allow kids to throw curveballs. Before deciding the issue, it's waiting for results of a five-year study due to be completed in 2011.

Meanwhile, the medical evidence against kids throwing curves continues to pile up.

Researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago recently released a study on children and pitching injuries. Their conclusions include this one: Youth pitchers should not learn curves until age 14, two years after Little League. “For pitchers under 14 years old, we encourage fast ball and change-up pitches and discourage the use of a curveball to prevent injury,” said Dr. Charles Bush-Joseph, sports medicine specialist at Rush and co-author of the report.

This is hardly a surprising conclusion. Or a new one. Many surgeons have been saying the same thing for years. Robert Kerlan, the surgeon who cared for Sandy Koufax, had this to say about kids and curves in 1976.

"The unnatural contortions of the arm and elbow are harmful enough to the pros, to say nothing of young athletes whose bones and joints are still growing. We shouldn't put pressure on them that will ruin the development of their skeletal structures and lead to deformities."

Local Little Leagues don't need to wait for Williamsport. They can ban curves on their own, and a few progressive ones have done so. Why haven't more? Enforcement of a no-curve policy is a legitimate issue. Umpires would have to be trained to recognize a curve right away and be prepared to warn - after multiple infractions, even eject - pitchers. That seems surmountable and, if it saves a kid's arm, worth the trouble. The bigger issue, it seems, is the attitude of the adults. Would we support, promote, defend this? Sign me up. I'm locking arms with the late Dr. Kerlan.

Thank you, Doug Abrams.

More on Little League Baseball and pitch counts

Few people (as in none that I know of) follow the politics of Little League Baseball pitching rules as closely as Steve Kallas.

Over the years, Steve has been a persistent critic of LLB for failing to protect kids from too many pitches, curve balls and alike. He has kept an especially close eye on policies, in effect starting in 2007, regarding pitch counts.

The rules have been modified since, including changes in 2009. But Steve still sees room for improvement. In this recent blog post, he makes many good points but the best one is this: Why not let orthopedic surgeons and researchers decide the issue? In other words, the people who understand the physical limits of 12-year-old elbows and shoulders? To be fair, Little League has looked to such experts and has adjusted its rules based on their advice. But why not err on the side of safety?

The reporting for Until It Hurts underscored this for me. Surgeons are seeing overpitched kids in their offices every day. They understand the problem far better than the most well-intentioned coach, parent, private tutor and Little League administrator.

"Relax, it's just a game."

Another TV spot that holds up a mirror to overwrought sports parents, this one from the Canadian Hockey Association. Also, check out this clever public-service announcement from Little League Baseball.

Shout at your youth soccer player - it'll cost you $45

I'm collecting examples of rules that adults make to shield kids in organized sports from....adults. I am not disparaging these policies. For the most part, they're wise and needed. But there is something unsettling about having to protect them (children) from us.

In a soccer league in Duval County, Florida, parents, players and coaches are required to sign a "sportsmanship contract” before the season begins.

In youth soccer leagues in Naples, Florida, calling out to a player during a game can cost a parent $45.

In Louisiana, the Baton Rouge Soccer Association instituted “Silent Weekends.” Parents and coaches are barred from speaking during games.

The Central Pennsylvania Youth Soccer League has a "Silent Soccer" weekend each year. To keep parents quiet - and their mouths occupied - the Pennsylvania league hands out lollipops.

Of course, Little League Baseball has an elaborate system for limiting pitches. An 11- and 12-year-old pitcher is limited to 85 pitches a day. The amount of rest between pitching assignment varies depending on the number of pitches thrown, i.e., pitcher throwing more than 61 in a game must rest for three days of rest and a pitcher throwing 41 to 60 pitches has to stay off the pitching mound for two.

Please send additions from your local league, rec council, etc. I'll post, give credit and, if you'd like, will record the message on your home answering machine.

"That call stinks! You stink!"

Little League Baseball's "You Make Me Sick" campaign still rates as the most effective, but this "That Call Stinks" ad brought to you by the Canadian Hockey Association is pretty good at turning the tables on abusive parents. Idea: Could we raise $3 million and air it during the Super Bowl?

The top 10 salaries in youth sports, unofficially

The other day, I set out to answer the seldom (perhaps, never-before) asked question: Who are the highest-paid adults in youth sports?

I fired up my laptop, pointed my browser at Guidestar, the repository on the Web for all things pertaining to non-profit organizations, and started searching. After a few hours reviewing tax filings and disclosure forms, these are the 10 highest paid executives I found in youth sports organizations.

Caveats:

This isn't close to a definitive survey. Please write if you know of others who should make the list.

It doesn't include benefits and deferred compensation. (In the case of Little League's Keener, more than $30,000 in the year I reviewed).

Most important, I'm looking only at non-profits. Add for-profit companies and of course the list would be wall-to-wall executives squeezing dollars out of youth sports for Nike, Adidas, ESPN and the other kids and sports corporate behemoths.

With those qualifications, here's the top 10. The salary figures are from the organizations' most recent available tax filings - sometimes two to three years ago.

1. Stephen A. Hamblin, American Junior Golf Association executive director, $328,941.

2. Stephen Keener, Little League Baseball president and CEO, $197,700.

3. Bobby Dodd, Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) president, $190,196

4. Steven Tellefson, Babe Ruth League Baseball, president and CEO $150,242

5. Peter Ripa, American Junior Golf Association, assistant executive director, $137,677.

6. Rosemary Schoellkopf, Babe Ruth League CFO, $133,159.

7. Dave Houseknecht, Little League Baseball CFO, $125,000

8. Joseph Smiegocki, Babe Ruth League Baseball vice president, $120,017

9. Michael Killpack, AAU director of sports, $119,502

10. Robert Faherty, Babe Ruth League Baseball communications, $116,312


The highest-paid youth sports coach I found - again, looking only at non-profits - John Hackworth, United States Soccer Federation youth national team coach, who earned $109,080.

Not everyone is pulling down a six-figure income, to be sure. These modestly paid people were the top earners in their respective youth sports organizations, according to the tax filings.

Hammid Wadood, Snoop Youth Football Foundation administrator, $60,000

Anthony C. DeLus, International Soap Box Derby, executive director, $46,736.

Jon Butler, Pop Warner Football executive director, $28,846.

Little League sponsorship continued

More on Little League Baseball and corporate sponsors.

I spoke today with Chris Downs, a Little League Baseball spokesman. Here's what I learned.

Little League sponsors DO have the right to picture real Little Leaguers playing in real Little League World Series games in their advertising.

These caveats apply:

Only "official sponsors" have this right.

Only images that portray kids playing by the rules - e.g., catchers wearing mandatory throat guards - are allowed.

Only still photography of kid players is permitted. No video.

I asked Chris Downs for his assessment of the Wilson/DeMarini video posted here yesterday. "Based on the established parameters I am aware of, it certainly doesn't violate any rules," he told me.

I asked whether the parents/guardians of Little League World Series players are asked to sign a release, granting permission for these images to be used by corporate sponsors. Yes, Downs said.

Apologies to Wilson for inferring in yesterday's post that the video in question used players in an unauthorized way.

Bottom line: Sponsors have the legal right.

Question: Is it right?

Little League Baseball and the sponsorship game

Little League has been striking deals with corporate sponsors for a long time - more than 50 years. Some of the earliest were the most crassly commercial. At the 1948 Little League World Series (then called the LL National Tournament), half the kids wore "US Keds" across their chests. The other half, "US Royals." The image of young players as Madison Avenue billboards did not go over well. The next year, the sneaker names came off the jerseys.

These days, Little League Baseball has a deep bench of corporate sponsors, from Ace Hardware to Kellogg's Frosted Flakes to Wilson Sporting Goods. However, it does not allow real kids playing in real Little League games to be pictured in advertising.

Or so I thought.

This posted to Youtube last month. So far, 272 views (and one comment, presumably from an 11-year-old: "Cool.")

"You make me sick!"

A clever, direct and disturbing message to overly invested adults. Little League Baseball deserves much credit for coming up with this one, which apparently is reaching a large audience. Last time I checked Youtube - more than 540,000 views.

Little League Baseball's distinguished alumni club

At its Williamsport, Pa. headquarters, Little League Baseball has a Hall of Fame. It's a small gallery that celebrates a few dozens kid ballplayers who grew up to be stars in politics, movies, music, yes even journalism. For me, at least, the museum makes the statement that success in life comes even to those who were not youth sports prodigies. I'm referring to columnist George Will, a Hall of Fame inductee and alumnus of the Champaign, Illinois Little League.

In The Games Do Count, Will tells author Brian Kilmeade: "I played for the Mittendorf Funeral Home Panthers. Our color was black. I sometimes played second base but I also recall playing right field. But I was a seriously bad ballplayer. I was earnest but I had no talent whatsoever."

This month, Little League is congratulating two more former kid players, Joe Biden and David Petraeus. Apparently, neither was a standout pitcher or hitter - Petraeus's teammates couldn't pronounce his last name so called him "Peaches" - but the last time I checked both were having pretty good years in 2008.