Moms and Baseball

We are so excited to welcome back special guest Susana Lluch. Susana is Alek Manoah & Erik Manoah’s mom who previously joined us for Episode 65 back in November 2021. Today she joins Stephanie and Diana to catch up and talk baseball--especially the World Baseball Classic (WBC).

Mentioned:

• Episode 65

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Today we are discussing the dangers of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) including anabolic steroids, Human Growth Hormone (HGH), some energy drinks, and also some dietary supplements. We invited special guest Don Hooton, Jr. to talk about this important topic and why it is such an important topic to him. Don discusses the warning signs and the dangers of these drugs to parents and youth athletes.

For more information you can visit the Taylor Hooton Foundation and learn about nutritional supplement safety, the All Me Assembly programs, All Me podcast, and the All Me League.

And remember, there’s no substitution for hard work!

Mentioned:

Episode 97
NCAA Banned Substances
MLB Prohibited Substances List


Follow Moms and Baseball:

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Today we are discussing why nutrition is the most important piece of the performance puzzle for athletes. Our expert is Sports Dietitian, Tavis Piattoly. He's been working in the field of high performance and Sports Nutrition for the past 21 years designing personalized nutrition programs for high school, college, and professional athletes. 

Additional topics we discuss are:

• What to eat before, or during, tournament games.
• Hydration for hot weather baseball, electrolytes, and beet powder.
• Some of the most  most recommend supplements for athletes include an Omega 3 FA, Creatine 3-5 grams per day, and a multivitamin with Vitamin D.
• Supplement safety.
• Eat 2 Win Nutrition App 

If you have any additional questions for Tavis, you can contact him through our page or by email at [email protected].

Follow Moms and Baseball:

• Keep up with Moms and Baseball on our website: https://momsandbaseball.com
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• Join our Facebook group, Parents and Baseball
• You can also listen to episodes on Moms and Baseball Facebook page

Today we are discussing our opinions about travel baseball and whether the travel baseball market is oversaturated with baseball organizations? And if there are too many teams, does it matter? What would that mean?

On Deck:
We speak with a sports dietician about nutritional needs for young athletes.

Follow Moms and Baseball:

• Keep up with Moms and Baseball on our website: https://momsandbaseball.com
• Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
• Join our Facebook group, Parents and Baseball
• You can also listen to episodes on Moms and Baseball Facebook page

Mentions:
- The Shift, by Walter Beede
- Episode 14- DadsTakeover - Choosing a Travel Team
- Episode 61 - Should I Stay or Should I Go? 10 Considerations Before Leaving your Travel Team

Today Diana interviews Xander, her 15-year old son, to hear his perspective on baseball. They discuss his experience with travel/select ball, rec ball and his thoughts on possible regrets, parent pet-peeves, the possibility of playing college baseball, and more.
 

Follow Moms and Baseball:

• Keep up with Moms and Baseball on our website: https://momsandbaseball.com
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• Join our Facebook group, Parents and Baseball
• You can also listen to episodes on Moms and Baseball Facebook page

Today we are talking about Damar Hamlin, commotio cordis and cardiac arrest, how it is relevant to baseball, and what if anything can be done to help prevent it.

We recently witnessed the clip of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsing after a collision with Bengals wide receiver in a NFL football game. People have speculated that Hamlin went into cardiac arrest from commotio cordis. Our understanding is that for commotio cordis to occur, the impact has to occur in the right place (right over the heart), at the right time in the heart’s rhythm, by an object of a specific size. In this case, an opponent’s shoulder. The treatment is immediately administering CPR,  and using an AED (automated external defibrillator) until medical professionals arrive.

The National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE)
is an independent, non-profit organization that funded research to develop the world’s first performance standard to protect against commotio cordis in 2018. The performance standard applies to the protectors worn in the sports of baseball and lacrosse. Today, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and NCAA require all catchers to wear protectors that meet the standard. Some of these products can include a traditional style chest protector but may also include compression shirts and coverings that are more suited for positional players or pitchers. For a complete list of current products that meet the standard, visit Safety Equipment Institute, which is the only entity that certifies equipment to NOCSAE standards.

Disclaimer: we are not medical professionals so please consider that anything shared in this episode is NOT medical advice. We are just moms wanting to keep our kids as safe as possible while playing the sport they love, and doing some google research for you.

Follow Moms and Baseball:

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Articles used for this episode:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/01/05/commotio-cordis-mitigating-risks/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3445066/

https://www.sportsmedtoday.com/commotio-cordis-va-88.htm

https://www.chicagotribune.com/investigations/ct-chest-protectors-commotio-cordis-standard-met-20160408-story.html

https://nocsae.org

https://www.seinet.org/search.htmsection=SportsAthleticsandRecreation#sections=NOCSAE_collapse3,NOCSAE_Baseball_collapse31

Today we are sharing Stephanie's favorite episode of 2022, which was Episode 83: Moms and Pitch Counts.

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Today's episode we are talking about pitch counts and why parents need to be aware. Tommy John surgery is on the rise and not just for MLB pitchers either. Diana and Stephanie discuss Tommy John surgery, pitch counts and rest days, recommendations for parents to protect their youth players arm, and pitch count apps. One more tip discussed was NOT to use ice for muscle soreness or after pitching/throwing. Your youth player needs active recovery to help rebuild that muscle. If you want to hear more about recovery, check out our episode 24: Arm Care Advice, Part 2 with Dr. Ryan Brown.

Recommendations/Guidelines to follow:

• Make sure to properly warm up before pitching
• Avoid playing catcher while not pitching
• Players should not pitch in multiple games on the same day
• Monitor for other signs of fatigue
• No pitcher shall appear in a game as a pitcher for three consecutive days, regardless of pitch counts
• No overhead throwing of any kind for at least 2 to 3 months per year (4 months is preferred). No competitive baseball pitching for at least 4 months per year.

MLB Pitch Smart Guidelines

Little League Pitching Rules


Articles:

Apps:

• Gamechanger (free)
• Pitch X -Pitch Counter (free)
• Pitch Counter & Radar Gun (free)
• Pitch Locator Pro (fee)

Mentioned in Episode:

Episode 24: Arm Care Advice, Part 2 with Dr. Ryan Brown
Episode 83: Moms and Pitch Counts

For the last 2 episodes of 2022, we each pick our favorite episode to re-share. This is Diana's Favorite of 2022: Episode 73- College Athletic Recruiting with with Coach Renee Lopez. 

Coach Lopez is a 20-year coaching veteran, and an expert in the college recruiting process. She has served as the NCAA compliance director and has also learned the recruiting process from having worked as a high school varsity head coach for three years and a college coach for 14, in NCAA Division I, II, III, and NAIA.

Coach Lopez has written a book, "Looking for a Full Ride? An Insider's Recruiting Guide," which has been featured on ESPN Radio & SiriusXMI.

We found Coach Lopez through the Facebook group, "Educating Parents of HS Athletes on the College Recruiting Process," where she and a group of experts are helping over 50,000 member parents navigate the athletic recruiting process. 

This episode is jam-packed with helpful advice from Coach Lopez, including the following:

• Common misconceptions about the recruiting process
• When/how should kids start actively working to get on a college coach’s radar
• Considerations when making lists of potential colleges
• The "broken leg test"
• How to contact a coach through social media
• What is the NCAA Eligibility Center and why should your athlete start checking his/her high school's core courses now?
  
  

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Today is Part 2 of our mini-series with Lisa Messey.  Lisa is back to discuss college baseball camps, which were vital in the process of her son Drew's verbal commitment to University of Louisville as a 2026 grad. In particular, Lisa shares her son's experience at the week-long camp at Vanderbilt University.

In addition, Stephanie shares her son Keegan's experience at the College Day Workouts he did with the Midwest Canes at the University of Cincinnati and Indiana University.

Finally, Diana briefly compares those experiences to a camp that Xander attended at D3 Alma College.

Follow Moms and Baseball:

• Keep up with Moms and Baseball on our website: https://momsandbaseball.com
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• Join our Facebook group, Parents and Baseball
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Mentions:
Episode 90: Verbally Committing as a Young Player- One Family's Story
Episode 74: College Baseball Camps

In Part 1 of a 2-part series with return guest Lisa Messey, we discuss her son Drew's recent verbal commitment to the University of Louisville as a Class of 26 shortstop. Lisa walks us through what that process looked like for them, including the "why" and "how" of verbally committing as an underclassman.

Mentioned:
Episode 74: College Baseball Camps
Episode 73: College Athletic Recruiting with Coach Renee Lopez

Follow Moms and Baseball:

• Keep up with Moms and Baseball on our website: https://momsandbaseball.com
• Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
• Join our Facebook group, Parents and Baseball
• You can also listen to episodes on Moms and Baseball Facebook page