Moms and Baseball

Today we discuss mental performance training with Jay Thooft. Jay is a mental performance expert from Denver, Colorado. He is the owner of PERC (Performance Excellence and Recovery Consulting) and also has an active YouTube channel - Train with PERC.

Jay discusses 4 important aspects of youth training, including the often-overlooked mental aspect, and offers a telltale sign that an athlete could benefit from mental/performance training. He also talks about how parents can help foster confidence in young athletes.

We also discuss the oh-so-important car ride home, and the difference between superstitions and routines in the mental aspect of baseball.

You can contact Jay Thooft at his website, trainwithperc.com and parents can download a FREE mental preparation guide at trainwithperc.com/freeguide.

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

Mentions:
Car Ride Home Advice video
TikTok Video

Have you ever heard, "The pitcher threw a Maddux?"  
What about what this means: 6+4+3= 2 or a 6-4-3 play?
Or, do you know why an easily-catchable fly ball is called a can of corn?

We discuss this baseball jargon in today's episode, along with several others. People who are brand new to baseball should appreciate learning a lot of baseball terminology, and long-time baseball fans will enjoy learning the origin of some of this baseball jargon.

Here are a few others we discuss as well:

• Oppo Taco
• Hat Trick
• Texas Leaguer
• Eat it
• Pitch him a chair
• Chin music
• The shift
• Making firewood 
• Bush League
• Mendoza line
• Warning track power - WTP

Follow Moms and Baseball:

• Keep up with Moms and Baseball on our website: https://momsandbaseball.com
• Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
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Mentions & Resources:
Episode 6: Moms and Baseball Stats
Episode 24: Arm Care Advice, Part 2, with Dr. Ryan Brown
thatbaseballmom.com
The MLB Glossary

Today we discuss the intangible benefits, or non-baseball benefits, of travel ball. (We will save the benefits of community rec ball and little league for another day :) 

We thought it would be fun to have a veteran travel ball mom join us to speak about long-term benefits she has been able to observe over a long period of time. 

So today we are joined by guest Sue Wood. Sue is a mom of 4 kids, aged 18-30. Her son, Zach Olszewski (25) played both little league and travel baseball out of Bay City, Michigan. Zach O was part of the founding Saginaw Bay Riverdawgs travel baseball team at 12 years old, in or around 2009, at a time when travel baseball at the youth level was almost non-existent in Mid Michigan. He played at John Glenn High School and then moved on to play D1 baseball at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Sue brings her expertise as a veteran baseball mom to the discussion about intangible benefits of travel ball.

On Deck: We will be talking about baseball terminology you may not know

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

Mentions:
Episode 30:  Mark Krzysiak - Coaching, Travel Ball, and Scouting "Turn-Ons" & "Turn-Offs"
Episode 21: DadsTakeover - College Recruiting
Episode 28: Daddy Ball
Episode 3: Moms and Baseball Mom Stereotypes

Today we discuss wiffle ball and are joined by some special guests to give us the down low on Major League Wiffle (MLW). We are so excited to finally be joined by Stephanie's son, Keegan, and Diana's son, Xander (both 13-years-old), who recently competed in the Wiffle in the Mitten tournament and are fans of the MLW YouTube channel.

You can follow our guests on their baseball Instagram accounts: @keegan_m.15 and @xgrice_6

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

Mentions:
https://www.inverse.com/mind-body/not-sports-major-league-wiffle-ball

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=WIFFLE&rh=n%3A3375251%2Cp_89%3AWIFFLE&dc&qid=1631233719&rnid=2528832011&ref=sr_nr_p_89_1

This week we have another Dads Takeover episode as Patrick and Trevor discuss the  USA Baseball NTIS system.  From State Tryouts, to Regional Tryouts, to the Champions Cup in Cary, North Carolina, the dads look to shed some light on the process.

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

On Deck:
Major League Wiffle Ball

In episode 54, we discuss the PBR Junior Future Games in Emerson, GA. Diana was not available for this episode, so we have a special guest. We are joined by Stephanie's husband, Patrick Malley,  to discuss his experience at this PBR Showcase.

This invite only event was PBR Junior Future Games at LakePoint Sports Complex in Emerson, GA on July 28th- August 1st.

In this episode we discuss:

• What is PBR and showcases
• Measurables/stats
• Facilities
• Pricing
• Tournament Basics & Scheduling
• And lots more!

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

On Deck:
USA Baseball NTIS 13u Champions Cup in Cary, NC

Mentions:
Dads Takeover- Spring Training for Travel Ball?
LakePoint Sports Complex in Emerson, GA

In episode 53, we discuss all things about the Ripken Experience at Myrtle Beach. Note that Stephanie is absent from this episode as she is currently traveling for yet another baseball experience with her oldest son.

This is your "unofficial" guide to Ripken Experience to help you prepare and make the most out of your time in Myrtle Beach. We are also joined by a special guest, Brian Stephens. Brian is Diana's brother and is coach of the 12u Saginaw Bay Riverdawgs team that attended the weeklong Wave Rider Tournament in Myrtle Beach from July 25-30, 2021.

In this episode we discuss:

• Facilities
• Tournament "Extras"
• Pricing
• Tournament Basics & Scheduling
• Tips and facts to help you prepare
• And lots more!

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

On Deck:
PBR Junior Futures in Georgia

Mentions:
Sandy Beach Resort
Westgate Resort
Myrtle Waves Water Park
Family Kingdom Amusement Park

In episode 52, we discuss all things about Ballparks of America in Branson, Missouri.

This is your "unofficial" guide to Ballparks of America to help you prepare and make the most out of your time in Branson, MO. We are also joined by a special guest, Steve Beson. Steve stayed with our boys 24-7 in the dorms at Ballparks of America and gave us some insight on his experience.

The tournament we attended was The Show Me Shoot Out Tournament for 13u only in Branson, MO during July 16-22, 2021.

In this episode we discuss:

• Facilities
• Tournament dorm life experience
• Pricing
• Extra festivities at the ballpark and around Branson
• Tournament Basics & Scheduling
• And lots more!

Ballparks of America Essentials not listed  in the “Prep kit” listed online:

• Laundry bags (extra)
• Air Freshener
• Shower caddy
• Hooks off of bunk bed for wet towels
• Hangers
• Fly tape
• Wiffle ball stuff to play at night
• Snacks: healthy/high protein
• “Soft” toilet paper
• Powder Gatorade mix
• Gallon water jugs
• Soft small cooler for parents or water jug 
• Extra blanket for at night
• Ice
• Extra water/gatorade bottles
• Keurig for coaches

I need to give a shout out to Next Level 13u from Georgia. They complimented me on my Moms and Baseball bag and I told them to listen. We met some great teams, kids and parents at this tournament.

On Deck:
Unofficial Guide to Cal Ripken experience where we will go more in depth with all the ins and outs of that tournament and give our best tips to help you feel  prepared and make the most out of your time in Myrtle Beach.

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

Mentions:
Buckets and Boards
Silver Dollar City Water Park
Runaway Mountain Coaster
WonderWorks
Pasguetti's
Guy Fieri's
Landshark Bar & Grill
Gettin' Basted
Downing Street Pour House (Not mentioned but highly recommend!)
Leyden Eagles
NEXTLVL 

We recently attended the Ballparks of America tournament and the Ripken Experience in back-to-back weeks.

First, Stephanie and Diana travelled to Branson, Missouri for the Ballparks of America Show Me Shootout tournament with our 13u team July 16-22, and then Diana's family left Missouri the following day to travel to the Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach with our 12u team for the Wave Rider tournament, which was July 25-30.

We will be releasing complete guides to both of these tournaments in the coming weeks, but first we wanted to offer a side-by-side comparison of the two. It really depends on what your team is looking for, but these are both fantastic destination tournaments!

We will go through several different aspects of each tournament and talk about what they have in common, where they differ, and which tournament has an advantage in each area-- so you can have more information to make a better choice for your team.

On Deck: Unofficial Guide to Ballparks of America in Branson

Follow Moms and Baseball:

• Keep up with Moms and Baseball on our website: https://momsandbaseball.com
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USSSA Major Illinois State Championship
June 25-27 11u

Location:
Louisville Slugger Sports Complex

Rating

• Facility:  5/ 5 points 
• Tournament Management: 5/ 5 points
• Fees: 4/ 5 points 
• Restrooms: 5/5 points 
• Umpires: 1.5/ 3 points
• Concessions: 1.5/ 2 points 
• Miscellaneous: 3.5/ 5 points

TOTAL RATING: Rounds up to 26/ 30  (HOME RUN)

Mentions
Bullpen Tournaments at Grand Park Review
YouTube Video: Coach Ernest from Jem Baseball Training
Saginaw Bay Riverdawgs
Naperville Renegades
Jem Baseball Training

Note: Our reviews are completely based on our own personal opinions, and we are not receiving any compensation or incentives for our reviews (and if we ever did, we would disclose that information).

If you have any corrections, please send them to us. We will keep the show notes updated with any corrected/updated information so please make sure to check those out on our website: https://momsandbaseball.weebly.com

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Moms and Baseball Tournament Ratings Scale (30 possible points)

• 28+: Grand Slam
• 25-27: Home Run
• 22-24: Triple
• 19-21: Double
• 16-18: Base Hit
• Under 16: Strikeout

Grading System:

• 5 pts: Fields/Facilities (maintained, fences, turf, lights, bleachers, nets, etc)
• 5 pts: Tournament management (Scheduling, communication, rules, etc)
• 5 pts: Fees (Tournament, parking, entry)
• 5 pts: Restrooms
• 3 pts: Umpires
• 2 pts: Concessions
• 5 pts: Miscellaneous (location, coolers, alcohol, dogs, playground, things to do, trophy type, etc.)

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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