Mark Hyman's Blog, page 21
June 10, 2009
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
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
June 8, 2009
One evening on the Until It Hurts publicity tour
My friend Stan Charles invited me on to "Inside Press Box" to chat about the book.
Inside PressBox May 17, 2009: Youth Sports from PressBox on Vimeo.
This post originally published at http://www.youthsportsparents.blogspo...
[image error]June 5, 2009
The high school stadium with the corporate name
Interesting read in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette about banks and other financial institutions spending big bucks to slap their corporate logos on high school sports venues. The article cites a local deal in which Commerce Bank & Trust bid $1 million for naming rights at Foley Stadium high school field, now "Commerce Bank Field at Foley Stadium."
It's easy to decry this as a distressing escalation in the commercialization and professionalization of sports for kids, which it clearly is. But at
It's easy to decry this as a distressing escalation in the commercialization and professionalization of sports for kids, which it clearly is. But at
June 2, 2009
The life and times of a 2-year-old billiards champ
Keith O'Dell Jr.'s parents reveal the following in this news report about their now 25-month-old billiards prodigy.
Their first date was at a pool hall.
Keith Jr. plays two to three hours a day.
They're not pushing him. "He's getting good on his own. We're not really helping him too much," his mom says.
The O'Dells are traveling the media circuit. Here they are recently on Good Morning America. Four adults trying to coax a toddler into performing pool tricks.
Thanks to Jessie Bennett.
Their first date was at a pool hall.
Keith Jr. plays two to three hours a day.
They're not pushing him. "He's getting good on his own. We're not really helping him too much," his mom says.
The O'Dells are traveling the media circuit. Here they are recently on Good Morning America. Four adults trying to coax a toddler into performing pool tricks.
Thanks to Jessie Bennett.
June 1, 2009
This college coach has a lot of explaining to do
More from the overuse-injury desk.
Writing for ESPN Insider, Keith Law reports on a marathon college baseball game and the clueless decisions of the coaches involved.
"By now you've probably read about the 25-inning game yesterday between the University of Texas and Boston College, which featured incredible performances by Texas reliever Austin Wood (13 innings, 169 pitches) and BC reliever Mike Belfiore (9.2 innings, 129 pitches) to keep the game scoreless into the small hours. However, we must n
Writing for ESPN Insider, Keith Law reports on a marathon college baseball game and the clueless decisions of the coaches involved.
"By now you've probably read about the 25-inning game yesterday between the University of Texas and Boston College, which featured incredible performances by Texas reliever Austin Wood (13 innings, 169 pitches) and BC reliever Mike Belfiore (9.2 innings, 129 pitches) to keep the game scoreless into the small hours. However, we must n
May 26, 2009
Mouthguards, helmets and Tommy John surgery
As followers of this blog know (due to my railing on the subject) all youth sports injuries are not created equally. There are two major types: acute injuries that are incidental to the sport being played, i.e., turning an ankle on second base or catching an elbow in the face during a fight for a rebound; and overuse injuries caused pretty much by one thing: playing sports so intensely that a kid's body breaks.
Some recent info on both types:
According to a new study, the number of acute baseball
Some recent info on both types:
According to a new study, the number of acute baseball
May 22, 2009
A tooth implant and a college sports scholarship
An article in Thursday's Washington Post examines a subject that generates a lot of heat among parents of talented young athletes but often not much light: whether it’s sensible to commit to intensive year-round training in one sport in hope of nabbing a college sports scholarship for your child.
The Post story doesn’t answer yes or no. But it draws a startling picture of how all-consuming sports become when kids and parents commit to this wearying path.
These two paragraphs about Sami Kuykendall,
The Post story doesn’t answer yes or no. But it draws a startling picture of how all-consuming sports become when kids and parents commit to this wearying path.
These two paragraphs about Sami Kuykendall,
May 20, 2009
Sports injuries and kids in the Wall Street Journal
"The Juggle," the Wall Street Journal's family and work balance blog, posted yesterday on injuries in youth sports. Sue Shellenbarger writes about her daughter's ACL injury - suffered during a high-school basketball game - and reconstructive surgery. There's a brief mention of Until It Hurts and Ben's injury and operation.
At last count, there were 24 comments posted, including these:
"I have seen an unbelievable amount of serious injury among young ballet dancers. I believe this is related to thr
At last count, there were 24 comments posted, including these:
"I have seen an unbelievable amount of serious injury among young ballet dancers. I believe this is related to thr
May 18, 2009
"All Things Considered" considers Until It Hurts
My son Ben joined me for an interview that aired yesterday on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered." I had been hoping for a chance for the two of us to speak about Until It Hurts and generally about the highs and occasional lows of his life as a kid athlete. This was our first chance and worth the wait.
Ben did a superb job, explaining that many kids are competitive, want more for their efforts than a participation trophy and love the games as much as their parents do. At the end of th
Ben did a superb job, explaining that many kids are competitive, want more for their efforts than a participation trophy and love the games as much as their parents do. At the end of th
May 17, 2009
Sure, but who carried the equipment bag?This post origina...
Sure, but who carried the equipment bag?
This post originally published at http://www.youthsportsparents.blogspo...
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