TIMES HAVE CHANGED IN YOUTH BASEBALL: 8-U TRAVEL BALL….WTF

When I was 8 years old in the late '80s, summer baseball was a simple affair. We played a 15-game season, and by July, it was over. No brackets. No rings. No livestreams. Just a bunch of sweaty kids with mismatched stirrups and grass stains, playing because it was fun.

There was no GameChanger app tracking our exit velocity or launch angle.

Our coaches smoked in the dugout. Marlboro Reds, giving pointers through a cloud of carcinogens. No one wore batting gloves. We had mesh-back trucker hats with logos from some local concrete or roofing company. Our uniforms were hand-me-down polyester, at least a decade old.

Fast forward to now. Today’s 8-year-olds play 15 games in a weekend. On turf. In full drip. Custom cleats, arm sleeves, necklaces, shades, and eye black that resembles war paint. They’ve got three bats each, and if one doesn’t match their vibe, it’s considered a bad luck charm. Their games are streamed live on social media like it’s ESPN 8: The Ocho, and parents post slow-mo highlight clips like their kid’s about to sign with LSU.

And listen, I get it. Times change. The gear’s cool. The talent’s real, but at the end of the day, I don’t care how many views your buddy's kid's video gets. I watched that highlight you posted. That "double" you’re so proud of? Yeah, that was an E-5.

Nostalgia’s not a fair opponent, I know. But there was something beautiful about those dusty fields, mesh hats, and smoke breaks in the dugout. No drama. No rankings. Just baseball…….and maybe a little secondhand smoke.