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A whole new ballgame: Utah summer leagues have evolved

Get a Job, Go to work. Move on with your life.

Don't listen to awsomeron! You will be working your ENTIRE LIFE!! If you have the chance to play ball, even just one last summer, DO IT!!

2ndly, I totally understand that the best players and coaches and programs want to compete against the best and keep getting better. But I hope there is always a place for those ball players that aren't the best, but still love the game and to compete, to play and get better themselves. Baseball is a game.

My problem with the new leagues is money. It's costly for the kids, and I think some coaches joined these new leagues for the kickbacks from the organizers.

I question the motives of these coaches. Is it really about the kids? Or about having power in the baseball circles and having the say on who is good or not? Take that Gates All-Star game for example. Look at how many kids connected to Shepherd made that team.

All the pundits for the Baseball Academy and the other various "super leagues" say that they are about improving baseball. They aren't succeeding. Youth baseball in the Salt Lake area has taken a big hit. These supposed elite leagues are not doing anything for anyone but those who run them. It is all about the money, and they make a lot of it. If the Baseball Academy is so good and the players so good, why then didn't any Salt Lake area teams win the high school state championships this year?

It is all about power. Sato wants power and control and the Legion folks wouldn't give it to him. Frankly, his Bingham teams haven't been that good. I wouldn't put Bingham's high school program in the "elite".

George Sluga lost his job at Bingham partially because he ran and supervised workouts in the off season with his basketball teams in violation of the USHAA rules. It seems that these high school baseball coaches are doing the same thing, even though these games are not sanctioned by the USHAA. They have found a loophole.

Save baseball in Salt Lake. Lose the Baseball Academy.

Would the UHSAA let Football teams start their own "AAU" league for football in the spring? No way! And that might actually be a good thing for kids. It is amazing what baseball gets away with. This is a major loop hole, designed to make money for baseball coaches, and create unfair advantages for the so called baseball elite.

I am not sure why boys can't play on both teams. The Legion teams and the Elite teams. When you look back on it parents, look at the money you are throwing towards what? A college education? Have you looked at what a college education will cost you and if you think there is a bunch of money given to baseball players in college please go look again. These are things that all these coaches don't explain to you. Boys you will look back and if you can win a team championship and play in the regionals of the American Legion, you will face the likes of Bishop Gorman and others. Some how they make it work, why can't we make it work. For one the Legion program is much better organized and it is all done by volunteers, no paid coaches, just coaches that want to give something back to their communities and thier teams.

First of all you have no idea what you are talking about.. The Baseball Academy does not pay coaches to coach their teams, they give them a break on the cost of the team fees for the coaches and in return the coaches usually pass that back to their teams. If it is to buy equipment or whatever and it usually is only about $600 per coach (oh wow that is really paying a coach) 600 hundred little dollars for all the time they put into their team. Why do all you people have to bad mouth other coaches and the academy when they are trying to do good for Utah and baseball. I get so sick of reading these negative comments when you should be finding the positive in what the Baseball Academy and Coaches do for your kids. Come on people grow up how hard is it to find the positive in what people do instead always the negative.
I am a mom that totally supports my coaches and the Baseball Academy for all their hard work and you should too.

Unfortunatly baseball in Utah is becoming a joke.If you are not tied into the academy or The Gates foundation you get left behind.We need to remember the academy is a business and it is there to support and put food on someones table.The Gates foundation does some great things,but it seems like not a whole lot of research has gone into picking some of their local talent.Over exagerated stats and parents willing to stroke someones ego seem to go a long way.What do some of these elite kids do when their playing days are over and they have to pay their own way in the real world?I dont think we are doing these kids any favors by giving them a free ride and overblown egos.Too bad the good old days of Automotive and Legion baseball are gone for good.

The baseball academy has ruined summer baseball. Half the time umpires don't show and then it's usually only 1. The leagues are poor at best. Legion ball and automotive were much better organized and the games were much better. Academy leagues are over priced for the value you received and the collegiate league is the biggest joke of all.

they can't play both because the elite teams play every single day.

Summer baseball is not breaking any UHSAA rules. Baseball has a 12 week moritorium just like everyother sport including football. The moritorium begins when the summer season ends. Summer baseball is no different than the passing leagues and spring drills that football participates in. Believe me the high school coaches that commit to their program and coach both summer ball and high school ball are not in it for the money. All that teams needed to do that were in the legion and split off was tell the players that once they graduated they were no longer apart of the the team and that they had their time. There are a lot of teams up north that are apart of the american legion that do this exact thing. Other teams have formed (Smithfield Aztecs is one of them) with graduated seniors that still meet the age criteria for American Legion Baseball.

WAY TO GO FORGET SUPPORTING THE ACADEMY, SATO SAYS THE GRADUATED PLAYERS AND HIS INCOMING SENIORS OR JUNIORS ARE THE ONES SITTING THEN USE TWO TEAMS WHILE ONE TEAM PLAYS OUT THERE LAST HURRAH THE OTHER TEAM IS WORKING ON THE NEXT SEASON FOR THERE RESPECTIVE VARSITY.

The Blacksmith Fork Trappers is actually Mountain Crest. The school district made them change their name a colors for the summer. They are in American Legion but have no graduated seniors play with them. They use American Legion for a chance to develope their players fore the upcoming high school season. Blacksmith Smith Fork (MC) has 4 teams playing in 3 different American Legion Divisions. Northern Utah still plays American Legion but is organized by the high school coaches in the area. It is nice to have a state tournament at the end of the year and a chance to go to the regionals.

I just hate how all of these type of leagues have limited the kids who have the opportunity to play. Face it, if you're a teen who has a summer job or comes from a family that is not rich, you don't have a place in baseball because these leagues and coaches want money and want all of your time. It's sad that the days of just showing up for high school tryouts are over. Now days you have to devote your life to the sport and the coach. Very sad, especially when considering that 99 percent of these kids never play past high school, yet can't get those years back when it's all done. Only a teen once.

Wow, your kid who is actually a sub-par player gets the perks because daddy has the coin to get him there. Sure, there is talent wherever you go and whatever league you play in, Get rid of the politics? yeah right! As a former college baseball player I must say American Legion play is a much better competitive edge. Money at times can't by talent but it sure can make a team look good. Bring back Legion and get rid of bonnet ball.

There is not a right or wrong way to go here. Every high school has it's own philosophy and hopefully tries to do what's best for their programs and players. Don't blame the Academy for "ruining" baseball in Utah. Some coaches actually approached them and asked them to form this new league - for insurance and association purposes. Yes, they are a business but also offer opportunities for kids who want to do more. Parents are not forced to participate - don't do it if you don't want to. As a parent whose son plays Legion and also participates with the Academy, I think you can do as much or as little as you'd like to. Anyone who watched the high school state baseball tournament watched some fun games and some great players. Going out of state and playing in tournaments, Utah players can hold their own - we have a lot of talent here. Maybe look for the positives instead of searching for the negative?

As mentioned above, players and coaches are frustrated with the Utah Baseball Academy because there are not enough umpires to cover all of the games. Games that are suppose to have two umpires only have one and the games with one umpire are lucky if a umpire shows up at all.

The Baseball Acedamy is all about the $. The owners of the academy depend on the parents of hopeful ball players to exist. No surprise to hear that the academy league has poor leadership and not very organized. Heck, ever talk to Keyes he looks right thru with that distant stare, probably too distracted on how to get the $ out of your wallet. I wonder is he really that much of better baseball mind then others or is he a really good $alesman. I know he is connected and all that but come on. Think about it..........

leagues (such as the one started in Utah County) are about the high school coaches, not the players. The one in Utah County is much cheaper than the UBA, that must be said.

However, the quality of ball is horrible and not serious. I seen one team hit 16 players, "open" substitution rules etc. that are there to supposedly develop players. Except both team generally put out players that aren't motivated because they take the league as seriously as it takes itself.

It is ironic that the three, if there are that many, players Utah has produced that are playing in "the show" graduated in the 1990's, way before the UBA and all these youth super leagues. Where are the pro and college players that these leagues are supposedly producing? At least with American Legion in its heyday and the former Automotive League, the quality of play was much better, the coaches and players cared because the media covered the games, it was real baseball with real baseball rules, etc. Now it's about the high school coaches developing their own talent except the real irony is that the quality of play and players just gets worse.