Weather

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by CT1

Have any Northern states considered flip-flopping football & baseball seasons? Think about it.....

But then the baseball playoffs ae doing the worst (typically) weather.

Iowa plays in the summer instead of the spring to help with this problem (although I'm certain it creates some others).

[Rich]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

But then the baseball playoffs ae doing the worst (typically) weather.

Iowa plays in the summer instead of the spring to help with this problem (although I'm certain it creates some others).

Our baseball schools here could choose spring or summer baseball. The number of summer programs has plummeted and they are eliminating it next year.

Most people want school sports during the school year. Kids/parents want to have an opportunity to play Legion or through some travel program.

[CT1]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

But then the baseball playoffs ae doing the worst (typically) weather.

You may be right, although I wouldn't think so.

Here, our regular season is about 2 months, with the state playoffs lasting another month. Assuming an early September start, that would put the championship games somewhere around Thanksgiving.

Also, the players would already be in shape for baseball, having played a summer schedule, which would cut down on the need for pre-season practice time.

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by CT1

You may be right, although I wouldn't think so.

Here, our regular season is about 2 months, with the state playoffs lasting another month. Assuming an early September start, that would put the championship games somewhere around Thanksgiving.

Also, the players would already be in shape for baseball, having played a summer schedule, which would cut down on the need for pre-season practice time.

I would think that in most areas we are talking about, the typical Thanksgiving weather is worse than the typical early June weather (which, I think, is when the state finals would typically be held).

[SE Minnestoa Re]

Another 4 inches of snow yesterday. Just a lovely spring season.

[Rich Ives]

Snow overnight.

[udbrky]

Use the money from Spring Football for fall baseball. Accounting wise, it's accrued in the previous school year, but cash flow, put it in an interest bearing account and save for the fall/other sports.

Start in August, a week or two before school. We play just under 2 months, so it would be done mid-Oct.

Sectionals

Regionals

Semi-State

State.

Done 2nd week of November.


Isn't a single round round robin just a single elimination?

[Rich]

Nobody wants to play football in the spring.

Nobody wants to play baseball in the fall.

Next.

[jTheUmp]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

Iowa plays in the summer instead of the spring to help with this problem (although I'm certain it creates some others).

I grew up in Iowa, so I can speak to this a little bit.

Pluses of high school summer baseball:
1) it allows athletes to participate in 4 school sports if they choose, which is a major plus for the smallest schools. At my high school it was: football or cross country, basketball or wrestling, track or golf, and baseball. On the girls side it was volleyball or cross country, basketball, track or golf, and softball. There would be a tiny bit of overlap between seasons, but usually only a week or two unless a particular team made a deep playoff run, which few of the teams at my high school ever managed to accomplish.

2) The weather is a lot better on both the temperature and precipitation fronts. Yeah, we'd get some evening thunderstorms, but in most cases our fields would be good-to-go by the next evening.

3) Longer daylight hours mean you can start a doubleheader at 4 or 5 pm and finish before sundown, even on a field without lights.



Minuses of high school summer baseball:
1) It interferes with summer jobs and family vacations.

2) It's incompatible with travel ball/legion ball. Neither of those were a thing for high school aged kids in Iowa when I was growing up, where in MN it's quite popular.

3) You end up in a situation where a student has already graduated, but is still on the baseball team. This happens with spring baseball too, but only for a couple of weeks rather than for the bulk of the season.

4) You end up with some graduated students deciding not to play baseball in their senior season for any number of reasons. In my case, I knew I was going to be playing football in college, so I skipped my senior baseball season to spend more time running and lifting weights. Of course, I wasn't that good at baseball anyway, so it was a pretty easy decision to make.

[mattmets]

Currently work in Iowa, so if I may chime in...

Originally Posted by jTheUmp

I grew up in Iowa, so I can speak to this a little bit.

Pluses of high school summer baseball:
1) it allows athletes to participate in 4 school sports if they choose, which is a major plus for the smallest schools.

Definitely a plus. Some 1A schools who bring 10-12 kids to a game couldn't during the spring.

2) The weather is a lot better on both the temperature and precipitation fronts. Yeah, we'd get some evening thunderstorms, but in most cases our fields would be good-to-go by the next evening.

It's hot as hell, though, and the humidity doesn't help. I've been fortunate over the last seven years, never had that much rain and almost never two straight days

3) Longer daylight hours mean you can start a doubleheader at 4 or 5 pm and finish before sundown, even on a field without lights.

Almost everything I work starts at 5 or 5:30 PM and we get into the second game with daylight left. We can also play mornings, so umpires can get a lot more games with 10:30 and 5:00 start times.


Minuses of high school summer baseball:
1) It interferes with summer jobs and family vacations.

At least in our association, we have a ton of teachers. If anything else, it helps our numbers compared to basketball season, which often has 4/4:30 starts.

2) It's incompatible with travel ball/legion ball. Neither of those were a thing for high school aged kids in Iowa when I was growing up, where in MN it's quite popular.

Yup.

3) You end up in a situation where a student has already graduated, but is still on the baseball team. This happens with spring baseball too, but only for a couple of weeks rather than for the bulk of the season.

Also yup, but never heard of it being an issue with anything except college orientation.

4) You end up with some graduated students deciding not to play baseball in their senior season for any number of reasons. In my case, I knew I was going to be playing football in college, so I skipped my senior baseball season to spend more time running and lifting weights. Of course, I wasn't that good at baseball anyway, so it was a pretty easy decision to make.

Honestly haven't heard much of this, but I'm sure it happens.

I grew up in Connecticut and played a 20-game season from early April to late May in some rough weather. I'd much rather work the way I do in the summer here, even though it was a culture shock initially.