Summer League Masters

[Deleted]

With Summer League competition just weeks away, there has been interest expressed by clubs and individuals in having either a 45 Plus or a 48 Plus age grouping available for Masters League.

The idea is obviously to provide playing opportunities for older baseball people that will enable them to stay actively involved in the game - whether they are 50, 60, 70 or even older.

Expecting 60 or 70 year-olds to play in a 38 Plus league (as Summer Masters has basically been for the past 23 seasons) is not reasonable, as it impacts upon competitiveness and enjoyment while increasing the risk of injury to older participants.

I don't know whether or not Baseball Victoria is currently looking at having any older age division(s) for the 2018/19 Masters season, but I expect that it won't happen unless it is requested - or required - by enough teams/clubs and players.

If you, your team or your club is keen for the older age grouping to happen, please contact Baseball Victoria ASAP to let them know.

[baseballnewby]

KC,

Great idea for an older grouping, I'm in that age group.

Is there an EE grade equivalent in Summer ball, where a lot of parents play with their kids? I know of EE team with Dad and 2 kids in a team (one son and one daughter). One team that was nearly entirely dads and kids (both sons and 3 daughters)

[Goblin]

baseballnewby,

We have those scenarios and they usually play in Div 4. We normally enter a team that is mainly made up of dads and their kids.

[baseballnewby]

Thanks Goblin

[theresonlyone]

Got a call regarding this topic last week KC, Baseball Victoria have always been willing to accommodate the Monday Night Masters Players in whatever format they bring to the table each season.
We all want to play and most of us are accepting of the age and skill disparities that currently exist.
I note your ghost writing for Blackburn's Favourite Over 60's pitcher and will happily support an Over 50's competition however the position we are in now is a region based fixture. We all agreed upon this several seasons ago and the comp has grown well since its inception.
Changing back to a more state based Over 50's Fixture has had challenges in the past. We tried it as an Over 45's and it had 4 teams with limited team numbers from memory.
A South/East and North/West format might work which leaves the age group question. What works best will depend entirely upon each clubs playing list and how they can balance numbers to field sides.
It is totally up to the clubs, or better still the Masters Players and teams to agree to a competition that suits them best.
I'm pretty sure Baseball Vic will support it if it makes sense.
Good to see you back on deck Goblin, hope you are well mate.
Timmy.

[Deleted]

I don't mind sharing the concerns of my old Coburg and Golddiggers associate in this regard, Tim, though I do take your point on the challenges that arise if the Masters League is largely centralised at Altona - as it used to be.

You are absolutely right, it is the players who own Masters baseball and who need to decide what is best for them. But BV is still overseeing the competition, and as coordinating body need to know what people's wishes are before they can starting putting it all together.

A 45 Plus or a 50 Plus competition should be viable, I would have thought - especially if it is along the south/east or north/west lines that you mention.

[rhricho]

KC, I think adding another age group might be good for one division (Nth), but perhaps not for the another (Sth).

Does the Nth league have more late 50’s / 60’s players competing against 38’s, compared to the Sth?

In my view (for the Sth) should players in their 50’s (even mid 40’s) be moved to another age group, you won’t get enough numbers for either age bracket.
The result then might be to make up teams as either interleague play, or adjust the leagues completely.
Either way, travelling across the countryside on a Monday night would be required which isn’t ideal TBH.

Last year the Older BIG CATS beat our younger (BC) team in the GF.
It’s not just about age, a few women + many non baseballers play in the Sth division for fun too which is great and what it’s all about!

[Deleted]

I don't know what the breakdown of ages would be for the different divisions, rhricho, though BV might have access to that info from last season.

The purpose of my original post was to generate information for Baseball Victoria about how the Masters League can best be delivered for 2018/19 by factoring in what our ageing participants want.

Travel has to be a consideration, as you say, along with the involvement of women, families and mates in having fun.

Maybe a 50 Plus or 45 plus competition is not viable, or not required. It just seems to me that we should be trying to keep people actively involved for as long as possible.

[rhricho]

Agree, participation numbers from the last season (or more) would be a great guide. I understood your post and agree. BUT, hopefully BV do make decisions to suit all leagues that IMO are different. A blanket decision again might be great for one, but hurt another.

I really enjoy that players of all levels and ages get involved.
That's what makes masters so much fun! Far less serious + the only hotdogs you might see are the ones offered for dinner!

[wyatt33]

Personally, and concerning my club we have a wide spread of ages. We’ve got some early/mid 40’s, we’ve got mid 50’sbamd we’ve got Theo! If it goes too an age appropriate grouping we’d not have enough to cover the teams required...that’s my opinion. I’m 46 and I think I can still compete with younger blokes(I still play sundays as well). I wouldn’t be to chuffed to be playing over 45 comp. just sayin

[coyote]

sportsdesq.sportstg.com/mobile/?fuseaction=fixtures&orgID=16724&compID=20900

Masters 45+

[The Puma]

6.30 start in October will see the first game go for about 45 minutes.

[authentic]

Hi guys. Its been a while. So as a Manager of a Masters team that played eight reasonably successful seasons but folded this year, I can just add that the problem with Masters Baseball (in my view) is for the most part as follows. 1) Fixturing i.e. Byes due to uneven teams in Divisions BV never seem to get this right. Its not rocket science to try and have an even amount of teams, even if it means a team flipping into another Division provided the travel factor is reasonable for them. 2) Walkovers. We had a couple last year and add that to byes we played 9 games in the Season and hardly played two in a row. The guys (inc me) got sick of the inconsistency. 3) And for me the elephant in the room for Monday Night MAsters isSun glare factors. Too many grounds have issues with the setting sun and it just isn't fun to play when you can't see the ball as a hitters or in defence. Some grounds are an incident waiting to happen and this issue often sees newbies find the game less that enjoyable when battling to see the ball in the batters box or in D. Finally, re the Age contemplation, I'd love a 50+ Division but the 45+ push was not successful and the 50+ would be equally unsuccessful. Perhaps a 48+ Div where younger players can play but not Pitch or Catch but as others have said. it divides the player group in the younger squad and I expect most bigger Masters Clubs will be the only ones that can get a 48+ team up ? Unfortunately the only way to play in ageing age groups are probably the various (very enjoyable) Masters Tourneys at State, National and International level I expect.

[coyote]

Hey authentic, our club has been advised that it is up to the club to liaise with other competitions ourselves (eg east/south) or combine teams with another club - to ensure that there are no byes.
I would suggest that this falls under fixturing and that the league would do this (as in work out competitions so there are no byes)
Another point for masters would be the amount of money it costs the players to play - 38+ East play 14 games yet we pay exactly the same amount as all the other senior players ~$135 (that doesn’t include club fees) I would have thought that it would be better to try and keep players playing baseball rather than forcing them out with poor fixturing and high costs.

[Deleted]

As one of the people involved in the creation of BV Masters competition in the mid-nineties, I find it bitterly disappointing that mature-aged baseball remains neglected and I sense largely disrespected by the Victorian governing body.

We hear so much these days (and quite rightly) about the need for inclusiveness, about the obligation of sports bodies to ensure that they provide and they nurture opportunities for all people in sport - regardless of age, gender, socio-economic status and/or any perceived physical or intellectual disability.

Baseball Victoria makes a point of trumpeting the steps that it is taking to help make baseball a more inclusive sport. It should be taking those steps - as a matter of principle, for sport should indeed be accessible and welcoming for all. Governments know that - and hence provide targeted funding that is directly contingent on sports making a genuine commitment.

Yet each season we seem to experience the same issues and a certain disenchantment among participants which collectively suggests that the governing body regards Masters competition as an "add-on", an oddity, the poor cousin with whom we can't really be bothered but better try to humour.

The fact that the only current reference to Masters baseball on the BV website (under "Get Involved") is a token blurb written years ago and which is obviously out-dated. That seems to me to say plenty about how the activity is perceived by some.

This is at a time when Masters baseball is enjoying unprecedented growth and popularity at tournament level - with the annual Victorian Masters now at maximum capacity and with so many Victorian teams playing regularly at Pan-Pacific Masters, Australian Masters and World Masters events.

Aside from keeping older persons actively involved in playing baseball - which is a laudable end in itself - the massive benefit to grassroots clubs has become evident over the past two decades, with so many people who would have otherwise been lost to the sport sticking around to serve as coaches, administrators, mentors and supporters.