I received an e-mail concerning my series of columns on summer high school sports. On summer high school baseball and how it has changed here in Hamilton County.

“You’re like a politician running for office,” the writer wrote. “You flip-flop. You write about travel ball being bad for summer baseball, and then you write about how good travel baseball really is. I’m not sure you’re in favor, or don’t favor, how the local high schools are conducting their summer programs.”

Thank you. That’s how I attempt to write on controversial subjects. I try to give you my opinion, but I also try to take the other position.

My opinions aren’t important. What is important is what parents, players and coaches are thinking.

I’m not against travel baseball. Most travel baseball programs, that is. Some are good; others are offering nothing more than a high school coach could offer with a solid summer high school baseball team.

What is a solid summer high school baseball program? It’s a team which is playing good competition. It’s a team playing a good number of games. It’s a team which will attract interest from fans, and then when fans go to the ballpark they can buy a bag of popcorn; have an announcer telling them who is playing, and, oh, yes, have an operating scoreboard. It’s always nice to know the score. Solid programs, fun programs, and programs which give teams something to shoot for. Like a regular season championship. Like a  tourney championship.

In other words, having fun at the old ball park.

I’m not sure that’s happening today with nearly all Hamilton County summer baseball teams, teams which consist mainly of sophomores-to-be; teams playing only against other Hamilton County teams; teams playing three or four five-inning double-headers. Maybe five innings, if they have enough pitching.

Plus, no popcorn; no scoreboard.

I have two questions:

- Are kids having fun playing summer high school baseball?

- How about the older kids? To be in what I consider is a solid baseball program, they’re forced to join travel teams?

I remember writing a column three years ago when I predicted that within four or five years there would be no summer high school baseball.
Hello!

Let me stress, I believe the men who are coaching high school baseball in Hamilton County are among the best in the state. If I was an AD and one of the local coaches would apply for the job, I’d grab the guy in a moment.

But, I believe high school baseball coaches have been beaten down since the IHSAA opened summer participation for all sports. They’ve lost the battle. The battle is over. They’ve lost kids to basketball. They’ve lost kids to football. And, because they don’t have solid (there’s that word again) programs they’ve lost kids to travel teams.

The last couple of summer seasons it was tough for a high school baseball coach to put nine players on the diamond for a game.

I recently attended a high school summer basketball tourney. There was a concession stand. There was a scoreboard. There was a tourney champion. Kids were, I believe, having fun.

I’ve written this summer about basketball teams attending summer camps. Notre Dame. DePauw. A camp in Wisconsin. Kids having fun.

Hello, baseball! Oh, sorry, I forgot, baseball kids are doing that with travel teams. Often times for big bucks.

Hamilton County high school teams for years played in the Play Ball Indiana summer league. Before I get nailed on this for a conflict of interest, yes, I was once involved with Play Ball Indiana. I’m no longer involved. Play Ball Indiana is out of the high school baseball business and the program is run by a group of umpires.

Four of the past five Class 4A state champs came out of that summer high school league … Lawrence Central won in 2004; Brownsburg in 2005; Cathedral in 2007 and Decatur Central this year. Last summer, Decatur Central and Elwood played for the summer league tourney championship. Elwood was state runner-up in Class 2A this season. Crawfordsville, the Class 3A state champion, long has been involved in a solid summer high school baseball program in this area.

Was summer baseball the difference? Probably not THE difference. But, this summer as you look at the competition Hamilton County teams have played and compare that to the competition of the area-wide summer high school league, well, you tell me.

Perhaps better, we should tell the kids because lots of them have gone to other summer sports, which translate into going to other school-year sports.
But, you say, Hamilton County high school baseball is great. How many times have I written that? Lots.

Here is where I’ll flip-flop, a little.

Since class baseball began in 1998, Hamilton County teams have won only six regionals (including all four classes). This past season, only two Hamilton County teams finished the year with winning records. Neither won the sectional.

But, how about all those sectional championships won by Hamilton County teams? In Class 4A, the odds in favor of a Hamilton County team winning is huge. All but one of the sectional teams are from Hamilton County.

Maybe I should be a politician!