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Message: [QUOTE="UConNick, post: 5320458, member: 3806"] That’s just how it’s done for the most competitive teams. Same thing in Norwalk for my teams (although our Cal Ripken was FAR ahead of Norwalk LL. Back when Norwalk had as many as 6 different leagues across LL, Cal Ripken, and Pony, we had city-wide tournaments at the 12u and 10u levels that us Ripkenites always won). This was, shoot, almost 20 years ago, but we played travel ball in the fall together, then for the spring season played on our various house league teams within the actual league, before coming back together for the traditional all-stars season over the summer. Those house league games were a lot of fun, though, when we were all broken up and played against each other. Did it mean the roster for all-stars was more or less decided? Yes, although there were still of course formal tryouts in the spring, and it was somewhat common for kids to make the team then and become part of the “in-group,” or for kids who’d been on in the past to get cut. Though obviously once you’re in it’s harder to get left out. As for Fairfield, I think it’s a combo of culture that’s developed over the last couple of decades (Norwalk has a comparable youth baseball culture, as do towns like Stamford, New Canaan, New Milford, Newtown, etc., down in SWCT), and numbers. Fairfield from what I understand between the two leagues in town gets hundreds of kids signed up to play. The larger the pool you’re pulling from then for your all-star teams, the more likely you’re going to find some good players. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach