Palatine Travelers FAQ
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What does it take to be a Palatine Travelers' player?
 

1. The Travelers look first of all for a player who absolutely loves to play baseball and has a passion to learn and a desire to improve his game. The team is looking for the type of player who loves to play ball, whether it is outside in his back yard, a scheduled game or just throwing a ball around with his friends, he just always wants to play baseball 24/7/365 and is willing to do what it takes (practice) to bring his game to the next level.
    
2. The player will have a great positive baseball attitude and be passionate about his teammates.
    

3. The player will be coach-able. He must be willing to listen, learn and implement what he has learned.
    
4. The player will have above average ability in as many of the five tools as possible: hit, hit with power, throw, catch and run.
    
5. The player will have strong “baseball acumen”: knowing what to do, where to be and how to do it on the field—the mental part of the game—“baseball smarts”.
    
6. The player will be a team player that values the team more than the individual. What position a player plays in the field and where he bats in the batting order are all secondary thoughts to how he can help the team succeed. The team needs different qualities from different players, and the chemistry of these qualities is what makes a team. A player may not play his favorite position or bat in his favorite part of the lineup, but 12 teammates will create a better team than 12 individuals.
    
7. The player will have heart and the desire to always hustle. We define heart as the burning desire to want to get better, a player who has pride in working hard and believes that the way you play in practice is the way you play in the game. Hustle – well that is when a player is willing to show how much he wants it.
    
8. The player will have parents, supportive of both their son and all players, who are good-hearted, well-mannered people who are willing to work together and get along despite differences. Parents must be willing to understand the “team” nature of the sport and not put their son’s goals and achievements ahead of those of the team, as well as realizing that character can be built by both winning and losing.  The team will spend a tremendous amount of time together, there is no reason to spend time with people whom you do not want to be around – no matter how talented their son is. The parents must be willing to sacrifice a big part of their life, including beautiful sunny summer weekends in June and July when every other family member would rather be at the beach than attend yet another baseball tournament. The player and his parents will also realize that although the responsibility is shared with the coach, that they, not the coach, have the ultimate responsibility for the player’s ability to strive, thrive, improve and take his game to the next level each season. 
    

What do we expect from our players?
 

The team asks that each player:
 

1. Play for the name on the front of his jersey and not for the name on the back of his jersey.
2. Always give his best effort and hustle 100% of the time.
3. That if that best effort fails, then immediately, without hesitation he makes a second effort.
4. At all times, show the respect that this is due to his teammates, coaches and parents as well as the game—what we call baseball character.
5. Be a positive force in the dugout.
6. Be passionate about teammates and pick them up when they are down.
7. Never ever give up. Play as if the team was down by one run in the last inning - no matter what the score happens to be.
8. Has this team is his primary interest during the baseball season: all other sports teams, etc., are secondary.
9. Be on time. A 6:00 practice means you’re ready to play at 6:00.
10. Attend practices, games and tournaments (this includes practices in January and February as well). Although perhaps missing some games and practices are likely with all family situations, it is understood that those situations are exceptions discussed in advance. Missing practices and games for whatever reason can affect playing time.

What about playing time?
 

1. Playing time is determined by and earned by (not necessarily in order):
   a. Performance
   b. Attitude and effort
   c. Baseball acumen/baseball smarts
   d. Positions where you will be most successful at
   e. Positions your teammates may be most successful at
   f. Opponent, tournaments, league games
   g. Attending practices
   h. Being on time for games and practice
   i. Passion for the game
   j. Who’s pitching and catching for us and them
   k. Assorted other
    

2. Playing time is not guaranteed in travel baseball. It is earned as determined by the coach.
    

3. Some players will play more than others. There is just no other way of saying it. Some players will not come out of a game during a tournament and key games, and some will be substituted for. Some players may play all seven innings in a game, and some may sit out 3 or 4 innings. In close games, games against top teams or crucial situations, players who are weaker defensively will not play as much as better defensive players will. The most important determinants of playing time are performance, including fewer physical and mental errors, as well as the positions you play.
    

What position will my son play? Where will my son bat in the lineup?
 

At the in-house level, all the players on the Travelers were likely the best players on their team and are were used to playing their favorite position(s). Now surround that player with 11 other very good players like him and now that player must be willing to do what is best for the team. A player and his parents must be willing to look at the overall team picture and become a team player rather than an individual player who plays on a team. In travel baseball, for the first time the coach must evaluate each player versus every other player on the team to determine playing time, batting order, etc., which is sometimes a difficult adjustment for players and parents. If you have 12 good hitters someone still has to bat last, and 3 players still have to sit out each inning.  That is what the coach determines and why it is important to remember who makes out the lineup. Realistically, the team needs a very good player at every position on the field and in every part of the lineup. A good outfielder is just as important as a good shortstop.

Again, what position your son plays is determined by:

a. Performance
b. Attitude and effort
c. Baseball acumen/baseball smarts
d. Positions where you will be most successful at
e. Positions your teammates may be most successful at
f. Opponent, tournaments, league games
g. Attending practices
h. Being on time for games and practice
i. Passion for the game
j. Who’s pitching and catching for us and them
k. Assorted other

During the winter and during practices is the time for Travelers to develop into players who can play multiple positions successfully. Developing new positions for players during the league season and tournaments is not a preferred method of teaching new positions.

What is the Palatine Travelers philosophy on winning?

Winning is not the only thing, but at the travel level it’s pretty high on the list. What’s more important is the development of strong character in young boys that leads to the development of strong character in young men.

The commitment to prepare to win, the will to win and the ability to learn from and be motivated by failure, are the three most important characteristics a youth baseball player can have.
 

The Managers, coaches, players, and the players’ families are passionate about their baseball. They value hard work, dedication, commitment and winning. The team prepares extremely hard to get ready for each season. We practice, prepare and play to win.
 

The team values ball players (and players’ family members) who conduct themselves by the rules in an appropriate manner and with baseball character, handling themselves with class during wins as well as losses, in good times as well as difficult times.
 

Winning at all costs is never a consideration. The team will never jeopardize a player’s well being, or do anything that will tarnish the teams integrity or reputation just to win.
 

If winning does not happen, then we will learn from the loss and be motivated by it to become a better team. Sometimes, losing can be more valuable than winning. If a team uses what was learned during a defeat to make them an even better prepared team against their next opponent then they have turned a defeat into a victory. In that case, the team became better because of the loss.
 

The team is looking for players who not only know how to win, but know how to lose. Players who are motivated by their success and their failures will get to the next level of play.

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