November 20, 2025

Little League & Travel Baseball: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

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About the Episode

“If the training’s tough, push through — because there’s going to be good results at the end.” — Alex Manolatos, 12

“Find your joy,” Elizabeth says to her 12-year-old son Alex before every practice and game.

In this new episode of Dear San Diego, Tony and Elizabeth sit down with their twins Alex and Nicky, who are 12, to talk about baseball — not just the stats and scores, but the lessons the game teaches.

As a former Division I athlete and CEO of a large nonprofit, Elizabeth knows athletes at every level perform best when they’re loose, happy, and confident.

The family opens up about the highs and lows of Little League and travel baseball: the thrill of big hits and close games, the car rides home, the friendships, the politics, and the small victories that boost confidence.

Alex shares how he’s learned to stay calm under pressure — to trust the process and the work he’s put in, and to bounce back quickly after mistakes. Nicky offers a different perspective: he stopped playing, but he has stayed involved in the game.

Listen now: Little League & Travel Baseball: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly — available wherever you get your podcasts or at Olas Media. Don’t forget to check out our first youth baseball episode.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Youth baseball, like parenting, is a mix of joy, growth, and grit. At its best, Little League builds confidence, character, community, resilience, and life skills. There’s a lot of goodness to the game.

But there’s also a darker side — from overzealous parents to uneven coaching to unprincipled, ego-driven politics. What spoils the experience for some players and their families are the whisper campaigns and backroom deals that tend to take root on volunteer boards with little to no oversight — often controlled by parents who see their kids as future D1 stars or big leaguers and who operate a lot like the kids in that high school clique you never liked.

When adults lose sight of what really matters — the kids’ experience — the game starts to lose its magic. And too often, it loses many of its young ballplayers right along with it.

Elizabeth points out that the lack of leadership training for volunteer coaches is a missed opportunity: “Motivating kids isn’t about yelling,” she says. “It’s about empowering them and building their confidence.”

Travel baseball generally brings a higher level of play and a more structured environment, but it’s not without its pressures. Finding the right program for your player — whether that’s a neighborhood team or an established organization focused on development with a strong track record of helping kids advance to the next level — is important. The financial and time commitments are real, and the competition can create both incredible growth and some tough moments.

Still, the Manolatos family agrees: the right program, the right coaches, and the right mindset don’t just build better players — they build stronger, more confident kids.

They talk candidly about learning to balance family time with tournament weekends, the resilience built through tough losses, and the shared joy that comes from a well-executed play, a clutch hit, or a pretty pitch.

“Baseball teaches you so much more than how to play a game,” Tony says.