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Parent's guide to summer sports camps

Between the glossy brochures and fancy websites, choosing a summer sports camp for your kid has never been more complicated.

Summer sports camps are sophisticated enterprises designed to instruct campers in sport-specific techniques and, in some cases, possibly catch the eye of a university recruiter.

Here are three tips to help parents find the best camp for the young athlete in their family.

Sport-wide Standards

Barry Bonds is about to break one of the most coveted records in all of sports. As Bonds’ career home run count increases, so does conjecturing as to whether Bonds belongs in the Hall of Fame. Hank Aaron said he will not be at the game in which Bonds hits his 756th home run, and Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig has not announced if he will be present. The integrity of baseball is at an all-time low.

It is ironic that what is now drawing jeers and criticism from fans is what brought the fans back to the ballpark after the 232-day strike in 1994 that resulted in cancellation of the Word Series. Baseball returned, but many fans did not. It took the long ball (and steroids) to bring attendance and revenue back.

Major League Baseball’s stance on drug use has changed drastically in recent years. Prior to 2003, players didn’t have to worry about drug testing. Steroid accusations that once fell on deaf ears have now made their way into Congressional hearings. Now, at the risk of losing fans again, sport-wide standards are a must to restore credibility.

Barry Bonds has never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs but his legacy is likely to never recover from the controversy. As in the ongoing metal-versus-wood bat debate in New York, regulation consistency is needed in sports today to reinstate integrity. I hope in the near future baseball returns to its original form; that fans return to baseball to see the sport free of steroids and records without controversy.

What do you think -- should Barry Bonds have a spot in the Hall of Fame?

Sport-wide Standards: The endless cycle

Toby Guillette is Active.com's Endurance Online Community Specialist. He is an outdoor-adventure-sports aficionado specializing in ultra-running.

With Barry Bonds approaching the Major League Baseball home run record at a steady pace, the uncomfortable discussion of his hall-of-fame worthiness continues to underscore the priorities of American professional sports.

European bicycle racing has been the target of major doping scandals, investigations and confessions for decades. The endless cycle of use, detection and deception has recently injected its presence into professional baseball and steroid testing is now prevalent throughout the league. The slippery slope includes widespread use of human growth hormone (HGH) because there is not a test designed or administered to target the use of HGH. Now a urine test is in the developmental stages and thus the cycle continues.

The consequence for doping in the sport of professional cycling can cost an athlete his records, sponsorship and career while Major League Baseball players pay fines and serve multi-game suspensions. Even under the most aggressive circumstances, athletes in our society are encouraged to risk it all when the reward of sports success outweighs the punishment and stigma associated with the use performance enhancing drugs.

Whether Bonds enters the history books accompanied by an asterisk, or not, the origin of this subject remains the relationship of sport to our society. The complex web of commerce, media and politics will always dictate what the consumer deems moral or not. Fans will continue to buy tickets and tune in across the country to watch these modern-day super heroes “go yard.”

Baseball Blunders

Within the last week in the world of baseball:

1. Alex Rodriguez shouted something while running towards third base to distract the third basemen from catching a pop up.
2. Not only teammates, but battery-mates Carlos Zambrano and Michael Barrett of the Chicago Cubs got in a fist fight in the dug out.
3. Lou Pinella received a three-day suspension as Major League Baseball cited contact he made while arguing with and kicking dirt on an umpire.
4. A minor-league manager went on a tirade that lasted just over two minutes, tossing bases and army-crawling across the field. It reminded me a little bit of a 1-year-old crawling around as he made a fool of himself and his team, and disrespected the umpires and the game.

Is this more than baseball can handle on top of the steroid issue? Is the integrity of baseball going downhill faster than it can be stopped?

Leap of Faith

  Leap of Faith 
  Originally uploaded by Active.com

He is rounding third for the play at the plate, the throw is in time. He takes the "Leap of faith", the catcher tags his trailing foot and he is called out! Wait, the dust settles and the ball comes out and the ruling is overturned...SAFE!!!

Four tips on buying sports equipment

The equipment that accompanies sports such as baseball and softball has come a long way since the first mitts were made of flesh-colored padding with the fingers cut out.

But with technological sophistication comes confusion: How do you know which glove to get? Does a $300 bat really make a difference? And just how do you find the ideal equipment for your son or daughter without taking out a second mortgage on your home?

Check out four tips every parent should know about buying sports equipment.

You Make the Call

While growing up, I was a faithful subscriber to Sports Illustrated for Kids. One of my favorite parts of the magazine was a section titled, “You Make the Call.” There were three situations every issue that tested your knowledge on the rules of various sports.

Here is a Little League situation that I came across today. You make the call:

Runners on first and third, one out. Batter hits a fly ball to centerfield which is caught. Runner on first left when the batter hit the ball and before he could return, is doubled at first. Runner on third crosses plate before out is made at first. Does the run score?

5 Simple solutions kids can use to handle errors this season

Ahhhh. Spring is in the air and so is baseball season! Is your child ready for the upcoming season? What about you? Are you ready for all the wins and losses, and the hits, runs and errors?

Almost every season, kids, coaches and even parents are faced with the same dilemma--youth baseball during the summer is supposed to be fun, but more often than not it just turns out being frustrating.

It seems most kids don’t get the proper coaching they need on how to deal with making errors – especially during a game when it feels like the pressure can be hotter than ever?

To help out with the upcoming baseball season, David Kloser, author of “Stepping Up to the Plate: Inspiring Interviews with Major Leaguers – 2nd Inning" suggests five simple things kids can do when errors occur and make this season more enjoyable for them as well as coaches and parents. 

Metal vs. Wood: The bat debate

Baseball and softball season is in full swing and one of the hottest topics this year is the metal-versus-wood bat debate. I thought it was the end of the road for the debate a couple weeks ago when the New York City council overrode a mayoral veto of the bill to ban metal bats. However, the debate is far from over. In fact, it is moving from the field into the courtroom.

Sporting goods companies and organizations that sponsor high school baseball nationwide filed a lawsuit against New York City and its decision to ban metal baseball bats in high school games.

Proponents of the new law say metal bats increase the risk of injury because they cause balls to move faster and don’t allow young players enough time to react. An example of this that is often cited is when a 12-year-old boy in New Jersey went into cardiac arrest after he was struck in the chest by a ball. But an American Legion Baseball study in 2005 found no substantial scientific proof that wooden bats are safer than metal bats.

The Associated Press reported that, “The lawsuit says New York City's law would harm high school players, coaches, schools and bat manufacturers because it would increase costs for players and teams and would make high school baseball less enjoyable and less competitive.” It also contends that the law is unconstitutional because it discriminates against the use of metal and nonwood composite bats without any rational basis.

I can’t make myself believe that a baseball reacts the same off a wooden bat as it does off a metal one. Perhaps a different study would produce varying results. But even if it didn’t – what’s the harm in changing over to wooden bats all the way up? It is how the game was originally designed to be played. It has a pure quality about it. If it does happen to be safer for youth athletes, it’s a win-win situation.

What do you think – should metal bats be banned from baseball?