As much as it sickens me to see that softball social media is almost nothing more than brags (humble, hubris or straight BS) and AI generated slop - we have no one to hate but "the game".

Not the game of softball - the game of chasing college dreams.

Stick in this long enough, and most every parent - consciously or unconsciously - wants to see their kid play on ESPN in the WCWS. So we chase, and we spend, and we do things that should embarrass us in the real world. We're too invested, in every way, to maintain an objective view of anything.

And for some, it works out. A handful of kids in our area make it to P4 and every few years one or two will make a WCWS. And for a couple of dozen maybe, they'll get a full scholarship. And maybe a few dozen get at least some money and a spot on a D1 roster.

Social media is one of the few ways for most kids to market themselves, and of course the parents are going to get involved in that. We can't help ourselves.

So I hate it too. You look stupid doing it. My kid's past travel ball, but I looked stupid doing it too... but we play the game as it exists today.

Travel ball and college sports are unrecognizable to what anyone of us knew when we were our kids' ages. It's fantastic for a small minority and still good for many, but it's failing too many.

But "they" got us - hook, line and sinker. And we keep on biting.