The Syosset Woodbury Yankees is an independent select travel baseball team with a winning history and tradition. They play three seasons each year (spring, summer and fall).

The Yankees play in The National Junior Baseball League (NJBL). Long Island's premier travel baseball league, the NJBL has served the baseball community with quality competition during the spring, summer and fall since 1990. Every year teams from Nassau, Suffolk, Queens and Brooklyn compete with the goals of providing the community with a well organized baseball league.

Scheduling is flexible. The level of play is competitive. There is no need to play intramurals.

There are a number of great things about joining an independent travel team including: no politics, we get to know the kids as individuals so we can teach to their strengths, the kids get to know each other and learn to play (and act) as a team, we are able to teach the kids more advanced concepts because we do not have to start with the basics each season, we are able to do things as a team (like tour Yankee Stadium and attend private clinics), and it allows us to compete on a higher level.

While it is nice to win (we do often) and we do our best to be competitive, winning is not the way we judge the success of our season. It is our intention that the kids have a great experience, improve from the beginning of the season to the end of the season, learn team work, and learn how to think for themselves. The focus will be on doing our best. The boys are 11 years old and are treated as such.

We expect that each player will learn two positions well. Those positions are based on where we think the kids will help the team the most and to a lesser degree, where the kids want to play. That said, we will also make an effort to get each of the kids some playing time at positions of their choice. We tell the kids that we will make that effort as long as they show us they are learning the positions they are playing and do what we ask. Parents and players are required to embrace and adhere to our philosophy. There are no exceptions and zero tolerance.

Syosset Woodbury Yankees announced our intention to attend the 2009 Cooperstown Baseball Program. This program allows baseball teams from all over the country to come together in weekly tournaments culminating with every Team and Player being inducted into our Cooperstown Youth Baseball Hall of Fame.

The experience is amazing for the kids and the families. The rules include 75 foot bases with leading and holding runners on base. In order to be competitive in this week-long tournament the Yankees will start practicing these new skills now. To accommodate preparation for Cooperstown the Yankees will be expanding our roster.

The Yankees have had players from Jericho, Oyster Bay, Plainview, Syosset, Woodbury and New Jersey; there are no residence requirements. You can live anywhere as long as you can make the practices and the games. To be eligible the player must have been born after April 30, 1996, must play competitive baseball, and must have families who recognize the commitment but understand the priorities.

Our tryouts are held at team mini-practices in an attempt to evaluate the kids in a non pressurized setting. The purposes of these practices are to spend a little more time focused on the individual needs, and to give the kids some individual attention. Baseball skill and attitude are equally important to us and are given equal weight in the decision making process.

The SW Yankees are always interested in meeting potential players, however, if you are interested in being considered for summer 2008 you should send an email to info@swyankeesbaseball.com by Friday. May 30.