Now that my kids are older and done playing I don’t avoid any parents. They’re now as much of the entertainment as the game.
One of my favorites was the dad who told me his junior son wanted to play at LSU or ASU. Knowing he would be already talking with them if he was on the radar screen I asked how many times he’s talked with them. Then I asked how many times he has played in front of LSU or ASU coaches. The dad informed me it’s not important until after junior year.
His kid had very good hands, speed, quickness and baseball instincts. He played short. His arm was adequate. But he didn’t drive the ball. He had a high .300 batting average outrunning average high school arms. Plus the kid was 5’9” 135. I figured he was a decent D3 prospect.
The kid shocked me by making a low level conference D1 as a walk on. As a junior this year he’s 5’10” 150 according to the roster. In about 100 at bats over three years he’s hit below .200.
I didn’t tell the dad I played Legion ball with his brother years ago. The brother was drafted and signed. Also, the brother lives next door to my lifelong best friend. I never said a word about the dad’s observations to the brother.