TPM, floridafan, PG, and GOHEELS,
I appreciate all of you sharing your concerted opinions. I do take to heart your comments about "complainers", and "don't blame someone else because didn't read the fine print", and "its always someone else's fault". My question to you is, why do you all assume this to be the case?
Logically thinking, if a team has the National reputation of producing D1 players as the Dirtbags, why are they taking on kids that do not have the talent to play college level ball? I mean, you all think that is why we are complaining, because asTPM, said in his most recent post, place your kid in the "APPROPRIATE program". If the Dirtbags were who they were 5 years ago, the Dirtbags would not be taking $1875 from kids who didn't have the talent to play college ball.
Put your assumptions and subjective opinions aside for a second, what is the Dirtbag's goal for "inviting" kids to be a Dirtbag if they do not have the talent? Five years ago, only the best of the best made one of the 3 Dirtbag teams. Now, like Polkey stated, a kid just "signs up". The answer is, its a business and the owner is trying to make a living. So that is supposed to make it OK? You all are putting all the blame on the parents who you assume to have kids that lack the talent to play D1. Again, I ask you, what is the Dirtbag's goal for these kids? They are taking a fee from them, they should take some sort of responsibility for the position that they hae put themselves in. These is not a business on Corporate America. Its a business of America's greatest pastime and the kids who love to play it.
TPM, there was no fine print to read. I'm guilty of "believing" what I was told when I handed over the team fee. I do not believe I have ever been lied to so well. I asked questions and I was told lies. I didn't know the truth until the very first game.
PG, you have a stake in this, correct? I am making an assumption that "PGStaff" stands for Perfect Game?? Though I appreciate your post and I agree with some it, but your are biased. Sorry.
GOHEELS, I want to reply to your last 2 questions:
1)Why would the Dirtbags want to jeopardize their great reputation by ripping folks off? The answer is GREED. The owner has taken what he most likely loves and found a way to make money at it. Unfortunately, in order to get more revenue to build that new facility he is currently building, he has to accept more kids into his program, a lot more. I addressed this earlier. This is why you see the Dirtbags 13U/14U/15U/16U/17U GOLD, BLACK, ORANGE, CAMEO, etc. Now you are hearing the complaints from parents who are led to believe their son has made the almighty Dirtbag team. Which leads me to your 2nd question. With 300 to 500 kids, why are you only hearing a few complain? First of all, there are very few people who know this forum exists. And there are some who will not make their complaints known because they are embarrassed they were scammed. There are some who just move on and let more kids get scammed. Another reason, its only be a few years since the Dirtbags started "expanding", mostly in the last 2 years. Give it a little more time.
The folks not living in the Triangle area, southern Virginia, and other areas not too far from the Dirtbag's home base, won't see this new face of the Dirtbags. The national tournaments where PGStaff has mostly seen and heard of them, only the main Dirtbag team attends. This is the team of yesterday's Dirtbags. They are the kids with the talent. So, to the world, the Dirtbags are great and wonderful.
One more comment to TPM, I have an intimate knowledge of the world of Triple A and MLB. I have a personal friend who has played at all levels, who just went through a trade, who never knows where he'll be next year at this time, what his salary will be, whether he will have medical insurance, whether to sell his home and move to where the team he's on now, etc. Its a cruel world, one that my son chose to walk away from because he has watched this MLBer trials and tribulations.