A letter from....

mom...It is ok to be be excited. You should understand, however, that few, if any recruits that get any playing time at LSU are from California.

Go to their site and look at the 2004 roster for some clues.

The money that they spent on mailings to our house, with the obligatory 3 signatures on each mailing, could have provided my family with 2 ducats to the BCS Championship Game!

I love the school because they have talented players and are in the SEC; and, I remember some of the LSU/Mississippi State matchups at DNF and the Box.

Unless he's a fireballer with size, I wouldn't count on planning a dinner for the coach when he visits the Island Empire.

They have 13 signees already for the Class of 2008. In the context of the article about the early signees, they talk about 18 draft eligible players...think about that...18 draft eligible players at one school!

It's definitely a good sign if LSU is sending letters. That can only mean one thing, other premier school letters will follow! I would love to hear about your son's baseball attributes to put it all in perspective. Sounds like a top pick.

Knowledge is Power! Thank you Mavens and HSBBWEB!

Just to temper this a bit here and I am sure I will again be called on the carpet for raining on someones parade--so be it

Your son sent the letter of inquiry---LSU responded which is good--being proactive and getting a response

Was the letter a form letter?
Have they seen your son play?
Was there a questionnaire included?

Just a few of the questions that need to be answered

Also as Beenthere noted check their roster and see how many out of state players they have.

TRhit

I agree with TR and Beenthere.

If you sent a letter first, they will put you on their list and mail to you regularly. That is how they do business. Grad asst's fill out everything and make copies of articles and you will receive them until signing period.

If you are serious about going there make contact, give a summer schedule, ask when they will get to see him. It costs them nothing to send mail. It keeps your son excited and you will not have to fetch the mail for the next year..

"I love the HSBBW"

After having gone through the recruiting process last year (including LSU) I think I can possibly give you some insight into what you are experiencing. If you want to compare "recruiting notes" please send me a pm or email me...my email address is in my profile. Good luck to you and your son in the recruiting experience!


Ann

fspmom,
I agree with the others but.....You have every right to be excited. One of the schools my son had on his “wish list” was LSU but after researching the roster and trying to estimate fit, I suggested he not consider LSU. We never sent any mailings to any schools but he ended up getting letters from every SEC school except LSU. He ultimately signed at another SEC West school and has played against LSU. A great experience! Back to your letter…Allow the letter to represent what you want it to represent and go from there. The HSBBW provides a lot of insight to the recruiting cycle but there are no real cut and dry answers. It is difficult to judge whether an ember of hope should be fanned into a flame or snuffed out and ignored. You need to make that call. I think everyone agrees it is difficult to find a “fit” at LSU for a number of reasons. The odds looked stacked against my son so I suggested he “snuff out” LSU and move on.
Fungo

Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.

My son has received mail from about 100 D1 schools, and nada from LSU. I'd stay excited, but until an offer is made and accepted, keep looking.

If your son is a junior this year, start an organization system, received mail, mail to be returned, we went as far as organized it by school. We ended up with a whole drawer full of stuff. Once the "real" recruiting started, that drawer of letters meant very little. It was nice to have them, but the fact is they have little value. Until a school sees your son play in person, and makes a phone call after July 1, then you can actually say the school is interested, and he is actively being recruited. Most big schools have a significant mailing system that starts out with 500 on the list. You have to keep grounded, this coming year will be a roller coaster ride. You have to keep the peaks and valleys as even as possible. When the offers come in the fall it will get worse, then finally when the recruiting is over, you can take a breath, the get back in the roller coaster for the next phase in the life of a baseball parent.

NCBB,
I believe her son is a senior and he's received the letter after attending a camp.
Letters are nice, and you can be flattered, but I agree with the general concensus here....until it's followed up by a phone call, don't get too excited or you'll be in for a big disappointment.

FPsMom, Just keep doing what you're doing. He's going to camps, writing letters. Make some calls too. Things will happen.
Good luck.


_______________________
"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." Rogers Hornsby, Hall of Famer

Very good advice, NC and Mr. and Mrs.

I agree.

Calls and officials visits are what ultimately matters.

Good advice all.

quote:

---

I'd stay excited, but until an offer is made and accepted, keep looking.

---

...and the offer today may disappear without notice.

Geaux Cajuns!!

The problem is the vast majority of people are not prepared to know that a letter means...not much. Even the letters that give specific information. That is why this message board is valuable for folks who need to know that the "recruitment process" for baseball is a flimsy process.

A true example.


I know someone who believed their son was getting recruited...that they were only one to be on such a list...for football.

When they found out that my son and some others were also being 'recruited' by same school...that is by a flattering letter...

they began to take notice...especially since mine and a couple of the others had already hung up the football...playing last year. Nice to have initial contact...but it must move ahead to be valid...

Now so far, this player has one visit set up but no other calls coming in...for football! And it's with another college...other than those with the first letters.

nocal baseball is right. Our experience was that serious interest involved lots of phone calls (with the once a week limit for D1s), emails, a call from the college to the high school coach, sometimes a request for a videotape and then an invitation to visit, followed by more phone calls if the player hasn't made a commitment to the program after the visit.

I think that it can be pretty exhausting for a kid to get his hopes up every time one phone call, or one form letter, is received. Most of these go nowhere.

I think that as a parent, you have to be supportive, and make sure that your son follows through and answers inquiries, but also be careful not to make things even harder for your son by making evaluative comments (or screams) when something is received from a baseball program. By acting that way, you will get his hopes up, and most of the time, they will be dashed. That can be really exhausting and confusing for a kid.

Regrettably, the recruiting process is not fair; in most cases, it is disproportionatley weighted in favor of the recruiter. The "recruiters" hold more cards than you, the "recruitee" (there are some exceptions, everyone who has been through this process knows this). The recruiters shuffle their "cards" constantly, and you, the shuffled "recruitee," never know when you will hit the discard pile. You are often left to deduce this harsh reality by circumstantial evidence. A "recruiting letter" from a program, particularly one like LSU, is worth less,IMHO (but educated opinion), than the cost of the postage...even though the cost of postage keeps going up.

Well said, pen.

fps, congrats on the letter and the attention your son is getting - keep him working - & I'll look forward to hearing more - and if LSU is meant to be - that's great -


ps-
keep in mind many (all?) those throwing "ice water on you", also insited Labron was a "stiff"



lefties? - - - they just aint right!

Bee...I "resemble" that remark!

Surely you thought that LeBron was going to be scoring 60 points a game! Of course, with the stiffs on his team, he has a long way to go. Figure 25 ppg next season and then competiting for the playoffs in a few years. And then...

A "form letter" from LSU does not mean your son is on any "recruiting" list. More often than not, the next letter is an invitation to one or more of their "camps".

Hello???

BEE

Your LeBron feelings aside , I do not think ANYONE called him a "stiff", it is not ice water being thrown it is tempering the enthusiasm to be realistic and not go off the deep end.

Keep in mind the letter was in response to the boys inquiry-- an asst coach did his job and responded--I am not sure they,LSU, have even seen the boy in action--the boy was pro-active and that is great but one needs to look at it all realistically and that is not to say that LSU may not be where the boy ends up but for now keep the enthusiasm under control.

Happy New Year

TRhit