Best Advice You Have Ever RECEIVED

"Remember - when all is said and done it is only a game."

While son wants to play at the highest level - keeping it in perspective helps to offset the pressure these kids place upon themselves.

Probably the most common advice given on here -- go to a school that you'd like to be at even if you weren't playing baseball.

I'm working through injuries that may end my career, but I honestly couldn't be a happier person. I love my academic studies and frequently wish I had more time to work on those academic-related things instead of baseball. I never would have guessed in high school that I'd have equal compulsion to study and to play baseball. I'm incredibly pleased that I went to the school that was the best academic fit for me. I liked the baseball and I only would go to a school where I was willing to play ball, but if the program was the #1 factor I would have been somewhere else and I know I wouldn't have been as happy and successful as I am now.

I hope everyone takes that frequently given advice seriously...being able to love your school and just about everything you do there is a gift. The best insurance policy on my shoulder was not medical, it was the fact that I'll be just as good or even better off without baseball.

The best advice I received was from the recruiting coordinator at Stanford - Coach Stotz....

I didn't join the hsbbweb until after my son signed his NLI. I was looking for the odds of playing past college because my son's goal was to be a professional baseball player. I was led to this site looking for that information and found it...

That said, come July 1st between my son's junior and senior years, I experienced no anxiety that somehow we were behind the 8-ball in any manner. A coworker encouraged me to call Stanford on a whim as he had a theory that baseball might be a way to get accepted there. I looked up the athletic department number, called, and a nice lady answered. I asked to speak to someone from the baseball team and she put Coach Stotz on the line. The first thing he asked was what were my son's grades. He then of course mentioned that Stanford was one of the most competitive teams in the country. He said their prospect camp was filled but he would send me a brochure anyways in case someone cancelled. Then he gave me the advice. He said "We never recruit anyone unless WE have personally seen them play" After he told me that, I pretty much knew everything there was to know about recruiting. I knew then that somehow I was going to have to get my son in front of the coaches he might play for.

The next piece of advice was from a family friend. He asked where my son might play ball and I mentioned there were some Ohio schools recruiting him and we were looking into those. He said matter of factly, "The best players, play in the South" That thought had not occurred to me before but it made sense.

A few weeks after that conversation, my son was spotted in a local Cleveland tournament by a power-house mid-major southern school located near Myrtle Beach South Carolina. After a game, the recruiting coordinator (RC) made an inquiry to my son's coach. The inquiry went like this RC - "Whose the shortstop?" RC - "The kid looks like he can play but he looks too small to be a D1 player." End of conversation and coach relays that to me. Armed Coach Stotz's advice, I sent my son too their camp in early August where they tell him he was too slow, too small, and didn't run fast enough. They did mention they thought he could hit however.

My son came back dejected from that camp and was feeling sorry for himself as he reported what went on as I could not make that trip to Myrtle Beach. I said, you can do two things. You can sit here and pout about it or you can do something about it. When he got got back from the camp, they said they were looking for sub-7.0 60 guys whereas he ran a 7.3. Neither of us were even aware of 60 yard dashes. They said he lacked arm strength which shocked both of us. They were looking for mid-80's guys and my son was clocked at 78 across the infield. They also told him he was not big or strong enough frankly. He was 147 lbs and 5-9 at the time.

We noted that another camp was scheduled for the end of October and just before the early signing period which neither of us were aware of either. My son enrolled in a speed and strength program in the mean time and began serious long-tossing drills. Every night I was out in the street timing him in the 60. At the end of October, I flew down to South Carolina with him and was determined to see what this camp stuff was all about.

First day of camp he ran a 6.87 60 which was one of the fastest times recorded that day. His velocity across the diamond was recorded at 86 mph. With his strength training and diet, he got himself up to 165 lbs. The next day he caught a break. During live scrimmages, he was playing third one inning and they started hitting rocket shots down the third base line and he started making one diving play after another. When that inning was over, every scout and coach in attendance was clapping and every parent in the stands gave him a standing ovation. He played like Brooks Robinson that day and he turned their heads.

He got recruited heavily from every coach at that camp and one Atlanta Braves scout became a big fan and still is. About a week later the coach at this southern school we were pursuing finally called and offered a small scholarship. We were disappointed slightly in that but to us, the opportunity was there and he took it.

I know I've told those stories 100 times before in one form or another but context is important sometimes.

What's the best piece of advice I could give someone beyond what I stated above from Coach Stotz...

Try harder than the next guy and never let "no" deter you. If plan A leads to a dead end, go to plan B and so forth until you achieve your goal.

Use college sport to leverage the greatest advantage possible in life, not to be a hero.

You have no control over the decison makers.All you can control is your preparation for the game.Work hard and have a game plan and execute that plan and preparation day in and day out if your in the line up or not.

quote:

Originally posted by ClevelandDad:
What's the best piece of advice I could give someone beyond what I stated above from Coach Stotz...

Try harder than the next guy and never let "no" deter you. If plan A leads to a dead end, go to plan B and so forth until you achieve your goal.

The entire post from ClevelandDad should be read as it is inspiring, but his bottom line is spot on for life beyond just baseball.

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quote:

Originally posted by southpaw_dad:
What are some of the best pieces of advice you have RECEIVED, that you would share with the players and parents at the start of the trail?

Work on the things that you can control and don't worry about the stuff you can't.

But the best advice, some we didn't always follow, but trying to now, enjoy it all while you can, baseball doesn't last forever.

Southpaw_dad,
Best of luck to your player!

"If you don't have anything good to say, then don't say anything at all."

Great advice, hard to follow at times, but I actually try.

Shut up and play.

"You can't always get what you want...but if you try sometime...you just might find...you get what you need!" That Rolling Stones verse was sung to me as a kid many times by my mom, and I kept the tradition alive with my kids.

The best two pieces of advice I received, I received here...


1. Enjoy the ride! It always ends before you want it to!

2. Go where they Love You!

A coach our son highly respected told him...."You won't always out-talent others, but you can always out-work them!"

I know it's become a cliche but grades are so important. My son is by no means a stud but he had offers from really good academic schools because of his grades.

Take the SAT's as many times as you can. Start with PSAT's freshman year. The score tends to get higher every time you take them.

These were the two things we learned from web's summer coach, a former college RC. We were lucky enough to find him before web's freshman year.

Best advice while being recruited....

Don't be afraid to say "no" if the school doesn't meet your goals.

Best advice while playing college baseball....

Everyday is a challenge in the classroom and on the baseball field. Win the challenge everyday.

I kinda' like the old signature line below...
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1. complete your a degree in a discipline where you can find work, support yourself and your family when the time comes.

2. Tell the girl she has to "wait" until you've completed goal # 1.

Never be afraid to ask a question. The answer is always NO if you don't find the courage to ask and then sometimes it's YES!

1. Stay back...
2. When you leave the field can you honestly say you gave it your best...
3. Practice is work, games are fun
4. Work like a Champion, think like a Champion and play like a Champion...

Go to class!

Never up, never in.

From my father:

"In life, 99.9% of everything you worry about never comes true.....the .1% that does can be handled if you are prepared. In combat, you can throw all these percentages out the window."

From my grandfather:

"You alone are responsible for the consequences of your actions."

Wow! This is all great stuff. I for one have sent a link to this thread to SP_son for his review.

As valuable as all of these thoughts are, my original intent was to try to bring together the most valuable pieces of advice people have received -- with the benefit of hindsight -- about navigating the waters of High School baseball, the college recruiting process, and the collegiate baseball experience, that they would pass on to those just starting the journey.

The general thoughts are superb, but I would love to see if we could focus this dialogue more specifically to baseball related advice.

Another piece of wisdom that was shared with SP_son a few years ago, that I found myself sharing with the parents of a newly minted HS Freshman just tonight -- "go where you are celebrated, not just tolerated." Meaning, when choosing that summer/showcase team, don't just pick the team based on their reputation, pick the team that offers you the best opportunity to shine. When you are picking a college, pick the school that values you most greatly as a student, a person and a player; and not just the school whose name has the greatest cache.

quote:

As valuable as all of these thoughts are, my original intent was to try to bring together the most valuable pieces of advice people have received -- with the benefit of hindsight -- about navigating the waters of High School baseball, the college recruiting process, and the collegiate baseball experience,

Still, that's a lot of ground, "generally speaking" that you want to speak of in specific terms.

Guess, I can't help. Seems to me that if you don't have a specific baseball, skill related issue, then baseball and sports mirror challenges that life too throws at you. That being said, the lessons learned in hindsight through baseball, more often are life lessons that can affect who or what you become. You said; "you just dropped your kid off at College" so I mistakenly thought you were asking for college baseball related comments.

Okay, re-focused:

Go to the school you like the most that wants you the most.

Please don't get me wrong. I LOVE all the great thoughts being shared here. There is a lot of wisdom laid out in these pages.

I was just thinking about the players and parents who are at the start of the HS Baseball journey, maybe hoping to one day make it to college ball, or beyond. With the wisdom gained from the miles and years put behind all of the great folks here who have gone down this road before ... what key pieces of advice that you received along the way proved to be most valuable, most true, and would you impart to the players and parents who are now starting down the path?

I can tell you that a lot of the folks who have already posted to this thread have offered advice over the years that has been extremely valuable to me and SP_son ... and continue to do so.