College Fall Season - 2011

Just thought of something... this thread is open to all college players and parents and players and parents who have moved on. For players and parents who have been here before, let us know how the experience has changed if at all from the freshman season... thanks

OK, Dan. I'll start.

Son went to summer school with most of his fellow freshmen teammates. The conditioning coach put them through daily workouts that were intense, purposeful, and fun. The guys were given the run of the stadium and facilities for unsupervised throwing and hitting every day.

After summer school, he had six days off in mid-August, then began fall classes last week.

So far, he is in heaven.

He is totally impressed by the professional staff, especially the conditioning coach, on whom he has imprinted like a baby duckling. The conditioning coach said he can make him as strong as he wants to get, so he's doing extra workouts to test the theory.

He likes his teammates, roommate, and suite mates. All the frosh players live in the same wing of the same dorm. They have good work ethics and he never has trouble finding a partner for extra throwing or stretching work. Says he could never go back to being the only guy on the team who really wants it like he was in high school.

The schoolwork is much harder than high school. Mandatory supervised study hall is a good thing. He's real glad of the cushion he has from summer school and his AP work from high school so he doesn't have to take such heavy course loads during the school year.

The food in the athletes cafeteria is amazing. He's been hitting the free protein shakes pretty hard.

The upperclassmen players are grown men and very strong. (When college coaches tell recruits they'll be able to compete for playing time right away, they don't always mention that they'll be competing against guys who have already been through the fire of extreme testing and conditioning. There's a reason most freshmen sit.)

The baseball coaches aren't allowed to work with the players until official practices begin next month, so he has no idea where he stands baseball-wise. Everybody understands that the arrival of a new coaching staff that didn't recruit them means everyone has to earn everything from scratch.

He seems tired, busy, and happy. He knows it's going to be hard, but he thinks he's in the place that gives him his best chance to develop and improve.

quote:

Originally posted by Swampboy:
He is totally impressed by the professional staff, especially the conditioning coach, on whom he has imprinted like a baby duckling.

I know that guy , and I beleive it when recently told me that the best thing a freshman can do is get acclimated by attending summer school and begin conditioning.

Those studs coming out of HS look like little kids compared to most upperclassman.

I'll be honest here and say that when I saw this Thread started by CD I had a mixed bag of emotion. My first instinct was to smile. I remember the flood of emotion I had 3yrs ago with anxiousness, sadness, and great pride to be able to reply to such a thread.

My son was just now a new freshman beginning the dream of his life - college baseball. Away from home the first time. Making new friends and teammates. Embarking into his first chapter as a young adult.

3 long years of many twists and turns have past. The things I thought would happen and Id LIKE to see, well, some have and some haven't. For instance I remember taking the stance that when you commit to some THING, i.e. program, coach, etc. that you stand by it no matter what happens. Don't get me wrong, I still believe in that but little did I know that I couldn't see the UNFORSEEN things that my son would go through and cause me to see things in a different light. There was a certain Member on here at the time who tried to convince Me to be more open and I wouldn't have nothing to do with it. I wish I could remember his name so that today I could apologize to him.

Any new mom and dad whose son is away for the first time this fall...it's an exciting time for your son. He has a new world that is opening up to him that is unlike anything he has faced before. New responsibilities, choices, decisions, friends, classes, Professors, peer pressure, et al. They are "sizing" themselves up with the Upper classmen and all the other players on the team. They haven't a clue what will be expected of them when fall practice begins. How the competition will be stout. The conditioning will be ramped up. The tiny innuendos and quirks that the Upper classman will place upon them as frosh players.

When you call your players and they don't have much to say about things, don't force it. They may be dealing with some things that they're not ready to open up to you about just now. Just send them encouraging texts and emails supporting and loving them. When they want to talk they will call YOU. I promise. They will have some struggles - on the field and off. With Professors, coaches, and yes - teammates. Let them learn how to handle these things on their own. If they want your advise, they will seek it.

If you've heard it once here on HSBBW, you've probably heard it 100,000 times but let me be the one who tells you that 100,001 time. Please, if nothing else, make sure your son is taking classes that are towards his degree and NOT classes that are recommended by a coach just to keep him eligible to play in the spring. Today my son should be a Senior and he will be a Junior. He learned he hard way. Not for only this reason trust me but it contributed to it.

Good luck to your sons this fall and this year. I know there is a large amount of anxiousness on all your hearts and minds. It's the "unknown" that is the culprit! I know.

I am just blessed with the many friends on here who have supported me and my son these past 3yrs on his journey, and know how thankful and blessed I am today to be able to say that I am so glad that my son is HAVING a College fall season this year. God has been good to us all and my son is a better young man today for all he has been through.

If there are any parents on here who want/need advise on something new, please feel free to send me a PM. I'm pretty sure that I've been through it and might have something on the subject to say..lol.

Good luck to all!

YGD

That is simply a beautiful post. The kind of post I have only found on this site. From the heart. Honest. And with nothing but good intentions for those who read it. Thank you YGD. Thank you very much.

We dropped our son off at school on Saturday. He took a class earlier this summer and was able to get familiar with the lay of the land. He said the class was a lot of work but is glad that he went as he now has an idea of what is expected of him in the classroom. He found out Friday that he got his high school jersey number and can't wait for baseball to get started.

YGD - Thanks for the offer of advice, I may take you up on it some day.

For the first time in a long time, there is no fall season. The four years of competition are over, and he is in the "victory lap" as he calls it, to finish the 5 classes remaining due to the multiple transfers.

I think it is our friend Coach B25 whose signature reads "if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans". The journey certainly did not follow the roadmap we thought we had laid out in the spring/summer of 2011. In hindsight, would there have been some things done differently? Absolutely. Definitely some negatives in every stop along the way. However, the positives win in a landslide, even in the first (and worst) situation. He grew up, he made amazing friends and contacts, and still managed to maintain good grades, and prove to himself and those that doubted him, he put in the work, played at a high level, and was recognized for it. He knows how hard it is to achieve something he wants badly. The hours in the weight room, the running, time in the cage, and becoming the person he meant to be.

Just remember, it never goes as you think it is going to. Just be ready, deal with the situations as they arise, and make the most of every opportunity presented.

Nice post younggundad, all very true and I hope some of the folks that are just starting that journey read it a few times.

Our Fall season is soon upon us, this will be my son’s final year of Collegiate Baseball, he completed his final year of Summer Leagues last month or so.

Not too sure where I stand on this anymore…we are looking forward to a great season, hopefully his best ever…

The journey has not turned out exactly as planned, and the phrase “enjoy the ride” constantly comes to mind. These are perhaps the most enjoyable years that we have spent and will ever spend with our son. Sure he may get married one day and have kids, but these days will still be some of the most joyful days we ever get to experience.

My guy is working, putting on weight while he can (he lost a bunch over the summer), fine tuning his swing every day, and hitting the gym.

He will be a Senior this year, and I suppose will also be a team leader. He is a good leader, and it is a role I believe he will be successful at.

But it is a very bitter sweet time, knowing that my son may be done after this next season. It is a day that I have not adequately prepared myself for, and one that I have always hoped I would never have to face.

It is a day most do face however, some sooner than others. The opportunity to play at this level, is a privilege denied many.

When I begin to feel despondent, I realize how blessed I am, and my family is. Our children are healthy, and happy. For many, that would be more than enough to bring great joy and happiness.

As the journey enters this new phase, I need to continue to remember to relax and “Enjoy the Ride”, and accept the many blessings that my life has brought me and continues to bring each day, and be glad.

Dropped my son off Thursday at a D III. He is looking forward to Dall baseball starting and texted his Mom that he was in the middle of a wiffle ball game and he would talk to her later. he is getting to know his team mates and has already been to a Fraternity that some of the baseball players are in. They encouraged him to apply for a scholarship (the balanced man) that they offer. The coached searched him and a couple of other Freshman out on the first day to help get them ready. I wish him the best but sure do miss him already.

quote:

Those studs coming out of HS look like little kids compared to most upperclassman.

TPM: you aren't just whistling Dixie! Mine weighed in at this years Fall physical @ 25 lbs. over his Freshman weight. The transformation from boy to man this past year has been jaw dropping. He's especially enjoying today's on-field speed and conditioning work since it's 99 there but feels 102. The poor cool weather school & JC transfers are dying out there! Welcome to College baseball in the Southeast!


Great opening by C-Dad and terrific post by YGD. What a great place the HSBBW is for learning and sharing baseball and baseball parenting experiences!

I can only echo what has already been said a number of times regarding the surprises and twisting turns during "the journey."

I will remain positive both for myself and all of you pumped up about the excitement this coming year hopes to bring. There will certainly be a roller coaster of emotions for everyone, some exciting and some disappointing. Just remember the value of perseverance and a positive attitude. As a parent remember that as you "support your player" on and off the field.

Best of luck to all and I too am looking forward to both reading about the good times and hoping to post some of my own!

I am looking forward to the spring where I hope to make many more games this year than I did last year. Also I am looking forward to meeting some more HSBBW posters this coming season. Prime9 I hope Prime JR has as tremendous season. Even when we play you guys as long as we find a way to beat you.

Good luck to everyone's son this fall and spring.

Coach May,

My son played on the same summer team as Prime9's son and I don't know if you got the opportunity to meet him or the son any last year. But they are top notch folks and true baseball parents. His wife keeps a scorebook better than anyone! I was gonna suggest one day he break down and buy her an IPad for her but I honestly think she prefers the "old school" way. lol

His son is an absolute BEAST and CSU is going to have a tremendous season next year with him in the field and especially at the plate. I saw what he did this summer with a wood bat. I can only imagine what he will do with some metal in his hands!

I'm sure Jeff is looking foward to a big year as well.

I have not had the pleasure yet even though we did talk through pm some last season. I am hoping I get the chance this season. CSU is very good and I have no doubt PrimeJr is going to have a great season.

We took our son to his new home 1,400 miles away last week and got back to the empty house yesterday afternoon. This is when it really hit me that he will be away, more or less for good. I know he will be back in spurts, but he is off spreading his wings, as he should. As CD posted this is what this site is all about. I am thrilled for him as I think we have found a good fit, but as they say, time will tell and I expect there certainly will be challenges for him.

So far the roommate is a good match, his mom made the bed for the first, and probably the last time for the foreseeable future. The HC STILL seems genuinely excited to have him there (we will see once practice starts ) and he has already hooked up with a few of the incoming freshmen and they have fit in some baseball workouts during the weeklong general orientation. He has been on the school strength and conditioning program all summer and is already using the gym and is looking to make up some ground to the upper classmen as far as strength, size and speed. As TPM pointed out the reality of being the super stud HS senior to the incoming gremmie probably has not hit him yet. We have found the school’s approach and resources available for him to be incredible, and from a first impression we could not be happier with his choice. The friendly, helpful people of Texas are unsurpassed. Wow is all I can say.

I can’t emphasize this enough for those still looking into schools – look first for an academic match and THEN weigh in the baseball program. I believe the hours we spent in Fiske, Princeton, US News, and the countless websites have paid off. The 2615 posts here certainly have helped! Thank you to all who have PM’d me over the years. I would also be remiss without mentioning Mary Ann, who welcomed me and gave me my first advice on this site. God bless her and her family.

We have officially turned the page to a new chapter in his life. We have also moved from the “car salesmen phase” (what my wife calls college coaches) to the honeymoon phase. (before the reality of having to throw strikes to a 6’4” 230lb Sr with the bases loaded ) I am very excited for him, and a bit saddened for me….. hmm…...I wonder if his Jr. friend up the street needs some BP this evening?

Like others I am looking forward to hearing the other stories over the coming weeks.

This thread has already exceeded expectations...

How about some newbee's out there in the audience. You've read what has been posted thus far, get off your duff and sign up and let us know what is happening

This is a great thread.

FF, sending u a PM.

Oh it's going to be some fun years coming up. Three boys I watched grow up together, play on the same youth teams together, the same young travel teams and then high school. Now they've gone their seperate but connected ways. Off to play collegiate baseball in three different programs but all in the same conference. Look out Big South! Winthrop, CSU and Coastal.

Congrats to all!! I'm sure you are all very proud of your sons as they start their college careers. Also, to those who have veteran returners! Good job, it takes a village!

Gun had his first baseball activity Sunday. Class started today, first practice scheduled for Friday. I have to admit, we are blessed to have him close, he only went 4.2 miles to get to school. No cross country or long distance for us, we realize how special this opprotunity truly is.

The rest of the week will involve conditioning, physicals, equipment/gear issue, more meetings and some light throwing. GUN threw on his new field today for the first time as a rostered player, he was smiling from ear-to-ear!

The Chaps will hit it hard until the end of October. The fall workouts will end with the DUCKS and SKUNKS Intrasquad series. The best-of-five series dates back to the fall of 1970 when LCU coach Larry Hays devised the series to celebrate the end of fall practices. The name Ducks/Skunk dates back to 1962. At that time, LCU’s first baseball team needed uniforms. The Post Cereal Mill generously donated some left-over uniforms with a Skunk on them. So, the name stuck and the series evolved into an intrasquad match-up with bragging rights on the line. It also will serve as an opportunity for the LCU coaches fall evaluations and is the connerstone for preparing for 2012.

After their "runner-up" finish in the 2011 National Championship, they have very high expectations for the 2012 squad.

Life is good..... GED10DaD

GunEm,

Good luck to your son on the upcoming season. LCU is a fine program and they had a great 2011 season. I hope to see you in Lubbock in 2012.

BUM - Thanks very much. I can't wait to see Rusty throw again! I know he's ready.... I will be around for the Red & Black series for sure. The new Dan Law Field upgrades are moving along very quickly, its looking good!

Please let us know when you are in town. GED10DaD

Best of luck to all the incoming freshmen and their parents. Everything will be just fine. If any questions, I suggest the book "Don't Tell Me What To Do, Just Send Me Money" by Helen E. Johnson. This book was a great reference, and source of information for me. It is all about letting go of your college student, but still showing you care as this is going to be a new relationship with your son.

It was a heck of a lot easier saying goodbye as a rising sophomore parent than it was last year as a freshmen. But I have to admit his college did a fine job as surrogate parent, and turned my son into a learning machine. Not only about engineering and other studies but about life. He gets the "life thing" now...at least most of it. On that same note, he realizes a college sophomore is a great place to be and not in the record sweltering Virginia summer heat doing a Civil Engineering internship. Going to college, playing baseball and studying like nobody's business looks like a pretty darn good situation. He learns fast!

Son was fairly disciplined with his summer job, baseball conditioning & workouts, taught himself to speak German (I think it involves a girl), and managed to put on some weight by eating well and smart. His head coach wants to see him hit this Fall despite being a starting freshmen pitcher last year. So, he is psyched to get the opportunity to show what he can do with the bat. We'll see.

Captains practices started yesterday. They requested that he take one of the freshmen starting pitchers under his wing and show him the ropes. I told him he should be honored. He's looking forward to the official practices, and all the administrivia stuff is out of the way....so they can practice real baseball and play real baseball.

My wife and I are vowing to see more games this year, as I realize how precious this time is. Freshmen parents take note.....do whatever you can do to see as many games as possible. These 4 years go by so quick. If you have to take off a few days at work to see your son, by all means do it.

Son is considering college summer baseball or a summer or Fall semester abroad for next year. We'll see where it takes us, but I do know he really, really missed playing baseball this summer.

Swampboy said...

quote:

It sounds like traumatic emotional experiences have been taking place on the concrete ramp to the upper deck of the football stadium. Young men seeking God with hitherto unknown fervor . . . and seeing their lunches for a second time.

Swampboy...We have the same sick sense of humor, because I also love hearing those stories too. Son's football stadium stairs pray on unsuspecting (and unconditioned) freshmen both in the morning and at night! Good theatre.

fenway. Looking at the batting stats for Cornell from last year I can see why they want him to swing a bat. It surprises me that there are not more 2-way players in college. I get the programs that are top 50 where the level of competition (and resources) is very high, but for the rest of the mortals it seems strange that this is not done more. In HS the number 3 hitter is quite often the number 1 starter, so many pitchers can hit if given the chance. Remind him to "pop the chain" when he hits one out….

quote:

Originally posted by BOF:
fenway. Looking at the batting stats for Cornell from last year I can see why they want him to swing a bat. It surprises me that there are not more 2-way players in college. I get the programs that are top 50 where the level of competition (and resources) is very high, but for the rest of the mortals it seems strange that this is not done more. In HS the number 3 hitter is quite often the number 1 starter, so many pitchers can hit if given the chance. Remind him to "pop the chain" when he hits one out….

BOF, don't you think that programs have largely moved away from the old two-way player, pitcher hits approach during the past 10-15 years?

We play very competitive baseball here, as you do in Cal, and I can't remember a single #1 pitcher in our program that was a middle-of-the-order hitter much less played a position regularly. Not saying they can't, but believe it happens infrequently now just as is the case in College.

Not all, but many, have the top pitcher(s) as one of the top hitters. If I mentally scan through the local teams 1-no, 2-yes, 3-5hole, 4-yes, 5-5hole, 6-yes, 7-no, can't remmber beyond this.

So I get 3 of 7 plus two others with 5 hole hitters.

I agree CD, already a great thread. My son doesn't leave us until September 17, as his school is on a quarterly system. A few of his friends have already left for college, and his best friend leaves this weekend. Oh, did I mention his girlfriend leaves this weekend too? I'm going to have a bored 18 year old kid hanging around the house for the next three weeks. In the meantime, I guess he's going to have to play catch and work out with his old man for a few weeks!

I sincerely hope the best for all of the families that have kids going off to college for the first time...my FB page has been flooded with parents on the same boat as us. It's definitely a new chapter, I'll have more to say after 9/17.

Prime9 said...

quote:

BOF, don't you think that programs have largely moved away from the old two-way player, pitcher hits approach during the past 10-15 years?

I assume we are talking about college. Common sense would tell me the more competitive the conference the more difficult it is to be a two-way player. The Danny Hultzens of the world are extremely rare.

For son's conference I think it has more to do with the coaches philosphy, the players and results. We're not talking about SEC, ACC or PAC 10, 11 or 12. Son's team did not really have a two way player last year, but they had two-way players in previous years. The previous head coach allowed pitchers to hit if they proved they could do the job is what a couple senior parents told me. Last years 2010 conference winner had at least two two-way players (SS and 1st base) that come to mind. One two-way player was all-conference and the other was a freshmen all-american. The conference winning coach had no problem with two way players. I have serious reservations about the longevity of a P/SS two-way player at the college level but it worked for them last year. I think any coach has to (at least) consider the athletes he has at his disposal to give his team the best chance to win. When you have a conference champion that successfully utilized two-way players, I think it is worthy of looking into if your team is not wearing a conference ring.

bsbl247,

Best of luck in the coming weeks. Enjoy your time with family.

Well, it's been a week since we dropped 1B off at school. He is adjusting, and I believe he has ditched his new friend "Murphy's Law". Had a rough couple of days in the beginning, I'm thinking the stress of being away from home, new friends, sizing up the competition and stressing about classes made things seem worse than they really were.

Had a genuine conversation with him last night and I could hear the beaming smile in his voice! He is adjusting. Classes are good, professors seem cool, and the baseball is "sick".(his words) Practices started on Tues and depending on this weekends weather they are going to inter-squad.

We are going to make a trip down in a couple of weeks to bring him his car, and check out a game or two, so looking forward to it!

Dropping son of today for second year of college. My worries and sadness are almost gone, compared to last year. Would feel a bit better if we werent dropping him of right before a hurricane hits. Son is excited to get back to school and more baseball.

Update that I thought the parents of freshmen players might want to read.

Make sure your players stay as hydrated as possible and eat...every meal. Son had a short stay in the ER yesterday BECAUSE of not doing these things. And knows better. Encourage them to drink water or something hydrating every hour during this conditioning period.

He's back in the dorm now (only stayed 3hrs) and was ******* down a gallon of water! lol

YGD

Jr has been at school for 2 weeks now and last night was the first time I got to talk to him longer than a few short words, followed by a “I gotta run”. He is completely settled and into routine now. At this point (baseball wise) they are doing mostly strength and conditioning. There is on field activity but the individuals schedule their own work. Because of the limited contact hours it seems like the older players are really driving the program right now. I can also see how a successful program feeds off of the previous success of Jr’s and Sr’s. The older kids are using a lot of words like “success starts right now, success in the spring happens in the fall, you want your class to be one who has been to 4 straight regionals” They are also not putting up with any BS, and seem to be preparing the freshmen for the coming storm of the “psychotic head coach” once full practices start. If the team does not do certain thing the head coach wants when he wants it done, then they will be out running on Sat morning at 6AM. Also sounds like he is learning lots of new colorful words. The kids at his school have to be pretty smart just to get in so they are using some pretty descriptive words for the coming fall grind. (google ELE, pretty funny)

They have broken the team up into groups of three for S&C work. Two upper classmen with a freshmen. Later in the fall they break them up into teams and they compete against each other. It makes the S&C a bit more intense and more fun once they get to their competition.

Some video form last years group. Looks like a lot of fun mixed in with hard work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...JoAY&feature=related

Son is a freshman and is experiencing talk of freshmen hazing from upperclass baseball players. What is it all about and do we have reason for concern? I realize this is probably common but we are concerned for him.

"talk of hazing from upperclass players."

I wouldn't be concerned about talk. I don't believe that hazing, the real demeaning and physical stuff that you've heard and read about in years past, is at all common in baseball. My son experienced just the opposite; an immediate welcoming by his teammates and involvement in all things social and baseball by all the upperclass players.

There will always be some special "jobs" (heck almost all the on-field jobs) reserved for Freshmen along with the usual jokes etc. It's part of "boy"life. I can remember my wife, who grew up with only sisters, watching our young adolescent son interact with a bunch of boys, saying " why are boys so rough and mean to each other?" To which I replied, "they aren't being mean, that's just how boys relate."

If anything beyond that behavior occurs, your son will need to man up and fend for himself. In the end, his baseball skills and his character will trump and put an end any other non-sense especially if he's unwilling "to rollover"and be a victim.

GUNs first two weeks have been a tornado of activity. He's taking 16 hours, classes are going well and he's settled into his normal academic routine. We are very thankful his high school focused strong academics while balancing athletics. Daily, in the gym from 0745 - 0900, then off too class until 1300. They have a break, mon-thur for chapel at 1100-1130. Baseball from 1430-1730. So far, all OTAs involve meetings, strength training/conditioning. Thankfully, he's bought into the program and is actually thriving. But, again he's close to home so he is not dealing with being homesick.

Baseball practice starts September 12th. Wooohoooooo!

BTW - here's a pic of his strength and conditioning coach. Nice guy, but he's intense!



GED10DaD

I have really enjoyed reading about all your guys and am excited for each and every one that gets this experience. No matter how it all ends up it is just too much fun along the way!

Son is settling in for his Junior year, and we have witnessed the biggest year to year change in him yet. He is one of the three longest tenured players on the team, and while he has been a humble, hard working player all along, he has not carried the inner confidence I sense in him right now. It must be a transition that several experience but it is neat to see it first hand.

I think a lot of the change came with turning 21 this summer and the brief injury shortened summer experience in the Coastal Plains League. It was there that he got confirmation from coaches and teammates that he belonged, that he could have a little more time left in the game if he would only reach out and grab it. It may also come with what he calls “man-muscle” and the strength training he has committed to. He has added between 10-15 lbs. from last season.

Most likely this change is the natural progression to manhood that everyone takes, but when you remember flipping the whiffle ball to him like it was just yesterday, it is fun to watch, but difficult to sit back like you now have to. And you quickly find out – you can’t talk to him like you used to, you give less advice, and atta-boys have less meaning now – because the boy is not a boy anymore.

He is fortunate each September to get interaction with all his former teammates that return from MILB. They share the stories, the work outs, the problems and the fun with their buddies. It is a constant cycle at the local university that we have witnessed for the last 3 years, guys that have hung up their cleats returning to finish school (Tino Martinez took classes last year to get his degree); guys in the midst of chasing promotion from rookie ball to Class A, from Class A to AA, etc; and guys returning to coach after there MILB experience is up. It is a pleasant cycle to witness – and is only a result of an excellent coaching staff that builds leaders, one ballplayer at a time. Leaders that are successful no matter the path they end up on.

The one trait son hasn’t changed, and I should be careful about it too, is messing with Baseball Karma. No predictions of success, no comments about the next level, no obviate outward appearance of ME - other than to work as hard as possible…every single day…to be in the best shape, have the best mindset and carry the best attitude to be prepared for whatever may come his way. I only know of one goal he will admit to outwardly – to have the team win the DII championship this year.

I can live with that.

Nice! We look forward to enjoying another season with you both!

Back at ya FF!! Best to you and Wendy!

BOF,

I enjoyed the you-tube video that Trinity put together. It reminded me of videos that University of San Francisco used to send out a couple years back to recruits. What a great way to build chemistry with the team, some good old fashion hard work...and bobbing for apples, good stuff!


GED,

I remember your son in Arizona last year, he was a big strong kid. After seeing the photo of his college strength and conditioning coach above, it looks like you don't have to worry about him staying in shape? Hopefully the coach recognizes the difference between a Body Builder (his above photo) and a baseball player!


Seriously, as I said to BOF via PM last week, I'm going to enjoy following our HSBaseball kids this season. Good luck to everyone!

quote:

Originally posted by bsbl247:
GED,

I remember your son in Arizona last year, he was a big strong kid. After seeing the photo of his college strength and conditioning coach above, it looks like you don't have to worry about him staying in shape? Hopefully the coach recognizes the difference between a Body Builder (his above photo) and a baseball player!

Thanks, and yes the S/C coach is very good. We are very fortunate.

quote:

Originally posted by bsbl247:
Seriously, as I said to BOF via PM last week, I'm going to enjoy following our HSBaseball kids this season. Good luck to everyone!

It is going to be a very good year!

GED10DaD

Even though my son is so far away I couldn't be happier. He is so happy at school and loves his team. He had his first captain's scrimmage yesterday and thought he did well. He even likes his classes. There is nothing better than a happy child.

You are so right- there is nothing like a happy kid to make a parent happy. My son is a senior this year, or as he said to his academic advisor a redshirt junior. He was injured and had surgery last season so hopefully gets another year of eligibility from the NCAA. He has been able to make lemonade out of lemons this summer. Without being able to play summer ball while rehabbing his injury he had a great summer internship in finance.

He has had a great college experience despite being injured. He chose the right school and bb program for him. Coaches have integrity and are excellent role models. The academics have been excellent. We did tons of research prior to comitting but in the end there is still lots of luck involved in how things turn out. Best thing the boys can do is what has been said here many times-control what you can (work your butt off) and learn not to sweat the things you can't control.

My son is a senior as well, and I can't believe how quickly his college days are passing by. Although three years have passed, it seems like yesterday that we dropped him off for the first time. His time there has been a positive one overall, even though there have been hills and valleys along the way. You never know what's going to happen in a career -- issues can pop up that range from academics to rooming situations to playing time to injuries -- but that's which makes the experience so rich. This is how your student and player learns to fend for himself and develop as a person, and this is where the control levers move from the parents to the kids.

We've been lucky in many ways. He's still at his original school -- many of his high school and travel teammates have switched once or twice -- and he still really enjoys it: the program, his teammates, the classes, the professors, the campus. Sure, there have been a few frustrations, but he's grown up so much learning to handle his own life and career, from his academic workload to playing summer ball to doing an internship. And he's on track to graduate next May.

I would tell freshman parents to relax and let your sons find their own way. Your support should remain steadfast, even if things don't always go perfectly on the field or off. But it helps him to know that you're behind him. Now that my son's a senior, he's trying to help new freshmen adjust just as some of the former players helped him.

As the lifting and skill work switches over to the fall practice stage in a week, he's ready to do it one last time. I can't wait to watch him.

Great senior Dad advice here from CaBB and catfish342. This sophomore Dad is soaking it in!

CaBB said....

quote:

We did tons of research prior to comitting but in the end there is still lots of luck involved in how things turn out. Best thing the boys can do is what has been said here many times-control what you can (work your butt off) and learn not to sweat the things you can't control.

Amen to that brother!

catfish342 said....

quote:

We've been lucky in many ways. He's still at his original school -- many of his high school and travel teammates have switched once or twice -- and he still really enjoys it: the program, his teammates, the classes, the professors, the campus. Sure, there have been a few frustrations, but he's grown up so much learning to handle his own life and career, from his academic workload to playing summer ball to doing an internship

I would tell freshman parents to relax and let your sons find their own way. Your support should remain steadfast, even if things don't always go perfectly on the field or off. But it helps him to know that you're behind him. Now that my son's a senior, he's trying to help new freshmen adjust just as some of the former players helped him.

Great stuff.

Last week son said he ran until he could run no more, then he ran again.

:-)

Son starting his freshman year as a walkon. It's been like a yo-yo so far.

The paperwork and aggravation before his final decision was made were torture. Then the orientation, and meeting the coaches and players, seeing the facilities were "awesome".

At first classes were a lot tougher than he expected. Once he got settled (study tables and tutors) and realized that classes aren't 7 hours a day like high school, it seems to be smooth sailing.

He thought he was in great shape and then the early "hell-week" type conditioning made him wonder if he was going to make it. By week's end it seemed everything was under control and he was competing well with the new and returning players.

The lated hurdle is all the changes the coaches are suggesting across the board. As one would expect, the changes feel clumsy and it's frustrating as he knows he could do better the "old way". Also frustrating is that the coaches haven't really seen him in action before suggesting changes. A lot of assumptions being made (on both sides IMO).

I've been telling him to listen to the coaches. Watch the upperclassmen, ask questions if he doesn't understand, and to give the new things a try.

I'm guessing there will be some other yo-yo event on the horizon.

For better or worse, he needs to listen to the coaches. They in fact have his best interest in mind and success as their goal.

That said, however, there is no guaranty of success even if he makes those changes.

If he makes the changes and succeeds, that's the end of the issue.

If he makes the changes and it doesn't work, he can either return to his old style in summer ball or try a new style in summer ball. If he succeeds in summer ball with his old style the coach will probably tinker no more.

Here is an awesome article written locally about our very own BUM's son, beginning his 1st year at Tech.

Ready For His Chance!

Guns up! GED10DaD

Thanks for posting that. Great stuff!

Great article! He looks strong and I was impressed by his maturity throughout the article. I am sure the rest of the team will benefit by his presence, and the coaches will have someone that they can rely on.

Good luck and go get 'em Bum Jr!

quote:

Originally posted by GunEmDown10:
Here is an awesome article written locally about our very own BUM's son, beginning his 1st year at Tech.

Ready For His Chance!

Guns up! GED10DaD

"Good things come to those who wait." Great article. Best of luck!!!!!

My son is a freshman. His school brings freshmen in for a short session in July. He was able to take two classes and start working with the strength and conditioning guy. In our opinion, this was a GREAT idea. He got two classes out of the way, he learned the lay of the land a little bit and he gained 8 pounds of muscle!

He's not a huge fan of going to school but he is getting good grades. He acts like he has no time to do all of the work but the mandatory study halls for freshmen are filling that perceived void.

Weightlifting is intense, practices seem to be fun. He's learning a new position and gets tons of swings and groundballs each day.

This weekend were the first two scrimmage games. I think he was excited and nervous about the weekend. Didn't get much out of him until he called Friday night. He was 0-4 but hit the ball hard four times and he was happy about that! Then on Saturday, he got his first two hits...a double and a 3-run home run!

This experience seems to be all about him realizing that he belongs there and he CAN do it. HS was always easy in the class and on the field. Now he's got tougher assignments and much more competition for a position in the lineup.

Every day he learns that he CAN get A's in his classes. He CAN get up and lift at 6am every day. He CAN figure out how to eat properly. He CAN learn a new position. He CAN hit D1 pitching. He CAN deny the partying peer pressure.

He is so much more mature and advanced than I was when I was his age. I could not be more proud of him.

Thank you all so much. God bless America.. we shall never forget.

Pappi awesome post. I loved reading that.

Bum- Great article on Rusty. Best of luck to him this season, I'll be pulling for him to have a big year for the Red Raiders.

GED10- Thanks for posting the article, very good stuff.



Hey biggerpappi- I enjoyed your post and your son's CAN do spirit!

Congrats BUM. Only the best for him this Fall and Coming Spring.

I'm one of those guilty ones that spent alot of time on this site researching the recruiting process my son's HS SR year but have been AWOL since. Sorry for the absence.

Son went to Jamestown ND (NAIA, about 560 miles away) Fall of '10. He was miserable. Just wanted to be back in his hometown reliving his senior year of HS and hanging with his HS buds. No idea how fall ball went that fall (he offered very few details) but I imagine it could not have been too great given his state of mind. He wound up redshirting.

He is now back in school as a redshirt freshman. What a difference a year makes. He was anxious to have summer end so he could get back and hook up with his college buddies. Fall ball started a week ago and he texted me (that's a major communication breakthrough for him) that he went 2-for-3 in the 1st scrimmage. Anytime he tells me ANYTHING it means he's feeling good about things.

A friend of mine and I decided we'd make the drive to go see him this weekend. We are hoping to catch Friday's practice and are very excited to see how practice is run and how he stacks up.

Way too early to tell if he has a shot at varsity this year. But who cares? He's feeling good about his college and his baseball and thats good enough for me.

Can't wait to see him.

Nice post MT. Keep us posting and I hope he has a great year. And the most important thing is he is having fun and feeling good about things. Good luck

Welcome back MT. A GREAT post, best of luck on a great year to your son!

GED10DaD

I agree, great post MT. I like your son's new attitude. The excitement in your post is something all of us parents can appreicate.

Good luck to your son.

Tomorrow(Wed.) son's team starts their official Fall practices with scrimmages Friday and Saturday. I can hardly wait! I'm eagerly awaiting the posting of the Fall roster also as the team only has 16 returnees not including one out for the year with an injury. I'm curious to see who all the new guys are since son said there's around 42 to 45 guys doing the pre Fall workouts and meetings.

.

quote:

Originally posted by CaBB:

....We did tons of research prior to comitting but in the end there is still lots of luck involved in how things turn out. Best thing the boys can do is what has been said here many times-control what you can (work your butt off) and learn not to sweat the things you can't control.

44
.

I have not posted much since June. June was a real disappointment in our home. It was amazing how teams can build up expectations, and how crushing it can feel when all you are left with is a sense of discouragement.

This will be my guys final collegiate season. Fall practices have begun in earnest now, hitting in cages, loosening up the arm and getting ready for a new spring season.

Coach did not want them throwing much before last week, and my son has said that he can tell he has been shut down as he reawakens his arm. Although he stopped playing the end of July, prior to that he played every inning of every game, so I don't imagine the downtime will have a lasting impact in any negative way.

Fortunately for us my son plays about 80 miles away, so once they begin scrimmages we will probably head down and catch a few of those. I always try to get there early enough to watch them warm up on the infield and take BP. This season I will do likewise and try to savor every moment.

Spring will be right around the corner here in Florida. I believe our season begins at the end of January.

One thing that had my son excited was the possibility of playing the Yankees early in our season. Unfortunately it appears that the only opportunity for that would occur just before we begin our conference games. Coach is not sure he can afford to use our pitchers in a practice game so close to our season begining.

We shall see! And as everyone out there who has been through this knows, but those who are just begining or in the middle of this experience may not know: Enjoy the ride, it goes by faster than any of you could possibly want.

FF, keep that head up and look forward. Fortunately for you and especially for your son, the fat lady has not even began to warm up yet. Talent cannot be hidden or kept at bay but for so long. I have a feeling that Eric is about to go crazy next spring.

J-Dub had his first fall inner-squad scrimmage last week. (seems like his first in 10yrs..lol.) He too has not pitched since the end of July on his summer team. Just a lot of long tossing, couple of bullpen's, etc. They were given a 30 pitch count. 27 strikes, 3 balls. He was happy as a lark. lol

YGD

p.s. Isn't it ALWAYS spring in Florida? lol

The time had finally arrived. My wife and I dropped our son off at college Sunday afternoon. It was a little easier than I anticipated, as I could feel his excitement of being on his own and the independance he'll now enjoy. We helped him set his dorm up and took him out to an early dinner afterwards. We spent some good quality time together and gave him the typical parental advice. I drove him back to campus, and I had a gut feeling that it may become emotional for my wife. So rather than walk him back to his dorm, I pulled to the curb and kept the motor running in my Suburban, I got out, gave him a big hug, told him that I loved him and I was proud of him, nice and quick.....Okay, in comes my wife. The waterfall was flowing before she could get to my son for her hug and she continued with the flow of tears for the first fifteen minutes of our drive back home, we're going to miss him!

During the drive home I reminded her that he's only 72 miles away. She replied, "yes, I realize he's close, but it's never going to be the same again. He is a baseball player, so he won't have as much time at home during the holidays and summer." I thought about it, ya know, she's right! My son will go through the 2011-2012 school year and baseball season and be finished in mid-June. He has already been assigned to his summer team in Washington, which will start immediately after school ends, and leave him with about three weeks with mom and dad next summer before he's back at school again for his sophomore year.

There are many parents on this site with children in college much further away than our son. Some are student-athletes playing baseball or other sports, and some are just students finding their way. Other parents have kids that are in the military serving our country on foreign soil thousands of miles away. It doesn't matter if our kids are ten miles from us or ten thousand, as parents, we miss them just the same. But I'll admit, I'm very fortunate.

My son has batting practice tomorrow morning, and his first college bullpen. I'll call him tomorrow night to see how everything went. I'm sure he'll do great...he has worked his buns off to get where he's at, I'm proud of him.

P.S.- I have a daugter that's a senior in HS...my wife and I will go through this again next year and become "Empty Nesters"...but that's another thread!

quote:

P.S.- I have a daugter that's a senior in HS...my wife and I will go through this again next year and become "Empty Nesters"...but that's another thread!

LOL yes it is.

Best of luck this year.maybe we will meet if were around for the weekday games aginst Irvine.Your wife is right, it will never be the same,BUT it changes, and its a new phase.Your wife and you may both be a little down that this phase of childrearing is over,but new challenges arise,and you will enjoy seeing him face and overcome them.He has great parents so he will make you proud,That I am sure of.

Hey Fan,

Hopefully my kid gets the opportunity to travel with the team, and you and I can meet up at USC when they play this season. Your son had a very good summer, and I know that he'll take that swagger into the regular season for his senior year. Take care and thanks for the kind words.

bsbl247...I hate to be the bearer of bad news but since no one else seems to be stepping up to the plate to tell you, I will.

Empty nesting is a FALLACY. lol. Trust me. I'm learning first hand.

My daughter is a freshman in college this year...and I'm not seeing a end to freedom anytime SOON. lol.

Enjoyed your "drop off" story. Thanks for sharing it with us.

YGD

Greetings All...this is a wonderful thread and its great to hear how the Fall practice season is going for all of our kids.

My son has had a wonderful start thus far to his Freshman year. He attends a top NAIA University in the Central US which finished 2nd in their conference last year, just missing the Regional by a single win.

Coach informed him yesterday that he will be suiting up and playing with the Varsity this Spring as a Pitcher! Woot! I'm so proud of him right now, he's getting to live his dream of playing baseball at the collegiate level!! Does it get any better than this?

I have to admit, living only 30 minutes away from his school has been something of a God send for Mom and I. We've gotten to swing by and watch him compete on the hill in two scrimmages this far and we relished every single moment of it.

My son has arrived. Thanks to all of you for helping make his dream come true!

-ltf

quote:

Originally posted by LuvToFish:
My son has arrived. Thanks to all of you for helping make his dream come true!
-ltf

Yes he has Mom! Congrats to you and your son.

Loved the post!!!

I began following the discussions on this site as a guest when I was a high school sophomore dreaming of a chance to "play at the next level." But now, one month into my college experience as a student-athlete, I realize something...I didn't quite understand what the "next level" actually meant. I didn't foresee the hours of lifting and running and batting practice that awaited me; I was just a 16 year old who had decided he wanted to play college ball. Now, these activities are the norm, and they have been ever since that point when I decided that I had a dream. I couldn't have wished for more from the experience. The lessons I have learned from my high school teachers, coaches, trainers, friends, and most importantly family members, are indeed directly applicable to college life (or for the rest of my life, for that matter). I have felt so well prepared for my classes, practices, social interactions, and I have only the great people who have been around me to thank. I also want to thank the insightful posters on HSBBW for your willingness to share so much knowledge about baseball and life in general through this forum. The experiences that I have read about here are starting to become so real to me now on and off the field. Patience and persistence are truly virtues required of any student-athlete who wants to be the best that they can be. If I could share one thing with a high schooler with a goal of playing baseball in college, it would have to be that this experience, the experience of moving from high school to college, only comes once in a lifetime, so you have to embrace it and take ownership of the identity you want to create. I have survived one month of college classes and baseball at an Elite-Academic DIII school. And I can't wait to experience the rest.

Just returned from watching son's scrimmage. He told me beforehand he would throw only one situational inning, but I nevertheless felt compelled to drive 16 hours to watch him throw what turned out to be 13 pitches.

He pitched well enough to encourage the hope that he can eventually grow into a useful role on the team, but the highlight of the trip was the dinner afterwards.

Seeing the skill of some of his teammates who clearly possess a higher order of athletic talent while still falling short of true prospect status reminded me that the rungs get farther apart the higher one climbs on the ladder and might have caused me to lower my estimate of his potential baseball ceiling.

However, talking to him over dinner raised my estimate of the quality of man he is becoming and the kind of life he is building for himself.

What I heard at dinner was a young man who is joining a community of hard working, disciplined men and learning what it takes to succeed at whatever he puts his hand to.

He is tremendously impressed by the professionalism of the coaches and the staff. He has figured out that these people have the cool jobs they do because they committed themselves to mastering their craft and they pursued it with discipline and purpose. He marvels that the coach posts a minute-by-minute practice schedule in the locker room every day, covering the activities of every player, and every player is expected to know the plan before he steps on the practice field. He further marvels that the coach has already written, subject to change, plans for every practice for the rest of the fall, and that the players are on notice that any minutes of practice lost to bad weather will be made up on the weekends because the coach is determined to use every minute the NCAA gives him to its best advantage. Similarly, the conditioning coach has a plan for every workout, and no workout ever gets repeated.

Because he has these role models setting these examples, he is taking more responsibility for organizing his own life. In order to go to dinner with me, he had had to perform that night's mandatory study hall hours in advance. A month ago, I'm not sure he would have diagnosed the time conflict in time to permit solving it.

He is also buying into what the coach is teaching about taking responsibility to meet performance standards. For example, in the scrimmage, each pitcher started with a runner on second and one out and faced four batters. After each batter, the situation was re-set to one out, but the runners stayed at whatever bases they had earned. The performance standard for the pitchers was to prevent the runner from scoring and to retire three of the four batters while throwing 15 or fewer pitches. That's the goal. Overcome whatever bad luck befalls you and take responsibility for meeting it. The batters had their own standards based on the situations they faced: if there was a runner on second, their assignment was simply to get on base; if there was a runner on third, their job was to get him home one way or another.*

I see this sense of responsibility carrying over into his schoolwork. So far, his assignment and quiz grades are excellent, but more impressive to me is that he seems acutely aware of what is coming up on the horizon and how that affects what he should be doing right now. He insisted I drop him off at his dorm by 9:30 because he had to be in bed at 10:00 to get up at 5:30 and carry out a plan of the day that won't have fifteen unclaimed minutes until he goes to bed.

He is using his time wisely. He respects the people he is spending it with, and it looks like he is beginning to earn their respect in return. Whatever line of work he pursues after college, he will be better at it because of what he is learning and doing now.

I went back to my hotel jubilant and encouraged, and baseball was only a small part of the reason.


*Note: In case you're wondering, he did meet the standard for the scrimmage. The runner on second stayed at second. He got three outs: a strikeout and two pop flies. Only the 2nd batter achieved his objective: he reached base by leaning into an 0-2 two-seamer and getting grazed on the forearm.

GREAT post Swampboy!


Moneyball...keep working hard, and keep us posted on your progress.


LuvTofish...enjoyed your post as well, take advantage of that 30 minute drive!

Moneyball12;

Welcome! It's very insightful to read a new players perspective of College baseball experiences.

Swampboy; you nailed the description of how detailed the daily practice plans are at a serious baseball program. I was most impressed by their preparation and dedication than perhaps anything else except the execution of it on the field. It is a whole new world and agree that the impact certainly carries over into our players character!

Swampboy- great post that should be in the thread about D1 practice hours. Congrats to you for raising such a great son that is smart and motivated and is figuring out college and baseball and thriving.

I think your 16 hour drive was worth every minute! Your son knows how long that drive was and I'm sure really appreciated your effort. As a parent it is priceless to see how they are adjusting to college life. You can now be certain he will be successful on and off the field. Obviously success is measured differently by everyone but I just felt my son was a success just getting to the level of college baseball that he aspired to. Any thing else on top of that was gravy. Luckily he didn't share my attitude and has continued to work his butt off.

Again, congratulations on your sons success and enjoy it- goes waaaaaay too fast!

Son called today and I don't know who's happier, me or him. He's off to a great Fall start with ten hits in fifteen at bats with a couple of walks and five or six steals. Today he hit his first homerun off the top of the scoreboard which is a pretty good shot in that park. The coach even called a pitchout immediately after giving him the steal sign but he still beat the throw. He was wondering why it was a close play when he had a good jump. But the coach told the guys in the dugout, watch this and then tried that trick on him. But he still made it. Any way, he's battling and I hope it pays off in the spring.

Nice report! Sounds like your son is doing very well, when are you headed over to watch a game?

Thanks floridafan. I hope to head up in mid October to catch the three Green and White games that close out the Fall. A heavy work schedule has prevented me from going any sooner.

quote:

Originally posted by Three Bagger:
Son called today and I don't know who's happier, me or him. He's off to a great Fall start with ten hits in fifteen at bats with a couple of walks and five or six steals. Today he hit his first homerun off the top of the scoreboard which is a pretty good shot in that park. The coach even called a pitchout immediately after giving him the steal sign but he still beat the throw. He was wondering why it was a close play when he had a good jump. But the coach told the guys in the dugout, watch this and then tried that trick on him. But he still made it. Any way, he's battling and I hope it pays off in the spring.

The excitement just oozes from your post as it should considering your boys .666 performance! I know the pitching can't be that down so I'm with you in that he must be hot!!

Best of luck, hope to see you this year. I'm guessing we go out there if we play??

Prime9,

When our schedule came out about a month ago, one of the first things I checked was if we were playing you guys again( after what yall did to us last year, that might not be a good thing for us. ) Unfortunately I don't see yall on our schedule. So good luck to your son this season and maybe we'll meet in the playoffs! By the way, is your son working out at first or the outfield or a combination of both?

quote:

Originally posted by Three Bagger:
Prime9,

When our schedule came out about a month ago, one of the first things I checked was if we were playing you guys again( after what yall did to us last year, that might not be a good thing for us. ) Unfortunately I don't see yall on our schedule. So good luck to your son this season and maybe we'll meet in the playoffs! By the way, is your son working out at first or the outfield or a combination of both?

A combination of both; with older experienced players ahead in both spots. He needs to really hit!

They haven't posted our schedule yet, was hoping we would come your way. As you say, "hope to see you then in post season play and will follow your progress.

I, too, have somewhat strayed away from this and other baseball related websites since my son went away to play college ball in the fall of '10 but I have recently gotten that urge again to peek in on what people's thoughts are and what similar baseball fanatic's like me are chewing on these days. That lead me to this thread and I have to admit that many of the representations folks have shared are spot on with what we experienced with our son last year during his first year away and then again with what has gone on with him this year thus far. It's actually quite amazing how similar some of the various posters experiences are to our own sons'. We had a little additional twist to our individual experience which I don't believe I've seen written about thus far on the thread which I would like to share and that is dealing with having your son get injured during his first year away from home when he is simultaneously going through a boatload of "first's" in his life. As with most players, I'm sure, who are fortunate to go to college and are afforded the opportunity to play collegiate baseball, our son had experienced mostly success in his career up to that point and did very little (if any) bench-warming or "charting pitches" which, upon incurring a debilitating stress fracture to his lower back in fall ball of his Freshman year - unfortunately improperly diagnosed the first four weeks of fall ball which contributed to the coaching staff getting somewhat the impression that maybe he was not quite the player they had recruited which I guess we can say was thankfully was forgotten upon him having his meeting with the orthopedic physician who gave us all the bad news of his injury and made us aware he would need to be fitted with a custom made back brace which he would end up wearing night and day for 12 weeks - he got to do a ton of plus in addition to all the observing - probably for the first time in his life - having to do so in a place that was 1,700 miles from home. This all added up to an arduous first year and one that has provided lessons too numerous to count for him. I'll just mention a few key ones he learned - such as you shouldn't ever take anything for granted as things that are very important to you and you put an extraordinary amount of credence in and import can be taken away from you in the blink of an eye. Another is that you need to learn to figure things out on your own in life and you grow up very fast as a result of being forced to do. As an injured player, you find yourself to be someone who understandably doesn't garner a whole lot of the coaching staff's attention as they are attempting to win games and deal with the myriad of issues that the healthy player's have and can't necessarily spend a lot of time coddling the injured players or making sure they are mentally progressing or know what they should be doing or focusing on and that they are still a viable part of the program and need to simply work on getting healthy so they can soon contribute as they were expected to when they were recruited. Those sound very simple but we're talking about 18 year old kids . . . who, three months earlier were putting their cereal bowls in the sink at home and asking Dad for gas money and money for Chipotle after practice . . . As a parent, I admit that it was so very tough to see our son standing there in his street clothes first then eventually his uniform just not being able to do anything about his situation other than to count the days, weeks or months it was going to take to allow his back to heal. Praying incessantly or wishing/wanting so badly just to be able to get out there and contribute doesn't help the healing process or speed things up in the least or I can guarantee you he wouldn't have missed a single inning of a single game! Nonetheless, it's a new year and (knock on wood) all of his hard work and rehab seems to have done the trick as he is poised to start to realize his potential and thus far, is getting rave reviews from the HC on down for his work the past month (bootcamp and now practice) and each day last year seems to get further and further in his rear-view mirror. By posting this, I guess I wanted folks to understand that your player might go through a similar type of thing while he is away from home and at college and knowing what we were faced with might allow you to maybe giving some thought in advance on how you might collectively deal with that were it to happen to your son. Things like flying out to be with him for various doctor's appointments or MRI's or X-rays are must do's as I can promise you attempting to get updates from your 18 year old about what was said or what needs to be done when you aren't in attendance can also be almost just as frustrating. Lastly, the one thing we didn't maybe do a good enough job of (looking back now through the lens after the fact reflection provides) was just appreciating what he was enduring and should have probably given him some space and not (while obviously well meant) asked him twice a day (mom once, dad once) "how's your back feeling?" as that probably only served to cause him as much frustration as not being able to play did! That's it for now and it's good to be back in the blogosphere! Thanks.

Thought people might be interested in fall update on this story:


Baseball America Article:

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.—Nearly eight months after receiving a kidney from Wake Forest head coach Tom Walter, outfielder Kevin Jordan returned to the field for the first time during the Demon Deacons' first fall practice Sept. 27.

"This is a special day for me and for our program," Walter said. "I mean, to see Kevin out here running around and doing the things he's meant to do is pretty amazing."

Jordan needed a new kidney after developing a condition called antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody vasculitis during his senior year of high school.

After establishing himself as a marquee prospect as a high school junior, Jordan played sparingly and was not at 100 percent during his senior season but was still drafted in the 19th round by the Yankees.

Two days before classes began last year, a doctor's visit revealed that his kidney function was down to 8 percent and a transplant was recommended as soon as possible. When his mother and brother were ruled out as matching donors, Walter stepped up to the plate for the transplant, which took place Feb. 7.

Jordan said Walter offered to be tested as a potential match during Jordan's first visit to the doctor.

"Seeing as how I met him and talked to him just a couple times before all this, it means a lot," Jordan said. "I'll always know what kind of person he is, no matter what happens from here on out."

Walter said the transplant hasn't just brought he and Jordan closer together, it's bonded the entire team.

"It strengthened my relationship with all my guys," Walter said. "Through all this, we're a closer unit as a whole. I think the guys have a new appreciation of what coaches go through on a daily basis just because they watched a little more closely because of this. Not that it was sympathy or anything like that, it's just that they kind of had their eye on it a little more than they normally would. So I think all of our guys are closer because of this."

Jordan kept a positive attitude through the whole process.

"The whole time, I just felt like something good was going to happen," he said. "Even if I didn't play baseball at this level again, I wasn't going to be in that situation forever. Everything happened relatively quick, so I didn't have time to doubt myself."

Although he said he's not quite 100 percent yet, Jordan has been cleared to participate in all baseball activities.

One of the biggest challenges will be overcoming any tentativeness and getting back to his usual instinctive style of play—he hasn't had to dive for a ball yet or slide head-first into third base.

Jordan, who will be a redshirt freshman this year, was able to practice a little bit with his old high school team last spring. There is some rust to shake off, but he was in great shape considering all he's been though. After losing 30 pounds because of the sickness, the dialysis and the transplant, Jordan got the weight back quickly. He's back to 195 pounds now . . with just 6.3 percent body fat, he added with a smile.

"I thought he looked fantastic," Walter said. "I mean, he ran a 6.58(-second) 60-yard dash and he did it back-to-back times. One of the things we're kind of looking at is his stamina, and I thought that looked pretty good today. He's certainly not 100 percent yet, and the other thing is his timing. Anytime you take a year and a half away from baseball, it's going to take you a while to get your timing back. So he's going to take a little while in BP and in game situations to get caught back up, but he's such a good athlete that he should make that adjustment pretty easily."

Opening Day is still more than four months away, but Walter believes Jordan will be a key piece of Wake Forest's lineup this season.

"We're hoping that he's going to be a starting outfielder and hit in the two-hole," Walter said. "That's the current plan. He has the athletic ability and the baseball skills to do that. Whether it comes between now and February—the timing's all the way back and the stamina's all the way back—remains to be seen, but if we were opening up tomorrow, I'd put him in the lineup."

What a nice day for baseball. Got a call tonight from Bum, Jr. who said in fall ball he's thrown 9 innings, 10 k's, 2 bb's and 1 run.

Then got an email from his younger brother (West Point cadet) who was at Yankee stadium for game 1 of the ALDS -- unfolding a huge American flag before the start of the game in center field. All I could see in the replay was his grey, shadowy figure amongst so many others. But that's okay. How fitting: "The long, grey line."

quote:

Originally posted by Bum:
What a nice day for baseball. Got a call tonight from Bum, Jr. who said in fall ball he's thrown 9 innings, 10 k's, 2 bb's and 1 run.

Then got an email from his younger brother (West Point cadet) who was at Yankee stadium for game 1 of the ALDS -- unfolding a huge American flag before the start of the game in center field. All I could see in the replay was his grey, shadowy figure amongst so many others. But that's okay. How fitting: "The long, grey line."

Doesn't look like the boys have followed the old mans "moniker" name sake; as they certainly aren't "Bums!" A West Point cadet and a young stud pitcher! You are one lucky Bum!

Thanks, but my daughter is even a higher achiever. A National Merit Finalist who plans on becoming a reconstructive surgeon.

I'm counting on them to support my bumming ways.

You got room for another Bum, Bum? Your going to need someone to hang out with and take you fishing.

Absoulutely. But you'll have to be the designated boater.

OK quick update on Jr. We were in town to see him for the first time since we dropped him off in mid August. His words - “I am working very hard”. Now he has always been a very hard worker but has never used the “very” term, so my ears perked up with the addition.

When he took his shirt off to change to go out I could immediately see the “very”. They are continuing to lift, but now are transitioning to more running and explosive work, and you can see the impact of having a world class gym, a trainer who has developed a program and who is monitoring your progress while living 300 yds from it and doing it every day. He has increased his muscle mass, and you can see it in his body and how his clothes fit him and by how much he says he is lifting, but he has actually lost 3-5 lbs on the scale. My guess is that he has put on 5-7 ish pounds of muscle mass and lost 5-10ish pounds of fat. He has always been on the thin side also but when you see a really cut athlete you know what I mean. He says he feels much faster but they have not timed his 60 so I am not sure how much just yet. They have started their throwing program and will start official practices soon that will run up to Thanksgiving. He has also stopped eating anything other than very healthy food, but says he allows himself to eat desert once a week. They have redone the food program at his school so there are a lot more fresh options so it appears he is able to do what he wants as far as eating choices.

My point is simply that “the next level up” is just that. You can see it in the athletes and for my son it has only been 6 weeks. I cannot imagine what he is going to look like after 4 years of this. TPM told me she saw some pictures of her son recently when he was a freshmen and she said he looked like a baby and I can now see what she is talking about.

The thing that has struck me from this is: 1) For the top level programs in particular I can now see how freshmen better be something special if they think they are going to start or even play much. 2) The level of commitment is incredible when you look at how hard these kids are working even before they really step on the field.

One other comment, I asked him how the hitters were and how he fit in. He said EVERYBODY rakes here dad. They are only hitting BP right now, but he thinks the major difference will be the mental approach which will translate into in game success. (or not). He says he will be listening to his Steve Springer CD a bunch come intersquad time….

I enjoyed your update BOF, good stuff! As you know, I don't have to travel quite as far as you to visit my son, and he's only been gone for a couple weeks. However, we drove out Friday night to pick him up after practice and brought him home for the weekend. No, he didn't miss his mom and dad already...his girlfriend's college was having their Homecoming Dance and of course he was attending it with her, but we'll take the short visit.

I hadn't received too much information over the first couple weeks from him directly, more than likely due to the fact that our phone conversations were done while his roommate was in the dorm, so maybe he needed to be cool? Well, I learned a few things after picking him up and taking that Long 90 minute drive home.......

*He's really enjoying his freedom. As I said, he's only been gone a couple weeks...but it's evident that he has grown up some during this period.

*His dorm room really smells bad! Okay, I'm a guy, I expect a little sloppiness....but it's pretty bad. On the bright side, they have a 47" Flat Screen TV that his roommate brought from home (utilized for X-Box games) that did not fit into the space for TV's, so it's on their Desk. I purchased them a 27" Flat screen (that fits) to watch TV, and oh yes, they have a fridge too. So apparently their room stays pretty occupied by other teammates, and I understand a few girls too?

*Social Life for baseball players at his school is no problem thus far. They've attended a couple Womens Volleyball games, and a Womens s****r game. And yes, they've been to a handful of Frat parties in Newport Beach. Baseball players aren't required to be members/brothers of the fraternities to attend, as the majority of the frats appreciate the females that the ball players bring in...atleast that's what my kid says!?

*The coaching staff encourages the incoming freshman to take a smaller load to acclimate themselves during the first quarter. Therefore, he only has three classes (12 units). He loves one class, is very bored in the other, and the jury is still out in the third class. I'm told that the quarterly system goes by fast, so he best not fall behind, and I've reminded him often. I said, have your fun, but you're there to work hard in the classroom and on the field. I'm pretty sure he gets it, if not, he'll learn fast.

*As for the baseball the first two weeks, he appears quite confident. They've had group and individual workouts thus far, but haven't practiced together as a full squad yet. Their first full squad practice was scheduled for today, but I didn't want to bother him right off the bat. So far, they have two separate times that they can choose to lift weights, and it's not too early in the morning...atleast so far. He's been throwing bullpens on Monday's and Thursday's (Fastballs & Changeups only), and breaking balls on flat ground. They've done tons of drills with the pitching staff (PFP, Pickoff moves, and there are plenty more signs to learn at this level), and of course plenty of running. He is the only pitcher that's swinging a bat in the Fall, so he joins the position players for BP, but hasn't had time to work any outfield drills. I believe that their first inter-squad game is on Friday? I'm not sure if I'll head up there to watch or not? It's my understanding that several parents come out to watch these scrimmages, but I'm going to hold off until that's confirmed...I don't want to be the only dad out there watching his kid, I'm sure it would embarrass him.

**Just received a text from my kid...he's pitching two innings on Saturday in a scrimmage. I have a strong feeling that I'll be driving out there to watch...we'll see?

Bum, Jr. says the frosh and the upper classmen can be distinguished by the number of times they puke during fall training.

quote:

Originally posted by bsbl247:
I believe that their first inter-squad game is on Friday? I'm not sure if I'll head up there to watch or not? It's my understanding that several parents come out to watch these scrimmages, but I'm going to hold off until that's confirmed...I don't want to be the only dad out there watching his kid, I'm sure it would embarrass him.

We get to watch our son quite a bit with him being local, my wife especially takes time to run down to the University for most fall scrimmages. As far as I'm concerned, I say forget about what other people think. Last year we provided some food after one of the scrimmages for the whole team, so maybe the rest of the team forgives us for being there because of that, and as far as our son being embarassed so far it has not been an issue. Some days there are 5 or 6 parents there, some days none. I don't think the players or coaches really pay any attention to who is in the stands. Summary - go as much as you can, this only lasts so long and then its over!!

asdf

quote:

Originally posted by bsbl247:
...I don't want to be the only dad out there watching his kid...

I go often, 99% of the time it's just me... all alone in a 4,500 seat stadium. But I agree, as long as Gun's ok with it, I'm good. The coaches don't even look up there as far as I know. One thing for sure, I'm invisible. No cellphone ringing, no clapping, no chasing down foul balls, not chit-chat, etc. I'm lucky to be in the same city, no doubt.

GED10DaD

As a parent whose son is playing 2500 miles away, I am very jealous and I encourage bsbl247 to go as often as he can (assuming his son approves). As far as possibly being only dad there, I have only been to the parent day games in the fall at my son's school, so that won't help; however, I have umpired fall D1 intersquad games here in the Bay Area, and on weekends, there are at least a dozen parent looking types in attendance. Based on a relatively small sample size, my guess is bsbl247 will not be alone. Even if he is - though - I'd still attend. The time passes way too quick to miss any opportunities of this nature.

My son's fall season ended a little prematurely this past Saturday.

Practice started at 7:30 Saturday morning. He is at a local juco so he commutes. My phone rings and his name shows up on the phone...never a good thing when he's calling during practice time.
Me: what's up
Son: My baseball career is over, I don't think I'll ever play again.
Me: (as my legs weaken) what happened
Son: I was hit square in the eye with a ball and I'm blind in that eye.

Not the call you want to get as your settling down with the morning coffee.

After trips to the ER, an optomologist, and Wills Eye Hospital in Philly, all before noon, it turns out there is no long term damage but he is bedridden for a least a week and no baseball for a least two more weeks.

Luckily they were practicing indoors due to bad weather and the ball was a tennis ball, hit directly into his left eye from about 10' away. The batter really pulled the ball as my son was standing slightly ahead and to the left of the hitter. No broken bones, or retinal damage. He was temporarily blinded from the blood between the lense and the eyeball.

A very scary Saturday morning but it did show me how much he loves playing baseball. He realized for about 24 hours how empty his life would be without baseball. I don't think he'll be taking it for granted anymore.

Wow fillsfan,

Tough day over at your house. Very happy to hear that your son will be fine, but what a scary brush with tragedy!

Prayers on the way for your guys speedy recovery!

"Prayers on the way for your guys speedy recovery!"


Ditto!

Tennis balls are just the right size to sneak inside the eye socket and impact the eyeball with no bone to slow it.

I had that happen to me in a tennis match. The damage stayed with me and really hampered my vision in bright light for some time.

Glad to hear that surgery isn't required. Hope he gets back to baseball soon. Injuries are no fun for anyone.

fillsfan,

That had to be a scary phone call. As parents, we can hear it in our kids voice when something isn't right. I'm happy to hear that it's not quite as bad as you originally anticipated, but I know that you have a couple anxious weeks ahead of you. Best of luck to your son, I hope he heals quickly with no after effects.