Congrats to webster's sons.

Saw this was just added to the Lafayette site. Pretty proud of Joe.

http://goleopards.collegesports.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/081205aab.html

Doesn't seem to work as a link though

JMEPOP

The link works now. Congrats!!

Good job to everyone from the big land.

Congratulations to all the 05's as we (very nervously) hand over the keys to their own lives.

JoePop, one of my summer players (Nick Albano) will be at Lafayette. GREAT young man and the best pure hitter on my 2005 summer team.

SJM

Hopefully I will meet him when we take Joe to school next week. Looks like it could be a very nice recruiting class for Lafayette.

Congrats jmepop. I hope he has fun.

Jmepop,
I believe my son caught your son at the perfect game underclassmen on a Friday night in the big stadium, was he on dark green team? I believe he struck out 5 of the 6 batters my son got to catch.
Pleased to see him on to greater heights, my son told me that he was sure he would succeed!!!

Catchersdad

jmepop,
Congratulations to your son. What a great opportunity at a great school.
Good luck to all our websters sons/daughters who will be starting school next week.

catchersdad

Yes that was him, interestingly enough he only got to pitch 2 innings in his junior year and two games as a senior.His highschool was always loaded with pitchers and he made all-state as a firstbaseman. Lafayette saw him pitch at the Headfirst showcase in Jupiter. When they came to see him during the season he didn't pitch but they liked what they saw at the plate and at first. We are very happy because they have said they will give him a chance to do both.

Didn't your son end up signing early with Clemson? That is awesome, Joe would have loved to have gone there but the early interest they showed was as a pitcher and they did give him a look but he wasn't hitting 90 and they pretty much had thier pick of the top recruits that could. Don't think they even knew he played first.

I guess your son and TPM's boy may be battery mates some day. It is such a small world some times. Joe knew David from playing against him in the Macabi games and said he threw heat even back then.

Thanks for the comments a good luck to all.

jmepop,
I know how much your son wanted to go to Clemson, but I am sure he will do very well where heis headed.
In just a few days from now, catchersdad's son will join DK as a team mate!

Jmepop,

Our best wishes to your son! I know he will be successful!I wish we could have met in Ft Myers , but maybe down the road we can! I will be one of your son's fans for sure!
My son left yesterday and I am still emotional for him, as TPM has stated , I am hoping he becomes a teammate first and hopefully a battery mate in time, if his skills warrant it!!
Best of Luck to all Freshmen off to school!!

Catchersdad

I have had two boys that went to college on baseball rides and know how you folks feel. I think the post that caught my eye the most was catchersdads post about feeling emotional for his son. Heck, with me it was feeling emotional for myself because my boy's were heading down the road.

BBScout,

I think you really summed it up for me, I had to email TPM and tell her how devastated I was to be sending him off.I could barely work yesterday after returning from the airport. He has been a great son , and other than having to use my 5 gallon lawn mower gas can to put enough gas in to move his car into the garage, I couldn't be prouder of him. I already miss him tremendously , yet know he is in the right place to reach his dreams.I sure hope these feelings level , and it sure helps to know others are going thru it here and survived.
Catchersdad

Catcherdad,
He IS a great son and he will be fine. DK is there as is Sully, TR, Jack and he couldn't be in better hands. Though easy for me to say that this year, I know how you feel as well as all the other websters sending their kids off to college.
I give YOU and Izumi lots of credit sending your son 3000 miles away from home. The 700+ here is enough for us.
Awaiting you to become TPD!

All right you guys, I can't stand it anymore. Yes, 3000 miles is going to be tough to beat, but I think I have TPM beat at 740 miles

What can I say, this has been a very rough week. Does a fish out of water make sense to any of you? I used to come home from work just about everyday and either watch my son do something baseball-wise or have some type of discussion about baseball. We would also talk about other things like our favorite hard rock bands such as Audio Slave, for example. At the bare minimum we would watch an Indians game together. I lost my best friend. I am having serious withdrawal symptoms right now as I am sure you all are. It will get better over time I am sure. It has been a very rough week however.

ClevelandDad,
I said 700+ so I ran it on mapquest...737.56 miles, you win!

Gosh, I'll quit feeling sorry for myself. At 221 miles each way, mine is practically next door!

OK - I'm back. I don't feel like he's next door! I miss him as if he was 5,000 miles away.

This week has been a real roller coaster. It started on Monday - the day we left town. I saw a little boy that morning about 4 years old riding his bike with mom walking behind. I was swept up in this wave of emotion. We left town that day and moved in the next. I was so busy with all of the "stuff" and then the drive home, that I just felt tired.

Then I was worried about him more than I felt sad. Will he miss home, will he like roommates, can he handle the classwork?

However, after talking with him about three times today and hearing him say "it's freakin great" and "I love it" along with a few other very positive statements, I'm allowing myself to fully miss him. I'm thankful that he's having such a wonderful start and continue to feel very blessed that he has the opportunity that he does. However, that doesn't fill the emptiness left by his being gone.