Dads killing their kids chances of being recruited at HS Showcases

This is why we, in our seminar preceding a showcase , instruct the parents to STAY AWAY from the coaches---if a coach wants to speak with you he will find you

Maybe the showcase organizers need to hand these out to each dad or mom at the beginning of the showcase...

got wood

Let me tell you a very interesting story regarding a parent's behavior and what can happen---a few years back a Dad confronted me just outside the pressbox where a large number of college coaches where sitting and evaluating---what did he confront me about?--he accused me of forging the coaches names on the sign in sheets at the gate to the stadium,all the time poking me in the chest with his finger--each coach signs in when we give them the Showcase Packet--- apparently and unknownst to me at the time the door to press box was ajar during the heated discussion thus allowing every coach to hear the discussion---when I returned to the pressbox every coach asked the kids name and then proceeded to cross his name off

As for your post above--we have coffee, juices , doughnuts etc for the parents each morning when they arrive at the stadium

AMEN

We had a problem parent a couple of weeks ago who approached a D1 scout and proceeded to talk with him the entire game. Not only was he breaking NCAA rules, he was preventing the scout from watching the game and particular players he had come to see.

And all of those coaches did the right thing in crossing that name off their list!

Dads !!

What are you going to do with them??


Pass the Duct Tape Please.

If you are around youth sports long enough, you will run into many like the above mentioned.
It is a shame for those kids.

Too bad that players can't be recruited on their ability. Too bad players have to worry about what impression the coaches receive from their parents!

Isn't it possible that a seemingly well mannered parent, perhaps the more sophisticated, subtle, knowledgeable and experienced parent, could be a bigger problem to the team?

College coaches are smart enough to make their own assesments of players.

College coaches like to go to showcases and tournaments and do their work. Best to leave them alone.

JMO.

quote:

Originally posted by gotwood4sale:
Maybe the showcase organizers need to hand these out to each dad or mom at the beginning of the showcase...

TR,
I think it's a cork, looks yummy though.

Gotwood, how about a lid?

I had one kid at a showcase who had a parent who was a real pip tell us "Wouldn't it be nice if we could do this in a bubble with them sitting outside"

I do not think many parents realize they are embarrassing their kids


TPM


Sure looks like a "shake" to me

Gulp,....had a college coach email my son and say they couldn't wait to get to know " son's family ".
Choke, choke,...double gulp.
Ummmmmm,.......shortstopmom has tip toed down the street, out bathing the pet cat, and would prefer to keep this baseball stuff between son and college staff.
Ohhh my gooodness!

They are welcome in our home,...but I had planned on saying a quick meet/greet hello and then letting son take it from there.

Have had several college questionnaires that have asked where husband and I went to college and what sports we played.
Does it really matter? This is not about us.
What if my son was adopted?
We want this to be about him,... not his parents.

I think I'll conveniantly disappear step outside to the front porch and water the plants.

quote:

I do not think many parents realize they are embarrassing their kids

When two mom's from the same team go-at-it while sitting in the stands, blaming each other's son for the team losing...( true story, happened this summer ) ALL of us, as members of the human race, are embarrassed!

Not one of the most pleasant or refined moments from this summer.

Goodness gracias!!

.

quote:

....he was preventing the scout from watching the game and particular players he had come to see.

quote:

College coaches are smart enough to make their own assesments of players.

Agreed TPM...and...I'll take that a step deeper...due in part to the regular intereference of overzelous parents....scouts and recruiters have an ability to either multi-task, turn off the parent ears without the parent knowing it, or instantly breaking off conversations when a player they want to see is in front of them, or does something they do not expect. Also this is not an instant see 'em, offer 'em $. It is most likley a process drawn out over months if not longer.

At first, when mine got up, toed the rubber, or took the field....half of my attention was judging the scouts behavior...Are they watching? Talking? On the phone? Another parent butting into MY KIDS TIME!?...Or HEAVEN FORBID taking a bathroom break or going to get lunch!?...HOW CAN THEY DO THAT! after a while you realize they don't miss much. If your player does not garner interest there is a reason other than lack of scout attention. In fact it is likley the other way around...

Don't underestimate the ability of scouts and recruiters to get their business done regardless of distractions. It's what they do or they are gone. It's what they get paid for.

44
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rz1 scratches his head whenever he hears these parental horror stories. Don't parents realize that besides the potential baseball future, these experiences are part of the "passage to manhood" that few kids get to experience to begin with.

I remember back in our showcase days that I always sat in section Z where I would enjoy the show from afar while anxiously waiting for the answer to the "what did you learn?" question I always asked on the way home.

From a parents standpoint I always thought that was the best thing about a showcase, watching him grow as a result of the experience.

As a dad who has taken his boys to showcases, I can't understand why any dad would do something like this. It's crazy. When I go, I sit as far away as I can get. Keep my mouth shut and hope that the boys can do their best. I have been approached by a scout/coach before. And just answered questions and gave info. I didn't give my thoughts on my boys ability.

Just had a conversation with a coach who left. I said what will he miss? His reply he will not miss dealing with the parents of some of the kids.

We were at a Team One showcase at St. John's 2 summers ago. One of the fathers went through the stands handing out his son's press clippings. The looks that some of the coaches gave him were very interesting.

I saw a dad at WWBA world championship hand out a flyer on his kid, sayign he ran a 6.5 60 yd
1.8 release time and threw 95 mph. Everyone got one, even the hot dog guy. One mlb scout commented if he really did any of those things listed everyone would already know about him

Hello;

For 17 years operating the Area Code games and 23 years with the Goodwill Series events and 8 years with our American Legion travel team, several parents exercised their opinions, however I have an excellent "tune off" in my mind. "I cannot hear negative words". When we travel overseas the plane can be "overbook" for the special parents.

Several years at the Area Code games, a scouting director [to be named later - never] was sitting next to me watching the game and talking on his cell phone with an ear piece. A scout and friend was sitting to my right and I mentioned that California only had talent for one team.

In 2 hours, this rumor which I planted circled through the 200 scouts at Blair Field and arrive back to me.

Moral of the story only communicate what you desire others to hear.

Bob Williams

Bob

great post

quote:

I saw a dad at WWBA world championship hand out a flyer on his kid,...

LOL...and to think that I thought the dad handing out business cards that said, "Junior Doe, Varsity Shortstop, ABC High School" was off the deep end!

Does anyone else get the sense that the parents who need to see the error in their ways most are the least capable of doing so?

Scouts and recruiters need to be allowed to do their jobs...without parental influence.

.

quote:

Does anyone else get the sense that the parents who need to see the error in their ways most are the least capabe of doing so?

A good friend of mine once told me...

"There are two kinds of people in this world, Those with IT and those without IT. IT is the desire to understand and care how your words are being received by others."

Darned if he wasn't right. I put all these parents into the Non-IT category. Same kind of people. They are simply not capable of understanding.

44
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Plane last seen flying over baseball showcase at Anywhere, USA

quote:

Originally posted by Frank Martin:
Saw this recently, ...at a HS Showcase, where about 50 college coaches were taking notes on the players and pitchers.

Each pitcher threw 80-82 mph,, every college coached put their radar gun down after one hitter. Translation: no interest in them.

Let's see Mr. Martin.....then I would say those 50 college coaches who simply use the gun as their only observation, simply miss 99% of those types of amateur pitchers with that arsenal that may have college 'pitchability'.

I was at a D1 showcase camp and saw the coaches paying attention to a kid throwing 82 who was simply being quite effective. They didn't put the gun down.

My goal when attending showcases was to have no one in the stands, coach, parent, hot dog vendor be able to tell which one my kid was. I figured that if a coach wanted to find me, he would be able to. Funny, they seemed to be able to.

I attended a showcase - wanting to see how three youngsters made out that I had coached
the year before. After the session, the customary “ nice ta see ya –“ so on and so forth
between myself and a few of the scouts and coaches. As these people and myself were catching up
on stuff, one of the dads came up to me – and in front of everybody said , and I quote –“you know
these guys?” It really caught me off guard due to his aggressiveness. Before I could respond he demanded to know why I didn’t introduce his son to this people before the event. Well, without
elaborating on the subject – let me throw my 2cents in here.
As adults, we all sometimes live in a who-you-know world. It’s inevitable. But when it comes
to your youngster showing his stuff – leave that world at the gate where it belongs. There
is just no way that a scout/coach is going to risk their livelihood – not to mention club
loyalty, based on anything but performance.
Coach Baker

quote:

Originally posted by JohnLex7:
My goal when attending showcases was to have no one in the stands, coach, parent, hot dog vendor be able to tell which one my kid was. I figured that if a coach wanted to find me, he would be able to. Funny, they seemed to be able to.

Me too! But it was the beer vendor who always seemed to find me.

I always sat right behind the back stop. Many times the scouts sat with me or close by. I always wondered why parents go way down the fence line. If you are an adult and enjoy the game you just learn to say nothing while the game is going.
Many of the guys who went down the fence line were the worst at controlling their emotions. I never had a problem with tha and the scouts knew were I was and how well behaved I was.

Welcome aboard the HSBBW Coach Baker.

The guy cooking the hamburgers told me about a pitcher throwing mid 90's. I checked him out and it was accurate, the guys is playing minor league ball for the white sox now.