Do you or Don't You???

I think in this day and time, parents almost have to act as agents for their ball player sons....open up as many opportunities for the child to fail or succeed. I would have rather overdone parental involvement than lay passively. If I were a coach, I wouldn't care if it were a parent or player with whom I had contact first. Parents need to be creative. I drafted all communications from my son to prospective coaches, and intentionally inserted errors so it would not be obvious. The substance was always correct. I even typed up a script for talking points with the coaches when they talked. If you're found out, so what, the next 20 coaches won't have a clue, and if your child is good enough, no one will care. There are thousands of prospective college ball players who never play in college who are good enough to play all levels of competition, but who never had the exposure required to become just recruit-able. Those who do get the help benefit from those who don't and those who can't for various reasons.

Some unfortunate parents just can't help for financial or other reasons, and I feel badly for them. If recruiting were all fare and good, by any accounting, college baseball rosters should be made up of at lease 20 to 30 percent minorities or players from low income families. But that's just not the case.

My then 12 year old son became famous in his local select baseball league for having said, after an umpire questioned my son's team mate at short stop about whether his throw to second had been in time because the umpire was not sure, to which the team mate replied honestly that the runner was safe: "You don't tell the umpire that. This is not an honest game." He might have been right.

TRHit,

LOL, I can't believe this is the first time you've come across this....c'mon? Yes of course they want all the exposure in the world with no effort....this is called entitlement. It has been going on for a while now in my neck of the woods. The parents, travel coaches, and high school coaches don't want to "call out" these players for their lack of effort or "fire in the belly". Some hae been conditioned to have everything dropped in their laps. Some don't want to take the risk of not being the best player on the field, others can't stand the thought of not being the superstar shortstop, and others are afraid of failure.

We had one boy (rising senior) in our area offered to join a national travel team with incredible exposure, sage coaching advice & college connections at NO COST. The team is funded 100% by a sponsor. The kid declined. Instead he tried to use the offer as leverage to get more playing time on his Legion team with his buddies. The Legion team had a half dozen to a dozen college scouts drop by over the season. The travel team had access to MANY hundreds of college scouts including WWBA. UNBELIEVABLE. Most people on this website would have jumped at this opportunity, and ran with it as far as they could take it.

I wonder how these kids are going to do at the college level if they are lucky enough to get on a team. How hard do you think they will work on the field and in the classroom, really? I have my doubts.

I know TRhit is a vet, but...

Parents can't afford the time to shepherd their player from tournament to tournament.

Unless everything is paid for (only for the exceptional)) then their is the cost factor for parents in tough economic times.

And perhaps La. Lightining knows that in poorer countries, MLB opens up academies and pays for everything to develop ballplayers who certainly do still have the "fire in their belly" to reach the highest levels of baseball.

I do agree with TRhit to this extent - there is a great narrowing process that goes on as kids get to the top of the pyramid. Those players who are comfortable playing in local leagues will never make it to the next level not because they are not good, but because they will never play against better competition.

brod

vet or not I said, in my post, take $$$ out of the picture---I am talking about kids and parents not wanting to take the time to drive 8 hours or more

We are not talking moneys we are talking Committment

unfortunately it is a huge committment, sign of the times i guess. Some of them may be too embarassed to discuss the $ thing, weekends gotta run $500 per minumum. In todays economy, the extra $ is hard to come up with for many - people working weekends to make ends meet. All that being said it seems there are more travel teams, and the # of truly comitted and passionate players may be reaching a saturation point. There will always be only so many kids with that determination, without factoring in the economy.
I don't know much about 20 years ago, but I know our local circumstances have changed drastically in the last 5-10. More and more travel teams each year, many are struggling to stay strong.

Maybe the young men are pleased with the level of exposure to which they have already achieved. You did mention that college coaches viewed them as "players" - that leads me to believe that they've already achieved some exposure. I've recently been concerned with the increasing trend (or at least what I perceive as such) in youth baseball to "overdo" everything. We are now planning our 10-14 year olds' careers for MLB and/or college. We put them in expensive baseball academies, pay for private pitching and hitting lessons, pay for USA Baseball tryouts, pay for speed/explosion training, send them to numerous costly showcases and college camps and some even pay for mental or visual training. This is all now taking place earlier and earlier in a young ballplayer's development. I'm not surprised at all that many are now starting to want to do other things in the little free time that many of them have. Some of these guys may enjoy other sports moreso than baseball as they age - some may even choose a non-sport activity to devote their time. In either of these cases, who can fault the person for making a personal choice. We, as parents, need to be very careful with our choices during the limited time we have to guide our children. I am not trying to blame or insinuate any guilt upon anyone involved in this thread, but I've been bothered lately by so many influencers directing athletes to one sport earlier, advocating intensive instruction and training, etc. I have to wonder, is it just a coincidence that these same influencers have a vested interest from leading others down this path?

My son is looking for a fall 15U team to play with, we just finished a summer season of league and 9 tournaments (2 out of town) AAA/Major level. The fall select team would cost over $650 for 10 games and 2 local tournaments. I would love for my son to play on this team; however we just do not have an extra $650 sitting around. So his plan is to workout on his own and get ready for HS tryouts come winter. His desire is there, $$$ are not.

quote:

Originally posted by liner:
unfortunately it is a huge committment, sign of the times i guess. Some of them may be too embarassed to discuss the $ thing, weekends gotta run $500 per minumum. In todays economy, the extra $ is hard to come up with for many - people working weekends to make ends meet. All that being said it seems there are more travel teams, and the # of truly comitted and passionate players may be reaching a saturation point. There will always be only so many kids with that determination, without factoring in the economy.
I don't know much about 20 years ago, but I know our local circumstances have changed drastically in the last 5-10. More and more travel teams each year, many are struggling to stay strong.

I am with you on this. How can we make judgements when no one knows anyone's entire situation, but rather just thinking kids are just afraid to get out of their comfort zone? Who are we to make judgement regarding what a palyer wants or doesn't want to do.

FWIW, my player got contacted from coaches all over FL and other places to play for them, from top teams in the country, he said no, even when it was for NO COST. Yes, he very much would rather play with his friends, that was his perogative and it didn't hurt him one bit.

TPM

I expected you to throw in your three cents---

Realize I am making a general statement on a situation I see happening in the process----if they know the financial aspect, and they should if they are recommended,why begin the discussions---

Your statement about who are we to make judgements is irrelevant--the players call myself and other coaches fully aware of what is happening--if the they do not want to leave the "comfort zone" why start the conversations?

And I do not think it is the players--it is the parents

Way to go once again TR.

You start a thread and people input their opinions and what do you do...??

You ostracize them as usual.

It's getting old.

quote:

Originally posted by TRhit:
Folks it takes on the players part effort--I am not event speaking $$$ here--I am speaking effort on the players part to get out of bed and travel and leave his "comfort zone" so he can see where his talent fits

Guys --do not be afraid to fail !!!

Go for it if you believe in yourself

First, I was giving my opinion, whether it be 2, 3 cents or 10.

You didn't indicate at first you thought it was the parents and it if is, that is their choice, isn't it?

We are going to find all kinds of parents and players in this and all doing things differently, whether we think it's right or wrong, maybe they really didn't know all that was involved why get negative.

quote:

Originally posted by TRhit:

Your statement about who are we to make judgements is irrelevant--the players call myself and other coaches fully aware of what is happening--if the they do not want to leave the "comfort zone" why start the conversations?

Are they not allowed to ask questions and then come to the conclusion that your (or any) program is not what they are looking for? I've "started conversations" countless times and backed off when I found out the details. People that don't ask questions are the ones PT Barnum was talking about.

YGD

There you go again yourself---not ubndertsanding what discussion and debate are

gonefishin

I am talking about those that know what the story is--they were recommended not contacting with no idea

quote:

Originally posted by YoungGunDad:
Way to go once again TR.

You start a thread and people input their opinions and what do you do...??

You ostracize them as usual.

It's getting old.

YGD,
He's just being cranky, his Metsies are stinking it up tonight.

How about that Cardinal rookie, huh?

Go Cards!

TPM

Make sure you knowest of what you post !!!!

How brilliant....

7-5 Cards in 8th. Can't see how anyone could miss that? lol

YGD,
This topic should roll along nicely now, Mets just tied it up!

quote:

Originally posted by TRhit:
TPM

Make sure you knowest of what you post !!!!

I do, the young rookie beat out Santana!

They best win tonite else they'll find themselves 7 games back of Atlanta who beat the Nationals earlier tonite.

Ut oh.

TPM

You don't---how do you know if I am cranky ???--you knowest not

You also have me totally confused with ITS--he is the hardfast Met fan--not me

Louisiana Lightening. It looks as though you've figured it out. Hopefully not too late for your son. I figured it out way too late but salvaged a non-scholarship opportunity for my son to play college ball. Maybe it's just a geographical thing because you've hit the nail on the head for our area.

Louisiana.....I couldn't agree with this approach any less. You can do all you want to "set your kid up" with the coaches....BUT to succeed in college he will have to have the skills to communicate effectively with those coaches and if you are doing that for him it is not likely to happen.

The coaches want to talk with your kid, not you.

tPM--YGD


Have you looked? --7-7 in the 13th--Mets and Cards

quote:

Originally posted by TRhit:
tPM--YGD


Have you looked? --7-7 in the 13th--Mets and Cards

I mentioned in the last page it was tied up. Didn't you see that?

Way to go Albert!

quote:

Originally posted by bsballfan:
Louisiana.....I couldn't agree with this approach any less. You can do all you want to "set your kid up" with the coaches....BUT to succeed in college he will have to have the skills to communicate effectively with those coaches and if you are doing that for him it is not likely to happen.

The coaches want to talk with your kid, not you.

Right or wrong I bet LL is not in his piroge alone.

TPM

Hope you sleep well

I know that I will !!!!

.

Simple nervous tension?



.

Not all kids have the same level of desire or interest in a given sport or activity. That's not a slam but rather a statement of fact. It seems that some think that just because someone has talent that the desire should go hand in hand with it but that's not always the case.

When a kid turns down a nice opportunity to play baseball on a good team that provides excellent exposure for no apparent reason you could say that its his way of telling the sport that "he's just not that into you."