Does anyone know if you are registered for tryouts can you go to any or all the tryouts? Once the form was completed it said you are registered but no other instructions???????????
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Last year you could attend any site. I would reach out to them via their web site www.showcaseleague.com.
This was a Joke....Very disapointing. Its not what you can do but who you know.
From our experience the Showcase League was an excellent opportunity to play in front of college coaches at some of the better schools around, while not perfect, the players not chosen in some form or other have weaknesses that need to be worked on, but then again, parents don't usually see those weaknesses and therefore to them it is unfair. If you want to know if the kid should have made it, ask the kid himself, if he's any kind of ballplayer, he'll know whether or not he was treated unfairly, unless all he's ever heard from mom and pop is " you're the best ". The guys that run the Showcase League do their homework and know the players they want very well, it goes far beyond just tryouts, get a clue.
76------ teach us ----- please
quote:The guys that run the Showcase League do their homework and know the players they want very well, it goes far beyond just tryouts, get a clue.
Oh really??? How many players from Londonderry made it??? Where are the guy's that run the Showcase league from. There are kids that barely played on their D1 JV teams make it over D1 Varsity starters.
Just curious what your involvement with this group is..........I know there is some!!
Don't bring Londonderry players into this. You have an issue because your boy didn't make it, take it up with the League- don't take it out on anyone else.
quote:Originally posted by Ironwill:
Don't bring Londonderry players into this. You have an issue because your boy didn't make it, take it up with the League- don't take it out on anyone else.
C'mon coach - you don't think people will go hmm, what's up with that when 11 players from the same school district make teams. It could have been any town, but the fact they come from the same town as where the League is "based" will certainly bring out doubters.
As I've said in the past when issues like this come up - send an email to the powers that be on the board, be respectful, and I think you'll find them to respond in kind. In particular Shawn and Mike are frequent posters in this forum - they are reachable if you do your homework. If you have a SR who's not playing SL this fall - I would suggest finding and attending fall baseball camps at schools your son is interested in attending - focus on D3/D2 schools... The D1 ship has already sailed. You'll probably spend the same $$$ doing so and if you play your cards right could get a coach to notice you.
Nice touch this year giving players their statistical evaluations. A suggestion for upgrade next year - add a chart listing the "average expectations" for D1, D2, D3 in each of the rated categories. We did the Junior Day at St A's a few weeks ago and that was part of the information they gave back to the players - I thought that was a nice touch.
Thought after last year's issues the program would have been more careful with perceptions. This is why it is not always a good idea to delete previous posts. I agree that it is nice to pm privately but it is also fair to let others know they may not be the only one with issues. If they want to be more transparent perhaps the program should give some insight into how the process worked for selecting the showcase prospects. They could show the tryout ratings for all participants (by number, not name) so people could see how he tried out compared to peers.
Sorry RVaughn.
I attended the try out last week as an observer and was overwhelmingly surprised to see the turn out at SNHU and excited to see so much talent. My hat goes off to the Showcase League and their coaches for doing what seems like a very difficult task: evaluating such a large turn out of good talent ... in such a limited amount of time for observations. Though there were a couple of players who stood out (I have no idea who they were) ... a lot of the other kids simply blended in. Is it a 100% mistake proof in that all the "best" players get chosen ... obviously not because a really good player who might be relatively unknown might just have a bad or mediocre try out and therefore, not get selected. As some of you know, I am not a fan of favoritism in baseball and I might be naive and misinformed, but I have heard nothing but good about this League. Again, no sarcasim .... but congrats to the players chosen and to the Showcase League for a record breaking turn out. I'm looking forward to seeing some good baseball.
I attended the try out last week as an observer and was overwhelmingly surprised to see the turn out at SNHU and excited to see so much talent. My hat goes off to the Showcase League and their coaches for doing what seems like a very difficult task: evaluating such a large turn out of good talent ... in such a limited amount of time for observations. Though there were a couple of players who stood out (I have no idea who they were) ... a lot of the other kids simply blended in. Is it a 100% mistake proof in that all the "best" players get chosen ... obviously not because a really good player who might be relatively unknown might just have a bad or mediocre try out and therefore, not get selected. As some of you know, I am not a fan of favoritism in baseball and I might be naive and misinformed, but I have heard nothing but good about this League. Again, no sarcasim .... but congrats to the players chosen and to the Showcase League for a record breaking turn out. I'm looking forward to seeing some good baseball.
@rvaughn- You're correct I was involved, or should I say my son was involved last year, he had a great experience and had the opportunity to play with some pretty good ballplayers at some quality colleges. I am no longer involved so sorry to burst your bubble! I do feel that the Showcase league has things to work on, just like the players that have weaknesses and aren't selected, there are areas that they need to work on, and like it or not they've been doing that. @ TRhit - HSBBWEB Old Timer- come on man, are you serious? You a bit cranky today? Parents usually think 20-75% more of their kids talent than what's actually before their eyes, and they rarely tell them the truth in that regard. I've done it too, so before you start with the B.S. I'm offering that up. I've coached for the last 25 years and no matter the level, tryouts are the worst time for the powers that be because 100% of the time, someone somewhere is getting what they perceive to be - "screwed". You can't make 'em all happy. What I would like to see in every level at tryouts is the results of skill evaluations communicated in some way to the participants. Even then with the data in front of them, there would still be unhappy people. As you must know TRHit - sometimes the kids with the most talent are the kids that ruin teams, maybe that's something for all to think about. Is the kid a team player that adds to a team or is he a "drain" on team morale? Have a good day!
76 Champ, you seem to have some knowledge of this program. Could you give more info on who exactly saw your son last year. Not sure whether to try out for this next year since not sure if it is worth time. Is it better to just go to individual college camps or were there a lot on different colleges viewing kids. Website for showcase is not too specific on college coaches actually there.
quote:sometimes the kids with the most talent are the kids that ruin teams, maybe that's something for all to think about. Is the kid a team player that adds to a team or is he a "drain" on team morale?
What does this have to do with anything on this post. BTW- you didnt burst my Bubble because I think your full of it!!
srbaseball15......For us the league has been great. For my son it has been fun, competitive, and something that he looks forward to. He has played in GSBL programs from Showcase to Developmental to the Sunday Varsity league.
Your statement "I'm not sure it's worth the time" seems a bit misguided...finding a cage or a backstop on a sunny day and taking 300 swings is worth the time. Getting on a nice college field and playing ball is heaven.
The fall options in New England are few. The GSBL provides a great service for young men who are serious about baseball. The league gives young men a chance to play baseball in an organized, competitive environment for two more months.
I guess it might be better to make a list of potential colleges and universities and go to individual camps throughout the fall, but that would cost prohibitive, unless you are a millionaire. You may have many options down the east coast throughout the fall months. I know Wake Forest and Vanderbilt have them in November.
A better option would be playing Saturday and Sunday in both the GSBL Showcase or Developmental League and in their Sunday varsity league. That would give you another 60-70 plate appearances. Add to that, the weekly practices (each Showcase team has two per week).
I know a young man who didn't make the Showcase cut. According to him his 1st tryout wasn't very good, but he did better the second tryout, but was worried. He's a solid player. I would take him on my team any time. He knew his tryouts were less than stellar. However, during the time between his last legion game and his 1st tryout, he did very little to maintain his swing and skills. He was rusty. The point is players need to work at the game..... almost to the level that it's a 12-month-a-year proposition. The GSBL gives players a chance to do this.
Your statement "I'm not sure it's worth the time" seems a bit misguided...finding a cage or a backstop on a sunny day and taking 300 swings is worth the time. Getting on a nice college field and playing ball is heaven.
The fall options in New England are few. The GSBL provides a great service for young men who are serious about baseball. The league gives young men a chance to play baseball in an organized, competitive environment for two more months.
I guess it might be better to make a list of potential colleges and universities and go to individual camps throughout the fall, but that would cost prohibitive, unless you are a millionaire. You may have many options down the east coast throughout the fall months. I know Wake Forest and Vanderbilt have them in November.
A better option would be playing Saturday and Sunday in both the GSBL Showcase or Developmental League and in their Sunday varsity league. That would give you another 60-70 plate appearances. Add to that, the weekly practices (each Showcase team has two per week).
I know a young man who didn't make the Showcase cut. According to him his 1st tryout wasn't very good, but he did better the second tryout, but was worried. He's a solid player. I would take him on my team any time. He knew his tryouts were less than stellar. However, during the time between his last legion game and his 1st tryout, he did very little to maintain his swing and skills. He was rusty. The point is players need to work at the game..... almost to the level that it's a 12-month-a-year proposition. The GSBL gives players a chance to do this.
Year after year we see the same posts again and again about this subject. Someone is always getting screwed, someones kid made it but didn't get to play as much, one town has more players picked, blah, blah , blah.The bottom line is they do a pretty fair job of picking the right players and once picked they will go out and deliver on what is promised as far as exposure to college coaches. That being said if you expect a flock of D1 & D2 coaches at every event, not gonna happen. The majority of players in this league who even play in college will do so at the D3 and JUCO level. This is pretty much where they excel. You will see local D2 schools in attendance, but really if your son is ready to play at higher levels he is probably already known to them.My son was recruited by D2 and D3 schools and due to circumstances not related to baseball he will be attending and playing at necco this season.All interested schools already knew him and this league simply gave them an opportunity to see him play against better competition. The coaches and staff of the league were very aggressive about helping with college contacts and are still in touch quite often with my son . Bottom line, this league isn't for everyone, but the vast majority of players and parents seem to find it a good experience.
rvaughn - really big guy? It's clear to me that you just want to bash and spout off with nonsense and my guess is your kid didn't make it. Maybe he just didn't have a good tryout? Maybe he's not ready? Maybe your kid is one of the kids I mentioned in my last post, you know the part you quoted ? It is relevant to the process, sorry you couldn't make the connection. Who knows for sure, and that's one of the weaknesses of the process for the Showcase League, zero feedback to the players that aren't selected. Both Mr Gasper, and Devildad are spot on with their assessment of the GSBL - or Showcase League as it's known to many. My son played with Mr. Gasper's son last fall and I've spoken with Mr. Gasper a few times, very nice guy and very knowledgeable with regard to the league and the opportunities out there. My son is trying out for his college team and I'm sure the competition will be tough, but if it doesn't work out the way he wants, so be it, life goes on and there will be no one to blame but himself, he will know if he deserved a shot or not, and only he will know if he did enough on his own to get better, that's how we raised him to be. Thanks rvaughn, but I do have a clue, you - not so much!
So the last time we went down this path some similar stuff started happening and the entire post was deleted - good stuff and bad stuff. If you keep your responses non personal there's a chance it won't happen again. There really is some good information here that would be great to keep around this time!
srbaseball15 ... Whether it is worth the time likely depends on what you want from the experience.
It is a great deal of time, with travel to places like UMaine Orono, St Josephs, URI, etc... for a game where players share time and pitchers go for just 3 innings. Some schools are more local. 2X per week training can be 30-60 minutes away, or closer if you are lucky.
No question that there is top notch HS talent / competition, so your son will hone his skills ahead of the HS season. VGood baseball and fun to watch. Players make friends on competing HS teams, which makes the HS season more interesting. College fields are amazing. If this is enough to make it worth the time, then go for it!
As for the 'Showcase' aspects, it really depends on whether the host schools are places your son would want to attend. Beyond the host schools, I did not notice many other coaches attending. Your son could certainly try inviting coaches that may have interest in watching him play. The online statistics can also be useful, if the performance is there.
My son enjoyed it last year, but it was a lot of time and very few schools are ones he is targeting. So, he passed this year to leave Saturdays free for attending college camps and visits to his target schools ... and more time for a last push on SAT prep!
It is a great deal of time, with travel to places like UMaine Orono, St Josephs, URI, etc... for a game where players share time and pitchers go for just 3 innings. Some schools are more local. 2X per week training can be 30-60 minutes away, or closer if you are lucky.
No question that there is top notch HS talent / competition, so your son will hone his skills ahead of the HS season. VGood baseball and fun to watch. Players make friends on competing HS teams, which makes the HS season more interesting. College fields are amazing. If this is enough to make it worth the time, then go for it!
As for the 'Showcase' aspects, it really depends on whether the host schools are places your son would want to attend. Beyond the host schools, I did not notice many other coaches attending. Your son could certainly try inviting coaches that may have interest in watching him play. The online statistics can also be useful, if the performance is there.
My son enjoyed it last year, but it was a lot of time and very few schools are ones he is targeting. So, he passed this year to leave Saturdays free for attending college camps and visits to his target schools ... and more time for a last push on SAT prep!
Thank you XSAM, this was the type of insight I was looking for. I had a feeling it was mostly just the colleges that the games were played at that might have coaches but I wasn't sure. I agree with playing as much as possible but there are other high school leagues that play both Sat and Sun which are cheaper and with less kids per team so more opportunity to play and local so not the travel time. Maybe won't see the great pitching that the showcase probably has but still getting at bats and field experience without the bench warming time.
76Champ,
I put the Facts out there (Not trying to offend Ironwill) They are what they are. In my opinion there are a bunch of kids that didnt have the same chance to make a team than others did. FYI- my Son will be playing in the DEVO League
I put the Facts out there (Not trying to offend Ironwill) They are what they are. In my opinion there are a bunch of kids that didnt have the same chance to make a team than others did. FYI- my Son will be playing in the DEVO League
Rvaughn, good luck to your son in the DEVO league,I got to watch a few of their games last fall, excellent starting point for some of the younger underclassmen, I hope he has a good experience.
My son played in the SL during the 2010 season. My son was not a recognized player at the high school baseball level. He attended every tryout during the fall season. This allowed the coaches to see him four weeks in a row. I would recommend attending as many tryout dates as possible.
What a shame that last year's expansion into Rhode Island seems to be a FAIL for this year. Last year's team was challenged by low turnout at tryouts and low enthusiasm organizationally, despite strong efforts from league execs.
Seems like in RI we have two warring factions coveting the state's talented (and paying) talent, to the point that no one stepped up to lead a RI team this year?
My son played in last year's league and was very happy with the level of competition and the privelege of playing at some great venues. I hope this might be rekindled in RI, and kindled in CT, to make this a true New England Showcase League in the future.
Seems like in RI we have two warring factions coveting the state's talented (and paying) talent, to the point that no one stepped up to lead a RI team this year?
My son played in last year's league and was very happy with the level of competition and the privelege of playing at some great venues. I hope this might be rekindled in RI, and kindled in CT, to make this a true New England Showcase League in the future.
quote:My son played in the SL during the 2010 season. My son was not a recognized player at the high school baseball level. He attended every tryout during the fall season. This allowed the coaches to see him four weeks in a row. I would recommend attending as many tryout dates as possible.
I would say this is Very Good Advice
anytime a player can be seen by one more coach or scout than he was previously seen by it is a positive thing------ and I have no affiliation with program you speak of
