Hey, I know that guy

Yes indeed GrabsomePine. Fun, isn't it?

I think this season we're gonna see a couple/few "old friends" make their MLB debut...one with the A's. Thats gonna be really cool!

GrabSomePine,
It works the same way for the players as they matriculate.
Our son is now an assistant coach at a Northern CA DI program. At scout day last Fall, he was running a drill when he heard someone in the stands calling his name. Turned out to be his hitting coach from the Ny/Penn league.
A few weeks ago, he saw his former manager with the class A Lansing Lugnuts had been hired by the SF Giants to be the hitting coach with the AAA Fresno Grizzlies. They are now hooked up to spend time together when the Grizzlies come to Sacramento during the Spring. When the Blue Jays come to Oakland, he will do what he can to get together with his draft group who are in MLB, including guys like Casey Janssen.

It has been really cool watching the guys my son played with move up in baseball. The first time was the summer of 08 when multiple travel team players got drafted into pro ball. Even more were drafted last summer - along with some making it on to ESPN as part of the CWS regionals and Omaha.

I definitely check on many of them when I have a spare moment - and root for all of them to succeed.

We are just now getting to the point where we are seeing kids we know are at or going on to the next level. It is fun to follow!

Just as interesting to me is how many kids we knew that are either not going to play at all in college or who have already stopped playing baseball.

I remember 6 years ago, we thought 12 year old Little League was the pinnacle. Just a few years later, only 4 of the team members are still playing baseball and only 2 will play in college.

You read all the statistics on how every level winnows down the pool and we sure are seeing it.

You would be surprised at how many of past team mates and foes your son will run into as he progresses thru the process---it is part of what makes baseball so great---life long acquaintances especially now with Facebook in vogue

quote:

You would be surprised at how many of past team mates and foes your son will run into as he progresses thru the process

It's fun to watch travel teammates compete against each other in high school. When my son stoled second off his travel teammate catcher (actually a huge jump off the pitcher) he discreetly held up a finger on each hand against his chest to designate 1 for 1. When he stoled a second base he signaled 2 for 2. When he grounded out for the last out of the game the catcher yelled out to him and held up 2 fingers on one hand and a circle in the other to designate his team won 2-0. In the handshake line they started shaking each other and laughing. For a few seconds the coaches thought they were fighting.

There are many opposing players my son has become friends with on Facebook just out of mutual respect for each other's ability to play the game.

quote:

Originally posted by GrabSomePine:
It used to be cool to see a name of a college player you had heard about in the paper in HS or maybe had seen play locally, but it's really neat to now follow players you watched grow up and saw play or perhaps even coached in Little League etc.

It sure beats reading about them in the "Good morning Judge" section.

Kudos to baseball when used as the vehicle for finding the right path

Pro Baseball is a small world, after all!

RJM thats something that is rarely talked about when people discuss showcase baseball. Players make so many friends in the game they would have never made. My son has several team mates in college that he played with and against during his time playing in the summer and fall. In fact both of his room mates in college were also team mates on his showcase team.

my son only played aau/travel for a couple years. i know he made friends from all over.
i had a ball, met some great people. lots of laughs,looking back on it. i had as much if not more fun than he did.

that is something not often considered in the cost.

This is the part about baseball I really love.

Son has played against former teammates in college and in pro ball and he gets a kick out it. Nothing better than being in a strange town and your former cape mate takes you to dinner and you return the favor when he comes to town.

I also have enjoyed watching many players of websters up close and personal, many who don't even know it.