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How do you deal with a HS coach who has a personal issue with someone who gives hitting lessons, and they tell their players not to go to them? The best hitter on team went secretly until he graduated. No real reason was given other than he didn't like him-sounded like a personal issue not a mechanics one.
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My son's high school coach detested his hitting coach. It had nothing to do with style. It was personal going back several years. The coach made a very positive comment about my son's swing early in his junior year when he started 14-16. When I told him who restructured his swing over the winter that was the last positive mention of my son's hitting. Even though he hit .500 that year the coach never complimented my son all season after that conversation. The ego part was his high school coach was also a hitting instructor at a facility.
Last edited by RJM
playball - I say there really is no way for any of us to tell.

So just to point out the flip side of this...the guy who I think is the best HS coach in America struggled at times with this issue. No, he wasn't against personal instructors at all...but what does he do when he firmly believes that a particular kid's instructor is hurting the kid?

This isn't a random and rare event...it happens regularly. There are many (not most, but still many) instructors out there just making $$ off kids and their parents and feeding them incorrect advice.

I know there was a very talented player on my son's HS team who over time regressed. The more he regressed, the more the dad shipped him off to the next "great instructor." This wasn't just my opinion or the HS coach's opinion...scouts in the area were shaking their heads about the whole thing too. One area scout that I know quite well was actively commenting that the dad and private instructor were screwing the kid up.

Still, the dad would not listen to any of it. Nice dad...nice guy...but somehow swept up in the whole thing. As a consequence, his son...seemingly a sure draft choice as a sophomore and junior...went undrafted and appears to be on the verge of being finished in baseball.

Now I don't believe his dad would be on a message board complaining that the HS or summer coach didn't support his lessons...but just for the sake of argument...if he had, I am pretty certain many would have raced to the rescue telling him that his HS (and summer) coaches were full of it.

And nothing could be farther from the truth.
Last edited by justbaseball
quote:
Originally posted by justbaseball:
playball - I say there really is no way for any of us to tell.

So just to point out the flip side of this...the guy who I think is the best HS coach in America struggled at times with this issue. No, he wasn't against personal instructors at all...but what does he do when he firmly believes that a particular kid's instructor is hurting the kid?

This isn't a random and rare event...it happens regularly. There are many (not most, but still many) instructors out there just making $$ off kids and their parents and feeding them incorrect advice.

I know there was a very talented player on my son's HS team who over time regressed. The more he regressed, the more the dad shipped him off to the next "great instructor." This wasn't just my opinion or the HS coach's opinion...scouts in the area were shaking their heads about the whole thing too. One area scout that I know quite well was actively commenting that the dad and private instructor were screwing the kid up.

Still, the dad would not listen to any of it. Nice dad...nice guy...but somehow swept up in the whole thing. As a consequence, his son...seemingly a sure draft choice as a sophomore and junior...went undrafted and appears to be on the verge of being finished in baseball.

Now I don't believe his dad would be on a message board complaining that the HS or summer coach didn't support his lessons...but just for the sake of argument...if he had, I am pretty certain many would have raced to the rescue telling him that his HS (and summer) coaches were full of it.

And nothing could be farther from the truth.


Amen and you are so right. There are those who think just because you're paying money for something then it must be the better product but it's not always the case.
quote:
How do you deal with a HS coach who has a personal issue with someone who gives hitting lessons, and they tell their players not to go to them? The best hitter on team went secretly until he graduated. No real reason was given other than he didn't like him-sounded like a personal issue not a mechanics one.


This can be a tricky situation. I am having my own issue with a HS coach right now and started a thread about it to get opinions and advice. It has been very helpful and I will give you my thoughts on your situation and hopefully be helpful. I have been a HS coach and had kids taking outside hitting lessons and now I am on the other side where I don't coach HS, but work with some hitters.

I think it can be beneficial for hitters to work with different guys. I work inside a 20,000 sq ft facility and see different instructors doing lessons including former big leaguers. No two styles are exactly the same and each instructor has their own way of teaching. I suggest that guys find one that they are most comfortable with and where they see the most results.

The problem could be when there are philosophical differences between your coach and your hitting instructor. Example: When I played HS baseball our coach did not allow any hitter to swing at a 1st pitch curveball, EVER! Several of my friends worked with the same hitting instructor who disagreed with this and told guys to sit on curveballs 0-0 and crush them in certain situations. This created issues sometimes. In my opinion, both coaches knew the game and were right. The difference would be that ultimately you have to defer to your coaches philosophies in game situations because in that situation it's his rules.

A good hitting instructor gets to know his hitters, their swing, approach, etc. Although working together to maintain these things are important one of the most important roles of a hitting instructor is to help their guys when they are off to get back to doing what they do when they are successful.

I don't like to work with my guys "in season" on a regular basis. I believe that they should have the fundamentals down and know what they need to work on. When guys are off they can come to me, I can watch them and try and see what is wrong and help them get back to normal.
quote:
Originally posted by calisportsfan:
Just tell your son not to talk about what he does on his own. It's not anyone business but conversely, why broadcast it.


Of course, in an absolute sense you are correct...but really? You really want that kind of relationship with your HS coach?

What if your son is a pitcher? You don't want your HS coach knowing when he threw a bullpen on his own (in a lesson)?

What if your son is a hitter? And the HS coach notices something different in his approach/swing? You want your son to lie to the coach about where that came from?

I don't understand this advice at all.

You don't wanna include your HS coach in your son's development? We took the approach of keeping our sons' HS coaches in the loop. One or two bumps in the road (mostly with older son's coach who was somewhat insecure). But we worked it out...and in a good way.

Seems to me like a recipe for problems. I say communication is the best advice. Make your HS coach a part of your "team."
Last edited by justbaseball
My response to this post will tie in to the other post about HS coaches not "allowing" kids to play with a travel team. Unfortunately, there are HS coaches that have a serious ego problem with either of these issues. I say they have an ego problem because I don't know any other reason for it. In my son's case, his BP consists of 8 swings per day at practice. Yes that's right, 8! I had been told this in the years leading up to him reaching HS, but I frankly did not believe it until he reached 9th grade and I saw it play out in front of my eyes. If our HS coach ever had a problem with my son taking lessons, I would have a serious problem with his idea of BP. There is NO WAY a kid can expect to be an elite hitter taking 8 BP swings per day. That is an absolute joke!! And yes, the coach has made comments to the kids that they are "wasting their money" taking hitting lessons. This same coach is very anti travel ball. I can't speak for everyone else, but I can very definately speak for my son's situation. We will absolutely continue to take hitting lessons from an outside coach and we will absolutely play summer and fall ball with the coach of our choice. If HS coach wants to put in writing that he will cover son's college cost, then I will be more than accomodating to his schedule. Otherwise, we will do what we feel is in the best interest of our son in his quest to follow his dream.
quote:
Originally posted by Bulldog 19:
quote:
If HS coach wants to put in writing that he will cover son's college cost, then I will be more than accomodating to his schedule.


Really? I'm sure you're aware of all of the colleges who are offering full rides for baseball..


bulldog, I never said my son would receive a full ride or that are all of these kids receiving full rides, but it does happen and in our area if you don't play travel ball you WILL NOT be recruited.
quote:
...and in our area if you don't play travel ball you WILL NOT be recruited.


I've heard that said in our area and it is absolutely not true. Many, many examples to the contrary every year here.

Given where your profile says you're from, I'm not buying it for being true where you live either.

Does travel ball help some kids to get recruited? No question...yes!

Is it necessary for all kids in order to get recruited? No.
quote:
Originally posted by justbaseball:
quote:
...and in our area if you don't play travel ball you WILL NOT be recruited.


I've heard that said in our area and it is absolutely not true. Many, many examples to the contrary every year here.

Given where your profile says you're from, I'm not buying it for being true where you live either.

Does travel ball help some kids to get recruited? No question...yes!

Is it necessary for all kids in order to get recruited? No.


justbaseball, I really do value your opinion along with many others on this site that have been around here much longer than myself. That being said, I do disagree with your last post. I guess it is not impossible to be recruited if you only played hs baseball, but it would be next to impossible. The reason is simple. Logistics. Why would a college scout drive 4 hours to southwest GA to watch one prospect when they could go to East Cobb and see 25. Not bashing the system, it is what it is. Now I'm not saying that once you are on someone's radar you will not see scouts at the HS games. All I can tell you is that I cannot think of a single player in the last decade that went to college that didn't play travel ball. Not ONE. I guess you could say that the better players (collegiate prospects) want to play travel ball for the better competition, etc. So I guess we will never know. Just telling you at our school, not a single player recruited from HS baseball. Just like others have stated on the other post, coach makes threats that if kids don't play with his summer team they will "lose" their spots the following year or may not even make the team. But year after year, the cream plays travel ball and the fringe player is left in fear that if he plays travel ball he will not make the team. Its not right in my opinion. If the coach was serious, then why not sit the studs the next year? The notion that if your good enough the scouts will find you just doesn't hold water in this day and age in my humble opinion, so it is my choice to provide my son every opportunity that I can to have him seen and hopefully allow him to follow his dream.
Life is not perfect. Control what you can and move forward toward your goals. HS coaches are not perfect either, so handle it and move on.

Mr. Trosky does a great job! I have seen his teams play and they do it right. I am not yet convinced about spring leagues, IMO I think kids should stick to HS ball and deal with it. Why run from adversity?

As far as recruiting, colleges do recruit at HS games. Lefty jr. was recruited from HS. Recruiters and pro scouts are everywhere, you just may not know it.

So, play the game hard regardless of your situation. Put in your extra work off the field too, this will pay dividends. I have found that those that work the hardest in this game usually have success in reaching their goals.

Fight on,
Lefty...
Let’s talk for a moment only about D1 programs. With 11.6 ships a season to award, how many players on the 35 man roster play without a ‘ship? Now how about D2? Since they only have 9 to award and every ship has to be at least 1/3rd, that leaves a few spots open for walk-ons too.

My point is, while it may be exceedingly difficult to play college baseball without a scholarship, its far from impossible. And for Jr colleges its pretty difficult as well, but again not impossible. FI in Ca there’s a lot of JC teams but no scholarships, but in Tx its very different.

Here’s an interesting link for those who haven’t seen it before.

http://www.njcaa.org/colleges.cfm
quote:
Originally posted by younggun:
in our area if you don't play travel ball you WILL NOT be recruited.


So, you think Posey wouldn't have made it?

Your statement as worded here is false. Coaches regularly talk to HS coaches and ask them what they have. Plus, many/most GA kids are recruited via GA Top 100 showcase anyway.

Of course, the odds are better for a player if they are seen by more people outside his HS experience.
Last edited by SultanofSwat
younggun - Good post by you and probably the only thing I disagree with is that it will not happen if you don't play travel ball.

Just a quick example...our older son ultimately played what I'll call 'real/genuine' travel ball (team specifically set up to play in recruiting venues) but only after his junior year. But the truth is that his dream school and other 'near-dream' schools in the area already knew about him before he ever did that. I remember his HS coach calling Stanford (where he ultimately went) and asking...'Hey, do you guys even know about this kid 15 minutes away.' Their response, 'Of course we do...we've been watching and we continue to watch.' And when area scouts became visible to us, many told us they'd been watching for a year or two already.

Now it is certainly true that once he played on a national travel team numerous other doors opened up in other parts of the country. But if the comment is that it will not happen without being on a travel team...that just wasn't true in his case. In addition, running through my head I could name several teammates from Stanford that did not play real/genuine travel ball either. I could even name a current starter (not a big name guy) who I believe only played Legion ball. Still, they found him...on his HS team.

Younger son...did play 'real/genuine' travel ball beginning after sophomore year. I believe about 80% of his recruitment went through or was because of his HS coach. He was (full disclosure) in one of the best HS programs in America with a very experienced coach. Others on his team got their college break/recruitment entirely through the HS coach as well. One kid...marginal college player...even 'hired' a recruiting advisor. Still, his college opportunity came from the HS coach where he ultimately got a nice scholarship to a decent D2.

In all 3 of my younger sons years on varsity, there were nearly always scouts and yes, college coaches, at all of our HS games. Sometimes as many as 25...other times 1 or 2. But they were there...to see the 3 or 4 potential players...on a very consistent basis.

Point is, it happens around here (other HS's too) every year. IMO, there are too many 'cottage industry' so-called travel teams s-u-c-k-i-n-g $$ out of vulnerable families. There certainly are too many of them around here. In fact, I was on the phone last night talking to a respected 'real deal' travel team manager (old friend) about just this. Too many of these operators, who don't know what they're doing and selling something they cannot deliver. I have friends who poured thousands into some of those teams/academies and got absolutely nothing out of it. (Interestingly, one of them played for the above mentioned HS coach who eventually rescued the entire situation and got the kid a spot on a mid-D1). Those 'frauds' in the cottage industry are perhaps, what I am advising to be aware of.

I agree with your comments about HS coaches intimidating mid-range players out of travel ball. Not right. We found, through 2 sons, that good communication cleared all of that up. Nearly all people wanna be reasonable if you're respectful and reasonable with them.

Of course, there are outliers. But I don't buy that every example brought to this site is that outlier.

Ok, so having said all of that...would I recommend playing high level travel ball if you have the chance? Absolutely. Do I think its your only chance? No, I do not.
Last edited by justbaseball
quote:
Originally posted by SultanofSwat:
quote:
Originally posted by younggun:
in our area if you don't play travel ball you WILL NOT be recruited.


So, you think Posey wouldn't have made it?

Your statement as worded here is false. Coaches regularly talk to HS coaches and ask them what they have. Plus, many/most GA kids are recruited via GA Top 100 showcase anyway.

Of course, the odds are better for a player if they are seen by more people outside his HS experience.


All of the above is true as well as the post by justbaseball. Would Buster have made it without travel ball? I'm sure he would have, but we will never know because he did in fact play travel ball all through hs
Isn't all about results? In jbb's example if the kid stops producing and is going to hitting coach after hitting coach, he should listen to what his high school coach has to offer. What did he have to lose.

On the other hand, I don't think a high school coach will say a word to a kid about where he takes lessons if he's tearing the cover off the ball game after game.

If it's a personal thing between the high school coach and a hitting instructor then HS coach is not being fair to the player if the player is hitting well. He should back off IMO.
So, this is my OPINION and simply that, my opinon.

Lots and lots of high school coaches through out country are simply men who like baseball. Many of these men are terrific and altruistic (which they would have to be to work the many hours for very small pay because they either like kids or baseball). I am thankful for those coaches and highly doubt they are the ones making all these demands on their player.

However there is a subset of high school coaches who seem to be in it for the power or worse, the money they can create by forcing their high school players to participate in their summer/fall teams and give up club team and personally chosen instructors. The problem this presents is that as an educated consumer, yes consumer because if I am paying for something, I am a consumer and I fully expect to chose what it is I am paying for.

I will chose who my sons hit with and play for during the summers and nobody else. I will pick someone with credentials I respect and I will not pay a person simply because he is a high school coach and demands it. I choose people who have met with a higher level of success then simply liking baseball. I choose former professionals who know exactly what they are doing not a well intentioned or ill intended high school coach who doesn't have the same experience.

End of story, honestly. If there is a cost one is expected to pay, it's their choice where they choose to spend it. If you are dealing with a high school coach who you don't respect and has done nothing through out his life to have an expertise in baseball in anyway, there is no reason to let him be a bully by making your choices for you. My comment on not flaunting what you chose to do if you work with an instructor is just that, some people do not play high school ball for men that are reasonable or even knowledgable enough to make such demands. If you have a reasonable coach then I suspect such demands aren't made.
It is not absolute that you need to play club or travel baseball. However it can be very beneficial.

Those that have potential early draft picks on their high school team tend to see lots of MLB scouts at their HS games. MLB scouts have good relationships with college coaches. They need each other!

If a scout sees a player that can play, but maybe not draft ready, he will pass the info on to some college coaches. Often this is how college coaches first get interested in certain players.

One thing that can really help is to be on a team that has a known prospect or two. Obviously this is what happens with the outstanding travel teams. It is not surprising when a player is followed closely (high school or travel) that another player on his team or a team he played against will be seen and drafted because of the above.
calisportsfan, that was a nice post. You are right and, as an informed consumer, you have the right to determine where you spend your money. However, the coach has the right to determine who will play.
That makes it fair for both sides of the argument.

Having said all of the above, I would hope that the HS coach appreciates the work the young man has done and gives him a shot without prejudice against whomever the instructor is. That is not always easy. You have to keep in mind that some of these disagreements have some substance to them. For example, some instructors have a bad habit of building themselves and their business up by tearing the local altruistic high school coach down. Heck, calisportsfan, you might consider me one of those. I know one area instructor in my area that I just can't believe what he gets away with. Yet, he is a legend, at least in his own mind. I went to watch a lesson he gave and he spent most of the time telling me that he liked what I did while tearing down every other caoch in the area. I didn't want to be a part of that conversation and made that clear. He has the credentials but takes the money because these players want on his summer team. OTOH, I went to see one of my players at a workout/lesson in St. Louis, and that coach was top notch. He also runs a program and so, I wanted my players in that program instead of the other. Again, it is a matter of perspective and so both of us are right.


Take care!
Fantastic post Coach! Absolutely fantastic. And so rich with information.

So I worry that by picking out one particular comment I will distract from all that you said...but I'll take the risk... Roll Eyes

quote:
For example, some instructors have a bad habit of building themselves and their business up by tearing the local altruistic high school coach down.


That is SOOOOooooOOO true! I have seen this time and time again.

Remember parents. You are paying the guy. How does he keep you coming back and paying him again? ...by telling you what you want to hear. No, not all are like this, but there are definitely a share of them out there.
quote:
However there is a subset of high school coaches who seem to be in it for the power or worse, the money they can create by forcing their high school players to participate in their summer/fall teams and give up club team and personally chosen instructors. The problem this presents is that as an educated consumer, yes consumer because if I am paying for something, I am a consumer and I fully expect to chose what it is I am paying for.

_____________________

I don't see how this situation could occur in a public school. We pay $75 for Legion ball, since it is the fall season only. That is to pay umpire fees and whatever miscellaneous expenses that goes with the season. The other schools in our district pay the same. Spring is free, although we must fundraise. ( Want to by a shirt or banner??) With budget accountability I do not see how that could possibly happen. I would assume private schools had accounting departments as well.

I am sure there are some bad fish out there, but I have found so much goes with the attitude you bring in. Just the other day a parent was complaining about a restriction on the team. The funny thing is, I had heard the exact same message and did not interpret it the same way. Son really rarely uses outside help anymore. But when we have, they have never spoken ill of any coach in the area. The focus was on son-- and how he could improve his pitching or hitting. I think I would be wary if an instructor was trying to use time I was paying for to bad mouth another coach.
Asking purely out of ignorance, here...Why would a HS coach get down in the weeds with an individual player's mechanics, or whether you like/dislike/or even care about any of the area's hitting instructors?

Just having watched effective and less effective coaches over the years from outside the fence...

It seems like the most effective HS coaches focus on player evaluation, roster selection, in-game playing style, game prep, line-ups, etc., and not so much individual player development. With such a short season, there's so little time to develop a player anyway. At least in the big HS's, it seems like the consistently winning coaches leave development up to the players and parents, and just assume that everyone is taking care of instruction.
wraggArm said,
"It seems like the most effective HS coaches focus on player evaluation, roster selection, in-game playing style, game prep, line-ups, etc., and not so much individual player development. With such a short season, there's so little time to develop a player anyway. At least in the big HS's, it seems like the consistently winning coaches leave development up to the players and parents, and just assume that everyone is taking care of instruction."

I agree with this and that is what I saw at my son's HS for the most part. The coaches were good guys with the right intentions, but not real baseball guys. And certainly not guys who could correct bad mechanics with hitting or pitching. I always said that all we should expect from them is to identify the best nine players and put them in the right positions.

Some schools have baseball guys as coaches but for the majority who don't, get your instruction outside of the school. Also, I can't understand a coach who would complain that a kid worked all winter long on getting better at baseball. Just doesn't make sense.
quote:
Originally posted by wraggArm:
Asking purely out of ignorance, here...Why would a HS coach get down in the weeds with an individual player's mechanics, or whether you like/dislike/or even care about any of the area's hitting instructors?

Just having watched effective and less effective coaches over the years from outside the fence...

It seems like the most effective HS coaches focus on player evaluation, roster selection, in-game playing style, game prep, line-ups, etc., and not so much individual player development. With such a short season, there's so little time to develop a player anyway. At least in the big HS's, it seems like the consistently winning coaches leave development up to the players and parents, and just assume that everyone is taking care of instruction.


Absolutely...100%...not the case at our younger son's HS. Those coaches were FANTASTIC at player development and our son got better from start of season to finish every single year.

It was...a BEAUTIFUL thing to watch. Wink
quote:
Originally posted by wraggArm:
Asking purely out of ignorance, here...Why would a HS coach get down in the weeds with an individual player's mechanics, or whether you like/dislike/or even care about any of the area's hitting instructors?

Just having watched effective and less effective coaches over the years from outside the fence...

It seems like the most effective HS coaches focus on player evaluation, roster selection, in-game playing style, game prep, line-ups, etc., and not so much individual player development. With such a short season, there's so little time to develop a player anyway. At least in the big HS's, it seems like the consistently winning coaches leave development up to the players and parents, and just assume that everyone is taking care of instruction.


I don't think that is true at all. As a HS coach, my primary focus is player development. I coach in the largest class in MO. We do have 2 or 3 guys take private lessons, but most of them rely on us for development. It is very expensive to take private lessons, so we are doing our players a disservice if we want them to develop through those means.

Also, very few of our parents played HS baseball. The knowledge is limited. Therefore, it is left to us to see their development through.

We have workouts 6 x a week in the fall and winter, practice or play 7 days a week in the Spring, then play 55 games in the summer. Almost every kid in our program goes on to play college baseball (10 of 11 the past 2 years).

I have lurked/posted for 5 years on this board, and the negative comments toward HS coaches have increased dramatically during that time. There are good and bad HS coaches...there are also good and bad private instructors. Most parents cannot tell the difference, but when you are paying somebody, and they tell you what you want to hear, you will always side with the private instructor.
I've coached in Florida for over 20 years and I've not always liked some of the guys my kids have gone to, but it's not a personal thing. I don't care if they get advice from a plumber. If it will make them a better hitter, I'm all for it.

As for the travel ball/recruiting issue, you may not HAVE to play travel ball to be recruited, but with colleges now offering kids before they ever get to varsity baseball, the writing is on the wall. I can assure you, they are not going to be recruiting any 14 year old Little League programs.

And for the hitting coach who has his hitters sit on curveballs 0-0, I want to play you 12 times a year.
[QUOTE]Originally posted by realteamcoach:
We have workouts 6 x a week in the fall and winter, practice or play 7 days a week in the Spring, then play 55 games in the summer. QUOTE]

That's great that you are so invloved in the nitty gritty with your players. Based on what I have seen in my area, that is not necessarily the case (not that it is necessarily bad, just more akin to the way that wraggArm described it).

That said, do you allow your players to play football or basketball? If you are having workouts 6x a week in the off months, it doesn't seem that they could play anything except baseball. How do you handle it if they are playing another sport but not attending your workouts? Does that impact their playing time?
quote:
Originally posted by PantherSkipper:
And for the hitting coach who has his hitters sit on curveballs 0-0, I want to play you 12 times a year.


I agree with you in theory, PantherSkipper. But sometimes that's the best pitch you're going to get. I would have said exactly what you said above until I listened to Steve Springer's Quality At Bats CD. His advice basically tells you to go looking for a pitch that you think you are going to get in a place that you can hit it. So, if the pitcher is starting off most hitters with a curveball that he is throwing for strikes, go up there and attack the curveball.

My son listened to this CD every couple of weeks this past season and it had a huge positive impact on his approach at the plate. In the first summer tournament of last year he roped an 0-0 curveball into right field. I asked him why he would do that having been taught to look fastball until he had two strikes on him. He said "because I knew he was going to throw it." Apparently the pitcher had thrown a first pitch curveball for a strike on 5 of the 7 players that hit before him.

So, he sat on the curve, and it worked. I wouldn't advocate doing it all the time, but there is a time and a place for it.
quote:
Originally posted by Bulldog 19:
quote:
Also, I can't understand a coach who would complain that a kid worked all winter long on getting better at baseball. Just doesn't make sense.


Yeah, I can't believe a coach would complain about overuse either!...


Working on your game and overuse are two different things. Shame on the pitcher and his parents who overuses his arm in the off season.
quote:
Working on your game and overuse are two different things. Shame on the pitcher and his parents who overuses his arm in the off season.


Shame on the promoters and coaches who demand pitchers throw 11 months out of the year! There should be ZERO baseball going on right now. But I'll bet it wouldn't take long to find a tournament or showcase this weekend somewhere..

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