Compared to 25 years ago, yes high school baseball has changed in its pecking order. So has 8 track tapes. TG I hope you stick around. You speak from experience. Some of it might be fast-pitch underhanded, but you are literate and bright, I think.
quote:Originally posted by 55mom:
Those old meanies have been nice to me.
Yup, it's official 55mom.
We flashed our AARP cards at the door, commenced with our secret HSBBW handshake (it's just mayonnaise and ketchup isn't that right EH?), and gathered around the ceremonial fire pit...each one of us taking a seat on a piece of firewood encircling the fire.
It took a while for us to agree on the final seating arrangement...there were a few minor problems that had to be addressed.
Most notable was the complication created by TPM's aversion to gibberish. That neccsessitated me having to move to the other side of the fire pit opposite TPM.
Frank Martin and TR remarkably sat next to each other prompting untold doubletakes. You'll just have to take my word on this as no cameras are ever allowed at these infrequent meetings of HSBBW Old Timers.
Holden and Krak made their presence known by way of smoke signal. There were some technical glitches with this arrangement, but we were able to smooth these low tech problems out.
After all of us had comfortably settled in, we then put the matter to a vote..."Is 55mom indeed a suck up?" On the first ballot it was unanimous...55mom is indeed a suck up.
We then tended to other matters which will remain undisclosed...I can tell you that we did make some official proclamation regarding the Chicago Cubs.
We finished by singing a rousing chorus of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" while munching on our s'mores.
quote:Originally posted by itsinthegame:
TG,
I am one of those oldtimers you refer to - and I have so many cyber scars I look like a "web Frankenstein". LOL
You are...
Naw, not Blade Runner. This is me.
can we please get back to the summer coaches in the guidance conselor's office selecting colleges for the guys/gals on their team 
No problem Bee>...C'mon in...the door's open.
We can use the smores to bribe the scouts!
Dagnabbit! I just lost a very long and rambling post... <stop applauding!>
In condensed form:
HS baseball is relevant! It keeps a player on the field from Feb-May (here in warm GA anyway.) Players aren't allowed to be on 2 teams during HS season, and therefore travel teams don't do much during those months. Any work is good work. You've gotta keep playing.
It's good to play with your buddies for a while with the goal of representing your entire school, not just the smallish world of your travel team where the season matters to just a few families.
A kid may have the opportunity to be a team leader with greater responsibility in HS, but be another cog in the machine of the travel ball team, mainly showing up to play.
Many travel teams have good practices, but not all. A lot of them don't even have much or any field time, including those at ECB where my son plays. I believe HS tends to do more work on fundamentals because the players are at different skill levels and coaches must work on improving weaker players, while travel team players are often more evenly talented. Fundamental work benefits every level of play and player.
My old HS basketball coach was right about fundamentals and conditioning. That's why we went to state finals every year... fundamentals and conditioning were his cornerstones. Little time spent on conditioning on most travel teams. Playing HS ball brings a more fit player to summer league.
Colleges want to know how a kid handles athletics and grades, and the HS coach can probably speak about that with more authority than a travel coach.
IMO, everything works together. Both travel and HS ball are necessary and relevant to a player who wants to be the best he can be. Leave out one part of the equation and you get a negative.
In condensed form:
HS baseball is relevant! It keeps a player on the field from Feb-May (here in warm GA anyway.) Players aren't allowed to be on 2 teams during HS season, and therefore travel teams don't do much during those months. Any work is good work. You've gotta keep playing.
It's good to play with your buddies for a while with the goal of representing your entire school, not just the smallish world of your travel team where the season matters to just a few families.
A kid may have the opportunity to be a team leader with greater responsibility in HS, but be another cog in the machine of the travel ball team, mainly showing up to play.
Many travel teams have good practices, but not all. A lot of them don't even have much or any field time, including those at ECB where my son plays. I believe HS tends to do more work on fundamentals because the players are at different skill levels and coaches must work on improving weaker players, while travel team players are often more evenly talented. Fundamental work benefits every level of play and player.
My old HS basketball coach was right about fundamentals and conditioning. That's why we went to state finals every year... fundamentals and conditioning were his cornerstones. Little time spent on conditioning on most travel teams. Playing HS ball brings a more fit player to summer league.
Colleges want to know how a kid handles athletics and grades, and the HS coach can probably speak about that with more authority than a travel coach.
IMO, everything works together. Both travel and HS ball are necessary and relevant to a player who wants to be the best he can be. Leave out one part of the equation and you get a negative.
quillgirl - very nice post!
Some people just have the gift of quill
Some people just have the gift of quill
quote:And then add in the factor that the competition in the tournaments is at a much higher level than the high school game--almost every team in a tournament of travel teams is an ALL STAR caliber player
If I had only known i would have just told the college recruiters and professional scouts that bugged me to just wait till the kid played on a travel team or All star or tournament team
Like Cleveland Dad says, of course hs is still relevant. We have plenty of travel teams, but the scouts and college coaches are still out there at the hs games. And there is nothing like the pressure of pitching for your hs team. Our son played all over the USA with travel teams, but he had the most fun playing hs ball. Is "fun" no longer relevant to baseball?
Brod, what are your thoughts about UCI/coaching changes. PM me if you can.
The game is still school ball. All the showcases, camps, instruction and elite travel teams do is prepare us for the next level of school ball, where the real glory is on the line: Bragging rights, statistics, honors, All-Team distinction, etc. Very few care about the awards or statistics on a travel team.
Not to say the travel team is not important. In fact, it is of far higher importance in the development of the player's talent. But the travel team's function is as a venue for exposure and competition.. the game is and always has been school ball.
Not to say the travel team is not important. In fact, it is of far higher importance in the development of the player's talent. But the travel team's function is as a venue for exposure and competition.. the game is and always has been school ball.
TG, keep sassing away. I love it when the pot is stirred.. but add in some cinnamon and cloves.. and don't let TPM near the brew. It being Halloween and all this might get frightful especially if she puts on that big black hat.
Look at this in perhaps another way.
My daughter wants to be in the high school play, so she is. She had to turn down a spot in a college production to do it. But she'll still audition for a paying gig in the coming days.
So which is the best path?
Same goes for baseball. In most cases, it's a given that the player who wants to play at the college level will play in high school. It's also a given that it will offer the least amount of exposure, save a few very rare instances.
The private sector is, in most cases (save football), where the college coaches go because those players are motivated to be there, so likely they are the kinds of players they want.
But if a pro scout asks us to work out for him, well, Johnny might be a little late for the game.
Probably, but maybe not.
My daughter wants to know if she's any good. So she autitions for paying spots when she can, until she and we have a sense of where (or whether) she fits. The college director isn't worried, because if she gets some paid spots is gives him reason to consider her again. If she comes back to him/her, she is motivated.
We want her to get a college scholarship, unless, of course, she is ready for her cluseup, Mr. DeMille.
But what we want doesn't much matter right now, because she wants to be in the high school play.
WHAT IS YOUR END GAME? WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO?
Those are the single biggest questions you have to answer. That answer is what should guide you from beginning to end.
Is high school baseball (or the play) relevant? It sure was to my sons when they were playing, even though one chose to play hockey in college? As for my daughter, asked and answered.
Was it a key factor in recruitment? Absolutely not.
My daughter wants to be in the high school play, so she is. She had to turn down a spot in a college production to do it. But she'll still audition for a paying gig in the coming days.
So which is the best path?
Same goes for baseball. In most cases, it's a given that the player who wants to play at the college level will play in high school. It's also a given that it will offer the least amount of exposure, save a few very rare instances.
The private sector is, in most cases (save football), where the college coaches go because those players are motivated to be there, so likely they are the kinds of players they want.
But if a pro scout asks us to work out for him, well, Johnny might be a little late for the game.
Probably, but maybe not.
My daughter wants to know if she's any good. So she autitions for paying spots when she can, until she and we have a sense of where (or whether) she fits. The college director isn't worried, because if she gets some paid spots is gives him reason to consider her again. If she comes back to him/her, she is motivated.
We want her to get a college scholarship, unless, of course, she is ready for her cluseup, Mr. DeMille.
But what we want doesn't much matter right now, because she wants to be in the high school play.
WHAT IS YOUR END GAME? WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO?
Those are the single biggest questions you have to answer. That answer is what should guide you from beginning to end.
Is high school baseball (or the play) relevant? It sure was to my sons when they were playing, even though one chose to play hockey in college? As for my daughter, asked and answered.
Was it a key factor in recruitment? Absolutely not.
Like I've said before, HS Ball is more then just playing on a baseball team.
It's your community.
It's where you grew up.
It's where your friends and family live's.
It's Old Men sitting around a Restaurant's round table,
Drinking coffee and talking local sport's.
Saying thing's like, ( I remember when Johnny So-So ) hit the ball over the gym??
He made it all the way to the pro's.
I wonder if this other kid,
Who.
Oh that player.
Ya, maybe he could make it to.
EH
It's your community.
It's where you grew up.
It's where your friends and family live's.
It's Old Men sitting around a Restaurant's round table,
Drinking coffee and talking local sport's.
Saying thing's like, ( I remember when Johnny So-So ) hit the ball over the gym??
He made it all the way to the pro's.
I wonder if this other kid,
Who.
Oh that player.
Ya, maybe he could make it to.
EH
HS baseball - its your baseball "roots". Its like driving by the "old home place" and saying "Yeah I remember when I planted that old oak tree". "Look the tree house is still there". Its the place you can always come back to. Its where you leave your baseball legacy for your home town. "Hey you remember that Johnny Smith kid"? "Yeah remember in 93 when he hit that HR that put us in the playoffs"? And for the player its the memories that last a lifetime regardless of how long he plays the game. "Hey son thats where I played ball". "You see the third base dug out"? "I painted it one Saturday and then the coach leaned up against it and ruined a brand new shirt". On and on I could go. But to me HS baseball is where you make your home town legacy. Its where you set your baseball roots. Its a place you can always go back to. HS baseball is the cornerstone of baseball in America. It has nothing to do with getting a scholley or getting exposure etc etc. Its about playing the game for the sake of loving the game. Its where you set your roots and where you will always remember playing the game.
I agree with EH, CM and others with similar feelings.
Plus if you are lucky, it is four years at the same place. Where else will you have that kind of longevity? If that's not like home, what is?
Plus if you are lucky, it is four years at the same place. Where else will you have that kind of longevity? If that's not like home, what is?
quote:Originally posted by OldVaman:
WHAT IS YOUR END GAME? WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO?
Trying to win the game.
And trying to hit the ball hard - catch it - throw it past everyone and run like a wild dog.
Thats what anyone playing anywhere should always be trying to do. The rest is ****.
IMO.
Everyone,
Sorry TPM for post I made. I was just trying to use some levity. I appreciate all the hard work TPM has put in to help HSBBW to be a better place. I for one have learned a lot from her posts and I hope she keeps up the good work.
Sorry TPM for post I made. I was just trying to use some levity. I appreciate all the hard work TPM has put in to help HSBBW to be a better place. I for one have learned a lot from her posts and I hope she keeps up the good work.
Here is a real typical thing a high school coach hears (and anguishes over).
Kid hurt his knee in football, dad says, "He's out for the high school season but thank God he'll be able to play Legion ball this summer."
Kid hurt his knee in football, dad says, "He's out for the high school season but thank God he'll be able to play Legion ball this summer."