Is the HSBBW Changing?

how very true,fungo you remind me of a friend of mine.writes very very well. and is always an interesting read. i enjoy reading your post.s. they are correct and hit the nail on the head,im glad your still around.

Well timed discussion, Fungo.

When I joined it was hs players with a few collegians. Now, we're pretty much all ballplayers, from LL to active major leaguers.

With the significant numbers of college players and even minor league players represented here, the board could be seen to be intimidating to a young ballplayer or his parents. Few, if any, players or parents arrived here at that level. And everybody who has hung around having progressed through each goal has done so to pass along the help they've been given here. Keep the Karma going, as it were .

If you're new, I'd suggest a good read of the articles and interviews for the steak served there; the sizzle is the message board. Sometimes, you may not get a flurry of answers to a legitimate question asked; that may be because the question is well answered in the articles, or has been recently asked. Don't forget the Search option to find those discussions. There's pretty much no Sell By date on the advice given; that's the reason the Golden Thread section was initiated. Some words are timeless.

And all are welcome.

And fortunately for us parents with younger sons, we have all you to give us your first hand experience. You all have so much valuable information we will never feel alone and will always have someone who's been there and done that. I feel so lucky to have found this site while my boys are still young. Thanks all!

Thank you from a relatively new reader ('05). I have learned so much researching old threads and passing the info on to friends. Son is a rising senior and without all the helpful info here it would be an even bumpier ride. Thank you to all the posters that have been through this stage and continue to post and answer questions. This is an amazing site with amazing people.


THANK YOU and keep posting

Great thread Fungo,
This has been on my mind also.
Just how it(HSBBW) spread to all phases of the baseball world.
Its incredible, its just so helpful to be able to talk and communicate with parents and players that are or have gone thru this before.
EH

For me it is simple, I love high school baseball. Only my now soon-to-be 8th grade daughter remains in school below the college level and she is my last hope for making a high school team albeit in fast pitch softball or volleyball if she is lucky enough. I think sometimes our message boards can seem like they are skewed toward college or pros but the common thing that binds everyone here is high school baseball.

My impressions since joining are that sometimes we as a group are too concerned that someone will post something that is incorrect or may mislead others expecially new members. I trust our readers to decide what is useful and what it not. We can all make our points and that ought to be good enough. Making the same point over and over again only diminishes the original point - if there was one to begin with. My advice is to read all the recruting tips, recruiting timelines, and other articles before venturing here to discover even more information that may or may not be of further value. As an aside, my son signed with his dream school and neither of us had ever heard of the hsbbweb. There was some luck involved for us so hopefully what one can learn here is to move things from the realm of chance to more certainty.

I think that sometimes there may be a bit of an intimidation factor by reading the message boards. Sometimes it seems like every high school kid batted .600 or hit 20 homeruns or throws in the 90s. Then we get a distinguished member like PGStaff (who has the data) let us know there are only two or three hundred of those (90's throwers) in the entire country. Two or three hundred out of 300 million people makes me shake my head.

We need to remember that baseball will humble you. Some may not experience that in high school or in college. Others find out the hard way. Every year we send our high school players off to college with the hope that they will be one of the lucky freshmen to break the starting lineup. Every year we find out that most of them do not. Some of our members were high school All-Americans, received full ride scholarships, and were lucky to play an inning or two. Other members kids walked-on or received little financial assistance and ended up starring for their respective colleges. This past year one member caught my attention by letting us know how much attention his son was getting from the power conferences such as the ACC, SEC, and the Big 12. When the signing period came, his son did not sign with one of the power conferences. Then the focus turned to the draft and they had us believing the son would be drafted highly. The draft came and went and nothing happened. Don't be fooled or intimidated by puffery. I have found that the members whose sons are truly talented rarely say anything about their own and never employ message board hype to garner attention for themselves.

Why remain here after your son has moved on to college or the pros? For me it is the human interest stories. Kind of like reading the Reader's Digest or Life Magazine. There is hardly a day that goes by where something that I have read on these boards does not invoke an emotional response out of me. Sometimes it is goosebumps, joy, laughter, or tears. I especially love stories about triumph over adversity. Whether that be coming back from an injury, learning to adapt to a hard-nosed coach, waiting years to finally show what one can do and then doing it or what not. That is baseball and I love it.

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CD...

Great post! A real "shoutout" for the entire bandwidth....

...there is a place for all here..

44
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I agree whole heartedly with 44. That was an excellent post CD. I personally would be pleased to hear more from players themselves...so players...if you're out there...let's hear from you!

I have just one question though CD...you weren't referring to me with your mention of puffery were you?

Being a "newbie" to HSBBW I have found out more information then I ever thought possibl. I was lucky to stumble across this web site. I don't post often, but I do read posts on here several times a day. The information is invaluable. My son will be a high school sophmore next year. I plan to make many more visits to this site to gain insight and direction from all the "pros" who have gone down this path before me.

I dont think is "change" ---I see it as more of an adapting to what is going on all around us---great that other old timers are hanging out even with their kids beyond the HS srage

mdbaseball10:

As you probably know by now you may want to steer clear of the path marked with this sign. It's the path that I tend to follow and trust me...there's generally nothing to do with baseball along the way!


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Seriously...you and your family, indeed, are the target audience for this great website. We're all glad you are here and pleased to read that you find it so helpful. As your son keeps reaching and passing his milestones you and he will be passing along advice to the other members. It'll happen. Enjoy!

I love this post. We read this site for two years prior to ever registering and posting. It was a wealth of information. We finally registered when going through the college recruting process and it helped immensely! Now, even though we don't post a lot, we read almost everyday. The information on this site is invaluable!

If you've ever watched the YouTube "Evolution of Dance" or looked into why certain companies are sucessful you will notice that not only do they evolve with the times but the experienced workforce becomes more resourcful and the there is always an influx of new customers and new workers with fresh ideas. I look at the HSBBW as "Fortune 500" company for just those reasons.

The coralation with the "Evolution of Dance" is NOT that anyone here has the ability as the guy in the video , but rather the HSBBW, like dance, changes over time but when all is said and done it is still dance. In the HSBBW sense, the HSBBW baseball issues/approaches over time may be a little different but the end results are the same. What works here is that people like TR, PG, Fungo, and many other oldtimers can still "cut a rug" in order for newbies to find "direction".

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mdbaseball10, Long_Live_Baseball....

Keep contributing! All are welcome. New Blood is essential. We almost all take a little different path, have a little different perspective, all valuable for the common good.

44

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And Woodman...

OK...I am reading the posts to you in shock and awe about where you get your pictues...But while I figure that you can Google about anything a get a picture for it...Giant Donuts, guys in Coffee outfits, flying racoons...

...I am now looking at your Puffery picture, wondering what the heck your gonna Goggle to find THAT!

...Add me to the Woodman shock and awe list...simply Woodman magic of the highest order!

All hail the Woodman!

44
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quote:

We need to remember that baseball will humble you

quote:

Why remain here after your son has moved on to college or the pros?

When my son was only a high school freshman, I wanted to understand how the decision is made to sign out of high school or go to college.

"Don't worry about it right now" came the answer from that now elite group.

Frustrating, but the correct answer.

The beauty of this thing is that is happens many, many different ways.

The experience gained here just helps to get through it and to know that's is OK to even think about the possibility that your son might play college or minor league baseball someday.

quote:

Sometimes it seems like every high school kid batted .600 or hit 20 homeruns or throws in the 90s.

I will always be greatful to others that were here ahead of me, Fungo, of course, bbscout, hsbaseballweb, chill, catchermom03, and many, many others.

I always appreciated the brief glimpses as they forged ahead.

Sometimes these forums are not very organized and head into the wrong direction, but....

..you can observe a lot by watching.............


I have AND STILL AM.

Fungo good post and rz good point.

The HSBBW has EVOLVED into more that the original Grand Poobah had envisioned.

I look at that as a very good thing.

I came here when we were going through the recruiting process and still here and son is just now past the college experience. That is what makes it so great, that so many great people have not turned away from this site even after their sons were way past HS.

Welcome to all newcomers, whether lurking or just posting! No question is ever too big or too small.

And once again, thank you Julie!

Since you were so kind to ask 44...here's how it happened.

First of all...the word puffery wasn't likely to escape my attention. And that CD was the Frisbee tosser on this one made it all the more urgent and appealing.

Just the sight of puffery had my dozen or so still functioning brain cells scrambling to Whittle Stations as the klaxon horn shrieked.

About half of my brain cells coalesced quickly around Puffed Rice and the remainder locked onto Stuffed Shirt. I had to endure a brief tussle. Don't be alarmed 44, this happens frequently. I've grown accustomed to their tugging at the same time in opposite directions. It's probably good for my brain...like Jack Lalayne in there blowing the whistle and directing traffic.

Anyway...a short give-and-take session ensued and they all decided to compromise...puffed shirt it was.

I quickly scampered over to my friends at Google and they had me looking through their puffed shirt photo album in no time. I opened to the first page and became giddy...absolutely giddy. There...staring at my giddy drenched face was a creation by Viktor & Rolf...BINGO! Sorry Evanoff...I had to pass on you...the stuffed artichoke next in line just ate you up!

So you see 44...it's simply a few brain cells getting together for a little exercise...and prodding the rest of the hulk to actually get up and type it on the HSBBW.

And of course it helps that Julie hasn't had to lock the Denver Boot on to me too many times...besides, you can still drive with that on if you don't mind having an expanded wheel well.

Here is a more modest picture of Woodrow when he is not out puffing and beating his chest:



For those that may be curious, from the American Heritage Dictionary:

quote:

puff·er·y

NOUN:

Flattering, often exaggerated praise and publicity, especially when used for promotional purposes.

FUNGO,

Yes times are changing. I currently have a FROSH who is a SOPHOMORE now. Summerball and travel is his next phase. This website has been so valuable to my son and myself as he continues to do well in Academics and Baseball. For that I am willing to help others like you guys have helped me. I plan on being here for the next few years and asking for help when college time comes around. And for those who have kids that are moving on thank you for your knowledge and information. Hopefully I can do the same for the future kids as well.

I love this place.

Me too!!!!

And most of the people in it!

In science, researchers always talk about standing on the shoulders of giants. I don't know how many of our "old timers" are giants - but the information they pass on fits the bill.

Thanks to all of those who have stayed around and helped the rest of us get our kids through the HS baseball jungle.

KUDOS to all.

Fungo, terrific post as always, and very good timing, after the excitement of all of us applauding a "record draft class" for the HS Baseball Web.

And I agree strongly with ClevelandDad...
CD said: "I think that sometimes there may be a bit of an intimidation factor by reading the message boards. Sometimes it seems like every high school kid batted .600 or hit 20 homeruns or throws in the 90s. Then we get a distinguished member like PGStaff (who has the data) let us know there are only two or three hundred of those (90's throwers) in the entire country. Two or three hundred out of 300 million people makes me shake my head."

I also sometimes worry that newcomers and visitors will be intimidated, might think that this site is only for future draftees or DI scholarship players. It's wonderful that many of our parents of pro and college players stick around, answer questions, and share some behind-the-scenes stories. But without the "newbie" parents and occasional players - without their questions and their stories of travel tournies and high school tryouts - this site would lose a lot.

To echo the statment made several times above:

Visitors and new members...this site is for you! Parents wondering if their son will ever make the high school team...this site is for you! Players who want to talk about your team or ask about pitching or hitting or fielding...this site is for you! Please don't be afraid to ask questions and share your stories - you help keep things fresh and interesting for all of us.

Julie

Julie,

Not sure anyone has ever described me as "distinguished", but thanks!

Just in the interest of accuracy, I do remember saying that but... Actually it’s more like 200-300 high school pitchers each year that can touch 90. Still a very rare thing in my estimation.

When I first became aware of this site, there were a lot of parents of high school kids. Just the opposite for me, my boys had or were playing professional baseball back then. Now some of those “old” high school parents have sons playing in pro ball while mine are pretty much done playing.

Things change but remain the same. The majority of people who post here are more than willing to help others. There are still a ton of high school parents posting here. Now there are more people who can give real first hand experienced advice to the younger group. It’s a great thing, if you ask me. HSBBW has always been great and has actually gotten better with age IMO!

When I first started posting here my son was a middle school player. Now he will be a senior in HS next year and we are going through the recruiting process with him. I met Jerry with PG on this site. I met TR the "Man" on this site. I have met several of you at PG events WWBA events and even local showcase events across the states of NC VA GA and SC. I have always said we are all in the same boat. We all want the same things for our children. They love the game and they want to be the best they can be. And we want to be there to support them at what they love to do. BASEBALL.

I learned so much from this site, I Love It.

PG,
I think distinguished = gray hair.

Unfortunately, in my case gone is winning the race against gray so I'll never be distinguished even by that definition.

I consider myself very fortunate because I found this site right in the "sweet spot.' My son was in eighth grade, and will be a junior next fall.

So the timing was such that I was able to take full advantage of all this site has to offer. The fact that the boys of a lot of folks who have been here awhile now are in college and pro has proven to be a huge benefit to me, and I can only assume to other high school parents.

Their experiences and knowledge have been an immeasurable help, and I will always appreciate how much people are willing to share and help.

But mostly, this site has become a sort of social gathering place where I know that others share the same appreciation for baseball.

I have more friends here whom I have never met than I can count!

I love Fungo but just wonder if it ever gets old being spot on, EVERY single time!

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I think distinguished = gray hair.

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I resemble that remark...

And just remember... a bad hair day is always better than a no hair day!!!

cadDAD

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Fungo
Great post!...it is true, the site had change, but not only because a big number of our kids have growed to the next level. We all (webster), we also have growed to upper levels, we have learned a little more, our questions are better, our answer are better, the number of webster have multiplied considerably, and every day more and more knowledgeable webster register and together with our old experts webster have turned this site in almost a necesity for parents and players in their pass from all the STEPS of the baseball career.
Viva the HSBASEBALLWEB, THANKS BOB, GREAT JOB.

I dunno' 'bout that cadDAD...Uncle Fester looks pretty good as compared to this mope...

And imagine my surprise when I took a plunger to our slow draining sink in the upstairs bathroom and I loosened a wad of hair and gave it a tug...I hit on the the trifecta of bad hair days all in one pull!

I was told about this site at the very beginning of my sons sophomore year in HS and now he's going to be a senior. I look forward to getting on the site every day and see what everyone's talking about. Sometimes, it gets pretty nasty, but most of the time, it's interesting and alot of fun. It's been a great time for me learning from everyone and hoping to help others as well.

Thanks to those who started this site........you did a wonderful thing!

Thanks to all that proceeded me, and to those along for the ride right now, please remember those that have younger kids down the road.

Though perhaps some of the folks new to the boards can look at this a different way:

I've always gotten a kick trading thoughts with parents of advanced college and pro players. That was the case when my oldest was a freshman in high school, and it's still the case now, when his college career is over.

The strength of this site is THE QUALITY OF PEOPLE WHO POST ON IT. Many of the folks here are very smart baseball people and even smarter away from the field. I know I am better for their company.

The debate sometimes is spirited, but almost always civil. From where I sit, that's a pretty big step up from what you usually get.

I'm not here a lot any more, but I still occasionally read. All I can say to the so-called newbies is JUMP IN. When you do, the next generation of high school-dominated discussion will begin.

At the very worst, you'll find out the bark has little bite.

At best, you'll find friends for a long time.

BTW: From the brag bag, my 9-year-old doubled his hits total from the regular-season in the playoffs, going 5-for-6 with two walks and a HBP in three games. He didn't make an out; he reached on an error his other at-bat. His team won the championship. The HBP is significant because he got hit SEVEN times during the regular season, or about one out every three plate apprearances.