Let's hear some good luck stories. Your kid was not a gifted youngster but turned into a great baseball player who made a name for himself, or how he was always overlooked and then one day popped into the scene, or one day woke up and said "today is the day I change my future". Share your Christmas miracle.
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I won't count my chickens...but my son is driving right now across the U.S. with his car packed full of belongings. Healthy and looking to start anew in Spring 2017 after a couple years off of school and baseball. Deciding between six college offers.
I didn't go to church today, but I did say a prayer of thanks. This has been a long slog of massive off the field issues. It's always a story of grace...Hopefully it will be a story of redemption too.
My guy was a gifted youngster. And he worked hard. In an effort not to share too much, substances entered the picture and his life spiraled out of control.
God has blessed him with another chance. And we are thankful for the opportunities.
Best of luck to your son and your family! Chances at redemption is a thing we all could use! Hope your family has a great Christmas season and an even better spring!
Branson Baseball posted:I won't count my chickens...but my son is driving right now across the U.S. with his car packed full of belongings. Healthy and looking to start anew in Spring 2017 after a couple years off of school and baseball. Deciding between six college offers.
I didn't go to church today, but I did say a prayer of thanks. This has been a long slog of massive off the field issues. It's always a story of grace...Hopefully it will be a story of redemption too.
My guy was a gifted youngster. And he worked hard. In an effort not to share too much, substances entered the picture and his life spiraled out of control.
God has blessed him with another chance. And we are thankful for the opportunities.
Glad to hear that he's on the right track now. Best wishes to him on staying the course. I will be rooting for him from afar.
Branson: Nothing but support and prayers headed you and your son's way from this neck of the woods.
Dadof3, thanks for this thread!
Branson, I hope we'll be hearing more about your eldest in the spring. Great story so far.
Thanks All! I didn't mean to hijack the thread. It's an emotional day for us.
I hate to say it as a New Yorker, but he's putting the East coast in the rear view mirror. Turning the page for a new beginning.
Looking forward to hearing others stories!!!
I wish I had a story like that. The only stories I know are about kids who found success due to a combination of natural talent, hard work, and supportive parents.
The closest would be an enormously talented kid who was ignored by colleges due to really sketchy academic record but has gotten his act together at Juco and just signed an NLI to a D1 school.
And lots of little stories - like weaker Little League players struggling mightily and then getting the one big hit or big play that makes their baseball experience memorable.
In middle school everybody thought my son was very good. But not thought of as a pitcher, he played a lot of first base. When people talked about the future of his HS team, he was not the one mentioned. Others where bigger and stronger.
Freshman year and he is back at first base, and not pitching much. probably the smallest on the team. Hits the weight room and puts on a bunch of muscle. He easily catches other players. One of his teammates claims he is on steroids. Spring of his sophomore year JV coach moves him to center field, wonder a why he was ever playing first. No. 2 pitcher in rotation.
End of sophomore year a new coach is brought in watches last games of the season and son performs very well. Junior year he is on varsity. First few games he sits the bench. In the third game, starters are not responding, hanging their heads. Coach pulls a senior and puts son in. Son bats 1000 and makes a play or two in outfield. Starts in Center for the rest of the season. Team is district champions and he is starting pitcher, for most of the big games.
No 1 pitcher senior year. One of 3 on his team to play in college at the d3 level. Freshman year he is a weekend starter. Strikes out 10 in a conference game. Named newcomer of the year for his conference.
Had a good 4 years as 1 or 2 starter. Looks like this year he may help coach JV at his HS.
Today he is still held as an example of what hard work in the classroom, weight room and on the field.
This isn't much, but kind of cool. So my son is 11. We moved to where we are now 4 years ago. The first year, just rec baseball, no travel. He makes the B team as a 9, 10, and 11 year old. As a 9 year old he finished second best in BA, and at age 10 and 11yr lead the team. Has always played positions well, but his lack of speed has held him back from the A team -(well that and politics - that is another thread though) He did struggle hitting a little bit in rec - but that is rec pitching with rec strike zones - we all know how those are. He was BUMMED to say the least. I felt bad for him. I know what he is capable of as does he, which is why he was so down in the dumps. Finally I decided to buckle up and get him some hitting lessons the last couple of weeks of rec. He finished the rec season so-so. Travel season starts and he starts smacking the ball! I mean hitting it hard. The lessons had paid off. He finished the travel season well above everyone else. He averaged 1 home run every 5.5 at bats! He lead the team in walks/HB/CI. I can go on, but you get the point. And the great thing was, he was pretty humble about the whole thing. It was pretty cool for him and us as well. I pray that God will continue to bless him as he has and that he continues to excel in this sport as well. Only time will tell!
Well, I guess I should have read before posting. Sorry for the misspellings and grammatical errors. Is there a way to edit.
Dadof3 posted:Well, I guess I should have read before posting. Sorry for the misspellings and grammatical errors. Is there a way to edit.
Hit the take action link and you should have an option to edit.
Thanks!
Branson Baseball - Best of luck to your son in his new surroundings. If there is one thing I admire...it is perseverance. I wish him the best in 2017.
Dadof3 posted:This isn't much, but kind of cool. So my son is 11. We moved to where we are now 4 years ago. The first year, just rec baseball, no travel. He makes the B team as a 9, 10, and 11 year old. As a 9 year old he finished second best in BA, and at age 10 and 11yr lead the team. Has always played positions well, but his lack of speed has held him back from the A team -(well that and politics - that is another thread though) He did struggle hitting a little bit in rec - but that is rec pitching with rec strike zones - we all know how those are. He was BUMMED to say the least. I felt bad for him. I know what he is capable of as does he, which is why he was so down in the dumps. Finally I decided to buckle up and get him some hitting lessons the last couple of weeks of rec. He finished the rec season so-so. Travel season starts and he starts smacking the ball! I mean hitting it hard. The lessons had paid off. He finished the travel season well above everyone else. He averaged 1 home run every 5.5 at bats! He lead the team in walks/HB/CI. I can go on, but you get the point. And the great thing was, he was pretty humble about the whole thing. It was pretty cool for him and us as well. I pray that God will continue to bless him as he has and that he continues to excel in this sport as well. Only time will tell!
Dadof3, my son was always slow. He ran like a clopping horse WITH a refrigerator tied to his back! I could seriously hear his feet pounding the dirt in the stands. When he was in 10u, and on third, NO ONE wanted to send him home on a passed ball, no me, not the coaches, and for sure not him.
Then, he grew up. He is 14u now and has grown into his body. He grew 12 inches in 13 months. Oh the stories I have about random places I found him sleeping, or how many stationary objects he walked into, like walls! Anyway, while he was growing that fast I put him into speed and agility classes because he honestly didn't know where his arms or legs were anymore. He is currently 6'0 and 155#'s and can now run a 5 minute mile, and that is in large part to understanding how his body moves.
My point is, being slow at 11u doesn't mean he will be slow forever. He is about to hit his growth spurt, I would suggest speed and agility classes at this point. In my OPINION, with his ever changing body, hitting lessons are useless right now. His body is changing so fast what works this week won't work next week, but speed and agility classes would be helpful.
Branson Baseball posted:I won't count my chickens...but my son is driving right now across the U.S. with his car packed full of belongings. Healthy and looking to start anew in Spring 2017 after a couple years off of school and baseball. Deciding between six college offers.
I didn't go to church today, but I did say a prayer of thanks. This has been a long slog of massive off the field issues. It's always a story of grace...Hopefully it will be a story of redemption too.
My guy was a gifted youngster. And he worked hard. In an effort not to share too much, substances entered the picture and his life spiraled out of control.
God has blessed him with another chance. And we are thankful for the opportunities.
I wish your son the best of luck! Prayers of support...
Branson, your story has mad eme smile. I feel for you and your family. I have an idea of what he must have put you all through during hsi time "away" from the game. One of my friends has a similar story but no happy ending . I wish and pray that your story continues to be inspirational.
It isnt how you fall that measures a mans worth, it is how you get up that shows you what he is made of. He must have tremendous parents and a great support system. Kudos to you for your perseverance
Yes, this time of year always brings back memories. This one goes back to when the Rams and Raiders were both in LA. T'was the Sunday before Christmas and all through the Big A ...
I had Rams season tickets before they moved. On the Sunday before Christmas the Raiders were playing the Rams in Anaheim. I saw a huge banner I'll never forget:
Peace On Earth Kill The Raiders
There was another time about twenty of us from our section of season ticket holders went to the game at the Coliseum. The Rams were ahead early in the fourth quarter. A guy, about 6'4" 250 walked over in front of us and said ...
"If the bleep'n Rams with this bleep'n game I'm going to bleep'n beat the bleep out of every bleep'n one of you all at the same bleep'n time."
Gotta love those classy Raider fans!
Branson Baseball posted:I won't count my chickens...but my son is driving right now across the U.S. with his car packed full of belongings. Healthy and looking to start anew in Spring 2017 after a couple years off of school and baseball. Deciding between six college offers.
I didn't go to church today, but I did say a prayer of thanks. This has been a long slog of massive off the field issues. It's always a story of grace...Hopefully it will be a story of redemption too.
My guy was a gifted youngster. And he worked hard. In an effort not to share too much, substances entered the picture and his life spiraled out of control.
God has blessed him with another chance. And we are thankful for the opportunities.
Thank you for sharing. I always admire the folks who are not afraid to share everything.
Best of luck and keep us posted.
TPM posted:Branson Baseball posted:I won't count my chickens...but my son is driving right now across the U.S. with his car packed full of belongings. Healthy and looking to start anew in Spring 2017 after a couple years off of school and baseball. Deciding between six college offers.
I didn't go to church today, but I did say a prayer of thanks. This has been a long slog of massive off the field issues. It's always a story of grace...Hopefully it will be a story of redemption too.
My guy was a gifted youngster. And he worked hard. In an effort not to share too much, substances entered the picture and his life spiraled out of control.
God has blessed him with another chance. And we are thankful for the opportunities.
Thank you for sharing. I always admire the folks who are not afraid to share everything.
Best of luck and keep us posted.
TPM - I agree
Branson - "It's always a story of grace." So true.
Grace is all we can hope for. Best to your boy.
Was just taking inventory of all the great friendships I have developed over the years through the game of baseball. Lots of great families. My 2017 played with the same team from 11U through 14U and of the 15 teammates that comprised the core of that team, all are heading to college with 9 committed to play baseball and another in football. I've enjoyed watching these kids grow up the last 3 1/2 years and we've all been able to keep in touch, primarily through social media. All the kids are still playing baseball and when scheduling allows, its not uncommon to see parents and players show up at the ballpark to cheer on their buddies from the old team. It'll be fun to continue to follow these kids as they head off to school and however it shakes out with athletics for all of them, hoping they all stay the course with their education.
Looking forward to seeing them all play one more season of HS baseball. There will be a few head to head games but not many so I've learned to use twitter...lol.
CaCO3Girl posted:Dadof3 posted:This isn't much, but kind of cool. So my son is 11. We moved to where we are now 4 years ago. The first year, just rec baseball, no travel. He makes the B team as a 9, 10, and 11 year old. As a 9 year old he finished second best in BA, and at age 10 and 11yr lead the team. Has always played positions well, but his lack of speed has held him back from the A team -(well that and politics - that is another thread though) He did struggle hitting a little bit in rec - but that is rec pitching with rec strike zones - we all know how those are. He was BUMMED to say the least. I felt bad for him. I know what he is capable of as does he, which is why he was so down in the dumps. Finally I decided to buckle up and get him some hitting lessons the last couple of weeks of rec. He finished the rec season so-so. Travel season starts and he starts smacking the ball! I mean hitting it hard. The lessons had paid off. He finished the travel season well above everyone else. He averaged 1 home run every 5.5 at bats! He lead the team in walks/HB/CI. I can go on, but you get the point. And the great thing was, he was pretty humble about the whole thing. It was pretty cool for him and us as well. I pray that God will continue to bless him as he has and that he continues to excel in this sport as well. Only time will tell!
Dadof3, my son was always slow. He ran like a clopping horse WITH a refrigerator tied to his back! I could seriously hear his feet pounding the dirt in the stands. When he was in 10u, and on third, NO ONE wanted to send him home on a passed ball, no me, not the coaches, and for sure not him.
Then, he grew up. He is 14u now and has grown into his body. He grew 12 inches in 13 months. Oh the stories I have about random places I found him sleeping, or how many stationary objects he walked into, like walls! Anyway, while he was growing that fast I put him into speed and agility classes because he honestly didn't know where his arms or legs were anymore. He is currently 6'0 and 155#'s and can now run a 5 minute mile, and that is in large part to understanding how his body moves.
My point is, being slow at 11u doesn't mean he will be slow forever. He is about to hit his growth spurt, I would suggest speed and agility classes at this point. In my OPINION, with his ever changing body, hitting lessons are useless right now. His body is changing so fast what works this week won't work next week, but speed and agility classes would be helpful.
Father of a slow kid checking in.....Im gonna out myself to a certain group of posters....
Lets see ive told this story so many times i bet i can get it in under 500 words....
Starting F3 and clean up hitter in 7th grade, new HS coaching staff, cut in 8th grade for being too slow. At the time he was 5'10" 200 lbs
Surprisingly given a slot of one the schools 14u summer teams, where he performed well.
Made JV as a freshman, split PT at first with another kid. 6'2" 220 lbs
Played summer ball for a team coached by his VHC. One of the top 2 or 3 hitters on the team.
Made Varsity as a sophomore (1 of 3) at a large 5A school (largest classification in our state). 6'5" 245 lbs Opening Day starter at first. Up and down season. Played in about 25 games, started 16-18 Had 10 legit Varsity hits, including 3 doubles (one of the walk off variety)
Hit his first Varsity HR in the District semifinal game in the top of the 9th inning breaking open a 8-8 tie, a blast to CF over the 380 sign
Went to a local open showcase and hit 3 HR and 3 warning track flyballs to LCF or CF. out of 7 pitches. Hit another HR in his scrimmage game over the 30' batters eye in CF, over the 375 sign. Got offered by a JC.
Featured prominently on the showcase's website. Got invited to their invitation only showcase. Went and performed well, although no HRs
Played summer ball for his school team again. Hit a HR to LCF at Doug Kingsmore with a wood bat over the 365' sign.
Got invited to fill in at the 16u WWBA where he hit a 400+ foot HR and was named to the (not all that exclusive) all tournament team.
Got invited to the local showcases Pro Day in January. He is one of 20 juniors and three F3's invited (65 kids total)
Fastest recorded 60 time to this point: 7.85 seconds. :slowaschristmas:
I'm just happy my kids had quality sports experiences and still competing recreationally at the adult level. With my son the switch was on from day one. From the time he was little I heard, "you won't have to pay for his college" in whatever sport he was playing.
With my daughter sports were just fun and socialization until high school. She lacked aggressiveness and intensity. She played all the rec sports. Softball was the only sport she was good enough to play middle school and travel.
Her 7th grade team went 14-0. The 8th grade team was 12-0-1 heading into the last game tied for first. Their last game was against the other 12-0-1 team. They lost 1-0. My daughter was silent al the way home. When we pulled into the driveway my daughter said, "Losing really sucks! I don't want to lose one travel game this summer."
She had grown to 5'10". The intensity and aggressiveness was blooming. A kid I figured was good enough to play high school softball made varsity freshman year. She was bumped up to 18u Gold that summer. She started getting offers summer after freshman year. She verballed before post soph summer.
Great stories everyone! Thanks threeunassisted, that was awesome.
There was a kid on my son's 8th grade team who literally could not catch a pop-up and when playing catcher he spent most of his time retrieving the ball from the back stop. He was cut 9th grade year.
That summer he ended up playing with the Babe Ruth 14 year-old All-star team and going to the world series with them as a late roster filler. Due to an injury he got to play a lot - without the pressure of having to perform. He improved dramatically, made the team in 10th grade and played pretty darned well on JV.
The change was pretty amazing.
