LakePoint

These are  folks from florida with young players. They know who perfect game is but didnt realize the two went together.

I actually like hearing the ideas others have to improve what we do.  I've been around long enough to figure out the difference between constructive criticism and bitching.

 

There are things out of our control.  If you don't like turf, I guess you shouldn't play at LakePoint. Then there is nothing to bitch about.  We are not going to tear up millions of dollars of turf.  DI colleges that made this year's tournament played there this spring because of the turf. Many have scheduled playing there next year.  I just don't know what to say.

For the most part, I avoid places that nickel and dime me to death. I vote with my wallet, and I'm not the only one, and the fact that other people don't have a problem with it doesn't mean there isn't a large contingent of people that do.  I've literally not heard a single person on the ground at LP this weekend defending the parking or the concession prices, and the parking is a very hot topic. I suspect LP is losing money from people peeved about the parking fees who are intentionally spending less on concessions in response. Given how little food I've seen people eating, I wouldn't be surprised if they're not actually maximizing profit from the concessions. I'm sure there's an MBA somewhere crunching the numbers, though.

 

Until this year, I never had to pay to park to see my son play baseball, and I'm not going to start now if I can avoid it.  I'm not a huge fan of gate fees, but at least at the HS level a lot of that money is going to the various HS clubs whose fields are getting used.  Ditto concessions.  I bring a cooler a lot of the time, but I'll buy concessions when I don't feel like dealing with the cooler, and I almost never here anyone complain about concession prices or gate fees at a HS game (or HS hosted travel game).

 

Any of you guys who wants to chip in $5 to cover the parking fee I'm not paying, I'm sure LP will take your money, feel free.

PGStaff, I have one question about the baseballs and pitchers. I notice and have heard that a lot of the pitchers have a hard time with the new balls and the lowered laces. They struggle keeping a grip on their off speed pitches. They don't have any ability to rub the balls down and therefore we don't really get to see their best off speed pitches. Have you guys discussed some sort of solution to this issue? Perhaps a little tray of dirt behind the mound where the pitchers could rub up the balls a bit to get some tackiness on their fingers? I'm sure that guys are using other less legal ways of enhancing their grip so it might be something you guys address so it's uniformed across all fields. Thanks. Interested to hear your thoughts as I'm sure you guys have heard this before.

I just came from Atlanta played at East Cobb.  it was 5 to get in, allowed coolers and parking was free.... Its a nice place to play a game... However it does not compare to LP.  Is LP a little over done in my opinion yes it is....Is there a feeling that you are getting nickel  and dimed... yes... 5$

 

The way I see it  I don't care if they want 5.00 to park..... I mean think about it.... you spend all this money and your concerned about 5.00 ?   When I was at ECB this weekend, my son was constantly wanted sports drinks and water... I paid  a little girl 5.00 to run it to the dug out for me.... she was thrilled... enjoy itboys  ....it does not last......

pine tar

Exactly. There are some other remedies as well but I would think they could find a solution to this issue.

The Rover,

 

You bring up a good point.  There is nothing new about the low seam baseballs, we have been using them for about 10 years.  The idea is to replicate the ball used in professional baseball and now in college.  

 

At most places we have rosin bags available, but they tend to disappear in a hurry.  My suggestion is to have your pitchers carry a rosin bag just in case they need one.

 

I do see where this might be a bigger problem at LakePoint because there is no dirt.  I will bring this up to our management at LP.  Hopefully they can come up with a good idea. Thanks for bringing it up!

Hate to bring this topic up again as I am a big supporter of PG and have always tried to defend/explain the benefits of PG to those new to the exposure scene. But a comment was made on another board that has everyone riled up and I wanted to see if it was a rumor or true. It was said that starting soon parking fees are going up to $10 per day and that teams were going to start having to pay for the team's water in the dugout. I would just like a confirm or deny. If this is untrue, I can let people know. If it is true, I'm leaving it alone.

Thanks.

I'm pretty sure that is just a rumor, probably from someone who wants to start something.

 

i can say the water story is 100% false.  We don't have control of the parking, but we have talked about this.  Originally it was going to be $10 for parking and we insisted it be no more than $5.  LakePoint agreed and there has been no further discussion.

 

I was at LakePoint tonight watching the WWBA 17U playoffs.  Of course, I'm partial, but I have not seen anything like this complex. The scoreboards, with radar gun readings on every pitch, the lights, the scout towers, the playing surfaces, No dirt or dust, the bullpens and hitting cages, everything about the place is unreal.  The number of rave reviews we get from teams, players, college coaches, MLB scouts and parents is amazing. Yet for some reason most of what I read on this site are negative comments.

 

I really don't know what to say.  I actually like hearing about ways we can improve the place.  in fact, we have made some improvements based on suggestions mentioned here. Soon, one of the largest flags in the state of Georgia will be installed because of a suggestion made here.   Guess if it is so bad for some people, they should just stay away.  I really can't understand how anyone that has been there can go away unimpressed.  If nothing else it should be clear that this was one very expensive complex to build.

 

Sorry, for the rant, but sometimes it seems like the more we do to improve opportunities for talented young players the more bitching we hear.  It gets a little old!

Some folks are happy when they are unhappy, I can't wait to get back down there myself!

Is there any other sport where for profit gatekeepers have inserted themselves between  high school athletes and their desire to move onto a college/pro draft level to the degree that this showcase baseball has?

 

Don't come says the Gatekeeper that prices immeasurable talent out. Don't come.

 

Sheeeesh.

I must be reading this wrong.

 

People are parking some distance away from the complex at the risk of having their cars towed to avoid a $5 parking fee?

 

Again, I must have misunderstood; but, if not, they've flunked the good sense test that PG and Lake Point officials ought to require before accepting any of their recommendations.

Jerry, thank you for the response.  I had a feeling it was a rumor and I really HATED bringing this up again, but I really wanted to set the record straight on the other board.  It is full of people with kids coming up to or just at the age where PG becomes relevant.  It would be unfair to you for those rumors to run amok when they are not true.  I'm sure you won't mind my quoting your response in regard to the untrue rumor mill.

 

Thanks again and keep up the good work.

My son's team will be attending a PG Super25 event in a few weeks.  Does PG require teams to stay at certain hotels (designated as host hotels)?
If so why?

 

+1 for LakePoint.

 

PGStaff:  I can't say for certain, but I believe that was your first rant among many, many great contributions on this site.  If that counts as your most bitter, then we'll take it.

 

The LakePoint facility is everything it is billed to be.  From turf to light, it's great.  There is a more out of pocket expenses for parents and that will have impact on tight budgets, but there is nothing like this place out there right now.

 

For parents:  If you're arriving early, drop off the players and check out lunch or dinner in Cartersville.  Nice little downtown stretch w/ a couple good pubs/eateries.

 

Your spending how much for your kid to play in these tourneys? And your hoping for a 25% scholly to a University down the road? And your worried about paying for parking and the cost of attending these events? Do you want to know what it cost parents to put a kid through college even those on scholly? Attend his games? And your worried about paying for parking? You might want to steer your kid in another direction.

I am SOOOO stealing this Coach_May!

It's not quite as simple as asking why anyone bitches about it when they've chosen this. If I plan a vacation to Disney, this would be like saying, if the Oil Companies raised the price of gas by $1/gallon for no explainable reason beyond increased profits, "Why are you complaining? You chose to go to Disney for vacation. You're spending $7k and now you're going to bitch because it's going to coat you an extra $100 in gas?"

 

Having said that, the bottom line is that it's a business, and prices will be what the market will bear. As a business, it's expected they will make maximum profits. If raising prices or adding fees hurts the bottom line, that's when they will stablize.

Wanted to reiterate what CAB said about PGStaff - if that is the extent of his bitterness then we should all be happy.  It is difficult to point out all the wonderful aspects of Lakepoint as they generally seem to come together in a very nice package.  When any one thing looks out of order, then it becomes much easier to identify these and magnify them.  I remember a thread that discussed ermergency access (a very important issue) and that apparently got lots of focus, got some immediate improvement and I can only guess that it is still being looked into to improve even further.  I 10% of the businesses in my city were that proactive in addressing concerns my life would be a whole lot easier.  As for parking, I've always been a fan of carpooling.  Or maybe grab a spot at the water park and walk.

 

As for baseballs, have not heard any issues from our team but have always been fascinated with the MLB process.  Apparently some guy (fourth generation) goes out to this secret location and collects pond mud once a year.  It gets filtered, dried, packaged and shipped out.  I think the clubbies spend 15-20 minutes before each game taking the sheen off several dozen new balls.  With that in mind, do the LP balls (at PG tourneys) come straight out of the box?  On a previous suggestion related to rosin - isn't it illegal to put rosin directly on the ball?  Aren't you supposed to apply rosin to your arm/hand and then pick up the ball?  What would happen if a pitcher at LP was found with some good old fashioned dirt in their back pocket? 

Best facility for 18U and below games and tournaments.

 

And, BTW: for colleges whose games are affected by winter/early spring weather.

 

Hoping the business model for the complete facility holds up so that it can reach it's full potential.

 

Hell, offer a weekly parking pass bundled with food coupons (complimentary marketing promotion suggestion).

We have Lena Blackburne to thank for "baseball rubbing mud." It's an umpire's responsibility to rub up the balls before each MLB and MiLB game.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_Rubbing_Mud

 

       
       
Agreed.  You have a right to a little angst.  I have seen the photos online and I am begging our organization to go down there for our first tournament of the year next year while it is still cold and unplayable up here.  If they don't want to I might even try and get a pick up team from several of the better travel teams around here just for the experience.

2020Dad,

 

Come on down.  You will love the place.  My son has been lucky enough to play PG events for almost the entire summer.  In Atlanta, he has or will play in:

 

16u WWBA memorial day

16u East Cobb PG invitational

16u WWBA national qualifier

17u WWBA national championships

16u WWBA national championships

16u world series

 

About 1/3 of the games are at LakePoint.  From a baseball viewpoint:  The facility is amazing.  Easily the best pace we have ever played. In comparison, we made the semi finals in Fort Myers earlier this year.  the final games were held at the Twins practice facility.  There were NO batting cages available.  

 

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My kid has played at Turner field and several minor league and college parks. I asked him which facility/field he likes the best, and he said Lakepoint. 

 

I just came back from LP and I am going to be down there off and on from July 17th to Aug 4th.   let me say that I will always prefer grass and dirt. However LP is a very nice complex. The lighting is the best that I have ever seen excluding the big boys fields.

 

The wording on the scoreboards can be a tad small but they are very nice. The radar gun readings on the scoreboard is nice. I did hear that some of the guns are 1.4 miles slow.

 

Parking well I thought that I would be ticked about the parking, then I realized I did not have an inch of ball field dust on my car.... so I actually broke even on the car wash aspect.

My son is on his way down to East Cobb now with his mother.  Flight leaves in an hour. First thing he did when schedule came out was to check to see when/if he got a chance to play at LP.  He was excited to see that he plays there tomorrow and then once again a couple days later. They got to play there a few times last year and we all loved it.  Frankly, when pulling up to the facility, I was so overwhelmed at what they had built there, that I had no recollection of a parking fee. Heck, the Phillies hit you up for almost $20 now, and I bet there are teams playing at LP that are much more fun to watch!!!

My son will be there from the 17th until August 4th for 3 straight tournaments.  He's been looking forward to this trip for months. There are far more serious things in life to be concerned about then a few bucks for parking and the money I'll spend at concession stands. To me, this is all part of the cost of playing on a summer travel team. And as others have said, if you don't like it, don't go.

Just got back as well. Had two games at Lakepoint. A whopping $10.00.

Wish all 6 of our games were there.

Would gladly have paid the extra $20.00

 

DK took a 16U team (mostly late 14, 15 yo) last month for the EC/PG tourney and played 2 games at LP, sent me pictures.  

Now keep in mind that he has played at many venues over the years.  Said the facilities were awesome and it puts South Florida to shame.  The parents told me it was amazing and thrilled their sons had the opportunity to play there.

As far as entry fees, tourneys here are played at local fields and HS and a community college and the cost is $5, and we don't even have a son playing.

Just came home from 17U WWBA with 2016 and of course, we had a great time!  I have to admit, I laughed a little bit each time I paid the $5 parking fee as I was reflecting on this thread.

 

Son was supposed to have 2 games at LP but mother nature got in the way so he only had one.  If anyone can believe this, his team lost their 1st game 3-1 and then proceeded to TIE the next 4 games!   They won his last game at LP to finish the week 1-1-4.  Has anyone seen a team tie 4 games in a 6 game tourney??

 

I did not get a chance to say thank you to PGStaff and family personally, so here - I'll say, thank you Jerry, another great event with memories to last forever!

 

Oh and by the way.... the $5 parking fee to see J Groome pitch on Sunday night in front of tons of people was so worth it!  I suspect Jerry, that you were somewhere among the throngs of fans....as was I.

Moved son to school this past weekend. Detoured to Memphis for three nights. Stayed downtown. Had to pay $15/vehicle or $90.  Didn't like it but it's the "cost of doing business".  Hotel was convenient. 

Had to walk a couple of blocks to see the ducks waddle across another hotel's lobby but that's a different story.

 

At LakePoint again today.  Had a chat with a good looking young coach from Virginia Tech.

 

He sure had a lot of good things to say about his dad. Kind of refreshing! I have been around baseball all my life.  When that happens you get sort of good at certain things.  One of those things is predicting who will be a successful baseball coach. I predict that this young guy will be very successful.

Hmmmmm, wonder who that was!

Well, the ole sayin' applies here, the apple doesnt fall far from the tree!

...but, had he taken my advice to park way down at the Chick-fil-A?!  

 

Who knows what the future holds; but, one thing is certain: When you two guys were chatting, that conversation was carried on by two who are as passionate about the game as two individuals can be! That must've been fun.

 

Many thanks for letting me know he's where he told me he'd be () and for the kind words. That goes for you, too, TPM!

I would have loved to just stand around and listen to that conversation. I hear so many people make the same comments about Prepsters son. The same kind I heard when he was in college. They were right then and they are right now. Of course after meeting Prepster and getting to know him I wasn't surprised one bit.

Somewhat (no, very) off original post, but question remains for me regarding PG All-Tournament designations for players at WWBA. When the Patrick Ebert tweet hit my phone that 18U WWBA All-Tournament selections were now posted, I eagerly went to the PG site to see how local kids we know had done.

 

I was dismayed to see that PG seems to have cheapened the designation of All-Tournament by seemingly lowering the batting standards to a floor of .200 battng average. I can understand Cooperstown Dreams Park inducting every kid into its hall of fame and presenting rings. But a PG All-Tournament designation is supposed to mean something and for the life of me I can't justify a .200 batting average as worthy of such status being awarded.

 

I do not fault the kids who didn't hit better. That's baseball. I will question the validity of any award or recognition to vast numbers of players whose performance was substantiallly below the threshold of what is commonly considered deserving of any kind of All Tournament status. Players who batted in a majority of their pool games, were consistent at the plate and hit well are at the top of the list of honorees. But the recognition of their accomplishment is diminished when the standards are set so low. A .667 hitter is All-Tournament, as is a .201 hitter. That just doesn't make sense. Perhaps PG should institute an Honorable Mention All-Tournament if it wants to include more players to enhance their experience at this major tournament.

 

Pitchers have to pitch a minimum of 3 innings, it appears, to qualify for PG's recognition and there seemingly is a standard of excellence required which is consistent with prevailing standards for pitching excellence.

 

PG is the most highly-respected scouting and ranking service of youth players. However, the 18U WWBA All-Tournament selections predicated on batting average seem to be more of a 'juice-box baseball" approach than a realistic recognition of excellence.

 

We've just returned from the 17U WWBA. As always, the tournament was superbly run, the LakePoint facilities are second to none and the experience was memorable for us and NTGson. The boy batted well, pitched OK with an ERA of .000 but didn't have enough innings(only 2), I assume, to qualify for All-Tournament as a pitcher.

 

Thank you PG for creating an environment which fosters an expectation of excellence.

Couldn't make it to LP. Work gets in the way on ocasion.  Found I was just as nervous following my son on the mound on GameChanger, as I am when there in person.  Nice outing though.  Four hits, Ten K's,One walk and no runs.  Got a couple hits at the plate also.  Will be nice to realax a bit more tomorrow when he's in the field and not on the mound.  Raved about the facility, the scouts, everything!!  What an opportunity these kids have to be part of PG and to play at a place like LP.  All good!!

 

My son found out his college will be doing a NC/Lakepoint trip next spring instead of their usual NC/Florida trip.  He's not one bit upset about it....even though there is no beach anyone close to LakePoint...  He was at LakePoint last summer and is really looking forward to another week there.

NotThatGuy,

 

First of all, thank you for the kind words.

 

I agree with your comments regarding naming the All Tournament list.  Seems obvious that we should name a more select group based on their performance and list the rest as honorable mention.

 

One thing that people don't recognize is that our scouts are making notes during every game.  Outstanding defense, base running, key hits, etc. are all noted in every game.  I can't tell anyone that was the case, but it is possible that a player could hit for a low average, but scored very high defensively, maybe at a key position.  So basically made the list for something other than how he hit at the tournament.

 

That said, I totally agree with you.  I do think we should make those all tournament lists more selective.  At the same time, we could still recognize more players by listing HM.

 

All Tournament is a good thing, but a Top Prospect list and rankings are more important for creating interest IMO. Sometimes the best over all prospect at an event, a future first round pick, doesn't even make the All Tournament list, but would be one of the first players on a Top Prospect list.