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I don't personally know or care who posts here and I certainly wish all the players the absolute best when it comes to their college choices. I simply try to offer a different perspective when people post about experiences that may not be possible for every family. If we were going through this process for the first time and read about players traveling all over the country (and the world, for that matter) to gain exposure, I can imagine getting very depressed at my own son's prospects because we are one of those families with 1. multiple kids and 2. limited resources.

So my point is only to let people know that good things can still happen for your player even if you can't afford a showcase every weekend nine months out of the year. I don't begrudge those who can - more power to them - but if those posts are just read and no one responds, as many posters frequently suggest, how will other parents seeking information ever find out that perhaps there really is more than one way to skin the proverbial cat?

And perhaps the most valuable lessons will come from the eventual outcome of the various recruiting paths that all of our families have experienced.
Cplz

You seem to take everything way too seriously . Concocting images of me finger wagging ?? geez dont what to say bout that ?! I said most of you ..not cplz ..do you speak for all the posters ? Characterizing my post as " arrogant " is .....arrogant on your part . you need to lighten up....overly sensitive with anything to do with dolphin mom . Why not just patch things up and take him/her out for a drink ?

Maybe you will both end up having a good laugh about this ....its only baseball
Last edited by sulltiger24
I don't really agree with the manner in which some are defending DM. Additionally, I don't understand why DM's method is being attacked either. The family has probably identified this as being the best plan for their son to get a great education and the best opportunity for him to play baseball in college (dependent upon his academics and his baseball talent). If all of our kids had a 36 ACT, thru the ball 95mph, or could hit it 600ft; nobody would have to worry about anything and there wouldn't be different plans. The coach's would be camped out on our lawns if the NCAA allowed. But some plans require more effort. I'm sure will see that Jason will be attending a great academic school and hopefully playing some baseball as well. If so, CONGRADULATIONS! Your plan worked. If you don't want to read DM's posts, move on to a different thread.

"If you only do what you've done, you'll only get what you've got, and you'll never be what you could have been"

Hope you don't mind, BD19.
You guys have to cut it out. Joking and kidding each other and making it sound like you're antagonistic towards each other. Man, rolling on the floor. Thanks for the laugh.

...and what was the original topic? Oh, a showcase at Augustana College, Alma Mater of my friend Stu who had some guy named Anderson throw some passes his way back in the day!


mythreesons - we're in the same boat, i.e., limited resources and multiple kids. My middle child consumes over $30k/year at UW in Madison, my oldest has some medical issues, and my son graduates next year and will be off $omewhere. We had to be very selective. We realized not many coaches would be watching HP play so we ventured to 2 (local) showcases last year and it helped my son realize that, although he was/is a leading pitcher for HP he had a lot of work to do to get to a higher level. However the best for him was 1.) Playing in the Stevenson showcase (faced the minimum 6 batters over 2 innings) and the Headfirst Camp in Virginia where he pitched and hit very well. There were a number of local kids there, some of who we played against since 9 year olds in the Northshore baseball league. However we did have to save and crimp to get there. These 2 camps, more than anything else, opened quite a few doors for him. That and the fact he scored very well on the ACT and has a high GPA (coupled with a low ERA). Last night he received a phone call from a coach at a school in Oregon. How the coach got his name is a mystery to me.
So the bottom line is a player does not have to go all over the USA or elsewhere to get noticed. Yes, it would be a lot of fun to consistently play against the top talent but my son has done okay with the limited exposure he has. He will go to the best combination of academics/baseball he can or else will go to a very top school (he has a merit offer) where he would settle for club baseball and get the best education he can.
BBFan

You are showing that resources to go places may be a factor but for most kids who are students first baseball players second, the most important factors are just being a good player and a good student.

I'm confident 90% or more of the kids can find a good place to play and go to school without going crazy going to showcases. You could spend all that money and time and never do any better than the kid who stayed close to home or went to a college camp or two along the way. If you go to Stevenson and pitch as well as you can, you aren't going to get missed. You will hear from schools who are appropriate for you.

This whole thing feeds on itself with people thinking they are missing out on very important events. These events can be important but certainly not for all.
FastballDad - Thanks; you are right. Let's face it, many of the parents might think their son is the next best major leaguer. The cold hard facts are that yes, a few of the kids will be but most won't. The best job anyone can do for their son is stress education first. What happens if a kid gets a career ending injury? If they have not hit the books, where does it leave them? We're fortunate enough that our son hit 35 on the ACT (perfect 36 in math & science)and has maintained a high GPA that put him in the top 5%. We have always stressed school first, maintaining the view that if he is lucky enough to have baseball help pay for some of his education then great. However it appears that education (merit scholarship) will pay for the education and he will be able to play some ball. It was a real eye opener with how many schools are interested in him. Heck, my wife and I received letters from 2 different coaches telling us how much they wanted him and what could they do to convince us and our son to go and play for them.The best part of a merit scholarship is if he does get injured or even lose interest in baseball he still gets his education, providing he has continued to hit the books.
quote:
Originally posted by Tuzigoot:
I don't really agree with the manner in which some are defending DM. Additionally, I don't understand why DM's method is being attacked either.


Tuzi (and others),
How Dolphin MarkMom wants to do things is completely his business. This is still America, free country, knock yourself out.

As is pointed out over and over though, this board is not subject to free speech. Neither should it be subject to free use, which is what DMM uses it for.

The fact that he comes on here with only one purpose, to promote his kid (which includes his kids conference, showcases, tournaments, school, etc), is the bothersome issue. It sets a terrible precedent. This precedent and his actions are undoubtably contrary to the stated purpose of this website. There is no contribution on DMM's part. He's been banned once before, yet tolerated when his act is a sham, and his motives not only less than altruistic, but obviously usery.

Let DMM do whatever he wants with his son in the outside world, who am I to judge? But when it impacts the society at large, this being the society of HSBBW, and has negative connotations and sets a precedent that is detrimental, why is it tolerated?
Lots of people all over this entire website promote their kids in some fashion . You just dont care for the manner and frequency that Dolphin Mom promotes Jason. Im part of this baseball web society ..has no negative impact on my life whatsoever ... speak for yourself . My suggestion would be for you to stop reading DMs posts and stop responding . There are worse things going on in the world than evil Dolphin Mom

His/Her posts concerning their son is obviously within the guidelines and is acceptable....per coach and Julie...what more do you need to hear ? He was previously suspended due to a different issue concerning a more sensitive topic .
Last edited by sulltiger24
With the possibility of sounding pompus, arrogant, sarcastic, wealthy or just incredibly good-looking, I will state that we attended ONE local showcase. There are a number of reasons for that, some of them financial, some theoretical. I don't recall traveling out of state (at least for THAT one - no political pun intended) this summer. I also realize that I have two more coming down the tracks and they may not have it so easy, or maybe they will - due to some of the contacts I have made this summer and dependant on their continued development and scholastic motivation. And maybe I have limited the number of opportunities they will have by staying local. But I will tell you that I have become increasingly skeptical about every flyer, camp invite and showcase we receive invites to, and am becoming much more knowledgable about which ones are truly about the kids, and which ones are simply money-makers for the institution. And it has never been more important than now for me to be smart about my money, since there appears to be so little of it left. But I will continue to promote Harvey and his job at Stevenson, not only because of the end result, but because I truly believe he is in it for the kids. $80.00 and 100 college coaches and/or professional scouts? A pre-showcase meeting with the parents along with instruction on how best to present your child? Unheard of in many other events. Anyhow, I will continue to investigate the events I am made aware of, and post the ones I feel are worthy when I hear of them.

I also will state that I believe if you are a position player, i.e. not a pitcher or perhaps catcher, your out-of-state opportunities are limited unless you are a STUD. Looking at most of the rosters of the larger D-1's at least, they appear to be full of in-state talent. There are certainly many reasons for this, and since this is my first voyage into the recruiting process, I would welcome additional discussion on this, especially since my next two (or maybe one) may turn out to be position players. Maybe someone can pick up this topic and run with it because my wife is looking at me funny, and the lawnmower is calling my name.
Last edited by JKennedy
JKennedy - Right on target, I believe. Sure, people can (and they do) try to pick apart Harvey and the Stevenson showcase. But the fact is you are playing games in front of the scouts, not just throwing to a catcher. Scouts can see you perform under baseball conditions. You can't beat the $80 cost! My biggest surprise was when, at the parents meeting, I realized his secretary Linda is a close family friend. Both of her sons are top players; she never mentioned about her connection to the event.
Thank the Lord this is and will be my only trip through the recruiting process. Despite the large number of legit contacts we also receive (and immediately trash) the invites to college camps and additional showcases.
However, at the HeadFirst Camp anyone attempting to speak with the Penn Coach was told "you need to attend our camp". Sure enough, about a week after the camp my son received, via e-mail, the invite to the camp. As much as he'd like to go to Penn, we declined, as there are too many other options and it is money that need not be spent.
JKennedy - By the way, congrats to your son. I watched him work at the NS baseball academy this past winter. While my son was taking his pitching instructions your son was in the batting cages working on his swing. Hard work pays off! When we faced him in the summer playoffs our parents were upset because they were hoping my son would go up against his team, but the coaches used him in the opening game just before the Warren game. My son was a bit upset because he wants to face top guys and teams but he is also a team player and took the mound without complaint. It will be fun watching all the various kids once the college careers kick off.
JKennedy-

Nice post! I've been thru it twice - different for both. The problem is always getting seen by the "right" people. If a tree falls in the forest & no one is there to hear it, was sound made?

One thing I was told by a coach a few years ago which made sense. Many of the kids from up North would like to go South. Kids from down South don't want to come up North (baseball).

I would agree hitters going South is tougher than pitchers going South. Radar guns dominate that process.
quote:
Originally posted by Tuzigoot:
I don't really agree with the manner in which some are defending DM. Additionally, I don't understand why DM's method is being attacked either.


Tuzi (and others),
How Dolphin MarkMom wants to do things is completely his business. This is still America, free country, knock yourself out.

As is pointed out over and over though, this board is not subject to free speech. Neither should it be subject to free use, which is what DMM uses it for.

The fact that he comes on here with only one purpose, to promote his kid (which includes his kids conference, showcases, tournaments, school, etc), is the bothersome issue. It sets a terrible precedent. This precedent and his actions are undoubtably contrary to the stated purpose of this website. don't be so naive. do you really think he is promoting his kid? to whom, the college coaches that build their follow lists and decide to go watch a kid based upon what is said in the illinois forum? i don't think so.There is no contribution on DMM's part. He's been banned once before, yet tolerated when his act is a sham, and his motives not only less than altruistic, but obviously usery.

Let DMM do whatever he wants with his son in the outside world, who am I to judge? But when it impacts the society at large, you're kidding this being the society of HSBBW, and has negative connotations and sets a precedent that is detrimental not necessarily different plans for different situations. if a family has identified this type of plans as the best means for their kid, should the kid just give baseball up and hang it up after highschool?, why is it tolerated?[/QUOTE]

I don't think anyone is saying that this plan is for everyone. I hope that none of us feel that it is better to give up on a dream, than to go thru a rigorous process to see if it is achievable. If their process accomplishes his dream of getting a great education and playing baseball. CONGRADULATIONS!

I haven't used my original sign-off in a long time, but I think it sums up a parent and dads feeling in a situation like this.
Last edited by Tuzigoot
I'm not sure who is serious and who isn't but give me a break.

People have been pumping up their kids on this site since I've been here. Some directly some not. Some use other names to do it, some let others say good things (nothing wrong with that.) No precident has been made....it had already been happening.

Some people use their financial advantage to get the kid ahead...others use their own baseball experience and knowledge to teach and guide them. Either way, it's The American Way and there is nothing wrong with it. Maybe after November parents won't be able to use their money and knowledge to get their kids ahead, but til then....

Some day DM is going to post where his kid is going to go to school. I'd say most here in the past have done that....he will no doubt be a very proud man that day and there will be nothing wrong with it.

I also think he has been here to do more than promote his own kid......he has been plugging his Clubbers all the while as well.

CPLZ...quite often I'm right with you, but can't you just click the ignore button?

Truth is even if DM is using the site for his own purposes, I do think that aside from the stats he is handing out some people may be able to learn something from his adventures, and they don't have to travel all around the world to do so.
quote:
Originally posted by sulltiger24:
Lots of people all over this entire website promote their kids in some fashion .


Name one that promotes his kid in the same fashion.

quote:
Originally posted by sulltiger24:
My suggestion would be for you to stop reading DMs posts and stop responding .


My suggestion for you is that you quit being an apologist for someone else...take you're own advice and...
quote:
Originally posted by sulltiger24:
speak for yourself .


FBD,
The reason I don't ignore it, is I believe it's wrong. This is especially true when he throws out misinformation from ignorance as he did a couple of weeks ago about college scholarships and recruiting.
I try to avoid apathy.
don't think the Clubbers exist anymore or have existed for about 5 years. It's one thing to promote, it's another to keep a running diary of their every where abouts and every move. If everyone did that this site would be losing more people every week. There's plenty that are sick of parent's talking up their kids and what team their kids play for but it's nothing compared to this. Talking up the public league and the kids is one thing that's at least good.
Fastball mentioned the Clubbers. I don't remeber DM promoting Clubbers on the site. As an ex-Clubber, there are a lot of top players that played there. A lot of the same kids are in the CPL.

CPLZ; Sully said "promote in SOME fashion" not same fashion. BBfan58 has promoted his son in a subtle fashion in this very thread. We know his ACT his velocity what teams he plays on. That is not promotion? I am not taking issue with BBfan58 who I like and I like his son as well, I'm just pointing it out. Happens all the time.

Did I mention my son played very well last night in the fall ball all-star game? He threw ropes to second in warmups and before each inning. In 3 innings no one went. Too bad.
quote:
I absolutely look forward to hearing all the updates involving DMs kid , his team and his recruitment .

Get his e-mail address then and have him send you daily updates.

CPLZ has it about right. It is for the individual to conform to the norms of the group and not the other way around. Many times, DM causes negative sentiments because he irritates the group by going too far with things. To be fair, I thought this particular thread was non-controversial but I understand how reputations are sometimes hard to overcome.
quote:
Originally posted by ClevelandDad:
quote:
I absolutely look forward to hearing all the updates involving DMs kid , his team and his recruitment .

Get his e-mail address then and have him send you daily updates.

CPLZ has it about right. It is for the individual to conform to the norms of the group and not the other way around. Many times, DM causes negative sentiments because he irritates the group by going too far with things. To be fair, I thought this particular thread was non-controversial but I understand how reputations are sometimes hard to overcome.


Why do we think that DM is promoting his son to us? What can any of us do for him at the next level?

I don’t talk about my kid, because I think it is bad baseball mojo. I’m afraid of the baseball gods. How weird is that, being afraid of the baseball gods.Eek

Maybe HSBBW members should only get three posts on this message board:

1. Please Identify Your Son,
2. My Son Committed To, and
3. I Got The Call

Three pretty safe posts that almost nobody could complain about, and after that its time to retire the avatar.

Come next spring when you guys put up your son’s day, Johnny pitched good, Bobby went 4-4; I hope you get hammered on this board.

Conformity, that which diminishes intellectualism, productivity, creativity and so on and so on … Wow!

"Most people can't understand how others can blow their noses differently than they do." President John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Last edited by Tuzigoot
I have gotten some criticism in private over this thread and it is fair.

IMHO, this particular thread started by DM was a great topic. There was some intial commentary that was perhaps negative suggesting there was more talent somewhere else. Since then, the arguments have been more historical in nature and I agree with some of those particularly espoused by CPLZ.

99.99% of all posts on the hsbbweb go off as intended. Advertisers who don't contribute to ad space and don't contribute to board content - that is one area of free speech that is regulated.

Another area is when the group in general has a problem. Historically, there have been complaints, and they are legit imho. In this particular thread, I don't see anything to complain about.
Ok, so perhaps it is time for Julie and I to rethink some "things." I do resent the suggest that I am somehow enabling all of the ****. I am in the middle of real life and not worried about someone's self serving promotions. I've told many of you to ignore. You don't seem equal to that task. I've ask DM before to act in moderation. Again, the same. How about some adults acting like adults!

I'm going to leave you with a quote from one of my former players that made it far enought to have a cup of coffee in the bigs. I asked him why he never talked about himself. His answer, "Coach, if you're truly good, you'll never have to talk about yourself. Everyone else will do that for you."

No wonder that kid went so far. His dad was the same. Never believed in keeping his sons stats because, "stats can make you miserable and ruin the thrill of the ride." Pretty good family!
quote:
I asked him why he never talked about himself. His answer, "Coach, if you're truly good, you'll never have to talk about yourself. Everyone else will do that for you."

No wonder that kid went so far. His dad was the same. Never believed in keeping his sons stats because, "stats can make you miserable and ruin the thrill of the ride." Pretty good family!

Outstanding advice Coach.
I made my last post out of anger and so, I apologize. I'm very tired. DM started a thread that has every right to be posted on this site. The rub then is that he also posts about his son. More than just DM does likewise. Yes, it gets annoying BUT only myself and those that enjoy his posts have to read them. Otherwise, get a good chuckle and move on. Why then act as "enablers." By posting your disapproval, you add fuel to the fire. This thread could very well have had some limited number of viewers, a posts or two and as rapidly have disappeared. Listen, we all have to make choices about what we think are appropraite behaviors. None of us will agree on that. Many posters in this thread have been suspended. Some multiple times. Why? I just don't get it. Be the bigger man! Again, I apologize for the tone of my previous post. I'm going to go spend some time with my family now. I've been everything to everyone else for a couple of weeks now. I'm going to try to at least talk to my family for one night. You all decide on what the "right thing to do" is.

Take care,

Darrell
Last edited by CoachB25
IMO --The moderators should only have to get involved when their are NEGATIVE posts directed at any individual . Dolphin Mom's posts are nothing of the sort . His/her posts are POSITIVE as it pertains to Jason's journey toward college . What the heck is wrong with that ??? Ive read much much much worse things in this forum and others that isnt even given a second thought with regards to moderator action .

CPLZ

Its not right that you are making such an effort to try to run Dolphin Mom out of this forum just because of your dislike for him/her and his postings. Your own personal opinion toward DMs posts is not the prevailing attitude here despite what you say . Its not your call to make ....deal with it .
quote:
Originally posted by sulltiger24:
IMO --The moderators should only have to get involved when their are NEGATIVE posts directed at any individual . Dolphin Mom's posts are nothing of the sort . His/her posts are POSITIVE as it pertains to Jason's journey toward college . What the heck is wrong with that ??? Ive read much much much worse things in this forum and others that isnt even given a second thought with regards to moderator action .


This (Bold above)is not necessarily true. The facts are, at times it isn't given a first thought. Once, one or two other moderators kept a close eye on this forum. They have had enough of the constant bickering. As many of you know, the Illinois Forum requires more administrative efforts than any other forum, with the exception of the hitting forum, on this site. ClevelandDad has graciously stepped in to help knowing that I am now so busy that I don't have time to sit and read every post on this site. Should you see posts you think are inappropriate, you should use your report button. Then, I will be notified about posts I need to check out as will MN-Mom. I'm certain that I have missed posts that I needed to take action on. I'm certain that I'm not earning my keep at times. I do my best. I'll save you the *** story of what demands my time more recently.
Last edited by CoachB25
I guess I'm one of the longer standing posters here on The Illinois Forum these days. Most of the guys who were here when I came on aren't around much if at all any more.

Not that much has changed, but all in all I kind of agree with Sulltiger's attitiude. CoachB is outstanding but I really think that a lot of stuff that should go without any intervention by moderators is being reacted to. I really saw NO NEED WHATSOEVER for any intervention by the moderator in this thread. That's not to say that in the past a few guys who got kicked out weren't blatantly abusing the Forum.

While DM may be a pain in ther rear end every now and then, what really negative thigns has he brought to this Forum in recent months?

Just because you don't like someone or the way they do things is not a reason to complain to either the moderator or to Julie. CoachB......don't sweat it. If people are PMing to you about these kinds of things, so what? It doesn't merit a response just because one guy doesn't like another.

And that is what this is really all about.
Last edited by FastballDad
quote:
I really saw NO NEED WHATSOEVER for any intervention by the moderator in this thread.

I agree. You need to send a pm to sulltiger - the moderator in this thread. He is the only one who has "moderated" it and that was to remove his own inflammatory posts.

This thread was a good one and has gotten off track based on historical arguments over the propriety of over-doing it in the self-promotion of one's own son. Maybe DM has rehabilitated herself/himself and this thread was a good attempt at doing so imho.
quote:
Originally posted by bballdad1954:

CPLZ; Sully said "promote in SOME fashion" not same fashion. BBfan58 has promoted his son in a subtle fashion in this very thread.


BBD,
Yup, I know he said SOME. My point was that there's appropriate and inappropriate ways to do things. I asked Sully to show me someone who promotes their kid in the SAME fashion, to show that Dolphin MarkMom was in a league by himself when it comes to the inappropriate category.

Someone beaten within in inch of their life as a spectator at a hockey game is not the same as someone punched in the nose in a boxing ring. As a community we define the differences. I'm not sure if Sully deems DMM's actions appropriate, but he does advocate turning a back on them, where I do not either deem them appropriate or wish to ignore inappropriate and sometimes potentially damaging behavior.
Cplz,
you continue to be the voice of reason and make some very good points.
Fastball,
The reason people aren't on here anymore is because their kids are graduated i am sure. I know DM gets out of hand but there are alot of others that are on here solely to point out their kids, the things they been to, what showcases they are in, etc. They aren't fans of the game or this or that like they claim, so when their kids done they are done. The moderators get called into these posts by people that snitch and tattle like little kids. He himself said he's too busy to monitor this little kid stuff and I don't blame them. If people disagree, so what, that's life. talk it out, PM each other, whatever but to tattle and get the moderator involved is childish.
FBD, I too miss all of those Dad's and past posters who've moved on. It is much different now versus a few years ago. This forum used to be about who's better, OPRF or LT, New Trier or JCA. Then it was chest thumping about who had the toughest conference. Many players played travel ball, but during the winter and during the season it was all about HS. I don't remember anything like what is going on now being a part of normal dialogue. Then again, I'm older and more prone to memory lapses.
Last edited by itsrosy
You can continue to analyize Dolphin's posts and deem them inappropiate and they very might well be according to some ....to others maybe not. But whats the point of continuing to argue this topic over and over ? I dont believe its going to change anything . Its quite apparent and very clear that Dolphin is going to post and not be run off whether any of you accept it or not . Whats the point of this exercise again and again and again.
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