New topic for discussion

We actually had that scenario play out in our household not so long ago. Oldest son was at school getting ready for senior year of college baseball. Now, he was never a MLB prospect (except maybe in his own mind!) but we sure didn't expect the call that we got to let us know he was hanging it up.

I had a message on my phone "Mom - Dad, I have something I have to talk to you about. Call me when you have some time to talk." Every other thought in the world ran through my mind - did he fail a class, get arrested, girlfriend "in trouble"... nope, he just needed to tell us he and coach had talked and decided it was time to give it up. Shoulder surgery over the summer went well, but left him a little short of what he needed to compete. Well, after a HUGE sigh of relief that it was none of the OTHER things... we let him know that we were sad to see it end for him, but certainly understood that, at that point in his life he wasn't going to put the time in that baseball required if he was going to be relegated to the bench. Hard decision but the right one. He went on to complete his major, get a great job and now is the biggest cheerleader the younger two brothers have.

You never know how or when it might end, but end it will for all of us, so enjoy it while you can. Luckily for us, we still have two more playing.. who knows what I'll feel when the youngest hangs it up?!

TPM,
As usual you start some good topics. I think the reality of “life” sets in at different times for different players. It started about half way through college for my son. I remember him calling me during his sophomore year in college a little down because he was struggling at the plate. He asked in a very serious tone of voice --- “Dad, what do you think I ought to do if this “baseball thing” doesn’t pan out?” That comment gave me a good feeling. I began thinking that he’s looking past the pitcher’s mound. But that moment of reality was short lived. He was lured back into his dream by the sound of his name being called on draft day. I think my son will stay with baseball in some capacity. He will play as long as he can and then I look for him to coach or teach. I might add that as his BA goes up, he ignores the other options. As his BA drops he starts to weigh his other options.
Fungo

TPM,

Whenever it ends - heres my take:

Eldest - Will become a professional moose hunter.

Youngest - Will train small and medium sized monkeys for Barnum and Bailey circus performances.

Those are my best guesses.

Like mentioned, I would want to play as long as possible, but I have thought that one day I won't be good enough to play as a living. I would play in amateur leages, of course, but what else interested me that I would want to spend most of my time with? Nothing. Baseball wakes me up in the morning. It effect most of my decisions, I don't know what can compensate for that when I have to hang up the cleats.

At our home we have always tried to create additional areas of interest for our Son. We do bring up the subject fairly often. Fortunately he has been a good student so far in High School and is interested in Drafting and Architecture. He is also a member of the Navy Jr.ROTC, and has talked of becoming a Marine. That option is admirable but a bit more unnerving. My first choice for him would be baseball!

.
Fungo...

So True!

BA up? Baseball dream up....

BA down? Other options looking good...

ERA Down? Baseball dream up...

ERA up? Other options looking good...


TPM...

Older? "Plan B" well in place. 3.97 GPA, pre-professional Biology, Doctor. Will graduate 2 years early.

Younger? Using tried and true methods of crossed fingers, prayer, in the hopes that he find "Plan B".....but best hope is that he Marry rich....

44
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No matter how I try, I can't get either of my boys to think of what they will do after baseball.

I guess that'a a good thing until it starts being more of a reality to them.

I would guess that the skill sets these young men have would be valuable to any employer.

1.Willingness to work hard and harder
2. Leadership
3. Team "guy"
4. handling success and disapontment
etc.

If I'm hiring an inexperienced worker I would pick a baseball guy first everytime. Plus all baseball players (and especially the dads) are very good looking.

For our son and his wife, this topic has been discussed since he first went to college. She is a teacher and he is a very bright chem major who has one year left of college. (Can only take limited number of fall quarter classes in his major because some courses are only offered in the winter and spring.) He will probably pursue an advanced degree, either in pharmacology or chiropractic. And somewhere along the way, I am sure he will become a baseball coach for some level of amateur ball, perhaps even teach chemistry in high school and coach the baseball team.

If and when I get to be a FutureBack.Grandmom, I suspect that even granddaughters will be playing baseball or softball ... I think the diamond is embedded in our son's brain.

Since I'm in the "been there - done that" mode, I will add one important point. When the time comes for your son (or daughter) to hang up the cleats (or figure skates or tennis sneakers)and move on to the next part of their lives, having played a sport with a deep passion will carry over to the next pursuit, whatever that may be. The most wonderful aspect of having experienced a love of baseball, aside from great memories, friendships and batting averages, is having experienced the love of doing something and pushing oneself to the best of one's ability. To be able to go through life with a passion for loving what one does has been my children's best gift from their athletic endeavors.

This discussion has been ongoing at our house. Son is actively searching for the right college fit based on a number of criteria including the availability of one or more of his potential majors: Sport Management, Sport and Exercise Science, or Sport Psychology. He's been really upfront about the fact that playing pro ball is a long shot for anyone and even those who make it eventually have to retire and do something else. That being said, whether he is able to continue to live the dream or not, he wants to remain active in the world of athletics and make a really good income to support himself and his future family.

He is fortunate in that he has former coaches with Sport Mgmt degrees who are in very interesting positions - one well paid and the other not so well, but their jobs are terrific for former ball players. One is the Director of Sports Information for a major university and the other is a DIII pitching coach. He's also met some folks in Sport Medicine who've had a very positive impact on him and he's developed an interest in Sport Psychology based initially on articles he read about Red Sox team psychologist (and former pro player) Bob Tewksbury, and then on research he did on the field and the outlook for jobs and salaries.

I think if he follows any of those paths, hubby and I should be able to score a decent retirement facility. Golf anyone?

Well, he used to work at Taco Bell. I guess he can go back. I think it's his favorite restaurant anyway. I think he'll also stay involved with athletics at some level. Of course the Athletic Department can alway use enthusiastic alums. MUD-DOGS-MUD-DOGS-MUD-DOGS

I don't think a player ever hangs up his cleats, they just don't lace them up as often. There are always adult NBC teams to play for or coaching where a person can be involved because of the passion for the game while also living a "real" life. Ending a college career before it's time should be a personal decision where we has parents may play the role of devils advocate. In the end the kid is turning a page in his life and we should respect the decision regardless. We should be thankful we were able to enjoy the ride as long as we did.

TPM,

Good topic.

As I've stated here before and to my sons as long as I can remeber; "Life is short. I would rather you be happy (to be PC) doing menial work for low pay than miserable making a bunch of money in a dead end job". Fortunately he's never been materialistic which is good, because he's got that low pay thing down pat. He's happy and healthy though and as a parent, that's about all I can ask for.

I can identify with Fungo and his son (funny how they are both named Josh ). Son knows it's a long shot, but as he's told everyone, he plans on playing until they take his glove and cleats away.

His major is in Psychology and other than analyzing our disfunctional (unfortunately on my side ) family, I can't envision him using it as a career. I know he would love to stay in the game in some form or fashion whether it be coaching, front office, etc...

Maybe it's just me, but I think the main thing is getting the diploma in hand. I know of many and I would venture to guess that there is a large percentage of people who are working in a capacity other than their major.

Best of luck to all the young men and women and no matter what the career, I pray they are happy and healthy.

I have always told mine that baseball is a game and to have fun and that I love him no matter what he does. I also told him that baseball doesn't define who he is. His family, friends and life experiences do. Told him we support him and love him unconditionally. Then I told him to get back out on the mound that we were not done with his bull pen session.

TPM,

I like this topic, because I am the person in my family that believes in having a back-up plan encase the first one fails.

If you ask my son he will tell you the only thing he wants to do is play baseball and that there isn’t anything else he wants to do or feels he is good at.

I have offered the suggestion of going to college and majoring in sports management or perhaps getting a teaching degree so he could coach high school baseball and teach. This is something “I” could see him doing, however it is not what he sees himself doing.

i used to ask my boys what they want to do when they grow up.that's when i realized i don't know what i want to do when i grow up.personaly as a young man i created alot of adversity for myself.you tend to realize life is short,your not going to live through it any way. so grab all the prizes.as long as your happy and not a burden to any one.it doesn't matter to me what they do.
i think baseball will always be a big part of my boys life. coaching or what ever.

Speaking from experience ... I'm now 36 and still haven't "hung up the cleats".

Though I never "made it", baseball has, and continues, to provide plenty (if not money!).

Every job position I was hired for, was either directly or indirectly gained thanks to someone I knew through baseball.

One of my first jobs out of college was with a bank; I found out about the job and got an "inside track" to the position thanks to the mother of a friend with whom I played HS baseball.

My first career-type job (as an editor) came thanks to networking with guys I played against in a summer semi-pro league. The job after that (public relations for a wine company) required four glowing references; three came from former teammates who by then had office jobs, and one came from a former coach.

Today I have a successful IT career, thanks to the first baseman on my Sandy Koufax League team, who owns an IT company and helped me with training and my first IT gig. Since that start, I've won serveral IT project bids thanks to relationships with people I play with and against in a Sunday league.

I also work as a private baseball instructor, with many of my clients coming as a result of still playing and being around the game, and others are referred to me from another teammate from that Sandy Koufax team (who now owns the Akadema baseball equipment company).

Lessons learned: (1)baseball doesn't have to end after high school nor college, if you want to keep playing; (2)the people you meet in baseball can greatly widen your network and help you get places, even outside of the sport; (3)the virtues learned and developed by playing baseball at a high/serious level --- dedication, commitment, dealing with adversity, learning to adjust, teamwork, leadership, discipline --- can and will translate in nearly everything else you do for the rest of your life.

And of course, there are always careers in and around baseball, for those who can't shake the "bug" (coaching, sports medicine, broadcasting, editorial, equipment mogul, etc.).

When it happened to me, I wasn't feeling too great. It seemed like so many years of hard work and so much talk of dreams. But just then my son woke me up and told me of his desire to be involved in the financial business. I said to myself, "Wow, this kid has a plan". I never had one at 19, but now at 20 my son is on his way to his 3rd yr of college and getting ready to major in something financial. He already has investments worth more than mine (then why do I still pay his way?). Anyway, the wife and I couldn't be prouder and we always have some great memories from the field.

I have always said as a coach and a father that if it was all about baseball then it was not worth the effort. Coaching is part baseball and whole lot about life. The same things that make you a good baseball player will make you successfull in life as well. Hard work , dedication , teamwork , perseveranvce , overcoming obstacles etc etc etc. I would not trade one minute of the time I have spent on the field in the motel in the car on the way to the park or back home for anything. The memories and the lessons learned by all of us can not have a price tag put on them. The goal is not to make it to the show. If that happens thats gravy. The goal is to have fun and learn life lessons through the game. If it takes you to college or beyond thats great.

Coach May

quote:

I would not trade one minute of the time I have spent on the field in the motel in the car on the way to the park or back home for anything. The memories and the lessons learned by all of us can not have a price tag put on them. The goal is not to make it to the show. If that happens thats gravy. The goal is to have fun and learn life lessons through the game. If it takes you to college or beyond thats great.

I would not trade one minute.
Not one Second.
Play the game as long as you can.
It has nothing to do with Money.
And everything to do with Fun.
If it stop's being Fun, Don't do It.

I try to remind my Son that Baseball is what you Do.
Not who you Are.

EH

I wouldn't trade it either.

I was just wondering, if your son came to you for ANY reason, what could you see him doing other than baseball.
Mine was a math whiz, took every math in HS you could have, but by college didn't want a thing to do with math. There went the engineering degree. His SAT profile said he should go into law, he was always good at debate.
I imagined if he didn't play pro baseball he might have a career with sports.
Last year he informed me that he has been looking into a business. He of course would be playing pro ball, his friend would run the business. It would be a sports bar and restaurant, not what I imagined, but does have the word "sports" in it.

I don't think mine has thought about it yet.

Sport's bar sound's good to me.

Are some other Business.
How about,

EH and SON Do nothing get Paid for it Business?? LOL

quote:

The goal is not to make it to the show. If that happens thats gravy. The goal is to have fun and learn life lessons through the game. If it takes you to college or beyond thats great.

Coach

I agree except in reverse. The goal IS to make it to the show. The rest are great things that hapen along the way.

I haven't decided what I'm going to do after baseball. I doubt I'll ever really leave the sport, I'll most likely find a way to work with it in some way. My mom works part time baseball, my sister worked minor league baseball and now works sporting goods. My other sister works both sporting goods and minor league baseball. My dad coaches.

My dream has always been to play baseball. I realize my dream is coming to an end and I'm gonna wake up at some point. But that doesn't have to mean I have to leave the sport.

My goal is to be an officer in the US Army. I'd love to be a Black Knight playing baseball while at West Point.

If that doesn't work out, and maybe even if it does, I will stay involved with the sport because baseball has been my life. I eventually want to be an athletic trainer. Working in the MLB doing sports medicine would be great, but I want to work in a high school setting. Money is not of concern to me.

Sorry for the rambling..