Perfect Game Scout League Good or Bad?

I don't know about this particular case specifically, however, I know that Perfect Game is located in Iowa and Iowa does not have spring baseball; they start playing, I believe, around the end of May. Spring ball was not done in Iowa for a couple of reasons. One probably is the weather and the other is that for the rural schools all of the boys would be helping their dads get the crops in in the spring so alot of guys couldn't play after school at that time of year. It could be that they have some competitive league for the serious guys before the high school season begins. Either way, you are right, high school ball should take precedence over another league.

Even though I don't know that much about Perfect Game, I can't imagine that they would be trying to intentionally draw kids away from their high school teams.

Just a side note. Despite all of my mindless blathering in the previous post, it still does not really explain how a player from Crystal Lake would end up on one of those teams. What I said would only possibly be true for the Iowa guys if indeed it has any merit at all.

Up here in the backwoods of Wisconsin our high schools play EITHER a spring or a summer schedule. Perfect Game has run a spring league and a fall league here for a few years. Many of the guys whose schools play in the summer participate in this league. My guess is this particular player is playing in Wisconsin.

Maybe he doesn't get along with his hs coach, I can't imagine why you wouldn't play for your respective high school.

I think the player you are referring to is from Crystal Lake South high school. I also think there is a freshman from Lake Zurich doing the same thing. I hear they are not happy with their high school programs at this time. Don't know much about either program.

I don't know anything about either of the players mentioned previously, but we did know one player who played with PG out of WI last year because he was ineligible for his high school team due to some discipline issues. There are also HS in WI that don't start their season until school is over, which leaves a whole other "season" if you will (granted, not much of one given the usual weather in April and May here in the Midwest).

I agree, though, that it would be a sad day to see high school baseball replaced by club teams. School athletics can be a great academic motivation for players - not to mention the school and community pride that results from representing your school.

What exactly is a scout league? If perfect game is running it, its probably a very well put together league. Pg puts together the best showcases. After you attend a pg event, you receive a detailed report, they have a nice new feature web tv. Most showcases in illinois for example, take your money, jot down some scores and slap you on the back on your way out as they giggle. If the scout league plays only on the weekend why would that interfere with the high school ball?

Fastballdad,

I’m not familiar with the situation you’ve mentioned. In 14 years of running these wood bat leagues the only players in the league who have missed their high school season have been ineligible for one reason or another or they have quit for their own reasons. I don’t know anything about the player from Illinois, but I guarantee that I’ll be looking into that today.

Never would we suggest to any player that he play in the league instead of playing high school baseball. In fact, I’m not sure anyone is more pro high school than we are. We would never tell a player to miss his high school season.

BTW, This might be the first time we’ve ever been mentioned with hurting the game. Truth is… everything we ever do is about promoting and trying to help the game. It’s a major part of our mission… To promote the game of baseball at all levels to the best of our ability. And we have put our money where our mouth is for the past 15 years.

Some might not believe that, but those would all be people who really don’t know us very well. We will be making an announcement today that should help some to understand. We have entered into an agreement with ESPN and it’s all about promoting the game of baseball at the amateur level.

Once again, we are among the biggest boosters of high school baseball, even to the extent that we are the major sponsor of the biggest high school tournament in the country (The San Diego Lion’s Tournament) and are involved in the planning stages of a national high school championship. We have also partnered with Rawlings in some national programs designed to benefit High School and youth baseball. Bottom line, please don’t label us the enemy of high school baseball… That hurts!

By Fastballdad

quote:

Maybe I don't know all the facts, but on face value, this is a step in the wrong direction. For those of you who disagree, remember this is The HIGH SCHOOL Baseball Web.

FWIW, Fastballdad, With all due respect I think you are missing some of the facts.

We do everything possible to promote and support this site “The High School Baseball Web” And we have done that long before there was any advertising involved. In fact, we don’t do it for advertising purposes. We donate and could care less if there is any advertisements of PG. Julie simply does that on her own, we have never asked for anything here.

My problem has always been, people think we give money to advertise here and nothing could be further from the truth… We give money because this site is important to many people and to baseball. We have and would give the same amount without any advertising.

So, if anyone else is as big a booster of high school baseball and this site… They should do what we do… Put their money where their mouth is!!! It’s time to give something back and donate!!!

Pg staff. Where will the news regarding your connection to espn be posted?

Spinner FYI...a couple things. Things that maybe someone with opinions as strong as yours should know.

1. High School Teams play on the weekends, so it would interfere.

2. IHSA Rules prohibits playing on a "Club team" during the season unless it is something like the US National team.

The first "general" announcement will be posted on all our websites today or tonight. Once all details are finalized ESPN will issue a national press release through the wire services.

Later this week we will be issuing an announcement about our relationship with Rawlings. It will include the first step. Rawlings has already made a release pertaining to this.

PG STaff, I did qualify my remarks in terms of not knowing the whole story. I think most would agree that PG has a great track record and my limited dealing with PG has shown them to be a classy organization.

I'm sure you do a fine job of promoting amateur baseball. I do believe though that perhaps in this case, making a team or league available to a kid who could be playing on his HS Team may be promoting Amateur Baseball but hurting HS Baseball. Perhaps The PG policy should be that any kid who is able to play on his HS Team during this season should not be eligible to play in The PG League. Otherwise it is perfectly fair to say that PG is in fact competing with HS Ball.

JMHO

In regards to PG's relationship to Rawlings, my son sends along his "Thanks" to PG and Rawlings for the honor he recently received in the mail.

A great partnership by two of the bigger names in baseball!

quote:

Originally posted by 2bagger:
I think the player you are referring to is from Crystal Lake South high school. I also think there is a freshman from Lake Zurich doing the same thing. I hear they are not happy with their high school programs at this time. Don't know much about either program.

At LZ the player is the son of a former assistant where there is friction between the two adults. The player went out for the team, practiced with the freshman one day and was moved up to the soph team the next day. The next day the players father made him quit because he didn't get moved up to varsity. Quite a shame. The frosh is a good player, but there was a senior all conference player at his position in varsity, simply wasn't going to happen for the frosh. I feel sorry for the kid.

And there you have the definition of daddyball.

I believe this particular player's dad is running a travel team this summer with Illinois and Wisconsin players. What surprised me about that is a pretty good organization who isnt lending their name is kind of behind this. At this level dads should be behind the backstop not in the dugout. After a stunt like that can you imagine the pressure on this kid? That player should be having fun playing for his school and baseball in general. Really sad. JMO

I dont want to speak for PG but I beleive the league was established to get some more swings for the kids from up there that do not get a Spring HS season. Iowa is very simalar thus they do it there also.

First off , I beleive HS baseball is the single most important thing in the development of a player. For the player who beleives he is above their team , no use for them regardless of what they bring to the table. That is their foundation..

The situation with the Crystal Lake kid, I beleive there was a situation and the family decided instead of moving for a SR yr, they would go a different route. North.

Nobody is trying to reinvent the wheel here. Their leagues is to provide to the kids, not compete with HS.

It goes HS baseball
College baseball.

Look beyond that and your chasing a rainbow.

And what is a club baseball team?

Not saying right or wrong but I wanted to clarify the situation before it blew up...

Also this kid has a very good scholarship to a very good Division 1 school South... And the school is well aware of the situation that occured. I dont think this is common, just unfortunate for all.

Cplz and seed. Must agree with you both, i hope the kid isnt finished at the hs level now. I wonder if he can recover and come back next year after daddy's blunder.

The scouts i have talked to all check out the pg crosschecker, they may not attend all the showcases, but most that i have talked to consider pg the leader in the biz!

The Frosh situation, well thats a whole different ballgame..

Deuce a club team is AKA select team, travel team. I have seen you make comments like that before, what do you call the orioles, sparks and diamondbacks? They travel have there merchandizing, recruiting systems in place hired coaches. I think we can all agree these are club teams. Deuce you seem to want to distance yourself from "travel ball" but you are smack in the middle of it? Please explain?

I wanted to add my two cents about Perfect Game's support of high school baseball, and of the HS Baseball Web.

Perfect Game is by far the largest financial supporter of this site, and they have never asked for advertising space in return. When I took over as owner almost two years ago, they were the first baseball organization to contact me and offer financial support. (Jerry wanted to send me a check to help with expenses, even though he had a history of making an annual donation and it was not the time of year for him to do so.)

When I started accepting paid advertisements in some of the forums (most notably this one!), I asked Jerry's permission to put up a Perfect Game banner in our most popular forum, General Items. At first he said that they did not want recognition for their support. But I explained that it would be unfair for other sponsors to be visible while Perfect Game remained anonymous, and Jerry finally agreed.

Am I a big fan of Perfect Game? Yes, but that started long before I took over this site, and is not related to money. As a side note, I've been approached a few times by baseball businesses who wanted to "outbid" Perfect Game as a primary sponsor of the HS Baseball Web. That conversation is never going to happen. There is no price tag, and there is no other baseball organization like Perfect Game. They are absolutely the best, in quality and integrity, and I am honored that they have chosen through the past two years to continue as a friend of the HS Baseball Web.

Julie

I am in no way trying to distance myself with the Travel Program. Its actually when i get a chance to coach the Guys.

I am right smack in the middle of the Illinois Sparks program..

I think the difference between a club team and a travel team is that club teams are used as a replacement for high school season. I see this a lot during the s****r season. Some of the best players at my high school decided to play with a club team for the recognition instead of playig high school.

I dont know why spinner is comparing a club team with a travel ball team, but it is driving me nuts. Travel ball is the only way an IL kid will be able to promote himself to the quality schools,Besides or a small percentage of good high school coaches. Bill does a great job with the promotion, along with Todd and Shaun with Top Tier. Also, travel ball teams in no way affect the HS season, except for the useless summer tournament.