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quote:
Originally posted by bballfan5:
This thread usually appears a few times each year - with the "anti-PBR/Top Tier" folks always posting the same thing:

- PBR is only in it for the money
- PBR only ranks player's that paid for their showcases or plays on their teams
- The rankings are meaningless etc.

I particularly enjoyed sparky134's statement that PBR is a "family and friends network, like daddy ball. At showcases Friends are fed fat pitches in bp and straight two hop ground balls and short one bounce fly balls to showcase fielding. Tod Fine is an expert in using a fungo bat at the max." Inferring that the non PBR players are at some kind of competitive advantage.

I usually stay out of these banters. But I believe most of the anti-PBR posters feel slighted by PBR and that their sons were not properly ranked by PBR or were slighted in some other manner.

I had a son ranked years ago by PBR very high and he never attended any showcases except a by invite only Super 60 showcase. I just find it funny how this organization is so "polarizing". You never see the same animosity for the Sparks, Upper Deck or other similar organizations.

If you don't like what PBR does at showcases - don't attend. If you don't like their rankings - don't read them. IMO I really think Duncan tries to do a good and fair job which a lot over other posters seem to think too.

Things may be different now but my son never wrote his own bio for college. And yes the PBR ranking was included.
  

quote:
Originally posted by dr9961:
Hi, Almost scarred to chime in but was just wondering if someone could share the publication name quoting the coach regarding his opinion of PBR. I'd like to read the article.


Don't be scared Doc..

I believe that Sparky made the remark and was not quoting a specific publication, but rather a discussion that he had with a college coach. Perhaps you could PM him and ask the coaches' name as he certainly will not want to broadcast it here..
JKennedy - I think the poster was referring to your post :

Recent quote from a College Baseball periodical..

"This kid was only a highly touted recuit because of all the money that his dad fed to Todd Fine over the years. Fine owns Prep Baseball Report, Top Tier Athletics and runs talent combines. He also posts videos for more money and is a promoter for Under Armour. This kid was named an Under Armour All American and NEVER won a game in his high school career. ...truth be told is that ------- gave him an offer from a video tape and when the kid showed up on campus ------- saw that he would never contribute to the team and they ran him off.... highly touted recruit.....phooey !!!!!!"

What college baseball periodical is that quote from? I would be interested to read that. Please let us know.
Last edited by bballfan5
quote:
Originally posted by Shelby:
quote:
Originally posted by JKennedy:
Shelby..

No disrespect intended, but you seem to be wallowing around aimlessly here. Noone here is debating the potential rewards of attending a showcase, especially one held by Perfect Game, and therefore, I don't understand the whole "doubters" remark.. Am I missing something here?


JK:
Unreal...this is what you post on the "public" wall...after my PM to you a couple days ago...
I guess I thought the purpose of this site, was to search this site, or "wallow" as you say, even "aimlessly" as you say...and find topics of interest that one could benefit from the knowledge, experience & opinions of others... And maybe occassionally interject your own thought or opinion into the mix. My mistake, since I must not have anything worthy of value to post. So, I will become like the hundreds of others that just wallow here on HSBW...in silence, and "post" no more...


Shelby, keep posting that is what this site is for and questions and comments can help many. Don't be pushed away by a few.
quote:
Originally posted by bballfan5:
JKennedy - I think the poster was referring to your post :

Recent quote from a College Baseball periodical..

"This kid was only a highly touted recuit because of all the money that his dad fed to Todd Fine over the years. Fine owns Prep Baseball Report, Top Tier Athletics and runs talent combines. He also posts videos for more money and is a promoter for Under Armour. This kid was named an Under Armour All American and NEVER won a game in his high school career. ...truth be told is that ------- gave him an offer from a video tape and when the kid showed up on campus ------- saw that he would never contribute to the team and they ran him off.... highly touted recruit.....phooey !!!!!!"

What college baseball periodical is that quote from? I would be interested to read that. Please let us know.

That would be an inappropriate post as the young man's name appears in the article. I'm sure JK would agree.
I would just like to know the publication. I'm not interested in the knowing the players name. I'd like the name of the coach who would allow himself to be quoted not only slamming PBR but also to an extent indicting himself by giving money to someone he had never seen play in person based on a video provided by a scouting service.
quote:
Originally posted by igball:
For the record, the quote comes from a guest responding to a blog. Not exactly reputable source.

The organization in question also helps former players who leave schools land on their feet at new schools.

The same people each year with the same sour grapes.
Time to move on.



Original Quote By Shelby
[QUOTE]
Comment made by a reader OR the Author of an actual article. Sounds like sour grapes...
Wow! Busy day yesterday.

Bravescoach

is exactly right.. I have no interest in disclosing the name of the periodical here out of respect for the player, as I am certain his name would pop up here. That is the precise reason I deleted the name of the school from the post.

Bballfan

I only used the quote to further the discussion about the success/failure of recruiting techniques. Ig is correct, it was a response to a blog, and is only one person’s opinion, so take it for what it’s worth. The person quoted did not represent him/herself to be a coach, but was confident enough in his/her information to post it, and certainly seemed knowledgeable about the subject.

Doc

Nowhere in my quote of the publication did anyone represent themselves to be a coach.

Igball

Where there’s smoke…

and Shelby

I've been called worse names than that. Wink
Last edited by JKennedy
"Bballfan

I only used the quote to further the discussion about the success/failure of recruiting techniques. Ig is correct, it was a response to a blog, and is only one person’s opinion, so take it for what it’s worth. The person quoted did not represent him/herself to be a coach, but was confident enough in his/her information to post it, and certainly seemed knowledgeable about the subject."

If you would have said the quote was from an (anonymous/guest) poster to a blog instead of a recent quote from a collegiate baseball periodical - I wouldn't have questioned your post. I just found the quotation not very believable if written in a reputable publication.

My question would be why even mention it in the first place? Why would you quote an anonymous blogger/poster replying to a blog as a source? Obviously the only purpose is to discredit the PBR organization. How did you determine that the person was "confident enough in his/her information to post it".

I just find some of the attacks on PBR incredibly mean-spirited and misleading. My guess is the main cause of these attacks is the player and team rankings done each year. All lists are always going to be subjective as are any top rankings. Just look at any rankings done by any organization. the same can be said for Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus etc.
quote:
I have good reason to believe that they "crosscheck" each other too when compiling their rankings/data.


1stand3rd,

I can't speak for PBR, but we base everything on what we see, rather than someone else’s opinion or what is published elsewhere. My guess is that PBR does the same thing. If there are similarities in the rankings it’s probably because people sometimes feel the same way about certain players.
quote:
Originally posted by bballfan5:

My question would be why even mention it in the first place? Why would you quote an anonymous blogger/poster replying to a blog as a source? Obviously the only purpose is to discredit the PBR organization. How did you determine that the person was "confident enough in his/her information to post it".


Not sure that I understand your confusion. The topic was PBR, the quote was about PBR. This site is full of anonymous posters, including you. None of them quote-worthy?
Last edited by JKennedy
As I mentioned yesterday I am a little scarred to enter this rather spirited conversation concerning ratings and PBR.

However, I feel compelled to make a few comments.

Regardless of what the rankings are at the end of the day PBR offers an opportunity to give your player exposure to anywhere from 20 - 30 college coaches in the course of a day. My opinion the exposure alone is worth the $200- $250 they charge. Not a bad deal when you think about what an individual college camp costs you between hard costs and the time invested to drive to an out of town/out of state school.

Are the rankings accurate probably not are there politics at play, in some case possibly but when have you seen any ranking whether it's sports related food related,,the best pizza..best hotdog...top songs...best movies of the year etc., that you ever believed were totally accurate or not influenced by personal bias. That's why most rankings of any type are thought to be subjective and not totally objective and in my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt. Do you think a coach is going to select a player for his team based on a rank?

What needs to be remembered here is that coaches pick players for their team not PBR..and any coach that uses rankings submitted by any scouting service as their primary determining factor for who gets a scholarship on their team in my opinion is a coach who won't be in that position for long. Again, this feeds back to what many others have said on this site the ranking may be a nice ego stroke but unless a coach sees something in your player that he thinks will help him win it doesn't matter what the ranking is he will be passed over. The key for me is to be seen, a good performance in a game, showcase or tournament will be what helps write your ticket to the next level not what your ranking is.

Lastly not trying to defend PBR as I do believe that they're in it for the money as they are a business and not a non-for-profit organization. However in my opinion I do respect them for they have built a certain level of street cred with their showcases and on-line publication which does provide a service regarding who's going where and what's going on at many of the area schools.
quote:
Originally posted by dr9961:
As I mentioned yesterday I am a little scarred to enter this rather spirited conversation concerning ratings and PBR.

However, I feel compelled to make a few comments.

Regardless of what the rankings are at the end of the day PBR offers an opportunity to give your player exposure to anywhere from 20 - 30 college coaches in the course of a day. My opinion the exposure alone is worth the $200- $250 they charge. Not a bad deal when you think about what an individual college camp costs you between hard costs and the time invested to drive to an out of town/out of state school.

Are the rankings accurate probably not are there politics at play, in some case possibly but when have you seen any ranking whether it's sports related food related,,the best pizza..best hotdog...top songs...best movies of the year etc., that you ever believed were totally accurate or not influenced by personal bias. That's why most rankings of any type are thought to be subjective and not totally objective and in my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt. Do you think a coach is going to select a player for his team based on a rank?

What needs to be remembered here is that coaches pick players for their team not PBR..and any coach that uses rankings submitted by any scouting service as their primary determining factor for who gets a scholarship on their team in my opinion is a coach who won't be in that position for long. Again, this feeds back to what many others have said on this site the ranking may be a nice ego stroke but unless a coach sees something in your player that he thinks will help him win it doesn't matter what the ranking is he will be passed over. The key for me is to be seen, a good performance in a game, showcase or tournament will be what helps write your ticket to the next level not what your ranking is.

Lastly not trying to defend PBR as I do believe that they're in it for the money as they are a business and not a non-for-profit organization. However in my opinion I do respect them for they have built a certain level of street cred with their showcases and on-line publication which does provide a service regarding who's going where and what's going on at many of the area schools.


All excellent points.

Any of these groups is trying to make money and trying to help players get seen. One RC told us at a parents group that they go the showcases, of course, but the real test is seeing them in a game situation and that's why many do games at their camps or on-campus showcases. He said some kids are simply showcase beasts, but not players, and you can run across the kid with a sub-7 60 who can't steal a base to save his life or the one who hits bombs at the event but will wiff at three straight curve balls.

As many have posted . . . one piece of the puzzle.
PGQ. How are the national rankings compiled?

A. We carefully analyze all of the information at our disposal before making the rankings. We rely on personal observation, scouting reports, input from coaches and input from other scouts, trying to make the rankings as accurate as possible. The rankings are regularly adjusted as we receive new information.

PGSTaff,
Thank you, although can you then please elaborate on these comments above, pulled from the Perfect Game question/answer section of your website?
quote:
Originally posted by dr9961:
Are the rankings accurate probably not are there politics at play, in some case possibly but when have you seen any ranking whether it's sports related food related,,the best pizza..best hotdog...top songs...best movies of the year etc., that you ever believed were totally accurate or not influenced by personal bias. That's why most rankings of any type are thought to be subjective and not totally objective and in my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt. Do you think a coach is going to select a player for his team based on a rank?

What needs to be remembered here is that coaches pick players for their team not PBR..and any coach that uses rankings submitted by any scouting service as their primary determining factor for who gets a scholarship on their team in my opinion is a coach who won't be in that position for long. Again, this feeds back to what many others have said on this site the ranking may be a nice ego stroke but unless a coach sees something in your player that he thinks will help him win it doesn't matter what the ranking is he will be passed over. The key for me is to be seen, a good performance in a game, showcase or tournament will be what helps write your ticket to the next level not what your ranking is.


See Doc!

No reason to be scared. I think you have the cure for this thread! A prescription of two parts common sense and one part diplomacy. I'm feeling better already. Can I get a refill?

BTW - Save the $250.00. Put together a bio for your player and send it to the coaches at the schools he/she is interested in. Include their summer schedule. Probably cost you $20.00. Net savings = $230.00. By your player a new bat.
Last edited by JKennedy
"Not sure that I understand your confusion. The topic was PBR, the quote was about PBR. This site is full of anonymous posters, including you. None of them quote-worthy?"

I wouldn't consider an anonymous comment in a blog worth quoting. I certainly wouldn't pretend that I was quoting a collegiate baseball periodical as an authoritative source as you did.
quote:
PGQ. How are the national rankings compiled?

A. We carefully analyze all of the information at our disposal before making the rankings. We rely on personal observation, scouting reports, input from coaches and input from other scouts, trying to make the rankings as accurate as possible. The rankings are regularly adjusted as we receive new information.

PGSTaff,
Thank you, although can you then please elaborate on these comments above, pulled from the Perfect Game question/answer section of your website?

1stand3rd,
Any information we can gather from our people or associates is entered into a player database. If we hear about a player from a reputable source, we have the ability to check that player out. Normally we try to get that player to one of our events. Bottom line is we have actually seen every player that is ranked. Some much more than others.

Often what we see is much different than what we heard. So in the end we base everything off what we have seen. We are just as likely to disagree with other opinions as we are to agree. But never, not once, would we ever rely on what someone else has published.

I don't know, but I'm thinking PBR bases their rankings on what they see as well. However, there are many others, including some big well know publications that rank players "nationally" despite having a one man department. They have to rely on other opinions to rank players because it is impossible to do it any other way. Seeing we are always the first to rank players nationally, the same names get ranked "nationally" in other places. On the other hand, I doubt that PBR looks at our stuff in order to rank players in Illinois. In fact, they might think they're better at that than someone who deals with every state. I have more respect for that than those who just rely on information from others.

We have people all over the country and even in Latin america and Canada. So when we say the rankings are adjusted as we receive new information, it means information from our own people. It doesn't mean we are looking at someone elses list.

People will always have opinions. I really don't have any reason to disrespect what PBR does. They have been around for awhile now and appear to be growing. That alone deserves respect because sometimes it is really hard to keep going.

In the end... I know that neither PBR or PG is capable of ruining a talented baseball players future.
Last edited by PGStaff
quote:
Originally posted by bballfan5:
I wouldn't consider an anonymous comment in a blog worth quoting. I certainly wouldn't pretend that I was quoting a collegiate baseball periodical as an authoritative source as you did.


bballfan - Listen. I get it. You're a PBR fan and subscriber. Your son played for Top Tier. I hope that worked out for you. And if you want to reply to this post as well, I will let you have the last word.

However... There was NO intentional misprepresentation of the source of that quote. No pretending. No conspiracy. No intent to deceive. It was quoted from a College Baseball Periodical, just as I said. I never said it was a coach, MLB Scout or the President of the good old US of A. I thought it was relative to the topic and I posted it. Let's move along, we're blocking traffic.
Last edited by JKennedy
Thanks PG....I've always thought that it takes a lot of guts when these kids put themselves out there to be ranked - sort of like the baseball equivalent of toastmasters, and you learn a great deal about a player's commitment and composure by virtue of the fact that they even give it a shot, all rankings aside. Remember well my guy's excitement and sweaty palms the night before and I think participation in PG has payed off in many ways, both on and off the field. Also recall on the PG registration form that you had a space for a modest donation to help fund attendance for underprivileged kids. This seemed like a great idea.
PBR deserves a lot of credit as well - those guys are all over the place during the season, late into most evenings, and I have to believe there are easier ways to make a buck. They must really enjoy helping the players who are working hard, and staying close to the game they love. Just my 2 cents.
Sean runs as clean a ship as I have seen. As a college program, we have appreciated the professional way he sets up showcases and events. Any coach worth his salt looks beyond a ranking to see whats really there both on and off the field. The rankings more or less give you a general idea of what you may see. Then the real work begins to verify independently what has been published. From what we have seen PBR does a good job being objective

Dave Mitroff
Head Baseball Coach
Cornerstone University
Objectivity is the key here. I am aware (through an assortment of sources) of instances where I believe objectivity MAY have gone out the window.

Such as:

Your son plays for a competitor of Top Tier.
Your son was offered a spot at Top Tier, but declined.
Your son attended a summer league run by PBR, thought it was a waste of time and money and left.

In order to be respected as a ranking service, objectivity has to be TOTAL with no regard given to any of the instances noted above, or any others that have no bearing on the ranking itself.

Doc said it best:

quote:
Are the rankings accurate probably not are there politics at play, in some case possibly but when have you seen any ranking whether it's sports related food related,,the best pizza..best hotdog...top songs...best movies of the year etc., that you ever believed were totally accurate or not influenced by personal bias. That's why most rankings of any type are thought to be subjective and not totally objective and in my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt. Do you think a coach is going to select a player for his team based on a rank?
quote:
Originally posted by JKennedy:
quote:
Originally posted by 2013 Parent:
quote:
Look at university websites under incoming recruits biographys. Some of them even mention "so and so ranked # whatever in the state of Illinois by PBR".


You're absolutely right on that one, bama. If they are ranked by PBR, it's included in the player's bio and in the news releases about the signings.


It has been my personal experience that the bios on the college sites are written by the kids themselves (perhaps with a little editing and fact-checking), and they will mention every accolade they have accumulated over the years.

PBR rankings are not the tell-all and had NO effect on my 2009 or 2011's recruiting activities whatsoever, nor do I expect them to play any part in my 2013's. I never was a part of the "pay for a ranking" group. Better to let the talent do the talking and spend the dollars on development. IMO Perfect Game's rankings are better known and more respected if you choose to go that route.


the idea is to get DISCOVERED..coaches look at PBR..the coach DISCOVERS you then he comes and watches you play..that was easy..nobody I knew ever got recruited from a video only.
quote:
Originally posted by JKennedy:
quote:
Originally posted by wogdoggy:
quote:
Originally posted by JKennedy:
Mr. Dog,

What exactly is a wogdoggy?

Jim


i think the world would probably be better off if there was just one thing in it you didnt know something about..LOL..just kiddin


Goggle search produced this...

http://www.urbandictionary.com...e.php?term=Wog%20Dog

Some people need to know everything...


actually its an nick name from high school that had to do with my last name..the doggy was just added in
quote:
Originally posted by wogdoggy:
quote:
Originally posted by JKennedy:
quote:
Originally posted by wogdoggy:
quote:
Originally posted by JKennedy:
Mr. Dog,

What exactly is a wogdoggy?

Jim


i think the world would probably be better off if there was just one thing in it you didnt know something about..LOL..just kiddin


Goggle search produced this...

http://www.urbandictionary.com...e.php?term=Wog%20Dog

Some people need to know everything...


actually its an nick name from high school that had to do with my last name..the doggy was just added in


Copyright infringement?

quote:
Originally posted by JKennedy:
quote:
Originally posted by wogdoggy:
quote:
Originally posted by JKennedy:
quote:
Originally posted by wogdoggy:
quote:
Originally posted by JKennedy:
Mr. Dog,

What exactly is a wogdoggy?

Jim


i think the world would probably be better off if there was just one thing in it you didnt know something about..LOL..just kiddin


Goggle search produced this...

http://www.urbandictionary.com...e.php?term=Wog%20Dog

Some people need to know everything...


actually its an nick name from high school that had to do with my last name..the doggy was just added in


Copyright infringement?



a must read!

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