Pushing for answer before Jupiter

Programs will offer on the spot. My son got multiple offers while there during his Senior year. It may be a quiet period, not sure, but a few JUCO's offered full rides and a D-1 and 2 D-2's made their intentions clear.

I can not imagine it hurting his existing offers.

there are many on here who have experienced the journey first hand so my opinion on this comes from more of a practical viewpoint.

I would think that those pressing for a decision before Jupiter would have concerns that your player may in fact get a more attractive offer after playing in there.. unless that date represents some magical line of demarcation I am not aware of.

Doesn't it work both ways?

Knowing who they have committed allows them to go to Jupiter and recruit with an idea of what they need. Correct assumption or not?

Question: Do most colleges already have their offers out and are waiting to see who commits where? Will a second wave of 2011 recruitment start up after the Nov NLI signings?

If your son wants to wait until after Jupiter to see if a better offer comes along, then perhaps the ones he has aren't right for him.

You never should accept an offer just because you feel it is the only one that may come along or be pressured to accept.

JMO.

quote:

that have offered are asking for decisions before Jupiter for obvious reasons and son is concerned that if he commits before Jupiter then he may be missing out on something better.

Life's a gamble isn't it? He can gamble but may lose what he now has in hand in hopes of what (the perfect offer at a particular school)?

They School wants to close the deal ASAP without mudding the water by going to Jupiter. That's just good sales. Can't blame them for trying. They two might find another jewel there themselves.

You are familiar with the old saying? A bird in hand is worth two in the bush? If either of the two offers are schools/programs he was considering I'd say make a decision and don't bet on the come.

On the other hand, if they aren't compelling enough to tempt him, then keep playing your options.

Many players who have a college deal in hand go to Jupiter for the competition and the chance to be seen by all the pro scouts.

quote:

Originally posted by LovetheGame2:
Certainly its a good problem to have with numerous offers. As many of you know, no offer if exactly perfect so you have to decide which is the closest or best fit. Here is the dilemma; the schools that have offered are asking for decisions before Jupiter for obvious reasons and son is concerned that if he commits before Jupiter then he may be missing out on something better. Two questions; one, if a college recruiter has heard or maybe only seen him once or maybe has never seen him before, and is really impressed at Jupiter will they offer right away? And two, is the risk of losing the existing offer as real as theses colleges are making it out ot be? As always thanks in advance.

The real question is....

What is "something better"?
More $$?
Better location?
Bigger school?

What are your Son's criteria?

I sure as heck would not risk losing a good offer for one that "might" come!

If there are specific schools that have contacted him and indicated that they might make an offer based on seeing him in Jupiter, then the question is whether any of these schools are higher on his list than the ones that have already offerred?

To me, your Son is 'first choice' for the schools that have already offered.
That doesn't necessarily mean that he is 'second choice' for some other school(s), but every college has contingency choices ready, including the schools that already have offerred him.

I can tell you this much for certain.
Every D1 school has already made a play for their "A" list by now.

But, since not all will accept, they will use Jupiter as a reason to see other contingency players and possibly sweeten their original offers to the "A" list players who are still uncommitted.

What if he does not play well in Jupiter? Or they see someone else who they like better?

And, yes, they can and will rescind offers!

We went through a very similar scenario 2 years ago, and it is a bit scary.

Feel free to PM me and we can discuss further.

Of the schools who've made offers to your son, are any of them schools he'd really like to attend? College is about so much more than who makes 'a good offer' if your son is fortunate enough to get even a single offer. College is four (for too many, 5) of the best years of their lives, so consider the whole, not just who makes the biggest offer and which team is the most powerful.

Does your son want to go to a big university, or small?
Does he want to attend college in a 'college town' or big city?
Does he know what he wants to major in, and does the school offer that major?
Does he truly have the ability to PLAY, rather than just be on the team, for the school that he selects?
There are more considerations, but these are a few to ponder.

Depends on player's position (more flexible for pitchers) and what are the school's priorities/needs for this class. I would advise my son to accept the offer from the school with the best academic reputation, and have a blast at Jupiter. Good luck!

This is a very timely subject, son is getting ready to transition out of JC to a 4 year program and he's back on the recruiting merry go round. He has received one very good offer, with other programs in contact. At this point we worry about taking the good offer and play in an isolated area or hope for something closer to home/larger population. I know he wants to play closer to home but not too close so we can attend some of his games. He was very fortunate to get the JC scholarship 700 miles from home and he is doing well there.

My question is this. Is it getting too late for him as a sophomore in JC or does he have time to consider other programs? He is getting good grades at this school too.

Here is the most common answer to all of this:

You never know and far more often than not, decisions must be made with incomplete information.

And even more frequently a delayed decision is an opportunity that does not last. This does not mean to make a decision based on fear, but to make it with the realization that an early offer can not and will not last in nearly every case. But an early offer accepted means that you will never know what else -- if anything -- there might have been.

quote:

Originally posted by Pop Up Hitter dad:
This is a very timely subject, son is getting ready to transition out of JC to a 4 year program and he's back on the recruiting merry go round. He has received one very good offer, with other programs in contact. At this point we worry about taking the good offer and play in an isolated area or hope for something closer to home/larger population. I know he wants to play closer to home but not too close so we can attend some of his games. He was very fortunate to get the JC scholarship 700 miles from home and he is doing well there.

My question is this. Is it getting too late for him as a sophomore in JC or does he have time to consider other programs? He is getting good grades at this school too.

Good to hear he is doing well in school!

It is not too late, Calif just had their Sophomore showcase and that does not include all the players from the Calif JC's which will get recruited.

He should contact the schools he is interested in, if he can gain some traction, then let them know he is getting offers and see if they will get in the offer process.

Good Luck!

I look at it from this prospective, as GUN is experiencing some of the same issues... I think you have leverage before Jupiter, if the offers are from schools that are high on JRs list. That leverage may get him a better offer, early. If those schools are not high on the list, then the decisions already been made for you.

GED10DaD

You have to figure how to play it...very difficult...I liked Jemaz's post, you should take it to heart.

It sounds, by reading between the lines (correct me if I am wrong), that you have someone looking at Jr. who you like better than the current offers (If you are just waiting for a better offer, that's the wrong reason to wait, pick the better fit, regardless of offer).

Having been down this road, I would be honest with all...

To schools that have made offers...We just feel right now, that if we made a decision before Jupiter, it wouldn't be in our best interests. It is our intention however, to make a decision immediately following the event.

To schools that are still looking...We have several offers on the table right now and they are pressuring us to decide before Jupiter. We are very interested in having you see JR. and hearing your thoughts afterwards. In fairness to everyone involved, we would like to make a decision quite soon after the event.

That way there is a conclusive timeframe so that people currently offering Jr. don't feel too strung along and can prioritize Jr. in their recruiting plans and still talk to other recruits and know when things can start to take shape for them.

The best advice anyone has ever given on this site, and usually the least heard, is...pick the school you would want to attend if baseball weren't part of the equation. College coaches and programs are usually quite different than what is advertised in the recruiting process. The number of PM's people get here from disenchanted frosh and soph parents looking for alternatives to their first choice is staggering.

quote:

Originally posted by CPLZ:
The best advice anyone has ever given on this site, and usually the least heard, is...pick the school you would want to attend if baseball weren't part of the equation. College coaches and programs are usually quite different than what is advertised in the recruiting process. The number of PM's people get here from disenchanted frosh and soph parents looking for alternatives to their first choice is staggering.

IMHO, that is the worst advice. The reason I say that is because I see people saying that all the time on these forums when their kids are recruited. When the baseball goes bad one year later, 99% (according to my unofficial stats) transfer. Why transfer if they picked the school as if baseball weren't part of the equation?

Why hang around the high school BASEBALL web if baseball weren't REALLY important? This website SURELY is not needed to pick a good academic/social fit.

Baseball is a form of entertainment and our culture sometimes has trouble admitting that an activity like that is worthwhile. If your son wanted to be a musician, would you tell them to pick a school as if music were not part of the equation? Kids flunk out of schools like Julliard all the time because they are just not quite up to the standards of the institution. Should they have picked a different school because they liked the bricks and mortar and social climate better? These are all rhetorical questions that do not require answers.

People need to be honest with themselves first and foremost. Maybe your kid is just a decent player today, but maybe four years down the road they blossom IF they make the right baseball decision now. No shame in that. They can also see all their academic dreams come true as well. This does not have to be a zero sum game i.e., always prioritize one over the other.

CD,
You and I always have been on different sides of the spectrum when it comes the prioritizing baseball vs. academics/life opportunity...and that's ok, neither of us is right or wrong, just different priorities for different people.

The premise, "people need to be honest with themselves first and foremost", is a mighty tall order. It's not just the objectiveness that lacks from being too close to the situation and over the top believing in your child, it's that most parents aren't qualified to rate potentials and then have the necessary baseline experience to quantify that potential.

Back to the question about choice...The kids who want to transfer aren't the kids that are disgruntled because the coach wants to play them too much. Sometimes it is a coach/other issue, but the bulk of the reasons from what I see, are the kid is not getting the playing time/opportunities that he had hoped, and now, for the first time in his and his parents life, they begin to get the idea that Jr. may not be a star. At that point, they begin to reassess the priority of baseball in their lives.

A whole bunch of new factors, with a new found objectivity begin playing on their decisions.

Over time, I've really backed off on telling anyone how they should prioritize things. People like you have shown me that there's more than one way to skin this cat, and there is no, one size fits all, solution. I can't tell some kid it's folly to follow his dream, and I can't fault another for choosing the school he wants to attend even if the baseball is below his horizon line.

My personal experience here has been parents asking for counsel on situations where Jr. wasn't happy at his school because the baseball wasn't turning out they way they had hoped and since the school wasn't really where Jr. wanted to be, there was no reason to stay. Just my experiences though.

My own sons baseball could very well end a year early due to injury, but in spite of that, he'll have a good degree and nice opportunity for advancement in life because he prioritized his school first and baseball second. In retrospect, it looks wise, but it could have played out differently too.

As to this being zero sum, that's why we use the word "fit". It's a balancing act, that unfortunately for most prospects & parents, is being done in a sensory deprivation chamber with little guidance and experience to draw from.

The biggest mistake I see made, is choosing a baseball school with little regard for the "fit" academically/geographically/socially, etc. My counsel is consider these aspects from the same objective viewpoint as you are asking them to attain by being honest with themselves in the baseball regard.

CD

What the heck are "unofficial stats"?

quote:

Originally posted by ClevelandDad:
IMHO, that is the worst advice.
...... When the baseball goes bad one year later, 99% (according to my unofficial stats) transfer. Why transfer if they picked the school as if baseball weren't part of the equation?

Why hang around the high school BASEBALL web if baseball weren't REALLY important? This website SURELY is not needed to pick a good academic/social fit.

Baseball is a form of entertainment....

People need to be honest with themselves first and foremost.

Not my point of view, (nor anyone else in my network.)

After understanding whether or not the baseball program fits for your son, whether or not the college fits for your son, and whether or not the Coaching staff cares about your son, a last of questions I ask the student-athlete is to answer:

- Should something happen to the athlete part of you being a student-athlete at this college, such that you are now only a student, would you choose this college?

And with the current NCAA thinking that DI
college baseball players who transfer, lose a year (out of five) of eligibility, the last of questions is of more importance.

And as such, IMHO, such thinking is simply naive.

Priorities are different from one person to the next. Often those priorities change given enough time.

Nearly every player who we deal with fills out a questionnaire. One of the questions is which colleges are you most interested in. After reading thousands of these, it becomes clear that most young baseball players want to attend a college based on baseball first. The same top baseball schools pop up too often to think otherwise.

IMO, there is no perfect school or fit (before the fact) and priorities can be whatever for an individual. The truth is, you can’t do one (baseball or academics) without the other unless you go pro.

Just guessing here, but I think the majority of outstanding baseball players have baseball equal or above academics on their priority list. That doesn’t mean academics is discounted in any way. They can excel at both!

Personally, I think comfort should be the highest on a priority list. People who are comfortable tend to be more successful in most anything, including baseball. Not to confuse laziness and partying as comfort. Some people are most comfortable in a much different environment than others. Unfortunately, no one knows ahead of time how comfortable things will be.

In the end, parents can have much different goals for their children than the kid does. Sometimes the goals that parents have can get in the way.

Anyway, I’m definitely no expert on the subject!

Back to committing before Jupiter. The early “official” signing period is a couple weeks after the WWBA in Jupiter. I can understand why a college recruiter would like an answer before that event, there will be a ton of college coaches there.

Many, maybe even most, of the players there that have already committed and those that haven’t will create a lot of interest. Even those that have committed are followed closely by their future coaches as well as the largest crowd of MLB scouts, including the highest level scouts, they will ever see at one place.

If someone is confident that a player is talented enough, there is no need to commit early unless that’s what you truly want to do. There are some real good college recruiters who can recognize talent in a hurry and it doesn’t take a great performance to create serious interest.

Last year I was moving around in a golf cart and from behind the left field fence saw a kid pitching. A long way off but he looked good. I called our scout behind home plate and asked who the kid was. Not recognizing the name, I drove the cart to behind home plate. There were maybe a dozen scouts at that game, but two innings later there were about 75 to 100, mostly college coaches watching. 6’0” RHPs with 90 fastball, 3 pitches and outstanding command will do that. That kid became an instant magnet for recruiters from coast to coast. These things are common at that event.

My guess is that the college wanting an answer knows what they are doing. They probably think your son is going to create some serious interest. That doesn’t mean that he will, but it’s a good sign.

Let’s face it, why is a day before WWBA any different than the day after WWBA? I call it good recruiting, they might love your son, but they love their program and their job even more. You don’t become a successful head coach or recruiting coordinator unless you are extremely competitive.

If your son is good enough they will want him just as much, maybe more, after the event. The risk is that they don’t want him as much after seeing him there. But is that a risk? If he commits now and they don’t like him after seeing him in Jupiter… Then what? Both they and your son is likely to end up disappointed.

Not trying to suggest what you should do, any advice I would give could completely backfire and turn out to be the worst advice you ever received.
Best of luck

quote:

And as such, IMHO, such thinking is simply naive.

As usual, you have to sling a perjorative in there.

Why are you here exactly Bear, is your life that miserable? You seem like a miserable old coot who has no friends

You of course took what I said out of context. I didn't say if the athlete part went away. The working theory here is kids will transfer if baseball does not work out to their liking. I read that story here all the time. Maybe you skipped over the hundreds of posts who have said the exact same thing. Perhaps you are arguing kids don't transfer when the baseball does not work out? Maybe I have been misreading all the posts here where kids are transferring because things (baseball) was not what they expected. Silly, silly, naive and intellectually challenged me for misunderstanding all that. You are a mental giant Bear and thanks for setting me straight.

quote:

Originally posted by CPLZ:
CD,
You and I always have been on different sides of the spectrum when it comes the prioritizing baseball vs. academics/life opportunity...and that's ok, neither of us is right or wrong, just different priorities for different people.

The premise, "people need to be honest with themselves first and foremost", is a mighty tall order. It's not just the objectiveness that lacks from being too close to the situation and over the top believing in your child, it's that most parents aren't qualified to rate potentials and then have the necessary baseline experience to quantify that potential.

Back to the question about choice...The kids who want to transfer aren't the kids that are disgruntled because the coach wants to play them too much. Sometimes it is a coach/other issue, but the bulk of the reasons from what I see, are the kid is not getting the playing time/opportunities that he had hoped, and now, for the first time in his and his parents life, they begin to get the idea that Jr. may not be a star. At that point, they begin to reassess the priority of baseball in their lives.

A whole bunch of new factors, with a new found objectivity begin playing on their decisions.

Over time, I've really backed off on telling anyone how they should prioritize things. People like you have shown me that there's more than one way to skin this cat, and there is no, one size fits all, solution. I can't tell some kid it's folly to follow his dream, and I can't fault another for choosing the school he wants to attend even if the baseball is below his horizon line.

My personal experience here has been parents asking for counsel on situations where Jr. wasn't happy at his school because the baseball wasn't turning out they way they had hoped and since the school wasn't really where Jr. wanted to be, there was no reason to stay. Just my experiences though.

My own sons baseball could very well end a year early due to injury, but in spite of that, he'll have a good degree and nice opportunity for advancement in life because he prioritized his school first and baseball second. In retrospect, it looks wise, but it could have played out differently too.

As to this being zero sum, that's why we use the word "fit". It's a balancing act, that unfortunately for most prospects & parents, is being done in a sensory deprivation chamber with little guidance and experience to draw from.

The biggest mistake I see made, is choosing a baseball school with little regard for the "fit" academically/geographically/socially, etc. My counsel is consider these aspects from the same objective viewpoint as you are asking them to attain by being honest with themselves in the baseball regard.

Good post

We differ on only one small point. I am not telling people to project future major league stardom for their kids. Only telling them to be honest that baseball is important to them and there should be no shame in admitting that. I think we are 99.5% on the same page. Both goals can be satisfied obviously. To say "pick one (academics) as if the other (baseball) did not exist undercuts your argument that there needs to be balance in the decision.

Not that my longtime friendly adversary, Bear, needs my support but your last post goes 100% against everything you espouse on this site.

Go back and re read your post

When UNI dropped their baseball program, nearly every player who logged much playing time and had eligibility left, Transferred.

They would have stayed there, but not without baseball. One did stay there because he was a basketball player (remember the upset of Kansas?). He was drafted (baseball) this past June.
UNI Player

quote:

Originally posted by PGStaff:
When UNI dropped their baseball program, nearly every player who logged much playing time and had eligibility left, Transferred.

They would have stayed there, but not without baseball. One did stay there because he was a basketball player (remember the upset of Kansas?). He was drafted (baseball) this past June.
UNI Player

Exactly.

Look I have seen this type of situation many times coaching kids in the summer. They have some offers but want to see what else pops up before they make a decision. Your son is in the same situation. If he wants to wait to see what pops up then he is not ready to make a decision. As long as he understands that those other offers may not still be on the table once he goes to Jupiter no big deal. He may go to Jupiter and have a great showing and a better offer. He may go to Jupiter and not change his situation one bit. Those coaches may go to Jupiter and find someone they like more than your son.

Good offer? What is a good offer? What is a better offer? More money? Bigger name school? Better potential playing situation coming in? Better school?

The first thing you have to decide is what is a good offer for your son? For me a good offer is an opportunity to play baseball at a school he wants to attend. A program that affords your son an opportunity to play based on his ability. A program that really wants your son both as a player and a young man. A school that he can handle both academically and socially. A school that fits his academic needs and desires. A place he feels comfortable with. A coach or coaches that he feels comfortable with.

If he has that already what are you waiting for? If he doesn't then by all means good luck in Jupiter.

quote:

Originally posted by CPLZ:
The best advice anyone has ever given on this site, and usually the least heard, is...pick the school you would want to attend if baseball weren't part of the equation. College coaches and programs are usually quite different than what is advertised in the recruiting process. The number of PM's people get here from disenchanted frosh and soph parents looking for alternatives to their first choice is staggering.

We gave this advice to son and I would recommend it to anyone, but perhaps the misunderstanding about the statement is in the interpretation as it means to an individual. Absolutely baseball was a very big part of the decision, but we didn't want baseball to be the only reason for the decision. So we asked, would you choose this school if baseball wasn't involved. I am pretty sure that eliminated some schools that were recruiting him.

Of course baseball is important and should be a very important part of the decision not sure anyone ever said it shouldn't.

I look at it as if it were a whole pie, to be divided up according to your priorities. For son half of the pie was for baseball program and scholarship opportunity, a quarter of the pie included geography, small class size and degree possibilities, and the other quarter was life at college, not baseball or academic related. You all got to figure out how to divide your pie based on priorities and fit, but I am almost certain if the whole pie goes towards baseball, it might be hard to swallow later on.

The strange part in all of this is one never really knows if the decision was the right one sometimes until it's all over, because the end result means different things to different people. My son went to a big baseball school, beleive it or not there were many of his teammates who had no desire to play the game beyond college, it was all about college baseball for some. They may have begun the recruiting process with that in mind, but often times many things change, priorities change, and yes, sometimes graduating and the degree becomes much more important than baseball.

I agree with what PG has said about comfort, that was one thing that jumped out to son when he visited where he attended, he felt comfortable, more than a bsaeball team but like a family, that was very important for him in his decision.

quote:

Originally posted by CPLZ:
The best advice anyone has ever given on this site, and usually the least heard, is...pick the school you would want to attend if baseball weren't part of the equation. College coaches and programs are usually quite different than what is advertised in the recruiting process. The number of PM's people get here from disenchanted frosh and soph parents looking for alternatives to their first choice is staggering.

i think this is sound advice, i have given it many times myself.

i know many players transfer( or want to) after a year at a school, for many reasons. but how much does it cost? who has the money to do this? in this economy.......love the school or keep looking. in a perfect world the money isn't an issue.

just my opinion though.

Totally agree with PGStaff, TPM and 20dad on this concept of "comfort".

Comfort is something we considered last year when we were going through this process, but there were other priorities getting our attention. We defined "comfort" as the coaches, program, social atmosphere, and academic challenges.

Now, after talking to several of my son's former travel teammates parents at BIG TIME programs, comfort has moved to the top of their list. Somehow things have changed between HS recruiting and freshmen Fall baseball. A couple parents have told me their son's commented to them:

"Now, I've seen the dark under belly of this program"

or

"Coach XYZ was very soft spoken during the recruiting process, but now all he does is yell".

It kind of makes me think real hard that possibly "comfort" is the most underrated & important aspect to all of this.

Well, a player goes to Jupiter, looking for a better offer than he has been given. Has a good game, gets an offer from a "better" baseball program, player says yes. Why not say yes, has to be a good place, good coaching staff, decent location, offer is decent, winning program. Nice facility, good conference. This decision is now based upon a better program and a better offer, in other words, big decision based primarily on baseball.

Lots of reasons to say yes. Only problem is, you spoke to the recruiting coach once or twice, you never met the Head Coach, you have never been to campus, you have never met your future teammates, you don't even know how many players are ahead of you for the same position. You know nothing regarding degrees offered or even that your biology class will most likely have 3K in attendance. You never even thought to look how many players may or may not transfer in or out. But what the heck, it's a great baseball program, take the offer.

Not sure about how others feel, this would not be a comfortable situation for my son.

I won't even get into arriving at school and finding out that the "fluffy" stuff that got you here really doesn't exist (thought in your mind you thought that it did). And oh, my, you forgot that you had to go to class everyday!

This is why so many transfer, it's not all about lack of playing time. JMO.

People who are espousing this argument (pick the school as if baseball did not exist), need to answer one simple question, "Why are people transferring when the baseball does not work out?" If the school was picked as if baseball did not exist, why the need to transfer?

If we are talking about "comfort", the issues that appear to be making people comfortable (according to fenwaysouth's post for example) are related to "comfort" with the baseball program. Review CPLZ's comments:

quote:

College coaches and programs are usually quite different than what is advertised in the recruiting process. The number of PM's people get here from disenchanted frosh and soph parents looking for alternatives to their first choice is staggering.

He ain't talking about bricks & mortar, academic fits, social dynamics, classroom size, professor attentiveness, institutional prestige, and the like. The staggering part he is referring to and the disenchantment relates to the underlying baseball decision that was made.

you don't go to college to become a baseball player. college and baseball together enhance the experience. but most of the biuldings are for class rooms.

would someone pay 20k to 40k a year to play any sport? i know some might, but in my opinion that thinking is what causes transfers.

quote:

Originally posted by 20dad:
you don't go to college to become a baseball player.

That is not what we are debating here. Coaches also don't go to the library to recruit baseball players.

This site mainly exists to help high school baseball players find a home in college and to play college baseball. All I am questioning here is how could one possibly leave it (baseball) out of the decision (as is being espoused here) and is at the center of this debate? I am not advocating that players use college to further their baseball goals but I know at least one player who did precisely that.

The high school "baseball" web is not needed to find the best academic/social fit as non-baseball students make wise decisions in that area every day. It is an invaluable resource in finding the best "baseball" fit however. Comfort (for those who want to be college baseball "student-athletes") starts with the baseball fit and not the other way around imho. It seems to me this site would be useless otherwise.

I read the original post as asking not about education vs baseball but more do I go to Jupiter with an offer in hand and see if I get a better one.

Amazing how it morphed !!!

My son's dream school was UM, can't get much better than that as far as baseball programs go, right.

Yet, when all was said and done, after viewing the campus (city campus) , feeling like he would reside in South America rather than in the US, he wanted no part of it. He didn't feel comfortable, he didn't even feel comfortable with the Head Coach either. He preferred the small university tucked away in teh middle of nowhere, and I might the towering beautiful buildings with the expansive lawns and fountains in the gradens, so for him, bricks and mortar may have made him feel comfortable.

Do players experience "shock" when they arrive to a program, of course they do, not one parent here whose son went off to school will deny that. The honeymoon is over, the coach did his job getting you there, and now he's gonna continue it by making you a better player, a tougher kid and many coaches have different ways of accomplishing that. Some can't take that, other can, mostly because the decision they made wasn't 100% about baseball, there are other things to find and enjoy when not on the field. How one copes with all that is placed upon them to accomplish and put up with is an easier rode if you are comfortable with where you are. JMO.

I have to agree with 20dad, the purpose of college baseball is not to soley major in baseball, but rather a means to help you to pay for and enhance the college experience.

TPM

I wish you would not speak for others, especially me.

I can tell you that my son did not have what you term "shock" when he arrived on his college campus. Perhaps it was because he had done his homework before arriving there. And he was 2000 miles from home.

quote:

This site mainly exists to help high school baseball players find a home in college and to play college baseball. All I am questioning here is how could one possibly leave it (baseball) out of the decision (as is being espoused here) and is at the center of this debate? I am not advocating that players use college to further their baseball goals but I know at least one player who did precisely that.

i think much differently than most, so i'll stand alone for a minute. not everyone has the extra money to transfer schools if baseball doesn't work out or if baseball is dropped.or you lose your spot. for those who do have the money, maybe they can move around anually. but i would want to know if for whatever reason baseball may be gone....will you be happy here?


cd, i know why this site exist's, i'm very happy people like yourself give advise here. but maybe there are one or two like myself that your advice may not hit home with? but....maybe not.

someone needs to be the third wheel, my turn.

20dad - you are one of our most respected members, I am not trying to get you to agree with me and have no problem if we are in fact disagreeing here (not sure we are actually as this could be semantics).

All I am aksing you to do is justify "your" argument. I agree it is expensive to transfer and with your other arguments about the purposes of college but that does not address my question. "Why are people transferring when the baseball does not work out?" That fact, undercuts your argument.

For a baseball player. If the baseball is going good the academic situation will be tolerated and accepted. If the baseball is not going good no matter how good the academic situation is its not going to matter.

Every kid is different. But for many the baseball is the driving force for getting up and going to class. It is the driving force that allows them to get a diploma.

There are exceptions. But for the young man that eats and sleeps the game of baseball its more about the game than the books. The desire to play the game is the driving force behind hitting the books.

If a young man finds himself in the perfect academic fit and a poor baseball fit will he survive this situation? If he finds himself in a perfect baseball fit but poor academic fit will he survive this situation? It is way more likely he will do what he has to do to make the academics work if he is happy with the baseball.

Now this is my experience with players. Others may have different experiences. No problem.

IMO

There is nothing wrong if someone chooses a college based on academics.

There is nothing wrong if someone chooses a college based on the best deal financially.

There is nothing wrong if someone chooses a college based on location or other personal reasons.

And there is nothing wrong if someone chooses a college based on the baseball program.

Most people choose the breast, I want the leg. Talking about chicken of course!