To our young Hsbaseballweb PLAYERS

quote:

Originally posted by itsinthegame:
Just keep going.

Never stop.

Amen

-Kevin

Hey catch - I am glad you like that.

And I hope you dont mind me giving you this opinion.

The ratings and the rankings and all the bs articles and talk mean nothing. Ever.

The only thing that matters is what you do with the next play.

Regardless of whether you are a pitcher or a position player - the only thing you should ever care about when you are playing this game is the next play.

It is that simple.

quote:

Originally posted by itsinthegame:
It is that simple.

I agree!

D or the monkey must have had a good day!

itsinthegame,
All too often do players get caught up in the naysayer's or pessimist's opinions about said players that it impedes their confidence. This has happened with myself also. If there is one thing that I have learned throughout my baseball career thus far is that, your opinion about yourself is the only one that truly matters. I agree with you 100% that you should smash those who "see the glass as half empty". I hope that other young players, such as myself, stumble upon this thread. Those are some powerful words you shared with all of us. In my opinion, they should be taken to heart. However, that's for the individuals who read this to decide for themselves.

-Kevin

TPM,

Nope.

Ok, I give up..hint?

Was it your latest Moose recipe?

Its - I thought I might get to see D play. Taking my daughter for a visit to USI in April... but team is away that Saturday.

amen

And don't forget about Monkey's and Wild Dogs,
IT'S favorite animal, outside of the Moose?

Just keep playing, and never give up.

The things that should be smashed are the templates baseball dogma indoctrinates gullible people with little real understanding of the game, into taking as gospel.

There’s a fellow on another board who insists that if a player who goes to a showcase of any type doesn’t run a 6.4 60, he may as well go home because he’ll never be picked to go anywhere but to the shed for rakes and the line chalker. Another fellow insists that if you’re a RHP and aren’t at least 6’2”/195, you’ll never see the pros.

I take issue with people like that because all I want to see happen is, every player gets given a fair chance to receive quality coaching and demonstrate their skills. Unfortunately, there are many who see that as wanting to give something to players they don’t earn, but that’s far from true.

SK, never worry about the Naysayer's,
Just keep playing the game.

quote:

Originally posted by theEH:
SK, never worry about the Naysayer's,
Just keep playing the game.

That’s a lot easier for us “more mature” folks to say, than it often is for those still able to bend over and touch their toes to live through.

I couldn’t even guess how many time I said either those exact words or something very close to it to not just my rugrat, but to a heck of a lot of other kids like him, who didn’t fit that profile.

Some of it is ok, up to a point. I never had any problem with the kids having to suffer a few indignities to earn their bones. But after you’ve told you child for the umpteenth time to just ignore the ignorant fools, and that he’ll just have to play better than everyone else like he’s always had to, it gets very old.

Not only does it get old, it makes some of us pretty bitter too, and it sure doesn’t give the kids the best outlook on life. Also, it wouldn’t be so bad if the Naysayers weren’t the ones in control, but that’s seldom the case.

If there’s on common thread to many of the posts I make, its that the primary thing I want to see coaches at all levels do, is to keep as many kids playing the game as possible. Not because I want to see anyone given a free pass, but because everyone grows at a different rate, learns at a different rate, grasps different concepts at a different rate, and most importantly, mentally matures at a different rate.

There are far too many kids who could play at 16, 18, or 20 if they had stayed with it, but got chased away from the game because they didn’t fit some profile some coach had when they were “X” years old.

Wow Scorekeeper! Very well said.

If I didn't know any better I would say that...
...

SK

quote:

There are far too many kids who could play at 16, 18, or 20 if they had stayed with it, but got chased away from the game because they didn’t fit some profile some coach had when they were “X” years old.

They didn't get chased away.
They choose to stop playing.
Believe me I know about Late Bloomer's.
And the one's that just keep playing will end up surprising even themselves sometime's.
EH

quote:

Originally posted by Tiger Paw Mom:
Ok, I give up..hint?

Was it your latest Moose recipe?

TPM,

Yup - LOL

theEH:

You're right, sometimes they choose to stop playing. But they choose to stop playing because they were getting tired of being chased away. And chased away for some reasons out of their control, such as politics and body type, or even an abusively bad coach. It's often a matter of self-preservation.

But they were definitely chased away. I've experienced it.

Ya I know it's sad.
I guess that's were the parent comes in.
Not to make everything better??
But to let them know you care.

I've been thinking about what IT'S said about it doesn't matter what your stat's are, that you were an all-star, that you were league champs.

It's this pitch that matter's.
And then the next pitch after that??
It's a constant next pitch.
That's a tough sport if there ever was one.

Think about this A player goes his whole career as a solid contributer, Good number's, a real Gamer.
And he make's one error, With the ball between the leg's.
And that's all they remember??

On the same note.
A player's ok, so-so hitter.
Come's up to bat, and Hit's a game winning walk off HR in the bottom of the 9th WS game.
And he's remembered forever. Go figure??
EH

theEh,

You're right. It's sumthin, aint it?

I guess this is why they call this a "game". So we don't take baseball so seriously!

quote:

they choose to stop playing because they were getting tired of being chased away. And chased away for some reasons out of their control, such as politics and body type, or even an abusively bad coach. It's often a matter of self-preservation.

.....that is such a powerful and deeply saddening statement.

quote:

Originally posted by Scorekeeper:
The things that should be smashed are the templates baseball dogma indoctrinates gullible people with little real understanding of the game, into taking as gospel.

This is an example of the type of condescending junk my original post refers to.

As a player - if you buy this "excuse-making" nonsense - you will be out of the game. Soon.

Dont blame society - dont blame some perceived dogma - or some delusions of indoctrination. IMO - These are precisely the type of meaningless diversions a player needs to ignore.

Look to yourself.

If your situation is bad - make it better.
If your situation is good - make it better.

And if you decide you have had enough - thats fine. Just dont blame the world for your choice. IMO

[QUOTE]Originally posted by deemax:
This is an example of the type of condescending junk my original post refers to.
Why is it condescending to tell the truth? Are you trying to say there aren’t profiles out there or that there aren’t coaches, administrators, parents, or players who do things and make decisions based on some of the most ignorant things imaginable?

Notice I didn’t say squat about fairness or right and wrong either. All I’m saying is, unlike you, I don’t set myself up as trying to be the one who decides when someone is playing the "game" the wrong way.

I too believe in the doctrine of Just keep going.

I also believe in the doctrine of Never stop.

But SMASHING anyone because they don’t believe as you do is a bit too strong for me.

And when they are finished - smash them again - just to make a point. is a lot like kicking someone when they’re down, and I don’t believe much in that doctrine either.


As a player - if you buy this excuse-making nonsense - you will be out of the game. Soon.

Nonsense? I guess it just shows ta go ya, that different people have different perspectives.

Dont blame society - dont blame some perceived dogma - or some delusions of indoctrination. IMO - These are precisely the type of meaningless diversions a player needs to ignore.
Who said a word about BLAME? The fact is, there are a lot of diversions out there in the mean cruel world. Some are good, some are bad, and some are neutral.

I never said a player should get themselves caught up in any of them either. All I’m doing is recognizing they’re out there, and saying the ignorant ones should be stopped.

Look to yourself.

If your situation is bad - make it better.
If your situation is good - make it better.
[color:BLUE]Those are fine words of wisdom and great advice, but as has been mentioned before, sometimes its just not possible! It may well be to you, but see if you can explain your concept to a 10YO who’s parent’s can’t afford to let him travel with his friends. Or how about the 16YO HS kid who right before the game got dumped by his girlfriend of 3 years and couldn’t find the inner strength to suit up, so the coach cuts him.

Deleted by Moderator

Those who were chased away, were missing a very important ingredient for success.

Lucky for us fans that Michael Jordan didn't quit when he was cut from his HS team.

Gotta admit... itsinthegame has this part figured out completely! Sooner or later... You have to play the game and in the end that will determine a players value! Those who live in the past are not the ones who have the brightest future.

FIGHT!!!




IITG, sometimes SK is a little indelicate and trigger-happy. It can be entertaining. Relax and enjoy. Or go on to the next post.

quote:

Originally posted by PGStaff:
… Sooner or later... You have to play the game and in the end that will determine a players value! Those who live in the past are not the ones who have the brightest future.

That’s absolutely true, and could be carved in stone, but why not say it that way rather than encouraging kids to go out and start “smashing” people?

My son is what can be called a young Hsbaseballweb player. He and his 21YO buddy read the original post and both thought it meant they should have gotten some friends and stomped their HS coach because he did them dirt!

I’ll grant you that my boy is not the most mature 20YO on the planet, but he’s had 2 years of college to help him interpret things. The other boy is a Jr and in college, and they sure took what was posted differently than you, or to be honest, how most adults would take it.

Why not just try to use words and phrases that are easily understood and are difficult to be taken in far different ways than they were intended?

its ...

Of course, I could have misread your original statements (I have been known to be wrong once or twice in my life) but hopefully I didn't. This is what I am reading from the original statements in this thread:

(1) Perserverance is a major factor for success in this game;
(2) Listen to yourself, not to others who likely have their own agenda; don't buy into the usual negative pap from people who often don't know what they are talking about;
(2) Play the game ON THE FIELD one pitch or one at-bat or one defensive play at a time as it is the best way to shut up (i.e., smash) the naysayers (if they can indeed be shut up) and just keep playing it ON THE FIELD to shut them up again.

We have had our experiences watching our son over the years when people thought they knew him better than he knew himself or thought they knew the game better than he did. We watched him weep after one of his hitting coaches told him that he would NEVER get to play baseball in college because he wasn't 6 feet tall (he was 5'10" at that time and is now 6'2"). We watched him pour over his baseball cards looking for all the pro pitchers who were 6' or less, just so he could know that what HE knew about himself was more important than what that idiot coach THOUGHT he knew afbout the game. It breaks our hearts as parents to see our sons/daughters in emotional pain that is caused by others.

Nothing makes us happier and more proud than to see his accomplishments at this point in his young life, to see all the hurdles he has gone over successfully to get where he is, and to see the even greater determination he has today to make it. He played the game on the field, one pitch at a time, and a lot of the naysayers from the past are now some of his biggest fans. And each step of the way, he continues to play his game ON THE FIELD as he HEARS BUT DOESN'T LISTEN TO the current naysayers ... a factor that will be present as long as he is playing the game.

He will quit the game because ... well, there are many reasons at this point that could cause him to leave the game, but I can assure everybody that it will NEVER be because he didn't stay the course and play the game the way it should be played.

JMHO FWIW

FBM,.....
Great post!!!!

My favorite part:

quote:

Nothing makes us happier and more proud than to see his accomplishments at this point in his young life, to see all the hurdles he has gone over successfully to get where he is, and to see the even greater determination he has today to make it.

I keep saying it and saying it, over and over again, and some I'm sure think I am quite quirky ( no public comments allowed! ha!) ,... or perhaps some think I am " just an overly optimistic mom ",

but when you get right down to it,
its really quite simple:

Believe it and you can achieve it!

( No naysayers allowed!!! )


Scorekeeper, sometimes you must read between the lines and see the meaning beyond the literal written word. Think of it ( if Itsinthegame shall allow me to title it so ) as poetry.

Hope this helps.

Scorekeeper - in good conscience you had to say something. LOL

Shoot - You wrote another novel. About nothing.

Again.

From now on - You are the Dostoyevsky of the HSBBWEB

Crack up about that LOL

quote:

Originally posted by Scorekeeper:

Why not just try to use words and phrases that are easily understood and are difficult to be taken in far different ways than they were intended?

Here is another gem. LOL

Scorekeeper - why not just stop telling people how to express themselves?

Are you the new HSBBWEB editor?

LOL

If I take an antibiotic it will ease the pain. The next time, it may ease the pain. The next time, it may cause the pain.

We triumph through adversity. I have a baseball buddy who just doesn't get this. He moved his kid from a solid baseball school to a "B" school just so his kid could get more playing time. He is now leading the league in home runs with a 278 foot fence. He gave his kid antibiotics.

We triumph through adversity. Confidence is derived from experience, and you experience nothing unless you have been knocked around, kicked in the stomach, and thoroughly bloodied and have remained standing. Forsake the medicine (excuses, drugs, alcohol, and dropping out) and towel off.

We triumph through adversity. There are defeats, and there are those who will lead us to defeat. While our superior opponent may not learn from us, we may learn from him, and we will eventually beat him.

For those who Endeavor to
Persivere.
Is that spelled right??

I salute you.
EH

theEH,

Could William Wallace spell? You are measured by your heart, not your vocabulary. By that measure you are a standard.

ITS has it right on--- the good players don't hear anything--they just play hard and do their job---they don't hang their heads after an error or an ofer day---they play the game

quote:

Originally posted by theEH:
For those who Endeavor to
Persivere.
Is that spelled right??

I salute you.
EH

You nailed it EH...T-H-A-T...that's correct!

And by the way...I wholeheartedly agree with Bum...you're tops in our book EH!


William Wallace...inspiration for Braveheart

Futurebackmom,
Our sons must of had the same coach because the same thing was told to my son, he too poured over baseball cards of players under 6'. My son never made 6' (but neither did most of the players on those cards that were listed at 6')
You have to have talent, believe in your self and continue to prove yourself.

quote:

Futurebackmom,
Our sons must of had the same coach because the same thing was told to my son, he too poured over baseball cards of players under 6'. My son never made 6' (but neither did most of the players on those cards that were listed at 6')
You have to have talent, believe in your self and continue to prove yourself.

njbb - wonderful post FBM - have enjoyed yours as well

It is important for ballplayers not to manufacture excuses. Yogi Berra was one of the greatest the game has ever seen and he was 5-8.

Everybody gets what they are born with and nothing more.

Everybody is right. Of course all a player can do is hang in there and do his best in games and in practice with the team and on his own.

Of course there are players who never get that next pitch to do their best on and not through their own choice.

Would Mike Piazza have played pro ball if he wasn't a family friend of Lasorda? Nobody knows, and please don't say that talent would have won out because nobody knows one way or the other. How many other Mike Piazza's are there out there who didn't have a family friend who could get them drafted? The same type of thing can happen at every level.

By the way, Jordan if I remember the story correctly, which I may not, was at a school where players his grade just didn't make varsity or something of the sort. Anybody know the details?

Schilling might be a better example for baseball players, but he might not fit the mold everybody is trying to put players in. Anyone want to research that one?

CADad ...

quote:

Everybody is right. Of course all a player can do is hang in there and do his best in games and in practice with the team and on his own.

Of course there are players who never get that next pitch to do their best on and not through their own choice.

I think I understand what you are trying to say here and my response (tho it may sound cynical) would be that disappointment is a part of life. Our children need to learn, as I am sure your son has with his injury and recovery, that things do not always go our way and sometimes we have to turn to Plan B, which may not stand for Baseball. Harsh? Maybe. Reality? In many cases. Not all of our sons will play ball at each of the next levels, some by their own choice and some as a result of others.

As for Mike Piazza ... I always get a chuckle out of the comments regarding his family's relationship with Tommy Lasorda and how that brought the good result for Piazza.. That may be the very reason he was drafted but that does not mean that, had he NOT been drafted, that the game would have ended for him. There are options (i.e., Plan B) that he could have pursued including signing as a free agent or signing with an independent league. And if that hadn't panned out, perhaps he would have chosen another career.

So there are, I believe, more examples in Piazza's story than just one ... he had options and our sons also have options. It is unfortunate that for some, based on circumstances, the options do not include baseball. Unfortunately, that is life. And since baseball is NOT life, since there are so many other things out there, our sons and daughters who do not get the opportunities they desire will have to learn a different way to cope with the disappointment.

JMHO FWIW

quote:

our sons and daughters who do not get the opportunities they desire will have to learn a different way to cope with the disappointment.

Sad, yet so true, FBMom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FWIW ????,..( for-what-its-worth ), tahhh dahhhh, I finally figured it out!
And some of you thought I didn't have a brain!