Tryout Prep

Those are pretty much the standard things players get told, but I like to go for the weird things not usually thought about.

One of those things seems silly, but not to anyone who’s ever had to try out for a HS baseball team at this time of the year. Carry a complete change of under gear, plus a spare set of cleats, and at least 4 extra pairs of socks!

Make sure you have at least a couple of drinks and something to snack on in your bag. Gatorade or something like it, and nutribars of some sort are preferable. The trick is, pack ‘em your bag so you don’t have to have mommy or daddy bringing them to you.

Unless its absolutely necessary, DO NOT SPEAK TO ANY ADULTS OTHER THAN THE COACHES, EVEN MOMMY OR DADDY!

Spend as much time around the best players as you can. Decent coaches can tell whether someone looks good because they’re hangin’ with their buds or the weak players, and if you get labeled that way, it’s a hard thing to overcome. You know who the better players are, and there’s no doubt they’ll be getting more attention than anyone else, so take advantage of that. Of course if you’re a screw up, hide whenever you can! ;-)

Make sure you have backups for all of your equipment! Don’t get caught having to borrow someone else’s stuff because yours got broken or lost!

Make absolutely sure you have rain gear in your bag, or at least a jacket.

Don’t turn down the opportunity to try out for any position unless you’ve never played it before. If you’re an IFer and they’ll let you, take a shot at every position, not just SS. If you’ve ever caught at all, put the gear on! A coach can’t ever have too many C’s.

But for sure, make sure you take at least a few balls and make some throws from the OF, especially if you have a gun or some speed! IFrs are a dime a dozen at Fr tryouts, but decent OFrs aren’t.

At my son's school, try out vocabulary was limited to: "yes, sir" and "no, sir."

I’m not at all sure why, but to tell the truth, tryouts have never been a big deal at most of the schools in our league, and like I’ve said before, they’re all at least 2,000+ student body, and some go as high as 3,000+.

One of the schools does always seem to get a lot of Frs going out, 50-100, but most are like my son’s school where the most they ever had go out was 24, and one year was down to 18. And the Fr class that year was over 800 students all by itself.

There is one private school that’s boys only that has at least 150 Fr go out, but it’s a really weird school. Every student has to participate in at least one regular sport where there’s competition between schools, or they have to play intramurals. They get lots of students going out for everything! But other than that school, I’m guessing 30 is much more the standard number.

Because of that, and because most of the schools here have 3 teams, I’ve never seen more than one or 2 Fr kids have to actually get cut. Usually a few will just quit because they see they have no chance, and usually a couple of the better one will make it to the JV squad, so that means the coach only has to whack a couple guys, if any.

Thought I would bump this to the top - seems like that time of year again

08

quote:

Originally posted by ILVBB:
At my son's school, try out vocabulary was limited to: "yes, sir" and "no, sir."

At my sons school, they add the phrase "no excuse, sir"

Great advice guys. Hopefully there are some young guys out there reading this stuff.

I don't know of any hs where the players try out in full uniform ...
Actually if you showed up in your travel team's full uniform around here you'd be getting off on the wrong foot.
Baseball pants,cleats,tee shirt and hat is what most players wear....
Maybe NJ is different... I've never heard any one use "sir" around here. I've learned from this website that its very important in other parts of the country but uncommon here.... Have any other northeast people notice that? or do I hang out with the wrong people?

I dont know of any kid trying out in a team uniform. Proper baseball attire would mean baseball pants , sleeves , hat etc. As far as the yes sir , no sir thing that is something that is just part of our culture down here. I still say yes sir and no sir when speaking to elders. Just like its common to say Yes Maam and No Maam when speaking to a female elder. Its a show of respect at least here in the south. Naw , No , Yea and Yes are no no's around these parts. I guess it all depends on where you are from.

Funny you should mention the "yes maam". Women I know hate being called "maam" and usually correct people from calling them that. I guess thats because its used when speaking to a "female elder" No wonder they call us **** yankees

I played football in college with some Northern Boys. I worked with a few as well. Once you learn that every area is different its no big deal. The only thing I hated up north was you couldnt find sweet tea or grits. But the pizza was off the hook!

quote:

Originally posted by Coach May:
The only thing I hated up north was you couldnt find sweet tea or grits. But the pizza was off the hook!

I think I saw people eating grits on the Travel channel once.

Pizza up North is a food group and is socially acceptable for consumption with all three main meals and snacks except when ice cream and/or cheese and sausage are present.

We're not known for our speed up here but we don't get pushed around to often either.

Us Yanks use the "maam" also, if not out of respect out of fear . With 5 months a year confined to indoor workouts there's a tendency for both genders to "bulk" up.

More ...

When the coach talks to you, look him in the eye. Respond with confidence. Don't mumble.

Don't be a clown. Stay away from the clowns. There's guilt by association.

Throw with a partner who can throw accurately and catch. If the ball goes all over the place it's about both of you.

If you make a bad play, stay focused and confident. Everyone makes mistakes. Show some mental toughness and confidence.

If you're in a large school environment and possibly not known by the coaching staff wear a tee or sweatshirt with a number or a team name on it. It's something the coaches can call you and refer to you by.

quote:

As far as the yes sir , no sir thing that is something that is just part of our culture down here.

Yesterday I was sitting in the hotel lobby in Newton, MA (waiting for a friend) where the visiting teams against Boston College stay. After watching a basketball team parade politely through the lobby I asked the desk clerks if they've seen a difference in the manners of the visiting teams since BC left the Big East and joined the ACC. I got an immediate "Absolutely!"

RJM: "(waiting for a friend)" surrrre you were hope you don'tmind a little kidding.

One of the coaches at our HS is from Boston. He always uses sir or ma'am to the parents. So do the other coaches, but they are local.

I can't imagine children not using it to address their elders. I still use it, even though I'm on the shady side of elder.

The tips were used by son last year. One issue I have is players not tucking in shirts! Looks so sloppy.

look like a ball player,act like a ball player. Looking people in the eye is a good one.

I have seen grits but what are they?... no Ive never had them.
More and more small towns all over america are becoming more and more alike with Walmarts, McDonalds etc. everywhere...
But I still don't see Italian water ice or hoagies in other areas
Also do "do use" wear sneakers?

Here is a partial list we hand out:


1. Understand that a tryout is not a social event. You are there to take someone's job. In the past, various players have earned varsity positions from all grade levels. They were competing against friends and veterans. Nothing is guaranteed!
2. Dress like a ball player. Wear baseball pants if you have them, cleats and a hat. Be prepared to go outside or stay inside. So, you will also need to have some type of shoe be it basketball etc. so you can practice on the gym floor. Wearing your hat backward or sideways will not ever be allowed. We want to go outside!
3. Lockers will not be assigned yet. If you need to store your equipment in the coach’s office for security, please give it in the morning to Coach Bugger. The locker room is a place for CHAMPIONS not CHUMPS. You will act mature in there. When in the gym, place your equipment in an area that you can access your equipment quickly. Do not leave it in any area where it can be stolen.
4. During warm-ups, throw sufficiently to be completely warm. You will do this with your coat off if we are outside or inside. After you are warm, you may put your jacket or coat back on for a time. Be sure to keep throwing if necessary to stay loose and warm. Playing catch is also not a social event!
5. Many think that hustling and trying to aggressively make plays is the way to impress your coaches. Understand that it is early in the season and your game is not in midseason form. When it comes time to show your defensive skills you will be much better off attempting to be smooth, focusing on proper mechanics. Get your feet under you and focus on making an accurate throw. If you try too hard, rush it and throw it as hard as you can, you probably will not perform well. Also, if you are not used to throwing, you will have a sore arm for day 2.
6. When hitting, you can take a pitch to get a feel for the timing of the pitch. After this, be selective but don’t take strikes. The ball will not be placed on a “T” for you. Hit it if it is in the strike zone. Don’t over-swing and try to hit the ball out of the park. Swing smoothly and try to hit line drives and hard ground balls.
7. Hey coach, my Dad wants to come and watch. Well, ok but he WILL NOT TALK TO ANY OF THE COACHES AND HE WILL STAY OUT OF THE WAY! Lobbying will not help. Insecure parents are typically an omen of problems to come. There are four experienced coaches making these cuts and so, we don’t need any help with anything at anytime ever when it comes to coaching! If we do need help, all of the parents will be asked to help via a handout to your sons or through the Triad Athletic Booster Club.
8. You will not be allowed to tryout without a physical on file with the Nurse. It is your obligation to do so. In the event that you don’t have it, you won’t be allowed more time to obtain one. The team will already be selected! If you are a freshman, you have a physical on file.

Respect every player at the tryout regardless of the ability. There's nothing that stands out more negativily than one plyer upstaging and/or ridiculing another player.

Us old folks still call them "sneakers". The young kids call them "Kicks". Why , I dont know. Do you guys still call pizza "pie"? I spent a summer up at East Orange , NJ with a friend years ago. The differences were amazing. Everyone lived on the same street. The houses were connected to oneanother. It was awesome. One thing that really got me was the language of the parents to the kids. "Joey get your fn a** over here and pick this up". Joey to dad "No problem pop quit bustin my chops da**." It was hilarious to me. I had never seen people drink with their meals all the time. Just alot of differences but they were absolutely great people. They treated me great and I had a great time. And of course if I was up there I didnt have to prime tobacco all summer either.

Down here at least where I am from now you have to drive 20 minutes to a grocery store. They had one on every street corner. The closest friend is 5 miles away. Theirs lived next door. Down here we would die if not for the PIG. Sausage , pork chops , bar b que , fat back , bacon , ham , etc etc. Every vegatable you eat has pork seasoning in it.

As far as the baseball their is a big misconception about Northern players. They may not have the numbers of top tier players as the south or west etc but they play very very hard. Its like they have a chip on their shoulder to prove they can ball. And they can. They are fundementally sound and they know the game. We have played several teams from up north during our spring breaks over the years and I have watched several Northern teams play at WWBA events. They get after it bigtime. I love the attitude and the way they play the game.

Alot of differences its all about the cultures. But they are fine folks who are a blast to hang out with.

Did I just hijack a thread? Sorry.

Be early. Bust your butt. Stay late.

quote:

You will not be allowed to tryout without a physical on file with the Nurse.

Don't miss a day of tryouts because you didn't get your physical in time. It shows lack of motivation to be a ball player. It makes baseball appear unimportant enough to get it done.

Did anyone mention grades, grades, grades? An ineligible player is not going to make the team.

quote:

Originally posted by njbb:
I don't know of any hs where the players try out in full uniform ...
Actually if you showed up in your travel team's full uniform around here you'd be getting off on the wrong foot.
Baseball pants,cleats,tee shirt and hat is what most players wear....
Maybe NJ is different... I've never heard any one use "sir" around here. I've learned from this website that its very important in other parts of the country but uncommon here.... Have any other northeast people notice that? or do I hang out with the wrong people?

Should have been more clear. Full uniform meant baseball pants, baseball socks, belt, spikes, baseball cap & a jersey. Most any kid trying out for HS baseball will have a jersey from their summer or fall team. Full uniform was not intended to mean a school provided game jersey.

Sad that "sir" is no longer used in the NE.