Where have all the young men gone

.
Excellent topic....would also help to have some background on each...where did they play...what were their college baseball experiences...

AParent ...

quote:

perhaps even a Senator

Hmmmmmmmm ... wondering if that is a goal I would want my son to set for himself ...

A Senator? Come on, all they'd need to do is watch C-Span and the Alito hearing to cure that aspiration. Who'd ever want to be a dinosaur like a few of those old fools?

I feel sorry for the people of Massachusetts. Having a jurrasic boor like Kennedy represent you must be worse than waiting 86 years for a ring. Him critisizing Alito on ethics took the term "low" to an all-time new low.

o6

You caught that too--I nearly threw up when he mentioned ethics to Alito-- talk about the pot calling the kettle back-- I do recall a incident and a young lady and a bridge

Wow TR

That memory is scary-LOL

Wouldn't ever want you to get anything on the Shepster-LOL

Kennedy did get a major cover-up on that bridge incident though.

TR, did you see the 5 tool and 3 tool HS prospects in earlier post? Better make a change.

Shep

It would be nice to see the route player took after they hang up their cleats but I think most will move on and never look back. The HSBBW is a transient site with new parents and players continually coming in .... but just as a new poster signs on, another will leave as their son hangs up his cleats. This is a baseball board and success is measured in ERA’s, HR's and W-L records. I know there are a variety of topics discussed here but bottom line this site is a very passionate baseball site. While I enjoy the HSBBW, and baseball in general, I would feel out of place and maybe even awkward coming back to talk baseball after my son gets cut. Unlike TRHit, bbscout, PGstaff, and a host of others, my only real tie to baseball is my son. I say congratulations to those that have played the game (in any capacity) and best of luck as you move on to bigger and better things. Most will forget the HSBBW, but please don't forget the game and all it gave to you. Pass it on!
Fungo

Fungo,

I am a new parent here and I always read everything you post. I believe in veterans! That love for the game you speak of is all the more reason why people like you should always be a part of the HSBBW. It is your experiences and knowledge that you acquired while your son played that can help guide the new parents who discover the value of this site when they log on. You have a connection to the game that now will go beyond your son's career. I'm sure that you never will be out of place here, in fact, you should always feel at home.

AParent---

OK---I'll bite!! Not so fast, Mr. wise Fungo, on some of us even ORIGINAL "old timers" fleeing this site after our sons hang 'em up. Three years ago nearly to the DAY, my son returned to campus after Christmas break his sophomore year, walked into his coach's office, and after agonizing over his decision for MONTHS, exited a baseball program that had brought him more grief than fun---grief that none of us saw coming (YES, TR, we did our homework!). He thought about transferring, but since his choice of schools was based on academics FIRST, he decided to stay---without baseball for the first time in his (and Mom's and Dad's) life.

I don't care to rehash the circumstances again (still an open wound for me three years out), but many of you real old timers on this incredible website literally saved me from losing my mind at the time. I have been FOREVER grateful to my friends here for reaching out in my time of quiet (OK---not so quiet!) desperation. I DID have to step away for awhile to catch my bearings again, but I just couldn't leave for good, despite the occasional twinges of nostalgic pain. I haven't been able to post in HeyBatter's thread (except for the Robert Frost poem, The Road Not Taken), "Got the CALL"---about his son's decision to hang up the cleats, because I have a lot of trouble reliving that period of time in our lives---but I SO know what he is going through. And it is absolutely TRUE that we parents take "the end" so much harder than our sons do.

Mike (my son) didn't skip a beat and moved on to other interests and talents. He played baseball in a local semi-pro league for a couple of years when home those summers for his baseball fix. On campus he turned to passion #2, which is theater and the creative arts. He graduated from John Carroll University in suburban Cleveland last May with a BA in Communications (theater, writing, broadcasting emphasis) and a minor in English---and not the MVP baseball trophy he'd maybe envisioned at the start, but the university's equivalent of "Best Actor" award after starring in many campus productions. He remained in Cleveland after graduation, working part-time while half-heartedly hunting for a "real" job (writing, advertising, marketing)---but really was a practicing starving-artist-in-training.

Just last weekend, Mike moved back home to PA for the short term (with our "permission" and full support) after making the gutsy career decision to "go for it while the window of opportunity is open"---the one he didn't allow himself to make with baseball. Eventually, he will enroll in an acting school or studio in either Chicago or New York (he is researching both), and give it a shot. No rose-colored glasses...no grand illusions of fame...just pursuing a challenge and a dream and a love...with NO REGRETS.

Baseball lives forever in our heart space, but I am here to tell you that there IS life after baseball, and that "way (DOES) lead on to way," and that sometimes "the road less traveled" is the one that can "make all the difference."

As Ever,
PAmom

Listen to this idea. If I don't make it to the show. I want to be an agent and represent those that did make it. Any agents on this site?

Very nice PAmom.

Being a relative newcomer to the site I was not aware of this story...thanks so much for sharing.

Much success to your son...we'll follow his theatrical progress, much like we would have with his baseball.

Certainly keep us posted.

Thanks PAmom.

PAMom - Appreciate your story. When I saw this thread, my thoughts were "GREAT"!!!! While my son is only a college freshman, I know that baseball will end one day either through injury (salt over shoulder), or that he can't move on to the next level. I am a person that believes one should be prepared for all that life can bring you (always better than a smack in the face) and am looking forward to hearing about how our non-baseball guys have handled that loss of baseball (whether forced or chosen) as well as what directions they took in their lives.

Best of luck to your son PAMom

PAmom,

That was a classic post. I too am a fan of M. Scott Peck.

I have personally met Mike Rempel - PAmom's son. Let me tell everyone here, no one could have raised a finer son than Mike. He is an extremely bright, personable, and talented young man who has his whole future ahead of him. Please tell Mike I wish him all the best!

Fungo....I'll move on when son is done playing.....don't think I'll have much more to contribute....nor the need to learn anymore....but I'm hoping you don't......you have such a wealth of information. Most of us come to this site to learn.....and you are by far one of the best teachers here.....so don't even think retirement....I'll have grandsons one day......

PAmom.....sorry about the past....it sounds like it was an awfully rough road.......but.....now....best wishes to your son......it sounds so exciting......the future....it has lots of promise.......he picked another tough career.....but people do make it!

PAmom,

I live 20 minutes from Manhattan, so please let us know when he lands his first job on Broadway. I have great theater ticket contacts!

A great message for everyone. Congratulations on having an MVP (Most Valuable Person) for a son.

PAMom,

Said it before and will always claim...

"There are much more important things than baseball"

Congratulations and best wishes to Mike! And thanks for the great post (reminder)

PAmom,

Good post. It's a type of post we will all have one day, whether we express it or not.

My oldest was actually a better overall player than my youngest except for the fastball. Dislocated shoulder three times and a shoulder surgery later he had to give it up. Got on with his life and is doing just fine. Now rooting for his brother.

As PG said, life doesn't end after baseball. (It just seems like it. )

PAMom:

Ok, NOW I'm crying...I had no idea....

Thank you for sharing that story. I'm sure that it was hard to do, even now.

I hope he left on his own, just switching passions...

"Tell me, tell me, won't you tell me
I've just got to know
Crystal ball
There's so many things I need to know
++++++++++++
Would you please direct me
Where I ought to be
I've been looking for a crystal ball
To shed the light
To find a future in me..."

Wouldn't it be nice to have a Crystal Ball? (Stxy)


Good luck to Mike, and to YOU! If he ends up in Chicago, please let us know!

My brother was home last week he lives in Orlando. His son (my nephew) played at Liberty University and finished up last year. When I walked in the place to eat I see a good friend of mine whos son also played with my nephew in HS and went on to play college baseball as well. Needless to say that during our dinner the whole conversation was about their two sons and my youngest who is a soph in HS. There were alot of tears shed. There were even more laughs. There are a ton of memories to share and cherish for the rest of your lives. Now Vinnie my friend told me he was depressed for a few months when he son finally graduated and moved on from the game. Now he says he will let my sons career be an extension and he will be at every game and make some practices. Im sure he will do just that and I welcome it. Just because your son hangs them up does not mean you have to. There are a ton of ways you can stay connected to the game. Friends, family (new friends) , neighborhood kids etc etc. When my youngest moves on to college I have decided to start another 10u AAU team. I am going to bring them up all the way to HS and do it all over again. I will just create some more sons darn it! I WILL FREAKIN NEVER GROW UP. I WILL NEVER GO AWAY FROM GAME. WHEN THEY PUT MY OLD *** IN THE GROUND DO IT AT HOME PLATE OF MY HS FIELD. I DONT WANT TO MISS A SINGLE INNING.

PAmom
Our sons have a lot in common. Mine still hasn't declared a major because if he did, it would be related to acting/performing/music and that degree plan and baseball just don't mix....both require full-time commitment.

He is still chasing his baseball dream but he really misses the acting part. In HS, he was in most of the plays (and was even cast in some he didn't audition for) and loved every minute of it. He still plays music but has given up the dance part for now (which I miss...kind of like others have talked about when their kids gave up baseball. He's really good, especially at tap.)

I'm very glad that you are able to help Mike chase his new dream....you never know what you can accomplish if you don't try.
I'd like to share a little advice gleaned from talking to people in the business....
1. Keep taking classes in NY or LA or Chicago
2. Make contacts and don't burn bridges because it really does matter who you know
3. If an internship comes along, take it because that's how you get to meet people and get your foot in the door

Best of luck...or rather, break a leg....
We all hope to see his name in lights some day!

Thanks, ALL, for the kind words. But I know there are many more of us out there. I can't be the only one to post on AParent's thread, which I believe is very important, but know how hard it might be to do so. Let's hear from more of you.

PAmom......that is PHANTASTIC news that Mike is now home. I know that whatever Mike sets his mind to do he'll be PHABULOUS!