Why College Baseball?

Great post and you hit the nail on the head.

quote:

"I am a baseball player -- I play baseball".

.... I will continue to be a baseball player until the game tells me I'm not.

Then you get married, have kids, coach a little baseball and join hsbaseballweb.

This last week-end watching (actually watching warm-ups) @ a college baseball game I once again realized how magical college baseball can be for kids that absolutely love the game and want to play, regardless of playing after college or not. They are having the time of their lives, hardship and all. Classes are hard, travel takes them away from campus and classes, but I could see how much fun they were having.

As a parent that helped and supported my son along the way to achieve his dream of playing college ball, it sure looked to me like all the hard work and sacrifice was worth it.

Make no mistake, there are tons of sacrifices on the players part. Work-outs @ 5:30 am, studying on the road, giving up some other sports (like snowboarding), not socializing as much as other college students, etc. But, looking @ these players it looked like they wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

Personally, as a parent, I realized it's not all about the win-loss record. It's about the experience, the teammates, the life lessons, the friendships, the relationships with the coaches, and achieving their dreams through lots of hard work.

If you make it only about the W-L record it's not always going to be so much fun. And it will trivialize all the other important aspects of playing college ball. There's nothing better as a parent than seeing your kid working hard but having fun, and getting a college education.

So, for all those hs and younger parents do your part to help your student-athlete become successful. But, they have to really want it themselves and earn it.

quote:

Personally, as a parent, I realized it's not all about the win-loss record. It's about the experience, the teammates, the life lessons, the friendships, the relationships with the coaches, and achieving their dreams through lots of hard work.

If you make it only about the W-L record it's not always going to be so much fun. And it will trivialize all the other important aspects of playing college ball. There's nothing better as a parent than seeing your kid working hard but having fun, and getting a college education.

So, for all those hs and younger parents do your part to help your student-athlete become successful. But, they have to really want it themselves and earn it

quote:

Personally, as a parent, I realized it's not all about the win-loss record. It's about the experience, the teammates, the life lessons, the friendships, the relationships with the coaches, and achieving their dreams through lots of hard work.

If you make it only about the W-L record it's not always going to be so much fun. And it will trivialize all the other important aspects of playing college ball. There's nothing better as a parent than seeing your kid working hard but having fun, and getting a college education.

DEagle;

I just got back yesterday from watching 4thGen's team play their first games of the year at the Russ Matt event at Dodgertown.

Your right the kids were having a ball, the parents were enjoying themselves ant the umpires they have training to be pros were not getting a hard time.

i think the reality of life/baseball is, your only going to make it so far. there are a million reason's not to play baseball, ( or do anything for that matter.) enjoy the journey, to soon we aren't able to do the things we enjoy.

don't take life to seriously, we aren't going to make it out alive.

I can't believe other parents would actually tell a kid he's not good enough. You surely can see a player might not be pro material, but there are so many levels of college baseball that I'm sure mist players could find a fit if they apply themselves.

Plus, playing a sport in school is so much more than trying to reach the next level. The player will learn time management skills, multi-tasking, working with others, working for others, dealing with both success and adversity, etc. Sounds like a list of skills they'll need in the work world.

Thanks to Netflix, I have recently become a fan of the show Lost. One character, John Locke, had a line that fits here perfectly...

"Don't tell me what I can't do!"