Your son's College Baseball Experiences

Krak...I think it really varies according to the level (D1 vs D3, NAIA vs NCAA, etc) as well as the school's level of commitment. JT, Jr goes to a D3, and the time commitment is not that bad at all (and probably not enough to suit him). Much of the off-field work is on his own, as the school does not have a strength coach or a dedicated weight room just for athletes. Time wise, he gets his 20 hours a week in during the fall and spring seasons, travel is not bad...primarily on the weekend (about a 38 game schedule in the Spring).

Now, I also work at a D1 school...and the time commitment is huge...as the only thing close to an "off season" is from mid-late October to Christmas...but the players are still expected to get their small group work in on the field, the conditioning, and the like.

Son went to an SEC school (Auburn) and his experiences were probably similar to those in other big conferences. Since Auburn was recognized as the best college baseball facility in the United States by Baseball America two of the three years my son was there I think it deserves a “plug”.
Practice was pretty much daily (when permitted by the NCAA) but was not overwhelming by any stretch of the imagination. They had at least one off day during the week. Academic advisors assisted athletes in class scheduling and knew which professors would allow make up work needed because of team travel. Travel was mostly by bus except the "long distance" games in which the team flew commercial airlines. Busses were fancy charter busses made by Van Hool:


I might add that on flights the team used two busses. One would transport the player to the Atlanta Airport and the other bus and driver left a day or two early with equipment and was waiting to pick up the players when thy arrived at their destination airport. The bus also shuttled them around for meals and back and forth to the games.
Weekend "away" series would have Thursday as a travel day with games on Fri nite, Sat nite, and Sunday afternoon. Expense money was provided for out of town series ($120.00) his first year but changed to the team providing meals instead of money. Conditioning was devised and assisted by a strength coach with state of the art facilities withing the baseball complex. Equipment was computerized where each player plugged his personal "chip" into the machine and it recorded his workout for the strength coach to review. About the Strength Center:
The Strength and Rehabilitation Center is a two-story, 13,274 square foot facility that houses a weight room for the baseball team on the first floor and a rehabilitation and research center on the second floor.
The weight room is unrivaled in collegiate baseball and features nearly 50 pieces of equipment. The facility also has its own locker room.
The second floor of the Strength and Rehabilitation Center is occupied by HealthSouth and the Alabama Sports Medicine Institute, led by world-renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews. The project broke ground on October 25, 2002 at a construction cost of $2,502,380.

Krak,

JT is right, it likely varies from place to place. My sons are also at a D-III, and after the official fall practices end, they do voluntary weight-lifting and aerobics 5 days a week, about two hours per day, until the Thanksgiving break. In the spring, pretty much every afternoon except the mandatory one day off per week, is tied up with baseball. Travel, on chartered buses, isn't too bad, most trips are in the 1 hour to 3 hour range. Professors are required to allow students to make up missed assignments/tests, and most are pretty cooperative, but the players need to be very diligent in doing their time management to keep up. There are occasions of pre-class batting practice in the spring at 6:30-700 a.m., and practices/games can run up until dark.

Class attendance takes priority over attending practices, but not games.

Graduation in four years is entirely possible, with planning and diligence, but a lot of players go five years, allowing them to only take 4 classes (12 hours) in the spring during baseball season. Bringing credits from high school is VERY helpful in this regard.

Academically, if players do what they should anyway, talk with and build a relationship with their professors, things go much smoother.

Time management is essential for academic success. One of my two is organized and seems to take care of his business with no problems, and he does well; the other spent four years using the "just in time" method, and he struggled...and drove me nuts. Now in year 5 he is actually managing things better and it's beginning to look like he'll actually get a degree.

Fungo's post pretty much describes the experience at the larger programs.

Last two years son didn't travel as much as he did the first year, but regardless, never felt that the whole experience in general was overwhelming. The first semester for everyone is tough, no matter where you go. As posted before, sons school ended early May so he had the entire month of May and early June (post season) to do nothing but play or practice, that's when things really start to heat up in college baseball. He also managed to take all of his classes beginning part of the week, leaving friday to one class. He also found that the travel done during mid week was a bit rougher than weekends, but as stated, other teams usually came to play at Clemson, so he lucked out on the travel part.

One consideration, son liked the smaller class size ratio and was given a schedule of all that was expected first week of class, so if he had to travel he knew what he would be missing and got his assignments done in time. I don't think he ever studied while on the road.

My son's college experience improved immediately when that David Kopp kid at Clemson signed with the Cardinals organization!

quote:

Originally posted by Baseballdad1228:
My son's college experience improved immediately when that David Kopp kid at Clemson signed with the Cardinals organization!

The academic advisors for the team can help with professors/classes that are more (ahem) jock friendly. By this I don't mean classes like Rocks For Jocks (Geology 101), but, should there be a choice between two profs for similiar classes, it's helpful to know which professor isn't antagonistic about team commitments.

quote:

Originally posted by Orlando:
The academic advisors for the team can help with professors/classes that are more (ahem) jock friendly. By this I don't mean classes like Rocks For Jocks (Geology 101), but, should there be a choice between two profs for similiar classes, it's helpful to know which professor isn't antagonistic about team commitments.

There's nothing wrong with an easy elective during the spring semester. Rocks for Jocks (Geology 101), Praying for A's (Theology 101), A's in the Hood (Urban Studies 101) and any Poly Sci professor a student can fool with a of PC/socialist line of BS. As for the jock friendly profs, it's a must to get as many as possible in the spring. There will be classes missed.

And many of those classes will do nicely freshman, maybe sophomore year. It's junior and senior year when the nut cutting begins, when responsibilities in the classroom and on the field are intensified. Tough to skate, and a session of summer school might be advisable (the Athletic Dept might just pay for that as well )

So you are saying not to schedule:

QUANTUM PHYSICS
ABSTRACT TRIG
COST ACCOUNTING
ENGLISH LIT
EASTERN PHILOSOPHY



And spend the tuition dollars on:

Basket Weaving
Clay Ashtray Making
Comic Book Theory
Study Hall II

Mine said some of his toughest classes were electives and in some of them he worked very hard in all of them, especially one online elective he took last fall.

Last spring he took a finance elective, advised by his advisor, he had a choice of pass/fail or letter grades which he went for. The 2 credit elective kept him off of the semester honor roll.

quote:

Originally posted by OLDSLUGGER8:
So you are saying not to schedule:

QUANTUM PHYSICS
ABSTRACT TRIG
COST ACCOUNTING
ENGLISH LIT
EASTERN PHILOSOPHY



And spend the tuition dollars on:

Basket Weaving
Clay Ashtray Making
Comic Book Theory
Study Hall II

The student comes out of college with a diploma and a degree. What electives he takes to get the diploma will be irrelevant in the work force. The company that hires him will be interested in his major, his gpa in his major, his overall gpa and then train him.

Alas, the colleges have proscribed rules about what constitutes a degree, involving a major, a course of study that progresses beyond fluff 101 classes. Required courses of the 300 and 400 level have to be taken. Or poof! --- no degree.

Even for jocks.

yup, you heard that OS8, tell Ben to go for some mindless basket weaving class.

Sorry, if I am paying the bill or even if someone else is, I would have son take something useful.

JMO.

How does a college kid know what's useful when he's never been in the business world? I had required courses in my major (many would consider difficult) I found useless in the business world. College is part of the journey. Securing the right job is the goal.

I never took basket weaving. It might have been a valuable stress reliever in the business world.

In the spring of my sophomore year - I had the following class schedule:

1) Arts - Introduction to Mozzerella

2) Sciences - Sopressata Physics II - (its all about the right angles)

3) History - The History of Zucchini

4) Math - How to buy fresh fruit and vegatables from a street vendor.

5) Elective - Current Trends in Dieting.

A well rounded fella I was.

Mangia!!!

quote:

What electives he takes to get the degree will be irrelevant in the work force.

You can't just wholesale blurt something like that out! Not every kid chooses to take all BS electives. Many kids will take electives that will enhance their careers as well as quality of life; that was definitly my case! Don't assume every kid is a dumb jock looking to build GPA for resume.

Maybe things have changed, I paid for alot of my college so creative kite building 101 was not on my agenda.

My best elective though, was when I elected to skip a class and go to 4:00 happy hour instead! Thats where I met my wife of 19 years!

Tg,
I think son learned more in his electives than in his classes that were much more useful for life skills.

Very poor advice, IMO, important that athletes do not learn to take all easy classes. If you want to get to the next level one needs to learn how to challenge themselves on and off the field. Don't think it doesn't go unnoticed. One scout wanted a list of courses he took while at school.

I think Orlando's suggestion was about finding professors that were more "athletic" friendly. Easy way out leads to summer classes.

JMO.

Baseballdad1228,

Got it, little slow sometimes.

quote:

Originally posted by TripleDad:
Don't assume every kid is a dumb jock looking to build GPA for resume.

Maybe things have changed, I paid for alot of my college so creative kite building 101 was not on my agenda.

I'm not sure "dumb jock" and "building gpa for a resume" go hand in hand. I already had a challenging major. I was looking for an easy course every spring due to the travel and missed classes. I was hired by the company that was my goal going into college. They didn't care I took Geology 101, Theology 101, Urban Studies 101 and a couple of gut Poly Sci courses. They didn't know they were gut courses.

I also paid (loans) for the portion of college the ride didn't cover which was far more than 50%. My father felt debt coming out of college would be a great motivator.

When my kids were little I'll bet they appreciated me explaining the rocks to them rather than the history of economic theory.

My son went to an NAIA. Practiced pretty near every day for 4 years unless they had a game. Did not travel far except spring break. A couple of the years the schedule got fouled up due to rain and he missed WAY too many classes. His freshman year he missed WAY too many classes because this was the culture of the team. A new coach and better leadership of players when he was older (and I'd like to think he was part of that) got things on track and led to much more success.
They traveled in vans and stayed in small hotels and ate a lot of Pizza Hut etc...
He had a blast and played over 150 games in four years so he got to do what he went there to do.

quote:

Originally posted by Tiger Paw Mom:
Tg,
I think son learned more in his electives than in his classes that were much more useful for life skills.

Very poor advice, IMO, important that athletes do not learn to take all easy classes. If you want to get to the next level one needs to learn how to challenge themselves on and off the field. Don't think it doesn't go unnoticed. One scout wanted a list of courses he took while at school.

I think Orlando's suggestion was about finding professors that were more "athletic" friendly. Easy way out leads to summer classes.

JMO.

I majored in economics. You should have seen the required courses. Then after "harming" myself with gut courses I was hired by the dream company of my era and proceeded to get an MBA. No one ever cared about the gut courses I took. The important thing is to get a degree that takes the student where he wants to go with his life.

This post is NOT about you or what you did years ago.

Why does it always end up that way?

It says "Your son's College Baseball Experiences".

The best advice I can give to people reading, college is expensive, have your kids make the most of all of it.
Read through advice given and take in the good and ignore the bad.

RJM, TG, TEEGEE, or whoever you are: It's not just "the degree". "The degree" in and of itself doesn't take you through life. "The degree" might get you an entry level spot somewhere, but after that you have to perform in the workplace. You better have the tools to do it!

Kind of sounds like next level baseball doesn't it?

quote:

Originally posted by Tiger Paw Mom:
This post is NOT about you or what you did years ago. Why does it always end up that way?

Could it be it's due to you following my posts, challenging me and insulting me? You called my post very poor advice. I didn't realize college had changed so much since I went. It was a point of view, not poor advice. After insulting me you forced me to demonstrate why it wasn't bad advice. Since I've graduated I know the end result. With all due respect to your son's academic and athletic accomplishments he hasn't graduated and gone into the real world, so you don't know the end result. If all goes well athletically, it may not be an issue. he has my best wishes.

I responded to another poster and was debating him before you shoved your nose in the middle of it like you always do. Otherwise, the conversation never would have gone where it went. You had the option to ignore anything I posted, but as usual you shoved your nose in it, attempted to ignite the situation, then turn on on me.

Go away. Your life would be so much better if you weren't obsessed with following me around the board. Put me on ignore.

Add: I've place you on ignore. I suggest you do the same with me.

quote:

Originally posted by TripleDad:
RJM, TG, TEEGEE, or whoever you are: It's not just "the degree". "The degree" in and of itself doesn't take you through life. "The degree" might get you an entry level spot somewhere, but after that you have to perform in the workplace. You better have the tools to do it! Kind of sounds like next level baseball doesn't it?

Exactly, but you don't do step two before you do step one. So I'll stand by my statement the first step is the degree that gets the student in the direction he wants to go.

After that, as you stated, it becomes about performance and possibly connections. I've seen people's careers take strange twists in unexpected directions because a connection thought they were smart enough to perform a job they didn't have the background or qualifications for.

Your not getting it. The "degree" may get you started. But it is the SUBSTANCE of your degree that takes you through your career. Why in the he11 do you think kids from top academic schools are so sought after?

I'm done on this subject.

Well - if you are talking electives - I would recommend these:

1) Course 101-A2 - "The History of the NY Mets"

This course teaches you all you need to know about what it takes to be a great baseball player - how to deal with really bad food - and the engineering details involved in the construction of Shea Stadium.

2) Course 267-b7 - "The St.Louis Cardinals - Why do they exist?"

This course is a Philosophy primer that makes you think - hard and long - about why this team exists - and what purpose it serves on this planet. An eye opener.


O - na na na na na.

quote:

Originally posted by TripleDad:
Your not getting it. The "degree" may get you started. But it is the SUBSTANCE of your degree that takes you through your career. Why in the he11 do you think kids from top academic schools are so sought after?

I disagree with the exception of some speciality degrees. When the student hits the workforce he's going to be trained. Even with the speciality degree the student is still going to get a lot of training. More often than not the intelligent student has the greatest ability to be trained for the high level positions. This is why he's in demand. I'm done too, unless you have another point. We disagree.

quote:

2) Course 267-b7 - "The St.Louis Cardinals - Why do they exist?"

.3

hmmmmmmm......Was thinking the same bout those Mets,

I google DEBACLE, the METS popped up! what ya know!

quote:

Originally posted by RJM:
I responded to another poster and was debating him her, before you shoved your nose in the middle of it like you always do.
Go away. Your life would be so much better if you weren't obsessed with following me around the board. Put me on ignore.

You are so full of yourself it's pathetic, every post turns into "me".

I'll admit, I don't like you but I do like following you around.

iitg,
BTW, you are gonna be in big trouble with HER when SHE reads your post.

krak....

My son Paul played for Ron Polk at Mississippi State from 1991-1993.

Three of the best years of his life. Three of the best years of my life enjoying college baseball with my son on the field.

The fans at Mississippi State are the best college baseball fans in the world. The facility at Mississippi State is one of the best in the country. Go there on an SEC weekend and it will boggle your mind. Watch infield taken by the Dawgs while they play "Sweet Georgia Brown".

As a kid coming from Chicago to play at MSU, he was welcomed warmly by everyone. Took him a week to "understand" the accents but otherwise it was great. Academics were fine...actually not too tough for him.

Had a chance to relive some MSU memories with Paul just a week ago...IT WAS GREAT!

Tripledad,

Do you know the Latin roots of the word "Debacle"

Here it is:

De - Of
Bac - Cardinals
Le - Stinkage.

Here's a question thats on my mind,
How did your Player handle there sophmore year.
Did they feel more pressure to perform well with the incoming class coming in.
Freshmen year it's all new.
So anything that happen's it's great.
But did they act differant there sophmore year??

EH

Umm. I was thinking more on the OLD TESTEMENT interpretations.

Machinations
Eternal
Thus they
Surrender

Quite the prophesy, I must say........

How embarasing its, you got hold of one of the dyslexic syllubi. The correct version reads:

quote:

Originally posted (sic) by itsinthegame:
Well - if you are talking electives - I would recommend these:

1) Course 101-A2 - "The History of the NY Mets"

This course teaches you all you need to know about what it takes to be great food for postseason jokes- how to deal with really bad baseball players - and the engineering details involved in the construction of Shea Stadium.

2) Course 267-b7 - "The St.Louis Cardinals - Why do they exist?"

This course is a Philosophy primer that makes you think - hard and long - about why this team exists - and what purpose it serves on this planet with emphasis on the almost mystical ability of the team to engender a deep love of the game. An eye opener to the development of a storied and successful baseball franchise. Classes held through October in the Stan Musial Auditorium


its, - na na na na na na, hey, hey, hey.

SHOW ME MAGIC!

Oh TG,
I know you are reading.
My son worked all through HS, taught him alot about responsibility so don't go there about not being in the real world.

Instead of basket weaving, he took that finance class as an elective, although he struggled, taught him about the real world and investing, credit, stock market, mutual funds, annuities, taxes, etc. He maintains his own budget, pays his own bills, makes financilal decisions on his own after getting advice. All from an elective. Much more about life skills than Jock 101.

Our kids today are a lot more sophisticated than we give them credit for. Most use the brains that god gave them.


Orlando,
I like your version better.

O,

Not bad - And now - all of a sudden - you have TripleDad throwing his bones at my beloveds.

Yet another Birdie fan.

The Horror - the Horror.

LOL