Finally...it has to be said (A TBR Classic)

First, I would like to establish that kv553 has a tremendous baseball background. He was a very successful pitcher with Clemson and had a fine pro career as well. Also, I would like to add that he is an extremely bright pitching coach. He has the ability to communicate well with his players and help them with their abilities....and he is also one that I believe will be a pitching coach at a college in the near future if he so desires. The man is gold!!!

He is another poster that I very much welcome to this board. He can provide insights through his experience that most of us don't have. Remember, the goal of this board is to promote the players and to provide a source to help in the recruiting process for the families. Everything else that is said and done here is peripheral to those goals.

As we are getting bigger and bigger each year, it has become an equally bigger challenge to moderate this site and to keep our goals in the forefront. It's okay to disagree with any poster. The posts are only opinions. I'm just asking that we do so civilly and respectfully.

 

Braves is right...legion or showcase, the goals are the same...development and exposure. Hopefully that's the goal of anyone involved with either of these two brands of baseball. The most satisfying thing about being involved is seeing the look on a kid's face when he tells you he has just commited to the school of his choice. Anyway, I am off to watch College Gameday...they are in God's country this weekend!

 

Go Georgia Tech!!!!....


















sorry, can't help it. Its the Gamecock in me

 

Gee ... I think we need to discuss this issue some more ... there's got to be some facet of it that we've overlooked for the past 4 years.

 

There's always room for that...we have never discussed who has better umpires

 

coach those players that you listed probably play showcase during the fall not during legion season. Playing in the fall is fine. But most of your good players in the state of NC play Legion baseball.

 

IMHO, that depends which part of the state you are in and the strength of the legion programs as a whole in that area.

 

I made...

my point perfectly clear on this topic months ago on a diff thread and I stand by my.............
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0977864405/ref=olp_product_details/104-7259633-1629502?ie=UTF8

 

okay.... now its a TBR party..

I wish I had saved my views the other five times we've had this debate, but I would like to express my views again.

I have been a proud member of the Caldwell County Post 29 staff for six years. I have been involved in some of the best baseball wars in the state.

Legion baseball captivates this community (and Cherryville, Shelby, Rowan Co, etc) like nothing seen before. I worked all summer for the Hickory Crawdads and I will tell you as sure as I am sitting here that Post 29 outdraws the Crawdads on a nightly basis. Post 29 doesn't have promotional nights or fireworks. Most people come to Crawdad games for the fluff and not the on field sport.

Legion teams play for their families and their friends and their communities and their own pride. Does that not mean anything to showcase players?

Every day Post 29 is on the front of the Lenoir News Topic sports section. Every game is broadcast on WJRI-AM. When was the last time a showcase game did either of those?

When we played for the state championship in High Point this year, every pitch Lonnie Chisenhall threw, there were 20 speed guns that rose. And that kid was drafted and everyone knew he was off the market.

The rivalries in Legion are amazing. Who do you feud with in Showcase ball? Is playing when the game/season/championship on the line not just as important than playing good in front of a speed gun?

 

This says it all

"Legion kids play for their friends , families , communities and their own pride." "Does that mean anything to showcase players".

"Does that mean anything to showcase players".

What kind of attitude is that to have with a 16 17 18 year old kid? Because they want to play showcase and not legion then you question their character. That is total bs. I bet your the same kind of guy that would black ball a kid for taking advantage of a situation that he feels would benefit him because YOU need him on the hill. What you want is more important than what the kid wants to do, RIGHT. That is exactly what you are saying. The last time I checked after the HS season the kid has the RIGHT to do what he feels is best for him. Your saying that he does not because the Legion teams owns his rights. And if he does play showcase he does not play for his friends , family , community or his own pride. Do you actually believe that a kid that takes the field for a showcase team does not want to represent his HS teams name? He does not want to make his family and friends proud by the way he plays? And he does not have any pride in himself because he plays showcase baseball? That has to be one of the most ignorant statements I have every read. Why don't you hop on a plane or drive on down to Jupiter this week. Check it out yourself. Then you won't have to make these kind of statements without any knowledge of what you are actually talking about.

I am a HS coach. I demand that 100% of our kids efforts during our HS season are devoted to helping us win and 100% of my efforts are helping them get better. During the off season I demand that they work as hard as they can to get better so they can help us win during the season. I respect their right to play where and for whoever they want to in the off season. That is their right. To me the worse thing anyone can ever do is question a kids character. Especially when they are basing it solely on a kids decision to play where they want to play and not where you want them to play.

Thats right "Jimmy if you don't play legion and you play showcase your selfish and you dont care about your friends , family , community or yourself. Yeah , thats the right attitude. There is just something about that kind of attitude that burns my ass.

To all players: Attention all players: It is your life. It is your baseball. Play where you want to play. If you feel that legion is where you want to play by all means play legion. If you feel that showcase is where you want to play then by all means play showcase. IT IS YOUR DECISION TO MAKE.

I could careless what someone says about me. Im a coach Im used to it. But when someone suggests what has been said here it gets my goat. No one wants to win anymore than the kids I have watched this summer. No one. No one plays any harder. No one is any prouder than they are, of who they play for and play with. And no one respects the game anymore than they do. Im done on this topic. People bashing something that they have never been affiliated with for one second. People bashing kids because they have taken advantage of an opportunity to get better and play with better players. Protecting your turf at all costs? Even if it means questioning great kids character. What a shame.