What about the other guys???

This Board really does rock!

I've only been on here for a little over a couple of months if that and in that time I have learned an incredible amount.

Quite honestly I thought I knew something about baseball. Not! Please keep up the good work. Thanks for this site.

 

Wow this gets better.......

I love this thread. It is like menu at a diner:

What will you have>>>>>>

Starter: Players to commit to teams or programs with a side of helping others.

Soup or Salad: A bowl of transfer with just a touch of a stud.


Main course: A large piece of high school teams that have a showcase team as players.

Dessert: Slice of a half run school pie topped with low-cal athletic program.

To drink a few.

 

I'll take the soup of the day please but the dessert sounds good.

 

Going back to this question and Coach 27's comments.

I do feel things start at home. Some parents and players feel it's their duty to get something for themselves. So many seem focused on a scholarship instead of a championship or just playing the game and appreciating the game.

Even on this website we seldom talk about teams and championships but instead focus on touting an individual or discussing who got the latest scholarship. You almost feel that if your kid is not college material then you are not worthy of this site. I realize a major part of this site is to promote kids. That's fine. But sometimes it sends another message.

While baseball is deemed a team game, is it really? Yes, it's a game played as a team. You take the field as a team. But the game lends itself to a great deal of individual focus. It's not much of a team game until the ball is put in play. The hitter or pitcher has to make something happen.

Even in practice, you have to beat your teammates out for a spot, much like any other sport. Once this is determined, positions are seldom rotated. It's not like football where 2nd string kids see a fair amount of playing time due to kids needing a rest. Baseball is different. You don't send a kid in to give the centerfielder or the SS a breather. That's not to say that relief pitchers, utility infielders, pinch runners and pinch hitters are not part of the team. They play an important and strategic role. But the game is different. To me it's a game played as a team but the focus seems to be more on individual achivement.

I disagree slightly with Coach 27 but I do feel showcase contributes in some way and I am in favor of showcase ball. It is an effective product for what it is intended. Before any screams, my son is on a showcase team and having a ball. He likes his new teammates, very fond of the coaches, and enjoys the experience. And he has learned a few things he didn't learn form his HS coaches. It's also been good for his confidence. However I feel we have gotten involved with a good situation. I've heard of several that were not as positive. I've also heard of several good situations.

Just this summer my son and I hung around a few of his old buddies from some past AAU days who are from other HS programs and are on showcase teams. The players would talk kindly about each other when everyone was standing together but when someone left the conversation some began to talk about all the mistakes the kid had made. Then another kid would leave and the same thing would happen. Then a kid would return and it was back to being buddy buddy. It was evident that some, but not all, were just in it for themselves and felt that by putting others down it made themselves look better. As we left my son looked at me and said, "Dad, I don't want to play with those kids". All teams are not like that but at least some of showcase is about showcasing your individual talents and for some it gets pretty competitive, even with each other.

And something that nobody wants to talk about but does exist, parents/players that enjoy seeing a teammate fail because it opens a door for them. Nobody talks about it here but it happens everywhere. The parent that gets a smirk on their face when a kid strikes out, or makes an error, and it's a kid that competes with their son for a particular position. It sucks, but lets face it, it's out there. Most people either never feel that way or they mature out of it but a few don't.

I've been around baseball in some way all my life (youth and HS player, REC coach, director of a youth league and PONY baseball director) and I'm still trying to figure it out. But these examples and others changes in the game have contributed to this. I also think society in general is more about "what's in it for me".

Despite all this, it's still a great, great game.

 

Right on One Putt

 

One Putt, great post.

I understand your opinion about players talking behind each other's back. That goes on in every level unfortuantly.

 

It's Universal -way beyond just sports

Gosh, talking behind somebody else's back happens in sports? Check out the water fountain at work. It happens everywhere.

 

I didn't say it doesn't happen everywhere. Just in some situations it is much worse than others. There are places at work and at sports where it doesn't go on.

 

I know why the site was created and have zero issues with that. Afterall, every product has a purpose. And nothing out there is all things to all people. Nowhere did I say it needed to be anything else. However I feel the site does contribute to some of what we see in kids putting self before team. I'm positive you understand that I was just trying to answer Dbacks question with my opinion only.

 

Okay...but it's tough to read that TBR contributes to a player's selfishness. Perhaps it does...I dunno! I've never received that feedback before.

But Putt, please keep this in mind. We started this site just as Showcase baseball was getting started. No one knew if showcase would work, but Andy Partin at Impact and we here at TBR were the only website dedicated in trying to help get the names of players out to anybody who would listen or care. It's kind of nice to get to know a player in let's say Greenville, NC, when prior to this, I wouldn't have known a kid that played in Anson County.

Perhaps we have served our purpose. Perhaps it is time to close the door. Believe me, I have no financial or familial interest in continuing. But if we are one of the contributors to selfish play in HS then it's time to move on. I sure don't want to be part of that.