7/23-25 Impact Baseball Showcase @ UNC

Thank You SabreFan,
You said what i was thinking .

 

i agree with mudcat , let's get to the point this is all about money and making andy partin a rich man sure it makes the kids feel good about playing at a nice field in front of several scouts for a couple of days but let's get real if you can play the game and your coaches are doing there job you will get looked at by scouts and it will be alot cheaper for the parents. just wait this fall he will want some of the best talent to pay 900.00 to play in jupiter fla. so go figure what this is about. also don't think some of the scouts are not on the take for these showcases also. these associate scouts don't get paid alot of money so they have to make up somehow.

 

I dont think Andy is getting rich putting on showcases. I do have some knowledge of the cost to operate.
But your right about :
" if you can play the game and your coaches are doing there job you will get looked at by scouts and it will be alot cheaper for the parents."

problem is that the High School coaches arent doing that. It's not their job to see that kids get college and pro scouts watching them.
Now some do go out of their way to promote some of their own kids , but thats not a requirement to coach or teach in North Carolina .

 

You guys are killing me! Yep, Andy's gettin rich all right. He must be spending it on the apartment he lives in or in that new (something like a '93 Honda or something) car he drives.

Come on now. How far in advance did Andy tell everyone about the "select teams"? In plenty of time for those who wanted to opt out to do so. The problem all cneters around the "rain day" that no one could have foretold. It happened last year, too. Two teams were unable to complete the hitting and fielding because the rain came. By the time the rain had stopped, UNC was too wet to play the evening games. So, the pitchers from one team threw to the hitters on the opposing team, with no fielders. All of the fielders were put into the outfield to try and catch batted balls before they hit the puddles. Was it "fair"? All I know is that the scouts stayed there to see the pitchers pitch and the hitters swing.

My son threw two innings and we left after the "game", along with other notables from this board, including RW. There was a tournament to be played in Charleston and we went to join our respective teams. Did we feel cheated? No.

Were the players seen? Of course. But just like someone else posted, it's up to us to get our players into as many positive situations as possible. Some choose showcases, some travel teams, some legion teams. If you choose to take your player to a fall or winter camp, at one of the many universities that hold them, you'll still pay $200-$300 for a 2-day weekend. And if it rains, or snows, as it did at Clemson a couple of years ago, you'll still only get one day to showcase.

And on the cost to go to the WWBC in Jupiter in October, if Andy asks your player to go, just say no. Then try to get some other benevolent team to pick you up at $0 cost. It cost me a little over $1,000 to go last year including airfare, room, meals and rental car. (And I didn't take my wife!). But hey, to me it was worth it.

Sorry for the "sermon" and you guys are entitled to your own opinions, but this struck a nerve. Andy provides a service that I know college coaches appreciate. I've talked with them. If you think you got "shortchanged", that's fine. Don't go again. But don't kick a guy whose trying to help players be seen by schools at all levels.

 

i know that someone has already asked about the rosters for the select teams for the showcase at unc chapel hill but i have not seen any definite names. does anybody have and ideas????? someone said that a lot of players from the white team were selected, did they include chad flack, jamie ray, tyler trice or anybody else from rutherfodton or cleveland county???

 

Great post SPD. The showcase venue was originally changed to, work outs on Wed., playing all the games on Thurs., and the select game on Fri. at the request of the scouts and coaches attending the showcase. Many of whom said they could not be there all three days. Andy explained all this on the Impact website several weeks before the showcase. In order for a parent to be able to make the the right choices for their player they must be well informed, even if it costs $50 a year.
My player was unable to attend the showcase due to a prior comittment. I lost half of the money I paid for the event, but I have requested that they hold the rest ot money for their fall showcase. We will attend, because no matter what it cost, it is a great opportunity to be seen by scouts and coaches. Thank you Andy,and Impact, for providing a venue for the kids in NC to showcase their talents, it's priceless.

 

Sometimes a "percieved idea" of how something will be, leads to feeling like you came up short. Individual school camps may be more well suited for someone looking for an extended look from coaches. Clemson, and others traditionally hire smaller school college coaches to work their camps. The networking from those can be very beneficial. From my experience you may only get 2 - 3 at bats, and 3 - 4 innings period in some if not most other "high profile" showcases(1 or 2 day events).. But they do not have the focused local attention of state schools like Impact does. Most people are there to see Fla, Ga, Al, Va, kids. And if you averaged the 2 - 3 at bats or innings played by their cost(usually $395-495), travel, lodging, food, Impact is a good value.

My son doesn't play on Andy's Fall team, so I am not a biased person. It is hard to take less than half of any group of people, be it teenagers, or adults and not have some feel slighted.

I am sure glad Andy is the person who I feel confident would and will promote the #1 player as well as the #126 player who came to his showcase, to be able to play a level they will be successful at. Here's hoping "Everyone" finds that right fit for you son, and many more happy days on the diamond!!!!!

 

I sent my son to Chapel Hill baseball camps three years in a row. All three years at least one day was rained out completely. The first year, they barely set foot on the field in Boshamer. They played their final "parents game" on Navy field across the street with safety balls. Should I feel slighted because of the rain? If anyone here was around and remembers the first Carolinas Prospects showcase, you will remember the buckets of rain. And you will also remember that it was at Mt. Olive College in Mt. Olive NC. So we drove hours to Mt. Olive, sat and watched rain totally screw up Andy and Vinnie's plans.

My point is this. All of the coaches who work the clinic get paid. Andy pays rent for the facility. Andy has expenses for shirts, flyers, etc. All of this must be paid regardless. And he does have to answer to the scouts who are there, or the scouts will quit coming to his showcases. Then what good would it be? I have talked to Andy and he is not getting rich. He is making a living doing what he enjoys and I applaud him for that. He is helping get our son's names "up in lights". Yes, some of the names are in brighter lights than others, but some of the names deserve to be in brighter lights. Are there some who get missed? You betcha. Does that mean Andy meant to slight your son? I don't think so.

 

Coach 44 and Purple32:

The only players that I can advise for sure that made the "select teams" were from the Gold Team. I don't know the players from the other teams that made the "select teams".

The players from the Gold team that were selected for the Impact "Select" game on Friday, 7/25, were:
Alex Martin - Providence - LHP-OF
Lee Blalock - Sun Valley - RHP-1B
Josephy Cutler - Providence - RHP
Kyle Shelton - South Meck - SS/2B/3B
A.J. Mason - Providence - LHP-OF
Daniel Bourassa - Randleman - SS-2B

 

The last few posts have been right on. I especially agree with South Paw Dad. I think he summed it up very well.

Andy is one of the best around. I have known him since the Carolina Prospects Showcase in Mt. Olive the summer after my freshmen year. The man is relentlous. Who knows how many hours a week he is putting in to help high school baseball players achieve their dreams. He helped me no doubt about it. It kills me to think that there are people who do not truly appreciate what Andy has done for high school baseball in this region of the country. He is in no means in it for the money, and if that is what you think that is fine. Because you are in the extreme minority. E