Charlotte Express-Gary Robinson

Spartanfan is right on the money (pun intended)! When my son was interviewed by BRAVES for this board, he said Gary Robinson had the greatest influence on him as a player; skill development, mental approach/toughness, etc., and he didn't turn out half bad.

Money, no money, doesn't matter. You get out of this game what you put into it. And, if you learn what the "good teachers" are trying to instill in you, then it's worth the price and sacrifice. Just ask anyone of these guys:

Jonathan Hovis, UNC
Andrew Cruse, USC
Matt Chastain, Elon
Wes McCall, UNC-G
Clay Gibson, UNC-G
Rodney Quinn, UNC-A
Mike Hilfiger, UNC-A
Ross Ellis, Presbyterian
CJ Austin, Erskine
Dane Phillips, Montreat

 

Money aside, Gary is a great baseball mind. He also seems to know how to get the message across. His style may have rubbed some the wrong way but my son had the opportunity to work with him at Extra Innings for a while several years ago and he still remembers and speaks very highly of Gary.

 

SPD---great to see you on the board again. Thanks for all of your contributions.

Can you fill us in on how Wes is doing? I 've heard some great things in the grapevine

 

BRAVES, I'm glad you "heard something through the grapevine", you'll have to share it with me!

For you parents who have sons (or daughters) in school as freshmen, here's the extent of a typical conversation...Dad I don't think I'll be coming home for Thanksgiving. Why not? I don't have any money to out gas in my truck." Needless to say, Mom has Dad run to bank and deposit $40 into his (or her) account. Son (or daughter) knows when they get home for a "break", Dad's going to work their butts off for that $40...and I do!

Seriously, Wes is having a great time at UNC-G. I don't know how his grades are...but he's enjoying the experience. All of the Freshmen players get along great. Wes, Clay Gibson, Sean Snell, Logan Smith, Adam DeLeo and the others, all enjoy working out and getting together on weekends.

The Spartans have four returning upperclass pitchers. One to start F-S-Su series games and one for relief. That means the frosh and sophs should get a lot of innings, if they perform. Personally, I think the Charlotte area boys will see a lot of playing time this year, especially if they can hit college pitching.

Although, I've been lurking around the board for some time, I'll try to do better at posting and keeping you guys informed on how the crew is progressing at UNC-G. March 18-20 they'll be playing a SoCon series at Davidson, so maybe a group can drive over to watch them play. The seson actually starts Feb. 18-20 with a home series against the Univ. of Delaware. I may need to keep my longjohns out for a month or more!

 

As has been said, Gary's style is not for everyone. His method is to try to prepare you for what you'll see at the next level when mom and dad are not around anymore. I've heard it said that the "Gary Robinson Show" is worth the price of admission. I've seen days when I'd have to agree. I learned quite a bit from him the few years that I got to spend some time in the same dugout with Gary.

 

We still have a few openings for the team. If interested give me a call at 704-201-5767. We will start playing Memorial Day weekend. Thanks