Showcase Opinion

Don Hutchins was a perfect host

Were you the female voice that was yelling when I blew that call at 2nd base?

 

How did you ever guess!!!!

Just kidding....I know umpires never make bad calls!

 

Good post Putt

There is one thing imo that is true for every player. Hard work is more important than the jersey you wear in the summer. If you think that if you get on a showcase team your set - your wrong! That is just a way to be seen by college coaches. But what are they going to see? A kid that was at this level in June and at the same level in Sept? Or maybe even a lower level? What I want to see I do not believe is any different than what a college coach wants to see. A player that always seems to get better. Thats a very good indication that he is going to get better while he is in college. And how do you get better? By doing the things needed to get better when no one is watching you.

Of course they are looking to ID the kids that they believe have the tools needed to compete at their level. Then they are going to continue to follow that player and watch and see how he continues to develop. When they determine that they are "sold" on this player they will make an offer. With the new 35 man roster limits that college programs are under now they can't afford to miss on guys. They need players that can play. The programs that develop their players once they are in their programs will be successfull. But that again is up to the amount of effort and dedication the player puts into that attempt by the staff. Again , I believe the player has to be the one who takes responsibility to take advantage of the opportunity afforded to him.

I can see your strengths. Once I see that Im going to bore in on your weakness's. Now if your a little slow or struggle going the other way Im going to see if you improve over the course of the year and into the next. If your the same player the next year Im going to be concerned that you are either unable to improve or unwilling to work at improving. Now Im so focused on your inability to improve, your strengths are not as impressive to me.

These 11's 10's and 09's need to understand that getting on a showcase team only means he now has an opportunity. What he does with that opportunity is now in his hands. Its like Coach Partin says "I can put you in front of the college coaches and I will. But what you do once your in front of them is up to you." Playing on the weekends is great , its fun , its competitive and its a great opportunity. But what you do during the week when no one is watching will ultimately determine what you can do on the weekends when everyone is watching.

If there was a secret formula for developing a kid into a sure fire D-1 stud someone would be selling it and making a ton of money. If there was a gizmo that you could buy that would make it happen everyone would make it happen. The fact is there is a formula for success. But it is not something that can be bought or force fed into a kid no matter how bad the parent wants it for their kid. Its a burning desire and a passion for the game. And the work ethic needed to be the best you can be. For some that will take longer to equate into baseball success. They may end up at a D-3 school and blossum into a draft pick. For some it may be what was needed just to be a good high school player. But regardless of what level you achieve you will never achieve what you could have without it.

Developing players takes first and foremost a player that is willing to do what it takes to be developed. Without that their can be no develpment. There are alot of talented kids that ride that talent. But one day they can not ride that ride any longer. And then it comes down to who knows what it takes and who is willing to do what it takes to compete. Those will be the players that continue to improve and develop. And in the end they will be the ones left standing on the field when everyone else has moved on to other things in life. And when those players that have learned this through athletics hang up the cleats. They will take these same lessons they learned on the baseball field with them into their lives as grown adults. And they will be successfull. Because the same things that make you a winner on the baseball field will make you a winner in life.

OK Im off the soap box now. But I do get tired of hearing people say "If I could just get on the _________ team I would be set." No if you get off that damn X Box and get to work and dedicate yourself to being the best you can be you will know how good you could be. And you wont have time to worry about what other people are doing. You will be too busy taking care of your own business to care what others are doing.

 

Why can't we be friends...

I wish you would tell that to Braves, Coach May, SoutherNo1, Grayben, Braves, oldbbguy, BBCoach25, Andy Partin, Coach Evans and Braves!!!!

 

Great post Coach 27

I totally agree with you about the player who gets off his butt during the the winter or any other time when he could be sitting in front of that xbox and works hard to improve his skills. My son was out today after school hitting in 35 degree temperatures because he has the desire to improve all the time. It does not matter what showcase team he plays on he knows that if he is not improving then what is the sense to play every weekend. I say this because he has played for a very, very good showcase team and if you don't want to get better and just want to go every weekend to see your baseball friends then you or the other players are going to get seen just one time and the scouts are going to say, these guys really don't care so why waste our time.I said all this to say this "HARD WORK PAYS OFF IN THE LONG RUN" so get off your dead ass and go to work!

 

Glad to see this beast again. I guess I have done something right So,take care. The rubber room has claimed a few victims lately.

 

I'd like to reply to this. First of all, I'm not attacking this post, only answering and commenting on some of the issues because we are one of those just trying to get a team going. My son has been to 2 Impact ID camps and never been asked to play for the Dirtbags. Am I mad or disgruntled about that? Heck no, those are usually D1 and/or future draft picks, and when you see those players, you know where you stand. As far as any other tryout goes, different coaches are looking for different things in players, and what your kid may be strong in, may not be what he's looking for. So you move on. Why be mad? Is it unthinkable that 3 or 4 guys from 1 school on a showcase roster that's been working on fundamentals since they were 8, 9 or 10 years old , that they couldn't possibly compete on a showcase level. They may not be D1, but fundamentally sound, usually means always getting better. Getting better everyday, would sure help out some college programs. I know 2 players that played D2 and D3 that no one wanted on there showcase teams, and 1 is playing in the Independent Leagues, and the other just got drafted, but has returned to school for 1 more year. The guys we get are probably not D1 guys, (although 2 of my players were picked up by the Hurricanes South team that played with me last year at App. St. and NC Weslyen (sp?)) , but there are a lot of D2, D3, and JUCO looking as well. If a college team would even put a couple of guys that may play for us on their radar, to potentially keep up withfor later to see how they progressed, that may end up one day bringing a kids dreams come true. I'm all for that. With the exception of the Hurricanes , Dirtbags, and S. Charlotte Panthers , our little team that we threw together at the end of last year had strong starting pitching, strong defense, but lacked in areas of middle relief, and that big RBI guy who drives in those 2 out runs,( runners left on base) we were no different than any other team. With the tryouts we're having, I hope to address those needs, and become even more competitive. At App. St. last year we lost to the strongest 15 yr. old team I've ever seen in the Dirtbags 8-5. Starting pitching went 4 strong, middle relief was shakey, and still looking for big hit, and who knows? Same story for 3 games up there. Actually lead for a couple innings in each. 2 players get to move on with the Hurricanes, that would not have been seen if we hadn't put a team together. As far as coaching exp. goes, I can only speak for myself. I coached high school and American Legion ball, and have worked numerous camps with other coaches (high school and college),even had my own camps. If I don't know, I'm damned sure not afraid to ask, and if it means trying to get in touch with A-Rod to ask him something, I'll try. As far as watered down talent, from new teams, I think some of you are underestimating the type of talent that has yet to be seen by the "big" boys. May or may not be Dirtbags or Hurricanes level, but none the less, very talented. I, personally have no illusions of beating a Dirtbags team, ect. day in or day out, but competing with and showcasing talents that are similar to theirs, I have no doubt we can and will do that. This is just a perspective from a coach trying to get a team going. Also, understand that when I use the Dirtbags and Hurricanes and Panthers for example, it is out of respect for their teams. They set the standards that I'd love to be able to catch up with and mentioned in the same sentence.

 

Stretchy don"t even try it!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have you forgotten that I know all about cellphonegate??

 

Just give peace a chance

I wish your new team the best of luck and thank you for giving more kids a chance to experience showcase ball.

 

"Blue" I got your number

WOW....your right!!.....cellphonegate is my alltime favorite baseball scam.