State Games

Region 6 had a good turn out a couple of weeks ago at Mount Pleasant and this past Sunday at South Stanly...don't know how the coaches can narrow the talent I saw down to a 20 man roster...IMO Region 6 should be two or three regions instead of one. The shear number of students in the school systems that make up the region has to be at least twice as big as the next biggest region.

On the "no show" topic I know of a couple players from region 6 that did not try out due to commitments to Perfect Games National Invite only showacse the same weekend of the state games...most of those players played state games last year and are now working to hopefully help their respective draft status for next year...IMO the NC 2011 class is an exceptionally talented group and has been proven with all of the early commitments and will be proven again on draft day 2011.

 

I hesitate to say a thing on this subject because it is likely to sound like sour grapes, but here goes anyway.

My son was one of the few who went to Wilson for the East team tryout. He appeared to do well, but I'm completely biased so my evaluation is not trustworthy. Since I wasn't at the Fayetteville tryout, and didn't know how many showed up there, I didn't have much of a reaction when my son didn't make it. He was disappointed because he felt like he had done very well at the tryout, but we both blew it off since we didn't know who made it and who didn't.

The next week, after a game against a conference rival, the head coach pulled my son aside and said, "So, you made the East team for the State Games?" When my son said no, the coach was surprised and said that he had been called by one of the coaches of the East team asking for an evaluation of my son. The coach told my son that he had given such a strong recommendation that he just assumed they had picked him.

That's when I got ticked. I couldn't figure out why they would go to the lengths of calling coaches who had played against my son if they weren't seriously considering him. Then, once they got a glowing reference, they still didn't take him.

Yeah, it's better to let this go. The men who give their time to select and coach these teams have an impossible task in choosing between the many good players. Just wish I understood what happened in our particular instance.

 

coaching bias

I have heard that coaches will take their own players even if not as good. These coaches have a hard time seing who is the bettter fielder in 2 hours. They should look at the competition the kid plays in. I've seen alot of kids look good in these workouts and fizzle once you get them on your team.

This happened in one of the regions I know for a fact. I have seen a kid that didn't make it as a catcher and has singed with a division I team. The kid they took was one of the coaches kids. He throws down to 2nd terrible.
The kids dad that didn't make it told me about this and confirmed by two other dads. So here is an example of how bias it is.

I saw the same kid that made it last year try out this year and he was 2.19 and not accurate. Will see if he makes it, the coach is the assistant this year.

 

Slow down there jack, are you sure you are correct in saying that the head coach from last year is an asst. coach this year?
As I said in an earlier thread, please don't let who makes these state games teams get you bent out of shape. I understand exactly what you are saying, but you have proven the point in one of your sentences. He has signed with a Division 1 school and didn't make the team last year. Point made.

 

Coaches Know

I think its all a waste of time because I beleive the coaches know who will be on the team.At tryouys one of the guys was doing pop times with a wrist watch!! Maybe I havent been around baseball long enough to know that is the new way of doing pop times.I mean can you imagine telling a college coach yhat I am 1.9 on a wrist watch!!

 

Since when did digital change from a wrist watch and stop watch change? It's digital not analog. It is stopped with a reaction of the finger. The only way to do pop times is to average three throws and throw out the best and worse of 5 throws. Using a wrist watch and a stop watch don't matter. Both ways will be accurate!!!!! You still will be able to see who is the top 3 throwers. The bottom line you can get a catcher that throws great but can't block, you can get a pitcher that can thro 90 can't hit spots. It is hard to pick kids in a 2 hour workout unless they have a heads up on some kids.
Some kids batting averages are skewed because they play in weak conferences and weak pitchers. When they see better pitching they don't hit. So alot of factors go into picking a team and some better kids get left out.

 

A few years back we had 5 juniors try out for state games. 2 made it 3 didn't. The 2 that made it were not starters on our varsity and the 3 that didn't started every game all spring. The 2 that made it were close friends. One of the 2 that made it had a dad that was a friend of one of the coaches. Go figure. I know that State Games has gotten attention for a lot of kids, but the selection process can be very tainted. Oh and the 2 that made it never played a game beyond HS. The 3 that did all moved on to the next level, one currently playing D-1. What a waste of an opportunity for those that didn't make it. If you don't make it and know you should have, all is not lost.

 

There is never a year that the selection process is not attacked. Of course, no one has ever come up with a better way, either. They increased the roster from 15 to 20 to try to accommodate more kids, but this event has become extremely popular. With 200 trying out for 20 positions...well, there will certainly be a lot of disappointed kids.

I believe since the State Games have grown dramatically in interest, it's time to expand the number of regions.

 

Its baseball

No matter if it is Tball or major leagues, politics (or whatever name you may choose) will be part of baseball. Will never have all the answers as to why some guy is chosen, recruited or drafted while another is not.

Same thing occurs in many sectors of our society and do not expect baseball to be excluded.