IT'S IN THE BONE

A little nicer way of putting it...the more hot lead you put in the air the birds you take...even if they are ugly birds!LOL

Here is my personal experience...Very few high school coaches can be depended on to shop your kid around to various college programs and the few that are willing are limited in their contacts. Very very few high school coaches can be a big factor in recruitment unless its playing a negative role so my advice is to try an include the coach or at the very least keep them updated as to the progress of the recruitment. Now...playing in the right summer program can be a big factor. So many programs out their make a bunch of noise about playing in this showcase or that showcase and how many scouts or recruitment coaches your kid will be exposed too...ask the program director for a list of reference (other parents that have had success in the program) you find out in a hurry if its about what they say it is or if its about a paycheck. Second, stay regional in your camp attendance with maybe two that are further way. Make a wish list and then fit it to your budget. Camps can give college coaches an up close assessment of your kid and many times can help them find the player that fits the roll they are looking for...start these camps the summer after their Freshman year. This will allow your kid to become used to what I call "the pressures of on the spot performance demand". The So. and Jr. years are the most important in this process. Third make a skills video (hitting, fielding, throwing, catching, pitching...ect) and link it to a youtube account and send it to as many college coaches as you can...if you take time to put a video together and then research contacts...it shows coaches your serious and you will be surprised at the response you get...not a big fan of recruitment firms, but some do have success so I won't say they don't work. This is a time consuming process and you have to be dedicated to seeing it through to fruition. ON THE PLAYERS SIDE YOU HAVE TO WORK HARD...you are working while your friends are at the beach or the lake...you are playing ball sweating your butt off all summer long on a diamond while your friends are maybe laid up in the A/C...Before anybody says it...I'm sure not all kids are laid up, many are working hard for their own desires. LOL Best of luck!

​Three wives is a choice, not very smart choice in my book. Heck I have enough of an issue with just one...but three??? could be mental! LMBO not for me broski

Conservative case? I don't agree with the lifestyle, I think it is against God but I also think nobody has the the right to make judgement upon these fellow human beings created by and children of God. God loves them the same just not the act. When we pass on we will have to stand before God and answer and that means even answering for the judgement of thy brother. If it is a choice than you will answer for that choice; if it is a genetic or some sort of dis-order than I am sure that will be met with compassion no different than those with other various mental conditions. I am not making a statement about it being choice or dis-order, I am just verbalizing a possible path. I do not think the church should not have to do perform services and no financial retribution from tax status should be allowed. If a church as in the Episcopal Church that has decided to recognize and perform services than that is between their flock and God. Guys this really is the bottom line here and in the end whatever you may think or feel will not override how the good Lord feels about it...I assure you he will handle his business and I don't think there is one of us here that does not need all the earthly time possible to prepare for our time to stand in front of God Almighty.

​If a coach teaches or okay's that type of play than he needs to get out of the coaching business and into WWE training.

what a nice facility...I am sure glad for those ladies to have a new house!

​seems to me those country's are all equally worried about the existence of IsIs...I think they are about ready to just look the other way!

I have a question for you guys...what does this mean to you and how does it apply to our current discussion? Matthew 22:21 Jesus said "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's." Romans 13:1 "Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God and those which exist are established by God.

You want to take care of ISIS? Here is how you do it...TAKE THE HAND-CUFFS OFF ISRAEL! Let them do what they do best which is track down terroist and kill them, because they have the stomach to do what our government will not do; which is the systematic destruction and elimination of radical Muslims.

This weekend I saw my kid get smoked down because the umpire was calling a crap zone...and it was a crap zone...he got rang up two AB's in a row and on the third he swung at a low outside pitch that had been called a strike previously and flared the ball to the short stop as he is a left handed batter. I saw the coach after the game come up and talk to him for a few...later I asked what he said. My son said, "don't let what you cant control effect how you handle the things you can control and the things you can't control just have to water off a ducks back"...how true that is guys...First, why get all bowed up about what Sarah Palin says because you have zero chance of controlling what she says. Number two, if you let the things being said control your actions or words than its a double loss. If you want to make a statement about the issue at hand than make it but let it be your statement and not a response to the cycle of rhetoric. JMO

​I will tell you why not bulletts, because two wrongs never ever make a right...If you are talking Christianity and I think we are...God frowns equally on the one who judges as the one sinning maybe even more on the individual being judgmental since they two have sin in their life. It's one thing to shout from the mountain top what you believe its a whole other thing to look down and be judgmental and hypocritical in the process.

As a Christian I have no right to judge others and because of my beliefs I know we all will answer for what we have done and in some cases not done. I think the idea of marriage came from the bible and the process performed in the JP's office is a legal binding of two people and the word marriage is like somebody asking for a Kleenex when they just want a tissue. Maybe the government should take the word marriage out of the phrase "Marriage License" and change it to "Domestic Partnership License". LOL...Church can call it Marriage and the government can call it a partnership and all can be happy and If a church see's fit to perform a same sex marriage...well that is their prerogative and goes back to my opening statement. I have several friends that are Gay or Lesbian and I am proud to call them my friends but as they know their lifestyle or way of life is not mine and we have lines we do not cross in discussion, not to say we never talk about it but never in a judgmental tone and certainly not with fire and brimstone. The most important thing I have to remember is that because of my Christianity...God loves us all the same not matter what but is that in no way relieves me from the consequences of my actions. That being said...I am very busy trying deal with my own issues of living in a glass house.

Like mentioned before...I wish black Americans would focus on the genocide that is occurring in the streets of America at the hand of their own socio-culture. I mean thousands of young black men are dying for why???can anyone tell??? I mean dang people let's focus some more on the past and a flag. Folks it's our history as a collective good and bad. But to ignore the real threat to black America is insane...if black leaders don't step up and lead...if the families don't stand up take their children back from the streets than all is for not! To hell with a flag or the tragic past...learn from it but we have so many more priblems that deserve attention than this rhetoric.

​I certainly was not minimizing getting "lynched or hung for the color of their skin" and IMO that right there is half our problem today...people taking things out of context or making bold assumptions instead of just asking someone who was obviously trying to have an intelligent conversation to opine on the statement of "mixed emotions"...although I was not asked I will try and clarify...people were raised in the south under a much different culture than the north and no matter how you look at it slavery was justified all the way from the church house to the state house. Many people in the north saw it as morally wrong and many people did not care about the morals as much as the economic impact based on fair trade, due to the fact that the south produced a product for much less cost due to a much reduced labor cost...ie slavery. That impact effected mans ability to make a living and care for their families. The mixed emotions comment was directed at the culture of the south where slavery was an entitlement and in the north it was a moral and direct economic survival issues. I realize 300years of slavery is unexcusable but nevertheless its all part of our history and my point was we just cant go around deciding what parts to embrace and what parts to hide. I do believe everything happens for a reason and the African American people suffered not unlike the Jews or the multitudes of others around the world. many positive things were of a direct result of the Civil War and the Civil Rights struggle that later ensued. I wish we would just focus on the here and now and deal with the atrociousness of events effecting the African American people today and I'm not just talking about the current events of lately; I am talking about the crimes being exacted upon the African American people by their own... the thousands of young men dieing needlessly at the hands of their own and nothing of real is being done...Focus on a flag and focus on 300 years of slavery and your future will never be any better than it is today. I have many friend of color and I hate to even say that because I don't see color in them I see my friend I see men I would stand shoulder to shoulder with as my equal or better...My children have been raised to not see color but see the person. I would never minimize your struggle...but my friend it is our burden as Americans to make tomorrow a better place and it can't happen trying to drive down the road of life looking in the rear-view mirror. My sincerest apologies if anything I said was or is misconstrued to be anything other than genuine, supportive or empathetic.

​Gonna give it the old college try...Lets just throw it out in the open...this whole flag thing is about slavery and injustice done to African Americans by their own in Africa, White Euro's and White Americans (TRIANGLE TRADE ROUTE). When I look at the Confederate flag I see age old tradition and a reminder of a time when things were confusing and full of mixed emotions. I see a time when people died for their beliefs and heritage. I see a time people died for moral change change. I see a time that people waged war upon their brother over the all mighty dollar. Evil traitors to a nation? Undying echos of slavery among people who trust it upon the backs of those who have no real ties to that day in time...from a peoples who can't even hardly make blood ties to the past. Their have been many wrongs done to a many of people and cultures world wide throughout history...too many to list. The confederate flag is more than just a hate rag...it's part of a profound history. It stands for tradition, change, grief, life, religion and yes even freedom, because without the struggles of war many of this countries most influential leaders who fought for civil rights may have never been. It is our history as a people as a nation. It cant just be about one thing and the past has to start truly being the past if our future is to be what we want it to be. You Sir are an American and the south, the flag, the everything is a part of your history just like it's a part of mine and we must embrace it and find the good, find the lessons, find the wrongs and let them stand uncovered as the truth to teach us all...God Bless my friend.

EJECT EJECT EJECT! THEN JUST FOR GOOD CAUSE CALL HER BACK OUT ONTO THE FIELD AND EJECT HER AGAIN!

​wow! talk about open a can of worms if that is a tipping of the hand...?

JoeBob...I have had ties to almost every team mentioned on this thread and at some point they have last second added pitching and or hitters...the idea is to win but not for the reasons of counting wins...the further you go in these big showcases the more scouts in attendance ...ie...more exposure for your player...more exposure equals more scholarships or maybe better daft possibilities. The business part is simple economics 101, the more signed or drafted equals more younger players in the pipe...everybody wants to be a winner. I realize you may be a purest at heart and that's cool but their is room for both purity and the more aggressive showcase world.

Showcase and Select are programs designed to help kids, and at the same time be a profitable business. Winning those titles help to keep the pipe full of potential next level players. I know for a fact that everyone of those programs you mentioned uses PO's and in these big national tournaments they often have them fly in to pitch one game and then leave. Sometimes they will pay for transportation...dog eat dog world in baseball and it's starts being about business when your kid hits 14 to 15...the trick is keeping it fun and light hearted enough so ya don't burn them out!

Not trying to answer for D-20 but, Ethan is a talented player who main focus needs to be focusing on performing in the right opportunities...at this juncture it's all about his personal performance not so much team. In addition it's not select ball he is playing its showcase and that's kinda the point, but for the record, no matter the situation, Ethan is a competitor and enjoys playing like a team!

excellent choice!