bmtball

Gladiators have 14-18 program in SE TX.  By invitation only.  PM me for more info. Dave Morrow Gladiators

Stang78.  Thank you for the post.  And you are right, this post is about the effect of select on high school baseball.  I was simply trying to dispell some of the inaccuracies of your post.  Let me highlight a few more from your most recent post. First of all, I am an unpaid participant.  In fact, I spent a large amount of my own money to get this organization up and running.  I have a Board of Directors, all of whom are unpaid.  We, as volunteers, hire and pay coaches.  We, as volunteers, spearhead all fundraising events, schedule all practices, and book all tournaments.  We have six teams we do this for. As for grades, we want the kids to focus on their study habits.  If a kid is unable to make passing grades, we will suspend him until he gets his grades up.  Period.  Doesn't matter if it is my kid, or the best player in the league.  A policy is a policy.  If we didn't, what good would be doing the kid to let him flounder around academically?  We are not about wins and losses.  As I stated before, I could care less if we win a tournament of not.  All I want to do is give our area kids the opportunity to improve their game, within a team setting.  In the grand scheme of things, we operate on a $15,000 per month budget.  Do you really think $100 matters to us? As for our coaches and their coaching kids who have signed scholarships, are you nuts?  Morgan Walker coached a group of 14U Gladiators about 4 years ago, that included Kirby Bellows, Statum, Felts.  Any names ring a bell there?  Sam Moore has personally trained Matt Hicks for a long time.  Name ring a bell?  Just a few examples, there are many more.  Also, the main job of our coaches is not to get players full scholarships.  No one can do that for a player.  An organization places a player in the situation to be seen by a college by the tournaments it enters.  The player earns any scholarship, not the coach or organization.  Our coaches are expected to better prepare our kids for the next level, whatever that may be.  Period.  Sam and Morgan have been coaching select the longest, along with Chris Fackler.  All three of these guys have trained players who made it to the next level (D1/Juco, etc.)  But you will not hear them beating their chests claiming to have been the reason these kids got their scholarships.  That's not who they are.  The kids know these guys helped them along the way, which is why these guys are invited to signing parties annually.  Look, I am not here to down grade high school programs, simply to defend the assertions made about select.  Select baseball plays a very important role in the development of baseball players here and across the country.  Our summer teams consistently play teams that have at least one D1 prospect and a handfull of Juco prospects. Our players consistently face pitching in select tournaments that they rarely see here at the high school level.  You make valid points about the amount of time dedicated by a number of local high school coaches.  I don't think this should be viewed as a select vs. high school, since both add to the development of a player.  You make good points about a high school coaches duties.  But no one is putting down high school coaches.  I am simply stating that select ball isn't this monstrosity that you indicate it to be.  In fact coach Rojas at WOS and coach Green from Vidor are very good summer select coaches and VERY good high school coaches.  I don't think this should be a discussion about select vs,. high school coaches.  I will admit to you, the area has very good high school coaches.  But we have very good select coaches too. I haven't done a study on this, but it would be interesting.  How many of the recent JUCO D1/D2/D3 signess actually played select ball.  I bet the numbers would clearly confirm that select played an important role in the development of these players.  But it isn't the only source of development.  As they say, it takes a village to raise a child.....

[quote name="AJ25" post="731038" timestamp="1260923575"] bmtball, I don't think you were talking about me when you mentioned bashing, etc... I have said nothing wrong on here. But I do strongly believe there is a big difference between legit division 1 PROSPECT and a player who has already committed or signed with a Division 1 program, which he has yet to do. That's all I was implying. Sure, there are some great 16 and 17 year olds out there, but they're not ready to play division 1 ball. Like I said, Bell has proven himself, Townsend hasn't. Also like I said, Townsend does have talent, and maybe he will be a great pitcher one day. As for politics again, I don't believe there is any. [/quote] Again, I don't think this is the place to debate the merits of two 17 year old young men.  Period.  It is not fair to anyone.  I think the comparisons between players should stop. AJ. you were right.  I wasn't talking about you and bashing.

Enough is enough guys.  Both Bell and Townsend played for us on Gladiators this past summer.  BOTH are very good ball players and pitchers.  I would take BOTH of them for my high school team. I do not believe that this is the place to call out kids and compare them.  Secondly, no coach likes it when a parent/relative/player uses forums like this to air laundry.  Nor do they like it when people sit in the stands and make disaparaging comments about the coach, the program, or a player.  You got a problem with your organization or school program, talk to the only guy that matters, your coach.  Save the bickering and comparing of 17 year old players for your back yard, in private. For the record AJ25, Townsend did play against legitimate D1 and JUCO prospects this past summer and Fall.  But that is immaterial to this discussion.

Clearly, Select takes many forms that is difficult to put into one category.  Yes, you do have glorified league teams out there that take their little league or pony league all-stars and place them on a weekend travelling team.  Yes, you have paid coaches who are not much better than a non-paid coach, and yes, you do have organizations that focus on wins and not the child.  It is impossible to lump them all in to one category.  But please 78 Stang and Mid county madness, don't disparage all select teams due to your negative experiences with one. Last summer, I started the Gladiator Baseball Organization for high school age kids.  I worked in conjunction with Morgan Walker, to give his younger Gladiators and other local kids, an opportunity to play travelling summer ball at the high school level.  Our sole focus is to prepare our kids for the next level, whatever that may be.  For example, the focus of 14s is to better prepare them for high school ball (60/90).  Our 15s and 16s our focus is to better prepare them for varsity high school ball.  Our 17s & 18s, to better prepare them for college ball AND to get them exposure with college scouts.  We carefully choose tournaments where we feel there will be exceptional competition, so our kids can face better teams and better pitching.  I could care less whether we win tournaments.  Yes, I want to see our kids play well and up to their potential, but we do not win at all costs.  We have a player conduct policy that we implemented this year.  If a player does not have the grades (yes, we monitor grades), or has off-field behavior that is detrimental to the player or the team, then we punish the player accordingly.  To address the assertion that select is only for the rich, we charge $100 per month.  We fundraise for the rest.  We do not turn people away for an inability to pay.  However, we expect players and parents to fill in for their lack of pay with volunteerism of some sort to the organization.  Playing for any team is a privelege, not a right.  We want all kids to respect that through helping out in one way or another.  So, no, select ball is not for the upper/middle class, as some have asserted. Finally, we do pay coaches.  And here is why.  First, I feel a paid coach, at this age group is necessary.  At this age, the game has passed a number of Dad's by.  Paid coaches, in SE TX are former college and pro players.  These coaches have the necessary on-field experience.  Equally as important, they can mentor the kids on the dos and don'ts of the college experience because they have been there before.  Second, I do not like the idea of of a Dad coaching their kid, for obvious reasons.  Third, a paid coach allows the organization to have leverage.  If a coach is not meeting expectations for whatever reason, a paid coach runs the risk of being fired, and their livelihood is hurt.  A volunteer can tell you to shove it because it is just a hobby for them.  Yes, there may be some very qualified volunters, but that is not the direction we feel is where we want to go.  Having said that, I feel we have some of the best coaches in SE TX.  Sam Moore and Jeff Moye coach our 18's.  Jed McBride/Morgan Walker coach our 16s, as does Derrick Spivey and Jesse Floyd.  Pat Ford coaches our 14s.  While these aren't the only qualified coaches in SE TX, I feel we have some exceptional paid coaches. Bottom line, there is no cookie cutter approach to select ball.  There are teams established for a variety of reasons.  Having been through this, I would suggest finding an organization that best meets your child's needs.  There are a number of great organizations out there (GTB in Orange County, TPX Baseball in Dayton, Bullet Baseball in Lake Charles are just a few).  I am not saying we are the best, just another option for our local kids.  In fact, it is difficult to identify a "best" organization or team because there are a lot of variations of select.  The "best" team or organization is the one that best suits your child.  If you had a bad experience with one.  Look around to find another that best suits your child.  They are out there.  Believe me.  If you want to have a discussion about the merits of select or want to learn more about our organization and what we went through to date, feel free to call me or IM me.  I am willing to help others find a team or build their organization based on the mistakes and successes we have made.   Dave Morrow-658-9279 Gladiator Baseball

Couldn't happen to a better person.  Jon helped our catchers this past summer with Gladiator 16U team.  He is a great young man and an excellent coach.  He has a bright future in baseball (and coaching, if he chooses to do so).  Congrats Jon.  You deserve it!

BC, since it is fall, we have an ever changing roster.  Our website, www.gladiatorbaseball.org shows our players.  However, with football, and other Fall activities, we end up juggling players to field a team each weekend.  Our summer roster is more representative of our organization.  We hope to have that team finalized in January. 

This is our 1st full year. We had a 15 and 16U team in the summer and added 17 & 18u in the fall. We will begin our first full summer of a 15-18 organization this upcoming year. There are a lot of fine ball players in SE Texas. We just wanted to give them another option to play. We are trying to get into as many showcase tournaments as funds will allow, so the kids can get as many opportunities to be seen as possible. Thanks for asking BC

Gladiator 17's went 3-1 in the Centex BuzzLightning Showcase tournament in Waco this past weekend. Gladiators were led by solid pitching performances from Taylor Townsend and Dave Conley the first two games. The 17s lone loss was to the Brazos Valley 18's from College Station area. Gladiator 18's went 2-2 in the same tournament. In the first two games of the tournament, the 18's showed their rust by losing both games by 1 run. Three weeks of rain caught up to them. On Sunday, the 18's won both games, capped off by a solid hitting performance by Taylor Zummo. Zummo had 2 home runs and 5 RBIs in the Sunday finale. Both teams will head back to Waco Nov. 7-8 for the Texas Showcase League World Series, where 28 teams from across Texas and Louisiana will showcase their abilities before a host of scouts.

Thanks very much for the info, guess I didn't pay much attention to the posted tryouts and I did not know that the Gladiators even existed anymnore (son played for Morgan several years on the Gladiators 12u I think). And as he is a senior now, looks like he may have missed the boat as far as getting involved in these teams unfortunately, so hopefully he can get help from Coach Landry to play on. Again I appreciate all the info, I learned alot............just wish I'd have asked these questions before now! Actually, Gladiator Baseball is alive and well. For the older ages, we have teams for ages 15-18. We have a fall team and summer team. If you are interested in a tryout, e-mail me at [email protected]. Thanks, Dave Morrow

Getting to the heart of your two observations/questions. First, there are a few local options for high school players to showcase their talents on a select team. There are the two you mentioned, Sun Devils and GTB. There is also Gladiators and TPX Baseball. If you want to go a little farther east, there is Bullet Baseball in Lake Charles. All of these teams have tryouts. In many cases, they are invited tryouts. But tryouts are not exclusive to invited tryouts. Gladiators, for instance, have had open tryouts the past summer and fall seasons. Those tryout dates were posted on this web site. Second, does a player have a better opportunity to be seen in one of these programs, absolutely. One of the previous posts talked about a scout seeing multiple players of exceptional talent on one select team. Whereas, most area high schools are lucky to have two. LCM's senior class last year was an exceptional class. Furthermore, organizations invite scouts down for private work outs. Sun Devils have had several times where they have private work outs with scouts invited down to their facility. Chris Fackler does an exceptional job coordinating tournaments at Lamar where no less than half dozen scouts attend. Most of the teams in those tournaments are select organizations like GTB, Gladiators, and even some teams from other parts of the U.S. The focus of all these select organizations is to prepare their players for the next level. There are advocates within each organization who try to market their players to colleges and junior colleges. There are an incredible number of talented baseball players in this area. We are lucky to have as many fine organizations as we do. Furthermore, this area is lucky to have people like Chip Ferguson, Chris Fackler, Sam Moore, and Morgan Walker who have been there and can pass along their knowledge to the players of SE Texas.

643, you bring up some very good points. However, keep in mind a few things. First of all, not every organization is established just to get kids to JUCO. The SunDevils shoot for the highest level - MLB draft. In order to get kids seen by MLB teams, many times you have to qualify for Perfect Game Tournaments and other "invite only" tournaments that allow kids to showcase their talent in front of these scouts. In order to qualify for these tournaments, you have to be among the best teams in the country. Taking it a step further, in order to be one of the best teams in the country, many times you need to have the best players in the COUNTRY. I know the fact that some players from outside SE TX on the Sun Devils roster doesn't sit well with some, but the focus of that organization is to shoot for the highest level of exposure for its players. Rather than scorn Mr. Ferguson for his inclusion of non Texas players, applaud him for setting up an organization that allows SE TX players exposure on the national stage, at the highest levels. Last year, with Morgan Walker's approval, I established the Gladiator Baseball organization for players age 15-18. We held open tryouts, had a competitive team. In fact, our 16 year old team made PG Crosschecker's top 20 list for the Sunbelt region. However, the one thing I learned very quickly is that some of the "bigger tournaments" are exclusive to the best teams in the country. Being a new team, we were not able to get into some of these elite tournaments. The other thing I learned very quickly is that not all the SE TX players stay to play in SE TX. Bullet Baseball in Lake Charles has SE TX players on their rosters, as do Louisiana AllStars. Houston teams have many SE TX players on their roster. So it is a two-way street. Players are not always loyal and exclusive to SE TX teams either. I personally applaud Mr. Ferguson and his staff for all they do for the baseball players of SETX. Our area is very fortunate to have Chip Ferguson and others like Morgan Walker, Chris Fackler, Sam Moore, et. al., who can help our local players bring their game to the next level. But 643, I also respect your opinions. You and ESPN make some very good points. However, to allow players to be seen at the level SunDevils strive for, sometimes you need to upgrade a position. In their case, it happens to be with a top 20 prospect or two. There are other organizations for SE TX players to be seen by colleges, including Gladiators, GTB, TPX Baseball, etc. Dave Morrow Gladiator Baseball www.gladiatorbaseball.org

Nice list of players! That would make a pretty darn good team.

What is Cook's first name? Patrick

Please tell me you are not taking credit for the success these kids achieved. Carnahan and Steinhagen were Sun Devils when they got their scholarships, Purke was with the Houston Heat, and Fazio had a 94 MPH heater that got him his scholarship. There is a long line of teams/organizations that help to build a player, including his high school. The statement is simple. But the implication is a bit misleading.

4th quarter...Cook just scored on a 1 yard plunge. Kelly up 35-7.

Kelly up 21-7 at the half

Bullett, why all the hate? If Gladiator Baseball was all about the money, do you really think they would be as successful as they have been? You obviously are not aware of the number of people who play for Gladiators who are not from the upper echelon of the income brackets. In fact most all of them are not rich and famous. Gladiators work very hard to raise money for their teams. Also, shouldn't all programs feel they are the premier program of the area? Sun Devils are the premier organization of the area, as is GTB, Gulf Coast, TPX, so on and so on. There are plenty of organizations. Each person should find the one they are most comfortable with, and stick with it. Obviously, Gladiators wasn't your cup of tea. Why is it that people feel the need to publicly slam other organizations? There are plenty of great baseball players in this area to fill 20 teams.. So again, why all the hate?

Come on everyone, spill the beans. What have you heard?

Since you are obviously with the Whitecaps, or a proponent of the Whitecaps, lets get to the heart of the matter. In three games played against the Gladiators this year, Gladiators scored 30 runs to the Whitecaps 5 runs. Gladiators beat Whitecaps all three games. The bottom line is, the Gladiators are a better team, so lets discredit them. These are 11 year olds for cryin out loud. I know the Whitecaps are trying to build an organization comparable to the Gladiators, but lets take the high road by showing how well you do. Don't discredit a coach or a group of players who have worked their rear ends off.

Is this a regional tournament? It looks like Texas and Louisiana winners were invited to the Arkansas State Tournament.

You really are ignorant aren't you? You have no earthly idea what you are talking about. Most every trainer in this area makes his/her money from training individuals, not coaching a team. Do the math - $35 for 30 minutes translates into roughly $300 per night/$1500 per week or $5000-6000 per month. Compare that to $1000 per team per month coaching a team. Do you really think Morgan needs to justify coaching a team when his bread and butter is training? Believe me, Morgan does not need to justify his job, nor does he need to get more kids to join the Gladiator organization. There are kids lining up to be a part of that organization (Not just because of Morgan's coaching ability or his wins and losses). Again, Morgan realizes his future success depends on the success of each player, not his win/loss record. If any of you knew him or even better- if any of you have ever been to one of his practices, you would realize that people aren't lining up to be a Gladiator because of a win/loss record. They are lining up to be Gladiators because of the success of the kids who play for him. All of the "marquis" players in the area high schools were once Gladiators - Statum, Felts, Hicks, etc..... Up until this year, the Gladiators had no teams past age 14, so these players were forced to go elsewhere. The success of the Gladiator organization is not based on an age group's record. It is based upon the development of the player - on and off the field. That, Bullett, is the difference between Gladiator Baseball and other organizations. It is also the reason people are wanting to be Gladiators - not because of the win/loss record of a particular team.

Don't think this was just brought up this late in the year it has been brought up all year long by many with no real reasons except that they don't 10 run everyone. This team has played in 16 tournaments just in nations and has 11 1st place finishes, 3 2nd place finishes, a 5th and a 7th with an overall record of 62-12-2 and a 9-3 record in premier/major level teams. That is including the fall tournaments, in just spring tourn. they have played in 11 tourn. and won 9 of them, now if that does not warrant moving up I don't know what does since there have been a few teams moved up after a few tourn. wins. 3 out of 5 games so far in the elite world series has been 10 run limits for them. This team is a great team but should be playing at the premier level which is equal to major in USSSA and that is what they are classified as there and will be participating in the elite 24 world series which is the top 24 major teams in the country. These boys have put in alot of hard work but should try to play at the highest level. There is alot more to this than just too late in the season to be moved up, they want to win the local world series and since they are the "host team" nations allowed them to stay at that level and still play even though they did not have to play in the state tournament. Don't think anybody is knocking these kids just would like select ball to not turn into league ball and let politics and who you know run it. These kids are good enough to be playing in premier/major.... end of story. With all due respect to Jack, Gambler, and others...what is the big deal with wins and losses? If this 11 year old team wins tournaments or not, who cares? Isn't the big picture about the players and their development? For some reason, those of you at the 12 and under age group place way too much emphasis on wins and losses. I know at the older age groups, success is not measured by wins, but on how the player develops. At the end of the year, the players who have improved their game and taken it to a higher level are the ones who measure the success of a program or not. Who cares if a team is 62-12? What does that get them or their players and coaches? I have yet to see Joe Buck and Tim McCarver interview the winner of a nations baseball or USSSA world series tournament. The true measure of the success of a program is the growth of the players on and off the field, not the number of wins they can add to the coaches resume. I know for a fact, Morgan does not need to have a number of wins determine his success as a coach or trainer. The true success is the growth of Johnny and Jimmy.

Senior League Sectional score - West End 11 Vidor 0.

Gladiator 16U Red Team plays Friday night at 6PM at Vincent Beck. Then again Saturday morning at 8AM at West Brook. Sunday play times will be determined from their play Friday and Saturday. Here is the web site link for the schedule. Times subject to change, so check periodically. [Hidden Content]