My son was invited to attend the Blue Grey Classic showcase in Cincy. Is it worth the money?

I too was invited. I've heard mixed comments about the event. Look up "Blue Grey" on the search engine which should help you make your decision.

If he gets seen playing well and gets an offer then it is worth it. If he doesn't, well... probably not. He needs to be seen if he is D1-II calibar and he wants to go to some of these colleges. DII - III depending on school may be able to get by on less or none. Has he done ANY showcases? How good is he (by someone other than dad)? What grade is he in? How much do you plan to spend? Many other variables to think about also.

Tim Robertson

son will be attending the showcase in cincy.....i'll be glad to post a review when it's over. i did want to throw out a couple thoughts that we've encountered about the recruiting process that may be helpful to some.

if you live in a baseball hotbed, you play for a successful, respected high school program, your summer team participates in showcase tournaments chance are it will be pretty easy to be seen. hopefully this will help those that don't have that opportunity.

1. first and foremost. start early and do your homework. this board is chock full of people who have been there, done that. there is a great many tips on how to be seen without spending alot of money. send letters/profiles/fill out questionnaires for the colleges you are interested in. this is all free....it just takes time and work. PARENTS - do not do this for your kids. you wouldn't fill out a job application for them, would you?

2. figure out early what works for your situation. how much can you spend, how much time can you commit to travel, etc. and realize that not everyone else's path will work for you.

3. be realistic. it's impossible to evaluate our own kids talent level....get the objective evaluation of someone who knows the game and what college coaches are looking for. also, paid instructors can NOT be objective....you're paying them.

4. do play for the best summer team you can. but sometimes because of geographical or financial reasons your options may be limited. if your team doesn't play showcase tournaments, i would suggest attending at least one showcase. find one that fits your needs in the region you would like to attend college and go.

5. HIT THE BOOKS HARD!!! don't let off junior/senior year. personal example: son was straight A student fresh/soph years....got his car, got a little freedom, got a girlfriend and the grades fell. finished 3rd trimester back on a/b honor roll, but the damage is already done. his biggest embarrassment when talking to college coaches has been explaining why his gpa went from a 3.6 to 2.8.

6. all-city, all-area, all-conference, all-state are nice. you should be proud of your accomplishments, but your name in the local newspaper and $1.59 will get you a cup of coffee. those honors do not mean that you deserve a college scholarship. there are standouts at high schools everywhere that never play college baseball and there are guys that start at d1 schools who were never all-anything. just keep working hard to be the best you you can be.

7. ask for help....but don't ask people to do it for you. build relationships with people. be a good person in you school, community, locker room, etc. that stuff really matters.....

hope this helps......

Excellent post L8; what I was saying explained more thoroughly and a whole lot more. Now if people will listen. Hopefully this is helpful for many.

Tim Robertson

bball,

Listen to every word L8 said. He hits the nail right on the head.

Especially the part about the grades. Trust me.

Good luck.