Could not agree more - great post PGStaff...

Shane - best of luck to you in your journey - where ever it may take you.

Shane,
Count me in with the DREAMERS, too
We've always told my son

"Don't EVER let anyone or anything steal your DREAM!"

You are blessed & have incredible fortune ahead of you...You can climb ANY mountain. Then, when you get there, it will only have been a "molehill".
Follow your heart, young man!

quote:

I guess you can put me in the dreamer category. When Jimmy V stated "Don't give up, don't ever give up." I'd like to think it encompasses everything we do in life.

Frank, I'm with ya 100%!

Shane, You're obviously mature enough to understand that counseling offers help that many people out there in the world need. Receiving the help you need from a professional is a sign of maturity and wisdom... not weakness. There are many people who never understand that and continue to battle things in their lives without receiving the help they need. We're all proud of you for taking the appropriate steps to be able to continue to pursue your dream.

PGStaff, what a great post!

And Frank, I thought you said it really well, too.

Shane, we are all pulling for you! I believe you can do it!

pg,frank
great post's. i just had a reality check of my own. so i'll share. my uncle just passed. 78 yrs old, never married. worked 40 years for a major co. retired in 89. i had to go to ohio and clean out his apt. i was there for two days in a studio apt. and it dawned on me that his whole life was in a studio apt. was he happy? did he make a lot of freinds? money? it really doesn't matter how life ends as much as the journey to get there. and the ride is different for all of us,with bumps and turns etc. but it is YOUR journey.and no one can tell you your on the right or wrong road cause they don't know where your going.and you might not either. remember it's the jouney not the destination that counts.

i still don't know what i want to be when i grow up,i'm betting i'm not alone either. you'll be fine shane just enjoy.

This thread has taken off. Our son now with the reds after being released is very happy. Coaches say they are very pleased and told him today that he commands a presence in the dug out. Shortstop position is his to lose. He was very bubbly today when he talked to his mom( spelling looks wrong). If it does not work out he needs only 3 hours to finish school and have his degree from Baylor. When he was released he was devastated and stirred a fire in him to play even more. Funny thing the day before he was cut, my wife was praying and a scripture came to her, something like " help will come before the heat of the day". Well he was released at 9 wed. morning and the reds called at 12. One more thing he is getting to room with one of the players from Baylor, he said he has never been happier. Shane hang in there, you are still very young, good luck .

That was a very nice post shortstop...I can't wait to hear about more of his journey.

I meant to post this earlier....the uplifting, encouraging stories are great...but what BeenthereIL posted was the truth. It was not sugarcoated or otherwise watered-down and he was truly not calling anyone a has-been...MLB is ruthless at cut time, not always right in who they cut, but there is total truth in his words. It is just one side of the whole journey, but nevertheless, should be in the decision making process. I have watched one MLB team give a minimal talent position player..but a "prospect" -all the time he needs, (big $ draft) while they let greater talent go. Makes no sense. I guess they are trying to save face, until all that so called "future talent" kicks in!

Cat,

Thanks.

It is a much shorter string for college position players than for high school kids, too.

Wholesale releases in the past few days...A ton more soon after the June draft.

It is a numbers game.

Sad, but some just don't get it.

Fellows: If you are drafted after the 10th round and you've played a couple of years of pro ball; have unremarkable performance on the field; and, you get released...GET ON WITH THE REST OF OUR LIFE.

Beenthere, you are a little off topic. Shane was a money 4th round pick. He was not a hamburger filler pick.

BeenthereIL plainly stated he was trying to help those "starry-eyed" kids in the later rounds. Not off topic at all.

Shane, and others mentioned here, sounds like they are going to do just fine, BT was helping others who read here to learn and make intelligent decisions.

I understand what beenthere means and his desire to help young kids. What if everyone followed that advice? There are hundreds of players who were either drafted after the 10th round or were released at one time (or more) and still over came all of that to have a Major League career.

I don't think beenthere really means it, but his message is loud and clear... Quit! And in most cases that is probably sound advice! Only, there are many who took a different path and succeeded. Our world is not full of criminals who were former professional baseball players. All former players are not working at McDonalds. There's always the rest of your life for other things. I just don't believe chasing a dream is a waste of time for any young person. Sometimes it works!

The odds of any little leaguer playing after high school are so small they aren't even measurable. Maybe the 5 year olds should quit to avoid the inevitable disapointment from wasting their youth.

quote:

Originally posted by Dad04:
The odds of any little leaguer playing after high school are so small they aren't even measurable. Maybe the 5 year olds should quit to avoid the inevitable disapointment from wasting their youth.

To continue with that thought...

Most college ballplayers who aren't on athletic scholarships and who know their careers will be over after college should probably quit now and use that time more wisely by taking extra classes, get a part time job, etc... you know, "get on with the rest of their life".

Frank- to be fair, there are some, a few college players that actually do realize their true interests and desires lie in focusing on their areas of study, students who actually would rather spend their extra time on academics. I'm glad not everyone feels that way, though. Nothing wrong with that. The time commitment to college baseball is sizable, to say the least.

After college these kids are big boys, who most will be told to hang it up soon enough and be just fine. Some would have us believe all interstate overpasses are crammed full with ex-pro ballplayers.

quote:

Frank- to be fair, there are some college players that actually do realize their true interests and desires lie in focusing on their areas of study, students who actually would rather spend their extra time on academics. I'm glad not everyone feels that way, though. Nothing wrong with that. The time commitment to college baseball is sizable, to say the least.

Of course! My son knows quite a few of them. Basically that's what I'm talking about; do what you love to do! As long as (as MA stated) you're not a drain on society (when you don't have to be), who's to say what you are supposed to do with "the rest of your life".

quote:

Originally posted by FrankF:

quote:

Frank- to be fair, there are some college players that actually do realize their true interests and desires lie in focusing on their areas of study, students who actually would rather spend their extra time on academics. I'm glad not everyone feels that way, though. Nothing wrong with that. The time commitment to college baseball is sizable, to say the least.

Of course! My son knows quite a few of them. Basically that's what I'm talking about; do what you love to do! As long as (as MA stated) you're not a drain on society (when you don't have to be), who's to say what you are supposed to do with "the rest of your life".

I agree completely. If we were all the same, it would be pretty boring. We would have nothing to write about either.

There is plenty of time to be a grown-up bidniss man.

You know guys...the odds(of making it) you are talking about...LL and hamburger rounds...are just about the same...a tiny single percentage. The only thing important to both is the desire and heart-not to mention talent...to get to the bigs. What BT says (to those with the talent, heart, etc to make it)is not going to make a bit of difference....those that make it do not listen to anyone except themselves (and good for them). You are preaching to the preacher. BT's advice is not going to stop anyone that is going to make it anyway....which is effect what you are saying. He's right and the ones that make it are right...everyone in the middle makes up the rest of that percentage that he speaks to. Realism is harsh...but it is supported by the numbers...
It is caring and responsible to warn about possible pitfalls in life's decisions...you only have to personally know a few of the "bad" stories to feel obliged to warn others...that is in no way "dream dashing"...that is simply the right thing to do. Like I said, NOTHING stops the ones that beat the odds and make it. Good for them.

I would have taken my chances if I just had the chance.

Hell, I didn't start making real money until I was 26 anyways. I would have gladly switched those nights at the bar, for nights on the road waiting to play a game the next day.

As the saying goes... "Not everybody grows up to be an astronaut, but those who do enjoy the view"

Best of luck to you Shane, work hard and prove them wrong.

I am going to add one more thought FWIW because of what I am reading between the lines of our representative "realists" [BeenThere, I respect your opinions but we just happen to disagree on this ... and Barry Bonds ]...
just because a person continues to follow their dream(s), no matter the discipline, it doesn't mean that they DON'T know or understand the reality of it all, or that they don't understand the small chance for success. I can assure everybody here that my husband and I have had many a conversation with our son on the reality of making it to the show. But I think "we" sell the kids/people short who are still out there trying to make it work for them. If they were to all quit, there might be a heck of a lot more people out there ... baseball or otherwise ... that will sit around for years to come and wonder 'what if'. We have several friends and relatives who are wondering that very thing now ...

We just watched "The Rookie" the other day and altho we realize that it is very rare indeed for success stories like that, it made my husband and I both realize how important it is for young people to have dreams and to not quit the search. Isn't it be better for these players to be searching BEFORE they have additional responsibilities like families (rather than stretch things like the Rookie did)?

But no matter what the decision, it belongs to that person and his/her immediate family and I am not sure any of us are in a position to suggest what they should or should not do. I believe the good Lord will make it evident early enough for the person to get on to another future, and if they can't see it, so be it. It is their life.

As I told FrankF one time ... we know that all baseball players will one day hang up their cleats ... and it is my hope that all of our sons will do that only after setting the record for being the oldest player in MLB history.