Saturday, September 17, 2011

Scouting time

Good morning! It's Parent's Weekend and we are not attending the festivities on campus. There are no baseball activities so we will skip it until the real scrimmages begin. Grandmom, Grandpop, Tink, Big Sis, Runner, Sparky and I are headed to a family reunion in New Jersey. The last time I went to one of these reunions, I did not have a driver's license...you can do the math...

Although there are no real scrimmages yet, the major league scouts are on campus this weekend to assess the players. Last night they watched the kids who are eligible for the draft this year (the juniors and seniors). As a sophomore, Buddy was relegated to the radar gun behind home plate and clocked the pitches. Some exceeded 90 mph, others were in the 70's. Only a few pitchers stood out while the scouts watched. Tomorrow, the freshman and sophomores play before the scouts. Buddy is praying for pitches in the mid to high 80's and maybe one or two hitting 90 mph. I wish him well.....

This part of his journey can be overly stressful. He knows that the scouts are there. They know that the boys are stressed out and trying to put on a great (not good) show, therefore, the tension that he feels needs to be channeled into pure concentration and excellent fundamentals. The one thing about Buddy is that he has yet to fully reach his potential as a 19 year old. He is still lanky and needs to build more muscle. The scouts assess their physiques, weight, and technique. They can tell who has potential and who does not. Therefore, I will keep my fingers, toes, and eyes crossed as he throws his pitches in front of this very important audience.

Off to New Jersey....have a great (not good) day!

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