Pulling back a verbal

[Tucson]

Hopefully the young lady will end up at a better school and be really happy. I hear the term "All things happen for a reason." Only time will tell.

If she has the grades, I would think that many schools would make room for her. I would hope so.

Top catchers are always needed.

[MTR]

Mike,

I appreciate your response, but you should stick to subjects you know. The "so what?" is that, heretofor, this has not happened in women's college softball. Minus a coaching change after the verbal offer, verbals were figuratively etched in stone....a mutual respect thing....an unwritten code between the coaches. Looks like its going to be open season now.

Because I don't agree with your side of the issue I don't know anything about the subject matter? I think it is absolutely amazing how many people get stereotyped and others on a list just fall into line. Yeah, I'm an umpire, but does that mean I haven't been involved with two brothers, a sister, daughter and son in the collegiate recruiting process? I come into contact with NCAA coaches on a regular basis.

You are correct, many coaches choose to avoid contacting players who have already "committed" to a team. That doesn't mean they will not listen if the player contacts them. To be honest, it may be as much of a mutual fear than respect thing. However, that doesn't mean everyone plays nice all the time.

Team chemistry changes all the time. A coach may have thought there was a need for a slapper in a couple years only to find out s/he had more prospects than could be played and cut the least diserable loose. Remember, a "verbal" may be made at any time.

"Verbals" are nothing more than someone looking for a way to beat the system. If the coaches were truly "honorable", they wouldn't even acknowledge something which has no other purpose than to circumvent the system in place to keep everyone honest, including softball coaches.

The first shoe to drop will be interesting. Who will be the first school to accept a kid who backs out on their verbal?

Seems to me, that situation has already been noted in this thread. And it must be true or it wouldn't be on here, right?

[Demonboy]

It makes me laugh when people come on here like MTR and say it is no big deal that someone pulled a verbal from a senior. No big deal it happens all the time, well so does robbery, rape and murder but it doesn't make it right..

Their is something that use to be taught in this country that is slowly fading away, it is called loyalty, remember that word? That's right making a deal with a old fashion handshake and that handshake was as good as gold.

It is no big deal MTR unless it was your kid then I bet it would be a big deal. I don't know the kid or her family and I'm not even sure what team she plays for. What I do know is that I was raised and taught about loyalty and I think it is wrong, very wrong.

Never mind the fact that in softball it doesn't "happen all the time". Just because Mike knows a lot about ASA policy and calling balls and strikes for lob ball pitching in Delaware doesn't mean he knows d*ck about the national 18 Gold and recruiting scene.

[Blind Squirrel]

Actually MTR, I personally view your comments as somewhat ignorant because they are so at odds with my own experiences and those of others I have talked to who have been through this recently. Of course that implies my own level of ignorance rather than omniscience.

Of course everyone doesn't always play nice all of the time. A general statement that applies to any group of people. One would hope that is widespread perception if not just common sense.

However ...

The issue is not whether coaches may face unexpected development in some players. The issue is whether or not the coach responds to new situations with integrity or builds a reputation for not being able to be trusted by prospective players and their parents when it comes to selecting which college the child will pursue their degree at.

Your stated inability to see anything wrong with coaches pulling a verbal out from under a senior reflects either ignorance of or empathy for, what typically occurs when a kid verbals. Perhaps your immersion in a world ruled almost exclusively by a well defined system of rules has trained you to reflexively view all situations as black and white as dictated by the prevailing rules. As an engineer, I'm not sure whether to be envious or forewarned about my own future. And frankly, my response to your post would be the same if you were a Doctor, unemployed assembly line worker, etc.

During the two years after verballing many actions may be taken by the family which reflect that agreement, including some financial actions. As a result, the child and their family can be impacted in a nontrivial way by a last minute termination of that agreement. But that is okay because no rules/laws have been broken, only a commitment made by a coach to a child which involves a matter that most parents consider rather important? Just as it is clearly implicit if not explicitly stated that the child will cease pursuit of other college scholarship opportunities, coaches are expected to cease pursuit of other players to allocate that scholarship money to. One parent after another has stated how relieved they are after their kid verbals because they no longer have to go through the recruiting thing. They routinely close the door to other offers, often, as we did, notifying other interested schools of their choice and thanking them for their interest. And if the coach subsequently yanks the offer, the kid can then just go back to the other interested schools and accept one of their offers. Well, perhaps not, as those other schools have very likely exhausted their money for that class.

Your statements about verbals being nothing more than a way to beat the system also, IMO, reflects ignorance of what verbals mean to the parties involved in the vast majority of cases. Rather, there have been numerous reports of coaches hating the trend and wishing it were not happening for obvious reasons. I have yet to hear a parent express anything like what you state. It never even crossed our minds over the past 4 years since the day recruiting showed up on our radar.

John

[NORCALGOLD]

yeah yeah yeah what blind squirrel said, yeah thats the ticket.

[DDsNbr1Fan]

Very simple... is the agreement built on "integrity and trust"?

Ditto, what Blind Squirrel wrote!

[jmo]

Very simple... is the agreement built on "integrity and trust"?

Ditto, what Blind Squirrel wrote!

Blind Squirrel not so blind. He definitely can see straight. Nice post.

[TravelSoftballDad]

Nice post Blind !

[Hawk17]

It makes me laugh when people come on here like MTR and say it is no big deal that someone pulled a verbal from a senior. No big deal it happens all the time, well so does robbery, rape and murder but it doesn't make it right..

Their is something that use to be taught in this country that is slowly fading away, it is called loyalty, remember that word? That's right making a deal with a old fashion handshake and that handshake was as good as gold.

It is no big deal MTR unless it was your kid then I bet it would be a big deal. I don't know the kid or her family and I'm not even sure what team she plays for. What I do know is that I was raised and taught about loyalty and I think it is wrong, very wrong.

I agree. I was just talking to someone yesterday and discussing that loyalty, commitment, etc. are dying qualities in this country because it is becoming " How can I get something better for ME? Screw everyone else!" We see this in so many things. As soon as someone gives you their word, they are off somewhere else trying to find something better.

It is a big deal to the kids and their parents. More importantly, it just reinforces that your word is not your word.

[1969]

Nice work Blind Squirrel.