It’s important to our upcoming seasons that you watch this 12-minute video. It contains examples and comments on Standards, Sportsmanship, Teamwork, and Confidence from some of the most successful players and coaches.
Here is the link: https://vimeo.com/1035952927
I’m a huge fan of movies where groups of people pull together to overcome the odds. The Memphis Belle, Moneyball, Apollo 13, and Ford vs Ferrari are a few of my favorites. When people put their differences aside and come together to overcome the odds or achieve something amazing, is second to no other experience in my book.
That’s why I love to coach. Massachusetts became the first state to require all children to attend school 172 years ago. Immediately, intramural athletics were incorporated into the curriculum. It was determined that physical fitness and participation in athletics helped to create well-rounded people.
The New York Public School Athletic League was formed in 1902, which created the first athletic competitions between schools.
Our students will benefit from their baseball experience long after they graduate. Colleges consider sports backgrounds when reviewing applications. Employers generally favor applicants with a background in team sports. They do this because the former athlete may be more capable of contributing to the efforts of a group of people. They’re more likely to be leaders, problem solvers, flexible, coachable, and goal-oriented.
Athletics is unique from most other school activities. In the performing arts, the goal is to produce and execute the finest production possible. In athletics, we also have to produce and execute, except there’s an equal number of people on the other side trying to make us fail.
I coached four nine-year-old teams in the past. It’s fascinating to see nine-year-olds dealing with the new concept of team over self. I’d tell them, “If you don’t get in front of the ball, we don’t get to make an out and start batting. Grady has to continue pitching until someone will stop the baseball.’’ Sacrificing a bruise for the team is a learned concept. It’s a new to them.
Baseball is counter-intuitive, which is another new concept for kids starting in baseball or softball. Through most aspects of life, we learn that if we do “A”, “B” & “C”, then “D” will happen. If we study hard, we will do well in school. If I enroll in trade school, I will graduate with an apprenticeship and have a lucrative career. If I limit my calories and exercise, I will lose weight.
Baseball isn’t like that.
You can throw the perfect pitch and still give up a homer. You can take extra hitting all week & put on a show in pre-game BP, and then go 0 for 4 that day. You make a diving back-hand stop and the first baseman drops a quality throw. HOWEVER, you can also get fooled on a change-up and hit a blooper over the right fielder that wins the game. That baseball at times seems to have no rhyme or reason is also its beauty. As players develop, the sense of team over self grows.
The coaching staff is excited about the potential of the group of players in the program. Our varsity has four returning players who received all-conference honors last year. We have several great players who are ready to make an impact. There is talent in this room. There is talent throughout Jeffco 4-A baseball. Talent alone isn’t enough to get us where we want to be.
The questions to be answered are:
“Can we honestly grasp the concept of team over self?”
“Can we have the mental agility to handle the parts of baseball that are counterintuitive?”
“Can we master the parts of the game that are under our control?”
“Can we emotionally let go of the things we can’t control?”
“Will older players mentor the younger players & hold each other accountable?”
“Do we have the courage to realize our full potential.”
Everyone can make an impact that will determine the answers to these questions come next May. I assembled this 12-minute piece with some of the best advice from some coaches and athletes like Nick Saban, Mike Trout, JJ Watt Tommy Lasorda, and Frank Martin. It addresses the things only our players can choose to have: Character, Standards, Sportsmanship, and Confidence.
For all of us in this room, let’s remember that baseball can be counter-intuitive. We get things we may or may not get, whether or not we “deserve” them.” If we grasp that concept, we can win games where we get out-hit. We can be at peace when things don’t work out. That baseball is unique from regular life is what makes it beautiful.
Another video I have for the kids this winter is based on Pete Rose. The video explains, “When we play with joy and make our teammates better, good things happen. Balls start dropping for hits. We get the good hop. Calls go our way. We believe we will come from behind and we will close out close games.”
There’s far more to success in baseball than throwing, hitting, and catching. Talent can get you as high as second place. Belief, chemistry, and talent can win a championship.
We’re born as selfish infants. It’s all an infant can do to communicate hunger, pain, discomfort, and signal for help. We mature. We develop skills, knowledge, and strength that not only allow us to care for ourselves but for others less able.
High school baseball follows the same path. The most developed, truly elite players not only prepare themselves to be at their peak, but their influence makes coaches and teammates around them better.
As we kick off our winter training, I have three requests:
Players: Have the courage to find out just how good you can be. Become a master at the things you can control and process the things you cannot.
Returning varsity players: Be that mentor for a younger player. Be the player you wish was helping you when you were a freshman.
For Everyone Here: Please follow the advice and examples in this video. Our coaching staff will be putting in as much as 15 hours per week here. We have these facilities & coaching experience here for you at no charge because the staff cares about this school, the program, and these players. If composure, standards, belief, and stewardship are on our side, the sky’s the limit.
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