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Words of Wisdom
1. Persistence is more important than talent.
2. There is a reason that the word STUDENT comes first in student/athlete.
3. Respect the game as much as you want to be respected.
4. Tuck in your shirt.
5. Don't wear your hat backwards. The direction of your hat is your direction in life.
6. Practice hard because you play the way you practice.
7. It doesn't take any talent to hustle.
8. Be a student of baseball. Study the history of baseball, and you'll learn the game.
9. Help your team win whether you play or not.
10. Keep a daily diary of what you do at practice & keep notes of your observations. This will help you see the progress you have made.
11. Never argue with an umpire. They remember faces.
12. Agree to let your coaches train you.
13. Don't cut class.
14. Maintain the grades that keep you eligible.
15. Set high standards along with knowing the steps to attain them.
16. Don't tell people what you are worth, prove it to them.
17. Your girlfriend is not more important than your career choice.
18. Your parents love you, but they don't know more than your coach about baseball.
19. Don't let anyone make an excuse for you.
20. Maintain eye contact with all adults when they talk to you. Practice on your friends.
21. It is your coach's opinion of you that counts. He makes out the lineup. Fail to understand this point and you will be out of the game.
22. Life is not fair, regardless of what some people want you to think.
23. Be passionate about your teammates.
24. Love the game.
25. Players are not the only people in the game. There are coaches, trainers, announcers, umpires, broadcasters and writers. All those jobs are honorable professions.
26. The only thing that coaches owe you is HONESTY.
27. Body language screams. It never whispers.
28. Balance makes champions. If you focus on hitting and ignore the defensive part of your game, you will never be a complete player.
29. Be as diligent on defense as you are on offense.
30. Defense wins more games than offense.
31. Pitching sets the tone of the game.
32. Games are lost, not won. Mistakes lead to losses.
33. You can win a league with a few good pitchers. Well developed pitching staffs win the tournaments.
34. Work on your game every day of the year. The guy who beat you out for the starting job did, as did the team that always beats you.
35. Who you are today is a result of who you were in the past. Fill your past with smart work and good deeds and you will maximize your potential.
36. You don't have to be a great athlete to be a good baseball player.
When you jog to warm up, finish first.
When you stretch, do it best.
When you play catch, throw to a target and hit it every time.
When you are doing a drill, do it perfect every time.
Go Hard all the time. NEVER walk on a baseball field.
As a batter / runner, run to first as though it matters that you are safe.
Know the situation on defense and do the right thing.
BASEBALL REVEALS CHARACTER, IT DOESN'T BUILD IT.
Character means doing the right thing even when nobody's watching.
HOW TO FAIL GRACEFULLY
It is the bottom of the last inning. Your team is behind by one run. The tying run is on third, and the winning run is on second. And you strike out. Or you drop the catch in right field and the winning run scores against your team. You are the "goat" for the rest of the night. You have to learn to take a lot of razzing when you fail, smile, and wait for your chance to razz someone else back another day.
TRYING AGAIN AFTER YOU FAIL
Now it is the next day after you've been the "goat." What do you do? Stay home and call in sick. Or show up for practice and work on your hitting or catching. The kid who picks him or herself up after failing is always going to have a better chance at succeeding in life. The kid who walks is the loser.
LEARNING INDIVIDUAL EFFORT IN A TEAM CONTEXT
There's a runner on first and the ball is hit to the short stop. A double play is possible if the short stop throws to the second baseman, which then throws to the first baseman. Three individuals must act to make the play, meaning the short stop doesn't have time to look for where the second baseman is, the second baseman better be at the right spot to catch the ball (with foot on the base), and then throw to first assuming the first baseman is also properly positioned (with foot on the base). You think this is easy? Try it sometime with three of your friends.
BEING BOSSED AROUND
Generally speaking everyone on a team wants to play the same position. Unfortunately, there are 9 positions and each has to be covered. Those familiar with Little League should be familiar with the pouty kid with crossed arms standing on second base while the ball rolls by him because he wanted to pitch. A winning team consists of a bunch of people doing things they initially didn't want to do, but someone else made them. Learning to take orders from someone you think is an idiot is a key to success in American business.
MANAGING A BUNCH OF MISFITS
In addition to learning how to function as a team, baseball also teaches management. The Little League coach, who is generally unqualified for the job, must somehow coerce a bunch of players who know more about baseball than he or she does into taking orders. If the team wins, the next game is usually easier to play. Try and win a game with a bunch of kids who can't hit or catch. It can be done. Amazing things can be accomplished with the misfits if they can be convinced they can kick butt.
SAYING SOMETHING POSITIVE WORKS
The kid strikes out. Do you yell "you stupid jerk" or "nice swing"? The kid who strikes out knows he screwed up; so reminding him or her of this fact only nurtures resentment. A positive statement always gets results. Honey attracts more flies than vinegar.
IT IS REALLY MATH
Baseball is nothing more than a math lesson. A kid who can't add or subtract generally can figure out his or her batting average. See if you can. More kids would pass math if it were taught on ball fields.
AND IT IS PROBABILITIES
What is the chance that you get to be the batter at the bottom of the last inning with your team behind and the bases are loaded? 100%. Playing baseball teaches you Murphy's Third Law that if something can happen it will. TO YOU.
CREATING A LEGEND ABOUT YOURSELF
Really successful ball players get "legends" about them. "The kid is a hitter." So the kid ends up with a .500 batting average. Baseball teaches us that if we believe in ourselves, others will believe it too, even if it isn't true, thus giving us a psychological advantage. Pitchers will walk kids with legends as hitters. Hey, a base runner is a base runner, especially if the kid can steal second. Successful Americans play roles, create legends about themselves, and accomplish things because others believe their legend.
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