Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Winning Baseball: Where's Your Ring?




Next month, after more than 1,000 wins and induction into the ABCA Hall of Fame, my Collegiate Coach and Mentor, Dusty Rhodes, is retiring from coaching.  And even though the man who "taught me how to play (and coach) the game the right way" may be riding off in the sunset; his ways, his philosophies, and his system will continue to grow and prosper through all of us who had the good fortune of playing for him.

I'll never forget my first day with Coach Rhodes.  We had gathered as a team in the stadium bleachers behind the plate waiting for him to speak.  Today was to be our first practice.  Our first chance to show what we could do.  Our first step towards winning a National Championship.  And as Coach Rhodes paced back and forth at the base of the stairs, we all sat anxiously waiting to get on the field and start practice, when finally, he spoke.

"Real quick, guys, before we get started...How many of you have Championship rings?"

Silence permeated over the bleachers.  We all looked around at one another, wondering, "where's he going with this?"  Two guys eventually raised their right hands and Coach pointed them out, "Yes?"

One of the young men who had raised his hand announced that he had won a State Championship with Sarasota High School last season.  "Good...good." Coach Rhodes said, "Excellent program...And you?"

The other young man let us all know that he had been a member of the past summer's American Legion State Championship team in Deland.  "Excellent." Coach Rhodes said, "Now, what about the rest of you?...Where's your rings?"

As he so often did back in those days, he built up the moment with quiet intensity.  He paced before us and asked again, "Well, where is your ring?...You don't have a ring?"  And as our heads shook in answer and our eyes fell down in disgrace, Coach then asked "Well, do you know want to know why you don't have a ring?"

Immediately, every young man looked directly into his eyes.  Longing for the answer.  Wanting to win a ring.  Wishing to be a part of a Championship team. 

"BECAUSE THEY DON'T GIVE THOSE THINGS AWAY!!!  YOU HAVE TO EARN THEM!!!  AND YOU BEGIN TO EARN THEM TODAY!!!  ON THAT FIELD!!!  RIGHT HERE!!! RIGHT NOW!!! SO LET'S GO!!!

I don't know if I ever ran onto a field as hard as I did in that moment.  Coach Rhodes had found a way to speak to all of us and inspire us to reach for those rings.  And looking back now as a man who owns three Championship rings (two as a player, and one as a Head Coach), it is true.  They don't give them away.  You do have to earn them.  And you have to realize that the ring should be your goal from Day One.  Just as Coach Rhodes taught us, so many years ago.


 
  

Friday, April 23, 2010

Winning Baseball: "Slow the Moment Down"


 The other night, I made a trip to the mound to try and calm down one of my younger pitchers.  The game was tied, there were base runners everywhere, and the pressure was mounting.  The umpire was squeezing the zone (no doubt feeling the pressure himself) and the crowd had become a factor.   

As we stood there together on the bump, I told the young righty to take a deep breath, and gave him some of the best advice I ever received as a professional:  "Now, slow the moment down."
 
If you, as a Coach or as a Player, ever get "caught up" in the moment, you will more than likely make a hasty decision based on emotion, rather than rational, you will feel "out of control" and "tight", and as a result, you usually make a mistake. 


By "slowing the moment down", you are able to calm down your heart rate, clear your head, and relax in high pressure situations.  You are able to think, to process information and to make wise decisions.  And more than anything, you are able to go "back to the basics", "throw to the mitt", and ultimately, perform at your maximum ability in the most crucial of situations.

This same advice also works for hitters.  By "slowing the moment down", hitters can see the ball longer, can understand their zone better, and as a result, quiet down the noise that surrounds them on all sides with the game on the line.

So the next time you find yourself having to come through in the clutch as a player, or making a game-changing decision as a coach, remember..."Slow the moment down" and you will no doubt come through and make the right move!
 




 

Monday, April 19, 2010

Winning Baseball: "Shoe Leather"

When I was the Head Coach of Vienna Post 202 (2003 Georgia State Champions), one of the most difficult tasks we faced as a Coaching Staff was taking kids from 12 different high schools who have been taught to despise one another all year and make them into a team in only a few weeks.  I'm sure others may have theories on how to do this best, but there is only one way I know:  "Shoe Leather".



When you break Baseball and Softball down to the bare bones, it is an individual sport played by a team.  If each player does his job, you will have a good team and a successful season (you see this often in the professional ranks).  However, in order to have a "Championship" season, you, as a Coach, need to find a way to give your players a common experience, a "group" experience to share that will help your players "find a way to win" when the going gets tough and they need to come through in the clutch, not because he or she wants a hit or an RBI, but because there is no way he or she would ever let their teammates down. 

When I was a player at the University of North Florida, we had a tradition known as "Hell Week".  Each year, when we returned to school after Christmas, we would run at 6:00 AM in a parking lot through the dead of winter for an entire week.  This week did more than get us in shape after the holidays.  It made us find a way to keep moving our feet when the pain was unbearable and we couldn't take another step.  It made us reach down deep to block out the voice telling us "no" and replace it with a voice who repeatedly said "yes".  And looking back, it made us become a team. 

Proverbs 27:17 reads "As Iron sharpens Iron, so one man sharpens another."  You, as a coach, must provide that method or moment where your young men and women can bleed together, sweat together, and puke together so they can also become sharp as Iron, and "find a way to win" when the going gets tough.





 

Friday, April 16, 2010

How to Play Winning Baseball: Divide the Season into Thirds.

In order for your club to "peak" at the right time, you, as a Coach, need to look at the season as a process or an "evolution" of thirds.


  

The first third of your season should be a time where everyone plays, everyone gets an opportunity, and everyone has a chance to show what they can do.  If you have a young kid you would like to try in a certain situation, this is the time to do it.  If you have a lineup in mind, but aren't quite sure whether it will be the right combination or not, this is the time to try it out.  If you need to learn if a kid is better in a starting role or in relief on the mound, again, this is the time to run him out there.  Do not emphasize winning as much in this time period, because it is more important that everyone is given a chance to show what they can (or can't) do (which will serve you well later when you have to explain to "little Johnny's parents" why he doesn't play as much as he used to.) 

The second third is when you, as a Coach, begin "tightening the bolts".  You now know who can run, who can handle the bat, and unfortunately, who is a liability in the lineup and on the field.  Your defense should be set and everyone should understand their position and role in the lineup.  You now know who can throw strikes, who can't, and more importantly, how everyone on the team fits into the plans to make it to the Championship.  Be it as a pinch-runner, someone who bunts well, or as a left handed relief specialist, you have to find a way for everyone to contribute (even if it's just coaching first), and this is the time to do that.


The third third is when winning is emphasized.  Each and every player should know exactly what is expected of them, and your team should be prepared for every situation.  You should know if and when the hit and run will work, who can come through in the clutch, and who can get that much needed strikeout with a runner at third with one out.  You should now be able to relax and enjoy the harvest of your hard work; A championship team who is peaking at the right time and "rolling" into the playoffs ready to win a ring! 

Thursday, April 15, 2010

The Face of Courage: Jackie Robinson.

Every April 15th, Major League Baseball honors the only man whose number is retired by all 30 teams:  Jackie Robinson.  On this date back in 1947, Jackie Robinson broke the "color barrier" and became the first black man to play in the Major Leagues in the modern era.  But even more so than that, Jackie Robinson gave Courage a face and a name we could all relate to (and remember).

The Georgia native overcame obstacles that in today's day and age are hard to believe.  (Did you know the St. Louis Cardinals threatened to strike if Jackie was allowed to play?)  Along with death threats, rough play by his opponents (he once received a seven-inch gash in his leg while turning two), and a constant barrage of insults from the stands (and the other dugouts) calling him every name in the book, Jackie personified professionalism while playing the game at the highest level.

Thank God for us all, Jackie chose to beat 'em "on the field" rather than "in the stands".  We all need Heroes to look up to and to admire in life.  Jackie Robinson and the courage he exemplified was (and is) heroic in turn, and no doubt helped us as a nation to overcome prejudice, to create more opportunity, and in the end, become better people.  


 




Thursday, April 8, 2010

How to Play Winning Baseball: Chapter One: One Great Play, One Great Pitch!

In the first inning of most games, the score almost always becomes 2 to 0.  Whether it is a Big League game or a Little League game, pitchers almost always give up two right away and this dynamic is the result of several different things. 

It could be the pitcher having trouble making an adjustment from the bullpen to the mound.  It could be the adrenaline of facing a worthy opponent.  It could be a wind shift (you may not be aware of this, but if the wind is in your face, your curve ball breaks more and if the wind is to your back, your curve ball breaks less, but your fastball is better).  It could be your defense being caught off guard. 

None the less, there is only one way to prevent these two runs from scoring (and it's not throwing a simulated game in the pen)!  The winning way:  One great play, One great pitch.



Tell your defense before they take the field that someone will have to make a great play in the first to keep the other team from scoring.  Then the thought is first and foremost on their mind and more than likely, they will deliver in helping you to win the first inning!

Automatically, your pitcher will also know at some point in the first, they will have to make a great pitch, and again, if the thought is first and foremost in their mind, they will make that pitch and they will prevent the other team from getting the upper hand.

And as a result, with the shoe on the other foot, your opponent will now be faced with the very difficult task of making one great play and one great pitch and preventing you from winning the first and going up 2 to 0!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

How to Play Winning Baseball: Chapter One: Win the First Third!

This Spring, I agreed to serve as the Pitching Coach for a local High School.  What I thought would be a stress reliever and a whole lot of fun has in fact turned into the opposite.  And the simple reason is the guys don't know how to win.  They know how to play (and many of the players have quite a bit of talent), but they don't know how to win.  And winning, just like anything else, is something that has to be taught, has to be practiced, and has to become part of your daily routine. 

As a result, I have decided to outline steps necessary in order to become a winning baseball team.  I hope the guys (and others) will enjoy reading this, and perhaps learn something along the way.

Chapter One:  Win the First Third!

When you break the game down, Baseball is a game of threes (more on this later).  Rather than having your team think and prepare for Nine Innings or Seven Innings, have them break the game down into Thirds.  (3 inns., 3 inns, 3 inns, for a Nine Inning game or 1 inn, 3 inns, 3 inns, for a Seven Inning game.)  This is a much easier concept for your players to grasp and he (or she in fast pitch) can and will then work to win a much shorter game (thus, playing with the intensity and the desire to immediately win that third!)

Now, here is where it gets interesting.  This is true, whether it is in travel ball or the Big Leagues...The team that wins two out of the three thirds will win the game.  (The next time you watch a Big League game, take note of this...It's mind boggling and is further proof, the Baseball Gods are real and they are in control (LOL)!) 

So if your team has a bad inning, so what?  Chalk that up to a bad third (you are allowed to lose one anyway) and then work your tail off on winning the other two!  By dividing the game for your players, it makes the game shorter, more intense, and encourages hustle, attitude, and desire to WIN THE FIRST THIRD!