The Line-Up Change

There comes a time when most coaches consider a Line-Up change. Line-up changes are good for competition. They shake things up and give other team members a chance to start and show what they can do with that opportunity. This keeps everyone on their toes while taking nothing for granted. It gives hope to those who are not regular starters, develops their confidence, strengthens the team and keeps others humble.

However if line-up changes never occur (even when a player is not producing) then the coach sends a dangerous message to his team and others watching his program that production does not matter. Baseball is all about production, especially at higher levels. Sending a message that production does not matter, suggests that factors other than production on the field, do. This can be viewed as favoritism or prejudice and has no place in athletics.

So look for those opportunities where you can reward other players with some quality time. This will pay dividends in many areas over a long season.

Scoring a Difficult Job

Baseball is a game of numbers where scoring can become a challenge. Most High School teams keep statistics on the three basic categories of offensive, defense and pitching. These categories can be further divided into many sub categories to cover all facets of the game like: pass balls, wild pitches, fielding errors, earned and unearned runs, etc. The official scorer, in some instances, must use his own judgement to reconstruct the outcome of an inning when errors are made and determine what the inning would have been like error free.

Score books are kept, statistics are recorded and even posted on websites for anyone to view. High school coaches can check on opponents records and statistics at the click of a mouse. College coaches can check on game locations, team records, individual stats and even contact information.

The importance of keeping accurate information becomes crucial in light of the public access to these figures. Most coaches review the score book before posting is done, especially when it is kept by a novice (who may not understand all the scoring rules) or by a parent. However even then, mistakes can be made, rules misinterpreted and applied. How should one handle this?

A simple request to the coach to review the instance in question based on the, "Book Rule" you wish to site will do. Remember the official scorer and coach have the final say but mistakes are made and corrections do help the team records as well.

The Scrimmage

This past weekend, High Schools all across Southern California were allowed by CIF-SS regulations to conduct their annual scrimmage. The CIF Blue Book defines a scrimmage as follows. "An interscholastic scrimmage in baseball is a training session between a minimum of two and a maximum of three schools where no score is kept, free substitution and time-outs are permitted, spectators are not urged to attend, and officials are not paid."

This is what makes a scrimmage unique and the reason why it is not counted as a contest. This format permits coaches to set up situations, get game experience in the execution of certain skills in a more controlled, relaxed format. The scrimmage also allows the coaches to freely substitute players in and out giving a great deal of flexibility not normally afforded in the game.

While many High School Baseball Coaches still run a scrimmage as it was intended to be, a training session with teachable moments and free substitution, some have gone far beyond this definition and treat it as a regular contest. Even to the point of sending a message or setting the tone for the season and playing to win. This attitude is far beyond the intent of the rule and reflects a selfish will to win when no score is to be kept.

I like this rule and as a traditionalist, I would not like to see it changed........only followed.

Leadership and Character

Abraham Lincoln once said, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test his character, give him power.” All leadership positions come with a certain degree of power, but character, is displayed through the use of that power.

Character, is the firm foundation upon which one must build to win respect. The respect that leaders must have requires that one’s ethics be without question. Therefore, no lasting reputation worthy of respect can be built on anything less. In the final analysis, how we are perceived communicates far more than what we say.

As parents, coaches and professionals, we are constantly being watched and evaluated. To provide the right example, we must stay above the line between right and wrong and stay well clear of the gray areas. By taking the higher road, and demonstrating the courage to do the right thing, people will follow. This will build others up, challenge, inspire and bring out the best in one’s athletes or employees, because no one will follow a hypocrite. So, look over your shoulder now and then to be sure someone’s following you. If they are, then you are leading in the right direction.

As Andrew Carnegie once said, “the older I get the less I listen to what people say and the more I look at what they do.”

Pressure to Play

Playing outside the season of sport in High School athletics has become expected. So much so, that if you do not, your commitment is questioned. With the recent change in the association rule, the demand by high school programs of their athletes is now coming into conflict with healthy activities not a part of athletics. When a family has to choose between spending time together on a holiday weekend or attending some required off season activity, this is evidence that the writers of the association rule were miles ahead of their time. Add to this, Club coaches wanting a piece of the student athletes' time and making their desires known, this produces an interesting tug of war in which neither side may win and the athlete will certainly lose.

I can remember as a student athlete looking forward to opening day. The long awaited time had finally come and there was this unmistakable excitement in the air. It truly was a Big Deal. Now, with year round play and the controlled structure of 6 days a week summer, fall and winter; by the time spring gets here, opening day is just another day.

There is a line between being prepared and being over worked and that line can be the difference between your team's success or failure down the stretch.

A-Rod Admits Using Performance-Enhancers

NEW YORK (AP)—Alex Rodriguez admitted Monday that he used performance-enhancing drugs from 2001-03, saying he did so because of the pressures of being baseball’s highest-paid player. In a recent interview with Peter Gammons Rodriquez said, "Back then, it was a different culture. It was very loose. I was young, I was stupid, I was naive. I wanted to prove to everyone that I was worth being one of the greatest players of all-time. I did take a banned substance, and for that I'm very sorry. I'm deeply regretful."

Scott Boras told Fox Sports on Saturday that even if the SI report is accurate, "It was one season, and since then, Alex has gotten the 'Good Housekeeping' seal the last five years by passing baseball's drug tests."

While I respect his honesty, (more than can be said for other players) many questions remain. Where did he get the steroids? What did he put into his body? Can he rehabilitate himself? How will this effect his legacy? How are Yankee fans going to treat him? Can he focus on Baseball? Alex Rodriguez is a great talent, one of Baseball's best in this era or any other. But now, he may be a superior talent with public doubt attached, with the asterisk of steroid use next to his name.

If pressure existed with the Rangers in 2001-2003, how much more will there be to preform in New York with a $275 million dollar contract for the next nine years with everyone watching?

Player Development

Coaching involves many different aspects related to the team, its players and the game. Without a doubt the most valuable legacy any coach can give to each of his players is their development. Developing a players confidence, skill level, knowledge and performance, is the trade mark of a good coach.

The elite coaches take pride in player development which is often reveled by their preparation for obstacles before they happen. Therefore, when they do occur, the work has already been done and the players are ready to perform. These coaches understand the importance of developing each member of a team for the long run. As, "Iron sharpens iron," so player development improves the team and keeps each member sharp.

Joe Paterno stated, "The desire to win is important but the will to prepare is vital." The difference between winning and losing is not about good players, teams lose with good players. What it takes to win are interested players, committed to work for coaches who are committed to their development.

The final testament of player development is in the conviction and will of the team to carry on as changes occur. How well any team improves speaks volumes about player development.A good coach will make his players see what they can be rather than what they are. - Ara Parasheghian,

Conditioning

Football players know this as "gassers", Basketball players as "lines", Baseball players as, "Circuts". It all translates to sprints up and down a field, court or gymnasium to build stamina. However when it is done in 94 degree weather until someone collapses it's negligence.

Sophomore Max Gilpin and his Pleasure Ridge Park teammates spent the tail end of a three-hour practice on a sweltering August day in Louisville running the drill that is a coaching staple across the country, hoping to impress enough to earn varsity playing time that fall. They sprinted 12 times in what felt like 94-degree heat, sometimes with helmets and pads, as the coaches pushed them to go harder and harder. It was a drill like those on many high school football fields, until Gilpin, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound offensive lineman, collapsed to the turf just 15 minutes after a teammate went down.

Three days later, the 15-year-old Gilpin was dead from heat stroke, with authorities saying his body temperature was 107 degrees when he reached the hospital. Five months later, his first-year head coach David Jason Stinson is facing a reckless homicide charge, with a prosecutor saying the coach should have realized a player could get heat stroke in such broiling weather.

Gilpin was one of six heat-related deaths in high school and college athletics in 2008, said Dr. Frederick Mueller with the National Center for Catastrophic Injury Research at the University of North Carolina. More than 120 athletes have died under similar circumstances since 1931. Conditioning is, an important part of athletics that needs to be done.....with common sense.

Club Baseball

Club is a relatively young option to Youth Baseball compared to Little League, Pony League or Colt League. It was developed as an elite program to provide a higher level of play, but has now taken on a life of its own. While the more traditional Baseball programs charge minimal fees to each player, most Clubs charge dues to support : Tournament Entry Fees, Uniforms, Equipment, Travel, Field Time and Coaching Salaries. (This is similar to some High School programs which have high fee requirements of their athletes.) Club Baseball offers: Year round play, Multiple age levels, Local, State and National Tournaments and even National Rankings.

Currently, some organizations (Clubs) are offering a Spring League beginning March 1, 2009. It is being presented as an option to parents and players which means, you have to make a choice between Club and High School Baseball. There are any number of reasons why this option has surfaced but understand this, if a student chooses to play Club Baseball in the spring, he may not play for his High School team and will bring sanctions on the team and coach, if he does.

While I can understand the feeling that a player might need another option other than his High School team, I have many concerns about the direction this could end up. However, one piece of advice I have is this: If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.

Chemistry

"United we stand, divided we fall." "One for all, All for one!" These are age old expressions of team unity. This dynamic process, which occurs when a team sticks together in pursuit of its goals, is an extremely important variable in the quest for athletic success. Success, especially in tough situations, is directly related to the type of chemistry that exists within the team.

Just as important, when evaluating team chemistry, is the level of satisfaction and personal well-being that each member feels as a result of inclusion to his/her role on the team. Also, players need to feel that others on the team (including coaches) trust them or "have their back." This trust will cease to develop if one does not work to provide consistent feedback to each athlete.

John Wooden is without question one of the most respected and honored coaches in our nations history. Although he won many Championships, it wasn't winning games that drove him. It was ensuring that, regardless of the final score, his players always put forth their utmost effort and performed to the best of their abilities, together. He also had a personal connection to each player's value, worth and role on his teams. Wooden's famous "Pyrimad of Success" was not just a formula for winning, but for character and chemistry as well. Great team chemistry, more often than not, has been the common denominator for coaches in their championship seasons. Dean Smith stated, "I think a very underrated part of championship teams is team chemistry."

Coaches need to make an undying commitment to helping their players grow as students and as individuals, in addition to helping them improve on the field. They should coach with a vision for success for each athlete and for the team, but always keep each game in the proper perspective. With that in mind, what’s more important: team goals, individual improvement or team chemistry?The correct answer is ALL OF THE ABOVE!

Wooden's Seven Point Creed

John Wooden's Seven Point Creed, given to him by his father Joshua upon his graduation from grammar school.

1-Be true to yourself.
2-Make each day your masterpiece.
3-Help others.
4-Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.
5-Make friendship a fine art.
6-Build a shelter against a rainy day.
7-Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.

Application of these principals will lead to success in any aspect of leadership. As Wooden put it:
"Good leaders are positive.....and young people need positive models not critics"

Thanks Coach.