Coach T

Players: There's never been an easier time to be an absolute dirtbag in the game than right now. Here are a few ways to stand out amongst the crowd that every player can do: ▪️Sprint on & off the field. 1st one on, 1st one off ▪️Run your best home to 1st time on every ball you hit ▪️Throw the ball with purpose when taking gbs in between innings ▪️Show your best pop times in between innings ▪️Stay up when you fail. Studs don't doubt ▪️Wear your uniform properly. Jersey always tucked in. Belt on. Hat on straight. The way the uni fits you matters. ▪️Win & lose with class. No poor sports & no shoving it into the opponents face when you win. ▪️Be a great teammate. A selfless one. Pick others up when they're down. ▪️Be a leader regardless of how your day is going. It's easy to lead when things are going your way. Lead when it's your hardest day & you'll gain respect from everyone. Talent will get you in the door, but the intangibles will keep you there!

And THAT is why @gregmaddux's nickname was The Professor... 🍿 #MLBNPresents "One of a Kind" - Sunday at 8pm ET on MLB Network

1ST & 3RD ONE OUT BUNT IMO this was intended to be a bunt for a hit to 3B to score the runner from 3B. Because of its direction, it turned into more of a safety squeeze. Most safety squeezes with runners on 1B & 3B are directed to 1B. Option ‘B’ would be to make the 3B field the

Effort is a CHOICE Kindness is a CHOICE Positivity is a CHOICE Negativity is a CHOICE Attitude is a CHOICE Mindset is a CHOICE Perseverance is a CHOICE Dedication is a CHOICE Procrastination is a CHOICE Professionalism is a CHOICE Respect is a CHOICE CHARACTER IS A CHOICE

WIN THE DUGOUT GAME!! Dugout Culture • Position players, study the opposing pitchers. Look for patterns in pitch selection. Tells in their delivery. How they handle hold times and pick off moves with runners on. See if they pay attention to the runner on third. • Pitchers, study the opposing hitters. Are they on time with the load phase of their swing. What do they chase with two strikes. Do they swing first pitch. Does their approach change with runner on vs no runner on. Are they a base stealer. • Position players, pick up your teammates. Know where everyones hat and glove is and when they are the last out of the inning someone be ready to take their stuff to them (unless they are the catcher). • Coaches, they are watching. Your body language, your energy, your support. Establish a culture of responsibility and accountability. Be the example of what you preach. • Pitchers, if there is a long inning (with your team batting) make sure to keep your body moving. With two outs do some band work, arm circles or maybe even go to the bullpen to play a little catch. Keep that arm loose. • Catchers, unless you were at bat, on base or on deck, make sure you are ready to go when that third out is made. Team, if your catcher needs to get their gear on, make sure some is ready to go out and warm up the pitcher. • All Players, talk baseball. There is plenty of time away from the field to goof off. Create an atmosphere of supporting one another. Watching the game together. Cheer your teammates on but be careful letting your “cheers” be the only thing you’re thinking about. The dugout is a place to prepare for your next opportunity. • Everyone, bust your butt to your position. NO WALKING out to your position!!

We preach “play fearless” and “move on” yet yank players off the field in the middle of an inning because we are tired of watching them make mistakes. We say “put in work on your own time” but get bitter when we learn they are working with outside instructors. We want them to “play aggressive” but lay into them when their aggressiveness leads to an out or free base. We demand they be “coachable” and listen to what we say but would get downright bitter and angry when someone says we could or should be doing something different. We tell them they “gotta believe in themselves” but our actions, words and decisions show we don’t believe in them. We coaches tend to be walking, talking, breathing contradictions of what we speak. Believe it or not, we can break them down without even saying a word yet can be the difference maker in their life just by giving them opportunity, knowing they will fail, and giving them more opportunity. There are many layers to the weeding out process (reasons players stop playing the game). Stop being someone who takes the love away and start being someone who helps grow their passion.

Why MLB has not gone to the “double base” for safety reasons is hard to fathom. Can someone give me a good reason? Both protects first baseman from getting stepped on as well as providing more spacing between the runner & first baseman on throws up the line.

If you don’t understand the message inside this short video, I’ve got nothing else for you 🤷🏻‍♂️ To say that Augie was a national treasure is an understatement @nextlevelbb We’ve come a long way - some of it good, some of it bad but I can guarantee you MOST coaches believe in this message today How we have to deliver it has definitely changed but MOST of us still have this engrained in the fabric of our DNA As a player, so should you…as a parent, you should want your child around a coach that challenges them to be the best they could be on a daily basis - baseball is life

Mickey Mantle laying down a drag bunt at the age of 35. At this point in his career he was north of 500 HRs, had 18 all star appearances, 3 MVPs and a triple crown award… You’re not too good to bunt #BuntLife

All youth sports are this way. 5 baseball games in two days, 5 soccer games in two days, 5 basketball games in two days. That have to make the parents think it is worth it to drive hours to a tournament and spend a $10 gate fee for every game. It’s all about the money.

Absolutely agree. But the more I learn about how youth ball is played these days, youth “games” rarely go a full 6 innings. Most of these games seem to only last 3-4 innings. A pitcher can throw a complete game with 3 inn pitched and 50 pitches. The time limit thing, I’m hearing many tournaments have a 1:15 or 1:30 dead stop for most of the games, doesn’t allow for these kids to learn to play to the last out. Instead you have adults using tactics to “run out the clock” in youth baseball 🤦‍♂️.

Hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports

Parents, did you know kids can just go on to the next grade without calling everything a graduation? We didn’t graduate from kindergarten, elementary school, middle school. What are we even doing? You graduate from high school and college. Stop inventing things that don’t need to exist just for yourselves. I promise you most of the kids don’t care.

BTW: there was a time many moons ago when being called up to dress varsity for state tourney was much more of a prestigious honor than starting practice for your summer team