If you’ve been following my stuff online for any length of time you know full well that I am am not, never have been, and never will be a Yankee fan.
But…
I have to pay my respects to the “Voice of God”, Bob Sheppard who passed away on Sunday at his home in NY.
(Updated July 13th) – I ws just informed of the passing of “The Boss” this morning. Another man that deserves the respect of the baseball world. Love him or hate him, he accomplished amazing things and reviving a franchise that was in desperate need. He butted heads with some of the biggest & best in the game but he was a man that stood up for his convictions when it came to owning the most widely respected franchise in all of sports.
Like any true baseball fan you’ve got to respect the guys (even on your rival teams) who leave a legacy on the game that will last forever.
Ruth and his record breaking HR’s.
Ryan and his overpowering fastball and pitch counts (or last thereof) into the 150+ range.
Roberto Clemente and his selfless charitable work… oh yeah, he was a pretty good ballplayer too 
Cal Ripken, Jr. and his pursuit of Lou Gherig – both Iron Men with a passion for the game.
Yogi and a personality that was and still is larger than life!
You and your…
What?
What legacy are you building for future generations to remember you for?
Think back to your younger days as a ballplayer…
Who is the first person to come to mind?
Now think about all of the ballplayers that you come in contact with throughout the course of a season.
Whether you are a coach or a parent you are influencing these young ballplayers… for better or worse.
If you are reading this far I’m going to go out on a limb and thank you for the work that you do with your guys. If you were a dirt bag baseball coach (yeah, you know they are out there) you would have stopped reading a long time ago.
So, how do you want your ballplayers to remember you 15 or 50 years from now?
Do you want to be the coach that taught them how to throw a nasty change up?
Or do you want to be the coach that was the role model for their future?
The change up will last their career, your influence as a role model will last their entire lives.
It’s time for us as coaches to Man Up and watch how we act around our ballplayers.
Win Well & Loose Better
Sure, we want to win. Winning is an absolute blast and loosing… well, loosing sucks!
But, let’s demonstrate for our kids how to win graciously and lose with dignity.
After a ‘W’ celebrate but don’t rub it in. After an ‘L’ learn from it and hold your head high as you walk off the field.
Argue but don’t fight.
Sure, the guys in blue rule the diamond, but they are human and will make mistakes. If it’s a game changer get out there and speak your mind. As for help on the call. But don’t get nasty & personal – it’s just a game!
Don’t Curse In Front Of The Team!
There is no room for argument here. If you can’t control your language in front of your young ballplayers you have no right to be their coach. Period. End of story!
Set A Schedule & Stick To It.
If you have a practice scheduled for 7pm on Tuesday be there at 6:45pm and expect the same from your ballplayers. Don’t call them that morning or the night before to change plans. And definitely don’t be a ‘no-show’.
You wouldn’t accept that behavior from your players therefore it is unacceptable from you!
See The Big Picture
Yes, winning baseball games is a blast and winning championships is even better, but how many of your kids will make it at the next level? And how many will make it at the highest level?
So concentrate on the big picture with your ballplayers and realize that they have a life outside of baseball and a future after baseball.
Do you know what they want to study in college? Do you know what they like to do on weekends? Do you know anything about them other than what position they play and where you want them in the line up?
Treat Your Boys Like Men
Sure, we’re working with kids. Even at the college level they are kids who don’t really know what the real world is like. But treating them like kids will only enable them to act like kids.
Give your ballplayers responsibility and hold them accountable for the things that you expect of them.
Pitchers are responsible for care & maintenance of the mound and bull pens. If there is garbage in the pen they are responsible to clean it up every day!
Infielders are responsible for their spot on the field. Teach them how to keep a clean edge on the grass and pull weeds that might be popping up.
Outfielders clean the dugouts (both of them). Swept clean after each practice & game. I love sunflower seeds as much as the next guy, but when I arrive at the field I hate to see the ground covered with them.
Teach your ballplayers a healthy respect for the game & the field that they play on and you’ll see them quickly become more dedicated to the team.
Oh yeah, the clean dugout rule applies doubly on away games. Leave the dugout cleaner then you found it and I guarantee you’ll get a thank you call from the opposing coach – unless he’s one of those “dirt bag coaches” mentioned earlier
Give 100% & Get 110%
Each & every time you come in contact with a baseball player wether they are on your team or not, wether they are paying you or not, give them 100% of your ability, attention, energy, & knowledge. If you are giving them everything you’ve got they will give it all back with interest. When you give your team 100% that energy will multiply with each player there and you’ll be amazed at how your team bonds and performs together simply because you put it all out there for them!
Don’t believe me? Try it… Next practice, training session, whatever, give them 100% for the first 15 minutes and then try to take it back down to 75%. You won’t be able to!
The following practice, start out at 75% and then after 15 minutes try to take it up to 100%. Again, you won’t be able to!
I don’t know, maybe these rules seem pretty basic to you, and I hope that they do! But I can tell you from my experience that following these 7 rules will ensure that you are a well respected coach by both your ballplayers and their parents. This respect will have your ballplayers returning years later to shake your hand and thank you… and there’s no better feeling in the world than being remembers years later for something that you completely forgot you ever did.
So let’s Man Up and start leaving your legacy on your ballplayers today!
I’d love to hear you’re “Rules For Coaching” in the comments section down below…
Tags: baseball training, baseball workouts, cal ripken jr, coach, franchise, GAME, George Steinbrenner, morning, pitch counts, training for baseball, true baseball fan, work, workouts for baseball, yankee fan
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