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samflamont:

If being the best was easy everyone would be in the hall of fame.  Please understand how hard baseball actually is, and if you want to make it, or if you even want to keep your head above water you have to put some time into it and actually understand what baseball is.  It is for this reason you have to love this game with every inch of your being, and that is only the start of the journey, you must also make any and all sacrifices that are needed to truly be great, and for this reason some people throw in the towel.  There is no balancing act between baseball, love, life, and other sports, you simply must have your life revolve around your love of baseball and banish all other sports.  Baseball is to complex and to unforgiving to just go through the motions and be successful.  Also, you cannot put anything in front of it, I mean nothing and that is why only a few are ever truly great at baseball.  It takes to much work and to much sacrifice to be great, it is so much easier to either quit or simply accept being OK or good enough.  You would think if you can fail 70% of the time and be better than average it would be easy to be great.  But it is because it takes every thing you have in your body to succeed 25% of the time that people get bored, frustrated, upset, demoralized, and even brought to tears over a stupid game.  This my friend is where you go wrong, as soon as you think baseball is only a game you have failed.  Baseball is an actual being, it grows, it matures, it gets better, it has so much charisma that people pay to sit around and watch it, and just when you think you can walk away from it and leave it out of sight and out of mind you come crawling right back, asking for another chance, begging for it to take you back.  Baseball is one of us, it is the greatest sport ever played, and it is those who do not understand it’s complexity, nuances, or it’s weird personality who think it is boring.  Baseball wants to laugh, it wants to celebrate, it wants you to be young, but it is you who take it far to serious to actually enjoy everything it brings to your life.  You see the key to being successful is to love it and enjoy every second of the time you have with it.  If you can do this you have a chance to be great because you will not quit, you will not walk away, and you will never disrespect the game.  Therefore it will give you a chance to be part of it, and it will embrace you, but rest assured if you ever turn your back on it, or forget how much fun it is, or how much pleasure it brings, it will simply leave, but the great thing about baseball is it never turns it’s back on you, it is always there just waiting for you to embrace it and remember why you love it.  Even if you make a mistake it will take you back, baseball is forgiving and understanding of your feelings, and it knows you get frustrated with it, it even knows it is difficult to get along with, and it knows it can make you feel awful or embarrassed.  It is for these reasons it never gives up on you, only you give up on you.  Baseball is always there and if you are willing to take the time to understand it and truly get to know it baseball will let you in and embrace you.  Baseball loves you for you, but you have to love it for what it is and stop thinking it is a simple game.  Remember it is not a game and it is not simple, it is a complex being and is impossible to master.  Why do you think it keeps your attention, because unlike the video game that takes you 12 hours to conquer baseball takes a lifetime just to simply understand it and if you have thoughts of conquering it you might as well leave those outside the club house.  Love the game for what it is, a great and timeless being that will never let you down.

samflamont:

How to decipher what a coach says: Just listen, no really listen

A coach’s job is to go out and get the best players available, that means if you are the best shortstop in high school he will want to get you.  This is where you must listen carefully and fully understand what the coach is saying.  Some coaches will be flat out honest and tell you, “We have a shortstop who is a senior so you will probably redshirt your first year”.  This would be perfect but some coaches do not do that.  They will say things along the lines of, “you will have the chance to compete” or “we might look at you for a different position your first year”.  This is where the coach is being honest but the player thinks the competition is already over, because he thinks he is going to win.  You are in a tough spot when it comes to competing and you must realize who you are competing against before you can assess the situation properly.  If you are competing against a senior who played last year and did well, then you really do not have a chance.  If you are competing against two freshmen like yourself then it is a free for all, and may the best man win.  Also if a coach tells you that he thinks you would be better suited as a second baseman rather than a shortstop he may be trying to tell you they have a void they need to fill, or he thinks your particular skill set is better suited at second.  Also, you may play second base your first year, then get a real shot to compete for shortstop your second year.  As a recruit you need to listen and understand what you are getting into because you do not want to get into a situation you do not like.  Also, beware of the coach who says things like, you have a good chance to start or you are the front runner for the position.  Chances are he said this exact same thing to a few other guys as well.  Be informed about who is coming back and how they did last season, and learn how to decipher what a coach is saying.  Some of you may not know and you can ask those who do.  I was lucky coming out of high school because the coach asked me other then shortstop where would I like to play.  I said second base or center field.  His response was “what about third base”.  He flat out said they had a guy coming back who was going to play center field and he had a guy coming in who was going to play second for sure.  The last thing he told me was there were three of us competing for shortstop and whoever did not win that battle would compete for third base.  This was refreshing, I knew going in I had to work my butt off just to play.  All you want is a fair chance and do not be afraid to ask the coach, who is returning and what are your actual chances of playing?  Also, remember going to a four year school there is a good chance you redshirt, which is not always a bad thing.

samflamont:

I put this post back to the front of the site because I feel it is one of the most important posts I have put up so far.

Get out in your yard and play some baseball.  Turn your front yard into Tiger Stadium or your favorite park and imagine the cute old couple and their dog on the porch as 50,000 screaming fans and a crazy barking mascot.  Once you get to the stadium (front yard) let the games begin and have fun.  We played from the front of the house all the way across the street and over the other sidewalk.  We had tree interference and car interference but we had baseball.  This is the best form of baseball I have ever played, just kids playing in the front yard.  It is great because it isn’t structured, it is just a bunch of kids who love to play and love to play together.  Front yard baseball is the most productive things kids can do.  No, they might not learn the perfect swing or how to field a ground ball the exact way with perfect form but what they do learn is the ever important love for the game.  Passion is what it is all about, passion keeps kids motivated and front yard baseball grows this passion.  Parents don’t worry they are learning, they are learning how to compromise, how to make rules, and how to love baseball.  Don’t stop play and try to teach, as a matter of fact if you are even in view don’t say anything.  Even if the kids argue stay quiet, they will figure it out plus arguing calls is a part of the game.  Kids fight, they argue, and then they make up, this is all part of their development and friends will be friends and tomorrow will be another day.  Another day for learning and growing.  Get outside and play ball, have fun, and learn what it feels like to dream.

samflamont:

First base is the cut off on a few of plays and they have to learn how to position themselves in order to keep the ball from getting away or taking bad hops off the mound.  First base is the cutoff man anytime there is a runner on second and there is a base hit to center or right field.  First base is also the cutoff man if there is a runner on first and third and there is a fly ball hit to center or right field as well (also, second and third depending how deep the ball is).  The cutoff from right has more to do with knowing the arm strength which we have already covered, but the cutoff from center field is the one that can be tricky.

How to position yourself to make the cutoff from center field:

First things first, once you see the ball is clearly a hit you have to bust your butt right behind the pitchers mound (if the pitcher is still there tell him to get behind home plate).  I have my players go to the second base side of the mound but I want their feet in the dirt.  If your feet are in the dirt, any ball as high or higher than your waist will clear the mound and therefore it will be safe to let go.  The mound is a tricky obstacle because if you let the ball hit it you have no idea where it will end up.  Also, this is a good position because it makes the center fielder let the ball go and not just throw it to the cutoff man but through it the cutoff man.

Go get the ball:

If you see the ball is not going to reach you, go get it in the air.  The one exception is if you are going to get a big hop you can let it bounce because chances are you will not get to this ball in time anyway and you will give yourself a bad hop.  If you see that you are going to get a short hop (the more you practice cutoffs and relays the better you will get at reading the ball) you need to take a few steps forward, catch it in the air, and then either make the throw home or take the appropriate action.  Also, any ball that is not going to clear the mound you must cut it off.  Even if the ball is online to the plate you have to cut it off.  The one exception to this is a fly ball where the runner is tagging up and nobody else is on base, you might as well let it go because nothing can be hurt from a poor throw or hop.  Remember to give your outfielder a target and be noticeable to them as well.  The most comfortable feeling as an outfielder is seeing the cutoff man and knowing right where to throw the ball.

Have fun, Play hard, and never stop learning.

samflamont:

The following stories are true and simply amazing.  Every time you buy a ticket to a MLB game you can thank guys like this and the front office for the hefty price tag.  What a joke, watch the game on TV and go catch a Little League game.  Even though these stories are not exactly helpful to players or coaches they are entertaining and baffling, so I have put them here for entertainment purposes.

Josh Booty, Florida Marlins
The Marlins coaxed 1994 draft pick Josh Booty to give up football for a then-record $1.6 million signing bonus. What they got for their money was a .198 batting average in 1,745 minor league at-bats, 13 games of major league cameos (hey, he hit .269) and a good deal of angst. After failing to win a regular job with the team, Booty went back to college football

Bobby Bonilla, New York Mets
The Mets are still paying for the mistake of signing Bobby Bonilla in 1992 … and they will be for a long time. Bonilla struck a deal with the team in 2000 in which it purchased an annuity rather than pay him the remaining $5.9 million of deferred money that he was owed. So every July 1 from 2011 to 2035, Bonilla will receive $1.19 million, with the total payments adding up to nearly $30 million.

Drew Henson, New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys
Henson successfully cashed in on two sports. In 2001, he signed a six-year, $17 million contract with the Yankees, forgoing his senior football season at Michigan. He hit .111 in nine major league at-bats before giving up and returning to football. That didn’t work either. Henson received a guaranteed $3.5 million from the Cowboys in 2004 as part of an eight-year contract. Henson appeared in seven games for the Cowboys, making one start. He hasn’t appeared in an NFL game since, despite comeback efforts with the Vikings and Jaguars.

Derek Bell, Pittsburgh Pirates
Despite hitting .173 for the Pirates in 2001, Derek Bell threatened to go into “Operation Shutdown” in spring training if he wasn’t promised a starting job in ‘02. After suffering through a miserable spring training, Bell was released by the Pirates, who paid him $4.5 million not to play another game in the majors.

Juan Gonzalez, Cleveland Indians
Gonzalez received $600,000 for one major league at-bat in 2005. He strained his hamstring in his first game and was done for the season. Fortunately for the Indians, Gonzalez’s injury made room for Grady Sizemore to become an everyday player.

ESPN researcher Mark Simon

I would like to take this time to personally thank Juan Gonzalez for turning down the contract that would have bankrupted the Detroit Tigers.  Thanks for nothing while you made your brief stop in MO Town…all he did was cry because the fences were too deep.