Entry #24 - 3/30/04

We have just crossed the half way point of our schedule. If I was going to give a mid term progress report, I guess I would give our club a “C Minus”. It has been a very interesting first half. What encourages me about this season is the fact that I know our best baseball is still ahead of us. We have many players who are performing at a high level. We have a few that are underachieving. We also have a few that are not consistent, some days they are awesome, while others they are horrible. If I can get everyone on the same page then I think we can make a run during the second half. This is easier said than done, but I believe the expectations of our players are higher than they have ever been before. This group does not want to settle for mediocrity. At the end of the season when our “final grade” comes out, I don’t think we can make an A+, but I do think that if we can just get a little momentum, we can finish with a “strong B”.

We set goals every year and during the course of the year you have to evaluate those goals, and reset them if necessary. This is what we’ve done and now it is time to attack these goals with every thing we have got. Our coaching staff has more energy and enthusiasm now than we have ever had in recent years at the half way point. I know our players are stronger physically at this point, due to the extra work we’ve done in the weight room over the last year. They are charged and ready to go. Everything is there to have a strong second half, we just need to “get over the hump”. The question is, “How do you get over the hump?” There is only one way I know to do this. We have always put a huge emphasis on “little things” and “paying attention to detail” in our program. Recently we have gotten away from some of these things and now we have to get it back. No stone can be left unturned and no detail is too small.

The following is an excerpt that I have on my desk. Although very simple, it is my basic philosophy of coaching and teaching. Whenever there are struggles I always go back to this concept to try to get things straightened out. I will share it with you.

“Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals. There are no new fundamentals. You've got to be a little suspicious of someone who says, "I've got a new fundamental." That's like someone inviting you to tour a factory where they are manufacturing antiques. Some things you have to do every day. Eating seven apples on Saturday night instead of one a day just isn't going to get the job done.

Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day; while failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day. It is the accumulative weight of our disciplines and our judgments that leads us to either fortune or failure.”

How true this is in life and especially in baseball. Some of our players who are struggling have come to me and said, “Coach, what am I doing wrong?” “Can you see something?” They want to believe that there must be an outside force or mechanical flaw which is causing their failures. When the truth is there lack of success is being caused from what is right between the ears. On occasions there may be an instance where I may see a small flaw or an adjustment which needs to be made in order to help them succeed. Obviously, I am going to speak up right away if this is the case. Also, some players may not be having success because they simply are not working hard or smart enough, but we only have a select few of those. But the majority of the time the answers and solutions lie right between their ears. The players we currently have in our program are here because they are extremely talented and gifted. Some more than others, but all of them have talent. They got to this level because of hard work and being somewhat fundamentally sound.

If you are in a Division I baseball program and your coach has to change your entire swing or pitching mechanics, chances are you are not going to have success at this level, at least not right away. Hitters who are “hot” are this way because they are getting a good pitch to hit and when they get this pitch, they put their best swing on it. It is simple as that. There are many theories on hitting, but that is the bottom line. The pitchers who are successful are the ones who throw strikes. How do you do that? First you have to have solid mechanics and be able to repeat them on a consistent basis. Next you have to believe that you can do it. It is not rocket science. All of our players have had success before, not all have had failure or struggles before. I’ve said it before, in this game how you handle your struggles will ultimately determine your successes. Just like in other programs, our hitters and pitchers are constantly working to fine tune their mechanics. Whether it is on a batting tee or a pitcher doing delivery drills on the side, it is something we do on a daily basis, over and over. We do this because when it is “Showtime”, your mechanics and fundamentals are ingrained and now you are prepared to perform.

Our hottest hitter right now is our catcher Caleb Moore. Actually he is one of the hottest hitters in America right now. You know how many conversations I have had with him about his hitting this year? Zero. If it is not broken, don’t try to fix it. In the past we’ve worked hard with Caleb on his swing, but he has finally figured it out. And he did it by himself. I wish I could say I invented some great new hitting concept which got him over the hump, but that is simply not true. He has finally learned that if he gets a good pitch to hit and puts his best swing on it, then he is going to be successful. Vanderbilt has a player in the midst of a 30 game hitting streak. Tim Corbin, their head coach and someone I truly respect in our profession was quoted saying that he is simply leaving him alone.

Most baseball coaches have big egos and some feel inadequate if they are not bombarding their players with constant knowledge and information. A good example is, nowadays many college coaches and ex-players make extra money by giving hitting or pitching lessons. All parents want what is best for their children, so they will pay good money for these lessons. I agree that if you want your son to have an opportunity to play at the highest level he needs good instruction. But he also needs honest instruction. This past August a local parent called me for some hitting lessons for his son. He explained that he wanted his son to earn a Division I baseball scholarship and then play in the major leagues. I had some time so I had him bring him over for an evaluation. After the first session with his son, I knew that we were wasting each other’s time. I refused to take his money and when we finished I gave the boy some drills to work on which I thought would instantly make him better. About ten days later the father called again to set up another lesson. I agreed hoping that I would see some improvement. I think the boy actually got worse. So much for those drills. Anyway, the father pressed on about his son’s future in the big leagues. He simply could not see that his son had zero baseball ability. The father wanted to pay me $200.00. One hundred dollars for each session. Wow! I could see putting my boys through college with this kind of money. So now I’m faced with the dilemma that many instructors/coaches are faced with on a daily basis when giving these kinds of lessons. You can lie and tell them that their son is the greatest, really improving and those checks will keep coming in. Or you can tell the truth. In this case the boy’s father left disturbed when I asked if his son had ever played soccer.

Sometimes the best coaches/instructors in the world in any sport are the ones who say the least. None of us really invent new fundamentals. Coaches beg, borrow and steal ideas from other successful coaches/people. This is done in every occupation not just coaching. Is a pitching coach standing next to his starting pitcher while he is warming up really doing any good? Maybe he is making sure the pitcher is following his pre-start routine or trying to boost his confidence, but if he has to give constant mechanical advice, that pitcher is probably in for a long day. Next time they show a big league pitcher warming up in the bullpen on television, you will see a pitching coach standing next to him. I guarantee his mouth will be shut. So be careful when things start to go array. Don’t always look for the quick fix. If you are already competing at a high level, then more than likely the answer lies in your mental approach. And the sooner you can get back to those little things called fundamentals; the sooner success will reappear. Until Next Time…

Coach Skole