-David S.-

Baseball = Failure

In response to a feature article on Bleacher Boy in the newspaper, The Journal Times, I am reposting a topic that was highlighted.

I am always reminded that baseball is a huge game of failure.  Great hitters hit a .300 average.  Look at it this way, it means you FAIL 70% of the time.  That’s a huge percentage.  You are guaranteed to fail.  If while at bat, you advance a runner and he gets into scoring position, but you get out, do you fail?  Absolutely not.  Your batting average will be lower, which may look bad on the surface.  However, you are part of a team whose goal is to score runs.  Let’s say the winning run is on third and you crush the ball to the outfield and the fielder makes an amazing play.   You don’t fail because your goal is to hit the ball solidly and you succeeded.  You tip your cap to the defender and try again.  This unfortunately is a scenario that’s happened to me many times.  Another scenario would be if there is a full count and bases are loaded in the last inning.  You strike out.  Yes, this is failing, but it’s part of the game.  It happens to everyone.   No matter how hard you try, the game of baseball will always win.  So you will always face adversity, but it is how you respond to it that makes the difference between good players and great ball players!

Negative Thinking = Contagion

On my traveling baseball team, many of the kids get very upset after committing an error or not batting well.  ( Parents, it doesn’t help if you’re screaming or putting pressure on your kid.)  If this ever happens to me, I just try my best to be positive and to keep my head up as well as encourage teammates.  Otherwise, this can cause you to play horribly because you are not in a good mental mood.  If one person starts having a bad attitude, it spreads like a disease.  Everyone starts getting upset and frustrated and the team starts to fade. The other team smells this frustration and  takes advantage of it and then uses it against you.  They will crush you to pieces.  I’ve seen this happen to my team numerous times.  Kids crying, helmets thrown, missed grounders, bad throws -it’s ugly.  I’ve heard that scouts hope to see errors when looking at players.  They want to see how a player handles mistakes mentally and how/if they can recover.  My advice:  Let it go!  Don’t  mix offense and defense.  Leave the error on the field.  Leave the strikeout in the batter’s box.   Each player needs to find what works for them – so learn to forgive yourself and move forward!!!  And “PLAY BALL!!”

-David S.-

This spring I was busy everyday with a brand new experience, division 1 high school baseball. In all my years playing baseball,  I would start at third base, bat somewhere in the middle of the lineup, and play the whole game.  High School baseball, however, would be something totally new and foreign to me.  After breaking my back last year, my initial goal was to make the team where many guys end up being cut. Mission accomplished – but it was bittersweet. Seeing 19 freshman and sophomores on the roster,  I knew instantly that playing time would be rough. I had two complete “studs” blocking me at my two positions, first and third.  They were older, stronger and simply better and deserved to be played ahead of me.  I recognized this and asked coach if I could move to the outfield, but he wanted to keep me where I was to develop me for next year.  As it turned out, I would not start this year and barely saw any playing time.  I learned how frustrating baseball can be when you are blocked by someone ahead of you.  Most importantly, I learned how to work through it with patience, persistence and paying my dues.

Patience/Paying Your Dues

Patience is vital to a ballplayer to stop frustration from creeping into your head if you are not seeing playing time. An opportunity has to come eventually for you to show what your worth.  No one wants to sit the bench, but you can’t sit and pout about it, and for God’s sake don’t have your mom complain to the coach.  You must simply understand that the person that is playing instead of you is better and it is not personal. You just have to accept it and pay your dues.  This is just another part of mentally handling the game in a way I have not experienced before.  Be patient and the time will come for you to prove yourself.  It may not be next game or the game after that.  It could very well be next year when your shot comes.  I know mine is next year because my coach came and shook my hand at the end of the season and said, “Next year will be your year Dave.”  While you are paying your dues on the bench take time to observe and learn more about the game.  Don’t sit and watch the game aimlessly. Analyze counts to predict the next pitch, understand the situation going on in the field and the possible outcomes so when you do get in a game you’ll know what to do.  Patience will pay off if you stay persistent.

Persistence

Once I realized that I wouldn’t be starting, I knew I would have to work extra hard.  This means, you go to practice every single day after school and bust your tail.  By practicing everyday, I have noticed that I have improved more this year than ever before without playing much.  In high school, I have noticed coaches value hustle and heart over anything else.  Show your coach how much you love the game by giving it your all. Get there early! Stay late! And work your hardest even when the coach isn’t looking.  Always sprint to anywhere you are going on the field.  Believe me, your coach will start to notice you more if you persistently hustle and work hard.  I could tell my coach saw hustle and heart in me because he took me off to the side multiple times to tell me that I was doing everything right and that he couldn’t get me in because of the stud in front of me who will be on Varsity next year.  You can be persistent in the off season by practicing and getting stronger.  In addition to playing ball all summer, I signed up to go to a weight lifting and conditioning camp  every day this summer to become stronger and be in the best shape I can possibly be in by next year.  There is no way I want to be beat out.  You need to work harder than your competiton.  I hope this time next year I am talking about how I won the starting job, hit dingers, and had a great season.  I would then credit my patience, persistence and smile, knowing that I paid my dues.

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-David S.-

“Be humble enough to be coachable, But be confident enough to dominate your position.”

Above is a philosophy that I strive to apply to myself and challenge others to be open to this concept.  “Be humble enough to be coachable,” means that you are not perfect.  You need to accept your flaws.  Once you understand that you aren’t perfect, you can be open to constructive criticism.  First, you must throw your ego out the door!  Next, let someone help and improve your game.  I don’t care who you are, this applies to players from little league to the pros. Coaches will be able to actually coach you and help you, and ultimately your team.  It will not only help you improve your game, but demonstrates character to your coaches and others.  We all know “that one kid/player!”  Before a practice even starts, you can often tell who the difficult diva, uncoachable kids are, especially when the coach is talking.  They aren’t making eye contact. Usually they roll their eyes, and make some wise crack comment, thinking that none of this coaching/guidance applies to them, because they are so awesome. They drag their feet if they don’t get to play “their” position . They usually never stick around to help clean up after practice and scream “unfair” when not selected for an All Star team – because after all, they are so awesome….. Well this behavior shows lack of good character.  When a coach coaches you, you have to understand that it is not an insult to you personally, as so many take it.  No matter how good you are, there is always some way to improve, whether its your swing, your fielding, your speed, or your IQ – there’s always room for improvement.   I have seen time and time again  teammates of mine with a boatload of natural talent, but they aren’t coachable.  The natural gift  is there, but they will never reach their potential.  They seem to peak by high school and then when they enter a “big pond” of competition, they become a “small fish” and don’t excel. Being coachable takes practice, start early and show your coach respect for their help and knowledge.   If you are not the most talented one on the team, but have good character, practice hard, and listen to coaching, it will show.  Coaches will view you more positively and take you more seriously than the “stud” with poor character.  So check your ego at the door, let your coach help you, and be a good team mate.

“But be confident enough to dominate your position.”  Once you are out in the field, have confidence in your abilities.  It means to be able to tell yourself, “I can and will do this!”  It’s the time when you need to put faith in your training and skills without thinking you are above others.  If you are not confident at your position, it shows, and success may elude you.  Baseball is a mental game.  Being confident, not cocky, can give you a little edge over the competition.  When you think that you are better then everyone and then that error is made, mentally, you come crashing down since you think you are so great and are not supposed to make mistakes.  Or….you blame others.   Coaches and scouts are very aware of, and appreciate the player that recovers after an error rather than crumbles.  That player is humble, confident, and makes corrections.  As I wrote in a previous article, baseball is a game of failure and the mental side is crucial, it applies here as well.  Click HERE to read that article.  Once you believe, you will achieve…Do I get points for that corny cliché? It truly applies.

Remember, lose the ego to have others help you improve, but have confidence in yourself when the opportunities on the field come!

Follow me on Twitter: @BleacherBoy10

Email me: thebleacherboy@yahoo.com

-David S.-

Baseball = Failure

As I look forward to Brewers Opening Day 2014 and my own upcoming baseball season, I am reminded that baseball is a huge game of failure.  Great hitters hit a .300 average.  Look at it this way, it means you FAIL 70% of the time.  That’s a huge percentage.  You are guaranteed to fail.  If while at bat, you advance a runner and he gets into scoring position, but you get out, do you fail?  Absolutely not.  Your batting average will be lower, which may look bad on the surface.  However, you are part of a team whose goal is to score runs.  Let’s say the winning run is on third and you crush the ball to the outfield and the fielder makes an amazing play.   You don’t fail because your goal is to hit the ball solidly and you succeeded.  You tip your cap to the defender and try again.  This unfortunately is a scenario that’s happened to me many times.  Another scenario would be if there is a full count and bases are loaded in the last inning.  You strike out.  Yes, this is failing, but it’s part of the game.  It happens to everyone.   No matter how hard you try, the game of baseball will always win.  So you will always face adversity, but it is how you respond to it that makes the difference between good players and great ball players!

Negative Thinking = Contagion

On my traveling baseball team, many of the kids get very upset after committing an error or not batting well.  ( Parents, it doesn’t help if you’re screaming or putting pressure on your kid.)  If this ever happens to me, I just try my best to be positive and to keep my head up as well as encourage teammates.  Otherwise, this can cause you to play horribly because you are not in a good mental mood.  If one person starts having a bad attitude, it spreads like a disease.  Everyone starts getting upset and frustrated and the team starts to fade. The other team smells this frustration and  takes advantage of it and then uses it against you.  They will crush you to pieces.  I’ve seen this happen to my team numerous times.  Kids crying, helmets thrown, missed grounders, bad throws -it’s ugly.  I’ve heard that scouts hope to see errors when looking at players.  They want to see how a player handles mistakes mentally and how/if they can recover.  My advice:  Let it go!  Don’t  mix offense and defense.  Leave the error on the field.  Leave the strikeout in the batter’s box.   Each player needs to find what works for them – so learn to forgive yourself and move forward!!!  And “PLAY BALL!!”

Which is better at the plate, a patient hitter or an aggressive hitter? 

Let’s  get aggressive ….

Aggressive hitters go after many pitches and always try to hit the ball.  You approach the box as if you’re going into battle and ready to attack! Being aggressive can be a good and a bad thing.  You don’t want to be too aggressive because you can become too predictable and swing at everything.  Yuniesky Betancourt of the Royals (2011 Brewer) is a great an example of being too aggressive.  I had to watch his horrible hitting and it was painful.   Occassionally, he would crush the ball, but that didn’t overshadow what happened most of the time. Was it just me or did he swing and pop up the first pitch almost every at bat.  He made me sooooooooooo frustrated.  Betancourt seemed to have the mind-set of “I gotta swing at every pitch and get a big hit it!!!” Almost desperate to make something happen, he swung at almost every first pitch often popping up or striking. If I could predict what he would do at the plate,  the pitchers definitely did and used it to their advantage.

There are also many great aggressive hitters.  If you are a good aggressive hitter you always will go up to bat with a mind-set of “I’m gonna hit this, but I won’t swing if it’s not near the zone.”  These types of hitters are always ready to take a wack at the ball and make some sort of contact, but if it’s not there they simply don’t swing.  Josh Hamilton of the Rangers and Ryan Braun are great examples of great aggressive hitters. They approach ready to battle but will lay off the “bad” pitches.  My baseball coach has this philosophy and it really works.  My team was crushing the ball over the weekend with 3 home runs and many monster hits.  In the next few days I’ll be talking about patient hitters and my personal opinion

Please Comment on your opinion of aggressive hitters.