Lion Pride

I have never been more proud to be a part of UNA athletics as I was this past Saturday. In case you were unaware I am currently in my second year as the baseball manager here at UNA. I absolutely love UNA baseball. I have learned many things that I will be able to take with me as I pursue coaching as my future career. Anyway, this past Saturday we lost a double header to the University of Montevallo. This being a conference series those two loses hurt us pretty bad. All year it seems that we continue to find ways to beat ourselves and don't come up clutch in situations. We did this again last Saturday. After the game our coach proceeded to tell the team, in the team meetings, the same old broken record things he has had to say all year. That we just can't find a way to be clutch. After coach gave his spill it was junior second baseman Dewayne Gunn that stepped up and called out the rest of the team. He called every single player out, including himself, and said that if they didn't make a change then they were going to watch their season go downhill. Well the guys took that challenge to heart and that night went and hit on their own. Me and the other manager, Josh Wetzel, threw as well as the players throwing to themselves. The team knew that a change needed to be made and the next day they came out and beat Montevallo in game three 12-6. There is no doubt that as a team we still have more work to do. We can still get so much better. But, for me personally, I have never been more proud of our team and I have never been more proud to just simply be known as a UNA Lion.

Excellence in what you do is an important value, especially for those of us who have a conscience. You can’t lie to yourself. If you look back and realize that you could have done better, it’ll eat at you until you fix it. I don't do anything half way. -Cal Ripkin Jr. (from his book-Get in the Game)

When you lose, you start getting better tomorrow.

As an aspiring coach, and huge Tennessee fan, I loved what I saw coach Pat Summit do this past Tuesday. Coach Summit and the Lady Vols lost in the first round of the NCAA playoffs Monday for the first time in school history. So what did they do Tuesday? They practiced. Coach Summit said that they weren't good enough to be out on the floor at the tournament, so they were going to get better on the practice floor. She is a winner, simply put. She doesn't lose and when she does, she is going to go to great lengths to make sure it doesn't happen again. I love it. She could have used plenty of excuses. The Lady Vols just lost Candace Parker and the rest of their starters from last years championship team. But coach Summit doesn't make excuses. She finds a way to get better and win with what she has, and she has been very successful doing so.

The Turtle on the Fence Post

I had a post not too long ago that referenced Mike Huckabee's book "Do the Right Thing." Well I must say that I have been dragging my feet when it comes to getting this book read. I have been busy with baseball and when I'm not busy I have just chose not to read. But the other night I picked it up again and read a chapter. The chapter was entitled "Let Them Buy Stocks" and Mr. Huckabee talked about how candidates in an election always talk about helping out the working man, but really they mean they want to help out the CEO's, business owners, and those at the "top of the food chain." They forget that at one time those CEO's were most likely simple workers like the rest of us. People who put in the tough hours and often got overlooked. Huckabee talks about how the working man is the one that needs the help, not the CEO's. The point I am getting to is this:

In that chapter Huckabee says, "The CEO is like the turtle on the fence post. No one is sure how he got there, but one thing is for sure- he didn't get there by himself!"

I got to thinking about this and I think we can apply it to ourselves, in sports and in life. No matter how good we do in life we always need to remember where we come from and who helped us out along the way. Because I can all but guarantee that whatever level of success you reach, you didn't get there alone. There were people behind you every step of the way, encouraging you, pushing you, and keeping you focused. So remember those people when you reach your highest level of success. If it wasn't for them you might not have ever made it.

Orange Crush

I can't say enough about what I've seen the Syracuse Orange do in the past couple of days. I'm sure everyone in the sports world has heard about the amazing 6 overtime game they played on Thursday against #4 UCONN. But they continued to impress as they played again, less then 24 hours later, and went into overtime to win against West Virgina. These guys just gave it all they had. Unfortunately they fell short tonight against Louisville in the Big East championship game, but they were still a joy to watch. Everyone on the team played with such will and desire. The one who stood out most to me was sophomore PG Jonny Flynn. This kid never ever stops. He played every minute against UCONN and then again against West Virginia. This afternoon(before the Big East championship tonight) Flynn was found in the weight room of the hotel getting in a light workout. When coach (Jim) Boeheim asked him if he was alright, he had this to say: "Coach what do you think? There is nothing more I love in life than playing basketball. Let's go win a championship." As a coach I don't see how you couldn't love this kid. And I'm sure coach Boeheim will be glad to see Flynn coming back next year(that is unless he heads to the draft). He was playing off fumes and still had more will and drive than many players you see today. My high school football coach used to always tell me that the best thing he could ever say about a kid is that "his motor runs." I think its fair to say that about Flynn. He, and the Orange, got me glued to the t.v. the past two nights to see if they could pull out another one. And, even though I am a huge Tennessee fan, I look forward to seeing what Syracuse can do in the tournament. The madness is upon us.

Front-Runners

I have learned throughout my time working with athletics that it is very very easy to become a front-runner. A front-runner is a person who, when in the lead, is untouchable, but when faced with a deficit, they can never quite come back. The only thing is, in sports and in life, your not always going to be out front in every game you play. There is going to come a time when you have to battle back and find a way to win late in the game. If you can't do so then you will find yourself not near as successful as you could be. Mike Ditka once said, "Success is never permanent, and failure is never final." All front-runners need to keep these words close to them. Their success is never a permanent thing. And when they do stumble and fall, because everyone will, it is up to them to find the will and desire to make a comeback and make sure that their failure is never final.

"People are going to have to check their egos at the door."

I really liked what I saw Jimmy Rollins say recently considering his playing time in this years World Baseball Classic.

Manager Davey Johnson faced a tough challenge this past week. He had to decide who would be his starting shortstop for today's game agianst Canada. Would it be nine-time All-Star, and captain of the New York Yankees, Derek Jeter, or would it be the 2007 NL MVP Jimmy Rollins. Ultimately Johnson decided on Jeter for the first game. When Rollins was asked about what he thought about this decision he said, "It's fine with me. People are going to have to check their egos at the door." You have to love that in a player that has done so much already in his career. It is about playing for the name on the front of your jersey rather than the one on the back.

I also read something similar post on Eric Musselman's blog today. He was talking about San Antonio Spurs center/forward Fabricio Oberto. Oberto started 64 games for the Spurs last season, averaging more than 20 minutes per game. This season, his minutes have been trimmed (13.1 mpg). When asked about it he said, "If I'm not playing and the team wins, that's perfect. Look, everyone wants to play, [but] everyone wants to win more."

Both of these great examples of truly being team players.

212 Degrees: The Extra Degree

Be a Finisher

"Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out." -Art Linkletter (famous television show host)

Too many people in life today let their mistakes and miscues get them down. A mistake is not something that we should be happy with, but we shouldn't let it ruin us. We must realize that there is more life to be lived. If we sit on that one mistake then we allow it to take us over and we can't push past it. If we can't let one mess up go then we will continue to live in fear of messing up again. Which, I don't think, is the way that any of us want to live.

Baseball is a very up and down kind of game. The people that have gone down in the books as the best hitters of all time have failed to get a hit 7 out of 10 times. The players that let an 0-4 day discourage them to the point where it keeps them down, will most likely see another 0-4 performance the next day. A player must take his performance, learn from it, and work to turn 0-4 into 4-4. Legendary coach Lou Holtz once said, "How you respond to the challenge in the second half will determine what you become after the game, whether you are a winner or a loser." Very true statement. Life, and sports, is a marathon, not a sprint. If you come out of the blocks slow and off your game then respond with a brilliant second half performance. If you come out looking good, keep at it. For it is all about the finish. Mistakes will no doubt happen. 0-4 days are gonna be in your future whether you like it or not. But it is how you respond to those tough times. Do you pull out of the race then, or do you finish strong. Be a finisher.

Winning and Losing: The Mental Aspect

Nothing can stop the person with the right mental attitude from achieving their goal; nothing on earth can help the person with the wrong mental attitude. -Thomas Jefferson

At least half of everything we do is mental. Even in sports when it seems that many things are simply reactions, there is still, very much, a mental aspect to the game. You can just step up to the plate and use your talents to hit. That is true. But, you will be much more successful if you have studied the pitcher and know what he likes to throw in certain situations. A pitcher can step on the mound and get guys out with his skills, yes. But if he knows what hitters struggle with certain pitches he is going to be far better off in his craft. Even as a position player in the field the mental aspect of the game is important. This past year I read Cal Ripken Jr.'s book "Get in the Game" and found out some insightful things that he did as a shortstop. Cal was always looking for the upper hand in the game of baseball. During pregame meetings catchers and pitchers get together with the opposing teams scouting report and talk about how to pitch to hitters. Well Cal saw this as an opportunity and joined in on these meetings. By doing so Cal now knew how his pitcher planned to pitch to a certain hitter therefore he knew where to position himself in order to have the best chance at making a play. This proved to help him become more successful throughout his career. Cal used the mental side of the game to put himself into a better position to show off his talents.

Winning is also half mental. At least half. A person who sees himself, or his team, as a winner will have a hard time accepting a loss. Whereas a person who sees himself, or his team, as a loser is surprised by a win and not near as bothered by losing. To me, if losing doesn't bother you then you need to get out of athletics in a hurry because your not going to be too successful. Winning might not be everything but its pretty close to it. Think about how the great players and coaches are measured. By their wins and losses. In the December of 1997 Peyton Manning was one of the finalists for the Heisman trophy. He seemed to have put up the best numbers all year (and no I don't just say that because I'm a Tennessee fan) yet he didn't win because he never had beat the University of Florida in his 4 year career at Tennessee. He couldn't win the big game. This even carried over into his NFL career until he finally silenced the critics in 2007 by leading his team to a Superbowl victory.

Whether we like it or not the difference in being a winner and a loser lies, a lot of the time, between your ears. Now granted you can't think you are a winner and then suddenly overnight become one. You have to have the right tools and talents. But, even a guy with all the tools to be a champion will fall short if he doesn't think he is one.

The winners in life think constantly in terms of I can, I will, and I am. Losers, on the other hand, concentrate their waking thoughts on what they should have or would have done, or what they can't do. -Dennis Waitley (famous author and keynote speaker)

"Failing to prepare is preparing for failure."

If you can out-prepare them, you can outperform them.
-Ron Shapiro (consultant and special advisor to team owners, coaches, CEOs, and GMs.)

Too many people don't put enough emphasis on preparation. Everyone wants to just go out and play with out putting near enough time into learning in practice. Since I have been in college I have often heard, "For every hour that you are in class you need to study two hours." Now lets be honest, not too many people in college actually abide by this rule, but who knows how much better they would be in the classroom if they did. Jim Wilson, former head coach of the Buffalo college football program from 1932–1951, said "I constantly stress process over outcome. In other words, don't worry about the exam. Just do your homework." Very good quote if you ask me. If a student does his homework (and really does it and doesn't just fly through it to get it done) then he won't have to worry about the exam at all. He will have practiced all the skills learned in class to the point that he has them down pat. The exam will simply let him show what he has learned. That's the way we should treat sports. If we show up and learn in practice (and don't just go through the motions) then the game will simply be the time to show what we have learned. There have been many times that the team with the most amount of talent didn't win the game, the team that was better prepared for battle did.

Failing to prepare is preparing for failure. -John Wooden

Pride in what you do

"Excellence in what you do is an important value, especially for those of us who have a conscience. You can’t lie to yourself. If you look back and realize that you could have done better, it’ll eat at you until you fix it. I don’t do anything half way." -Cal Ripken Jr. (from his book "Get in the Game")

I think that says enough. Have pride in what you do or don't do it at all.