The Good and The Great

Considering that I want to coach when I graduate, this quote really caught my eye. It is something that all coaches and aspiring coaches should take to heart.

"The mediocre teacher tells.
The good teacher explains.
The superior teacher demonstrates.
The great teacher inspires."
-William Arthur Ward-

A Father's Love: Team Hoyt

There are a lot of good inspirational stories out there in the world today, but none more inspiring than that of Team Hoyt. I couldn't do the story justice to sit here and try to explain it. Here is the video. Truly touching and inspiring.

Talent + Hard Work = A Machine

I found another one of Bob Starkey's blogs that I loved today. I know that I seem to be taking a lot of stuff from his blog these days but the guy really does put up some really good stuff. If you aren't reading his blog already I encourage you too. Ever since Eric Musselman quit blogging Coach Starkey's blog has become my new favorite. The blog was about Albert Pujols who, in my opinion, is Major League Baseball's most pure and powerful hitter. The guy is a freak at the plate. This is probably why he has been given the nickname "The Machine" because when you watch him it is ridiculous. And as far as we know right now he is one of baseball's "clean" players as far as steroids go. A number that seems to be dwindling among the games biggest stars. But anyway here is the article:

From Michael Northrop of Sports Illustrated for Kids

Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals is the best young hitter in baseball. Heck, the 24-year-old first baseman may be the best young hitter in the history of the game (see "Stacking Up," page 28). At the start of the 2004 season, he had a career .334 average, 114 home runs, and 381 RBIs.

But there is something behind every one of those numbers that is not recorded on stat sheets, replayed on highlight shows, or seen by the fans. "What you don't see is how hard I work, how hard I prepare," he says.

Pujols has just finished one of his daily 2 1/2-hour off-season workouts. He lifts enough weights to sink a ship, watches videos of pitchers he'll face during the season, and spends serious time in the batting cage.

Despite his star status, he was one of the first position players on the Cardinals to arrive at spring training this season. He spent much of that time polishing his play at first base.

During the season, Pujols arrives early for games, takes cuts in the batting cages to make sure his swing is smooth, and watches more video on the opposing pitcher.

"Albert is so professional in his approach, whether it's the winter, the spring, or the summer," says Cardinal manager Tony La Russa.

All that study and preparation helps explain why Pujols is a fast starter (.385 average last April) and why, unlike other hot starters, he keeps punishing pitchers as the season progresses. In 2003, Pujols hit a hefty .346 after the All-Star break and ended the regular season with the majors' best average: .359.

"God gave me this natural ability," says Pujols. "But it's even better when you work hard and you put those two things together. [Then], it's unbelievable."

Famous Failures

Pain is Temporary, Quitting Lasts Forever

"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever." -Lance Armstrong

I think that if any one athlete in the world today knows something about enduring pain and hardship and then overcoming it to be successful then it would be Lance Armstrong. In 1996 he survived testicular cancer. He had a germ cell tumor that metastasized to his brain and lungs. His cancer treatments included brain and testicular surgery and extensive chemotherapy, and his prognosis was originally poor. Yet he went on to win 7 consecutive Tour de Frances from 1999 to 2005. I would say that he knows the true meaning of never giving up. The man had cancer. he could have sat around and felt sorry for himself and then, when he did beat it, not want to continue cycling and no one would have said one bad word to him about it. I have often heard the quote, "pain is temporary, pride is forever." Lance truly knew the meaning of this. He had way too much pride to let this disease interfere with what he wanted in life. He was a cyclist who wanted to win the Tour de France and he did... 7 consecutive times. He felt pain, no doubt, but yes eventually that pain subsided and something did take its place. What took its place you might ask? Commitment, drive, determination, pride, self-assurance and eventually victory. The things that make a true champion. Lance knew that if he quit, the pain he felt would never go away. Because in the back of his mind he would constantly be asking himself what things could have been like if he would have stuck with it. By now we all know Lance's story. I'm not telling you anything that you may not have already known. But I felt it necessary to re-emphasize the point that in sports, and in life, quiting gets your no where. It solves no problems and it calms no fears. So even when the going gets tough, keep pushing. Because as Lance said, even when you feel pain, if you can press on, something will always come in to take its place.

"Winners never quit and quitters never win."-Vince Lombardi

Why Nothing is Impossible

It's How you Play the Game that Counts

My mom found this around the house tonight and gave it to me to read. I think it was sent to her through e-mail a while back and she printed it off to have a hard copy. It was entitled "It's How You Play the Game That Counts" and this is how it reads:(It is somewhat lengthy but it is well worth it.)

Donald Jenson was struck in the head by a thrown bat while umpiring a Little League game in Terre Haute, Indiana. He continued to work the game, but later that evening was placed in a hospital by a doctor. while being kept overnight for observation, Jenson wrote the following letter:

Dear Parent of a Little Leaguer:
I am an umpire. I don't do it for a living, but on Saturdays and Sundays for fun.
I've played the game, coached it and watched it. But somehow, nothing takes the place of umpiring, Maybe it's because I feel that deep down I'm providing a fair chance for all kids to play the game without disagreements and arguments.
With all the fun I've had, there is still something that bothers me about my job..... Some of you folks don't understand why I'm here. Some of you think I'm there to exert authority over your son or daughter. For that reason you often yell at me when I make a mistake, or encourage your son or daughter to say things that hurt my feelings.
How many of you really understand that I try to be prefect? I try not to make mistakes. I don;t want your child to feel that he got a bad deal from an umpire.
yet no matter how hard I try, I can't be perfect. I counted the number of called I made in a sex-inning game today. The total number of decisions, whether on balls and strikes or safes and outs, was 146.
I tries my best to get them all right, but I'm sure I missed some. When i figured out my percentage on paper, I could have missed eight calls today and still got about 95 percent of the calls right....In most occupations that percentage would be considered excellent. If I were in school, that grade would receive an "A" for sure.
Bout your demands are higher than that. Let me tell you more about my game today.
There was one real close call the ended the game...a runner for the home team was trying to steal the plate on a passed ball. the catcher chased the ball down and threw to the pitcher covering the plate. the pitcher made the tag, and I called the runner out.
AS I was getting my equipment to leave, I overheard one of the parents' comments: "It's too bad the kids have to lose because of rotten umpires. that was one of the lousiest calls I've ever seen."
Later at the concession stand, a couple of kids were telling their friends, "Boy the umpires were lousy today. they lost the game for us."
The purpose of Little League is to teach baseball skills to young people. Obviously, a team that does not play well in a given game, yet it given the opportunity to blame that loss on an umpire for one call or two, is being given the chance to take all responsibility for the loss from its shoulders.
A parent or adult leader who permits the younger player to blame his or her failures on an umpire, regardless of the quality of that umpire, is doing the worst kind of injustice to the youngster....Rather than learning responsibility , such an attitude is fostering an improper outlook towards the ideals of the game itself. The irresponsibility is bound to carry over to future years. As I sit here writing this letter, I am no longer as upset as I was this afternoon. I wanted to quit umpiring. But fortunately, my wife reminded me of another situation that occurred last week.
I was behind the plate, umpiring for a pitcher who pantomimed his displeasure at any call on a borderline pitch that was not in his team's favor. One could sense that he wanted the crows to realize that he was a fine, talented player who was doing his best to get along, and that I was a black-hearted villain who was working against him.
The kid continued in this vein for two innings.... while at the same time yelling at his own players who dared to make a mistake. for two innings, the manager watched this. When the kid returned to the dugout to bat in the top of the third, the manager called him aside.
In a loud enough voice that I was able to overhear, the lecture went like this: "Listen, Son, it's time you made a decision. you can be an umpire, or an actor, or a pitcher. But you can only be one at a time when you're playing for me. Right now it is your job to pitch, and you are basically doing a lousy job. Leave the acting to the actors, the umpiring to the umpires, or you don't do any pitching here. Now what is it going to be?"
Needless to say, the kid chose the pitching route and went on to win the game. When the game was over the kid followed me to my car. Fighting his hardest to keep back the tears, he apologized for his actions and thanked me for umpiring his game. He said he had learned a lesson that he would never forget.
I can't help bu wonder.... how many fine young men are missing their chance to develop into outstanding ballplayers because their parents encourage them to spend time umpiring, rather than working harder to play the game as it should be played.


The following morning, Donald Jenson died of complications from a brain concussion.

John Maxwell: The Leadership Expert

I was again reading coach Bob Starkey's blog and saw an amazing post he had. It was from John Maxwell's book "Leadership Gold." In case who don't know who John Maxwell is, he is a speaker and author who is internationally known for his expertise on leadership. He has sold over 16 million books in this area. I think Dr. Maxwell pretty much sums up what leadership is in this simple exert from his book:

Leadership is the willingness to put oneself at risk.

Leadership is the passion to make a difference with others.

Leadership is being dissatisfied with the current reality.

Leadership is taking responsibility while others are making excuses.

Leadership is seeing the possibilities in a situation while others are seeing the limitations.

Leadership is the readiness to stand out in a crowd.

Leadership is an open mind and an open heart.

Leadership is the ability to submerge your ego for the sake of what is best.

Leadership is evoking in others the capacity to dream.

Leadership is inspiring others with a vision of what they can contribute.

Leadership is the power of one harnessing the power of many.

Leadership is your heart speaking to the hearts of others.

Leadership is the integration of heart, head, and soul.

Leadership is the capacity to care, and in caring, to liberate the ideas, energy, and capacities of others.

Leadership is the dream made reality.

Leadership is, above all, courageous.

My Apologies

I want to apologize to those who read my blog for my neglect of it the past month. Baseball has been winding down and now I am almost done with finals for the year and I will be home for the summer. I will then, hopefully, be able to devote much more time to getting posts up. Thank you for your patience.

Michael Jordan on Failure