Thought for the day

Well thanks to both of you.

Sometimes I cannot tell who people are on this site (I think I am the only one that posts my name each time). It makes sense for the coaches to be anonymous. But when you read a post sometimes it's hard to tell if it is from a coach/knowledgable source or not. The person that wrote that post obviously knows what he is talking about.

In case you were wondering, I do post my name for several reasons.

 

Uncensored

Stretchlon = Richard Sarmiento at my office
Stretchy = Richard Sarmiento at my house

both are the same person...just more laid back at night. Thanks Kirk.

 

good info

Lets keep this thread rolling for a little while. Lot of good info so far

 

You can't be talking about me. I'm lucky to find my socks in the daylight.

 

Great Thread

To be quite honest many kids today seem to be so concerned with being seen that they put all their efforts when not playing in HS at doing this. In fact I believe that the vast majority of your efforts should be put into working at getting better. And I do not mean taking batting practice or fielding ground balls all the time. How much time is spent before and after the HS season ends in the weight room? How much time is spent on core work , agility training , speed training and long toss? If your spending all your efforts or the majority of your efforts focusing on playing games and trying to be seen when are you working on getting better?

A typical week imo if your playing on the weekends should be work hard Mon thru Thurs on the above mentioned things and then play on the weekends. Sitting around all week or taking some bp and some ground balls then playing on the weekends just isnt going to get it done. Some kids continue to get better and some do not. Some kids it seems everytime you see them they just seem to get better. And some kids just seem to stay the same.

Its not very hard to get seen. The challenge is to the kind of player they want to see again once they have seen you. I totally agree with Andro about seeing guys that improve from one time to the next. It excites a coach. You do not get better by being seen all the time and not working at getting better. Focus on working at getting better way more than you do being seen. Mentally kids can get caught up in worrying about being seen and "How do I get seen"? "I need to be seen"! To me I say worry about getting better. And then when its time to be seen you just play the game and do what you do. Everything then will take care of itself if you have put the work in.

 

I played in an era that one sport ran into another, so I was never "out of shape", but I didn't have the advantage of "sports training" like the players do now.

To be honest, I don't know how I feel about that. It seems like all sports have become "sports specific"; a player devoted to one sport only. At the risk of someone "losing the joy" of playing baseball, I have concluded that if one is determined to play at the next level, you better be working out and improving each year, because your competition is.

And the colleges know that. During their fall practices, they determine who the "players" are by their workouts. They will run you...and run you again. They will make you lift weights to a point you didn't think you could. You will run sprints and long distances. And one of the reasons they do this is to see who the jokers are and who the players are. They won't hesitate to run off a player they feel is lolligagging, shows a lack of commitment or a "goof ball". It's a business for them and they expect the players to do their jobs.

The bottom line is this: talent only takes you so far; working to improve takes you farther. I recall something Madison Bumgarner said when asked about workouts. He said, "During my workouts I am always pushing myself to get better because there is someone else out there pushing to take my place."...and this from a 17 yo.

For those that play baseball and really don't have any interest to play beyond HS, there is nothing wrong with that. Enjoy it as much as you can.

But for those that have the passion and driving determination to play beyond HS, you need to understand that all of the colleges are filled with "HS stars" at every level. The competiton is fierce and it's getting stronger. If you want to be successful, you must compete at all times. On the field, off the field..on the track and in the gym. It's serious business and you must treat it that way...or you will be joining me in the stands. It's fun there, believe me...but there is nothing more enjoyable than competing in a ballgame against a rival team and seeing the fruits of your labor take over. Man, I miss that feeling!

For some reason, I can't find that feeling outside the fence or at the concession stand.

 

Great Post Braves

Outstanding Post! Now that is just the way it really is. There are guys that want to play at the next level. But with conditions. Then there are guys that refuse to be stopped from playing at the next level and they have no conditions attached.

 

You said in one paragraph what took me 6