The Why

 Writing this particular blog post was easy-- it has actually been in my notes for a few years. However, clicking 'Publish' is much more difficult. As a head coach, I always had the tendency to be very hard on our players. Some may even call me crazy. Some may not have liked me very much. I believe I have "softened" a little bit over the years. I would be lying if I said it wasn't ever about me and what I wanted to get out of it. I hope though... I pray... that former players understand I really did want what is best for them and I wanted them to learn more than baseball, to obtain more than wins, and to grow as more than players. 

I would not have ever been considered a great player, was not the most talented at any level... I did have some ability, loved to be around it, but just wasn't a "great" player. My greatest attribute was probably my mind-- I always thought through the game pretty well and at least understood what to do in certain situations. I knew where to be on a baseball field based on the situation and what to do with the ball. Growing up, I played quarterback in football-- not because of my rocket arm or dual-threat abilities-- really because I knew all the plays and what everyone was supposed to do on each snap, plus I could turn and hand the ball off without tripping over my feet. In basketball, I knew what to do on offense and where to be, I understood different types of defenses and why we did it. But again, never considered great at any of the above. 

Bask to my passion-- baseball. If I am really being honest and getting down to it, I was not as committed as I needed to be off the field, specifically when I got to high school. I regret that so much. I gave my best effort at practice and always played hard, but gradually fell away from getting any significant work on my own. The best players work when no one is watching. For a long time, I blamed a lot on a lack of confidence in myself... At some point, I don't even remember when, I lost confidence in my abilities. I was scared to make a mistake. I overthought and overanalyzed things. If I made one mistake, it was hard to get past it and that will eat you up in the game of baseball. It wasn't like playing sandlot ball or in the back yard where it was easy and natural... I could not explain it. I had zero trust in what I could contribute to the team. I probably blamed it on other external factors, but truthfully, I lacked confidence because I lacked preparation... I lacked discipline and commitment to being the best I could be. I eventually figured all of this out, but that time I spent being undisciplined and uncommitted really affected me as a player and competitor. 

So why do I do what I do? It actually took me a long time to figure out, or realize, why-- I was drawn to coaching for reasons I did not even understand until I took the time to reflect and decide what is important. I got into coaching because I love the game and just wanted to be around it. There were people I looked up to that were coaches. I had big dreams of winning and where that may take me. Some 15 years later, I still love to win and hate to lose, but I am in it to help players not make the same mistakes I did. When I discipline a player, it is not because I am mad at them or think they're no good-- it comes from a place of "you can always be better!" That takes a little extra. That takes being corrected, criticized, held accountable... all good things! My goal is to help players understand that if they really want to be great, they'll have to be willing to do more. Not just in baseball, but in life. Success in anything comes with effort, extra effort, accountability, resiliency, a great attitude, and sacrifice. I do what I do in the hope that I can reach at least one player who can look back and say they gave it all they could-- they learned, they grew, and they are truly thankful for the lessons learned-- no matter what they had to endure to get there. 

What is your WHY? Why do you play? Why do you compete? Why do you do what you do? 

Whatever it is, when you look back on it, did you take the easy way out and only temporarily avoid the difficult... or did you take no shortcuts in doing it the right way? True growth, development, and success will only come from the latter.

As always, do it with Discipline. Respect. Intensity. and Passion.