3 terms that todays players need to understand

Great stuff from Kevin Eastman

Hard Work

-It is the price of admission

-If you don't work hard you don't get between the lines

-Everyone works hard, so hard work won't seperate you. It will get you in the door.

Competitveness

-Most are competitive once they seperate from a group

-Inside Determination

-Desire to win anything you are involved in

Committed

-This is an elite group (guys that put in the extra work and wont stop until mission is accomplished)

-People talk about it but don't understand it

-Think about what it takes to be great

-Everyday trying to get better, think long term, have the attitude that you never have arrived

OPPORTUNITY

Opportunity follows struggle. It follows effort. It follows hard work. It doesn't come before.

Focus on the present

Each at-bat is a new day.

We don’t just have the opportunity to start fresh each day. We have the opportunity to start fresh each moment.We can learn from past failures and mistakes, but we shouldn’t get stuck there. We can keep future goals in mind, but we shouldn’t get stuck there, either.

The only way to reach our potential is to focus on what we must do now – this moment, the day – to perform effectively and to win.In baseball, a hitter mired in a slump can belt a home run on any pitch. A team on a prolonged losing streak can always win that day’s game.

From "Ground Rules for Winners" by Joe Torre

TCU Baseball 2012 - The Grind

It is time for the grind!

Good Stuff from new LSU Pitching Coach Alan Dunn

“I want pitchers to establish a mound presence so there is no question in anyone’s mind who is pitching on that particular day. This starts with their mound tempo, which is showing the ability to work fast and keep the pressure on the hitter. Body language is huge regardless of what is happening in the game. They have to show the ability to control the game and not the game controlling them.” Next he points to the pitchers attitude towards throwing strikes and attacking hitters, “It is a must that pitchers show the conviction in attacking the zone and pitching to contact. We want to make the action happen early in counts and to do this they must throw the ball in the zone.”

“The fastball is still the most important pitch a pitcher has in his arsenal. Whether it is 82mph or 98mph a pitcher must pitch off of his fastball to be successful. What I mean by this is that the pitcher must “command” his fastball. Commanding the fastball means he has the ability to make quality pitches with his fastball in fastball counts and get the hitter out. In this game if you are a hitter and you can’t hit the fastball and you’re a pitcher and you can’t pitch with the fastball you will never be successful.

Was today your best?

"At night when I go to bed, I ask myself, 'If I don’t wake up tomorrow, would I be proud of how I lived today.'”

-Muhammad Ali

Importance of preparation

"To this day, I consider preparation the most enjouable part of my work, and the most challenging. to the extent my teams have succeeded, I'd say that solid preparation -- not talent or strategy -- was the primary factor."

-Bill Parcells

Practice

This list was developed by Kevin Eastman:

Let’s take a look at some things that both coaches and players need to bring each day:

THE COACH

•must bring great energy and enthusiasm (and not just the first week, but every day)
•must bring the preparation needed to make sure that what he’s working on is what’s most needed for that day
•must bring a keen eye to spot the mistakes that will keep the team from improving that day
•must organize the practice so that he gets maximum work in the allotted time
•must know his system so well that he actually has the answers before the players ask the questions

THE PLAYER

•must bring great energy and enthusiasm
•must walk onto the floor “clutter free” — all outside distractions must be cleared up or at least put to the side for that time period
•must always seek to “get from” practice not just “get through” practice
•must bring great focus, as the first month is always filled with teaching and learning
•must have a “get in great shape” mindset for both physical conditioning as well as mental focus (being able to stay focused even through fatigue)
This is a short list of what all players and coaches must bring to make sure they’re holding up their end of the “practice bargain” and the “improvement bargain.”

One final thought — both groups must jump on every opportunity to help someone else get better, learn faster, go longer. That’s a sign of a great team!

TEAM FIRST

"The best teams are teams in any sport that lose themselves in the team. The individuals lose their identity. And their identities come about as a result of being in the team first."

Coach Krzyzewski

A. V. E

Each at-bat I have a plan and an approach. I constantly A.V.E (A=analyze, V=visualize, E=execute) after each pitch.

Edge must come from outworking your opponents

“Our edge has to come from outworking our opponents in every phase of the game and this certainly includes off-season conditioning. The program is in your hands…. If you are self-motivated and dedicated, you will go to work immediately and work each day to get better. We are going to win in Philadelphia. It is just a matter of being persistent. Go to work."
From the first letter Dick Vermiel wrote to his first team in Philadelphia

NO EXCUSES