quote:Originally posted by CoachB25:
Freddy, you are actually getting at something real important not only to baserunning and hitting but on playing all aspects of the game. When you write about a pesimistic player or thought process, personally, I can't stand that. When I commented on run and hit, as a hitter, you don't have to hit but you had darn well better not take a strike. In coaching, I believe that you have to practice any skill you expect your players to demonstrate on the field. So, for me, I played aggressive players. Don't you think that players take on the personality of the coach? I do! I had one young man that just was timid but had so much ability. I took him to the side one time and told him that he was driving me crazy. I asked him hom many times I "yelled" at someone who failed when being aggressive. The answer was never. Then, I told him to change or lose his position. Thank goodness he believed that I would support him in failure if aggressive and so he changed. Freddy, there is some good stuff here in this thread by posters.
B25,
Possibly, my reservations about the risk/reward of H and R are giving you a totally wrong impression about my temperament and approach as a baseball coach. Externally to my players, I'm irrepressibly positive and optimistic (while stubbornly demanding HARD WORK). Internally, my decision-making in the 3B coaching box is tempered by realism.
YES, players take on the personality of the coach! Pardon my bragging, but that's a main reason I've successfully coached more Cinderella teams than anybody around here.
There is some good stuff in this thread, no doubt.
Regarding hit-and-run: In recent years, I've moved away from instructing "never get picked off on a H and R" because obedient players therefore often err on the side of taking too short a lead and getting an overly delayed jump.
I now instruct that R1's mindset should be to get a normal (for that R1) stealing lead and a normal jump. Pickoffs are rare, whereas batters swinging through a pitch are not rare, and I'd prefer that my average-speed R1 has a prayer of copping the bag if that batter doesn't make contact.
The exception to the above is in a first-and-third H and R, where my R1 has to see full committment to the plate to avoid being picked on a 3-1 move.