Getting Respect

The players I respected the most were the ones who could do it all (like myself). I could hit the long ball (7 dingers my senior year) and 10 bunt base hits. I still remember this cause it was one of the better times of my baseball career.

I'm a little disturbed that you are putting your own needs above the team and what the coach needs you to do. If you try to play baseball as an individual, you will have a heck of time beating anybody!

You will gain your coaches and teammates respect by doing as told. Sure, sometimes you will want to hack away and your coach will ask you to bunt.

Look at it in a positive way and work on your bunting for base hits. If you can get 1-2 of these a week your average can go up drastically. And since one of your goals is all-city you will certainly need a high average to do so.

But try not to worry about awards and all-star teams. Those come. Just keep working on your game and as Larry said do your best to become a complete hitter. Everything else will work it self out.

Jon,

Have been reading your posts and impressed with knowledge and advice you freely give here and would like to say, glad to have you aboard bro.

Sincerely,
Shep

ssjd...I first want to apologize for criticizing you. As an adult, I should have thought more about what you were trying to say instead of assuming the negative that I had read in your post.

Always strive to be a complete player. College rosters are littered with guys who made it because the showed they had multiple tools to try and help the team win. Your goal is to play college or professional correct? If that is the case, it is all about winning ball games at those levels.

Good Luck!

Shep,

I appreciate the kind words. It is just great to find a place where people actually care about the game.

Now this is the law of the jungle
As old and as true as the sky.
And the wolf that shall keep it will prosper,
But the wolf that shall break it must die.

As the vine that girdles the tree trunk,
The law runneth forward and back.
The strength of the pack is the wolf
And the strength of the wolf is the pack.

And this is the law of athletics,
As true as the flight of the ball,
And the player that keeps it shall prosper,
But the player that breaks it must fall.

As the ball and parts that it's made of
Are bound and held fast with the seam,
The strength of the team is the player,
The strength of the player, the team.


Keep working on your hitting and doing what the coach ask. He will notice your improvements, but everyone has a role on the team. Talk to your coach about what that role is since you seem unsure.

Coaches:
We all need to learn from what this young guy is saying. He's probably not a lot different than at least half of your roster. He IS motivated. He said he wants to be all-city. Now I want a guy that's motivated. My job now is to turn that motivation into a direction that best helps the team AND the player.
Also... if we are up four runs and the coach is hanging out a bunt sign for me and there is nobody on base I'd be hacked off good too... I don't know how often this guy has done this... remember guys, there are some strange rangers out there (guy I'm coaching against last year gives hit and run on 1-2 pitch, then yelled at both the hitter and then runner when we struck em out (fastball off the plate about 8 inches) and threw 'em out (big thick legged kid running)
SSJD, just play hard... and have fun man; it will go fast.

d8:
That poem rocks!
I just forwarded it to all my coaching buddies. thanks

trojan, sounds like you're saying guys should just miss the sign if they don't like it?



that won't go over well in most programs

does a 4 run lead have the game wrapped up in your conference?
in most places that is not the case



.

ssjd,

Unless the coach has you bunting all the time, including practice, you'll have plenty of opportunities to show your hitting skills.

Trojan-skipper - I always wonder about the "Wanna Be's" in athletics. Many if not most spend a lot of time saying that "they want to be." However, they spend very little time being. If only we could do it by saying and instead of doing it by doing it.( )


These are the Qualities of a Baseball Knight. They are the qualities I want in our young men. (Note #2)


1. He wants the toughest and best competition in practice and in
games because it makes him better.
2. He would rather his team win conference than himself make All-
Conference.
3. Whether in the game or not, he wants all of his teammates to do
well.
4. He practices hard and pays the price because he knows that most
Baseball games are won or lost due to preparation.
5. He deals honestly with his coaches and teammates. He understands
that disloyalty to either coaches or teammates hurts the team and
will not be tolerated.
6. He never assesses blame.
7. He pays attention to detail.
8. He never likes losing but he is gracious in losing. He
understands that he represents his team, coaches, school and
community.
9. He will never back down from competition.
10. He practices to make small strides in his game each and every day
to enable him to be a complete baseball player by the end of his
playing career as a Knight.
11. He realizes that his off-court behaviors, demeanor and attitude
affect the team, coaching staff, school and community.
12. He realizes that if we lose, it is not "his fault." Losing is a
team loss. He also realizes that if we win, it is not strictly
because of him. Winning is a team win.
13. He realizes that the difference between most players is not so
great that hard work cannot overcome it.
14. He puts the time and effort in during the off-season in the plyo-
metric and weight conditioning program to enable his team to have
success.
15. He would rather build character than be a character!

Bee: I did not say anything about missing a sign. I've got a bench for guys that don't carry out the sign. And we've not seen the guy hit (if he bunts .500 and hits .200 I'm hanging out bunt signs all day long).
B25: I love your stuff. I've seen it on your site. But here is still my point for us. There is a nugget in what the young lad is saying. We have to find the way to motivate him toward what it best for the team. When kids "say" something I try to look beneath what their words are to find if I can use this for our program to prosper. I simply found the words of the kid interesting and I figure if he's thinking that, I'll bet I've got some guys thinking that...

tojan, agree it's a good idea to gain some insight into a player by listening closely to him - and you are correct there is some info missing

the info offered was that a relativley inexperienced player does NOT buy into his coach's plan - even tho he's only GUESSING as to what the plan is - all this BEFORE the season has begun -
I gotta give the coach some consideration here

over the years I've noticed that most teams that exceed expectations (at all levels) are loaded with players who put TEAM first, and teams that under-perform are the opposite
(guys worried about stats before they even have any is a red flag)

jmo tho

.

bee: Well said. I know the whole stats thing is a tough issue for a coach. How do most of you guys handle the stats thing? I've done it both ways; posted everything and often; and I've posted no stats and told them to refer to Won-Loss record if they want a stat.
Last year our league posted everything so it was really out in the open... which was okay, but I do take your point to heart about the importance of finding (make that building) those guys that have higher quests in mind.
(practice starts in 6 days and I can't wait to have a sore arm again!!!!)

trojan-skipper, I don't disagree at all. I was simply speaking from the perspective of what another had posted about not worrying about "stuff" because all else will take care of itself. However, if you spend your time as a player or coach for that matter worrying about those acclades such as "all-city" often you then have less focus on team. I believe we both want this young man to realize that there are some things he can't control and one of them is some type of post season recognition or what he coach initially thinks of him and that hard work is what he can control.

CoachB, the word TRIAD at our school has become a very hated word. I think part of that is due to your list of things above.

We have had to listen to our football coach talk about how "I'll betcha Triad is doing this or that, why aren't you?" or "Triad doesn't take time off"

And last year after we beat the Knights at our place, the word Triad also became hated when we fell into a little slump and everytime Coach Vogel said Triad, we took off running. And he said it a lot!

Bulldog 19, you can now say you caused me to pass Diet Coke through my nose. The Coach Vogel line is a classic!

BTW, we do take Sundays off. LOL!

Take one day off and you know it. Take two days off and your opponent knows it. Take three days off and everyone knows it.

ssjd;
How fast are you?
Your Coach must think you have a good chance of getting on base on a bunt, with your speed.
I know its hard to go up to a Coach and ask any Question.
But if you could. Ask Your Coach if he will let you hit away if the situation warrents it. But If he asks you to bunt, DO IT.
And run like crazy. The EH

Be carefull of that word "Respect". Its used very loosely today and as many of us old timers will tell you, you don't get respect, You Earn IT.
You can earn it by being a real team player and taking the advice of some of the fine posters you have had the opportunity of receiving advice from.
You sound like you're workng hard and improving, so keep your head up and do whats best for the team.
Maybe the coach sees you as a valuable baserunner, and maybe he feels he can build your confidence by having you bunt your way on.
Maybe Not. Good Luck.

ssjd

Here is an example for you--my son always hit in the # 3 hole but the bunt was one of his major weapon weapons, especially when he led off an inning--use it as a positive not a negative

I think what this young man is saying speaks volumes about the state of baseball in some areas or programs. To me when I ask a kid to bunt (I am showing confidence in him as a hitter.) Im showing him that I think he has the ability to execute a very important hitting skill. When players think that when the coach asks them to lay one down that it is a slap in the fact to them as a hitter then the wrong message is being sent to the hitter some where down the line. When we ask a kid to bunt we are saying to them that we have the confidence in them to do something that is very important for the team. We bunt everyday in practice. It is a a part of our bp sessions which we take everyday. Sac Bunt Drag Bunt Suicide Bunt Safety Squeeze. I have never understood this mentality that when a coach asks a kid to bunt that somehow he is telling the kid that he has no confidence in him as a hitter. In my opinion it is the ultimate compliment. Our guys are taught from the day they come into our program that bunting is an art and it is something that every baseball player needs to be able to execute in any situation on any count. If your coach sees bunting as a way to just put the ball in play because he does not think you can hit then he is a clown and does not deserve to be coaching anyway. Bunting is a big part of the game. A very important part of the game.

Coach May

When did "small ball" become a bad word?

Bunting is my favorite part of the game. I'm not an exceptionally fast runner, but I have two out of my four varsity hits off of bunts. The only reason my average is as high as it is now (which isn't very high) is because I can bunt. Nearly every time I come up I look at the chance once. If it puts me in the hole 0-1, big deal, I'm a contact hitter anyway and hit a lot of 3-2 counts too.

Bulldog 19,

I like your mindset.

Being a good bunter will not only help your team tremendously, but will also open up a great number of opportunities for you as well.

Good Luck

I understand all of your points aboutdoing what the coach tells me and seeing it as a positive, and i want to say thank you for all of the support.

last year it was sort of a problem. since we only won one game (1-13),and was useally down 7 runs by the 4th inning whats wrong with letting a player swing and see what he can do? I understand trying to comeback, and small ball does work but if your getting 10 run ruled by the 5th or 6th inning isnt it time to try something diffrent?

I shouldnt have used the word respect in the topics head line. It was really more about...."trust" (for lack of a better word)

today we had our first pre-season game and I batted 5th (last year I would have batted 8th) and was 1-3 with triple, rbi and a run.
ooh and no bunts lol

But I have one question, whats going through your minds as coaches when your making a lineup?

You'll get much better answers from some other guys here, but in a nutshell, the #1 batter gets on base alot, via walk, hit. He should have speed also. #2 makes good contact, good hitter. #3 is usually your best hitter, best average, has some power. #4 best power hitter with good average. #5 is like a #4, has power to drive in runs, hits extra base hits, just maybe not as consistent as the clean-up guy.

After that it depends on what you have for guys. 6,7,8 are sometimes viewed as similar to 1-3, just not as consistent, higher strike outs, not as much power. #9 is usually pretty weak. Unless you pull a LaRussa and put another leadoff type guy in that spot.

Other things that come into play in the coach's mind are - does the kid come to practice on time, does he pay attention or is he goofing around, does he hustle. Things like that will determine if you're in the line-up at all.

I'd say if you're batting in the 5 spot your coach has some respect for you and your abilities, particularly with the power game.

Good luck this season!

Very few coaches would put a bunter in the 5 hole! Maybe the coach has been watching you. That said everyone needs to have the ability to bunt!

quote:

Originally posted by Coach May:
Bunting is a big part of the game. A very important part of the game.

Just curious... [forgive me if this is better suited to the Pre-HS board]... how important is bunting on the LL field? We see it very rarely.

I think bunting is a good weapon at any level, but LL coaches don't use it much because every kid wants to hit, every parent wants to see their kid hit, and it's supposed to be recreational ball. It's always pretty cool to see a well executed bunt at LL level. More often you see the fake bunt, to draw the infield in and advance a runner to third. Not alot of finesse in LL.

As a 12 year old in Little League last year, my son squared up to bunt at least once in every game. He is a contact hitter with good speed but not alot of power. His Little League coach taught him the value of using the bunt (and the threat of the bunt) to draw the infield in just enough so that a sharply hit ground ball(normally a routine play) would get through.

It took some time for him to appreciate what a weapon the bunt is, but once he realized what it added to his game, he started looking forward to situations where he could lay one down.