There was a kid on the HS team.
Every time he swung and missed at a pitch, he would slap his bat with his hand as if to say "Damn, I JUST MISSED crushing that ball." Any and every time he was out on the bases, he would clap his hands together in disappointment as if to say "Damn, I JUST MISSED beating that out." And, any time he missed reaching a ground ball in the infield, he would slap the palm of his glove with his throwing hand as if to say "Damn, I JUST MISSED making that play."
Every time. Didn't matter if he missed the pitch by a mile, was out by 10 feet or didn't come close to the grounder.
One of the dads that would stand by me at the games started referring to him as "Captain Eyewash" because of the kid's routine.
The coach? He LOVED the kid. In fact, he named him team captain. (Hence why the other dad called him Captain Eyewash.)
Another kid on another roster of a college team. Probably voted most likely to say "Thank you sir, may I have another." Literally would chase the coach down on the field to brown nose and kiss his rear. Did it in practice and games. He was an artist at it.
The coach? He loved it and would call the kid out in front of the whole team as being the embodiment of how everyone on the team should go about their business.
Of course, we know this is not limited to baseball. Every business/office has that "Eyewash Ass Kisser" who uses those skills to get ahead.
Have you also seen the success of the "EAK Player" in terms of winning the coach's favor? And, if yes, is it something that you would recommend to a young player to start practicing?
