My Coaching Philosophy

Somebody asked me once what were the core edicts of my coaching philosophy.

(Okay, honestly, no one has ever asked me that, but for the sake of this post, lets pretend I have disciples that are all looking to drink the kool-aid.)

I believe in pitching and defense.

I believe in long at-bats and on-base percentage over slugging percentage.

I believe in fundamentals and small ball. I think the squeeze bunt is every bit as powerful as the three-run home run.

I believe in team speed.

I believe heart and commitment will win more games than cockiness and bravado.

I hate nepotism, politics and favortism. As a coach, its my job to put the best players on the field for every situation. Period.

I believe smart people surround themselves with smarter people.

I believe chatter can be a powerful weapon, but in the wrong hands it can just be irritating.

I believe dedication is underrated. So is a good bullpen.

I believe the worst thing anyone can do is overcoach. I learned a long time ago, sometimes the best coaching I will ever do is sit on my hands and let the game happen. Sometimes, the best thing I can do is trust the players on the field.

I believe in the double-play, the crooked innings, battling back from an 0-2 count. I believe in doubles to the gap and double plays. I believe two-strike hits can destroy a pitcher and two-out errors can destroy a team.

I believe a great left-handed pitcher can carry you to a title. And one cancer on the roster can destroy you.

Above all else I believe that baseball is a great game. A game that I have been lucky enough to be a part of my entire life. Its a game that can teach us about life and can make life more bearable. It served as a distraction in my toughest hours, bound my family tightly together, and helped lead me to my wife.

Some days it motivates me and others it distracts me from the aggravations of the daily grind.

I always just hope I leave it stronger than it has made me, but I doubt that that is possible.

More soon. Hopefully, I'll have enough player fees in this weekend that I can begin disclosing our roster.

Have a great evening!