Dear 11 and 12 year olds and their parents:
The full size field is a year or two away. Those 200-250’ “dingers” you’re hitting now will be fly ball outs soon. I know we love those USSSA bats but you’re also a few years away from using BBCOR bats which will take away your “pop” overnight.
The big field is a game changer. Some will make the transition seem easy but for many it has a way of humbling those kids who dominated the small field. Keep working hard. Be careful of thinking the game is easy. Each year from here on out will push you to get better. Will reveal your toughness. Will challenge you everyday.
BTW, that 90’ sprint to first base will make you feel slow!! 🤣🤣 do your sprints!!
The problem with travel baseball now?
Anybody can start a team.
Get 12 kids, order uniforms, enter tournaments, call yourself “elite”…
and suddenly you’re a travel organization.
That doesn’t mean the development is good, arms are handled right, or kids are actually improving.
High School Playoffs.
Chasing a high school state championship is special.
Winning a high school state championship is historic for any high school player.
The players go to school with each other for years in most cases.
Some have known each other since they were toddlers.
Parents know each other and it means something to the community.
High school athletics bring people together and form a forever bond.
High school athletics can't be replaced and are more important than most realize.
🚨 Pete Rose's Keys to Success
• Be aggressive + Never afraid to fail
• Practice like it's Game 7 of the WS
• Always be ready for the Fastball
⭐️ Life's too short to worry about what might happen if you fail or mess up. Play hard. Play tough. Have fun.
As an AD, my job is to bring in and retain coaches who can build, develop, and win. At the same time, good coaches want to be in environments where they have a real opportunity to succeed.
If a school’s vision does not prioritize winning or fails to provide the tools, support, and structure needed for success, it will struggle to attract and retain high level coaches. Talented coaches are intentional about where they invest their time and energy.
Winning is not about cutting corners or doing it at all costs. It is about alignment. When you have strong coaches, the right resources, and a clear commitment to success, those pieces work together. When everyone is not aligned, the culture is poisoned. That alignment is what builds a sustainable, competitive program.
There should be a teacher on every school board…
and at every table where education decisions are made.
Because right now, we’re making policies for classrooms
without the people who actually live in them.
You wouldn’t design a hospital system without doctors.
You wouldn’t build a plane without pilots.
But in education…
we leave teachers out of the room
As an AD, I struggle to understand why some parents resist high standards for their kids. Growth doesn’t come from comfort, it comes from being pushed, being coached hard, and being held accountable.
As a dad, I hate seeing my kid disappointed. But I’d rather see him face adversity now than be unprepared later. Learning to handle failure, earn your role, and fight through challenges matters more than any short term result.
Winning matters. Not just on the scoreboard, but in learning how to prepare, compete, and respond when things don’t go your way. That’s what builds someone ready for the real world.
I can’t for the life of me figure out why youth baseball (Little league age, travel ball, high school) is one of the only arenas where people with absolutely no experience have the strongest opinions. Stay with me here. Like adults that know for a fact they never played baseball ever stand at sporting events criticizing coaches or kids for making mistakes while also knowing virtually nothing about the subject matter. It’s the most ignorant, lacking any self awareness things in society. Do you also walk in the kitchen during dinner service and question the executive chef or ask the roofing professionals if they’re replacing your shingles correctly knowing you have no idea what you’re talking about it’s such an insane concept to me. Yelling at children knowing you trip over your own feet mowing your lawn. just be positive and encourage the kids, thank the coaches for doing the job you can’t even come close to doing. Stop embarrassing yourself and your kids.
High school pitcher throws 90 pitches through 5…
and then goes right to shortstop?
So his arm is “done” for the mound—but fine for every throw across the diamond?
That’s how arms get cooked.
Protect high school players, not just the pitch count.
Of course your club coach is going to tell you how amazing you are, how your HS coach is hating on you and how they can “get you to the next level”. You keep paying them thousands of dollars every year to be on their team…
Travel baseball has turned into:
Pay tons of money to play.
Pay to travel.
Pay to stay.
Pay to watch your own kid.
And somehow… this became normal. Will it ever change or just get worse?
Ever notice
Teams with loudmouth parents in the stands usually have loudmouth players and coaches?
Teams with classy parents in the stands usually have classy players and coaches?
Why is this?
It's all about alignment.
FAILING TO HOLD PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE:
- erodes your team's culture
- undermines your team's standards
- weakens your leadership credibility
- frustrates people who do the right thing
- destroys your team's chances of success
IF YOU WANT TO WIN,
YOU MUST HOLD PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE.