Coaching Management 14.7

Coaching Management VOL. XIV NO. 7

B A S E B A L L ■ ■

P O S T S E A S O N

Lessons in Losing Weightroom Balance

Base Instincts Teaching the running game

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CONTENTS

Coaching Management Baseball Edition Postseason 2006 Vol. XIV, No. 7

2

23

27 LOCKER ROOM

Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Colleges face academic probation …

NJ first to test for steroids … Naming seats a profitable stadium option …

High school player switches throwing arm … Beanball case thrown out of court … First college baseball video game hits shelves

COVER STORY

Base Instincts

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When executed properly, an aggressive running game can make the difference between victory and defeat. However, teaching players how to win games with their legs means more than just developing speed and quickness.

COACHING LIFE

Learning from Losing

Q&A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Mike Fox talks about the University of North Carolina’s NCAA Division I College World Series run.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When losses start piling up, self-doubt is sure to follow. Should you change your approach? How can you keep your athletes from growing frustrated?

Here, a Hall of Fame high school coach offers advice for getting the most out of a losing season.

CONDITIONING Team Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

New Product Launch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Wood Bats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hitting & Pitching aids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . baseball facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

More Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . web news . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Publisher Mark Goldberg

Editor-in-Chief Eleanor Frankel Associate Editor Marketing Director Dennis Read Sheryl Shaffer Marketing/Sales Assistant Assistant Editors Danielle Catalano R.J. Anderson Kenny Berkowitz Art Director Pamela Crawford Nathan Dougherty Abigail Funk Photo Research Greg Scholand Tobi Sznajderman Laura Smith

32 33 34 35 38 47 48

No Pain, No Gain?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

You want your players to dig down and get the most out of their weightroom workouts. So what is the fine line between pushing them hard and pushing them too hard?

16

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27

On the cover: At UC-Irvine, base running is taught aggressively with an emphasis on stealing. Story begins on page 16. Photo by Glenn Feingerts/University of California-Irvine.

Business Manager Pennie Small

IT Manager Julian Cook

Special Projects Dave Wohlhueter

Asst. Prepress Manager Jim Harper

Circulation Director Dave Dubin

Production Assistant Jonni Campbell

Circulation Manager John Callaghan

Administrative Assistant Sharon Barbell

Advertising Sales Associates Diedra Harkenrider, (607) 257-6970, ext. 24 Rob Schoffel, (607) 257-6970, ext. 21 Ad Materials Coordinator Mike Townsend Business and Editorial Offices 31 Dutch Mill Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 257-6970, Fax (607) 257-7328 info@MomentumMedia.com Mailing lists for Coaching Management Baseball are provided by the Clell Wade Coaches Directory.

The Coaching Management Baseball edition is pub­lished in February and September by MAG, Inc. and is distributed free to college and high school coaches in the United States and Canada. Copyright © 2006 by MAG, Inc. All rights reserved. Text may not be reproduced in any manner, in whole or in part, without the permission of the publisher. Unsolicited materials will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Coaching Management is printed by Banta Publications Group, Kansas City, MO. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Coaching Management, P.O. Box 4806, Ithaca, N.Y. 14852.

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LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD Baseball Faces Academic Probation With the long debate over when to start the NCAA Division I season settled, it appeared there would be some smooth sailing ahead for major college baseball.

Coaches and administrators reached a compromise on start dates: Beginning in 2008, the first date for practice will be February 1, and the first game will be no earlier than the third Friday in February.

But now a new set of storm clouds has appeared in a warning from the university presidents on the Division I Board of Directors: Teams will be playing far fewer games in the future if the sport’s academic performance doesn’t improve.

With baseball posting the third worst Academic Progress Rate (APR), bettering only football and men’s basketball, the Board is worried that the newly adopted common start date—a month later than some teams opened in 2006— could negatively affect players’ academic performance by squeezing 56 games into a shorter time period.

The Board considered reducing the maximum number of regular season games to 52, but after much discussion and lobbying by members of the baseball community who said the causes of baseball’s low APR went deeper than the number of games in the season, it tabled the proposal.

Instead, it called for a plan to improve baseball’s academic performance, while threatening far greater cutbacks in games if it fails.

COACHING MANAGEMENT

rule, it’s going to be very difficult to improve the APR.”

“Nobody is sure what compacting the 56-game schedule will mean academically,” says Dennis Farrell, Commissioner of the Big West Conference.

“I think there was some relief that the board didn’t reduce the season initially, and now it’s up to the baseball community to prove that the compaction is not going to have a negative effect on academics.”

But changing the transfer exception is no easy task. A proposal to eliminate it for baseball was defeated at the 2006 NCAA Convention. Farrell says there are two schools of thought when it comes to the transfer exception. “One is that it’s too easy for kids to transfer, and when they do, the school’s APR takes a hit,” he explains. “The other school of thought is that the one-time exception at least holds the

Dave Keilitz, Executive Director of the American Baseball Coaches Association, feels the answers lie more in structural issues and the culture of the sport than in coaches’ day-to-day management of their programs. “I think the majority of programs are doing a very good job of evaluating and recruiting the right type of student-athletes,” he says. “I also think coaches are doing a good job of working with their kids academically. But those factors are minimal compared to the bigger issues like transfer rules and a lack of scholarships.”

student-athlete accountable because he has to be academically eligible when he applies for the waiver. While you lose the retention point when a student-athlete transfers out, without the exception, you might lose both the retention and eligibility points.”

Which brings the argument back around to scholarship limits. “Under the present rules, it’s difficult to fault a kid for transferring if he only has a book stipend for one semester and he’s not playing,” Keilitz says.

Baseball coaches have long complained that the limit of 11.7 scholarships is too low for a sport with rosters that typically include about 33 players. And since baseball players, unlike football and basketball players, can receive a one-time transfer exception that allows them to change schools and retain immediate eligibility, there’s little to keep a player from transferring if he thinks he is not getting enough playing time or can get a better offer elsewhere.

The result is lost APR retention points.

“I believe we can come up with a great plan that will improve the APR dramatically,” Keilitz says. “Whether the Board is willing to make the changes we recommend remains to be seen. If nothing is done with scholarships or the transfer

Under a new uniform start date set to take effect in 2008, Division I practices and games won’t start until February.

Some school officials are worried that the later start date, which means more games packed into a shorter season, may hurt players academically. Above, Florida International University plays the University of Miami in January 2006.

SAMUEL LEWIS

The Baseball Academic Enhancement Committee has one year to develop a plan acceptable to the Board.

Two years after that, the Board will revisit the question of cutting games if aca-

demic performance has not improved.

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LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD He adds that in addition to scholarships and transfers, the plan could address the impact of the professional draft, time demands made on players, early signing periods that have players committing to college scholarships before they start their senior year in high school, and numerous other factors. “It’s not going to be easy to find a solution, but it’s our responsibility to sell it to the coaches and say this is best for all of college baseball,” he says. “At the same time, we have to convince the Board of Directors that it will be good for baseball academically.”

Any plan to improve college baseball’s academic performance will likely involve some compromises on coaches’ parts.

“Some people are a little offended that we have to go through this because we don’t have the lowest APR,” Keilitz says.

“We aren’t happy with our APR, but there are others who also have problems, yet we’re the only sport going through this right now.

NJ Tests for Steroids As steroid use continues to be a hot button in baseball, New Jersey has become the first state to take the plunge into a full-fledged drug-testing program for high school athletes, following an executive mandate from former Acting Governor Richard Codey. In 200607, random steroid testing will begin for athletes in all championship sports.

The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) will carry out the

Codey created a task force in July 2005 to study the issue of steroid use in young athletes.

The task force’s 18 members, which included high school administrators, professors of sports psychology and orthopedic surgery, and coaches, recommended a series of steps, including random testing, to address what it perceived as a serious problem.

“We looked at the statistics first,” says Bob Baly, Assistant Director of the NJSIAA and a member of the task force.

“About three percent of high school seniors nationwide admit to having used steroids,

COACHING MANAGEMENT

The tests will look for around 80 substances in all, ranging from amphetamines to steroids. In accordance with the policy, any time an athlete tests positive he or she will immediately be declared ineligible for a period of 365 days.

The governor’s office gave the NJSIAA a $50,000 grant to pay for the first year of testing, but it’s yet to be decided how subsequent years will be paid for.

A private agency will carry out the tests, and coaches at the targeted schools will not have any added responsibilities.

While the mandatory testing plan has drawn the most attention, it isn’t the only way New Jersey is addressing performance-enhancing substance use by high school athletes.

Plans are in place for a steroid education program directed at the state’s elementary and middle schoolers, as well as ramped up educational efforts for coaches, athletic trainers, and school nurses. “Our athletic departments will continue to work with families, coaches, and student-athletes to educate them about the dangers of steroids,” Baly says.

Sitting on a Gold Mine At the University of the Pacific, athletic administrators hoped a seat-naming program would raise enough money to cover the cost of seating in their new baseball stadium.

They didn’t anticipate that in less than half a year, they would generate $160,000.

The program’s initial goal has already been surpassed, and money is still coming in.

“When you talk about building a new facility, people usually think about targeting large

AP/WIDE WORLD PHOTOS

“We have to come up with a good plan, and Former Acting Governor Richard Codey signs an executive order to begin drug coaches have to testing in New Jersey high schools. Approximately five percent of student-athletes buy into it, or we who qualify for postseason play, including baseball players, will be tested under are going to lose the mandate. games,” he continues. “Some changes may conflict with testing plan, randomly testing and there’s evidence that the coaches’ individual beliefs, about five percent of studentreal number is closer to five or but it will boil down to decidathletes whose teams qualify six percent. We have 240,000 ing whether it is more imporfor postseason play in 2006athletes in New Jersey, so it’s tant to abide by the plan and 07. Postseason play in the not hard to do the math.” keep the number of games state’s 31 championship sports we have, or continue doing involves roughly 10,000 athThe task force also noted that things the way we have been letes, so about 500 students many student-athletes say steand lose a significant number will be tested in the program’s roids are very easy to come of games.” first year. by. “They told us all you have

to do is key in the right words on the Internet or know the right people around school,” Baly says.

Circle No.103

LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD donors,” says Head Coach Ed Sprague, a former major league all-star. “But with this program, we wanted to reach smaller donors. We thought nameplates on the seats would be a good way for young alumni, boosters, and community members to participate in building the stadium. And the response has been great.”

For $1,000, fans can engrave a seat located behind home plate, which, spread over five years, comes to 56 cents a day for the best seats at Klein Family Field. Or for $500, they can have their name engraved on one above the dugouts. Within the program’s first five months, fans named 205 of 889 available seats, which also includes the right to buy that engraved seat’s season ticket.

During this past season, the Tigers played most of their

home games off-campus due to the construction, so the department kept the program relatively low-key, marketing the seat-naming opportunities through its Web site, an enewsletter, alumni correspondence, and word of mouth.

With the help of key baseball alums, nameplates have been used to honor parents, children, teammates, and former coaches. And with $2 million still needed to complete the stadium, marketers are planning to re-emphasize the seatnaming campaign in the coming months. If the department succeeds in selling nameplates for the remainder of the seats, they could raise an additional $500,000.

Cindy Spiro, Senior Associate Director of Athletics for Development, is planning to launch the next push at Pacific’s alumni reunion and con-

The University of the Pacific baseball team will play next season at the new Klein Family Field (shown above). As a fundraiser to pay for seating at the stadium, Pacific gave fans the opportunity to buy engraved seat nameplates and then to purchase season tickets for their named seats.

Document3 8/11/03 3:28 PM For more information, visit: pacifictigers.cstv.com/sports/ m-basebl/seatnaming.html.

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LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD tinue through the close of the 2007 baseball season, when the school hopes to celebrate completion of the stadium.

“One of the most valuable parts of this program is that it gives us the opportunity to talk to our young alums about philanthropy,” Spiro says.

“This is a great way to encourage them to give that first gift back to the institution.”

“We want as many people as possible to be emotionally invested in our stadium, and I think it’s working,” adds Sprague. “There’s still more to be done, but we’ve built a beautiful facility and made a lot of people excited about what we’re doing.”

Learning Lefty Watching Tyler Oliver’s slick play at first base, you would

never guess the Lexington (Ky.) Christian Academy junior only recently learned how to catch with his right hand and throw with his left. After battling nagging injuries to his right (throwing) elbow since he was 13 and undergoing two surgeries—one before his freshman year that involved drilling a hole in his elbow to correct a bone defect, and the latest coming after his sophomore season—Oliver decided it was time to remake himself into a southpaw.

A varsity starter since eighth grade, the 6’1”, 215-pound NCAA Division I prospect led his team to the 2005 Kentucky state championship as a sophomore, batting third and playing a very solid first base as a righthander. That summer, while attending a baseball camp at Florida State University, Oliver’s arm began to

bother him. A bone chip was discovered and subsequently removed in a minor surgical procedure.

and they said, ‘That would be better for your arm, but… well, good luck.’ Nobody really took me seriously,” he says.

After the surgery, multiple doctors—including Cincinnati Reds Team Physician Dr. Timothy Kremchek—told Oliver he would likely experience pain during the rest of his high school career and that his collegiate future could be in jeopardy. The news hit Oliver hard, but rather than accepting the doctors’ prognoses, he began exploring other options. “After the surgery, I started throwing a tennis ball left-handed against my bedroom wall and realized I was pretty good at it,” says Oliver.

But their uncertainty didn’t dissuade Oliver, and he committed himself to learning to throw lefty. After a month working on his own, Oliver met up with former Georgetown University coach Jim Hinerman, who has worked with him in the past. “We met for 30 minutes three times a week during the winter until the season started,” says Oliver. “At first my form was really bad, but after working with Coach Hinerman, it got better.”

After a little more practice, Oliver wondered if he could train himself to be a left-handed thrower—permanently. “I pitched the idea to my doctors

To hone his throwing motion, Hinerman had Oliver do a lot of pitching drills. “The biggest problem was my fingertip control—I had none and was throwing balls 20 feet over his

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him to throw on a pickoff play, and some bunted on him,” says Galloway. “But he’s a gamer, and when it came time to make plays, he did.”

Oliver estimates his left arm is about 85 percent as strong as his right and that he registers 75 mph on a radar gun.

“I still don’t have that strong of an arm, but at least I have a chance of throwing without feeling like it’s falling off,” says Oliver, who attributes his injuries as a youngster to throwing hard and often with less-than-stellar form when he pitched. “I probably have better mechanics left-handed than I did right-handed,” he says.

Mechanics and skills aside, Galloway says the switch had a very positive effect on Oliver’s teammates.“ They saw his determination and it really inspired them, as well as other kids around the league,” says Galloway. “It speaks volumes about Tyler’s work ethic and passion for the game.”

FRANK ANDERSON/Lexington Herald-Leader

Lexington Christian Academy’s Tyler Oliver demonstrates his left-handed throwing technique in April. Oliver switched throwing arms this year due to a permanently injured right arm. head,” says Oliver, who countered his initial lack of control by doing more everyday tasks with his left hand. “I did anything I could left-handed— open doors, pick things up, eat—and eventually my fingertip control got a lot better. By January I could throw much more accurately, and by March my arm strength improved to where I could throw to a base.”

When the season started, Oliver worked extensively with LCA Assistant Coach Joe Modica to refine his skills around the bag. It didn’t take long for Oliver to perfect his foot and glove work. “It was really hard because I wasn’t used to catching with my right

hand. I would get nervous and move out of the way because I didn’t trust myself to catch the ball,” says Oliver, who remains a right-handed batter. “But it didn’t take me long to get over that. And I only made a couple of throwing errors all year—I could throw from first to third and make all the relay throws from the outfield.”

LCA Head Coach Keith Galloway says Oliver was the top defensive first baseman in the league prior to his surgery.

But because opposing coaches knew that he had recently made the change, they naturally wanted to see if he still had the same skills. “Certain teams tested him by having runners leave early and forcing

With another year of high school eligibility remaining, Oliver is working hard to make sure he remains on the Division I radar. “He definitely has a college future ahead of him,” says Galloway. “And the Division I schools I’ve talked to are impressed with the progress he’s made to this point.”

Beanball Not Grounds for Lawsuit Baseball players have long understood the unwritten code of accountability on the diamond—if your pitcher hits an opposing batter, one of your hitters might soon hear some chin music of his own.

But when Rio Hondo Community College’s Jose Avila was hit by a pitch five years ago, he sought redress not on the field, but in a courtroom. His case made it all the way to the California Supreme Court this spring, before being thrown

out when the court decided that being hit by a pitch is an inherent risk of playing the game.

Avila’s saga began in a January 2001 preseason game against Citrus Community College. He was hit in the head by a pitch he says was thrown in retaliation for a Citrus player’s beaning earlier in the game. The blow cracked his helmet and caused immediate pain and dizziness, and Avila claims that he’s suffered from a seizure disorder ever since.

Soon after the incident, Avila sued the Citrus Community College District, citing several complaints. They included failing to adequately control and supervise its pitcher, not providing umpires to prevent reckless or retaliatory pitching, conducting a preseason game in violation of league rules, not provid-

“By voluntarily participating in the game, Avila agreed to assume all inherent risks associated with his participation, including the possibility of being hit by a pitch.” ing proper safety equipment, and failing to summon medical care in a timely fashion. His suit was initially dismissed by a trial court but reinstated on appeal in 2003, leading the district to ask the state Supreme Court to intervene.

In its ruling, issued on April 6, the court noted that getting hit by pitches is so common in baseball that it has its own terminology (“brushback” and “beanball,” for instance), and that many pitchers and managers openly discuss throwing at batters as a fundamental part of the sport. Therefore, the court said, even though

COACHING MANAGEMENT

LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD it’s against the rules of baseball to intentionally throw at a batter, in this case, “[the pitcher’s] conduct did not fall outside the range of ordinary activity involved in the sport.”

Furthermore, by voluntarily participating in the game, Avila agreed to assume all inherent risks associated with his participation, including the possibility of being hit by a pitch. As for the other complaints regarding equipment, umpiring, and league rules, the court dismissed the argument that Citrus’s actions amounted to negligence—not following preseason rules, for instance, may be cause for league-imposed penalties, but it’s not a matter for the courts.

The justices also noted that allowing the suit to proceed could set a terrible precedent for all levels of baseball. “It

is one thing for an umpire to punish a pitcher who hits a batter by ejecting him from the game or for a league to suspend the pitcher,” they wrote. “It is quite another for tort law to chill any pitcher from throwing inside—a permissible and essential part of the sport—for fear of a suit over an errant pitch. It is not the function of tort law to police such conduct.”

It’s in the Game It looked like video game developer EA Sports had been sent to the showers when it lost the rights to produce a Major League Baseball game in 2006. Instead, the company stayed in the game and produced the first college baseball video game. After a January release, EA’s MVP NCAA Baseball has sold nearly 700,000

The University of Texas is featured in the first college baseball video game, MVP NCAA Baseball. EA Sports released the game in January, and has already sold almost 700,000 copies.

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copies, much to the pleasure of game developers, coaches, and players alike.

“I think it’s an endorsement of the popularity of college baseball,” says Augie Garrido, Head Coach at the University of Texas, whose former third baseman, David Maroul, was featured on the game’s 2006 cover. “It helps put us into the bigger sports scene alongside Major League Baseball, NBA basketball, and NFL football, and I think it brings us some extra credibility.”

new release be a true college baseball game, not just a generic baseball video game with college graphics. “We wanted it to look and feel like an actual college game,” he says. “We changed our character models, so the players are not quite as beefy as in the big leagues. We adjusted the physics of the ball coming off the aluminum bat and gave it a different reaction and feel. A fan of college baseball who tries this game will quickly see we did our homework.”

Future editions of the game could include updated rosters and more teams. If the University of Texas clubhouse is any indication, any additions will be welcomed.

Playing the game is a popular diversion for the players, who often squabble goodnaturedly over who is the better player or who will get to control the virtual Longhorns. “There’s an argument over almost everything in the game,” Garrido says.

“Sometimes I think that’s half the fun of it for them.”

“We knew we were taking a bit of a risk because there had never been a college baseball game before, but this isn’t something we just pulled out of a hat either,” says Trey Smith, Producer of MVP NCAA Baseball. “It’s something we had in the works for the past couple of years, and we were just waiting for the opportune time to do it.”

As with other NCAA video games, the developers were not allowed to use student-athletes’ names in the game, so players are identified only by uniform number and position. But their game performance is designed to reflect reality.

“We wanted it to look and feel like an actual college game. We adjusted the physics of the ball coming off the aluminum bat and gave it a different reaction and feel.”

“We tried to make the game as authentic as possible,” Smith says. “We collected all the stats and translated them into player attributes, such as power, contact, and accuracy.”

The desire for authenticity was one reason why the game included only 128 teams and 18 college stadiums along with Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, home of the College World Series. “We’d love to have every school and stadium in Division I, but with the schedule we were under it was too difficult to put everything together in time,” Smith says. “With the graphics and attention to detail, some of the stadiums took more than a month to complete.

Some teams had as many as eight uniforms, so it was tough to narrow it down to two and get all the details right. We wanted to make sure we represented each school to the best of our ability.”

Smith also says it was important that the

Circle No. 109 COACHING MANAGEMENT

11

Q&A

Mike Fox

University of North Carolina

For University of North Carolina Head Coach Mike Fox, 2006 was a dream season. Along with posting a school-record 54 wins, the Tar Heels reached the NCAA Division I College World Series finals, losing to Oregon State University in three games.

A second baseman on North Carolina’s 1978 CWS team, Fox is one of 10 men to have both played and coached in the tournament. As a student-athlete, Fox also played two years on the North Carolina j.v. basketball team, getting an up-close look at the legendary Dean Smith’s coaching philosophy.

Under Fox, UNC has qualified for the NCAA Division I playoffs in seven of the last eight seasons. During that time, the 50-year-old North Carolina native has reached the 100- and 200-win benchmarks faster than any other baseball coach in school history.

Fox got his first coaching experience as a graduate assistant for the Tar Heels in 1979, before becoming Head Coach at Millbrook High School in Raleigh, N.C. In 1982, he was hired as Head Coach at North Carolina Wesleyan College, and in 1985, he also became the school’s athletic director. In 16 years as the baseball coach at N.C. Wesleyan, Fox reached the Division III playoffs 14 times, winning a national championship in 1989, and posted a career winning percentage of .792—second among active Division III coaches when he left for Chapel Hill.

CM: What was it like being on the brink of a national championship, then seeing it slip away on an error in the eighth inning of the final game?

Fox: It was difficult. But it’s just part of life—only one team can win, and we have to move on. Anybody who gets that close can tell you there’s a lot of luck involved in winning a national championship and everything has to fall into place for you to win. However, the one thought I can’t get out of my head is that even if we have good teams for many years here, we still may never get that close again. I need to make sure I get that thought out of my mind because we’re certainly going to keep trying for a national championship.

What did you tell the team before the final game against Oregon State?

At our pregame meal, I closed the doors so it was just the coaches and the players. I told them I’d probably cry whether we won or lost, but that the outcome wouldn’t change the way I felt about what those 30 guys had done for our program.

I really wanted to take some of the pressure off them. I said, “Just enjoy it one more time, compete like you have all year, and try not to change anything. Just play and don’t think about the consequences.”

I knew it was critically important for us to play loose if we were going to have any chance of being successful.

What did you say after the game?

I told them how much I loved them, how I thoroughly enjoyed the season, and that I was heartbroken for all of them. I said, “I might have been a little happier if we’d won, but I couldn’t be any prouder.”

What did you say to second baseman Bryan Steed, who made the error?

I talked to Bryan when we got back to campus and basically told him exactly what I had said at the postgame press conference. My statement was that this is not about one player or one play—this is a team game. I don’t believe you can put a loss on one player. I told Bryan that I take full responsibility for the loss and that without him, we wouldn’t have even made it to that game.

How do you remain positive and contain your emotions during tense moments? Is it something you’ve improved over time?

Oh yes. There are so many factors out of your control during a game that you have to keep things in perspective. I try to stay positive all year long, but I really concentrate on being positive down the stretch.

There are very few players you can motivate by being hard on them, and that’s tough for some of us long-time coaches to adjust to. As hard as it may seem, you have to change with the times because your job is to motivate these kids.

Former University of North Carolina junior lefthander Andrew Miller was the 2006 Baseball America National Player of the Year. Miller, the sixth overall pick, was one of two Tar Heel pitchers selected in the first round of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft.

12

COACHING MANAGEMENT

UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati

In this interview, Fox talks about his coaching philosophy, what he’s learned from being an athletic director, and dealing with the emotional roller coaster that was UNC’s 2006 CWS run.

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How did you keep players loose during the tournament?

We never talked about winning and losing or who was in our bracket—we really stressed the importance of playing loose and enjoying the experience. I tried to send a message right out of the gate that we were going to treat the experience almost like a vacation. As soon as we got on the bus to catch our plane to Omaha I turned my video camera on, and from that point I taped whatever and wherever I could.

What were the keys to your team's success, besides talent?

A big part of it was that the players who didn’t play on a regular basis had the best attitudes I’ve seen in 24 years as a head coach. They accepted their roles and contributed any way they could, which is a huge component of team chemistry.

How do you maintain enthusiasm in athletes who aren’t playing a lot?

It’s one of the real tricks in coaching, and it takes effort. You have to constantly talk to them and give them as much attention as the guys who are playing. And you certainly have to give them the opportunity

to improve their skills and some hope of playing. Tell them you noticed they were the last to leave practice, or that you saw they were the first one off the bench to congratulate somebody—let them know you’re noticing all the positive things they do. If they’re great students or leaders in the locker room, you should always try to acknowledge how much those things mean to you.

Where did your coaching philosophy come from?

When I played j.v. basketball here, I learned a lot by watching the varsity basketball team practice under Dean Smith. I often heard Coach Smith say that the players win the games and the coaches lose them. That was his way of taking stress off of the players. I’ve kind of adopted that philosophy. The program is about the kids, and you have to keep that first and foremost in your mind every day.

What is your approach to pitch counts?

We’re always careful about pitch counts, and we pace our pitchers all year with the assumption that we’ll be playing in June. I work closely with my pitching coach, Scott Forbes, on how to distribute the pitching

Circle No. 111

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COACHING MANAGEMENT

load throughout the season. We use a lot of pitchers early on because I think it’s important that you develop your bullpen.

I don’t think we had any of our starters go more than 75 to 80 pitches right out of the gate. Toward the end of the season, the most that Andrew Miller or Daniel Bard threw was 115 to 120 pitches.

What are the differences between coaching at Division I and Division III? The kids are pretty similar—they all want to be treated right and get the opportunity to succeed. But there are major differences outside the lines. In Division III, coaches pretty much do everything themselves but there are no scholarships, not many professional scouts at games, and not too many egos to deal with—it’s a very pure form of the game. In Division I, there are a lot more of those things to deal with, and recruiting is a whole other ballgame. The differences are vast, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed both levels, and I’m so glad that I had the experience of starting at a small school.

How did your experience as athletic director at North Carolina Wesleyan affect how you run the baseball program at UNC?

Q&A Being the athletic director and having to manage a 10-sport department, hire other coaches, and work within a larger budget helped me a lot. Now I’m responsible for two full-time assistants, a volunteer assistant, an equipment manager, a grounds crew, sports information people, and several other support personnel. It taught me how important it is to have everybody on the same page and that you have to acknowledge what each person does. I keep a list of people who support our program throughout the year, from boosters to the grounds crew to the secretaries. They’re all big parts of our program, and at the end of the season I sit down and write letters thanking each of them for everything they did to make our season as great as it was.

What’s your advice for younger coaches about cooperating with the media?

Obviously it’s easier to talk with the media when you win, but when you lose you still need to act respectful, professional, and classy. I think you’ve got to swallow the emotion of the moment and understand that reporters have a job to do. You can get your point across in a respectful way even when somebody asks a question you think

is inappropriate or a little too personal.

Those folks really don’t know what coaches go through, but on the other hand, I really don’t know what kinds of demands reporters and writers deal with, either.

How have you changed as a coach over the years?

I’m a little more tolerant and understanding than I was in the past. Part of that is because I now have a son attending Carolina who is the same age as the kids I’m coaching. As a result, I feel like I have a better idea of what my players are going through off the field.

players away from the game so I can learn more about them and their personalities.

What have you learned about the coaching lifestyle?

There are some great highs and lows, but no matter what, you have to stay evenkeeled and have a thick skin. Coaching can absolutely consume you if you let it.

You have to realize that you reach a certain point in the day when you’re not productive any more, and it’s time to either go home or take a break and maybe go for a run. I also try to take some time for myself during the day when I can. Some-

“You have to realize that you reach a certain point in the day when you’re not productive any more, and it’s time to either go home or take a break and maybe go for a run.”

When you only see the kids at practices or games and you’re focused on developing a team, it’s easy to forget that they face a lot of challenges in the rest of their lives. I try to do some things with my

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15

A Stealing is a point of emphasis in UC-Irvine’s aggressive base running strategy. Here, Aaron Lowenstein has his eyes on the prize.

Photo by Glenn Feingerts/UC-Irvine.

16

COACHING MANAGEMENT

COVER STORY

BASE INSTINCTS

A

When executed properly, an aggressive running game can make the difference between victory and defeat. However, teaching players how to win games with their legs means more than just developing speed and quickness.

t first glance, base running seems pretty simple. Run as fast as you can until you score. But many factors come into play when base runners are forced to make decisions between the bags. How many outs are there? What’s the count? How does the runner’s foot speed compare to the third baseman’s arm strength if the ball goes to him? The pitcher just checked the runner at first a second time—will he do it again before throwing the pitch?

All questions aside, there are a few solid rules most coaches adhere to when coaching their base runners: When in doubt, slide. Hit the inside corner of the bag to save a step when rounding the bases. Always run through first base on a pop fly. But it’s the grey areas, such as how big a lead to take or how to anticipate the right moment to attempt a steal, that don’t have such easy answers.

In this article, we talk to college and high school coaches about the running game. They offer their base running philosophies, detail drills that help runners develop explosive first steps or anticipate where a pitch is headed, and explain why coaching the elusive baseball instinct is possible at any level.

Second Nature Ask coaches what makes a great base runner, and their answers will vary. Some say sheer speed is the deciding factor, others say aggressiveness is most important, and still

BY ABIGAIL FUNK

others say explosive athletes make the best base runners. But one attribute that comes up again and again is instinct.

“Instinct can make or break a base runner,” says Larry Price, Head Coach at Timberline High School in Boise, Idaho. “If a player hesitates or waits for a play to develop, it can cost his team the game. A great base runner doesn’t hesitate—he reacts simultaneously with the action that is taking place. He studies the pitcher, catcher, and the rest of the defense and knows what is going to occur before it happens.”

Barry Davis, Head Coach at Rider University, says all good base runners hustle, slide well, and are aggressive with their turns. “But,” he adds, “the great ones also have subtle instincts that are tough to teach.”

Which leads to the million dollar base running question: Can you coach instinct? “Absolutely,” says Bernie Walter, Head Coach at Arundel High School in Gambrills, Md. “Knowing what to do in a particular situation—based on the number of outs, the strike count, the position of other runners—just takes practice. I think you can coach every bit of it.”

Price thinks base running, like special teams in football, is often overlooked by coaches, but he practices it every day.

“Neither is practiced enough on a daily basis,” he says, “but they can make the difference in the final score. If a base runner makes a heads-up decision, advances a base, and Abigail Funk is an Assistant Editor at Coaching Management. She can be reached at: afunk@MomentumMedia.com.

COACHING MANAGEMENT

17

COVER STORY

scores an extra run, it’s like a long punt return that can win a football game.”

Davis sees base running instinct as a combination of innate ability and learned situational awareness. “Those that have the instinct learn quicker,” he says. “They have a knack for knowing when to tag up or how far they can go without putting themselves in jeopardy. They get good jumps on short fly balls when on first or second. We spend a lot of time on base running in practice trying to ingrain instinct into our runners’ minds.”

During batting practice, Davis puts runners on each base and has them react to batted balls together. He uses protective screens randomly placed in

the infield so his runners have to look past the screens to react. By having base runners react quickly in unison in practice situations time and time again, he hopes that by game day those decisions become instinct.

In a similar drill, Davis puts his pitchers on the field to act as the defense and again puts his runners on the bases. He hits a bucket of balls, and this time has each runner react on his own. His base runners are able to see what each other would do if on base alone in this drill, and are again forced to work in unison. “Repetition, repetition, repetition,” he says.

Getting players to trust their instincts may mean handing over the decision-

B

ernie Walter, Head Coach at Arundel High School in Gambrills, Md., is also author of The Baseball Handbook: Winning Fundamentals for Players and Coaches and has produced Bernie Walter’s Base Running Video. Here, he takes us on a trip around the bases as he does with his players each year.

“In the dugout, pay attention to the game and try to anticipate what the other team is doing,” Walter says. “Once you’re on deck, you have two responsibilities—time the pitcher so you’re ready to hit, and act as the home plate coach. If someone’s coming home, it’s your responsibility to tell them whether they need to slide or can stay upright.”

At bat, Walter says you should be thinking about your first two steps out of the box. “If you’re slow at the beginning, you may never make that time back up,” he says. “A good base runner is able to take off quickly in those first two steps and turn singles into doubles.”

Heading to first base, Walter says nothing less than a full-out sprint is acceptable. “As you reach first base, touch the inside corner and turn your head directly toward second base, which will shorten your turn,” he says. “Once the next batter is up, you should take a primary lead and then a secondary lead, depending on your abilities. This is different for everyone.”

Leading off base, your next step is to look for pitches in the dirt. “A ball in the dirt should be an automatic steal,” Walter says. “Always run initially on a pop fly. If the fielder catches it, hustle back. And if he doesn’t, you’ve got the extra base.

“At second, check the positioning of the outfielders so you know whether you can score on a line drive or not,” Walter continues. “The rule on second base is to have the ball go through on your right and past the pitcher on a groundball to your left. The cardinal rule of tagging up on fly balls is, don’t make the first or third out at third base.”

At third base Walter has his runners depend on the base coach. “Because all the hits are behind you, look for the third base coach to send you home.”

18

COACHING MANAGEMENT

TRIP AROUND THE BASES

making power and giving them a green light in some cases. “Ninety percent of base running is on the runner, not the coaches,” says Walter, who won his 10th Maryland State Championship this spring.

But as coach, it’s your responsibility to make sure your athletes are equipped to make smart decisions on their own.

The Power Of Observation A large part of successful base running is taking advantage of the defense’s mistakes. That’s why great base runners constantly observe the pitcher, the infield and outfield positioning, and even the catcher’s set position just before a pitch. Great base runners hone this instinct by continually looking for a competitive advantage.

“Some teams are very good at stopping the running game and some are not. I want to expose the teams that don’t do it well,” Davis says. “For example, a team may be weak against the bunt, so we’ll bunt. Or they may frequently miss cut-off men, so we’ll look to take an extra base. If a pitcher is throwing in the dirt, we steal. We want to keep them guessing, at all times.”

The key to exploiting a weak defense is teaching players to think and react quickly and decisively. For example, Price uses a drill that forces his players to anticipate whether or not a pitch is going to bounce in the dirt and quickly make a decision about whether to try to advance. The drill starts with a pitcher, catcher, batter, and base runner. “We have the runner focus only on the ball leaving the pitcher’s hand,” he says. “But to make it harder, we set up two safety screens covered with tarps between the mound and home plate, so at some point the runner loses sight of the pitched ball.

“This forces the runner to make a decision as soon as the ball leaves the pitcher’s hand,” Price continues. “Will it bounce in the dirt? Does he take off or wait? Not only are we working on teaching instinct, but the runner is also practicing getting a jump off the base.”

Sitting on the bench is an ideal time for players to learn good decision making and in-game awareness. At the University of California-Irvine, the bench is full of experts looking to pick up cues from the defense, starting with the pitcher’s tendencies. Assistant Coach Greg Bergeron instructs his bench play-

cover story

ers to spot signs that indicate whether the pitcher will throw over to check a base runner, or if something in the pitcher’s delivery can provide the runner with a good chance to steal.

“One of the things we demand from our bench is to help our offense,” Bergeron says. “We look to see if the pitcher is tipping his delivery. He may always pick his head up before he goes to the plate, but not if he’s headed to first. And we keep a chart, kind of a checklist of their tendencies. We know what each pitcher tends to do before he even gets to the mound.”

Bob Diepold, Assistant Coach at Rutgers University-Camden, relies on his bench players to bring his attention to a pitcher’s subtle tells. “Pitchers have a tendency to get in a rhythm, take one look over, then go to the plate,” Diepold says. “Our bench usually sees that. They always watch the pitcher and say, ‘Back!’ to our base runner when they can see he’s going to try to pick them off.”

A sharply observant team can take advantage of the defense’s miscues, but

only if players are looking for them.

“Years ago our bench was louder and more excitable,” Walter says. “Now we’re more professional and try to learn from everything we’re seeing on the field. In the dugout, our players pay close attention to the game, trying to anticipate what the other team is going to do.”

Reinforced Steal Smart, aware, instinctive base running is most apparent in stealing situations. “Stealing a base is obviously more productive than a bunt since you’re not giving up an out to move the runner,” Price says. “And anytime a runner advances to scoring position, your run production increases.” But is the potential outcome worth the risk?

At UC-Irvine, the answer is almost always yes, as long as the players are aggressive in their approach. “If a player gets the steal sign and worries about getting thrown out, he probably isn’t aggressive enough to stay in our lineup,” Bergeron says.

To keep base runners in an aggressive

state of mind, Bergeron takes the pressure off them and puts it on himself. “I tell our runners that if I give a steal sign and they’re thrown out, I’m the one who looks bad,” he explains. “It’s okay with us if they’re thrown out as long as they’re aggressive in trying. I want them to trust our coaching knowledge as well as their own skill and experience.”

UC-Irvine’s work on stealing begins long before opening day. “Early in the fall I give our guys a green light in intrasquad games,” he says. “They’re timid in the beginning, but once the regular season starts they’ve become so comfortable with aggression that I get looks across the diamond saying, ‘Come on, Coach, where’s my steal sign?’ And that’s exactly what I want. Eventually I give our great base runners their own green light, and it’s up to them when to steal.”

Bergeron says the advantages created by stealing bases go beyond the obvious benefit of advancing runners. “Base stealing disrupts the pitcher more than anything else can,” he says. “Teams pitch out on us at times, and the pitcher will

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19

COVER STORY

try to pick off a runner a lot more often than he’s probably used to. All of a sudden we have him worried about one of our guys stealing a base, and he leaves a pitch up in the strike zone for one of our big hitters.”

Reducing the risk of being caught stealing depends on repetition. “We work on stealing a lot in fall ball—almost every day,” Bergeron says. “And we continue at least once a week during the season, just working on getting a good read from the pitcher and a good jump.

The more the players practice, the more their instinct starts taking over, and soon they pick up reads on their own.

“We teach our players that you don’t need a great jump, just a good one,” Bergeron continues. “One of the problems we’ve run into is our guys losing confidence and deciding not to go just because they don’t get a great jump. So we tell them it’s okay to get picked off occasionally, and in the end, it’s how we stay aggressive in base stealing.”

Walter offers a few pointers for base runners to keep in mind as they’re read-

ing a pitcher. “Sometimes the pitcher’s head movements will tell you what he’s going to do,” Walter says. “If he looks at first base, he’s probably going home.

If he looks home, he’s probably going to first base. If his lead foot is flexed, he’s probably coming home, and if it’s relaxed, he’s probably coming to first.”

Speed It Up There’s no doubt that straight-line speed is a major asset for a base runner. “Speed is a huge advantage in base running,” Price says. “The ideal runner is a guy with great instincts who can fly.

Before one of my players makes a base running decision, I want him to think, ‘It’s my speed versus the opponent’s arm strength.’ Then I want that base runner to measure how far he can get off the bag once the pitch is made, and calculate how strong the catcher’s arm is throwing back to the base.”

But the fastest sprinters can be lousy base runners and the best base runners aren’t always top sprinters. Bergeron tells his runners he wants to see a maxi-

mum lead off at all times. “But that varies from runner to runner and pitcher to pitcher,” he says. “We can get a couple extra steps on slower pitchers, or we may need to be half a step closer to the bag for quicker guys.”

At Rutgers-Camden, Diepold brings in the track and field coach to discuss proper running mechanics. “He talks about a runner’s arms and legs being proportional in movement for efficiency,” Diepold says. “He also shows the players how to kick their legs out for a bigger stride and gives me drills to get my runners up to their maximum speed faster.”

One of Diepold’s favorite drills is called the box drill. It involves three plyometric boxes—one three feet high, one two feet high, and another one foot high. Players run up and down the boxes, concentrating on proper running technique. Once they get back on a flat surface, they’re able to run faster.

“It really makes them concentrate on proper mechanics, and builds strength in their legs,” he says. “Obviously it helps if you’re naturally fast, but I’ve coached

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COVER STORY

plenty of guys who aren’t fast that learn how to steal bases. Every guy on our team has at least one stolen base, and some of our better base stealers have average speed.”

UC-Irvine’s strength and conditioning program has a large component of fast-twitch exercises, power work for the legs, and plyometrics to help athletes develop a quicker first step. Rider’s offseason program concentrates on plyometrics, work with medicine balls, and lots of short sprints to target explosive starts. And Davis is a firm believer in practicing at game speed as much as possible to keep his base runners in the right mindset.

One of Walter’s drills helps his players hone in on explosive first steps. They take turns at bat for one hit apiece, and Walter throws a base randomly into the infield as the batter connects. The batter sprints to the randomly placed base as fast as possible. Because the base is thrown only a few feet away and never to the same spot, only explosive steps

will win the contest. There isn’t room to make up for a slow start like there is when the runner is sprinting a full 90 feet to first.

“It becomes competitive between the five or so players batting,” he says.

“Because we randomly toss the base anywhere, the winning time could be one or one and a half seconds.”

To throw a little twist into a traditional practice, Walter sometimes has batting practice, infield practice, and base running all going on at once—on the same diamond. “It looks a little bit like a three-ring circus,” Walter says. “And it requires some coordination to keep everyone safe, but it makes practice a lot more fun.” For base runners, the distractions force them to concentrate on their only task: getting to the next base safely and as quickly as possible.

Walter sets it up like this: The pitcher throws the ball to the hitter and catcher like a normal batting practice. But Walter places fungo hitters on first and third. After each pitch, the fungo hitter

at first takes turns hitting to the second or third baseman, then the fungo hitter at third hits to first base or the shortstop.

After the first batter is done with his BP swings, he runs to first base and then sprints to second on the following batter’s sacrifice bunt. Once the runner reaches second base, certain rules come into play.

“If it’s a ground ball, it must go through the infield on the runner’s right, or past the pitcher on his left, for the runner to advance to third,” Walter explains.

“At third, we practice running on contact as soon as there is a ground ball, and the base runner tags on all fly balls and line drives. The batter reacts accordingly no matter where the ball is hit. He can run immediately or wait to see if the outfielders are going to catch the ball.”

Like Walter’s “three-ring circus” drill, combining physically and mentally demanding drills just may be the right formula to produce great base runners.

“Practice it every day,” Davis says. “We

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COACHING LIFE

Learning from losing

RICHARD ORR SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY

BY LEM ELWAY

I don’t like to lose. I don’t even like to write about losing. But we’ve all been through it—having a losing season that doesn’t turn around no matter what you do.

In today’s world, with parents scrutinizing your every move, you can’t just grit your teeth through a bad year. In fact, a sub-par season needs to be handled with as much care—if not more— than a winning season.

Losses usually lead to questions and doubts: Should I alter my approach? Set new rules? Change my expectations?

How do I keep athletes from getting

When losses start piling up, self-doubt is sure to follow.

Should you change your approach?

How can you keep your athletes from growing frustrated?

Here, a Hall of Fame high school coach offers advice

for getting the most out of a losing season. frustrated? How do I keep them from losing confidence in me? Should I start playing younger players and looking ahead to next year? How do I respond to the complaints of parents and fans? And how do I make sure I don’t lose my job?

Your answers and actions will make a huge difference in how things turn out.

a new way. How you respond to adversity will show those around you what you’re really about.

That’s why the first step to take when you start losing is to review your coaching philosophy. If you have a written philosophy, re-read it. It will help remind you why you coach, and for most of us,

Check In With Yourself It is important to realize that losing is not an indictment of your coaching ability. However, the way you react to losing can be. When losses pile up, your values and leadership will be exposed in

A member of the Washington State Coaches Hall of Fame, Lem Elway is Head Baseball Coach at Black Hills High School in Tumwater, Wash. His first book, The Coach’s Admin­is­tra­ tive Handbook, has recently been published

by Coaches Choice.

COACHING MANAGEMENT

23

COACHING LIFE

it’s not only about winning. Staying true to your coaching philosophy is paramount to keeping the situation positive.

Here are three critical areas that will define who you are during a losing season:

and coaches, keeping emotions in check becomes more difficult when the losses keep coming. But this is the time when your leadership and maturity are most needed to set an example for your athletes. Take the time to go over your rules

happens and present nothing but positive encouragement when things are not going right.

Examine your words and your tone of voice. Yelling is not an acceptable way to correct players, nor is foul language.

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. When we’re losing, I ask myself if there is a weak link. Either the athlete gets better or I alter the lineup ... I let them know that I am evaluating them on their hustle, teamwork, and attitude.

Consistent Expectations: During a losing season, it can be tempting to lower your standards for player behavior and work ethic. However, your players stand to gain nothing from you lowering your expectations. If you expect them to get to practice 10 minutes early every day when the team is winning, they should continue to do so when they’re losing. If you give out an award in practice every week to the player who works hardest, you should continue doing it, even if it feels like that hard work isn’t paying off.

Emotional Control: For both players

on behavior more frequently than usual, and don’t hesitate to quickly call players on any negative actions.

Staying Positive: It’s extremely easy to feel negative about your players and yourself when the losses pile up, and you need to fight this every step of the way.

Every word out of your mouth and all your body language needs to convey that you have not lost hope.

It’s up to you to continue hustling, being enthusiastic, and bringing energy to practices and games. You must be as excited as ever when something good

Be a teacher and explain in a confident voice the mistake that was made. Every time you open your mouth, something constructive should come out.

Evaluate Why You’re Losing A key part of getting through a losing season is making sure athletes and parents do not lose confidence in you. The best way to ensure this is to continually evaluate why the team is losing and try to turn things around.

Let your athletes and their parents know that you are constantly analyz-

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COACHING MANAGEMENT

COACHING LIFE

ing everything the team does to make whatever changes are needed. Break down every game and figure out what went wrong and what went right. Know what your athletes are doing well and what they need to improve on. Are there problems with concentration, technical skills, or communication? Have you neglected to teach them something?

What will you do in practice to work on those problems?

I am a firm believer in the motto, “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link,” and when we’re losing, I ask myself if there is a weak link in our hitting or fielding. I use statistics and performance analysis to find areas that need improvement. Then, I work with those athletes to improve their skills, or I increase the number of athletes working at the position so I can make a change if necessary.

Either the athlete gets better or I alter the lineup.

Throughout all these evaluations, I make sure I am communicating well.

After games, I talk to players about what caused the team to lose and what we need to do to improve. I post production sheets on the locker room bulletin board so my athletes can see the facts of their performance, and I let them know that I am evaluating them on their hustle, teamwork, and attitude.

I also ask them to evaluate themselves using one question: Did you give 100-percent effort today? If they can answer yes, then I feel we are achieving our goals. Each athlete needs to answer this question for himself, not for me or anyone else.

At the same time, I emphasize that we’re all in this together. I try to create the feeling that everyone must learn from each other’s mistakes in a constructive manner. I also emphasize that comments on individual mistakes are not to be taken personally. I try to convey the idea that figuring out what’s going wrong and how to change it is a fun, dynamic process.

Tough Decisions Once you’ve determined why your team is losing, you may be faced with some difficult decisions. The most important thing is for you to be able to justify your actions in whatever you do, because sometimes, you’ll need to make tough decisions. Here are some big questions that can arise:

Individual vs. Team: What if there’s one athlete who is trying to play at the next level but the team is hindering him? I still base everything we do on team goals—not on the individual. I let my best players know that for them to get the recognition they’ve worked for, the team must be successful. If they continue to work hard on an individual basis, the team will succeed. The message from the coach must be that both goals are intertwined.

I also remind athletes that if they want to play at the next level, the college recruiters who come to watch them are watching everything they do. If they see an athlete only trying to impress the recruiter and not being a team player, that will not make a good impression.

Sitting Seniors: What if you decide that a senior on the team is a weak link? I always convey to seniors that they should be the strongest members of the team, but if they aren’t the best at their position, they should expect no favors. If an underclassman begins to play better than a senior, I will not hesitate to start the younger athlete. However, I always

have factual information to support my decision and I often make it a gradual transition.

I’ve also learned that, during these changes, it is critical for a coach to protect the younger player from abuse from the older player. This can be an emotional time for a senior and his or her parents, who are faced with losing their role and stature on the team. This should never be underestimated, and the coach must communicate well and offer compassion and understanding.

When Players Quit: Some players are not able to deal with losing and may decide to quit the team during the season. As a coach, be ready to deal with that possibility. Be aware some will go quietly, while others will make a scene.

Some might also direct their animosity toward you. In this situation, always take the high road in your reaction. It is imperative that your team is ready to regroup quickly and move on with the players who have decided to remain.

If possible, I try to talk to every kid who quits to find out why. I think about their reason and if I, as a coach, feel I

The worst part about a losing season is that it gives people license to question your decisions and objectives. I can think of

several coaches who posted continuous winning seasons, had one losing season, and were suddenly faced with all sorts of questions that led to their firing.

The key to avoiding the one-badseason axe is to communicate with parents and administrators and educate them about what you’re trying to do. Over the years, I’ve come to realize that it is not only important to mold players, but also their parents, who will be very vocal if the team begins to lose.

For example, I hold a clinic just for parents, where our coaching

staff presents the fundamentals we are trying to teach in our program and explains why we teach techniques the way we do.

We periodically have pre- and post-event get togethers and dinners for team members and families, and I regularly send group e-mails to update parents on schedule changes and team notes. When the team is losing, I intensify this communication, spending even more time talking to parents about what we are trying to do.

During a losing season, it can be tempting to hunker down, avoid contact, and communicate less than usual. Fighting this urge can earn you a new level of respect from parents and administrators.

It can also help you keep your job.

JOB SECURITY COACHING MANAGEMENT

25

COACHING LIFE

did something to make them quit, I try to change that part of my coaching. If the reasons for quitting come down to simply not having the right attitude, I wish them the best and tell them I’m glad they were part of the program.

Make It A Learning Experience We’ve all heard the saying, “You can learn more from losing than winning,” but the operative word there is can— this learning doesn’t happen automati-

cally. You need to seize the teachable moments of losing.

To start, I always ask my players how they want to be remembered when they leave high school. Do they want to be the athlete who fought through adversity, or the athlete who helped bring the team down? I explain that one’s true character comes out during tough times, and if they can hold their heads high while losing, they’ll know how to hold their heads high

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when they experience adversity in their adult lives. If they can hold onto a “never give up” attitude in sports, they will go far in anything they choose to do.

We also talk about how losing can bring us together or tear us apart. One season I started with seven seniors who had minimal varsity experience from the previous year. Over the season the players developed togetherness and support for each other, and the team won the league championship. The energy created by hard work fueled everything.

Communication is key to the learning process. I make sure there are times when athletes can voice their frustrations, either one-on-one with me or in a group.

They need to be able to express themselves, and I let them know they can talk to me to let off steam. At the same time, they know that they will be held account-

If they can say, “I wasn’t giving 100-percent effort today” or “I botched the play,” they can figure out how to change their attitude or skills to help make sure it doesn’t happen again.

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COACHING MANAGEMENT

able for what they say to the whole team.

What do I do when an individual athlete or an entire team has endured a particularly dismal outing? I believe it is good for athletes to face the reality of “being down,” especially when their performance has created the situation.

If young people can be held accountable and accept responsibility for their part in a loss, they are learning a wonderful life lesson. If they can say, “I wasn’t giving 100-percent effort today” or “I botched the play,” they can figure out how to change their attitude or skills to help make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Through it all, I always try to teach the ultimate lesson—that sports are fun, no matter what the score is. I always want to accentuate the positives and show interest in the present. We laugh and joke every day. Win or lose, you need to keep true to your philosophy and your role as a mentor of young people. n A version of this article has appeared in our sister publication, Coaching Management Basketball.

CONDITIONING

NO PAIN, NO GAIN? You want your players to dig down and get the most out of their weightroom workouts. So what is the fine line between pushing them hard and pushing them too hard?

S

JANICE LEVY

BY Vern Gambetta

ometime in the 1500s, an English poet named Robert Herrick used the phrase “no pain, no gain” in his writings. He was conveying the idea that if you don’t work really hard at something, you won’t benefit from it. A good, noble phrase from a well-respected poet of his day.

Ben Franklin and, a little closer to home, Adlai Stevenson, also used the maxim with success. They, too, were promoting the idea of hard work.

More recently, “no pain, no gain” has been linked with athletics. Today’s coaches motivate their athletes with the phrase and it has become the mantra of the hard-working team.

The problem is that many coaches and players take the phrase too literally. For many athletes today, experiencing pain is linked to working out.

They approach the weight stack with the assumption that a little hurt is what will get them to the next level.

Vern Gambetta is the President of Gambetta Sports Training Systems in Sarasota, Fla., and a frequent contributor to Coaching Management. His daily thoughts on training athletes can be viewed on his blog: www.functionalpathtraining.blogspot.com.

COACHING MANAGEMENT

27

CONDITIONING

In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. For sure, proper training in the weightroom or on the diamond demands that players be pushed to their limits. And there is no doubt that a good coach can get players to accomplish things beyond what they ever thought possible. But achieving this does not mean you have to inflict pain. In fact, pain is a red flag that something is wrong with the workout.

Why Not Push It? The main reason not to push your players to their threshold of pain is that it won’t help them achieve their strength and conditioning goals. To make gains in the weightroom, it’s critical to follow a progression. An athlete should not move to a higher weight until he has mastered the weight he is at. If an athlete has pain, his body is struggling to adapt and needs rest. If you push more weight on a body in pain, it will lead to more pain and no adaptation. It may even eventually lead to injury.

It is important to understand the

various stimuli that cause an adaptive response to strength training and how they correspond to your specific goals.

If the goal is to build mass, then volume is the stimulus. If the goal is to train the muscles to aid in performing specific tasks, then intensity is the primary stimulus. To make gains, it is necessary to achieve a certain stimulus threshold.

This threshold is dependent on the individual and the objective of the training.

In addition, some workouts should be very difficult and others should almost seem easy. This ebb and flow of challenge intensity is essential for proper adaptation.

The question I always ask coaches when I am teaching at a clinic is: Are you making your players better, or are you making them tired? If you are just making them tired, I suggest you reconsider your approach. You need to continually keep the big picture in mind: achieving the training objective entails more than just pushing to pain at every workout.

Another reason not to push your athletes to their limit is that it can simply

wear them out at a time when you don’t want them too tired. It is important to remember that the weightroom is only one facet of a player’s total preparation. If you expect them to peak in the weightroom, what will they have left for practice? And, more importantly, what will they have left when the umpire says, “play ball�?

I don’t know about you, but I want my players tough on gameday. That should be the goal of training. A thoroughly conditioned athlete who is supremely confident in his preparation will be mentally and physically tough. But an athlete can only go to the well so many times before it will begin to run dry.

Push a “no pain, no gain� message in the weightroom, and you risk depleting that well and leaving the athlete with nothing in the tank for competition.

Know The Line The obvious question, then, is: What is the line between working hard and not overdoing it during weightroom workouts? I tell my athletes they are like

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COACHING MANAGEMENT

CONDITIONING

Here’s one more good reason not to push your players to the point of pain during their workouts: It can result in injury. And injuries

that may have been preventable can lead to lawsuits.

Two years ago, Scott Koffman, a former pitcher at Brigham Young University, filed a $9.2 million lawsuit in U. S. District Court against the school and one of its strength and conditioning coaches, claiming a weighttraining injury ended his hopes of playing professionally.

The suit said the pitcher suffered three herniated disks in September 2001 after being forced by the coach to lift too much weight.

While performing an elevated leg press, Koffman says that he tried removing some weight from the press and was stopped by an assistant strength and conditioning coach who called him a vulgar name, added another

100 pounds, and ordered him to lift. The lawsuit indicated that Koffman suffered the injury on the first repetition he attempted.

Although Koffman participated in 16 games during the season following the injury, he says the pain eventually became too severe to continue his career. He claims it also affected his ability to study, causing his grades to drop. Once drafted by the Baltimore Orioles, Koffman says he is no longer able to be even moderately active and that he will be affected physically and financially for the rest of his life.

In February 2005, BYU and Koffman settled out of court, though terms were not disclosed. School officials claim they provided Koffman with adequate medical care, although they have not commented on the strength coach’s actions.

— R.J. Anderson

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CONDITIONING

finely tuned race cars. To stay in top shape, they must work with high energy and push themselves. But just like race cars, they cannot be at the red line all the time or there will be a breakdown.

The test of work done in the weightroom is soreness. There is good sore-

In addition, soreness that persists is a red flag. The inability to recover for the next workout often indicates that the athlete is at red line all the time, or the workload was excessive. Soreness should dissipate after a good thorough warmup the next day.

Testing is a great way to provide feedback to all your players, and show them they are achieving gain without pain ...

Young, developing athletes, especially, want to see tangible progress. ness and bad soreness. Good soreness is soreness in the muscles involved in a particular movement, such as the glutes in squatting. If the glutes are sore after a heavy squatting session, that is good.

However, if there is soreness in the joints, that is not good. For example, if the knees are sore after squatting, that is a bad sign. It often means the training is being performed incorrectly.

An unexpected performance plateau is another sign that an athlete is doing too much. During a time when performance should be rising, a plateau or decline indicates that there is a problem. The athlete may very well be pushing too hard.

Holding Them Back Even if your workouts have the proper progression and you’re asking

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COACHING MANAGEMENT

your athletes about any soreness they are experiencing, you need to be on the lookout for those players who take the “no pain, no gain” mantra literally.

There will always be athletes who want to go past their limits every day, and they need to be reined in.

As coaches we are teachers, and it is our job to show our athletes how to train. I certainly do not want to discourage an athlete from working hard in the weightroom—or anywhere for that matter—but I feel I must teach them that training is more than feeling the burn.

It’s sometimes hard for a young athlete to think about the big picture, so I try to make it very clear where they are going and outline the steps they must take to get there.

The first thing I explain is that training is cumulative. Progress is not made through one heavy max session in the weightroom, but through the cumulative effect of many sessions over a period of weeks and months. I also talk about how workouts in the weightroom correlate to their performance. I tell them

CONDITIONING

why and how a certain lift will help them on the field, and why overdoing it will hurt their performance. If they are very driven on a daily basis, I ask them to put that effort into performing their lifts with concentration and intensity—making their technique perfect and exploding at the exact right moment.

Another part of the solution is giving athletes strength and conditioning goals—the more individualized, the better. This provides direction and purpose to the training. It helps the athlete see each workout not as a one-time heroic effort, but as part of the big picture.

It is also important to provide a lot of feedback, especially for the very driven athlete who has formerly worked with a “no pain, no gain” coach. For this athlete, the hurt that comes from training may be seen as a form of feedback.

If it hurts, they think that’s good, and it gives them the incentive to keep going.

CM147MASA 9:47toAM Page This is not an8/7/06 easy athlete work with1 because in their eyes you are taking away the opportunity to get better. The solution is to provide this person with a lot of

Circle No. 123

feedback and motivate them in different not emphasizing one-rep maximums. ways. Also, they must not be allowed any Instead, they use three-rep maximums leeway in their workouts. and project a one-rep max off of that.

Testing is a great way to provide feed- This can help. back to all your players, and show them they are achieving gain without pain. Not A Punishment The tests should be carefully chosen Part of the problem with the “no pain, to accurately reflect what is going on no gain” mentality is that it is ingrained in in training at the present time. Young, many sports. Coaches and athletes think: developing athletes, especially, want to More is better and the more weight see tangible progress. Testing reinforces someone lifts the better, regardless of the the positive effects of proper training. technique (or lack thereof).

Some day-to-day solutions include proIn addition, some coaches use workviding close supervision and structuring outs as a type of punishment. If you aren’t the training away from big lifts. I have listening to the coach, you have to do 100 seen too many athletes get caught up in pushups. But training is not punishment, the moment and try lifts they had no busi- and it should not be thought of as such. ness attempting. It should be clear what It is an opportunity to get better. the protocol is every day, and coaches If we can shift our thinking in these should circulate around the weightroom two areas—more is not always better and to ensure that athletes aren’t trying to do training has a specific purpose—then the more than what is prescribed. “no pain, no gain” school of thought will I know some coaches who make a have a lot less credibility. And our players conscious effort to downplay any 8/20/02 compe- 11:20 mp_place AM Page make 1 will, ultimately, the most gains. n tition over who can lift the most weight, and that tends to work well. One way A version of this article has appeared in our they have gotten away from this is by sister publication, Training & Conditioning.

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COACHING MANAGEMENT

31

Team Equipment Betterbaseball.com 800-997-4233 WWW.BETTERBASEBALL.COM Want to save even more on great products at the Betterbaseball.com Web site? Try the new Easy Auction feature.

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Circle No. 500 Stalker Radar 888-STALKER WWW.STALKERRADAR.COM/ SPORTS_SPORT.SHTML The ultra-high performance Stalker Sport Radar Gun precisely measures the speed of a baseball as it leaves the pitcher’s hand and as the ball crosses the plate.

Baseball radar speeds can differ by up to 12 mph. The Stalker Sport is three times more powerful than most sports radar guns, accurately clocking pitches from over 300 feet away. A new double-capacity battery handle is available, providing up to 40 hours of use between charges. All Major League Baseball teams use the Stalker Sport.

Circle No. 501 The Game, LLC 800-723-5656 WWW.2THEGAME.COM The Game is excited to introduce GameTek to its GamePRO custom team headwear lineup. GameTek is a new

patented performance fabric that is ideal for athletes because of its rapid absorption, swift dispersion, and fast drying properties.

It is very comfortable, lightweight, and breathable. All GameTek and GamePRO caps are fully customizable for orders of at least 18 pieces.

Visit The Game online for a list of authorized team dealers.

Circle No. 502 WSI Sports 651-994-9945 WWW.WSISPORTS.COM WSI Sports is now selling the first Ultrajoc catcher’s sliding pant with built-in knee supports.

It offers stability and spring. The knee supports have Velcro™ adjustments to ensure a perfect fit. Also from WSI, the Adjustable Cup Pouch is a patent-pending product that offers a perfect fit every time.

Circle No. 503 The HEATR Pitching/Quarterback Shirt from WSI Sports is the first-ever pitching shirt with fabric that heats up. It’s designed to help warm up muscles and keep them warm, with special HEATR material located in the key muscle areas used in pitching. The HEATR also helps

get oxygen to the blood more quickly to reduce recovery time.

Circle No. 504 Xvest 800-697-5658 WWW.THEXVEST.COM “I have found the Xvest to be an excellent tool for providing overloads in plyometrics, strength training, conditioning, and rehabilitation programs. The fit and adaptability are excellent. The Xvest allows freedom of movement and doesn’t inter fere with any of the agility, bounding, or running programs that I write for a wide variety of athletes, both collegiate and professional.

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Circle No. 505 Xvest has a new weight configuration, and it’s heavy: 84 pounds of heavy.

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Check out www.AthleticBid.com to contact these companies.

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COACHING MANAGEMENT

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Circle No. 507

Circle No. 508

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Unique features: • You can build the base or the whole mound with Ballyard Clay • Provides stability and resiliency Benefits for the user: • This new product is from Stabilizer Solutions, the same company that brought you Hilltopper • Inexpensive and cost-effective solution • Ideal for programs with limited budgets

Stabilizer Solutions 800-336-2468 www.stabilizersolutions.com Circle No. 510 COACHING MANAGEMENT

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Wood Bats BWP Bats 814-849-0089 WWW.BWPBATS.COM Custom Features: Various models, colors, and personalization available. Superior wood quality, quick delivery, and economical pricing. Available in cupped or solid ends.

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Circle No. 511 Hoosier Bat Co. 800-228-3787 WWW.HOOSIERBAT.COM Custom Features: Colors are black, natural hickory, and burnt orange. Top-quality Wood Force 2000 has an ash handle and hickory hitting area.

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Circle No. 512 Old Hickory Bat Company, Inc. 866-776-2287 WWW.OLDHICKORYBATS.COM Custom Features: Maple and ash bats are all cut from top-grade lumber. Custom Pro bats can be customized to individual player specifications.

Approved by: NCAA, NFHS, Major & Minor Leagues Type of Training and Fungo Bats: Solid maple fungo bats are lightweight, durable, and available in team colors with personalization, in lengths from 34” to 36”. Maple training bats available include the One Hand Bat, Flat Bat Trainer, and Bunt Trainer.

Circle No. 513

Wood Bats

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COACHING MANAGEMENT

Company

Model

Type of Wood Lengths

Handle

Barrel

Ratio

Warranty

BWP Bats

BWP-73

Rock Maple

32–34”

15/16” w/flare

L

-2 to -3

No

BWP-Nasty

Maple

32–34”

15/16” w/flare

XXL

-2 to -3

No

BWP-110, Rock Maple 141, 271, 243

31–34”

Various

Various

-2 to-3

No

BWP-271

Ash

32–34”

15/16”

Medium

-2 to-3

No

Hoosier Bat Co. HB105

Ash

32, 33, 34”

15/16”

2-13/32” -3

HB235

Ash

32, 33, 34”

15/16”

2-1/2”

-3

HB325

Ash

32, 33, 34”

1”

2-1/2”

-3

Wood Force

Ash/Hickory/ 32-34” Maple

1”

2-1/2”

-3

Barrel won’t flake

Old Hickory Bat KG1 Company, Inc. JC1

Maple/Ash

31–35”

Thin

Medium

-2 to -3

No

Maple/Ash

31–35”

Thick

Medium

-2 to -3

No

TC1

Maple/Ash

32–35”

Thin

Large

-2 to -3

No

PWB1

Maple/Ash

31–35”

Thin

Medium

-2 to -3

No

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Circle No. 514

priced version of the regular Pro Series Zingbat is ideal for youth players. The Trainer Series teaches batters basic swing mechanics.

The Composite Zingbat Trainer is available in one length and weight (30�, 17 oz.), while the aluminum Pro Series can be customized to meet your team’s specific length and weight requirements. Call today for a free instructional CD or video.

Circle No. 515

Edge, an advanced scouting company for MLB teams, has revealed some laws of velocity that will change the way you think about pitch sequencing and location. The Effective Velocity software package from Inside Edge uses PalmScout to chart games and create EV reports. Books are available in new Web Book format (eBook with special features) or as hard copies.

Circle No. 516

Hitting Is A Guess 661-609-0105 WWW.HITTINGISAGUESS.COM

The Iron Mike pitching machine features a throwing arm that lets batters see a full wind-up before the ball is pitched, allowing them to better develop the fundamental skills used when facing a live pitcher. This capability makes the Iron Mike the preferred pitching machine of many professional and amateur players and coaches. All machines are self-feeding, include a remote control, and carry a manufacturer’s warranty.

Circle No. 517

The Downright Filthy Pitching Series is an intensive study of pitch velocity and how location changes the effective velocity of the true reaction time for the hitter. Ten years of testing hitters’ true reactionary limitations and intensive study of a four million-pitch database from Inside

Zingbat 866-ZINGBAT WWW.ZINGBAT.COM Zingbat™ introduces its new Trainer Series product line. This economically

Master Pitching Machine, Inc. 800-878-8228 WWW.MASTERPITCH.COM

4-

4-

)NTRODUCING THE NEW (ANDS"ACK (ITTER 0RO 4EAM -ODEL "UILT SPECIFICALLY FOR COACHES THIS PATENTED COMBINATION SWING TRAINER PITCHING MACHINE HAS FULL TIME RIGHT AND LEFT HAND CAPABILITIES $ESIGNED TO KEEP THE HANDS BACK UNTIL AFTER THE FOOT PLANT THE ("( 0RO 4EAM ENSURES THE IDEAL ROTATIONAL AXIS

MAXIMIZING TORQUE 4HE ("( 0RO 4EAM USES VIRTUALLY ANY BALL

FROM PLASTIC TO REGULATION BASEBALLS AND SOFTBALLS SO IT CAN BE USED INDOORS OR OUT !DJUSTS TO BATTERS OF ALL AGES AND ABILITY LEVELS REQUIRES NO ELECTRICITY .EW FOR AVAILABLE MID FALL OF

ALL BASEBALL

ALL THE TIME

PRACTICE BUDDY

PORTABLE CATCHER (STRIKE ZONE TRAINER)

5X8 L SCREEN

Now is the time to buy direct! • Batting cages Indoor/outdoor and portable • Backstops New construction to replacement • Field Screens L-screens, 10 x 10, tri-fold, and many others Portable pitching mound • Pitch-EZ Ž • Custom Netting #18, #21, #36, #42, #60 and #96 twine available • Wall padding and wind screen — Call for quote.

Step up to the plate—call us Custom manufacturing and installations are our specialty!

baseballexpress.com

!LL 3WING"USTER PRODUCTS COME WITH A DAY WARRANTEE

Circle No. 126

swingbuster.com Circle No. 127 COACHING MANAGEMENT

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Hitting & Pitching Aids Grand Slam Pitching Machine 800-GRAND-SLAM WWW.AGRANDSLAM.COM Grand Slam is one of the most effective pitching machines for working batters’ hand-eye coordination. Its self-feeding reservoir holds over 60 golf ball-sized Wiffle® balls and allows batters to take 50 swings in five minutes. Each pitch is guaranteed to hit the strike zone. It’s ideal for indoor training or outdoor use—all you need is 16 to 20 feet of free space.

Forty-eight balls and a lifetime warranty are included.

Circle No. 518 Swift Stik 877-845-7845 WWW.SWIFTSTIK.COM Swift Stik is one of the most versatile training bats on the market. Batters can improve hand-eye coordination, increase bat speed, build muscle mem-

ory, and isolate the bat’s “sweet spot.” Swift Stik may be used with Wiffle®, tennis, or soft-foam balls. Use Swift Stik during practice with any drill so batters can take more swings before muscle fatigue sets in, or use it before a game to lock in hand-eye coordination. Visit Swift Stik’s Web site to see how it gets fast results.

Circle No. 519 Power Systems, Inc. 800-321-6975 WWW.POWER-SYSTEMS.COM The Baseball Power Program, exclusively from Power Systems, is a 12week training program designed to bolster the performance of baseball athletes. The package includes the necessary equipment to

develop the speed, agility, and explosiveness needed to excel in this competitive sport. The program includes: a Pro Agility Ladder™, a six-pound Power Med Ball™, a Lateral Stepper™, a VersaDisc™, a Power Chute™ (large), a Power Throw-Ball™ set, a nylon carry bag, a Power Program manual, and your choice of a VHS or DVD. The video shows the proper way to use the equipment and the training manual takes you step by step through the program.

Circle No. 520 Develop cat-like quickness to make the game-saving play with the erratic bounces of the Reflex Ball from Power Systems.

The Reflex Ball trains quickness and improves hand-eye and total-body coordination as it forces athletes to make split-second decisions to catch the ball. Use in team or individual settings by throwing it on any hard surface. The Jumbo Reflex Ball (four-inch diameter) has a softer bounce and its larger size makes it easier to catch.

The more compact Reflex Ball (threeinch diameter) produces faster and more unpredictable bounces. A Reflex Ball training manual and video/DVD are also available.

Circle No. 521 Sports Attack 800-717-4251 WWW.SPORTSATTACK.COM The Hack Attack baseball pitching machine’s exclusive visual arm-action design signals batters to stride, showing them the angle of release. This provides a lifelike sense of timing and location.

By simply changing the speed with three dials, the Hack Attack can throw unmatched Major League pitches, including right- and left-handed fastballs, breaking balls, curveballs, sliders, and more. The Hack Attack pivots in any direction, instantly setting up for fungo work or catching drills with grounders, long fly balls, deep line drives, towering pop-ups, and more.

Circle No. 522

Circle No. 128

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COACHING MANAGEMENT

Hitting & Pitching Aids Sports Tutor 800-448-8867 WWW.SPORTSMACHINES.COM

Unified Solutions, Inc. 585-244-3180 WWW.THESWINGZONE.COM

The HomePlate machine from Sports Tutor is the first programmable pitching machine designed for both batting cage and on-field use. The HomePlate machine simulates almost any pitch batters are likely to face, with only seven seconds between pitches. Up to eight different pitches—including fastballs, curveballs, change-ups, sliders, and more—can be stored in eight different programs. The programmed pitches can be thrown sequentially for specific hitting drills, or randomly to simulate game conditions.

HomePlate models start at $2,995.

Circle No. 523

Unified Solutions recently introduced The Swing Zone pitching machine accessory, and it is revolutionizing the training capabilities of tripod-based pitching machines. The problem with some pitching machines is that they can’t randomly vary pitch location within the strike zone. The Swing Zone attaches easily to any tripod-based machine in minutes, and randomly

alters pitch location both vertically and horizontally to create a gamelike practice experience for the batter. It also greatly reduces “machine jump” by creating a stable base for the pitching machine. See the company’s Web site for a video demonstration.

Circle No. 526

Batting Tutor by Sports Tutor is the pitching machine built for true portability. Batting Tutor comes in battery-powered and AC/DC models and is available for both baseball and softball.

Batting Tutor can be transported easily and throws real and dimpled balls up to 65 mph. It is a valuable training aid for schools without accessible on-field electricity. It’s also ideal for youth team practices. Batting Tutor models start at $1,295.

Circle No. 524 SwingBuster Sports 800-937-4824 WWW.SWINGBUSTER.COM HBH Pro Team’s patented design keeps the hands back until after the foot plant. With full-time left- and righthand capabilities, HBH Pro Team is ideal for schools, camps, and families with hitters from both sides of the plate.

Perfect for all ages, it uses any ball—from hollow plastic to regulation baseballs and softballs. HBH Pro Team is easy to assemble, can be used indoors or out, and requires no electricity. It is constructed of steel for durability.

Circle No. 525 Circle No. 129 COACHING MANAGEMENT

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Company News

Baseball Facilities

New Faces, Exciting Changes at Diamond Pro®

Aer-Flo, Inc. 800-823-7356 WWW.WINDWEIGHTED.COM

Diamond Pro® is proud to announce two changes made this summer to better serve its customers. First, Diamond Pro welcomes Tom Burns to its family as a Sales/Professional Consultant. With over 25 years in the athletic turf industry, Burns injects real-world experience and knowledge into all aspects of the Diamond Pro business.

He comes to Diamond Pro from the Texas Rangers, where he served as Head Groundskeeper at Ameriquest Field for the past 10 years. He has also worked on the grounds crews for both the Cleveland Browns and the Cleveland Indians under legendary groundskeeper Marshall Bosard. Burns became Assistant Field Superintendent under Jim Anglea, who later helped develop the Diamond Pro product in partnership with Barrett Reese, Sr. and TXI.

Wind Weighted Baseball Tarps are virtually windproof. These rain covers for the mound, home plate, and bullpens have steel chain in their edge hem, so wind cannot get underneath them. They stay down, even in high winds, without stakes or sand bags. The tough, waterproof 14-oz. vinylpolyester fabric is treated for UV and mildew. The tarps now feature a threeyear factory warranty. They are patented, and other U.S. patents are pending.

Circle No. 527

Diamond Pro’s second announcement is its improved, more user-friendly Web site. While this new site better communicates the benefits of Diamond Pro’s great products, some of the old features remain available, such as the “How-To” section, the “Ask the Pros” question-and-answer forum, and the “Field Dimensions” pages. New features include downloadable PDFs of instructions, applications, and MSDS sheets. Users can view Diamond Pro’s latest products in its Professional Groundskeeping line, and distributor information is also available. Diamond Pro encourages customer feedback and will continue to make site modifications based on the comments it receives.

TXI/Diamond Pro® 1341 W. MOCKINGBIRD LN. DALLAS, TX 75247 800-228-2987 DIAMONDPRO@TXI.COM WWW.DIAMONDPRO.COM

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COACHING MANAGEMENT

Beacon Athletics 800-747-5985 WWW.BEACONATHLETICS.COM The Tensioned Batting Cage by Beacon Athletics is designed for both indoor and outdoor use. It accommodates space restrictions, including obstacles such as bleachers and stage areas.

When outside, the cage’s special design preserves the life of the system, since it can be taken down during inclement weather. In fact, the batting cage can be put up or taken down in just 10 minutes. All Beacon Athletics systems are designed to meet your needs.

Circle No. 528 BetterBaseball 800-997-4233 WWW.BETTERBASEBALL.COM BetterBaseball is a total baseball supply house, specializing in nets and batting cages that are customcut to any size you want. The company provides quick, friendly customer service.

BetterBaseball supplies everything, including bases, plates, mounds, gear, and hardware. All team equipment

needs can be found easily online, or teams can call the company toll-free for more product information.

Circle No. 529 Challenger Industries, Inc. 800-334-8873 WWW.CHALLENGERIND.COM Challenger Industries offers Players’ Choice baseball field turf. The latest in synthetic turf technology, it’s great for covering the entire field, foul ball areas, or just the infield. Players’ Choice is part of a system specially engineered for performance, safety, drainage, and stability. It is custom made to satisfy the individual needs of each field. Contact Challenger today for more information.

Circle No. 530 DURAPlay home plate baseball and softball mats from Challenger Industries can be used anywhere a home plate area is needed.

Whether covering the batter’s box for protection or establishing a home plate area indoors or out, these durable mats create batter’s boxes that are ideal for either sport. Pre-cut mats are available for fungo/on-deck circles, pitcher’s mounds, and single batter’s boxes. Synthetic turf products are also available for batting cages, dugouts, or the whole field, and installation is available as well. Contact Challenger for more information.

Circle No. 531 Country Stone 309-787-1744 When searching for a warning track that looks good, plays well, and is easy to manage, look no further than Redfield Warning Track Mix by Country Stone. This 100-percent natural aggregate provides an excellent transition zone between the turf and

Baseball Facilities the fence, making the ball more visible from a distance and serving as an effective warning for players. Redfield can improve the aesthetics, playability, and manageability of any field. Redfield Warning Track Mix is available in bulk.

Circle No. 532 Redfield Infield Topdressing by Country Stone is used on the skinned areas of baseball and softball fields as a topdressing and conditioner.

Excellent for improving aesthetics, Redfield reduces compaction and crusting caused by the hardening of clay, silt, and limestone, especially in high-traffic areas. With its natural color, Redfield will not fade or permanently stain uniforms. It works well in conjunction with calcined and vitrified clays, and is available in bulk or by the bag.

Circle No. 533

Custom Clay, Inc. 631-249-7471 WWW.CUSTOMCLAY.COM Custom Clay has been manufacturing quality infield mixes for towns, schools, and professional teams for over 30 years. Stadium Red™ is the company’s newest patent-pending proprietary mix. The proven benefits of this mix include its ability to reduce dust and improve drainage, resulting in less daily maintenance for your field. Stadium Red is approved by ASTM International.

Custom Clay was recently awarded a contract to service 550 baseball fields in the five boroughs of New York City.

Circle No. 534 Game-On 888-593-0395 WWW.HAYDITEGAME-ON.COM

results without breaking the team’s budget. It’s a lightweight, expandedshale product that absorbs over 20 percent of its weight in water. Game-On is more durable than clay and does not break down into fine particles.

Game-On is manufactured in Cleveland, Ohio, and is available in bags or in bulk.

Circle No. 535 Game-On Red is an infield topdressing with a brick-red color that gives your field a finishing touch for that Major League look. This topdressing gives balls a more consistent bounce while the deep red color allows infielders to see the ball more easily.

Game-On Red is available in bags or in bulk.

Circle No. 536

Game-On is a sports field soil conditioner that provides excellent turf

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YOUR “ONE-STOP SOURCE” FOR AMERICA’S LEADING BASEBALL SURFACES & SUPPLIES!

THE PROFESSIONAL’S CHOICE . . . SINCE 1922 A SUPPLIER TO EVERY MLB TEAM, OVER 150 MINOR LEAGUE TEAMS, OVER 700 COLLEGES, PLUS THOUSANDS OF TOWNS & SCHOOLS WORLDWIDE. SPECIAL MIXES FOR INFIELDS, PITCHER’S MOUNDS & HOME PLATE AREAS.

REGIONAL INFIELD MIXES AND RED WARNING TRACKS FOR EVERY STATE & CLIMATE FROM BULK PLANTS NATIONWIDE! PLUS INFIELD CONDITIONERS: IF TOO HARD AND POORLY DRAINING!

THE REDDER, LESS DUSTY, MORE UNIFORM INFIELD CONDITIONER & DRYING AGENT FOR CONSISTENT INFIELD CUSHION IN WET OR DRY WEATHER!

DIAMOND PRO®

ADVERTISERS DIRECTORY CIRCLE NO.

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Aer-Flo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IBC AerWay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 All-Star . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Axis/Play Ball! (Eagle-Picher Minerals) . 47 Beacon Athletics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 BetterBaseball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 BWP Bats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Challenger Industries . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Diamond Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 eFundraising.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Game-On Field Conditioner . . . . . . . 8 Gatorade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Heying Company (Infield-Drag) . . . . . 42 Hitting Is A Guess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Hoosier Bat Company . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Inland Tarp & Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Jaypro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC M.A.S.A. Products (catalog) . . . . . . . 14 M.A.S.A. Products (Fence Guard) . . . . 31 Master Pitching Machine . . . . . . . . . 31 Old Hickory Bats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Partac/Beam Clay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 PIK Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

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Aer-Flo (Bunt Zone) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Aer-Flo (Wind Weighted tarps) . . . . . . . 38 Beacon Athletics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 BetterBaseball (Easy Auction) . . . . . . . 32 BetterBaseball (nets and cages) . . . . . 38 BWP Bats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Challenger Industries (DURAPlay) . . . . 38 Challenger Industries (Players’ Choice) 38 Challenger Industries (Product Launch). 33 Country Stone (Infield Topdressing) . . . 39 Country Stone (Warning Track Mix) . . . 38 Custom Clay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Diamond Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Eagle Picher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 eFundraising.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Fitterfirst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Game-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Game-On (Red) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Gatorade (Endurance Formula) . . . . . . . 47 Gatorade (Nutrition Shake) . . . . . . . . . 47 Grand Slam Pitching Machine . . . . . 36 Heying Company (Infield-Drag) . . . . . 41 Hitting Is A Guess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Hoosier Bat Company . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Inland Tarp & Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Jaypro (Dry Line Field Markers) . . . . . . . 42 Jaypro (Little Slam Batting Cage) . . . . . . 41 M.A.S.A. (Fence Guard Lite) . . . . . . . . . 42 M.A.S.A. Products (Product Launch) . . 33 M.A.S.A. (White Line Markers) . . . . . . . 42 Master Pitching Machine . . . . . . . . 35 Old Hickory Bats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 On Deck Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

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Plus 5 Field Marker (Imerys) . . . . . . . 45 Pro’s Choice Field Products . . . . . . 10 Prograss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Promats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Qualite Sports Lighting . . . . . . . . . . 15 Red Diamond Conditioners. . . . . . . 21 Redfield by Country Stone . . . . . . . 24 Seating Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Soft Touch Bases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Southern Athletic Fields . . . . . . . . . 42 SPI Nets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Sports Attack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Sports Tutor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Stalker Radar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 SwingBuster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 The Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BC Turface Athletics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Vantage Products Int’l. . . . . . . . . . . 20 West Coast Netting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 WSI Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Xco Trainer (Fitterfirst) . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Xvest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Zingbat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

IMPROVES DRAINAGE & ENHANCES COLOR!

IF TOO SOFT & DUSTY!

STABILIZER® & HILLTOPPER® FOR FIRM, YET RESILIENT, PLAYING SURFACES

TO QUICKLY DRY INFIELDS! The Original & Most Absorbent is Now NEW & IMPROVED GRANULAR

OVER 200 OTHER INFIELD PRODUCTS! Premium & Standard in 6 Colors!

Protective Safety Covers for Chain Link Fence WALL PADDING • WINDSCREEN • RAIL PADDING TAMPERS • DRAG MATS • RAKES HOLLYWOOD® BASES • FIELD MARKING MACHINES BATTING PRACTICE COVERS • RAIN COVERS PERMA-MOUND™ PADS • MOUND BRICKS SAFE “T” MATT™ BATTER’S BOX PADS TYPAR® GEOTEXTILES & TURF BLANKETS ON-DECK CIRCLES WITH TEAM LOGOS PERMANENT FOUL LINES & MUCH MORE!

FOR INSTRUCTIONS & BROCHURES

www.BEAMCLAY.com

800-247-BEAM

908-637-4191 / FAX 908-637-8421 PARTAC PEAT CORPORATION KELSEY PARK, GREAT MEADOWS, NJ 07838

“The best infield mix I’ve ever used.”

— GEORGE TOMA Circle No. 131

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Partac/Beam Clay . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Plus 5 Field Marker (Imerys) . . . . . . .

Power Systems (Power Program) . . . . .

Power Systems (Reflex Ball) . . . . . . . .

Pro’s Choice (Rapid Dry drying agent) . .

Pro’s Choice (Red infield conditioner) . .

Profile Products (Field & Fairway Emerald) . .

Profile Products (Pro League® Red) . . . . .

Promats (digital graphics) . . . . . . . . . .

Promats (Protective Wall Padding) . . . . .

Qualite Sports Lighting . . . . . . . . . .

Red Diamond (Conditioner/Drying Agent) . .

Red Diamond (Packing Clay) . . . . . . . . . .

Seating Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Soft Touch Bases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Southern Athletic Fields . . . . . . . . .

SPI Nets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sports Attack (Hack Attack) . . . . . . . .

Sports Attack (Product Launch) . . . . . .

Sports Tutor (Batting Tutor) . . . . . . . .

Sports Tutor (HomePlate) . . . . . . . . . .

Stabilizer Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Stalker Radar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Swift Stik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

SwingBuster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Unified Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Vantage Products Int’l. . . . . . . . . . .

WSI Sports (HEATR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

WSI Sports (Ultrajoc) . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Xvest (Don Chu) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Xvest (Fire Fighter model) . . . . . . . . . . .

Zingbat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

43 41 36 36 42 42 43 43 44 44 44 45 44 45 46 45 46 36 33 37 37 33 32 36 37 32 37 46 32 32 32 32 35

Baseball Facilities Heying Co. 712-756-8847 WWW.INFIELD-DRAG.COM

Imerys 800-552-9671 WWW.PLUS5LINEMARKER.COM

Restore and maintain your infields quickly and easily, and keep your granular infields level, well-groomed, and in safe playing condition. The PR72 Pro Groomer™ levels infields, warning tracks, granular running tracks, and other surfaces by cutting off high spots and filling in low areas. It can be used to mix in new material or to break up compacted surfaces. It saves labor, reduces puddling, removes weeds, and more. The unit is six feet wide and does not require hydraulics or a threepoint hitch. It can be pulled using a variety of towing machines, and no tools are needed to make adjustments. The PR72 Pro Groomer is available with a manual or electric lift.

Circle No. 537

The PLUS 5® field marker is now available from Imerys. This marker is preferred by coaches and groundskeepers for its brighter white lines and ease of use. It’s good for turf and harmless to skin and clothing. PLUS 5 is licensed as the official marking material of the NFHS. Call Imerys today or go online to learn more.

Circle No. 538 Inland Tarp & Cover 800-346-7744 WWW.INLANDTARP.COM Athletic field covers from Inland Tarp & Cover offer outstanding protection for your baseball or softball field.

The covers are mildew- and UV-resistant and feature hand loops for easy maneuverability.

Each cover is custom-built and available in your choice of 10-, 14-, or 18-ounce vinyl or 6-, 8-, or 12-ounce polyethylene fabric. Call today to learn more.

Circle No. 539 Jaypro Sports, LLC 800-243-0533 WWW.JAYPRO.COM Jaypro’s Little Slam Batting Cage offers heavy-duty construction with a full line of features. Designed for collegiate and high school use, it measures 17’6” W x 12’ H x 12’ D. Constructed of two-inch heavy wall aluminum, it is easy to fold, collapsing to just five feet high. It includes a climate-treated nylon net and ricochet cushion to rebound and prevent frame damage. The Little Slam can be transported easily on three pneumatic turf wheels. A vinyl skirt is optional.

Circle No. 540

Call for a Free Catalog Toll Free: (866) 243-6387 • • • •

•

Batting Cages Protective Screens Back Stops & Barriers Nets Pitching Machines Custom Sizes Available

Catalog Image

Shop Online at: www.spinets.net South Padre Island Nets, Inc. 2001 Amistad Dr. San Benito, TX 78586 USA

Tel: (956) 276-9598 Fax: (956) 276-9691 Toll Free Fax: (866) 421-9691

Affordable Quality Products to Play Hard Circle No. 133 Circle No. 132 COACHING MANAGEMENT

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Baseball Facilities Jaypro Sports, LLC 800-243-0533 WWW.JAYPRO.COM Jaypro’s Dry Line Field Markers provide crews with the precision control needed for twoinch or four-inch lines.

The field markers include 11-gauge steel containers, handle-mounted control levers for instant on/off, half-inch steel axle bushings and drive shafts, and oversized foam rubber hand grips.

They are available in 25-, 50-, and 65pound capacities, and heavy-duty models are available in 50- and 100-pound capacities. Each unit is protected by an 18-month warranty. For more information, call Jaypro or visit the company online.

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Southern Athletic Fields... ...your complete source for all athletic field needs!

• • • • • • •

Mar Mound Clay Infield Mixes Field Conditioners Drying Agents Warning Trac Infield Topdressing Various Field Accessories

800.837.8062 www.mulemix.com Circle No. 134

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COACHING MANAGEMENT

M.A.S.A., Inc. 800-264-4519 WWW.MASA.COM WWW.SPORTSADVANTAGE.COM

choose a marker that’s best for your organization and budget. For more information, visit the company’s Web site.

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M.A.S.A. has welcomed the new Fence Guard Lite to its family of fence guards.

The Fence Guard Lite is priced for the tightest budgets. It protects against chain link fence injuries, increases fence visibility, and can add beauty to any field. With the addition of Fence Guard Lite, M.A.S.A. now has three grades of fence guards: Premium, Standard, and Lite. All three feature exterior-grade UVresistant polyethylene construction that is maintenance-free and designed to produce the longest-lasting fence caps available. Call or visit the company’s Web site for more information.

Circle No. 543

Pro’s Choice 800-648-1166 WWW.PROSCHOICE1.COM

M.A.S.A. carries a large selection of heavy-duty White Line Markers that are constructed for a lifetime of use. The company’s All Star Pneumatic Wheel version is its top-selling liner, with durable construction and unique features to meet even the toughest demands. For over 20 years, White Line Markers have been respected as the most accurate and durable markers available. Call a M.A.S.A. representative for knowledgeable expertise to help you

Pro’s Choice Red infield conditioner is designed to meet the challenges of wet, dry, or compacted infields. This legendary product is the first choice of professional groundskeepers for building and maintaining winning fields season after season. It manages the moisture on your field, keeping it in top playing condition. Pro’s Choice Red infield conditioner is the all-star veteran of the Pro’s Choice lineup.

Circle No. 544 Rapid Dry drying agent from Pro’s Choice quickly wicks away excess water from your playing field and helps improve soil consistency. It’s not a dusty powder like some other quick-dr ying products on the market today—it’s per fectly sized for both stability and absorption. Rapid Dr y’s sand-like texture even improves footing on slipper y sur faces. Just pour it on any wet spots and you’ll be back in the game more quickly. When you need a game-saver, you want Rapid Dr y dr ying agent in your lineup.

Circle No. 545

Infield “Pro Groomer” Restore & Maintain Infields quickly & easily!

TM

www.Infield-Drag.com

Keeps fields level, well-groomed and in safe playing condition. The 6 ft. wide Pro Groomer cuts off high spots, mixes the material, then fills in low areas.

Also use to break up hard surfaces.

Control weeds, deter water Puddling, Save Labor!

Level, Smoothen, Mix, and Break Up Infields.

Available with manual or electric lift. Easily adjusts to different towing machines.

No need for hydraulics or 3-pt. hitch. More info at www.Infield-Drag.com

PR72-E,166,a

www.Infield-Drag.com

Heying Co. 515 6th Ave. Alton, IA 51003 Ph. (712) 756-8847 Circle No. 135

Baseball Facilities On Deck Sports 877-227-4824 WWW.ONDECKSPORTS.COM On Deck Sports offers high-quality artificial turf products, including batter’s box mats, pitching mats, on deck circles, and fungo circles. The company also sells new and used artificial turf by the roll. Synthetic turf is great for batting cages, foul areas, bullpens, and dugouts. The artificial turf is spike-proof and is available with or without a foam backing.

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high-traffic areas that have become wet and muddy, it instantly absorbs excess water and makes the sur face dr y, safe, and playable. Its emerald color disguises worn areas until new tur f grows back.

Circle No. 548 As the first and only patented red calcined clay conditioner, Pro League® Red from Profile Products combines rich color with proven infield conditioning benefits, creating a superior sliding and fielding sur face. Compared to

crushed aggregates, which color other infield products, Pro League Red absorbs more water and requires half the tonnage to obtain 1/4-inch coverage.

Used by the Houston Astros—a 2005 World Series team—Pro League Red is unmatched for maximum rainout protection.

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Partac/Beam Clay 800-247-BEAM WWW.BEAMCLAY.COM Partac®/Beam Clay® is a supplier to every Major League Baseball team, over 150 minor league teams, more than 700 colleges, and thousands of towns and schools from all 50 states and many countries around the world. Partac/Beam Clay makes special mixes for infields, pitcher’s mounds, home plate areas, and red warning tracks, as well as infield conditioners and drying agents. The company also offers over 200 other infield products, including regional infield mixes blended for every state and climate condition from bulk plants nationwide.

Circle No. 547 Profile Products, LLC 800-207-6457 WWW.PROFILEPRODUCTS.COM Profile™ Field & Fairway™ Emerald is a green-colored porous ceramic material that’s ideal for native soil applications. When applied as a topdressing, Field & Fair way Emerald prevents slipper y, wet conditions and extensive wear and tear. When poured directly onto Circle No. 136 COACHING MANAGEMENT

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Baseball Facilities Promats, Inc. 800-678-6287 WWW.PROMATS.COM Promats, one of the most innovative names in field wall padding, is proud to introduce its new line of highresolution digital graphics.

With wideformat, photo-quality logos, you can show your team spirit like never before. With a cost significantly lower than traditional graphics, Promats can provide breathtaking logos to suit any budget. The company has a wide variety of graphic styles to choose from. Now, the only limitation is your imagination.

Circle No. 550 Promats Protective Field Wall Padding has been used in over 400 stadiums across the United States and around the world. Every facility is unique in its

requirements, so Promats custom designs and installs padding to meet individual needs. With over 20 years of experience, no one in the world is more qualified than Promats to design, manufacture, and install protective padding for your facility. Call today for more information.

Circle No. 551 Qualite Sports Lighting, Inc. 800-933-9741 WWW.QUALITE.COM The baseball field at Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, Fla., is lighted with the most efficient fixtures sanctioned by the IESNA in the industry.

Qualite Sports Lighting installed a lighting system that’s fan- and player-friendly using its PRO-Series PS45 fixture—a proven product that continues to outperform the competition with optimum uniform light, superb spill light control,

and one of the best 10-year warranties in the business.

Better lighting, better game.

Circle No. 552 Red Diamond by Moltan 800-264-5826 WWW.MOLTAN.COM Red Diamond Professional Packing Clay not only meets the needs of the professional groundskeeper, but is also very easy to install and maintain.

Uniform-sized nuggets are the result of modifying 100percent natural clay through an innovative manufacturing process. This packing clay provides safe, resilient pitcher’s mounds, land-

ATHLETIC FIELD COVERS

•ROT & MILDEW RESISTANT •2” WEBBING HAND LOOPS •SILVER OR WHITE TO KEEP TURF COOL •MAXIMUM UV RESISTANT

FABRIC OPTIONS Hi UV PE: 6oz-12mil 8oz-16mil 12oz-24mil Vinyl: 10oz, 14oz, 18oz

CALL NOW! 1-800-346-7744 www.inlandtarp.com Circle No. 137

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Circle No. 138

Baseball Facilities ing areas, and batter’s boxes for every level of baseball. The nuggets may also be used in new construction, renovation projects, and daily repairs.

Circle No. 553 For baseball and softball fields at every level, from youth to the professional leagues, Red Diamond CC ConditionerÂŽ and Drying AgentÂŽ provide a safe, professional, and playable skinned infield surface. The Quantum Turf TechnologiesÂŽ manufacturing process transforms a unique blend of 100-percent natural clay into high-quality, professionally-sized calcined clay conditioners. These conditioners are used throughout the sports turf industry for the daily maintenance of skinned infield surfaces, and may also be used in new construction and major renovation projects.

Circle No. 554

Seating Services, 800-552-9470 WWW.SEATINGSERVICES.COM

Southern Athletic Fields 800-837-8062 WWW.MULEMIX.COM

Seating Services is proud to introduce its Tread Mount Stadium Chair. Finally, there is a way to put stadium chairs onto your existing 24-inch row-spacing bleachers.

This unit requires minimal rework and is extremely costeffective. The tread mounts can be used on rises of up to 10-1/2 inches.

These chairs can be custom-designed for fundraisers, for instance, by placing season ticket holders’ names on the number plates.

Circle No. 555

Southern Athletic Fields (SAF) specializes in a wide variety of quality products.

Some of these products include: infield mixes, mound and packing clays, soil conditioners, calcined clays, drying agents, infield topdressing, warning track materials, and field maintenance accessories. SAF is a one-stop source for athletic field needs.

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Check out www.AthleticBid.com to contact these companies.

3TADIUM #HAIRS "LOW -OLDED OR )NJECTION -OLDED 0(/.% &!8 WWW SEATINGSERVICES COM

Quality Stadium Chair Manufacturer Circle No. 139

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Testimonial

Baseball Facilities

Game-On Soil Conditioners Provide “Consistent Quality”

SPI Nets, Inc. 866-243-6387 WWW.SPINETS.NET

Game-On sports field conditioners are produced by DiGeronimo Aggregates and manufactured in Cleveland, Ohio.

The complete Game-On product line includes field conditioners, topdressings, drying agents, and warning track blends, and to better fit your team’s budget, they’re all available in both bags and bulk. Satisfied customers have found that Game-On is more durable than clay and that it does not break down into fine particles.

SPI Nets’ full-service net building facility offers the highest-quality nets at unbeatable prices. The company stocks and custombuilds a wide variety of nylon and poly batting cage nets, protective screens, and deflective barrier netting products.

All custom nets are guaranteed to be of the highest quality, built in the USA to meet all your needs. Call SPI Nets tollfree or go online to learn more.

Circle No. 557

“I have used several baseball field soil conditioners in the past, and Game-On Red is the best performing product I have found in 27 years.”

Vince Minarchio Grounds Supervisor Cuyahoga Community College, Ohio “Game-On products are of consistent quality and they perform exceptionally well under all types of conditions.”

Dale Frazier President Frazier’s Field Repair, Ohio “After using Game-On soil conditioner, all I can say is ‘Wow!’” Jack Castle Head Groundskeeper Lou Berliner Park Complex, Ohio

Eagle Picher Minerals 800-366-7607 WWW.MINERALS.EPCORP.COM Eagle Picher Minerals offers two types of soil conditioners: PlayBall! and Axis Premium Soil Amendment. Playball! is made from 100percent calcined diatomaceous earth, and it requires much less material (only 5.2 tons) to effectively condition a field tilled four inches deep.

Axis Premium Soil Amendment is applied to turfgrass root zones at a 10-percent-by-volume application. Axis adds porosity to air- and waterholding capacities, so you can expect 30-percent savings on irrigation and a healthier turfgrass system.

Circle No. 558 TXI/Diamond Pro 800-228-2987 WWW.DIAMONDPRO.COM

DiGeronimo Aggregates LLC 8900 HEMLOCK RD. INDEPENDENCE, OH 44131 888-593-0395 WWW.HAYDITEGAME-ON.COM

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Diamond Pro offers a complete line of professional groundskeeping products: infield conditioners; calcined clay; mound and home plate clay; bricks; marking dust; and infield and warning track mixes. The company offers fast and convenient delivery. Diamond

Pro’s vitrified red clay infield conditioner is available in bulk nationwide, and is easy to handle and apply. Truckloads are available in 10-, 15-, and 24-ton loads that save you both time and money. Create an all-around safe and professional infield playing surface for your team.

Circle No. 559 Soft Touch Bases 800-965-4690 WWW.SOFTTOUCHBASES.COM Soft Touch “progressive release” bases are designed to flex and absorb energy

as a player slides into the base. In the case of uncontrolled slides, the “progressive release” action allows the base to flex until enough force is applied to “pop” the base free from its mount, unlike a stationary base.

Circle No. 560 Vantage Products International 800-244-4457 WWW.VPISPORTS.COM VPI offers the Big Bubba professional portable batting cage. The Big Bubba is one of the leading choices for high school, collegiate, and professional baseball programs—at considerable cost savings. Its heavyduty aluminum construction, easy portability, and collapsible design make it the per fect backstop for any level.

Measuring 18’ W x 12’ H x 22’ D, the Big Bubba collapses to only five feet high. Its unique dolly assembly at the rear and 16-inch pneumatic wheels make relocation simple.

Circle No. 561

Your source for fundraising tips, support, and suppliers:

www.FundraisingForSports.com

More Products eFundraising.com 866-235-9660 WWW.EFUNDRAISING.COM eFundraising.com introduces a product specially for your baseball team that is sure to get your team members excited: popcorn that comes in a baseball package. Not only is the shape cool, but this popcorn is a healthy way to raise funds.

It is a product experience that both kids and adults will love, and on top of all that, you can generate 50percent profit. Call eFundraising now for your free sample.

Circle No. 562 Fitterfirst 800-348-8371 WWW.FITTER1.COM Fitterfirst’s Xco Trainer is an innovative new product that builds and tones muscles while strengthening the surrounding connective tissue and stabi-

lizing joints. The Xco Trainer’s innovative design allows for 3-D freedom of movement so users can train anywhere in an unlimited variety of positions. Delayed impact at the end of each motion, caused by a granulate mass shifting inside the tube, produces muscle overload for maximum results.

The Xco Trainer is available in 1-, 1.3-, 2-, and 2.6-pound sizes. Discounts are available on team sets. Call today or visit Fitterfirst online for more information and a free 2006 catalog.

Circle No. 563 The Gatorade Co. 800-88-GATOR WWW.GATORADE.COM Gatorade Nutrition Shake is a balanced nutritional supplement that’s ideal for use as a high-energy meal replacement, or a pre-event or between-meal snack.

Gatorade Nutrition Shake contains vitamin C, calcium, and iron, so it’s great

for athletes who want to perform at their best and need to supplement their diet with a convenient, balanced, and nutritious product. Gatorade Nutrition Shake is available in two flavors: chocolate and vanilla.

Circle No. 564 After years of extensive research, scientists at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute have developed Gatorade Endurance Formula for athletes’ longer, more intense workouts and competitions. Gatorade Endurance Formula is a specialized sports drink with a five-electrolyte blend containing nearly twice the sodium (200mg) and three times the potassium (90mg) of Gatorade Thirst Quencher to more fully replace what athletes lose in sweat when fluid and electrolyte losses become substantial.

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Leaves Sports Fields Safe and Playable

AerWay® venting tines can be used all season long to reduce compaction and stimulate strong root development without taking the field out of play. The result is a resilient playing surface with excellent top growth.

for more information call

1-800-457-8310

Advanced Aeration Systems www.aerway.com email: aerway@aerway.com Circle No. 141

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Web News Variety of Fundraising Solutions Available Online at eFundraising.com

Site Reflects Profile Products’ Advanced Technology

eFundraising’s Web site offers a wide variety of fundraising products, all backed by quality service and providing up to 100-percent profit potential. The products offered include brand-name chocolate bars, gourmet frozen food products, popcorn, scratchcards, cookie dough, and other great fundraisers. The company’s online magazine fundraiser programs are also available, and can easily be run alongside another fundraiser to increase profits. Family and friends across the U.S. can support your group by choosing from over 650 magazine titles at savings of up to 85 percent off newsstand prices. At eFundraising, anyone can find a fundraiser that will meet their specific needs.

To help distributors and customers develop more cost-effective and efficient soil solutions, Profile Products’ Web site offers educational tools and product application instructions.

It also has easy-to-use features that guide visitors through the company’s many soil amendment, turf establishment, and erosion/sediment control products. Visitors will find that the site offers more efficient ways to fulfill information requests and features easy-to-find product information on all of Profile’s newest innovations. Downloadable brochures, specifications, research results, and case studies are all available.

The site is built to reflect Profile’s advanced technology and commitment to educating and informing the green industry.

www.efundraising.com

www.profileproducts.com

Make Your Field Safer with Promats

View Baseball Video Clips on SPC’s Web Site

Promats, one of the country’s leading manufacturers of protective field wall padding, has an improved Web site. Click on “References” in the “About Us” box to see a list of over 450 stadiums where Promats products have been used. Go to “Protective Field Wall Padding” in the products section to review all the padding you need for your stadium. Access the corresponding shop drawing/specification PDF file for complete product details. Check available vinyl colors by clicking on the “Vinyl Color Charts” link. Please contact Promats’ customer service staff for additional information and pricing.

When coaches visit Sports Products Consultants’ Web site, they’ll find an assortment of resources that can help them properly develop young hitters. Full product information is available on special equipment like the Personal Pitcher, Timit ScoutWatch, SpeedSwing, and HitMaster Grobat. Coaches can download video clips showing how Major League players have used these products to enhance their swing. Customer testimonials, ordering information, sale items, and even rental information can be found as well. Visit Sports Products Consultants online today and see how the company can help you build—and keep—a winning team.

www.promats.com

www.personalpitcher.com Home Run, LLC d/b/a

HOOSIER BAT COMPANY Fast becoming THE name for bats.

We have what the players want!

WOOD FUNGO +++ Guaranteed +++ Never Flakes • No Taping Required

GAME BATS Major League Stock • Minor League Stock

WOODFORCE 2000 Hickory Hitting Area- No Taping Required Game Use Approval for Short Season A and Rookie League NCAA BESR Certified 28 B.P. 3-Piece Bat for One Hand, Soft Toss and T drills

ORDER YOURS TODAY Fax 219-465-0877 • e-mail:baseball@netnitco.net 1-800-BAT-ERUP (228-3787)

www.hoosierbat.com Mention this ad for FREE Laser Engraving or Key Chain Circle No. 143

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COACHING MANAGEMENT

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WIND WEIGHTED ®

BUNT ZONE

Baseball Rain Tarps

TM

InÀeld Protector-TRAINER

Tim Hill, Head Coach at nearby Manatee Community College in Bradenton, FL, was the ¿rst to use Wind Weighted Baseball Tarps.

Mound and Base Covers that

Bunt Zone Protector teaches bunting and hitting placement by visualization. It can improve overall team batting skills if used at every practice.

STAY PUT IN WIND WITHOUT STAKES OR SANDBAGS Steel chain in edge hem all around keeps wind from getting under, so they stay down even in high winds. Field proven to over 65 mph.

BUNTING & HITTING TARGET TRAINING SYSTEM BUILT INTO A QUALITY TURF PROTECTOR

FEATURES • Industrial grade 14 oz. vinyl polyester fabric for durability • UV and mildew inhibitors added for long life • Virtually tear-proof, and repairable if spiked • Stock diameters: 12’, 18’, 20’, 26’, 30’ • Squares: 6’, 8’, 10’ • Custom colors and sizes available (Great for bullpens) • PATENTED plus other US Patents pending.

• Now covered by 3-year warranty.

Standard

New MAJOR LEAGUE STYLE

Teams using Wind Weighted Tarps

Pros: Dodgers, Yankees Colleges: CA-Berkeley, Cal Poly SLO, Citadel, CO, Columbia, E. MI, Hofstra, Jacksonville, LA Tech, Louisville, MI St., MN, Navy, NM, NV-Reno, New Orleans, Northwestern, PA, Penn St., Princeton, TN, TX A&M, TCU, VMI, WA, WA St., Western KY, Yale High Schools: Bainbridge (WA) Barrington (RI) Cary (NC) Chaska (MN) Chelsea (MI) Dublin Jerome (OH) Gilbert (IA) Herndon (VA) Highland (KY) Huntington (NY) Lemon Bay (FL) Owasso (OK) Palatine (IL) Park City (UT) Saratoga (CA) Terryville (CT) Woodlands (TX)

• YELLOW is the “bunt-for-a-hit” target zone • GREENS are the “sacri¿ce bunt” areas • RED is the “bad bunt” zone, but also the area

to avoid in hit-and-run or pull-hitting situations.

Paul Pierce, HBB Coach at Collins Hill HS in Suwanee, GA, after his ¿eld had a 65 mph storm that damaged fences, signs, and windscreens: “Our ¿eld was a mess. Then I noticed that our new Wind Weighted Baseball Tarp was still on the mound. Looking under, we found the covered part of the mound was untouched by the wind and rain.”

FEATURES • Industrial grade vinyl coated polyester mesh • Protected by UV & mildew inhibitors • Tolerant of spikes, virtually tear proof • Grommets and ground stakes included • PATENTED plus another US Patent pending.

• Sizes: Large 20’ deep x 24’ x 64’, Medium 15’ d x 24’ x 54’, Little League/Softball 15’ d x 18’ x 48’

Aer-Flo, Inc. manufactures other high quality sports products, including:

Optional Wind Weighted INSTALLER™ device lets two players cover a pitcher’s mound, home plate, or bull pen in less than 30 seconds.

Why continue using stakes, sandbags, rocks, etc?

Wind Weighted Tarps save backs…and games.

• Aer-Flo® Windscreen • Cross-Over Zone™ Track Protector • Bench Zone™ Sideline Turf Protector • Huddle Zone™ Special Teams Mat Specs and pricing are available on website.

Aer-Flo, Inc. 800-823-7356 www.aerflo.com “Wind Weighted” is a registered trademark of Aer-Flo, Inc. • Other trademarks are property of Aer-Flo, Inc. • © 2006: Aer-Flo, Inc.

Circle No. 145

=7C;J;A is The Game’s new patented performance fabric. Ideal for the athlete, this amazing fabric implores rapid absorption, swift dispersion and fast drying. Highly comfortable, lightweight and with maximum breathability, GAMETEK helps you Keep Your Head in The Game at all times.

All GAMETEK and GAMEPRO caps are fully customizable for as

rapid absorption

swift dispersion

fast drying

comfortable

lightweight

breathability

few as 18 pieces.

The Game is proud to be the Official On-Field Headwear for these schools & over 400 other Colleges and Universities.

ARKANSAS

CHARLESTON

FRESNO STATE

GEORGIA TECH

LOUISIANA STATE

TULANE

FOR A LIST OF AUTHORIZED GAME TEAM DEALERS, VISIT OUR WEBSITE:

w w w . 2 t h e g a m e . c o m Circle No. 146

VANDERBILT

WICHITA STATE