Coaching Management 17.7

Coaching Management VOL. XVII NO. 7

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THENewRIGHT PITCH ideas on fundraising in today’s economy

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Coaching Your Son

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The Value of Sleep

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CONTENTS

Coaching Management Baseball Edition Postseason 2009 Vol. XVII, No. 7

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COVER STORY

Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Effects of the economy … D-I APR looking up … Player’s death hits hard … New clubhouse debuts at Kansas … Following the rules.

Q&A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Britt Smith, Head Coach at Howard College, led the Hawks to an NJCAA Division I championship in 2009, tallying a collegiate record 57-game winning streak along the way.

EXTRA INNINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 On the cover: University of Utah catcher C.J. Cron grabs a strike down the middle during a game last season. Utes Head Coach Bill Kinneberg has had great success in hosting an annual fundraising benefit on campus. More fundraising ideas can be found in our cover story, which begins on page 14. Photo by Matt A. Brown.

The Right Pitch

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Fundraising isn’t a new concept for baseball coaches, but in today’s tough economy, a refresher course and a few new ideas can put you ahead of the game.

LEADERSHIP

Coach Dad

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Coaching your son can be a rewarding experience, as long as both of you are prepared for the unique challenges your relationship may face.

OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE

Strength Through Sleep

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Recent research shows that there is one very easy way for an athlete to enhance his workouts and performance: by getting a full night of uninterrupted sleep.

Team Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 New PRODUCTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 HITTING & PITCHING AIds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Baseball FIELD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 More Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 ADVERTISERS DIRECTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Publisher Mark Goldberg Editor-in-Chief Eleanor Frankel Associate Editors Dennis Read, Greg Scholand Assistant Editors R.J. Anderson, Kenny Berkowitz, Abigail Funk, Kyle Garratt, Mike Phelps

Marketing Director Sheryl Shaffer Marketing/Sales Assistant Danielle Catalano Business Manager Pennie Small Art Director Pamela Crawford Administrative Assistant Sharon Barbell Special Projects Dave Wohlhueter

Circulation Director Dave Dubin Circulation Manager John Callaghan Prepress Manager Neal Betts Production Director Maria Bise Assistant Production Director Jim Harper Production Assistant Natalie Couch Ad Materials Coordinator Mike Townsend

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The Coaching Management Baseball edition is pub­ lished in February, September, and December by MAG, Inc. and is distributed free to college and high school coaches in the United States and

Canada. Copyright © 2009 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

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LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD Economy Taking A Toll The current economic downturn is affecting millions of people across the country in all walks of life, and the high school and college baseball scene is no exception. Some schools are cutting programs, while others are seeing drastically reduced budgets, and some high school coaches are even working for free. It seems like almost every program is feeling the pinch, so high schools, state associations, colleges, conferences, and even the NCAA are all trying to help by implementing cost cutting measures.

On the national high school front, New York and Delaware high school teams will play shorter regular season schedules in 2009-10. The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA), however, rescinded its decision to shave regular season schedules by 20 percent in late July, after a Title IX lawsuit was brought by a group of parents who alleged the cuts were unfair because football wasn’t included.

The state will still see a reduction in travel costs, which were trimmed when the FHSAA tightened up the state’s district assignments. “Transportation expenses are really eating us up right now,” says Mort Jackson, Head Coach and Athletic Director at Avon Park (Fla.) High School. “I think our furthest trip for baseball next year will be 50 miles, and last year we had three trips over 75 miles.”

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“We knew going into the year that we were short at the end of last year, so it was going to be tough funding spring sports,” Richardson told the Associated Press. “It looked like we’d cut spring sports, so we approached them with the idea that we would fundraise and do what we can to get through the spring and then look at the next budget cycle.”

A reduced season or having to commit to doing some extra fundraising would have been welcome news for players at the University of Northern Iowa and the University of Vermont, where the baseball programs were dropped for budgetary reasons after the season was over. The UVM team was part of a $10.8 million cut that also eliminated softball and 16 university jobs. Northern Iowa was given a chance to save itself by raising $1.2 million—the amount the school needed to sustain the team for three seasons—but fell short.

NCAA conferences are asking the Association for guidance in cutting costs, but not all are waiting for answers. Several Division I conferences have taken action on their own.

Conference USA, for example, is one of several who will see fewer teams at their championships in 2010—and possibly beyond. And hoping to save on travel costs, the Atlantic Coast Conference scrapped its plan to move the postseason tournament further from home to Boston in 2010.

The Division II Management Council is set to review a proposal co-sponsored by the Championships and Legislation Committees that would reduce the number of regular season contest dates in eight sports, including baseball, which would see its maximum

University of Vermont second baseman Brad Currier fields during a game last season. This spring, the Catamounts program was eliminated, along with the softball team, as part of a campus-wide budget cutback totaling over $10 million. Colleges and high schools nationwide are struggling with budget cuts amidst the economic downturn. number of games reduced from 56 to 50. The proposal, however, can’t be officially approved until the 2010 NCAA Convention in January.

“Life in the Balance” initiative, which urges member institutions to consider how much time student-athletes devote to athletics.

In the meantime, several Division II conferences have also taken measures into their own hands, including the Peach Belt Conference, which took the lead in limiting baseball and softball teams to only 50 regular season contests in 2010. Conference officials maintained the decision was made not only to help member schools contain travel costs, but also to stay in accordance with Division II’s

Division III is following suit. A proposal currently awaiting review by the Management Council would decrease the maximum number of regular season baseball and softball contests from 40 to 36, while also decreasing the number of contests needed to meet sponsorship requirements from 25 to 20. The Council is expected to send the proposal to a subcommittee for review this fall.

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AP Photo/Brian Jenkins

In Oregon, programs at multiple high schools appeared to be on the chopping block, until some coaches offered to sacrifice their paychecks. Mohawk High School Head Coach Jeff Litle saved his school approximately $3,000 by coaching for free, and McKenzie High School Head Coach and Athletic Director Cliff Richardson is putting his coaching salary and

athletic director stipend into a private bank account, with the intention of donating it back to the school if need be.

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LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD Division I APR Improves Unlike a pitching staff’s ERA, a high APR (academic progress rate) is cause for celebration.

So when the NCAA released its most recent APR scores in May, cheers erupted across Division I. Baseball has seen a 31-point jump in its single-year APR since 2004, an especially significant improvement when compared to football and men’s basketball, sports with comparable APR deficiencies, whose 18-point increases paled in comparison.

Another rule in the package that requires players be eligible academically in the fall to play baseball in the spring, was also cited as a major contributor. (A team’s APR is reduced when players lose academic eligibility or leave school for reasons other than graduation.)

Teams that score below 925 and have an academically ineligible student leave school can lose up to 10 percent of their scholarships through contemporaneous penalties. Teams that continue to post APR

The Georgia Tech team received high fives not only for its onfield performance last season, but also for its academic prowess, which landed the squad a Public Recognition Award from the NCAA in April when the latest round of Academic Progress Rate data was released.

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GeorGia Tech aThleTics

An academic reform package instituted this past school year is getting much of the credit for baseball’s improvement.

The number of transfers within the sport, which the Baseball Academic Enhancement Committee pinpointed as the big-

gest contributor to the sport’s past APR shortcomings, were significantly lower in 2007-08.

The elimination of the one-time transfer exemption means players who transfer to another Division I school must sit out for one year before competing for their new squad, which kept many players from leaving.

scores below 900 over time are subject to historically based penalties. According to the latest results, 12 baseball teams are subject to scholarship penalties. Seven other teams fall into the historical penalty category, which include further loss of scholarships and competition opportunities.

Beginning next season, coaches themselves will be on the hook for their team’s APR scores. Head coaches’ APR portfolios will be available on a publicly searchable Web site that will display the single-year APRs for each team a head coach has been associated with. The data is designed to provide athletic administrators and the public with a quick view of how a coach’s teams have performed academically.

Schools will be able to begin submitting information pertain-

ing to their head coaches this fall, which the coaches will have an opportunity to review. The database will become available with the release of team APR data in the spring of 2010.

“The point is to shine some light on coaches’ performances and to bring some accountability to it,” Walt Harrison, Hartford University President and Chairman of the NCAA’s Committee on Academic Performance, told the Associated Press. “It’s kind of like a lifetime batting average. It doesn’t tell you everything about how a hitter’s done, but it gives you a rough guide to their success.”

Coping In The Face Of Tragedy On March 21, tragedy struck at a Missouri high school game.

With a pitch coming high and

inside, 16-year-old Waynesville High School batter Patrick Clegg turned to avoid the blow. The ball hit the back of his head just below his batting helmet, knocking him to the ground.

team’s athletic trainer, called 911, instructed his assistant coach to take the team into the locker room, then phoned his principal with the news and waited with Clegg for emergency personnel to arrive.

Head Coach Scott Turner ran over to help, but within seconds realized the injury was far worse than he’d imagined. “I said, ‘Patrick, are you alright?’ but I didn’t get an answer,” Turner says. “Then he rolled over, and I could see his eyes were wide open and he was gasping for air. I knew something was very, very wrong.”

Over the next two days, as Clegg’s condition worsened, Waynesville stuck to its emergency plan. The night of the injury, Turner and his athletic director went to the hospital, where they met with Clegg’s family and waited close by for any change. The next day, Waynesville canceled Turner’s classes, freeing him to meet with players and students in his classroom and the athletic department office. Turner and the district’s crisis counselors met with the team that afternoon, and later the squad replaced the scheduled practice with a game of dodgeball and ate dinner together.

Nearing the end of his first season as Head Coach, Turner, also a business teacher at Waynesville, did exactly what he was supposed to do: He got help and followed the athletic department’s emergency plan. He summoned the home

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LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD Nothing could keep players from thinking about their teammate, but whenever possible, teachers, administrators, and coaches encouraged them to work through the experience as a team. “The key is to make sure your kids get the support they need, because they’re going to need a lot of help,” Turner says. “As teenagers, they don’t know how to handle a situation like this, and at first, they may not even realize how much it’s affecting them. They need to know that people grieve in their own way. Some will cry, some will laugh—everybody will handle the stress differently.”

Accountability Act, there was little information the school could share with its students, who were kept up to date through phone calls and visits to the hospital.

The story immediately became national news, and a district assistant superintendent took responsibility for all communication with the media. In compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and

“We played two games on Friday and two more on Saturday, and even though our minds weren’t really on the ballgames, it was important to stay together as a team,” Turner says. “We made it a point

Clegg was declared brain dead the next morning, and died when life support was removed a few hours later. That night, Turner delivered the bad news to his players, who unanimously voted to play the next day’s game in Clegg’s honor. They showed up at the team bus with Clegg’s number 27 painted in eye black on their faces, taped to their shoes, and embroidered onto their caps.

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Coaching Management

to not worry about winning, but just to take the field for the enjoyment of playing baseball with one another.”

The entire school grieved, and four days after Clegg’s death, the district hosted his funeral service in the high school gym, with speeches given by the team’s four seniors, who also served as pallbearers. Then, Turner finally got a good night’s rest.

“It’s been a rollercoaster, with a lot of ups and downs and very little sleep,” he says.

“The district administrators did a great job making sure everyone was taken care of. If we hadn’t had this system in place, the process would have been much harder.

“I hope no one else has to go through this,” Turner continues. “But you need to ask

yourself, ‘If this ever happened to my team, what would I do?

How would I handle it?’ You need to be ready to respond, so that when you look back later, you know you did everything you could.”

Home Clubhouse Advantage The University of Kansas went 25-3 at home this past season.

According to Head Coach Ritch Price, the biggest reason for the sterling record wasn’t knowing how the ball bounces off each wall or the rowdy crowds at Hoglund Ballpark pumping up the team. He credits the team’s newest addition.

“It’s because of our new clubhouse,” Price says. “The players live in there. It’s put some swagger in our program and instilled some pride in playing

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in Hoglund Ballpark that wasn’t there before.”

Jeff jacobsen/kansas athletics

The McCarthy Family Clubhouse, named after alumnus and donor Kent McCarthy and his family, opened in January after Price raised $1 million in alumni donations, which was matched by the athletic department. This is the second facilities upgrade for Kansas baseball since 2006 when the team added an $850,000 indoor practice facility.

Price, Associate Athletic Director Sean Lester, and a team of architects designed the twofloor, 4,000 square-foot clubhouse, which features new players’ and coaches’ locker rooms, a cardio room, academic study area, athletic training room, equipment room, terrace overlooking the field, and players’ lounge decked out with couches, flat screen

TVs, and an Xbox 360. Each room is named after a different donor, and the Jayhawks logo is emblazoned on the locker room floors, hallway floors, lockers, couches, and chairs.

“I wanted to make sure the facility was top notch,” Price says. “I wanted to build a clubhouse that had every amenity players need to develop their skills to the highest degree and make our program as successful as it can be.”

The clubhouse sits behind the home dugout, and while it may have provided some on-field confidence this past season, its biggest impact has been on those who have yet to suit up for the Jayhawks. “Three hours south of us is Wichita State University, which has one of the finest baseball facilities in America,” Price says. “Six hours away is the University of

The University of Kansas squad called the McCarthy Family Clubhouse home this past season. The facility, which opened in January, houses new locker rooms, an athletic training room, a study area, and a plush players’ lounge (above), complete with flat screen TVs and leather couches.

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Coaching Management

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LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD Arkansas, which may have the finest facility in the country, and three hours north of us, the University of Nebraska has a $30 million stadium.

“That’s three of the premier college facilities in the country at programs that recruit the same players we do,” Price continues. “This clubhouse influences players to pick Kansas rather than turn us down in favor of a place with a nicer facility. It’s taken our recruiting to the next level.”

For something that was so thoroughly planned, the clubhouse has created some surprises.

“We don’t build things very often that turn out better than expected, but this facility has turned out even better than I dreamed,” Price says. “Players call me on weekends to ask if they can take their parents in to show them around. That speaks volumes of how proud of the clubhouse they are.”

Must Read: State Rules

Butch dill/birmingham news photo

As anyone who coaches at the high school or college level knows, state association and NCAA bylaws can be long, complicated, and contain many gray areas. But that isn’t an excuse for not knowing—and following—your governing body’s rules. As some coaches learned this past season, not being up to date on policies and procedures can have severe consequences.

At Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.) High School, Head Coach Jason Estabrook’s team dropped from 20-17 to 0-37 after the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) determined three of its players violated the state’s dual-participation rule, which prohibits athletes from trying out for a college team or going to a college evaluation during the sport’s school season. Estabrook took three of his seniors to an evaluation at Belhaven

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College, an NAIA school where he used to coach.

“For the kids who can play at the next level, it’s my job to help them move on and find places to play,” Estabrook says.

“I knew of Alabama’s dualparticipation rule, but I didn’t know it was a violation for them to be under evaluation for less than an hour on a college field.”

In dealing with the fallout from the decision, Estabrook was careful to make sure the blame for the incident was placed squarely on his shoulders and not on those of the three players who were evaluated. “I asked my team not to point fingers, but if they wanted to, to point them at me,” he says.

“It’s ultimately the head coach’s responsibility to know the rules.

That mistake will never happen again in this program.

entire season after getting two plate appearances in a summer exhibition game between Southeastern Community College and the Burlington Bees, a Class A minor league team managed by Cody’s father, Jim. The Iowa High School Athletic Association prohibits high school players from playing with or against college players or teams in the same sport in an organized game. “It’s definitely unfortunate,” Notre Dame Head Coach Jeff Klein told The Hawk Eye. “I had no clue we were violating any state rule. If I did, I would have stopped it.”

Few coaches deliberately break the rules, but these two incidents demonstrate how easy it can be to do so inadvertently. “A lot of coaches have called to say they were thankful all of this came out because they were unsure about the rules themselves,” Estabrook says. “They couldn’t tell me how many times they had sent kids to colleges to work out.

Smaller colleges don’t have the recruiting budgets to see all the kids they want to, so they ask players to work out on their campuses, but we have to be careful. I think this was a big step for Alabama in clarifying what coaches can and cannot do.”

“Even though your intentions might be good, with so many rules and regulations out there, you really need to get clarification on what’s right and wrong,” he adds. ”We weren’t trying to break the rule—it was more of a misinterpretation than anything else.”

To avoid future misinterpretations, Estabrook has since gone through the entire state rulebook with a fine-tooth comb. He advises other coaches to do the same, and consult with colleagues if anything isn’t 100-percent clear.

“It’s a tough read, but you have to do it,” he says. “Now, before I make a decision on something I’m not completely clear about, I’ll consult the AHSAA, the handbook, or an administrator to make sure I’ve covered all my bases. I don’t ever want to go through that experience again because it was just devastating.”

Estabrook isn’t alone. In Iowa, Cody Gabella, a junior at Notre Dame High School in Burlington, was suspended for the

Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.) High School senior Ryan Brady works the mound during a game last season. The team was forced to forfeit all 20 of its wins after three players attended an evaluation on a nearby college campus—a violation of the state’s dual-participation rule. Hewitt-Trussville wasn’t the only team to inadvertently violate state association rules last year.

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Q&A

Britt Smith

Howard College

Howard College Head Coach Britt Smith knew he had a talented team on his hands this past year, but he never dreamed USA Today would follow his junior college squad’s progress on a daily basis. In fact, the Hawks made numerous national headlines in May when they went on a collegiate record 57-game winning streak to start the season.

During the streak, Howard won 25 games by 10 runs or more and scored in double digits on 40 occasions. The Hawks finished 63-1, capping the season with a perfect run through the NJCAA Division I World Series for the championship.

CM: Did the winning streak put a lot of pressure on your players?

Smith: Actually, it helped us. We clinched a playoff spot with five weeks to go in the season. If we had clinched that playoff spot and had two or three losses at the time, we’d have been playing meaningless games for the next five weeks. But since we were undefeated, every team played us like it was game seven of the World Series. It forced us to play at a really high level.

What did you tell the team when you finally lost a game?

Nobody ever expects to go undefeated for that many games. When Temple beat us in the Region V Tournament to force one final game, their pitcher threw really well and the balls we hit hard were hit right at the outfielders—repeatedly. I told the players, “Today was the first time in 58 games that we hit balls at defensive players. This could have happened 40 games ago. Enjoy it for what it was. We got beat.”

Howard has finished in the top five nationally in batting average in each of your six seasons. What is your offensive philosophy?

I’ve always been very aggressive offensively. I like to run, force teams to defend us, and apply as much pressure as possible. That means there are times we run ourselves into outs and we look like we don’t know what we’re doing.

In the first game at the World Series, for instance, we ran into trouble. We squeeze bunted into a double play with the game on the line. It seemed like we hit and ran

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The games weren’t all blowout victories, however. The team won three regular season games by just one run, and after suffering their first loss of the season to Temple College in the Region V Tournament, the Hawks pulled out a one-run, 10-inning nail-biter against Temple the next day to advance to the World Series.

The magical season improved Smith’s record in his sixyear reign as head coach at Howard to 259-90—the best winning percentage of any baseball coach in the college’s history. Smith, who is also the athletic director, coached at the NCAA Division I, Division II, and NAIA levels before finding his current home in Big Spring, Texas. His past positions include stints at his alma mater West Texas A&M University, Lubbock Christian University, and Texas Tech University.

on bad pitches every time. I could tell the kids were starting to get frustrated, so I reminded them that this is who we are, we’re just running into some bad luck. Once they settled down, everything ended up working out.

After moving around early in your career, why have you stayed at Howard the past six years?

I love the situation here. It’s a good job and the administration is great to work for. Any coach will tell you, no matter how good the job is, if your administration makes it hard on you, you feel like you’re getting burned at both ends. That’s not the case here. We have great support. Our president is probably our team’s biggest fan.

turned fundraising responsibilities over to each individual program.

What has been the biggest challenge of the extra role?

Time management. It’s so difficult, especially in the spring. I tell our coaches, “If you think I’m ignoring you, I’m not. If you

What makes a good administration?

They’re visibly supportive, but they don’t micromanage. They let you run your program the way it needs to be run and always support you.

All any coach can ask for is to have the support of their boss.

Why did you become Athletic Director three years ago?

When I got here, the school had gone through a couple of athletic directors in just a few years. The administration approached me about taking the job, and I was interested in providing some stability. But my background is not in administration, and I told them that going in. I wasn’t going to be the huge department fundraiser, so we

NJCAA All-American Will Calhoun connects for Howard College during a game last season. After starting the season with a 57-game winning streak, the Hawks went on to win the NJCAA Division I World Series trophy.

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Q&A need something, my cell phone is always on and my door is always open.”

As a coach, I understand there are times coaches need to feel their voice is being heard. I try to be there and approach them the same way our administration approaches me. I’m not going to tell them how to run their programs from day to day.

What is your philosophy on working with assistants?

I’m not a micromanager. I told them that when I hired them. If pitching is your deal, just tell me what name to write on the lineup and the rest is up to you. I hire my assistants to do their jobs. I’ll help, but I’m not going to step on anyone’s toes.

What is unique about coaching at the junior college level?

I’ve coached at all the college levels, and to me, there’s no comparison. I love junior college baseball. For one, we don’t have the same practice time limits. I really have the ability to spend time with my players and teach them the game. The time limits in NCAA Division I have basically turned it into a recruiting game.

There wouldn’t be so much turnover

and transferring at the Division I level if coaches actually had time to teach and evaluate their players.

I also feel that, at least in our conference, there’s a lot of camaraderie between the coaches because we’re all fighting the same fight. We want to beat each other, but it’s not uncommon for the guys in our league to have lunch or dinner together.

It’s not unusual for one coach to call another and say, “This kid isn’t going to play for us, but I know you guys are looking for someone at his position.” That doesn’t happen at the Division I level.

Do you recruit a lot of players who have aspirations of playing beyond Howard?

Most everybody we get is looking to play pro ball or transfer to a Division I school.

That doesn’t mean every player we get has the ability to do so, but that’s what they want to do. We try to be as honest as we can and sometimes that hurts players emotionally because we may be the first people to tell them they’re not going to play Division I or pro ball.

How do you help guide players to the next level?

One of the biggest things we emphasize is time management. We keep players’ days fairly regimented from before sunup to right after dinner. At that point, we tell them they better take care of their academics or they’ll be that much further behind because tomorrow’s going to start at the same time.

We also emphasize that baseball is a game—it’s not your entire life. It’s something you do, but it’s not who you are. We try to get them involved in the community. We visit elementary schools, have reading programs, and raise money for Relay for Life. We want them to know they can be a very productive part of a community, whether they play baseball or not.

How do you strike a balance between work and family?

My faith provides a lot of balance in my life. Our baseball practices are also very family friendly. I live about a mile from campus and my kids are at practice almost every day. Our players understand that family is more important to me than baseball. Hopefully that rubs off on them while they’re here.

You can’t win the game, if you can’t play the game.

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Circle No. 110 1 12Untitled-2 CoaChing ManageMent

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undreds of coaches from New York to North Dakota have learned the secret to running a more successful camp: Let someone else do most of the work. And while working less, they are making even more money.

“It’s not often you can work less and make more,” said Brad Allen, head coach at St. Joseph-Ogden HS in Illinois. “But we took a local clinic with 50 kids and turned it into a 300-player camp that attracts the top talent from all over central Illinois. We make ally easier to run now than it was then.”

For Allen and hundreds of others, the secret was partnering with U.S. Baseball Academy, a Louisville-based company that has been helping coaches run camps since 1988. In the past few years, its growth has been nothing short of explosive. Since 2002, the company has grown to 70,000 players in 25 states and boasts an impressive Advisory Staff that includes Don Mattingly, Paul O’Neill and Cy Young Award winner Branhave been thousands of college and high school coaches, who have earned $3.2 million in hosting fees in the past eight years.

U.S. Baseball Academy founder and President Marc Hoffman describes the concept as a kind of “camp in a box.” “We handle all the administrative functions that all coaches hate,” he said. “We not only give them the itinerary and equipment; we take care of advertising, marketing, registration, payments, T-shirts, insurance, and paying the instructors. The schools and coaches have no expenses, no risk, no phone calls from parents.

They keep the biggest slice of revenue, plus all the equipment when camp is over.”

The company is seeking new host locations for its rapidly expanding Spring Training program, which offers six days of hitting, pitching and catcher lessons to local players in grades 1 through 12. A typical site runs indoors for six Sunday afternoons between December and March, before high school or college play begins. Host schools typically attract 150 to 250 players from an hour’s radius and earn up to $10,000 for their local coaching staff. Because age groups are staggered throughout the day, there are never more than 50 players at a time, limiting the need for space.

U.S. Baseball Academy’s advisory staff includes stars such as Cy Young winner Brandon Webb

U.S. Baseball Academy Growth Chart Year

Total Players

Paid to coaches

2002

750

$33,750

2003

3,000

$135,000

2004

9,000

$405,000

2005

18,000

$810,000

2006

30,000

$1,350,000

2007

44,000

$1,980,000

2008

59,000

$2,655,000

2009

72,000

$3,240,000

“Sometimes coaches think they need a gihour, it’s really not much different than running a normal practice session in your gymnasium,” Hoffman said.

Parents pay only about $100 for the six one-hour lessons, with the largest slice of the pie going back to the host school and coaches. Hosting coaches can do whatever they want with the money, which generally ranges from $7,000 to $10,000. “Most coaches use some of the money to supplement their salaries,” Hoffman said, “but many put some or all of the money back into spring trip or new uniforms. We send their money before camp ends, and they determine who gets the checks.”

The company works like a franchise.

Coaches reduce their workloads because they don’t have to develop itineraries, brochures and handle administrative tasks.

They increase their numbers and revenue because of the panache of hosting a nationwide program.

“U.S. Baseball Academy made six weeks of instruction feel like it lasted only six hours,” said Youngstown State University assistant coach Craig Antush.

“The administrative staff is highly organized and efvery low-maintenance,” said Steve Farley, head coach at Butler University in Indianapolis and a host for six years. “We’ve been sold out each year.”

University of Findlay head coach Troy Berry agreed. “U.S. Baseball Academy has been nothing but great for our program. It has helped build relationships around the community and has been a great fundraiser.

They do all of the leg work and we get to do the fun stuff: coach the kids. I highly recommend getting involved with them.”

Hoffman said the company’s biggest obstacle to growth has been that coaches are sometimes skeptical, often questioning whether it’s too good to be true. Skip Bailey, athletic director at Monroe Community College in Rochester, N.Y., and an ABCA committee member, thought exactly that three years ago when he was head coach at the school. But 800 players attending three clinics has made him a believer.

“This was a home run for our baseball program,” Bailey said. “We have been running camps for 25 years, and these have been our best. I thought their ad was too good to be true, but I’m glad I made the call.”

The company hopes more coaches make the call, but don’t delay. Registration for Spring Training 2010 begins in September, October. To learn more, contact Director of Baseball Operations Joe Marker at 800-592sites@usbaseballacademy.com.

Visit the company’s web site at: www.usbaseballacademy.com.

University of Utah catcher C.J. Cron, who was named Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year in 2009, grabs a strike down the middle. Utes Head Coach Bill Kinneberg has had great fundraising success by putting on an annual banquet with guest speakers like Terry Francona and Cal Ripken. Photo by Matt A. Brown.

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COVER STORY

THE RIGHT PITCH

Fundraising isn’t a new concept for baseball coaches, but in today’s tough economy, a refresher course and a few new ideas can put you ahead of the game.

BY KYLE GARRATT ore than a few baseball teams have played enough fundraising golf tournaments to improve their team’s collective handicap by several strokes. Some coaches have hosted so many dinners they’re ready to open their own catering service. While these tried-and-true methods can still bring in cash, sometimes your fundraising efforts need a boost. Or in an economy like today’s, you simply have to hold more fundraisers.

Fundraising is always a must, poor economy or not, and everyone in your program should be aware of its importance. “It’s imperative to relay the significance of fundraising to your players,” says Andrew Simpson, Head Coach at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va. “This year, we held a meeting with the booster club two days after our season ended and went over the total cost for next season. We broke it down by cost per player and gave it to members as soon as possible so they would have a head start.”

If you’re feeling burned out on your current fundraising efforts or not seeing the revenue you’d like, you may just want to look for a new idea. “You need to find Kyle Garratt is an Assistant Editor at Coaching Management.

He can be reached at: kg@MomentumMedia.com.

COVER STORY

different projects that reach other people who may not have been approached before,” says Steve Koppes, Head Coach of Boise State University’s club team.

“And along the way, your team has to be something you are proud of, the community can be proud of, and your sponsors can be proud of.”

When times are tough, or you have your eye on a new pitching machine or batting cage, it helps to get creative, sell your program, and perhaps most important of all, show your gratitude. “The big thing with fundraising is making sure the people donating money understand how grateful you are,” says Western Nevada College Head Coach D.J. Whittemore.

“We certainly spend more time saying thank you these days.”

The Hits Keep Coming At T.C. Williams, Simpson spends the entire season trying to improve his players’ plate discipline. Then comes the Hit-A-Thon in early spring, which allows them to unleash and swing for the fences in the name of fundraising.

“It’s about the only time our players can hack away without being told to hit line drives or take the ball to right field,” Simpson says.

It is also the team’s signature fundraiser, which brought in $8,000 last season, the highest total in its eight-year history. Players recruit sponsors who either make a single donation or pledge a pre-designated amount based on how far the player hits the ball. Each player takes 10 swings and measures the distance of hits in fair territory. Community members can take five cuts at the rate of $10 for adults and $5 for kids, which also buys them an introduction by the public address announcer and personalized walk-up music.

“The Hit-A-Thon’s success is a byproduct of a great team effort between the community, our team, and the boosters,” Simpson says. “Since there is constant turnover on our roster, it’s our loyal sponsors that keep this going. Local companies really pitch in and support our program and the Little League field is right next to ours, so the players come

over with their parents and hit during the event.”

The Titans have always coordinated the event with opening day of the Little League season, with the hope that the young players will spill over. Weather derailed this arrangement last year and delayed the Hit-A-Thon to May, which turned into an unexpected benefit.

“Although there weren’t as many Little League players hitting, we were further into the season and it gave our players more time to collect pledges,” says Jim Clark, the team’s booster club president. “We made a little less money from kids paying to hit, but we made significantly more money with pledges.

It was also more festive and fun having it in warmer weather.”

Last year, coaches and players pitched to around 100 batters ranging in age from three to 60 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Each year, the pitchers will keep throwing until no one wants to hit anymore. The team also brings in money during the day by selling team merchandise and snacks, and holding a radar gun competition

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COVER STORY

with prizes for the fastest pitch. A coaches vs. varsity home run derby with bragging rights on the line caps off what has become quite the popular local event.

“The luxury we have is that by now, everyone knows we are going to hold a Hit-A-Thon,” Simpson says. “The city expects it, the players expect it, and everybody knows their roles. It gets easier and easier the longer we do it.”

participants, and handle other organizational tasks. Clark advertises the event through the Little League Web site, local newspapers, and posters around city ball fields. He is suggesting a permanent move to May in hopes that it will continue to grow in popularity.

“It’s important to treat it as an annual team building event for the players and social event for the parents,” Clark says.

but just before last year’s regional tournament players got a chance to raise funds in a different manner—by sharing their expertise. The team’s coaches and players held a clinic for a local Little League all-star team that consisted of the top players from five leagues in the area.

The Little League coaches got together and approached Koppes about having his team work with their players. Always

“The players are all invested and enthusiastic ... The money is great, but just as important, it gives kids a stake in their team. They feel like they’re really doing something to promote the squad.”

The event has raised the team’s stature in the community, too. “Part of our success this year was that we had a good season last year,” Simpson says. “We received more recognition in the local newspaper.

The excitement level about the baseball program is up, and that certainly helps.”

Members of the booster club sign up to staff the snack stand and radar gun competition, take donations from

“The players are all invested and enthusiastic, and they get competitive about raising money. The money is great, but just as important, it gives kids a stake in their team. They feel like they’re really doing something to promote the squad.”

Skills For Sale The Boise State club team does some of the usuals, like selling t-shirts and hats,

eager to raise money and the team’s profile, Koppes, his assistant coaches, and players led the 13- and 14-year-olds through the team’s daily warmup routine of stretching, running, and throwing, as well as cut-off, pick-off, base running, and position-specific drills. The players then broke into outfield, infield, and pitcher and catcher groups to teach the different skills.

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“Everybody involved with the clinic loves baseball and that made it successful,” Koppes says. “I explained who we were, and had players introduce themselves and tell the kids a little bit about their background to really tie them into the Little League experience and where they’ve gone since Little League. Then I backed off and let my players run the program.”

The one-day clinic helped cover costs for postseason play, including travel and umpires. And it went so well that the Broncos will continue to run clinics in the future with individual teams from the five leagues.

One of Koppes’s biggest tasks was teaching his players how to coach. “I told them to be more helpful than critical and give positive feedback,” he says. “I had my players explain things in

terms of cause and reaction rather than just saying, ‘You need to do this, you need to do that.’ They needed to realize they were dealing with children and their families, and create a professional, mature atmosphere, while still being able to relate to kids.

“A lot of these guys eventually want to coach and this was kind of a coaching class for them,” Koppes continues. “This served as a natural transition for them.”

Join The Club For an example of how to make your booster club effective, look no further than LaPorte (Ind.) High School, where the Dugout Club continues to draw big numbers—both in membership and dollars. “We get calls if a potential donor does not get solicited by one of our players,” says Head Coach Scott Upp.

“People call and say, ‘Nobody hit me up for the Dugout Club this year. Can someone come and see me?’”

The Dugout Club has become the cool thing to do at LaPorte. Upp says the club averages about 350 members each year and has topped 450 in the past.

Varsity players are largely responsible for recruiting members, who can join at different sponsorship levels.

Donors choose from the single, double, triple, home run, or grand slam levels for $15, $25, $50, $100, or $200, respectively. Each additional level earns more team memorabilia for the donor, including shirts, program guides, hats, stadium blankets, and more. Members are recognized in the program guide, and Upp says a big reason for the club’s success is that he doesn’t cut corners in terms of the gifts donors receive.

There are certain causes coaches never want to have to raise funds for. Just ask Head Coach Scott Winterburn and the University of La Verne baseball family.

Winterburn says the most difficult aspect was getting the word out. Through ULV’s alumni network and local television stations and newspapers, news of the upcoming game spread.

Last Christmas Eve, former ULV first baseman James Ortega was celebrating with his family at a holiday party when the ex-husband of one of his family members arrived dressed as Santa Claus armed with semiautomatic weapons. The ex-husband killed nine members of the Ortega family and set the house ablaze. James suddenly became the oldest member of his immediate family at 27, and Winterburn spent Christmas evening and the day after wondering what he could do to help.

Attendance was free and funds were raised at the game.

The Upland fire department cooked hot dogs and hamburgers, while the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers were among the local professional sports teams to donate team memorabilia and other prize packages for an auction. Many other local organizations donated auction items, and the event brought in around $17,000 for the James and Theresa Ortega Children’s Memorial Fund.

“A couple of former players came over to my house the day after Christmas and we were all asking, ‘How in the world are we going to help James and his family?’”

Winterburn says. “We decided to do what we do best: play baseball. We thought that if we played a winter baseball game, maybe people would come out because they had heard James’s story and wanted to help his family.”

The ULV baseball field was under construction, so the team decided to play an alumni game at Memorial Field in neighboring Upland. The game was held on a Saturday, the day after the team’s annual alumni golf tournament, and Winterburn says around 80 alumni came to play in two seven inning games. “We’ve always had a really tight alumni group and this school has reached into the community for years,” Winterburn says.

“When you tell people why you are fundraising, they can visualize what they are pitching in for and how they are helping,” Winterburn says. “In this particular case, it was not difficult to get people to give.”

City and university volunteers helped prepare the field and run the auction, but mother nature may have had the biggest assist of the day. “It rained hard for three or four days leading up to the event and we didn’t think we were going to get it in,” says Winterburn. “We got to the field at about 6:30 in the morning and there was literally a hole in the clouds around the field. It didn’t rain a drop for two games, and when we were done and cleaned up it started pouring. There was a very spiritual feeling that was not lost on the people who participated.”

A G R E AT E R C A US E 18

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“We sacrifice the extra profit for the quality of the items we give donors,” he says. “You can make more money by getting cheaper items, but if they’re high quality, people will continue to donate.

We try to change it up and improve every year so that whatever items we are giving appeal to donors.”

This isn’t the only facet of the club where baseball gear comes into play.

This past season, Upp instituted a plan to give players more incentive to recruit club members. Once a player signs up enough members who donate a certain amount, the player receives his practice gear and spikes for free. Upp set up several levels beyond that, with each one netting the player another piece of clothing or equipment. The top incentive is a $200 gift certificate for baseball gear, which a player gets when his contributions total $1,500.

“The system pushed those guys who were being lazy and not doing the fundraiser,” Upp says. “That’s extremely important because, let’s face it, we wouldn’t make it without fundraisers.

Kids who are 16 and 17 years old are probably at the most materialistic age of their lives. If they understand that the more money they raise, the higher quality things we are going to have, that motivates them.”

Upp recognizes that donors buying team merchandise helps with more than just the budget. “It’s promotional because all the items say ‘Slicer Baseball’ on them,” he says. “You see people driving around the community with Slicer baseball license plates on their cars or at the grocery store with Slicer t-shirts on.

It’s promoting our program as well as making money.”

Fundraising money goes toward improvements to the field and other facilities—something both players and Dugout Club members appreciate.

“Donors come to the ballpark and see what their money has done, and that helps the club continue to grow,” Upp says. “They see a new press box and know their donations went to that, or they see the players in nicer uniforms and can say, ‘I was a part of that.’”

Upp talks to merchandise representatives and donors to stay on top of trends and figure out which gifts are popular, but he knows the players have to convey the right message for the club to continue to flourish. “When kids solicit donors, they explain that without donations from the community we couldn’t have what we have,” he says. “When players deliver the items, they do so with a personal thank you or a note saying how much we appreciate their donation.”

Calling All-Stars A dinner and auction with a celebrity guest speaker rolls three great draws into one big event. At the University of Utah, Head Coach Bill Kinneberg has figured out how to make it the event of the year in Salt Lake City. It all starts with the speaker.

Kinneberg scored perhaps his biggest catch in 2004, the same year his friend, Boston Red Sox skipper Terry Francona, won the World Series. Kinneberg and Francona were teammates at the University of Arizona and still talk on a weekly

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basis. After the Red Sox won the title, Francona made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. “I talked to Terry the morning following the World Series victory and he said, ‘Hey, if I can do anything for you, let me know,’” Kinneberg says.

Francona returned to campus after his 2007 title, but is not the only big league headliner to speak to the Utes.

Hall of Famers Cal Ripken Jr., Harmon Killebrew, and Brooks Robinson have also given speeches at the annual dinner held just before the season. Kinneberg used a combination of personal ties, talent agencies, and luck to bring the legends to campus.

“Cal Ripken comes here every year to ski and a mutual friend called me and asked if there was a chance they could use our fieldhouse for a camp run by Cal,” Kinneberg says. “I said, ‘I’m sure there’s a chance we can, if Cal will speak at my banquet.’ Harmon has a tie here because his daughter lives here. He also grew up in Idaho and a couple kids on our team are from Idaho and their fathers know him.”

Utah’s Crimson Club funds all the

school’s teams, so when Kinneberg planned the first dinner in 2004, he didn’t view it as a fundraiser. “It started as a kick-off dinner for baseball,” he says.

“Generating publicity is the number-one objective and I think we are accomplishing that. People in Salt Lake City now look forward to that night and really enjoy it.”

Around 240 people attended the initial dinner and the 2007 crowd was the largest yet, drawing over 400 guests.

Diners pay $100 a plate and have the chance to bid on three to four auction items. The staple item, annually donated

by Francona, is tickets to a weekend series at Fenway Park that includes a trip onto the field for batting practice.

Francona’s second appearance brought in close to $50,000, and the night typically yields $20,000 to $26,000.

The coaches and players enjoy the banquet like the rest of the party-goers and typically hear a speech that is partially motivational, but mostly chock full of entertaining stories from the big leagues.

Kinneberg usually has a lunch meeting

with the speaker to discuss the evening, but has little influence outside of that.

“The speakers have done a tremendous job and their speeches have been great,” he says. “They have worked the crowd better than I could have imagined. For instance, at the end of the night Cal Ripken spoke, he said, ‘I have taken a lot of pictures and signed a lot of autographs, but I will stay here until everyone has what they need.’ He sat there for another hour and a half, and we hadn’t asked him to do that.”

Kinneberg does most of his work and worrying before dinner is served. “The most stressful thing is that I want it to be a great event,” he says. “I always worry about making sure the speaker is taken care of, but the most difficult part is marketing and selling tickets.”

To help with advertising, the athletic department announces the upcoming dinner at football and basketball games.

Kinneberg notifies the local newspaper, as well as Crimson Club members and baseball alumni.

“It’s a lot of work, but when it’s all

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over and we had a successful banquet, it’s all worth it,” he says. “Prior to each dinner I think, ‘This is my last one, I’m not doing this again.’ And as soon as it’s over people ask me who is coming next year. That gets me thinking and then I’m ready to do it again.”

Strength in Numbers None of the teams at Western Nevada receive state funding. The college’s fundraising staff consists of two people, both of whom wear several other hats. So being creative is essential, and Helain Jesse, Vice President of Development & External Affairs, certainly was when she thought up her latest fundraiser by drawing inspiration from the past and present.

“One of our donors said he used to donate $100 a month to the local art center by simply charging his credit card,” she says. “I thought, if I could get people to donate $100 a month, that wouldn’t be a bad deal.’ Then I thought of the Spartan 300, and how the Spartan army stood against the Persian empire in one of history’s most famous last stands.

“They showed enduring courage against overwhelming odds, and that’s how I felt,” Jesse continues. “Here we are, facing these huge obstacles, but I do think we can do it.”

This one-person brainstorming session ended up spawning the Wildcat Athletics Spartan 300 club. Members of the club pledge to donate $100 a month for five years. Each pledge is known as a “shield” and only 300 will be sold.

“The thinking was, ‘Be one of 300,’” Jesse says. “Are you willing to be part of that core group of people who believe that intercollegiate athletics at the junior college level is worth fighting for?”

Jesse started the club, which helps fund baseball and softball, in June 2008, and recruited 38 members in the first year. These donations account for about 20 percent of all athletic funding. When the club reaches 300, members will have their names inscribed on a “Shield of Honor” display on the Carson City campus. Donors receive Wildcat clothing, season tickets for baseball and softball games, a night in a luxury box at a local

minor league game, and entrance to a special reception at the annual athletic fundraising dinner in January.

The perks are nice, but recruiting donors is about making them believe they are giving to a good cause. “You do that three ways,” says Whittemore, who is also a member of the Spartan 300.

“Number one, you win. Number two, you graduate your players and excel in the classroom. And number three, you give back to the community.”

Jesse is confident she will build her army of 300 by highlighting the monthly donation structure and the importance of athletics. “You have to make donating palatable and make the case that yours is a good institution to give to,” she says.

“Since we started athletics in 2002, we have attracted 45 percent more students right out of high school. In terms of economic, social, and cultural development, there are so many benefits of an educated populous, so it’s not hard to sell. People see what intercollegiate athletics has done for this school and this community.” n

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COACH DAD

Coaching your son can be a rewarding experience, as long as both of you are prepared for the unique challenges your relationship may face.

I

BY dr. larrY lauer t is the start of preseason and there are 101 tasks to be completed. One of those early sea-

PAULA JOST

son hurdles, the parents meeting, is usually a no-brainer. You have always felt comfortable walking into a room full of your studentathletes’ parents and discussing your rules and philosophy.

But this year, the thought of the meeting is accompanied by some anxi-

ety. One of the members of the current squad is your son, and it’s a situation you’ve never faced before. A friend tells you there is talk that you have already decided your child will be the starting pitcher. Another rumor is that your son and his friends are receiving preferential treatment in practice.

Coaching is a tough job. Unlike most professions, you work with young people under public scrutiny. Furthermore,

people tend to measure success and failure only by what is on the scoreboard, not the teaching you do in practice. In many communities, your moves are criticized more than the mayor’s!

Now you are going to add to the pressure by coaching your own child?

Sharing a team experience with a son can be a wonderful, positive opportunity, but it can also be a disaster. Before you embark on the endeavor, there are

Larry Lauer, PhD, is Director of Coaching Education and Development at the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan State University, where one of his research interests is parents’ involvement with their children’s athletic teams. He can be reached at: lauerl@msu.edu.

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some areas to think through and decisions to be made.

Pros & Cons Veteran high school and collegiate coach Jerry Reeder is a proponent of coaching one’s own child. He has coached his two sons, and encourages other coaches to do the same.

“It is an opportunity to share in their successes and failures, and it strengthens your bond with your child,” Reeder says.

“You can laugh and cry with them and that is what makes a relationship stronger. It is a fantastic opportunity most parents don’t get to have.”

There are other benefits, too. A child can learn to understand and respect the father’s profession. And the parent can have new insight into his child’s interactions with teammates, authority figures, and opponents. Furthermore, parentcoaches can observe, in the trenches, their child’s reactions to losing, winning, and many other situations that reveal their character. It can also help parents form a less biased view of their child’s abilities.

On the flip side, coaching your son can put you, your child, and the team in a precarious position. The most obvious concern is the almost automatic reaction from others that your child will receive favoritism—a starting position and playing time without having to compete for them.

Reeder feels this is the greatest threat.

“You have to do your best to negate any perceived favoritism,” he says. “If you don’t, it can divide a program.”

Rumors and second-guessing come quickly when the coach’s child is in the starting lineup. It is often fueled by parents who are frustrated their own child is not receiving playing time. Players on the bench may also begin to question why the coach’s son is playing, and most importantly, question the coach’s fairness.

Several years ago in Indiana, a basketball coach’s son was sitting on the bench after having just broken a county scoring record, when a player on the court passed the ball to the seated teammate.

The gesture was meant to show the team’s

frustration with the coach, whom many felt was making his son the sole focus of the team’s offense. The student section erupted in laughter and it turned out that parents were also involved in initiating the prank. Although those involved were disciplined by the school and the athlete went on to play NCAA Division I ball, I’m sure the embarrassment of the player and coach have stayed with them and soured the team experience.

The second concern comes from a reaction to perceived favoritism: being too hard on your child. Parent-coaches can be tougher on their kid because they expect more, putting more pressure on the child. The frustration of the child is, “Why do you expect more of me than anyone else?”

Coach Reeder sometimes found himself being hard on his sons. His boys would be the first to sit if the game was out of hand. He cautions that this can be detrimental to family life, creating tension between parent and child, and even between spouses.

This leads to the third concern, which

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is the inability of the adolescent to separate the parent’s coaching role from the parenting role. At practice, you may give your child negative feedback, thinking what’s on the field stays on the field. In reality, it does not.

“You are not going home with the other athletes on the team and living with them 24/7,” Reeder warns. “The situation can put pressure on the child and strain the parent-child relationship.”

Is It Right For You? So how do you know if the positives will outweigh the negatives for you and your child? To start, take some time to think about why you want to coach a team with your child on it.

If the reason is to make sure your son reaches his potential and goes on to the next level, you may be heading down the wrong road. If it’s because you want to mend a difficult relationship you have with your child, that’s another misguided reason. However, if you have been coaching the team for a while, your relationship with your child is on solid ground,

and you like the idea of sharing the team experience with him, you are off to a good start.

The next step is to think about how the situation will affect your son. Talk openly to your child about the realities of coaching him, and the payoffs and pitfalls. And then, listen. Some children handle being coached by a parent better than others. It is your job to find out if your child is willing and able.

Sometimes, a parent is eagerly anticipating coaching their child on a varsity team, not realizing that the child is actually dreading it. Teenage years are often ones of learning to be independent of your parents, and having a parent involved in your extracurricular activity can cause resentment. On top of that, the child may worry that he will be treated differently by friends on the team if Dad is the coach.

In addition, discuss the situation with your spouse. Talk honestly about whether your child will be able to deal with the prospect of you being tough on them in practice and not dwelling on it at home.

Consider these questions: n Knowing my child, how will he respond to me as a coach? n Will my child be able to separate my parent and coach roles? n How well will I be able to separate my roles as coach and parent? n Will this create strain within our family?

Finally, assess how the parent-coach role will work for you. Think about what type of coach you are and whether that will create strain between you and your child. For example, are you overbearing as a coach? If you are, you likely will be too hard on your child.

Also, consider how the other members of the team, and their parents, would respond to you coaching your own child. For example, is your child a borderline starter? If he is a star player, questions of favoritism are usually moot.

However, if he is battling for a starting position or playing time, then you may face criticisms of being unfair. Will these be surmountable?

Keep in mind that a longtime coach

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with a history at a school will be given more leeway and respect that he is coaching the team, not just his child. If you choose to coach a team just as your son

headlong. Instead, you need to prepare a game plan so that the situation does not negatively affect your relationship with your child, the team, or your child’s performance.

Reeder feels that laying out ground rules is particularly imporIt’s important to be ready to tant. First, you have to know how shift into specific roles. When you are going to deal with any team-related disciplinary issues coaching, take a coaching involving your child. In Reeder’s mindset and treat your child case, he had his assistants handle it to help keep the parent and like any other member of the coach roles separate. team ... When you are a parent, The second ground rule provide unconditional love and Reeder communicated to his sons was that they must treat him support away from the field. like any other coach and not expect preferential treatment. At joins it, parents will assume you place this time, a coach may even want to talk your child’s interests first and you will about why he might be a little harder on have to prove otherwise. the child and how that shouldn’t be taken personally, but as an attempt to make the Laying The Groundwork team realize there is no favoritism.

For those brave of heart and willing Another area to navigate is how to to coach their child in interscholastic best separate the parent and coach roles. sport, you still should not jump into it For Reeder, it worked well for his sons to

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call him “Coach” while around the team.

“When we stepped on the practice field, I was Coach Reeder, not Dad,” he says.

“That’s how they would address and treat me.”

It’s also important for the coach to be ready to shift into the specific roles. When coaching, take a coaching mindset and treat your child like any other member of the team, always being realistic about his playing abilities. Reeder mentioned that he makes it a point to not single out any player, and he did the same with his boys.

He attempted to praise the team effort to avoid perceptions of favoritism.

And when you are a parent, be a parent. Provide unconditional love and support away from the weightroom or field.

Try not to bring things home that happened in practices and games. Refrain from turning dinner table conversation into coaching critiques. And talk about things other than sport with your child.

Another tactic to laying solid groundwork is to have your spouse less involved in the sport experience. That way they can take the pressure off and empha-

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size other aspects of the family such as school, friends, hobbies, and so forth.

Finally, consider communicating openly about the situation with your team. And when meeting with parents, be clear about how you will determine playing time and starting positions. Clarify that assistants have a role in making these decisions and will help to keep it fair.

Finally, reinforce the fact that the athletic director will be monitoring the situation to make sure it is handled well.

In-Season Assessment Having ground rules in place will set you on the right course for this endeavor, but you will also need to assess the situation throughout the season. While coaching, it is important that you become very observant of your behaviors and of your child’s reactions. Is your child feeling pressure? Do problems at practices or games carry over to home? Are your conversations dominated by sport? Is the team becoming divided or isolating your child? Is your child not talking to you, or always arguing with you?

It’s a great idea to ask a trusted assistant to observe you while coaching to see if you are playing favorites, or are being too tough on your child. Sometimes it is hard to be self-aware when you are in the middle of coaching.

If any problems arise, it is time to adapt and have a heart-to-heart with your child. Revisit the discussions you had before you made the decision to coach your child so you can both think through your actions. Talk about how you both might do a better job of separating the coach and parent roles. If needed, meet with the team and talk about fairness issues and how you are attempting to treat everyone equally.

If rumors surface that you are playing favorites, it is important to address this head on, even though it will be uncomfortable. Talk to trusted parents about what the concerns are and if they are related to any particular coaching decisions or practices. Then, determine how best to squash the rumors. Do you meet privately with those frustrated with the situation? Do you set a team meeting to

discuss concerns and detail your process for playing time decisions? The answer will depend on your team.

A proactive way to minimize rumors is to have an e-mail newsletter sent to all team members’ parents discussing your philosophy, training methods, and how the season is progressing. If you create this informational newsletter, however, do so with caution. Be sure you are not divulging too much information or confidential discussions. Moreover, it should be matter-of-fact in its tone and not a letter defending every move you make.

Coaching your child can be a wonderful experience, but it can also create problems, some of which are not completely within your control. Your child will experience your involvement differently than any other player you have coached. But, if you think through the decision, lay the groundwork, and monitor the situation, it can be some of the best times of both of your lives. n Versions of this article are also appearing in other editions of Coaching Management.

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OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE

Strength Through Sleep

NAOMI SHEA

I

n the past decade, recovery has become one of the hottest buzzwords in the athletic performance world. athletes today go to great lengths to ensure that their post-workout habits help them recover optimally after practices, weightroom sessions, and games—whether that means following a special nutrition program, performing a carefully planned cooldown routine, or using a modality such as hydrotherapy.

CoachesNetwork.com

BY Art Horne

Recent research shows that there is one very easy way for an athlete to enhance his workouts and performance: by getting a full night of uninterrupted sleep.

With so much time and money spent on recovery aids like these, it’s ironic that many athletes overlook the most easily accessible, affordable, and timetested recovery booster of all: sleep. and the value of sleep isn’t limited to recovery. study after study shows that a good eight hours of shut-eye is critical to putting forth a strong practice or gameday performance.

Yet how many athletes on your team truly take advantage of this information?

If you’ve ever looked around your team

bus and seen heads bobbing up and down as players doze off during even short trips, it probably means they are sleep deprived.

By educating your athletes on the topic, you can help them realize that better sleep habits—or “sleep hygiene,” as our team physician dr. Gian corrado has called it—can be a secret weapon to Art Horne is Associate Director of Sports Medicine at Northeastern University. He can be reached at: a.horne@neu.edu.

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improve performance and recovery. The latest research on how sleep affects mental and physical ability suggests that the time athletes spend on the pillow can be just as important as the time they spend on the field and weightroom.

Sleep 101 Let’s begin with a short primer on exactly how sleep works. Every human brain has a built-in clock called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which regulates our circadian rhythm. The SCN is located in the brain’s hypothalamus, just above where the optic nerves cross—and that’s important, because light exposure is one factor that can greatly affect circadian rhythms and feelings of sleepiness or alertness.

If you could remove all the external elements of daily life that affect sleep patterns, including stress, schedule demands, alarm clocks, and next-door neighbors’ barking dogs, research indicates that most adults would sleep for about eight hours a night (slightly more according to some studies), and high school and

college students would sleep for approximately nine hours. This amount of time produces optimal physical and mental health, and in an ideal world, it’s the goal everyone should strive for.

What exactly goes on during those hours? Analysis of brain activity during sleep reveals that it can be broken into five unique stages. Stages one and two comprise what is commonly referred to as light sleep, and stages three and four constitute deep sleep. The fifth stage, rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep, is the dreaming stage, and in most cases it occurs only after we have passed through the first four stages. During a typical night of undisturbed sleep, we complete the five stages of sleep roughly every 90 minutes.

Each stage has its own function, and stages three and four—deep sleep—are of particular importance to athletes.

This is when the natural physical and mental processes of restoration are at their peak, and when growth hormone secretion occurs. Growth hormone is

On the physical side, sleepdeprivation studies have shown that the primary negative effect of sleep debt is a decrease in time to exhuastion during activity.

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essential for building and rebuilding muscle and other body tissue, so when an athlete doesn’t sleep long enough to complete several cycles of deep sleep, they deprive themselves of key physiological benefits.

In Debt Anyone who has pulled an all-nighter is familiar with the concept of “sleep debt.” When the body fails to get an adequate amount of shut-eye, everything from mood to cognitive function to motor skills can suffer. But what about athletic performance in particular?

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From a clinical perspective, the actual definition of sleep debt is still up for debate. Several researchers have attempted to set parameters for it and quantify its effects, while others have questioned whether the concept is scientifically valid at all. For this discussion, we’ll define sleep debt as what happens when “how much a person should sleep” and “how much they actually do sleep” are different

enough that physical and mental effects are noticable.

For athletic performance, both the physical and mental dimensions are important. On the physical side, sleepdeprivation studies have shown that the primary negative effect of sleep debt is a decrease in time to exhaustion during activity. In prolonged performance tests, subjects who have gotten less sleep consistently tire more quickly than those who have gotten more.

Other key physical parameters, such as power output and aerobic and anaerobic performance, are not usually impacted by mild to moderate lack of sleep.

However, ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) are almost always affected when a significant sleep debt is present: Athletes feel they are working harder when sleep deprived, even if performance metrics say otherwise. Some study authors have attributed this to a self-fulfilling prophecy, since tired athletes expect physi-

The mental effects of sleep debt, meanwhile, are much more pronounced. Research has shown that reaction time, stress level, alertness, irritability, and overall energy level or vigor are all negatively affected by sleep deprivation.

cal activity to be more strenuous and difficult due to their tiredness.

The mental effects of sleep debt, meanwhile, are much more pronounced.

Research has shown that reaction time, stress level, alertness, irritability, and overall energy level or vigor are all negatively affected by sleep deprivation.

And for sports like baseball, in which a line drive could be coming in the blink of an eye and concentration is at a premium, this is important. For example, one study found that chronically sleepdeprived people were outperformed on a reaction time test by well-rested people who were above the legal alcohol intoxication limit for driving at the time.

Sleep debt can also wreak havoc on another key process for athletes: motor learning. It’s well known that practicing a given skill leads to improved proficiency, and that the passage of time after practicing further enhances the gains—this is one of the concepts behind “muscle memory.” But a recent landmark study suggests it’s not the passage of time itself that makes the difference, but rather

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time spent asleep that causes additional proficiency gains to occur.

In the study, two groups were tested on a specific motor skill, and then retested doing the same skill 12 hours later. Members of the first group were initially tested at 10 p.m. and went to sleep shortly afterward. Members of the second group were initially tested at 10 a.m. and did not sleep afterward.

When the groups were re-tested, those who had slept showed a statistically significant improvement in performance, while those who had not slept showed no improvement. However, it’s interesting to note that after 24 hours, once members of the second group had gotten a good night’s sleep, their performance at the skill improved significantly as well.

Perhaps most notable of all, several studies have shown that test subjects who suffer cognitive and motor impairment due to sleep debt are often unaware of their decreased ability. This might help explain why athletes don’t take sleep habits as seriously as they should. They don’t

realize how much a lack of sleep may be hampering their alertness, mental processing speed, reaction time, and other skills essential to athletic success.

Better Nights Ahead If you could improve athletes’ sleep habits simply by summarizing the research described in this article and then telling them to hit the hay, I could stop here. But in reality, most sleep-deprived athletes got that way because they don’t know exactly what they’re doing wrong.

The first priority to address is time devoted to sleep. The aforementioned goal of nine hours per night for teens and college students will seem unrealistic to many, but the closer they can come to that number, the better they’ll feel and the more they’ll enjoy the health, recovery, and performance benefits of sleep.

Consistency in sleep time is valuable as well. Going to bed and waking up at the same time every

day takes maximum advantage of the body’s natural circadian rhythm, while having different bedtimes and wake-up times every day can throw off the internal clock. Once a routine is established, athletes will find they are able to fall asleep more quickly and sleep more soundly through the night.

Remember how the suprachiasmatic nucleus is located near the optic nerves?

Even small amounts of light can affect levels of melatonin, the major hormone

Even small amounts of light can affect levels of melatonin, the major hormone that regulates sleepiness, and that’s just one example of why creating the right sleeping environment must be a priority.

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Well-rested athletes may soon find they’re recovering faster after workouts and performing with greater proficiency. that regulates sleepiness, and that’s just one example of why creating the right sleeping environment must be a priority as well. This can be difficult for studentathletes, particularly college students living in dorms, so here are some helpful tips to pass along: n Eliminate as many light sources as possible when going to bed. This means turning off computer monitors, using dark curtains over dorm windows, and even rolling up a towel and putting it at the base of the door to block light from the hallway. n Try wearing soft foam earplugs to eliminate nighttime noises that might

interrupt your sleep. Or, if you’re used to some ambient noise at night, use a fan, humidifier, or other appliance that creates “white noise” to make you more comfortable. n Turn off the ringer on your phone(s) before going to bed.

Remember that interrupted sleep can deprive you of the deeper stages of the sleep cycle, which have crucial . n Engage in progressive relaxation activities as you prepare to go to sleep.

Being very physically active late at night, exposure to bright light right before bed (for instance from a computer monitor or television), or eating less than two hours before bedtime can delay “sleep latency,” making it harder to fall asleep and robbing you of total sleep time. n Set the room at a cool, comfortable temperature for sleep. Some people prefer warmer sleep environments than others, so when your team travels, try to find a roommate with a similar temperature preference.

Much To Gain Serious athletes will do whatever they can to get better at their sport. That’s why they come early to practice and stay late, wear themselves out in the weightroom, and spend countless hours honing their skills on their own. It’s your job to help them realize that devoting more time to sleep isn’t being lazy or slacking off.

Luckily, the research suggests that a moderate sleep debt can be cured with just a few consecutive nights of prolonged sleep. And once athletes develop better sleep habits, the performance advantages should show themselves fairly quickly.

Well-rested athletes may soon find they’re recovering faster after workouts, performing sport skills with greater accuracy and proficiency, enjoying improved cognitive and motor function, and feeling better all day long. n A version of this article was previously published in Training & Conditioning, a sister publication to Coaching Management.

Versions of this article are also appearing in other editions of Coaching Management.

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Case study

Turf Maker Goes to Bat for Diamond Nation

Photo courtesy of Diamond Nation

It wasn’t exactly tied at the bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, full count kind of pressure, but when you consider the scope of the project, it’s clear that the stakes were high. With more than 1.2 billion fiber blades, three million pounds of rubber and sand infill mix, and nearly 4,000 man-hours, the stage was being set for America’s favorite pastime to take root in Flemington, N.J. For a national synthetic turf field builder, building any field is a labor of love. But building the fields at Diamond Nation, a premier baseball and softball tournament and training facility, was love times six. Spanning 65 acres, the Diamond Nation project called for a half dozen new A-Turf synthetic fields to be installed, creating the largest baseball and softball complex on the east coast.

Diamond Nation is home to the nationally renowned Jack Cust Baseball Academy, as well as the new Jennie Finch Softball Academy. Billed as a one-of-a-kind sports complex, it features six exclusive A-Turf synthetic grass baseball and softball fields.

Of the six new fields, four are 90-foot fields at 110,455 square feet, and two are 60- or 70-foot fields at 45,085 square feet.

The new fields join a seventh synthetic turf baseball field near Diamond Nation for an impressive total of more than 640,000 square feet of all-weather synthetic turf.

Each of the 90-foot baseball fields is designed with the unique ability to be converted into two little league size fields, each with its own backstop, dugout, and bullpens. This feature allows the complex to host up to 12 games simultaneously and provides the versatility to accommodate both baseball and softball games.

For A-Turf, successfully managing a field installation project of this scope meant tapping into a few crucial factors that differentiate the company in the marketplace: expertise and experience in handling multi-field installations, superior craftsmanship, and great attention to detail.

“As the field builder for Diamond Nation, it was our job to take what looked great on paper and make it a reality in the field,” says Jim Dobmeier, President and Founder of A-Turf.

“Anyone familiar with specialty construction understands that is often easier said than done.”

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Knowing what works and what doesn’t separates the most successful from the rest. While a project of this size is handled in different ways depending on the general contractor, every successful field installation begins and ends with good communication. For each of the six fields installed at Diamond Nation, great coordination was required with a multitude of trades, including the site contractor, engineers, excavators, lighting, fencing, and more.

“We had a lot of material—more than 80 trucks of it— coming to the job site, and sound pre-planning was critical,” explains Dobmeier. “Knowing the right time to ship and how to stage the material for efficient and effective offload and installation is an essential part in project management.

Downplaying the importance of logistics can be a costly mistake.”

For every detail you can control, there is another you can’t.

The Diamond Nation project began and ended in what’s now being referred to by some as the rainy season for New Jersey and surrounding states. Despite one of the wettest springs and summers in recent history, the installation continued, which might just serve as a testament to the allweather aspects of the new fields.

“For a tournament facility, the fewer the delays, the better,” says Dobmeier. “It was important that the fields at Diamond Nation provide optimal play regardless of weather and continual use. They have that, and with A-Turf, they can count on that for a very long time.”

A-Turf P.O. Box 157 Williamsville, NY 14231 888-777-6910 Fax: 716-204-0189 info@aturf.com www.aturf.com

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ShopExtraInnings.com • 877-SHOP-EI-1 www.shopextrainnings.com Circle No. 500

Shoulder Power

Develop dynamic strength through the throwing motion with the Power Throw-Ball from Power Systems. Available in baseball and softball sizes, these weighted balls make an excellent tool for strengthening or rehabilitating the shoulder. Color-coded by weight, the balls are sold individually in seven-, 14-, and 21-ounce sizes or in sets of three with a carrying bag. These durable balls are constructed with a rugged vinyl shell and filler material. Power Systems • 800-321-6975 www.power-systems.com Circle No. 501

Get a Grip Hot Glove Tourna Grip II is a very sticky, tacky, absorbent bat handle overgrip that actually gets better when you sweat.

There’s no longer any need for gloves or messy pine tar. It’s thin enough to wrap over your original synthetic bat grip.

Unique Sports Products • 800-554-3707 www.hotglove.com Circle No. 502

Resistance Works Professional sports teams and international Olympians train and condition with TurfCordz to increase speed, endurance, and flexibility through explosive start drills, footwork exercises, and simulated play action. Developed by NZ Mfg., a leader in resistance training and physical rehabilitation products, TurfCordz provide maximum function and comfort while withstanding the rigorous demands of team, clinic, and personal use. NZ Mfg. also engineers StrechCordz and MediCordz resistance products. NZ Manufacturing, LLC • 800-886-6621 www.nzmfg.com Circle No. 503

CAPTURE THE GREAT MEMORIES FROM THIS SEASON

N A IA D IV IS IO N

CoachesNetwork.com

I M E N ’S B A SK E T B

2009 TOU RNAMENT A LL N AT IO N

AL CHAM PI O

N SH IP

JJoolloonn FFrriiaars rs

Make a book for YOUR Team! myTEAMBOOK.net

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Circle No. 142

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CoaChing ManageMent

35

te am equipment

Whatever You Need

For That Custom Look

Factory-Direct Value

Pro Look Baseball is where tradition meets innovation. Combine the latest in materials technology with the unique ability to create any style uniform for one low price, and you get an unmatched uniform ordering experience. Pro Look uniforms are so good that they’re backed with a four-year manufacturer’s warranty. Call today for your free custom mock-up. Pro Look Sports • 800-PRO-LOOK • www. prolooksports.com Circle No. 504

In five short years, Prep Gear Headwear has become a national leader in factory-direct headwear products for high schools and institutions. At Prep Gear, each hat is assembled from scratch using the highestquality materials and expert craftsmanship. In today’s economy, why pay an extra mark-up when you can buy premium products direct from the factory? Call or go online for more information.

Prep Gear Headwear • 800-279-7060 www.prepgear.com Circle No. 505

Your X Factor

YOUR COMPLETE BASEBALL SUPPLY HEADQUARTERS

The X-Ladder from Power Systems features three separate sections for setting up multiple configurations, so athletes can perform forward, backward, and lateral movement patterns in the same run. Two sections measure 67 inches and one measures 158 inches. They attach together with buckles. The ladder has high-impact round PVC rungs that stay fixed and provide instant feedback when stepped on. The X-Ladder comes with its own carrying bag.

Power Systems • 800-321-6975 www.power-systems.com Circle No. 506

Reverse It

We specialize in secure online sales of sporting goods and sports equipment for individuals, teams, and schools.

Netting Baseballs Bags Bats

Gloves Field Equipment Mounds Softballs

Bases & Plates Batting Cages Pitching Machines Training Aids / Books / Videos

Quick service and quality products are our trademark.

In business since 1993, we have 10,000 customers and would be honored to add Y-O-U. Most orders shipped within 24 hours by UPS. Come join our team and play BetterBaseball!

Pro Look reversible jerseys are built to perform on the diamond. The company is so sure of the quality that these jerseys are backed with a four-year manufacturer’s warranty. Pro Look can make any style jersey into a reversible jersey, and won’t drain the budget while getting you the look you want. Contact the company today to request your free mock-up.

Pro Look Sports • 800-PRO-LOOK www.prolooksports.com Circle No. 507

800-997-4233

Visit our online auction at: www.BetterBaseball.com Circle No. 133

36 Coaching Management BetterBaseball_CM1509.indd 1

9/19/07 2:55:19 PM

CoachesNetwork.com

New ProductS

Jaypro sports disengaging Bases

the Benchcoach

Unique features: • Fully compliant with Little League Rule 1.06 • Designed to compress and disengage from the bottom of the base upon impact • Absorbs the impact of the base runner’s slide Benefits for the user: • Disengaging the base virtually eliminates sliding injuries • Extremely durable and cost-effective • Used for all levels of play, including youth, high school, and softball Jaypro Sports, LLC www.jaypro.com 800-243-0533 Circle No. 510

N e w

Unique features: • Team-centered dugout organizer that holds all players’ game equipment • Assign individual compartments with customized name cards featuring player name, number, and team logo • Portable, lightweight, and durable • Takes less than a minute to set up and take down Benefits for the user: • Brings big league order to your dugout • Facilitates quicker inning transitions Woodhaven Sports www.thebenchcoach.com 972-740-5417 Circle No. 511

P r o d u c t s

recruiter™ superior® custom wood sport Lockers Unique features: • Fabricated from furniture-grade red oak • Strong, durable, and long-lasting • Excellent moisture resistance • Upper security box door includes built-in combination lock Benefits for the user: • Lower foot locker/seat allows for storage of bulk items • Recruiter lockers will create a truly unique locker room environment that will endure the test of time List Industries, Inc. www.listindustries.com 800-776-1342 Circle No. 512

CoachesNetwork.com

Muscle Milk® Light 100 calorie Unique features: • A convenient way to get all the great taste of Muscle Milk with only 100 calories • Precise blend of 15 grams of premium protein • Sugar free, lactose free, gluten free Benefits for the user: • Perfect as a protein-enhanced zero-sugar snack • Amazing flavor-rich taste CytoSport™ www.musclemilk.com 888-298-6629 Circle No. 513

CoaChing ManageMent

37

COmpany Q& A

Time Tells: A Q&A with Bill Butler

Bill Butler’s illustrious career has netted him several prominent honors. Chief among them are five wins for Minor League Field of the Year (three of them in consecutive seasons while serving as Head Groundskeeper for the Lakewood Blue Claws) and a Turf Manager of the Year award from his league in 2002.

Butler began his groundskeeping career nearly 20 years ago as an Assistant Groundskeeper for the Baseball City Royals (a Kansas City Royals affiliate based in Florida). His next position took him across the country to tend the grounds for the Spokane Indians.

He then reconnected with the Royals and moved to Kansas City in 1995, and later served as Head Groundskeeper for the Bowie Bay Sox, Myrtle Beach Pelicans, Lakewood Blue Claws, New York Mets, Connecticut Defenders, and Trenton Thunder. In 2007, Butler took his current position as Head Groundskeeper for the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs (a AAA affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies).

Butler’s fields are often noted for going above and beyond.

In addition to keeping the park’s grounds immaculate, his crew spends a lot of time and effort generating intricate field designs in the grass of the outfield. In this interview, Butler talks about his relationship with Pro’s Choice products. We’ve also included images showing his creativity on the mower that keeps his field designs at Coca-Cola Park among the best.

How long have you been using Pro’s Choice products, and why did you start using them?

I’ve been using Pro’s Choice now for just over 11 years. I started using the products for moisture management. I needed a way to manage the moisture in my infield and get games in during rainy conditions.

Other products that claim to manage moisture don’t work as well. Pro’s Choice delivers and keeps my fields playable.

You are a member of Pro’s Choice’s groundskeeper advisory board and are very outspoken about your belief in the company and its products. Have you considered other products?

Since switching over to Pro’s Choice, I have won five Field of

38

Coaching Management

the Year awards. I wouldn’t use any other product. The mound clay is absolutely the best product on the market, and I tell everyone in the industry that they need to be using it, too.

Why do you like Pro Mound so much?

It’s easy to work with right out of the bag and holds up to wear and tear unbelievably well. It’s a relief to know my fields can stand up to harsh weather and punishment from the players.

Any advice for aspiring groundskeepers?

I would tell someone starting out in this business to begin as an intern and work your tail off to achieve your goals.

Anything is possible in this industry if you are willing to work for it.

Many people have told me that a lot of my designs couldn’t be pulled off. If you are willing to apply yourself and work hard, you can do anything.

It sounds like you really love your job.

It’s a great industry and lifestyle. I come to the ballpark everyday. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Oil-Dri Corp. of America/Pro’s Choice 410 N. Michigan Ave., Ste. 400 Chicago, IL 60611 800-648-1166 Fax: 312-321-9525 proschoice@oildri.com www.proschoice1.com

CoachesNetwork.com

Elevate Your Game Feedback Matters

More Than a Screen

Want to give your hitters instant feedback?

Look no further than the Advanced Skills Tee (AST). The tee of choice for more than 3,000 high school and college programs, the AST’s unique forward arm design and outside barrier give instant visual and physical feedback. Eliminate casting, looping bats, and dropping shoulders with this portable and extremely durable batting tee. It comes with a two-year warranty. Muhl Tech 888-766-8772 • www.muhltech.com Circle No. 520

BetterBaseball’s 9 Hole Pitchers Pocket practice screen is ideal for evaluating a pitcher’s accuracy. The nine pockets provide a range of targets that help pitchers improve and evaluate their accuracy around the strike zone. It’s like having a catcher that tells you exactly where each pitch was thrown. BetterBaseball.com 800-997-4233 • www.betterbaseball.com Circle No. 524

Eye On the Ball

The Louisville Slugger UPM 45 portable pitching machine is perfect for indoor batting practice. There is no electricity required, and it throws lightweight baseballs or softballs at up to 60 mph from 40 feet. This unique product is a musthave machine for all junior high, high school, and travel baseball and softball programs. It’s not a budget-buster, selling for $200 and weighing just 25 pounds.

GameMaster • 800-646-4225 www.sluggerupm.com Circle No. 525

The exclusive design of the Hack Attack baseball pitching machine allows the hitter to see the ball clearly all the way through the feeding motion, acceleration, and release, just like with a live pitcher. The Hack Attack throws unmatched right- and left-handed major league fastballs up to 100 mph, and all breaking pitches by simply changing the speed of the wheels with three dials. This eliminates the need for timeconsuming adjustments of the throwing head. Sports Attack • 800-717-4251 www.sportsattack.com Circle No. 521

Instant Feedback The patented Bunt Zone™ Infield ProtectorTrainer from Aer-Flo features color-coded target areas built into a quality batting practice turf protector. It teaches batters where to bunt successfully for hits or sacrifice plays, plus pull-hitting and hit-and-run targeting—never bunt into the red “pitcher’s triangle.” It gives instant performance feedback. Sizes are available for all infields, including softball and Little League fields.

The industrial vinyl-polyester mesh is spike-resistant. Grommets and low-profile stakes are included. Aer-Flo, Inc. 800-823-7356 • www.aerflo.com Circle No. 522

More than Speed Easier to use than a radar gun, the RevFire measures the spin of pitches as well as the speed. Adopted by college teams and clinics across the country, coaches report dramatic results—pitchers throw a more effective breaking ball when they receive spin rate feedback. The RevFire is quickly becoming standard equipment among high school programs, private instructors, and serious pitchers. Visit RevFire online to learn more.

RevFire Corp. • 866-414-3040 www.revfire.com Circle No. 523 CoachesNetwork.com

HIT TING & PITCHING A IDS

No Electricity Needed

Programmable Pitching The HomePlate pitching machine is the first programmable pitching machine designed for both batting cage and on-field use. You can store up to eight different pitches—including fastballs up to 90 mph, curveballs, changeups, sliders, and more— in eight different programs, with only seven seconds between pitches. The programmed pitches in the HomePlate can be thrown sequentially for specific hitting drills, randomly for game conditions, or in a way that simulates an opposing pitcher. Choose the 80-ball auto-feed model at $6,595, or the hand-feed model at $5,295. Sports Tutor 800-448-8867 • www.sportsmachines.com Circle No. 526

Three Woods in One Bat Hoosier Bat Co. makes ash and birch bats used by many Major League and minor league players. The company’s WoodForce 2000 bat has ash in the handle, hickory in the sweet spot, and maple on the barrel end. The WoodForce 2000 provides a solid sweet spot that will not flake while retaining the same look and feel as a traditional all-ash bat. All of Hoosier’s bats are made from quality wood and are crafted to exacting standards. Hoosier Bat Co. 800-228-3787 • www.hoosierbat.com Circle No. 530

Coaching Management

39

Directories Circle Company No.

Advertisers Directory Page No.

Circle Company No.

Page No.

119. .Aalco. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

105. .M.A.S.A. (sports equipment). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

108. .Aer-Flo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

122. .Muhl Tech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

113. .Bannerman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

142. .myTEAMBOOK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

138. .Beam Clay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

142. .myTEAMBOOK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

133. .BetterBaseball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

117. .Prep Gear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

116. .C&H Baseball. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

101. .Pro Look Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

102. .California University of Pennsylvania. . . . . . . . 4

110. .Pro’s Choice Field Products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

142. .CoachesNetwork.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

132. .Promats Athletics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

114. .Cocoa Expo Sports Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

104. .Qualite Sports Lighting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

141. .Diamond Pro. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

115. .Red Roof Inn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

137. .Extra Innings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

120. .RevFire. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

103. .Game-On Field Conditioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

128. .Save-A-Tooth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

106. .GameTime Athletics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

124. .Seating Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

123. .Gourock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

118. .Soft Touch Bases. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

134. .Heying Company (Infield Drag). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

112. .SPI Nets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

109. .HighSchoolSports.net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

139. .Sports Attack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IBC

121. .Hoosier Bats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

107. .Sports Tutor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

136. .Hot Glove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

126. .Sportsfield Modular. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

140. .Jaypro. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BC

135. .TurfCordz/NZ Mfg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

127. .Louisville Slugger UPM (GameMaster). . . . . . . . 30

100. .Universal Sports Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC

125. .M.A.S.A. (field maintenance). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Circle Company No.

Products Directory Page No.

563. .Aalco. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

DIAMOND PRO

®

Red Infield Conditioner

Circle Company No.

Page No.

520. .Muhl Tech (Advanced Skills Tee). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

556. .Aer-Flo (BP Zone). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

529. .Muhl Tech (Power Bag). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

522. .Aer-Flo (Bunt Zone). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

501. .Power Systems (Power Throw-Ball). . . . . . . . . . . . 35

543. .Aer-Flo (Tuffy windscreen) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

506. .Power Systems (X-Ladder). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

559. .Bannerman

505. .Prep Gear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

(B-BP-4 Ballpark-4). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

565. .Bannerman (B-DM-6 Diamond Master). . . . . . . . . . . 46

507. .Pro Look Sports (reversible jerseys) . . . . . . . . . . . 36

548. .Beam Clay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

504. .Pro Look Sports (uniforms) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

524. .BetterBaseball (9 Hole Pitchers Pocket) . . . . . . . . . 39

536. .Pro’s Choice (Pro Mound® Red) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

537. .BetterBaseball (Bullet L Jr. Screen). . . . . . . . . . . . 42

545. .Pro’s Choice (Pro Red topdressing). . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Gray Infield Conditioner

538. .C&H Baseball. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

560. .Promats Athletics (digital graphics) . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Professional Vitrified Infield Conditioner

571. .California University of Pennsylvania. . . . . . . 47

553. .Promats Athletics (outdoor equipment). . . . . . . . . . 44

Calcined Clay Drying Agent Calcined Clay Top Dressing Calcined Clay Professional Clay Bricks Home Plate / Mound Clay Professional Mound Clay Athletic Field Marking Dust

40

Circle No. 141 Coaching Management

572. .Cocoa Expo Sports Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

549. .Qualite Sports Lighting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

513. .CytoSport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

523. .RevFire. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

539. .Diamond Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

573. .Save-A-Tooth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

564. .Earth & Turf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

570. .Schedule Star. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

544. .EP Minerals (AXIS). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

561. .Seating Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

535. .EP Minerals (PlayBall!). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

500. .ShopExtraInnings.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

541. .Game-On (DiGeronimo Aggregates) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

555. .Soft Touch Bases. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

525. .GameMaster. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

550. .SPI Nets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

542. .GameTime Athletics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

521. .Sports Attack (Hack Attack) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

562. .Gourock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

527. .Sports Attack (Junior Hack Attack) . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

546. .Heying Company (Infield Drag). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

526. .Sports Tutor (HomePlate). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

575. .HighSchoolSports.net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

528. .Sports Tutor (TriplePlay). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

530. .Hoosier Bats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

551. .Sportsfield Specialties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

540. .Jaypro (12’ Foul Pole). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

511. .The BenchCoach (Woodhaven Sports). . . . . . . . . . . 37

510. .Jaypro (Disengaging Bases) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

503. .TurfCordz/NZ Mfg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

558. .Jaypro (Little Slam Batting Cage). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

574. .U.S. Baseball Academy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

512. .List Industries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

502. .Unique Sports Products (Hot Glove). . . . . . . . . . 35

547. .M.A.S.A. (Fence Guard Lite). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

557. .Universal Sports Lighting (LaPlata) . . . . . . . . . 45

552. .M.A.S.A. (Handozer). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

554. .Universal Sports Lighting (Susquehanna U.) . . . . . 44

CoachesNetwork.com

Elevate Your Game Timing and Vision

HIT TING & PITCHING A IDS

the swing. Use good point-of-contact mechanics and the bag will swing higher (visual reward). Use lazy hips, rolled wrists, or swing around the ball and the bag will not move nearly as much.

Muhl Tech • 888-766-8772 www.muhltech.com Circle No. 529

The Junior Hack Attack from Sports Attack is designed to develop serious young players using an exclusive three-wheel vision that allows the hitter to see the ball clearly all the way through the feeding motion, just like with a live pitcher. In developing hitters, there is nothing more important than timing and vision. With just a quick turn of the dials, the machine can throw fastballs and breaking pitches, including curves, sliders, split-fingers, and knuckle balls up to 70 mph.

Sports Attack • 800-717-4251 www.sportsattack.com Use to Maintain, Circle No. 527 Restore & Build Infields!

Pick Your Pitch

Infield Drag

Batting practice just got easier. Simply push a button on the TriplePlay pitching machine from Sports Tutor to choose the type of pitch you want. It can automatically throw fastballs, sinkers, curves, and sliders. The pitch speed is digitally displayed and Untitled-8 adjustable from 40 to 90 mph in fivemph increments, and it takes just 30 seconds to change pitches. Additionally, the baseball is visible from the time it leaves the feeder’s hand until it is pitched, allowing hitters to more naturally time the pitches. The TriplePlay uses a three-wheel pitching mechanism for greater accuracy. Two large transport wheels make the TriplePlay easy to move. Sports Tutor • 800-448-8867 www.sportsmachines.com Circle No. 528

PR72-E,166,b

www.Infield-Drag.com

PR72 Pro GroomerTM The perfect machine

Manual or electric lift available.

for everyday maintenance of Infields, Warning Tracks and much more! Keeps infields level, well-groomed and in safe playing condition for athletes.

Controls Weeds, Deters Water Puddling, & Saves Labor!

Levels, Smoothens, Mixes, and Breaks Up Hard Infields.

Complete info at www.Infield-Drag.com

Heying Co. 515 6th Ave. Alton, IA 51003 Ph. (712) 756-8847 Circle No. 134 1

8/13/07 1:20:33 PM

Score big with TurfCordz.

™

Increase speed, endurance and flexibility with TurfCordz™, the industry’s most high-level athletic training resistance tools.

Ideal for training and conditioning, versatile TurfCordz can be used for explosive start drills, powerbuilding footwork exercises, simulated play action and more:

Shoulder rotator strengthening Agility and strength training

All In the Hips

Vertical leaps

Hitting for power? Try the Power Bag from Muhl Tech. It was designed to teach hitters to use their lower half when hitting the ball—not just to rotate the hips, but actually to use them as a power source when driving through the ball.

The Power Bag allows the hitter to power through contact and finish

Quadriceps, gluteus and shoulders toning Quick reaction and multiple-direction drills Order today! Call 800.886.6621 or visit turfcordz.com now.

Made in USA

Circle No. 135 CoachesNetwork.com

Coaching Management

41

BASEBALL FIELD

Where Legends Are Made

The Rainout Solution

By the Truckload

PlayBall!® infield conditioner is made from 100-percent calcined diatomaceous earth (DE). PlayBall! can be used on skinned areas for puddle control, applied as a topdressing, or incorporated into the soil profile for maximum effectiveness. Reduce compaction, increase drainage, and all but eliminate rainouts. PlayBall! performs better than other infield soil conditioners, so you can save time and money while increasing the playability of your fields.

EP Minerals, LLC • 800-366-7607 www.epminerals.com Circle No. 535

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.

TXI/Diamond Pro • 800-228-2987 www.diamondpro.com Circle No. 539

For Masterful Mounds

Finishing Touch

Pro Mound® Red is the latest addition to the Pro’s Choice roster. This premium mound clay boasts a deep red color and offers many of the same benefits for mounds and batter’s boxes as Pro Mound packing clay. It bonds to form a solid subsurface that allows players to dig in and establish footing without leaving holes, and it will hold up season after season.

Pro’s Choice • 800-648-1166 www.proschoice1.com Circle No. 536

Give your field a Major League look with Jaypro’s 12’ Foul Pole for baseball/softball.

It’s a heavy-duty steel 3.5-inch O.D. main post with a 12” x 6’ wing panel. Once installed, the pole extends 12 feet above the playing surface. The tough powder-coated finish in brilliant yellow makes it easy to see, day or night. This product is designed for permanent installation. Jaypro Sports, LLC 800-243-0533 • www.jaypro.com Circle No. 540

Sturdy and Versatile

What do you do if you’re hosting a regional baseball tournament, it has been raining all morning, and four of your five infields are mud? You move the tournament to the field that has the Game-On product applied.

This scenario actually played out at a baseball tournament in Stark County, Ohio, this past June. When the rain stopped, the only playable field was the one that had been treated with Game-On Red topdressing. Using that field, the tournament was completed as scheduled. DiGeronimo Aggregates, LLC • 888-593-0395 Circle No. 541

The Bullet L Jr. Screen is made from high-quality 1 5/8-inch tubular steel. It features #42-grade nylon netting and can meet the needs of both baseball and softball programs. BetterBaseball.com 800-997-4233 • www.betterbaseball.com Circle No. 537

Good Enough for the Pros C&H Baseball has been supplying quality equipment to professional teams since the 1960s. The company’s products have been in the field for more than 40 years, which shows a commitment to quality. C&H manufactures portable batting cages, field screens, field products, padding, netting, and the “Original” ball caddy. Buy direct from the manufacturer and provide your team with some of the longest-performing field equipment on the market today. The company also provides field maintenance equipment, tunnels, installation services, backstop systems, barrier netting, replacement nets, and more. C & H Baseball 800-248-5192 • www.chbaseball.com Circle No. 538

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Coaching Management

Topdressing Saves the Day

Special Offer on Freight GameTime Athletics is your premier resource for baseball equipment. The company has your team covered. Find hundreds of baseball products and accessories online or call toll-free for a free estimate. Order $2,500 in bleachers or benches, or order three or more protective screens, and get free freight—just mention this ad. GameTime Athletics 877-891-2476 • www.gtathletics.net Circle No. 542

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Where Legends Are Made Lives Up to Its Name The Tuffy windscreen will last for years because it is made of exclusive Vipol matrix mesh. This is the official windscreen of the U.S. Professional Tennis Association—a super-premium product but surprisingly value priced. It’s used by major colleges and world-class clubs. It is available in 15 standard colors, including purple (pictured), burnt orange, and Vegas gold. Super-durable Chroma-Bond imprinting technology produces sharp multi-color logos that can match your team’s exact PMS colors. The Tuffy comes with a four-year factory warranty. Aer-Flo, Inc. • 800-823-7356 • www.aer-flo.com Circle No. 543

Manage Field Moisture Use AXIS premium soil amendments from EP Minerals in your turf root zones to add porosity, air and water holding capacity, and water availability for a healthier and more resilient turfgrass system. AXIS absorbs up to 142 percent of its weight in water. Virtually all of its water is made available to the turf roots as needed, reducing irrigation costs by 30 percent. Made from 100-percent calcined diatomaceous earth for strength, AXIS will not break down or float in the soil.

EP Minerals, LLC • 800-366-7607 www.epminerals.com Circle No. 544

Beauty and Function Pro Red premium red topdressing boasts Pro’s Choice’s deepest red color to give your fields the look you want and the conditioning you need. It’s specially formulated to provide long-lasting red color and all the advantages you have come to expect from Pro’s Choice. Pro’s Choice 800-648-1166 • www.proschoice1.com Circle No. 545

Level Best The PR72 Pro Groomer™ Infield Drag levels infields, warning tracks, granular running tracks, and more by cutting off high spots and filling in low areas. It keeps infields level, well-groomed, and in safe playing condition. It can be used to mix in new material or to break up hard, compacted surfaces. The PR72 Pro Groomer saves labor, reduces water puddling, removes weeds, and more. It’s six feet wide and doesn’t require hydraulics or a threepoint hitch. The unit can be pulled with a

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BASEBALL FIELD

variety of towing machines, and no tools are needed to make adjustments. This product is available with manual or electric lift. Heying Co. • 712-756-8847 www.infield-drag.com Circle No. 546

A Safe Choice M.A.S.A. has welcomed the Fence Guard Lite to its family of fence guards. 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 offers three grades of Fence Guard: Premium, Standard, and Lite. All three feature exterior-grade UV-resistant polyethylene construction that is maintenance-free and designed to last for many years. Call or go online today for more information. M.A.S.A., Inc. 800-264-4519 • www.masa.com www.sportsadvantage.com Circle No. 547

Many Satisfied Customers Beam Clay has supplied products to every Major League Baseball team, more than 150 minor league teams, more than 700 colleges, and thousands of towns and schools from all 50 states and worldwide.

Beam Clay supplies special mixes for infields, pitcher’s mounds, home plate areas, red warning tracks, infield conditioners, and drying agents, plus more than 200 other infield products, including regional infield mixes blended for every state and climate from bulk plants nationwide. Beam Clay • 800-247-BEAM www.beamclay.com Circle No. 548

Bright Ideas Qualite sports lighting systems incorporate some of the most efficient field lighting designs in the industry. The fixtures are pre-set to provide optimum uniform light with superb spill light control. The patented reflector design is engineered for efficiency, beam spread, and control to fit any application. A patented Maintenance Diagnostic System (MDS) reduces lifetime maintenance costs and allows ground-level testing. Take advantage of low-cost installation and the best 10-25 year warranty in the business. Qualite Sports Lighting, Inc. • 800-933-9741 • www.qualite.com Circle No. 549

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testimonial

BASEBALL FIELD Net Gains SPI Nets’ full-service net building facility offers top-quality nets at unbeatable prices. The company stocks and custom builds 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, and are built in the USA to meet all your needs. Call SPI Nets toll-free or go online to learn more. SPI Nets, Inc. • 866-243-6387 • www.spinets.net Circle No. 550

Coach of the Year: “I Really Believe in This Machine” Louisiana State University coach Paul Mainieri has been named the 2009 National Coach of the Year by Rivals. com. This honor is the third National Coach of the Year designation this year for Mainieri, who has also been recognized by Collegiate Baseball newspaper and Baseball America magazine.

“The Hack Attack is a great training tool for our hitters and catchers. It is as good as live pitching with its vision and timing,” Mainieri says. “It throws accurate breaking pitches, it’s indestructible, and it’s easy to operate and move. We used the Hack Attack every day on the long, tough road to Omaha. There are few products that I endorse, but I really believe in this machine.”

The exclusive design of the Hack Attack baseball pitching machine allows the hitter to see the ball clearly all the way through the feeding motion, acceleration, and release, just like with a live pitcher. The Hack Attack throws unmatched right-and left-handed major league fastballs up to 100 mph, and all breaking pitches by simply changing the speed of the wheels with three dials.

Sturdy Shelter GameShade is the only pre-assembled dugout shelter on the market today. All of the structural joints are welded at the factory rather than bolted together on your field. They are plate-mounted to a concrete slab, so there is no need for expensive concrete footings. A wide range of powder-coat colors are available at no additional charge, and GameShade dugouts are covered by SportsField Specialties’ exclusive five-year warranty. SportsField Specialties • 888-975-3343 • www.sportsfieldspecialties.com Circle No. 551

Four Tools in One The revolutionary Handozer is a complete infield grooming solution. It cuts maintenance time by up to 75 percent and gets professional results. Traditional grooming requires four steps: a nail drag is used to create loose dirt for smoothing, a leveling device levels the field, a roller is typically used for firmness, and a finishing drag mat makes the diamond sparkle. The new 30-inch-wide Handozer features all four tools on a compact frame designed for one-person operation. Call or go online for more information. M.A.S.A., Inc. 800-264-4519 • www.masa.com • www.sportsadvantage.com Circle No. 552

Bases for Synthetic Turf Promats Athletics, the trusted name in safety padding, offers a full line of innovative outdoor sports equipment, including the company’s PlayersGoal line of goal equipment. Promats also offers quality accessories for baseball programs, such as foul poles, netting systems, dugout accessories, and a patent-pending line of bases for turf applications called TurfBaseT. With TurfBaseT, playing baseball or softball on an infill turf field is as simple as setting the base sets in the correct location—there are no inserts, no tools, and no slippage. Promats Athletics • 800-617-7125 www.promatsathletics.com Circle No. 553

Two Levels of Light

Sports Attack P.O. Box 1529 Verdi, NV 89439 800-717-4251 Fax: 775-345-2883 info@sportsattack.com www.sportsattack.com

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Coaching Management

Susquehanna University is an NCAA Division III school and a member of the Landmark Conference. It is located in picturesque Selingsgrove, Pa. Susquehanna’s Lopardo Stadium/Stagg Field features lighting by Universal Sports Lighting. Two levels of light provide 50 footcandles during football games and 20 footcandles for intramurals and track use. Universal Sports Lighting 217-648-5201 • www.uslnet.com Circle No. 554

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BASEBALL FIELD Prevent Sliding Injuries 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. Soft Touch Bases 866-544-2077 • www.softtouchbases.com Circle No. 555

®

Heat Treatment

Trustworthy Protection

Breaks in new gloves in minutes!

Guaranteed!

BP Zone cage and infield protectors are made of Vipol matrix mesh, the same cleat-proof fabric used in Aer-Flo’s NFL-approved bench tarps. The mesh allows grass to breathe and does not compact it.

Vipol matrix mesh is lighter than geotextile and does not absorb moisture. Used widely at major colleges, these protectors are available in custom sizes and shapes, including full-wrap cage halos. There are 15 standard colors, and super-durable Chroma-Bond imprinting produces sharp logos that can match your team’s exact PMS colors.

Aer-Flo, Inc. • 800-823-7356 • www.aer-flo.com Circle No. 556

Softens, conditions, waterproofs and forms a superior glove pocket.

Works on leather and vinyl gloves.

Hot Glove Treatment will have you catching balls with your new glove today! Millions have successfully treated their new gloves over the last decade. Simply Amazing !

Avoid Glare and Spill The baseball field at the LaPlata County (Colo.) Fairgrounds features a Universal Sports Lighting system that maintains 50 footcandles of light in the infield and 30 footcandles in the outfield. Following IES design criteria, this field has a system that can provide consistent levels of light throughout its lifespan.

The lighting system is environmentally sensitive—it includes internal controls that provide outstanding spill and glare control.

Universal Sports Lighting • 217-648-5201 • www.uslnet.com Circle No. 557

“It works!”

Bobby Cox

Professional baseball manager for over 25 years

Smart Design 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” wide x 12’ deep x 12’ high. Constructed of twoinch heavy wall aluminum, it is easy to fold and collapses to just five feet high. It includes a climatized nylon net and ricochet cushion to reduce rebound and frame damage. The Little Slam transports easily on three pneumatic turf wheels. A vinyl skirt is available. Jaypro Sports, LLC • 800-243-0533 • www.jaypro.com Circle No. 558

For a Diamond that Sparkles When player safety comes first, look to Bannerman. The company manufactures groomers that shape, level, and provide maintenance care for baseball diamonds and softball fields. The B-BP-4 Ballpark-4 (shown) and the B-BP-6 Ballpark-6 models each have five tools: a ripper blade, a rake, a leveler, a roller, and a brush.

Available accessories include a wing brush kit, a top link kit, a 50-gallon water tank kit with a spray nozzle, and the new highway transport kit. Bannerman Ltd. • 800-665-2696 www.sportsturfmagic.com Circle No. 559

HOT GLOVE Inc. 840 McFarland Parkway Alpharetta, GA. 30004 USA 770-442-1977 Check out our other exciting baseball accessories at:

www.HOTGLOVE.COM Circle No. 136

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BASEBALL FIELD

Where Legends Are Made

Catch Everyone’s Eye

Six Decades of Experience

Promats Athletics, a highly innovative name in the padding industry, is proud to present its line of high-resolution digital graphics. With photo-quality logos, you can show your team spirit or improve the appearance of your facility like never before. And with a significantly lower cost than traditional graphics, Promats Athletics can provide breathtaking logos to suit any budget.

Contact the company today to receive your customized quotation and rendering. Promats Athletics • 800-617-7125 www.promatsathletics.com Circle No. 560

Baseball coaches and facility owners who demand quality workmanship, superior performance, and aesthetically pleasing design depend on Aalco for custom interior and exterior baseball equipment. Family owned since 1946, Aalco has more than 100,000 installations worldwide. The company’s ProWall and Batter’s Eye systems require little to no maintenance and can withstand the toughest conditions.

Aalco’s GrandSlam batting cage is an industry leader used by top baseball programs around the country.

Aalco Mfg. Co. • 800-537-1259 • www.aalcomfg.com Circle No. 563

Extra Comfort

Earth & Turf has introduced a hydraulic-drive option for its MultiSpread model 320, a one-cubic-yard topdresser with an exclusive wide-spread beater.

Normally driven by two-wheel ground drive, the model 320 with hydraulic drive offers several benefits for owners with tow vehicles equipped with a remote hydraulic valve and a minimum flow of six gallons per minute. With the hydraulic option, the speeds of the apron and beater are independent of ground speed.

Both apron speed and beater speed are also infinitely adjustable independent of each other, providing excellent spreading flexibility for a wide variety of materials.

Earth & Turf Products, LLC • 888-693-2638 www.earthandturf.com Circle No. 564

Seating Services is proud to announce the newest product in its seating line, the Eagle Model Series 1000 plastic bench seat module. This seat is designed to be bolted to existing or new bench seating to provide a more comfortable individual seat for your spectators and create enhanced VIP seating that can be sold to raise revenue for your complex.

Seating Services Inc. • 800-552-9470 www.seatingservices.com Circle No. 561

Choose Your Size Gourock provides reliable, commercialstrength netting applications featuring top-notch craftsmanship and excellent service. Fast turnaround and multiple twine/ mesh size combinations are available. The company specializes in providing highquality materials and expert design and production. Its products can be customized to any dimensions. Gourock 877-803-5123 • www.gourock.com Circle No. 562

New Drive Option

All the Right Tools

Restore your diamond’s luster in 20 minutes or less.

Bannerman manufactures groomers that can level and provide maintenance care for baseball and softball diamonds, warning tracks, and walking trails. The B-DM-6 Diamond Master has five grooming tools: a ripper blade, a rake, a leveler, a roller, and a finishing brush.

Available options include an extension wing brush kit, a hydraulic tractor top link, a 50-gallon water tank with a spray nozzle, a long-tine “fluffing” rake, and the new highway transport kit.

Where the Game Never Ends Bannerman Ltd. • 800-665-2696 Batting Cages Professional Instruction Pro Shop www.sportsturfmagic.com Franchise Opportunities Available Circle No. 565 Love baseball or softball ?

Want to run your own business?

Then play ball with Extra Innings!

For more info, log onto:

www.eifranchise.com This franchise is not being offered to residents of the following states: HI, KY, ND & SD. This communication is not directed to any person in the states listed above by or on behalf of the franchisor or anyone acting with the franchisor’s knowledge. No franchise can be offered or sold in the states listed above until the offering has been registered and declared effective by the appropriate regulatory authority and the FDD has been delivered to the offeree before the sale within the applicable time frame. This franchise is offered only by delivery of a franchise disclosure document.

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Great Ideas, Great Value A Key Assist Schedule Star’s patented Game Wizard™ saves you time and sets defaults for the things athletic directors and coaches are always scheduling for games, such as facilities, transportation, and departure and return times. When you schedule your varsity team for any sport, Game Wizard automatically schedules the sub-levels of that sport. Schedule Star is all about keeping you ahead of the game. Go online to get started today.

Schedule Star • 800-258-8550 • www.schedulestar.com Circle No. 570

Never Stop Learning California University of Pennsylvania has helped build the character and careers of its students for more than 150 years. Cal U’s dedication to providing high-quality, indemand programs to its students continues through the University’s Global Online 100-percent online programs of study.

Through an asynchronous format, Global Online allows students the opportunity to complete coursework anytime, anywhere. All that’s required is a computer with Internet access. Go online for more information. California University of Pennsylvania • 866-595-6348 • www.cup.edu/go Circle No. 571

Make Your Reservation Cocoa Expo Sports is one of Florida’s premier sports management and promotion companies. For 25 years, it has operated the Cocoa Expo College and High School Baseball Spring Training program. In addition, Cocoa Expo hosts baseball tournaments and camps out of the Cocoa Expo Sports Center, a multi-sport complex located on the east coast of central Florida. The facility features seven baseball fields, including the 5,000-seat Cocoa Expo Stadium, batting tunnels, an airconditioned gymnasium, a 100-room dormitory, and a cafeteria.

Cocoa Expo Baseball Spring Training has everything a team needs to conduct spring training like the pros. Cocoa Expo Sports 321-639-3976 • www.cocoaexpo.com Circle No. 572

more products

ket and net container are designed to protect tooth root cells. This is the only system that keeps tooth cells alive for up to 24 hours. Save-A-Tooth® 888-788-6684 • www.save-a-tooth.com Circle No. 573

Become a Host, Raise Funds U.S. Baseball Academy partners with high school and college coaches across the country and is the nation’s largest network of baseball camps. U.S. Baseball Academy makes the camp hassle-free for coaches by providing the itinerary, equipment, marketing, public relations, registration, payments, insurance, and even the T-shirts. Coaches run the six-day program at their school and earn up to $10,000 as a hosting fee. The 2008-09 program included 200 locations in 20 states and approximately 30,000 players.

The deadline for new locations is Oct. 31.

U.S. Baseball Academy • 800-669-6323 www.midwestbaseballacademy.com Circle No. 574

Find What You Need, Fast HighSchoolSports.net has free tools for coaches to showcase their teams all in one location. Coaches can save time and get the tools they need to stay ahead of the game. Add, postpone, or cancel events and practices, enter scores and stats, access your roster, and get cumulative player and team stats, all on HighSchoolSports.net.

Go online and start saving time today.

HighSchoolSports.net • 800-258-8550 www.highschoolsports.net Circle No. 575

Because Time Matters Without proper care, a knocked-out tooth begins to die in 15 minutes.

The Save-ATooth emergency tooth preserving system utilizes Hank’s Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS) to not only preserve, but also reconstitute many of the degenerated cells. The patented basCircle No. 138 Coaching Management

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Extra InnIngs

Find more coaching resources at the new Coaches Network!

You can find more information related to coaching on CoachesNetwork.com, which has been completely revamped to better help coaches. We now offer expanded editorial resources, including articles addressing a wide variety of issues facing coaches today.

Articles on the site include: Strength & Conditioning

Gain Without Pain Why over-training can be as bad as under-training.

Coaching Life

Meet the Parents A coach explains how he establishes the roles parents play.

Nutrition

Food for Thought Make sure your players know what to eat—and when.

Leadership

Leader of the Pack Give your captains the tools they need to succeed.

Sports Medicine

Anyone Can Save a Life A first-person account of a life-saving response.

Plus archived articles from past editions of Coaching Management, including: Teaching the Art of Situational Hitting A Look at North Carolina’s Baseball Strength Program Developing a Mental Edge In addition to educational resources, Coaches Network also features social networking tools that allow you to connect with other coaches across the country. Build your own network and share your thoughts on our message boards and blogs. Plus, Coaches Network provides you the opportunity to create private team pages where you can share information with the parents of your players.

X

X X

Sign up for your free account today at: Where coaches connect and parents engage.

B A S E B A L L

P i t c h i n g

M a c h i n e s

BASEBALL

As REAL as it gets Hack Attack has complete ball vision from acceleration through release, just like a live pitcher!

Due to the D h unique i 3 3-wheel h ld design, i you can see the h b ball lll clearly l l all ll the h way through h h the feeding motion, acceleration and release, just like a live pitcher.

The hitter sees when to stride and the angle of release, giving him an actual live-arm sense of timing and location.

Using 3 wheels, the Hack Attack throws all pitches - from major league fastball to right and left handed breaking pitches - all with a simple and immediate speed dial adjustment (No awkward or time consuming moving of the throwing head).

Extremely mobile; on and off the field with ease.

As proven by our extensive customer list of the top programs in the country, in a very short time the Hack Attack’s “complete-vision design” has made it the most valuable training tool on the market today.

P.O. Box 1529 | 28 2805 05 U U.S. S 40 | Ve Verd Verdi, r i N rd Nevada 89439 tf 800.717.4251 | ph 775.345.2882

H ACK ATTACK | J U NIOR HACK AT TAC K

www.sportsattack.com

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