My Way of Thinking

Success

2008-08-19T08:38:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a tournament. What we have anticipated for two years has come and gone so quickly. We all have less fingernails than we had a week ago. Words can't express the pride I felt for those boys and coaching staff last night when they walked up the hill. These guys have no idea the impact they have made in this community. Legion baseball was not dead by any means but I believe this team may have revived a sleeping giant that is Shelby Post 82 baseball. This team played at a level this weekend that I haven't seen in the 6 years that I have been watching. This is a credit to the coaching staff and players. Unfortunately, there will be many that will see this as a successful failure. To play this good and fall short by the smallest margin possible. This game will be looked at through the prism of the mistakes made not the good things that happened. This is normal. When I talked to Josh after the game the only number on his mind was the seven errors, most notably the two in the 9th. This, of course, coming from a player and now coach. I am positive that this is on the mind of most people. How unfortunate this is. This team has accomplished so much. No game ever comes down to one play or two. It takes nine innings of plays to make up a game. It also takes 18 players and 4 coaches. I applaud these guys. Robert F. Kennedy said, "Only those who dare to fail greatly can achieve greatly." I believe that there are great things in store for these boys because they relished the opportunity to play in front of 5400 people and give it their all. Sure, we made a few mistakes but this is where true success is bred. Havelock Ellis said it this way, "It is on our failures that we base a new and different and better success." I know there are many guys starting college this year that will be back next year. These young men along with the guys still in high school have tasted something sweet and bitter at the same time. I believe this attitude will propel them to come back next year and be a bigger force in Legion baseball. Good luck to all until next year.

Smile More

2008-07-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

A man walked by a table in a hotel and noticed three men and a dog playing cards. The dog appeared to be winning. "That must be a very smart dog," the man commented. "He ain't so smart," said one of the players. "Every time he gets a good hand he wags his tail!"

I wathched "The Bucket List" last night and realized a few things about people in general but more importantly about myself. I don't smile enough. I feel like I smile as much as anyone and I try to make people around me smile but it still is not enough. We let the things of this world get us down too much. So things don't go our way! There are worse tragedies in life! We need to spend more time in the postive realm. The negative realm is a dark chasm that you scratch and claw through just to try to get out of. Some of you are probably wondering what I'm talking about. Have ever got into a negative discussion about something or someone? You know the word, "gossip." Now think how quick or long the conversation was. It lasts forever. You are having fun at someone else's expense. Think about a typical day for you. Do you spend more time in positive conversations or negative conversations? We don't smile enough. God even knew this when he created the human body. I remember an old poster on the wall in my biology class which stated that it took 33 muscles to frown and only 13 to smile. If you're not smiling, you're working too hard, and we usually complain about working too hard. We rob our life of so much joy by focusing on the negative. Here's a thought. Try speaking to someone today and only talk about positive things. When faced with a negative thought turn it around and find the positive side. For many people this will be a challenge. You have to do two things every day (this, too, from the Bucket List). First, you have to experience joy. Second, you have to bring joy into someone else's life. There's a Chinese proverb that says, "One joy shatters a hundred griefs." If you're having a bad day, find something positive to smile about. When you find it, share it with someone. They're probably needing it too.

It's More Than a Baseball Game

2008-06-23T05:47:00.000-07:00

We at Shelby Post 82 baseball have a lot to be proud of. This became even more evident last night at Caldwell County. I have been associated with Legion baseball for seven years having two sons participate. This means we have made many trips to Caldwell County. Not once have I ever looked forward to going or have I come away with good feelings. Their fans (not all of them), their coaches, and especially their players have made that trip a nightmare. Roger Alan Raby said, "A bad attitude is the worst thing that can happen to a group of people. It's infectious." If you don't believe this, sit through a game at Caldwell County. They always seem to have one or two players that like to show themselves as being a "thug." They have one again this year and the two times we have played them his attitude has really shown. Getting hit by a pitch is part of baseball, especially when you put one foot on the plate. Then to want to fight about is another thing. This in itself was bad, but what was worse was to see the coach put his arms around him and smile as to say, "Good job." Attitudes and actions on sports teams flows downhill from the coaches to the players. In fact, I've always said that the players are an extension of the coaching staff. How the players act and react to situations is how they are taught. These lessons go far beyond the game. Learning how to deal with situations on the field in the proper manner will go a long way in preparing our young men how to deal with situations throughout their life. This is the mark of a good coach. Teaching the game is one thing but more importantly teaching life is what the players will carry on forever and pass on their children and any team that they coach. I applaud the coaching staff for Shelby Post 82 and especially Coach Grayson for teaching that lesson and being a positive role model in a social climate that dictates otherwise. I trust Coach Grayson to instill good values in my boys (since he spends more time with them than I do in the summer). We can all be proud of this group of players and coaches because winning at life is more important than winning a baseball game.

The Key to Life

2008-02-07T13:20:00.000-08:00

I often get made fun of by Adam's girlfriend, Taylor, for having some psychololgical disorder that I can't remember or even understand. Here's the thing. If I stub one toe by accident I have to stub the other on purpose so that I have balance. If I scratch one arm I have to scratch the other to have balance. Whenever I eat a plate of food, all the items have to run out at the same time. I don't know why I'm like that, I just am. I bet some of you are too so don't look at me funny. My weirdness aside, life is a constant act of balancing. I think its even harder now than when I was growing up. Our kids are constantly faced with choices that can either balance their lives or get their lives out of balance. There are so many important things in their life that include God, family, school, friends, sports, girlfriends, etc. All these in the right measure can provide a great experience for them. Giving any of them more attention than the others can unbalance their lives and cause problems. For our young men and women to grow up fulfilled, it falls on us, the parents, to provide guidance in these areas. That is a tough assignment for anyone. You can often tell the kids who's lives are balanced. They are usually happy, well behaved, polite, and have a clear direction in their life. Make no mistake about, God has to be on the top of the list. We can always define the balance in our lives when we're in tune with God. So, when your young man or young woman is down about life, search their priorities and see where they are out of balance and help them correct their focus. Good balance always has positive outcomes on life.

2008 Resolutions

2008-01-04T20:57:00.000-08:00

I'm not one to make a bunch of promises I can't keep. However, this year has taught me several things about myself and life in general. So here goes my list:

I want to trust God first before he has the chance to put me in a position where I have to.
I will appreciate my job more (whenever I find one).
I will listen to my wife the first time.
Regardless of how bad my day is, I can come home to a little dog who has a big smile. I 'd like to have a smile like that all the time.
Even at age 44 its not too late to learn. I want to learn more skills and educate myself in other fields.
I want to find the good in everyone no matter how hard it is to find.
I will try to listen more and talk less...yeah right!!
I would like to solve my overweight problem. Here's the good news. There are now more overweight people in this country than average weight. This means that the overweight people have now become average. Hey, I've already made this resolution. I'm average now!!
I will try to learn patience which means that I will have to spend more time at red lights.
Finally, I would like to spoil my wife in the same manner that I spoil my dog. Maybe if I do, she will too.

There you have it. The main thing is that decent humanity is a process. We should each strive to enter a year better than we left the year before. I hope everyone who reads this post will have a great and prosperous year in 2008. See ya!

Performance Enhancers

2007-12-25T18:38:00.000-08:00

Major League baseball has been busted again. This time its for real. I got to thinking about how the problem with performance enhancing drugs got to be so bad. Then it hit me. We are probably all a little at fault. What age did we start pushing our kids to excel and win? When is the last time we attended a game just for the fun of it without expectations? For me, it was probably tee ball. I distinctly remember fierce competition at the coach pitch level. Like it or not, our kids have fallen into this way of thinking as well. Is this bad? Not at all, as long as we keep it in perspective. Its fine to expect excellence but not at any cost. We all go to high school and legion games and watch all the boys compete. However, in our minds, there are two types of competitors - the other team and each other. We all want the boys to do great but don't we all want our boy to do just a little better than everyone else? Its OK!! Its a natural feeling. I believe this is the root cause of MLB's problems. The competition from person to person is so tough that players will do anything to get that extra edge. That extra edge will certainly pay him more money. So what's the answer? We can't get rid of the competitive edge. This is the driving force of excellence. The answer is simple. Make the punishment fit the crime. If you're caught, you forfeit your remaining contract and banned from baseball and the Hall of Fame. MLB, NFL, NBA, NCAA, etc. have got to get to the point where they're sick and tired of the bad press and adopt a true "zero tolerance" policy. If the player's unions don't like, tough! Let them go on strike. If they've got nothing to hide, it shouldn't be a problem. Keep encouraging your young men and women athletes to perfect their skills, but have the pride and dignity that it takes to do it the natural way. They will have earned the respect of others when they succeed.

No Rest for the Weary

2007-11-22T18:09:00.000-08:00

What a Fall season!! An undefeated tournament season was pretty cool. Our young men sure did play exceptionally well. I know all the parents and coaches are proud. It is sort of sad knowing that our 8 seniors won't be playing together next fall but I know they'll all be moving on to bigger and better things. As of this post, three of our young men have already signed. Two have signed with Gardner Webb (Adam McFarland and Adam Izokovic) and one has signed with North Greenville (Corey Cline). This whole process of selecting a school is both exciting and nerve racking. I can't tell you how much sleep Izo has lost thinking about the choices. We have studied, researched, and sought advise from many people and the best advice we heard came from Coach Grayson himself, "Be sure to go where they really want you." In the end it will usually work out. I am certain that the young men who did not sign early will find their new home in the spring. There is a lot of talent in these guys and each one of them will make major impacts on whatever school they choose. I wish them all the best of luck. Now we all have to switch modes back to our competitive side for high school ball. When Burns plays our county rivals, I hope each of the Post 82 players do well against us in a losing effort (don't think that's ugly, all of you feel the same way). What will be special is the end of the game. At this point, it won't be school colors but a common thread of blue and orange will take over when they shake hands and hug each other. That's always special to see. Well, good luck to all the county schools this year. It won't be long til we begin our chase for the National Title.

Savor the Moment

2007-09-14T13:19:00.000-07:00

It's finally starting to sink in as I look at Adam's senior portraits - high school is almost over. To make matters worse, I moved Josh in at Limestone College for the last time. Wow, two seniors!! As I look back I wonder where it all went. Anyone who knows my boys, knows where I spent a good bit of their time growing up, in gyms and ball fields. It's been a great ride. Most of the people we hang out with are in the same position. They've spent most of their time watching their kids participate in athletics or whatever else the interest. As I reflect on these times I wonder how much joy has been robbed from my memory by allowing immature people to influence me. For example, take last year's baseball season both in high school and legion. We allowed something as juvenile as a message board diminish what we would normally consider our favorite past time. How much time did we spend both at the field and away from the field talking among ourselves trying to figure out who's who and what they said? If you take the time to look back, you'll see how many memories you have missed because of senseless distractions. As we go forward this year, let me recommend one thing - Savor the moment. You don't realize how quick the moments go by or even how many there are left. Savor each of them. Don't let any distractions cloud your view of what's really important. Enjoy this year, make it special, and store up some great memories. That's My Way of Thinking!

Message Boards

2007-08-10T20:47:00.000-07:00

Whoever developed message boards probably didn't know what they were actually doing. Or maybe in a crappy way they knew what they were doing and are now sitting back and laughing about it now. We have been plagued all year with people who decide to write about things that are certainly not encouraging. Why people want to use this forum to express their disagreements is beyond me. What gripes me worst than anything is that most people who throw the rocks have not attempted to coach or help anytime in their lifetime. In fact, what gives anyone the right to question, or even worse, attempt to belittle the very people who are sacrificing their time and effort to help out our kids? It is a simple matter of selfishness on the part of parents and fans. Nobody will ever agree with every decision that any coach makes. But here's the thing, we are not the ones dedicating the effort that the coaches are so we don't have the right. I coached for many years in youth sports and gained a much better respect for the other people who have devoted their lives to coaching our youth. I know people questioned my decisions but I was the one making them. If you entrust your child to a coach, then let him/her coach it their way. If you don't like coach or what he/her is doing, take your child and leave. It's ok to have questions about things but its not ok to belittle the staff, or worse, the family of the coaches. These things are just plain stupid. How can we, normal people, help the situation? Don't go to these sites. Don't give these people the time they desire. They are basically looking for attention. Don't give it to them. Use the message boards for positive subjects. Use it to encourage people and players. Let's clean up the message boards and change their reputation to positive.

Post 82 Took the East Coast by Storm

2007-06-24T11:17:00.000-07:00

Wow!! After 5 months of planning and preparation, our trip finally came and went in a flash. This post may be a little long. We spend our summer looking forward to baseball games but this week they seemed to be a little less important. Rarely do we get to see excitement in the eye of a seventeen year old kid. What's even more surprising is seeing that look in his face as he views history in front of him. I know all the adults were excited to see the monuments that, until now, were only seen on TV. Walking up the road to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was a sobering experience. To look out at acres upon acres of dead soldiers really makes you realize how we take our freedom too lightly. To think, also, that many of those dead were the same age as our boys now. One word of warning; don't cross the chain where the guards are marching. Anyone who was there knows what I mean. Another thing that was surprising was that out of all the things in Washington DC to see, the players all wanted to see the Holocaust Museum. This I can't explain. This was the most depressing place I've ever been. It's good to see but I don't want to go back in. After touring DC the next day on our own, its hard to believe that there is a stronger or greater country anywhere in the world. The monuments and memorials dedicated to our country's history will remain etched in my mind for quite a long time. Then there was Philadelphia. The biggest thing was the run up the steps as Rocky did. It sure doesn't take much to entertain us does it? Adults feel like kids and kids just act there age. Everyone who rode the bus missed out on one of the biggest adventures - driving in New York City. I never knew what to expect. I didn't expect for someone to come out of their car and point at me with words of encouragement. Neither did I expect my wife to tell him "bite me." Anyway, New York City was simply amazing. The amazing thing was that I never witnessed the NY stereotype. Everyone we met was just as nice as they could be. It is truly an amazing city. It does, however, have one depressing place - Ground Zero. You can't appreciate what's missing until you see the hole in the block. To imagine the atrocity that took place and then to here people criticize our military is really sickening. The way to navigate the city is by foot and subway. It really is great. Then the cream of the trip was Cooperstown. It doesn't take long to realize that baseball is the greatest sport going. Our boys were just out of their mind with excitement. To see an entire town built around the one sport that we cherish is really special. The Hall of Fame was amazing. I wonder if Beaver learned anything that he didn't already know. The history of the game and all the memorabilia around town is just too hard to explain.
I sincerely hope that everyone enjoyed their week. It is extremely difficult to plan a trip that would fulfill all the desires of 90 people. I hope I got close. I enjoyed planning this trip and look forward to what we may have in store for next year. The cat has partially been let out of the bag. I would like to check out the feasibility of a trip to Omaha and the College World Series.

What's Missing Today?

2007-06-07T19:52:00.000-07:00

I had an opportunity to meet Buddy Lewis a couple of weeks ago. For those of you who don't know, he is a 93 year old ex-major league baseball player with the Washington Senators. He actually played on the 1937 All Star team beside Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams. I was able to speak with him for about 10 minutes and saw something that I have never seen. Passion. Buddy spoke of times gone by in these few minutes with a gleam in his old wrinkled eyes. His recollection of times spent 70 years ago were as fresh as if it were yesterday. He spoke of Bob Feller, one of the best pitchers this game has ever seen. When Bob came up as a rookie, Buddy was his first strike out. He laughs about this even today. I believe this is what's missing today. Kids today just play the game. I don't know if they even know why. I asked both of my boys why they play baseball. It basically confirmed my thoughts. They don't know. It's a casual, "It's fun and I love it." However, that look is not in their eyes. How many kids would get out of bed at 6:00 am to train to be better just because they want to be better. If you ask kids today if they'd like to play pro ball, what is their response? Sure. Why? Because of the money, not because of their passion to play. How many pro players today would continue playing if their pay stopped? Not many. I can think of a couple. Players in the Buddy Lewis era had to work extra jobs just to make ends meet. Yes, money has ruined the game and stole the passion. But money hasn't yet stolen our kids, yet they still don't have the passion. Kids have it in Little League then grow out of it in Middle School. I believe if today's kids could just get that gleam in their eye like the players of old, our baseball world would change dramatically.

Are athletes role models?

2007-05-15T11:12:00.000-07:00

Whether they want to admit it or not, athletes of just about all ages are role models. I've seen the starry eyed gaze of Little Leaguers watch high school and legion players as they play. I've seen them look in amazement as a ball carries out of the park even on a field as short as Burns. I've heard high school players speak in amazement at how far Norris Hopper hits a ball with a wooden bat when he comes back to Shelby in his off time from the Cincinnati Reds. I've even seen 7 and 8 year olds watch stunned as a 12 year old throws a ball 65-72 mph. So, it is very obvious to me that athletes are role models. Heck, I even look at Tiger Woods like a 10 year old and only wish that some day I could do the same thing. Unfortunately for me, that day will never come. What our kids need to understand is that while they're playing, someone much younger is watching their every move. I heard Charles Barkley say that he's not your kid's role model and shouldn't be. That is partly true. Our kids should not depend on athletes, certainly many professionals, to be role models. However, what Mr. Barkley has to understand is that professional athletics carries some baggage. Like it or not, whatever an athlete does in view of others will be copied by others. The sad part is that it will be copied by children. I encourage athletes of all ages to keep this in mind whenever they lace up their cleats. Someone is watching your every move.

Legion baseball is almost here

2007-05-06T13:23:00.000-07:00

I have been fortunate enough to enjoy Little League, Middle School, and High School baseball for several years. They each bring about their own type of excitement and enjoyment. However, there always seems to be a buzz about American Legion baseball starting up. I guess it is similar to your kids making the All Star team in Little League. The difference being is that these high school all stars play for almost three months, depending on how far they make it into the playoffs. One of the best things that I see is how these players love to beat each other's brains out in high school ball but when they get on the Legion team they are a band of brothers. We have made some great friends through this and its nothing to come home from a legion game and have a house full of players representing every high school. This is a great bunch of kids and I certainly hope that the community comes out to support them this year. We look forward to once again sit on the same side with all the good people from the Shelby Post 82 baseball family. This is my first blog post and I will be adding as time goes on. If anyone has a particular subject that they would like to hear about just let me know. I'm sure I have an opinion about it.