Loving the game, working hard, getting better - the right way

The three basic tenets of the Navigators fall baseball program are:

• Love the game
• Work hard
• Get better

Loving the game is self-explanatory. If you don't love it, you don't want anything to do with it. It is a game that will kick your ass and render your love unrequited at times, but in the end, it's your love that keeps drawing you in. When you love the game and are around others who do as well, that's when your team and your program become special. Then (and ONLY then) do guys put their egos on the shelf and work hard to improve as a unit. Speaking of working hard...

Working hard is necessary--also because of the "failure" driven nature of this game. As in life, it's easy to show up at the yard and crank it up when things are going well. But when the most successful players in this game are unsuccessful seven out of 10 times, "going well" is an extremely relative phrase. No one is successful all the time. Anyone who thinks he is, is lying to himself, to his team and to the game that we love. The best among us simply have a plan and work toward executing it. Nothing goes smoothly all the time, but when you are continuously working toward that overarching common goal and going about your business the right way (more on that in a second), you never really fail. Only when you put yourself ahead of the team and that common goal are you a failure (and an epic one at that).

Getting better at this game is difficult. The only thing more difficult is being able to help others get better at it. All of us who coach played at some level and, for whatever reason, had to stop playing. We all have our own little pet causes, sets of neuroses and internal demons that were developed over the course of our respective careers. The biggest challenge we face is not to project all of those onto all of our players or let them impact the common goal.

In the case of the Navigators, our common goal is to get better before the spring season. Since baseball is a mental game, that means we need to teach our players to think through certain situations. In order to do that, we need to let them think. Otherwise, they are mindless drones who have no ability to find their way through the situations in which they find themselves during the games.

I realize that I may be a tad unorthodox on this particular point, but I invite my players to question everything (within reason). I demand that it's done correctly--my equivalent to the Navigators' three tenets was "In baseball, as in life, there are two ways to do things: the right way and the wrong way. We will do things the right way."--but I want them to think through everything they do. Their actions need to have a purpose, and the onus falls on me, the coach, to teach them that purpose. The only way to do that is to empower them to think on their own.

While I wasn't directly responsible for any of these fellas getting D1 scholarships, I was on a staff that has produced more than a dozen of them since I started coaching there, so I figure I've learned to do something right.

Matt Scioscia ('07) - Notre Dame

Carlos Lopez ('08) - Cal State Fullerton

Jeremy Rodriguez ('08) - Cal State Bakersfield

Sean Gilmartin ('08) - Florida State

Tyler Johnson ('08) - SUNY Stony Brook

Tony Goebel ('08) - SUNY Stony Brook

Ryan Hawthorne ('08) - Loyola Marymount

Sean McIntyre ('09) - Loyola Marymount

Zack Wiley ('09) - LeMoyne

Dylan Jones ('09) - Oregon

Austin Walker ('10) - UC Irvine

Kevin Williams ('10) - UCLA

Michael Hubbard ('10) - SUNY Stony Brook

Josh Mason ('10) - SUNY Stony Brook

Ryon Healy ('10) - Oregon

ADDENDUM:

There are a couple more guys who made D1 rosters:

John Kearns ('10) - Holy Cross

Ryan Brockett ('10) - St. Mary's

Yeah...I have coached at the high school level, and I've had some success doing it. I guess I know what I'm talking about.

It's a privilege to be able to be involved in this game--not a right. Ask the guys at Cal what it means to them. (That's another topic that pisses me off that I'll rant on another day.)

The Navs can achieve our goal of making the Pilots good, but some addition by subtraction is necessary first.

Wondering Where in the Hell I've Been?

The answer is here. And here. And here. Aaaaaaaand here.

Taking on the PRSA-YP blog and Twitter account was a great move that's been a lot of fun, but the DL has gotten sacrificed in the process. A number of random things have happened as well. Here is a small sampling.

• Coaching
• Mobile World Congress
• USC Alumni Game
• Visit from Marisa
• Ash Wednesday (hey, that's today!)
• Drinking in preparation for Ash Wednesday (hey, that's over!)
  

Yes, it is now Lent. Yes, I have given up alcohol...again. I realize that this coincides with the beginning of high school baseball season, and there is another trade show (CTIA) and a bachelor party staring me in the face. Furthermore, both are in Vegas. It's gonna be rough, but it is what it is.

Letter from a Great Man

12-2-00

To my Grandson Dale:

Thank you for being such a fine man and upholding good standards. It has been such a joy for Grandma and I to have shared so much of your growth.

I thank God that we were able to follow you around on the baseball circuit.

The time is coming in your life that you will have to make big decisions, so make sure that you make good ones. If you're not sure it's right, just slap yourself. (haha)

Just want you to know that Grandma and I love you dearly.

Love,

Grandpa and Grandma

--
As you can tell by the date, this letter came to me a while ago--my senior year in HS. Those of you who went to Catholic high school know all about why and where this comes from, so I will divulge no further details on that.

The important part, though, is the focus on decisions, and this is a topic near and dear to me as I just attended the going away party of one of my former players who leaves for college this week. Another leaves next week, and the rest will be on their way too. Clearly as my knuckleheads take off for college, they will be faced with many decisions, and while I certainly had my share of shortcomings as a coach/mentor for my boys, the overarching point I always tried to drive home was that there are two ways to do things.

The right way and the wrong way.

What do you know? That point extends to more than baseball. I hope and pray that my boys always continue to work to do things the right way. It's not always going to work out perfectly for them, as it certainly hasn't always for me since I received the above letter eight years ago when I was their age. But as I told my grandpa in the response I wrote him, I know that in the big picture I've gotten more right than I've gotten wrong.

To me, it's a testament to the strong principles and family values he helped instill in me. While I could never measure up to the example he set for me with respect to impacting future generations, I hope that someday (maybe in eight years), my boys can look back and think that the lunatic freshman coach from 2006 taught them a thing or two about how to do things.

Live life with a passion for others and see God in them, because you never know when you'll lose them. Play to win, because playing not to lose is for...well...losers. Have each other's back always because you better believe I have all of yours. That's doing things the right way.

More Nostalgia

Last night as I was searching around on the Internet, I stumbled upon the Web site of one Nick Fera. Now, as you all know, I am a terrible novice guitarist, and what many of you probably don't know, I was in a band once. Don't get excited. It was the 2005-2006 school year when I worked at Crespi, and we were the house band/soundtrack to student life--The Bungalows (named for our practice facility). I played the bass because it was handed to me two days before the first event of the year. (Thanks, Coach Muck.)

What I did in this band was irrelevant. What Dom (keyboard), Tony (rhythm guitar) and Coach Muckey (drums) did in this band was irrelevant. The guy who carried us was our lead guitarist (a senior at the time), the aforementioned Nick Fera. Anyway, young Mr. Fera let me know that he is now in a jazz fusion-ish type group called ChromoSphere. They're legit, and as soon as I get word that they're playing a show locally, I am there.

However, I don't know that they really give you a feel for just how well Nick plays a guitar, so check these sound clips from his site. I'm partial to Little Wing (weird) and Long Hard Ride (because it was part of the Bungalows set list).

"All Along the Watchtower" (I think this is the cover U2 did)
"Little Wing" (Jimi Hendrix)
"4 on 6" (Wes Montgomery)
"Long Hard Ride" (Toy Caldwell)

Nick Fera...great musician, and even better dude. Keep up with him on his sites, and the DL will continue to post and tweet with updates on Nick and ChromoSphere.

Article of the Day - More Accolades for Gilmartin

What a week to be a Celt baseball fan! One of my boys making lots of noise at the next level. (Your gold unis still suck, though, Gilmartin.)

Sean Gilmartin Named NCBWA Freshman Pitcher of the Year
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida State's Sean Gilmartin made headlines for the second straight day as he was named the 2009 Pro-Line Athletic National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's (NCBWA) Freshman Pitcher of the Year as announced on Tuesday, June 9.

Gilmartin, ranked No. 4 in the nation in wins, finished his freshman campaign with a 12-3 record and a 3.49 ERA in 98.0 innings of work. He struck out 83 batters, walked 37, registered two complete games and one save, while opponents hit just .221 against him. (more)

CIF Champs

Article of the day, pictures of the day, video of the day...holy crap...they won the thing!

Great start, better finish: Crespi wins Div. II baseball title

ANAHEIM - When the Crespi of Encino baseball team opened the season with seven straight wins, Ryon Healy thought his Celts were the best team in their division. When the team lost three of four following the undefeated start, Healy thought his Celts were the best team in their division. (more)




Video of the day

Well done, boys!

To my boys, the outgoing seniors:


Andres Andy Cerda, Daniel Coulsell, Sean Fisher, Aaron Ammann, Spencer Wendt, Jordan Camacho, Sean McIntyre and Zack Wiley (L to R in the pic)...wish you guys the best going forward. It was a pleasure to be there at the start, and I was ecstatic to be able to be there at the end. Effin' a, boys!

Congrats Gil

Freshman All American

http://www.seminoles.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/060509aaa.html


But most importantly, he wears stirrups.

Article of the Day - Good Enough

Crespi starter Kearns is `good enough' to lift Celts into title game

"All week, all I heard was how great their hitting was," Kearns said. "When I came out here, I told myself that if we can hold them to under four or five (runs), we might have a chance. When you come out and give up five, it's a little iffy.

"But it was good enough."

Way to hang in there and get a job done, kid. But we really have to work on your interviews.

Who is the man? This guy.

Freshman Awards Night

Final Record: 11-9 (6-4 Mission League)

MVP: Christian Priori Priore
Best Offensive Player: Danny Avalos
Best Pitcher: Francisco Cerda ¡Víva Chile!
Gold Glove: Nick Morton

Congrats to my boys...love the work that was put in. This team got better over the course of the season, and the nucleus of it will be a force to be reckoned with as they progress through their high school careers and, hopefully, beyond. I'm certainly going to miss the games, but it's time for me to reclaim my Saturdays as my own.

Egg egg, boys.

Freshman Baseball (Short)

[SCENE]

Notre Dame HS; 6th inning; umpire rings up pinch hitter on check swing

DL: Whitey, what you got? On the call or on the swing?
Umpire: I have the pitch a strike, and I have a swing
DL: Well you're 0 for 2 on one call. Good for you.

[END SCENE]

Negligence

I really can't use the move as an excuse anymore, so I suppose my lack of blogging activity has been the product of negligence. Quick update, but I'm feeling lazy and don't want to really elaborate. The team is doing well overall, but I still have yet to see us win since Thousand Oaks. We're hitting a little better, but we just find more new and creative ways to cough up games. On the up side, Coach Clark gave me a stay of execution...for at least another week. I just need to find a voodoo doll before Notre Dame next Saturday.

Speaking of that game, we may have a verifiable army of fans. Catherine, Princess, Sarah and Cheryl have all given at least a soft verbal to show up. Cannot wait to hear what kinds of questions the four of them get from all of our players' mothers in the stands. That will be interesting a debacle.

On a related note, I am still wandering the labyrinth. I haven't officially been fed to the minotaur yet, but I'm definitely still just wandering. Oh well.

Work is fascinating...lots of account turnover, so I'm rolling ALU Services, Eltek Valere, Fulcrum Microsystems and Guidance Software with an eye toward Mobicip and hoping some new business stuff falls our way soon. Busy times.

The car situation is a fiasco...I got the runaround the first time and was told that I just needed new tires. Wrong answer, Frank. I got four new ones, and my car is still making that obnoxious noise for which I HAVE ALREADY BROUGHT IT BACK IN ONCE (only to be told I needed new tires). Hope you're ready to chat with me tomorrow morning and explain to me why you can't get this right. I've been more than patient, Frank. Your people are sick of seeing me, and I'm sick of not having my car in the condition it should be in. Just get it back to me and get it right. I'm not asking you to do anything out of the ordinary. I'm just asking to you do...*gasp*...your job.

Other than that, I have spent a good chunk of my weekend sitting on my porch in a canvas chair playing the guitar. I am not looking forward to tomorrow, but the rest of the week shouldn't be too tragic. Hopefully, this is not a case of "famous last words." We shall see. Have a good week, everyone!

There is no other explantion. We are hated.

The baseball gods have frowned upon the Crespi freshman team. I don't know if it's the baseball sins of their coaching staff, or the ugly uniforms, or what the deal is, but they hate us. Another battle that we were right in until the end, resulted in another L.

We lined into three inning-ending double plays. These were not baserunning errors. These were balls absolutely scorched right at infielders...no shot to avoid getting doubled. Even at that, we were still in the game down 2-1 when we rallied and picked up a run in the top of the 7th to tie it. We then threw up a zero in the bottom half to take it to extras...where we got left on the field by a run scored by the leadoff hitter who got on via a bitch hop that almost killed my 2B.

Such is life...we're sitting at 2-4 and could easily be 6-0 (or 0-6), so I suppose it depends on how you look at it. I'm getting frustrated for the kids, though. They're battling and competing like crazy (which is the first/most important rule) and seeing little of it translating in the win column. We're going to see very quickly what they're made out of mentally. So far, I still love what I see with these guys and think that when all is said and done, this will be one of the better classes to come through Crespi. We just gotta keep grinding.

This, by the way, is when I REALLY hate that I gave up drinking for Lent. I need a beer.

Ugh

More awful at bats with runners in scoring position. 7-5 L. I'll write more when I'm not so bitter. (So...probably not until we pick up another win. Hopefully Saturday at Loyola.)

Freshman Report: 500

Beautiful number...and can be used to describe our record after a 10-4 W at Thousand Oaks Saturday. If was a little dicey for a while, as we did the usual kick it around and throw it away on defense, but once we woke the bats up, there was no shot they were catching us.

For freshmen, these kids bang...seriously. I saw a couple balls hit Saturday that guys in varsity lineups can't barrel up to as well as these kids. There isn't anyone in the lineup that I would consider a soft out, and there are a handful who can steal bases like it's their job.

Good stuff going on this week...taking a half day off of work on Wednesday for the big away showdown against the Fighting Hillmans Seraphs of St. Bonaventure. Hopefully in between leaving work at noon and heading to St. B for the game, I am picking up the Amazin'. Then on Saturday, it gets even more interesting, as Coach Clark has an interview with the LAFD and can't make the game, so I get the league opener at Loyola by myself. Back to giving signs and coaching 3B. This is going to be a gong show, but I'm such a control freak...I love it.

As the Muck Says...

"Fellas...we learned something today. We aint gonna win 'em all."

I have yet to get the full scouting report on the game from Coach Clark, but the frosh fell 6-5 to Hart in game one today. Not all 6-5 L's are created equal, and with major question marks coming into the game, there is probably a light at the end of the tunnel. The game now is to teach these boys how to win because by the limited account that I got, it was runners stranded in scoring position and a couple key defensive lapses that did us in. I hate losing, but I love challenges. They're freshmen. They're going to screw these things up. As a staff, it's our job to fix it. We've got work to do.

Sidebar: No frosh game tomorrow...helping Coach Lauer with the JVs. Should be interesting.

Easy as 1, 2, 3...

That went surprisingly well

1 for 2 with a 2B

2 assists from SS (only one bitch hop that I wore)

3 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K

...and one hanging arm

--
Freshman team...hung in there, but we're a zoo behind the plate. We need a catcher...badly. We have plenty of arms, and our front line defense is solid. The only real area for concern is behind the plate. Thank God half of our games are at Balboa. I'm looking forward to getting this thing going, though. I'm feeling it now...it's time.

It's a Beautiful Day...

...let's play two!

Freshman-JV scrimmage - 9:00
Alumni Game - high noon