Pay Attention ...

Coach Wolforth recently challenged us all to "pay attention.' It sounds trite and trivial, but how much do you really pay attention? We are all so distracted by cell phones, texting, TVs in every restaurant, etc. There are distractions everywhere. And then we hunt more down.

But, to be excellent ... you must pay attention. Here are 10 ... or 11 ... things (a non-exhaustive list, for sure) to pay attention to on the baseball field:

1) Pay attention to where the baseball is going and where you want it to go. Are you really acquiring a target with every throw? Are you getting a target each time? If so, guess what? Bad throws while warming up will be rare. Bad throws during a game will be cut down dramatically, as well. Pay attention to whether each throw hits the target. Count makes and misses. Do this for 10 minutes and compare to how you have been throwing. Add following your throws and see what happens.

Likewise, are you paying attention to the baseball when you are hitting? Pay attention with your eyes. Be conscious with good broad- to fine-focus. Practice paying attention and do this every time you hit, whether in practice or in a game.

2) Pay attention to what is happening during BP. What are you trying to do? Are you working on your two-strike approach? Pay attention to whether it is working and why. Did you hit the ball hard where it wants to go? Know every time. Pay attention. Did you look for your pitch and find it in count cage? Know the answer to this.

3) Pay attention when you are in the dugout. Pay attention to the opposing pitcher's patterns, both with pitches and moves to first. Can you pick up an opposing sign or trend? Yes, you can, if you pay attention. Eyes and ears on the field, and pay attention.

4) Pay attention to any coach or player when they are communicating on the field. If some one is communicating info, then they believe it is important. Rather than daydreaming or thinking about what you want to say, pay attention. Learn something. Always be paying attention and learning.

5) Pay attention while others are getting instruction (it's like free correction, but less painful), and also pay attention while others are playing to learn from what they do well or otherwise.

6) Pay attention to game situations (realize and remind; situation and say it again) and hammer these into your brain like a news ticker. Decide what you will/can do before the play starts and be ready. Like acquiring the target when throwing, this technique is proven to dramatically reduce mistakes.

7) Pay attention to what the opponent is doing while you are on the field. Many clues are contained as to what is coming, if you will only look. See an OF who looks strangely out of position? There may be a pickoff play coming. Is an infielder shading in a different place than previously? It might be a clue as to what type of pitch is coming.

8) Pay attention to how your performance and AB's go. Get in the habit of reviewing your mound and plate performances intelligently. For instance, with your at-bats, ask: What was I trying to do? What went right/wrong? What do I want to do next time? Do this every time. Pay attention, and know what to pay attention to.

9) Pay attention to signs, and make it part of your routine and habit to get the sign early and often. This is a simple decision to make; and

10) Pay attention to your routine and preparation ... what works? Pay attention to find whatever clues or common denominators you can between good and bad performance, i.e., food, sleep, pregame exercises and warm-up, self-talk, everything. Pay attention.

Okay, here's a bonus:

11) Pay attention to the emotional state of yourself (and others) during competition. When you sense you are getting too amped, bring it on down. Conversely, if the game is "out of hand" and you sense the feeling that you or your teammates might be relaxing a bit too much, then amp it up. Stay at a proper focus and emotional level at all times, regardless of the situation. Pay attention and make the appropriate adjustment.

Know what is happening and why. You can. Just ...

Pay attention.

Will Smith's Words of Wisdom

I always like Will Smith, but wow ... this is good stuff. I got this from Coach Aaron Weintraub, a great mental game teacher. Great stuff. This thinking + your faith in Christ = God is going to do big things.

Exploring the Mystery of Pitch Counts

My knowledge on this subject is drawn largely from the excellent work and research of Ron Wolforth and his staff at the Texas Baseball Ranch.

I have modified what Coach Wolforth has suggested only slightly in how I deal with pitchers who have gone over 30 pitches in an inning (allowing them to continue only if it is the first inning and the pitcher has demonstrated the ability to work through such struggles at the current level of competition).

My background as a baseball player is as a position player (1B/OF) and a hitter. So, I have come to the table on the subject of pitching from a different perspective, and in some ways, without what I view as the baggage of a lifetime of shifting views on trends in pitching.

Pitch counts are a strange and mysterious subject. They are treated as gospel, but few seem to understand them. There are "magic" numbers, such as 100 for a game that some will argue are never to be exceeded. No explanation is given for this magical line never to cross; it's just there, you see.

Still others argue that pitchers at various portions of a season are clearly only ready to throw 40, 50, 60, etc. pitches. How do they know this? Unless it's a knowledge of the demonstrated preparation of a specific pitcher at that point in the season, truly it's hard to tell.

I believe there are a couple of concepts that are really central to understanding the issue of pitch counts: 1) First and foremost, how much a pitcher throws on his own and in practice is crucial to developing the arm strength to throw longer and deeper into games; and 2) how a pitch count is accumulated is more important than what a pitcher's total count is.

To put these two concepts together, to know whether a pitcher is gassed after throwing 100 pitches, you need to know how much work he has put in -- practice and game work -- during a particular season and also how many innings he has thrown during the game at issue. For instance, assuming we are at least at mid-season, a pitcher who has gone 7 innings and thrown 100 pitches has really not extended himself such that he is at any real risk of injury. A well-conditioned pitcher can throw 12-15 pitches per inning for quite a long time, given the fact that he is resting and recovering while his teammates are batting.

Take for instance the "scandal" caused by University of Texas pitcher Austin Wood, who threw 169 pitches in a relief outing in a 2009 NCAA regional game (the longest game in NCAA history, a 25-inning UT 3-2 win over Boston College). Wood came on in relief with a runner on second in the seventh inning, and then ... he pitched the next 12 1/3 innings before he gave up his first hit, a single in the bottom of the 19th. He struck out 14, walked four and gave up two hits in 13 innings. Making Wood’s performance even more impressive was that the game was on the line in every inning. And all of this came after he pitched two innings the night before in a 3-1 victory over Army.

Austin Wood was able to do what he did (and his arm stayed attached to his body as he and the Horns went on to the CWS) because he was conditioned and also because he pitched efficiently through his night ... and early morning ... of work. He averaged about 13 pitches per inning. So, what a lot of people in the pitching world thought was scandal was no scandal. If a pitcher is at 15 or under pitches per inning, with much conditioning at all he can pitch a good long while. Remember, the pitcher is resting between innings. With warmups, the infielders are nearly throwing as much.

Most coaches, especially summer coaches, pay very little attention to anything but the total pitch count (and then, even the total is often monitored haphazardly). Neglecting how a total is accumulated is a mistake. What Ron's research has shown (and my experience has confirmed) is that if a pitcher throws 20 or more pitches in an inning, he is laboring in that inning such as to increase stress on his arm and body and decrease his effectiveness. If he follows such an inning with another 20-pitch inning, it is probably time for the pitcher to come out of the game. I have followed this formula and found it to be sound over the years.

Coach Wolforth also suggests removing any pitcher following any inning in which he throws 30 or more pitches in an inning, based on the fact that the pitcher is tired and now more susceptible to injury. I have followed this rule with the one exception noted above; that is, if we are dealing with a pitcher who has shown the ability to recover from jams at the current level of competition then I will allow him to continue if and only if the 30-pitch inning occurs in the first inning that he pitches.

On the Mustangs, we track a pitcher's per-inning count to see how he is trending. If a pitchers count-per-inning starts to creep up then that is a factor indicating that his work for the day may be done. But to me, this part is art. The foregoing 20- and 30-pitch markers, however, are science (or rules in my book), and I adhere to them as such.

I use these rules as markers and extend our pitchers total counts out as we move through the season. As for the total counts, that is based upon the pitcher's experience, work history, and demonstrated effectiveness during a particular game.

And of course, pitch counts are only part of a story as to whether a pitcher continues. For instance, if your count is down but your fielders are dodging bb's with every pitch, well, you get the picture.

For those of you playing elsewhere during the fall and summer, I think it's important that you know this information and see how other coaches are handling pitching staffs. In the end, we want to be getting better each practice and game, but we also want to keep our arms and bodies healthy for the longterm.

See you on the field,

One Mind ... One Heart ... One Mission

We've talked about the mind and our mission.

At the retreat, we laid out what "one heart" means. And, as we set out on our journey this week, let's keep this in mind:

O -- One. One team, one coaching staff, one mission. We speak with one voice and we move toward our goal as one.

N -- No whining or excuses. You can make an excuse or a way. Your choice.

E -- Every player has value. This is so critical. Each player, whether on the field or off, is valuable. Equating value with playing time or positions in the field violates our heartbeat in a fundamental way.


H -- Hustle everywhere, doing everything. By doing so, we communicate respect for the game and the time and efforts of those around us, and we let our teammates (and opponents) know that we are excited and ready to play.

E -- Every task has value. Each thing we do, whether in practice or a game, is to be done to the best of our ability. You never know when the most important play of a day or game will be. Treat each task as valuable, and you will be ready.

A -- Attentive always ... at practice, in the dugout, on the field. We bring a ready mindset to all that we do, and the baseball field is our place of business ... a fun one, but a place of business nonetheless. We make all of our action, thoughts and words purposeful.

R -- Ready to do whatever is asked. A team full of ready teammates is a team ready to succeed.

T -- Team. We finish where we started. Everything we do is for our team and its welfare.

As we have discussed, maintaining "one heart" is the key ingredient to getting where we want to go.

See you on the field,