A Baseball Coach Figures it out ... Why the Mavs are Going to Win

To understand part of the problem with the James Media/PR Empire-Complex, check out the following short email entitled, "The Dallas Mavericks Will Win the 2011 NBA Championship ... Here’s the Two Reasons Why: Mostly LeBron" by Aaron Weintraub (leave it to a baseball coach to figure this stuff out).

There is also some great insight for you players (and non-players) as to the importance of self-awareness and continual, honest evaluation of how you are doing. That's honest evaluation ... the type that is often uncomfortable. Most of us want to hear how wonderful and lovely all we say and do are. However, the real work (and progress) in life begins when we are honest with ourselves and learn to embrace people in our lives going the same direction as we are that will spur us along on this journey.

Learn how to do this, and then you will find God's full potential in your games and lives.

Here is Coach Weintraub:

"First, the Mavs are playing very well, starting with Nowitzki. Dirk is much more mentally tough than he was in 2006. Back then, he pouted after every close call that went against him. Now he focuses on his job and does a great job of reading what is available to him. His teammates understand their roles, too, and they do a good job of getting themselves ready to give their best effort through the high stress and challenges of playing a more talented Heat team in the NBA Finals.

"Second, LeBron doesn’t know how to get himself ready to give his best effort. There are three steps that separate a best effort performance from a lousy performance, assuming that the athlete is trying hard in both. One is to create an ideal state, or get yourself ready both physically and mentally. Two is to know your job in controllable terms, and three is to focus and simply let it happen. It is the first step where LeBron and many others fall short. You see, without awareness, no adjustment is possible. Most athletes don’t know what leads them to play great, other than trying hard. Often, their coaches sense it better than they do and these fine coaches learn to put their players in the positions where they excel. Or, the athletes just play great when they’re comfortable, or juiced, or patient, or whatever it is. Perhaps night games at home lead to an ideal performance state, and that’s good enough for them to have what they consider to be success.

'Here’s what I see with LeBron. He’s in his ideal state when he believes that his team needs him to be their clear leader. When he takes the challenge of defeating his opponents personally and strives to carry his team on his shoulders, he gets explosive. Here’s the problem. He doesn’t know this. Without awareness, no adjustment is possible. He obviously needs to adjust, but his postgame comments after Game 5 make it clear that he doesn’t even know this. “My offense in the fourth quarter is fine.” Huh? No, it’s not.

"When you’re LeBron, having a feeling that your team needs you to carry them happens often, without any awareness necessary from yourself. Cleveland had nothing else. When Wade gets hurt and misses a few minutes (like in Game 5), you play better. But when Wade is on the court, LeBron strives to be the best “team player” he can be. There’s nothing wrong with that in concept – it just doesn’t lead to him performing the way he’s capable of performing. He’s trying to be a good guy, not the selfish guy he obviously is. ... He would play better if he would get selfish and carry his team, as we all know he can.

"Fortunately for the Mavericks, no one is likely to tell LeBron what he needs to know fast enough for this year. After he fails, he’ll look for answers and probably make great adjustments, but his personal values and judgments will not change over the next few days. Even without LeBron at his best, the Heat are very good, but to beat the Mavericks twice, they would need him in an ideal performance state a majority of the time.

"That’s not going to happen."

-Aaron Weintraub

Up, and Coming ... Here: TCU Baseball

Take a look at this video by TCU Baseball. You'll recognize some familiar themes ... i.e., win this pitch ... and the approach will also resonate.

It's how you gain leverage -- a solid mental approach that values the process of how to compete. You want results? You want wins?

Do (and think) like this:

From Coach Aaron Weintraub ... Attitude is Everything

Received this from Coach Traub. Check it out:

"You have extremely little control over what goes on around you, but total control of how you choose to respond to it. It is in these choices that lay your freedom, your happiness, and your personal power. Choose wisely.

"Attitude is a choice and attitude determines altitude. You perform better when you are aggressive, confident, and having fun. So do you know how to create that specific attitude when your current environment is pulling you in a different direction? Most people sense that attitude comes from within, but they don’t specifically seize all their personal power by realizing that their attitude comes specifically from the direction of their thoughts. What you are focused on causes the quality of your attitude. Therefore, if you learn to develop an optimistic explanatory style, even when faced with adversity, you will have a clear edge over your competition. It’s not easy to remember that messing up is good for you, to change “I’m in a slump” to “I’m overdue,” or to embrace difficult challenges. But hey, if was easy, everyone would do it.

"Here’s your first test… which comes first: successful outcomes or a positive, confident, fun attitude? For many, success does, but for the greatest athletes in the world, their confidence and positive attitude precede and lead to their success. The next time conditions are poor or you just messed up, remember that this is a great opportunity for you to practice employing your personal power by finding a shred of optimism to emphasize in your mind. Then add in some positive body language and don’t be surprised when great outcomes follow."

Walking Off as Winners

Last game ...

Our HWS run had ended up differently than we had expected or hoped. After two dramatic and gritty wins versus good teams (one of whom ultimately finished 6th), we ran into a buzzsaw on Thursday -- losing 5-1 to the Raleigh Warriors (who eventually finished 3rd nationally) and also 7-4 to the perennial powerhouse Atlanta Barons.

Both teams threw their aces at us. Both aces threw gems. We battled, but we fell short. On Friday, we were emotionally drained and flat; we got outplayed in every phase of the game and lost, 7-1, to an HCYA team we had beaten twice previously during the season.

The foregoing left us playing for 7th place in Division II ... really playing for pride on Saturday, May 7, as we sought to finish our season the right way.

The night before, I thought that it would be cool to win our last one in a walk-off, but I wasn't sure my heart could take it. Let't not try that, after all.

So, we drove over as the sun rose and showed up at 7 a.m. for the ungodly 8 a.m. EST start. We had fun on the way over, and our team appeared loose and ready to go vs. Augusta. We had our usual pregame, the 40th such pregame of the season. Last thing I told them: "Remember, we love you."

Before the game started, I walked down the right-field line to collect my thoughts and think about the gameplan. I looked at my card of plays and defensive sets. I wanted to use everything today, if necessary, to get the win. These players deserved this, and I wanted to do everything in my power to make sure it happened. I got a little emotional thinking it would be the last time I would do this with these players.

I was confident we would play well. But then it started.

We played awful. We were behind, 3-0, before we came to bat. It's been a while since we played that poorly for several innings, but we did. I was having troubles of my own, too. Augusta surprised me and threw out one of our guys stealing and another trying to advance to 3rd on a fly ball.

We were throwing balls around, forgetting to cover bags, droppoing pop-ups, running bases like, well, they were trying to upset my stomach ... At the plate, we were trying too hard. We were understanably too emotional on this day. Meanwhile, the Crusaders were playing loose, having fun and building an 8-3 lead in the 5th.

Then, we started to come alive. Ben was pitching well on the hill, and the guys kept battling and piling up good AB's at the plate. Starting in about the 5th inning, we started to look like ourselves and play like the Mustangs. We scored two in the bottom of the 5th, and then three more in the 6th. Meanwhile, our pitching and defense were solid.

A 7th-inning rally fizzled and we went to the 8th. By this time, I had come to grips with the fact that I was going to be okay with however this turned out. Our team had acquitted itself well in battling back and showing pride and heart.

A mini-threat by the Crusaders in the top of the 8th was shut down and we came to bat in the bottom half. Shell led off with a pop fly that fell in between the LF, SS, and 3B. The LF overran the ball, too, and Shell advanced to second. Then, things started to fall into place ...

I went out during a timeout to talk to Shell. I told him he was going to score the winning run and I was going to chase him home. He better get going. He didn't think I could catch him.

Michael had asked me before the inning about bunting if Shell had gotten on. I told him we would probably do that. But with Shell already on second, we conferred during a timeout, and I told him I wanted him to hit. I thought we'd have a rocket to the OF and then all would be well.

But Michael, our #3 hitter and offensive leader for the last 4 years, popped out. I kicked myself, wishing we had bunted there.

Then Foxy came to the plate. He'd had a fabulous year and was looking better and better as this game wore on. John battled with a great AB, taking two close pitches to get the count to 3-1. Then, he hit a ground ball, a high chopper to the left side, and Augusta barely threw him out at 1B. Shell advanced to 3B on the play. Two outs.

Matt then came to the plate. Matt has had a lot of great AB's through the years, and truthfully, he is a great guy to have up there in that situation. He fouled off the first pitch straigh back, but he was under it. Hmmm. C'mon, Matt, I thought. I wondered what he was thinking, but he sure looked locked in.

And then ... ping. The most beautiful humpback liner that I think I have ever seen floated out over second base into CF. I did start after Shell (he beat me to the plate), and we all went over to meet Matt at 1B in the bedlam.

We hugged, we laughed, we experienced the joy that this team is so known for ... one last time.

In forming the line to go across and congratulate the Crusaders, we even hip-bumped. Serious air.

After the game, we all talked and shared ... players, coaches, parents ... for a long time. It seemed that no one wanted it to end. We talked about how much Mustangs baseball has meant to all of us. It was so fitting, though, that it ended that way.

If we hadn't lost three straight, we would have missed this game ... this game that ended a season and 7 seniors Mustang careers in perfect fashion.

And God honored them all in the process. It was a day that all our seniors played the whole game. They all contributed. Jacob had a good day at the plate and on the mound. Ben hit the ball well, was nails on the mound and got the win. Sauce was, well, Sauce. Shell played well at 3B, and he started the winning rally and scored the winning run in our last game. Foxy overcame a tough start to get a big hit and also threw out a Crusader runner late in the game to stop a rally, Reagan was great in the OF and hit an inside-the-park HR. And Matt ...

Well, the Lord tasked Matt with ending this thing on the right note ... with the Mustangs battling, as always, and finishing strong. Matt's hit gave the Mustangs their only lead of the day -- as the game (and season) ended. Just in time ...

It was so fitting, on so many levels. They walked off the winners that they are.

After the game, my head began to hurt as I considered that if we hadn't played so poorly that we would have missed that incredible ending. We will always remember what happened on May 7, but a better performance and it never would have happened. I was reminded of last year's "Centex Miracle."

I walked down to watch the Huntsville-Barons game, which was a dandy (won by Huntsville, 7-6 in 8 inns.). Afterward, I was visiting with Huntsville's Coach Gary Byrd, and we were talking about how our coaching careers had ended in pretty much perfect fashion. Today's finish marked win #100 as a Mustang coach for me.

I told my friend Gary that we were disappointed that we missed Division I, and we thought we had a good chance to compete and win there, but still ... I was unsure that I would trade it for the path we had taken. I was content.

Then, Gary said, "The sovereignty of God is a beautiful thing." I just smiled, and said, "Yes, it is."

For God in His sovereignty has allowed this little ol' baseball team to make a big impact -- on the field, off the field, everywhere.

Last Practice in the books ...

I enjoyed our time on the field yesterday as we had our last practice of 2011. It was a a productive day as we went over our calls and defensive sets. We worked bullpens and we pitch/hit live. We closed with some competitive 3-2 drill, which ended up being pretty hilarious. One team (I think it was "Team Awesome") was doing leg kicks like the Rockettes to heckle the opposing pitcher.

However, "Team Better than Awesome" took the win for hitting a ball past CF Matt B.. I told them that would pretty much guarantee the win if they made Matt run to the fence. It was the last pitch, too. Perfect.

I wondered what some of our parents who came up as practice was ending might have thought. Has coach gone mad? Or madder .... It looked pretty crazy, but there is/was a method to it.

Here goes: As crazy as it looked, we were competing. Live hitters. Live pitchers. And fielding. Granted, we had some crazy positions out there. But on this last day of practice, the players positioned themselves. Really, I think they are just trying to make me look good, but that is another story.

But we were also doing something else. We were having fun. This is real important. Fun is incapable of being forced. It happens as a by-product of doing something you enjoy ... and it gets even better when you do it with people you enjoy.

Plus, we are ready. Our real work in preparation is now done.

After practice, we talked about the week ahead. I told them what I know. They are as prepared -- not moreso -- than any team they will face next week. Preparation breeds confidence.

This next week, we'll focus on a couple of acronyms that are important to us -- R-E-S-T and
J-O-Y. The first one is how we manage our thoughts; it's how we approach the game ... our DNA, if you will. The second -- JOY -- is how we manage our emotions ("Just like practice" ... "One pitch at a time" ... "Yippee" ... like our last practice.

The Importance of the Two-Strike Approach

I was talking to a fellow coach the other day, and I told him there are three books that form the foundation of my coaching philosophy: the Bible, "The Mental Game of Baseball," by H.A. Dorfman, and "Moneyball," by Michael Lewis (author of "Blindside," by the way).

"Moneyball" is so profound on so many levels (and parents, you have to wade through Billy Beane's antics and language in the book, so approach with caution). It really challenged me to look at the game -- in particular offense and statistics -- in a fundamentally different way.

One of the principal ideas in "Moneyball" is how the Oakland A's approached offense. They consistently looked for their pitch; they were patient. When they got it, they attacked and they hit it hard. They wore out opposing pitching staffs by running up pitch counts. They utilized this philosophy in the early 2000's to notch back-to-back 100-win seasons with a shoestring budget and small payroll. I was intrigued. As we play so much in a tournament format, running up the opposition's pitch count seemed to be the baseball equivalent of a map to buried treasure.

So, we changed our approach around here after I read "Moneyball." One of the things that I initially adopted from the book, however, that I have since changed is the absence of a two-strike approach. The A's preached looking for one's pitch all the way through an AB, even on two strikes. The rationale was simple: It made more sense to take a borderline pitch than to weakly put it in play and have a MLB defense almost always make a play.

But high school defenses are different than MLB defenses (insert "duh."). And high school games have six fewer outs (at least). And high school umpires are different than MLB umpires, with wider and more variable strike zones. In short, it pays more on a lot of levels to put the ball in play with two strikes in high school than to take your chances on a borderline strike three call.

My opinion is that a lot of misjudgments about high school baseball are made because of the failure to differentiate between how the game is played at various levels. Certain plays, for instance, work great at the JH level. But in high school, things change. And they change more still as the competition gets tougher up the ladder.

We encourage all of our hitters to work a good two-strike approach. This involves both a mechanical adjustment (to enable them to cover the whole strike zone, plus 2-3 inches, with a quicker stroke) and a mental one (our pitch is now the strike zone, plus 2-3 inches). Also, we need a fighting mentality with two strikes. We are battling to win the AB.

Our approach is that we allow the hitters to determine their own particular mechanical adjustment. Some choke up, others shorten loads, step lighter, etc. It's an individual choice, from our perspective. But it is important that the hitter make some adjustment to be able to handle all pitches with two strikes, more than simply "his" pitches.

Clearly, a two-strike adjustment will help us win a lot of battles with pitchers and create more offense with two strikes. It also give a hitter another tool in the "toolbox" when he may be struggling. For instance, I have found that using the two-strike approach is a good way to make contact and get it going at the plate.

But it does something even more profound ... A good two-strike approach makes a hitter more confident in hunting his pitch earlier in the count. Why? Because he has no fear of going to two strikes. He knows he can/will have success there, too. So, the good two-strike approach at the back end of an AB makes a hitter better earlier in the count, as well.

It all works together.

"Bounce" & the Talent Myth

Two great, thought-provoking books that have really challenged my thinking are "Talent is Overrated" by Geoff Colvin and "Bounce" by Matthew Syed. Both approach the mystery of success and talent and reach a similar conclusion -- talent is, indeed, overrated.

Both books contain the evolutionary theories and beliefs of the authors but I would recommend you filter through this part and get to the larger (and I believe true and biblical) message -- that we are responsible for our actions and lives. With God's help and our obedience, our supposed limits are much less than we previously imagined.

Sure, there are elements of opportunity and also talent itself (certain folks are simply unsuited to be, say, an NBA center), but the larger point of the books remains. You are capable of much more than you realize, so get to it.

Here are some insights/quotes from "Bounce" that I found noteworthy:

Expertise (created through practice) leads to instinct.

The "child prodigy" myth is just that -- a myth. And yes, that includes Mozart, whose father was a master teacher and was working with Mozart at a very early age.

"Mere experience, if it is not matched by deep concentration, does not translate into excellence."

"Research across domains shows that it is only by working at what you can't do that you turn into the expert you want to become."

Making mistakes can lead to mastery if you are being stretched and learning in the process.

Training with superior players increases learning.

Why the smart get smarter and the good get better: " ... the very process of building knowledge transforms the hardware in which the knowledge is stored and operated."

A good practice is one that stretches your limitations each time.

Creative innovation also results from the rigors of purposeful practice.

Good practice also contains feedback that communicates what is going right/wrong.

Those who believe that intelligence/performance are transformed by practice have a growth mind-set. Those who labor under the talent myth stall and stagnate in the face of difficulties.

Michael Jordan: "Mental toughness and heart are a lot stronger than some of the physical advantages you might have."

"Praising children's intelligence [or talent] harms their motivation, and it harms their performance."

" ... [T]each others to see challenges as learning opportunities rather than threats."

In competition, fear causes athletes to worry about results and an overemphasis on mechanics that leads to tightening up.

Go back to perspective. Value what really matters, as opposed to the particular result/outcome. Then the result becomes much easier to attain.

Good routines are a key part of excellent performance.

Those who truly excel are able to get past both triumphs and failures sooner. It takes maturity and a healthy perspective to keep driving on.

The brain is more involved in perception than the eyes.

Attention is a resource with "severe capacity limitations," but experts "create more bandwidth" by automating a number of tasks.

It takes about 10,000 hours of purposeful practice (individual work on specific areas of need) to reach world-class status at a particular craft.

Bottom line: The number one factor that is present in, and distinguishes top performers from their counterparts, is the amount of time they practice on their own.

"It is practice [on your own], rather than talent, that holds the key to success."

Maybe some of these high-caliber performers can be homeschoolers?

"Experts are People, too"

I received the following recently from Coach Ron Wolforth. Take a look, let it soak in ... do some thinking perhaps about the "experts" in and around your life. There are a lot of these in the baseball world, you know, and they are certain that if you just fix this one thing, hold your elbow just so, do it exactly as they did, pay them by the hour, of course, well, you know the rest ... I've told a number of you my thoughts regarding our over-reliance upon instructors and "professionals." Well, fasten your seat belts (Coach is blunt, okay?) and check this out:

"'Life support turned off and expected to die, teen makes remarkable recovery

'NEW ZEALAND -- Kimberly McNeill, 18, was expected to die following a serious car accident she was in last December, but she shocked doctors when she made a remarkable recovery and was able to leave the hospital Monday.

"'A team of doctors forecasted the New Zealand teen would never survive her injuries and took her off life support against her family's wishes.

"'Kimberly crashed not far from her home in late December. Her parents, both acupuncturists, would not accept that their daughter could die.

"'It was doctors at Auckland City Hospital who switched off Kimberly's life support machine 15 days after being transferred to their hospital.

"'Kimberly defied all the odds when she not only was able to return home this week, two months after her wreck, but she was walking and talking.

"'The accident nearly claimed her life. Her father James McNeill said, 'To have her home so early is another outstanding milestone ... Kimberly has a long way to go but the sky's the limit.'
McNeill said both he and Kimberly's mother, Jackie Kiddle, would not accept the doctors' prognosis. Instead they drew on specialist acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners for support during the critical period when life support was withdrawn.'

"#1. This is what happens when we acquiesce most or all of our responsibility to think and decide to 'EXPERTS'. If you don't think this is our future in the USA ... I believe you are naive. That's what many elitists already believe should be the role of the EXPERT...to decide things for us silly, stupid, uneducated NON experts. This should rarely happen in my opinion. Experts should be used as our counselors ... not our rulers.

"#2. Exactly who is an EXPERT? In a Socialist society like New Zealand...an expert is ANYONE the government claims is an expert. I absolutely and completely reject such a notion. In my opinion, #1. I choose my expert(s). #2. I choose what part of the expert's advice I wish to follow and what advice I reject. #3. Then I'm held accountable for that decision.

"#3. Experts are people too. Very, very few people in the world ... are as expert as I am in pitching, yet I honestly don't view myself as an 'expert'. I know many people who know half as much as I do ... who are absolutely certain they know twice as much and relish in being an 'expert' disseminating their advice as if it were Gospel from the good Lord. They aren't cautious or hesitant what so ever about the possible fallibility of their thoughts or ideas. Some are even incredibly bright and capable and really have done their homework ... and then ... because they THOUGHT it ... it therefore must be correct. These people are possibly the MOST dangerous.
Don't believe me? I take my lead here from one of the premier cancer specialists in the world today ... Bernie Seigel. Here is what Dr. Seigel suggests you do if a doctor tells you or a loved one that a particular patient has X months to live.

"You tell the Doctor that you are going to make him a wager. If said patient passes away within twice the estimated time this doctor said the patient had remaining ... you will make a significant contribution to a charity of his choice. If the patient lasts one day longer than twice his prediction, the doctor will pay $100,000 to a charity of the patient's choice.

"Dr. Seigel says that NO doctor will EVER take that wager ... even with doubling the amount of time he said the patient has left. DOUBLING the amount of time! Yet they are so certain of it that they actually pass this information on to you as if it is TRUTH?

"Really? That is true unbridled arrogance.

"These experts in New Zealand made that same assumption regarding the young woman. So much so that they actually decided to turn her life support OFF ... Yet they couldn't have possibly been more wrong regarding the most important question this young woman will EVER face.

"What if that was YOUR daughter, son, husband or wife?

"Sarah Palin gets brutalized by the Left in this country regarding her take on so called 'death panels'. I'm not a big fan of Palin, but on this topic she is a lot closer than most believe she is. This NZ group truly acted as a 'death panel' for this young girl. They decided. They were wrong even when they were absolutely CERTAIN they were right.

"Please don't write me and tell me what happened in NZ would NEVER happen in the USA. Arrogance and experts deciding what's best for others knows no borders nor political affiliation...and I believe its pure evil and tyranny.

"What will happen to the group that blew this decision? Will the group be reprimanded? Disbanded? Decertified?

"You already know what will happen. Nothing. It will be glossed over as 'just one of those things that was unexplainable'. They just didn't see this coming. I would contend that these 'experts' should NEVER be dictating into areas where 'some things are unexplainable and things occur that they just couldn't see coming. Either THEY are not the right experts for this situation or NO expert can decide definitively in this specific case.

"#4. There is only ONE expert in what's REALLY important in YOUR life ... YOU. Don't let 'experts' run your life.

"Ask Lawrence Peter Berra. As a young man 'Yogi' worried his parents because of his obsession with a sport called baseball. They pleaded with him to be practical and to get an education and a real job. Finally Yogi went to a tryout in his home town of St. Louis and was told by Branch Ricky, considered at the time to be the preeminent judge of baseball talent in the MLB at the time, that he wasn't Major League material. His parents were relieved. Finally Yogi could now concentrate on getting and keeping a new job.

"Yogi had a different idea. Yogi proudly proclaimed, 'Mr. Ricky really doesn't know the real me. I know that because he didn't pick me."

"Which may possibly be the very first of many famous 'Yogisms'.

"The only expert Yogi considered listening to about matters so important ... was Yogi.

"But don't be too hard on experts ... experts are people too."

There is a lot there to ponder about what Coach Wolforth has said above. I am reminded of how some have said we have no chance here at the Mustangs because we lack "experts," no paid coaches, no staff instructors, no baseball "academy," etc., blah, blah, blah. Funny, but I think one of the things that has helped us is teaching players how to train and coach themselves on a number of levels. But, you be the judge.

Of course, there is a time and a place to seek help and additional guidance. I have my thoughts on this as it applies to baseball, but I am no "expert," if you know what I mean.

And as Coach Wolforth points out, the most important person to be making decisions about the direction of your life is you. You players, of course, are to do this within the confines of the authority of your parents and the Lord Himself. But you get the point.

Be responsible for your thoughts and actions. Make ways rather than excuses. And then see how far God can take you.

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.