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The Lord's Ball Game

Freddy and the Lord stood by to observe a baseball game. The Lord's team was playing Satan's team. The Lord's team was at bat, the score was tied zero to zero, and it was the bottom of the 9th inning with two outs.

They continued to watch as a batter stepped up to the plate named Love. Love swung at the first pitch and hit a single, because “Love Never Fails”.

The next batter was named Faith, who also got a single because “Faith Works With Love”.

The next batter up was named Godly Wisdom. Satan wound up and threw the first pitch. Godly Wisdom looked it over and let it pass: Ball one. Three more pitches and Godly Wisdom walked because “Godly Wisdom Never Swings At What Satan Throws”.

The bases were now loaded. The Lord then turned to Freddy and told him He was now going to bring in His star player. Up to the plate stepped Grace. Freddy said, "He sure doesn't look like much!" Satan's whole team relaxed when they saw Grace … thinking they had won the game, Satan wound up and fired his first pitch. To the shock of everyone, Grace hit the ball harder than anyone had ever seen! But Satan was not worried; his center fielder let very few get by. He went up for the ball, but it went right through his glove, hit him on the head and sent him crashing to the ground; the roaring crowds went wild as the ball continued over the fence … for a home run! The Lord's team won!

The Lord then asked Freddy if he knew why Love, Faith and Godly Wisdom could get on base, but couldn't win the game? Freddy answered that he didn't know why. The Lord explained, “If Your Love, Faith & Wisdom Had Won The Game, You Would Think You Did It All By Yourself. Love, Faith and Wisdom Will Get You On Base, But ONLY MY GRACE CAN GET YOU HOME!”

How To Handle "Cuts" After Your Tryout

Cutting kids after holding a tryout (or letting them know that they did not make the team) is a very difficult thing to do for most of us, although for some coaches, it's no problem (the ones with no heart). If you are one of those with a little compassion, then here are a few ideas that have worked for me that might be of some help.

1. It all depends on how you set up your tryout. I always make sure that before I conduct my tryout that the parents & players receive a handout explaining our FCA Baseball Team Expectations, Goals & Mission. I ask them to read the handout after filling out our FCA Baseball Prospective Player Information Sheet, as other participants arrive for the tryout. This handout also spells out for my FCA Baseball Coaching Staff the criteria we will use in selecting our players for the upcoming season.
   
2. Before having the kids stretch and throw, hold a brief Welcome Meeting with the players and parents, explaining a few of the key points in the handout, and letting them know that NOT everyone will make the team. Try to say this as graciously as you can, but they need to know that "cuts" will be made. I try not to use the word "cut", but rather say that "some kids will not measure up to what we are looking for on this team, but to stay encouraged". I try to tell them that one of the purposes of our tryout is to provide players & parents with an honest and realistic assessment of the players' strengths and weaknesses, so they can go away from the tryout with a knowledge of what to work on to make the player better ... which will hopefully help them with their next tryout experience. I also, try to encourage them that there is a team out there for everyone to play on, but that you might have to be a little patient and persistent in finding that team.
3. Another tool that is important is a good Evaluation Form that your coaches use in evaluating the various skills you are looking for in your recruits. By evaluating your kids in a fair and consistent manner, you are demonstrating that you are taking your prospective players' baseball skills seriously, which is something you NEED to do in putting together a competitive, travel or select team. If you are only putting a recreational level team together, you don't have to put as much weight on skills when initially putting your team together (but teaching the skills of the game should still be a high priority before and during the season).
4. Run a quality, professional tryout. Excellence demonstrates that we know what we are doing, and that it is an important value to us as an FCA Baseball Team. Often times, this alone can make it evident in the minds of both the player and parents that maybe their son doesn't quite measure-up talent-wise with some of the other tryout participants. They kind of "cut themselves" from the team. (Obviously, this doesn't always happen this way, because parents are "just a little bit" biased).
   
5. Once you have set the table regarding what you are looking for in a player through your handout & initial pre-tryout team meeting, and have run a quality tryout with a good evaluation form, you now have something substantial to use when communicating with the player and parents why he did or did not make the team. If you share this information in a Godly, loving way, providing the player and parents with the knowledge & assessment needed to improve their baseball skills, then you have a better chance of receiving a gracious response from those you choose to turn away from your team. Again, not all parents will agree with your decision to NOT select their son because they are usually looking through rose-colored glasses. However, we are not responsible for their reaction, only on how we present our decision.

Hopefully, the above suggestions will assist you in the difficult task of letting players & parents know that they didn't make the team, and at the same time, provide those turned away with an honest & realistic assessment of their baseball skills, to assist them in their improvement and next tryout experience.

Ron Hobar, FCA Baseball National Youth Director

A Firm Foundation

To be a consistent and effective hitter, you must begin with a firm foundation – a strong, base from which to swing the bat. Not only is a firm foundation an important ingredient for consistent hitting, but it is essential for living a consistent, balanced and impactful life. Your life is like a house. Without a solid foundation, a house cannot stand against strong winds and storms. Over time, it will crash & fall. Read the Words of Jesus in Matthew 7:24-27 about the Wise and Foolish Builders. Which builder do you want to be?

(24) "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. (25) The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. (26) But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. (27) The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." (NIV)

Playing & Coaching The Game Right

Coaches speak of “playing the game right,” though they rarely explain exactly what that means. Here is a point-by-point checklist of “playing the game right”.

You should apply these points to your “coaching effort”, as well. If you model these principles to your players by “coaching” in this manner, they will have a better chance of “playing” this way.

1. Be prepared. Be ready to give your best at all times.
   
2. Hustle as hard as possible for as long as it takes. Grind it out.
   
3. Be alert, always looking for an edge. Anticipate what may happen around you. Be into every pitch.
   
4. Sacrifice yourself for the team. Play to win rather than for personal numbers. Help teammates whenever possible.
   
5. Know the game. Know yourself. Know the opposition and strategies.
   
6. Do what is supposed to be done. Take the time and make the effort to do it properly.
   
7. Focus only on what you can control.
   
8. Play tough, focused defense. Make the opposition earn every baserunner and every run.
   
9. Win the game on the bases by being aggressive and making good decisions.
   
10. Play tough. Intimidate with your effort and focus.
    
11. Be poised at all times. Have self-control, emotional control, and physical control.

A Second Welcome

Last year about this time, the FCA Youth Baseball blog was created, but not launched on our FCA Baseball Website. As of today, April 13th, it's been launched!

As FCA Youth Baseball Director, I want to welcome you to our blog. It is my hope that you will visit regularly to see the new postings. On this site you will find various articles on baseball and total athlete development topics covering the physical, mental, emotional, relational and spiritual aspects of an athlete's make-up, as well as coaching helps, sports-parenting tips, video clips, suggested resources, links, and other helpful youth baseball information.

Please be patient as this site is brand new. I will do everything I can to keep it updated and fresh with new content. May God bless you in your youth baseball ministry endeavors.

Ron Hobar
FCA Youth Baseball Director
rhobar@fca.org
rhobar@comcast.net

DEFINITION OF A GREAT BASEBALL COACH

* He is a counselor, mentor, guardian and role model.

* He is also a groundskeeper, cheerleader, fund-raiser, communicator, and motivator.

* He is loyal and dedicated to his program, trusting and believing in those he works with.

* He is a master of the basics, knows and understands the sport and presents it with a positive attitude and unlimited enthusiasm; he is a doer but also a dreamer.

* He possesses integrity and courage and has an unbounded work ethic.

* He is a winner, not because he wins all of the time, but because he plays to win with the correct sportsmanship and perspective; he has a proper philosophy on playing to win and being competitive; he has the correct definition of success.

* He is a teacher and a leader who constantly strives to make his players and those around him better people.

* And finally, he is a person who believes in what he is doing, has a passion for the game and respects and appreciates his job because he knows that it is a HUGE responsibility that carries with it a great opportunity to influence and impact, which can potentially result in great reward and fulfillment.

LET'S MAKE IT OUR GOAL TO BE A COACH LIKE THIS!