Beyond Baseball Blog

The Family Value of Youth Sports

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:32:31 +0200

This past weekend was undoubtedly the best weather of 2013. So why weren't we training outside?

The value of youth sports isn't simply found in the athletic development and discipline attained through its training.

The core value stems from the social interaction and friendships that are fused beyond the game.

I remember big games and special wins as a child. Equally clear though are the memories of swimming in hotel pools and running around the halls together.

Our preseason getaway took place this past weekend and I'm confident that my players etched some lifetime highlights into their memory banks.

As a youth team manager, it has been my intention to create a family atmosphere in which each individual feels compassionately obligated to become a joint family in what is otherwise a very isolating world.

Sometimes that means cheering for another child's hit and sometimes that means vacationing together with no "baseball" scheduled.

The 2013 Mississauga North Tigers Spring Getaway

The team arrived at Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls on Saturday at noon. We checked in and headed over to Nightmares Fear Factory.

Being the players first year to face live pitching, I wanted to give them a lesson in fear and how to overcome it.

I told them that no one was allowed to chicken out. If one of the team got too scared, the others would support him and make him feel safe.

Proudly, the team managed to make it through the darkened halls. Not before proving who was the most chicken of them all... the coaches!

After the haunted house, we walked down to a park along The Falls. The boys had a tennis ball and played some "sandlot" style baseball in front of one of the Wonders of the World.

With the weather being so great, there were hundreds of spectators who passed through the park and caught a glimpse of what has been a tradition for decades in Canada. A bunch of kids finding a piece of open land and playing a game of baseball.

The parents had an opportunity to simply sit in the grass, forget their worries and enjoy the beautiful weather. Raising athletes makes life busy and difficult. Here was a moment to just be relaxed and watch their children forging lifelong friendships.

After working up a sweat and an appetite, we walked back up Clifton Hill for a pizza party dinner and arcades at Boston Pizza.

The kids had free range of the games while the parents had some refreshments and played some pool.

I was so happy to see all the families being together with their children. There were plenty of smiles and it was a great way to get ready for an evening by the poolside back at the hotel.

On the wall of the Boston Pizza was big picture of Jim Morrison. I grouped the players together in took what has become my favourite picture of them.

One of the parents of the team posted it on Facebook with the following quote by Jim Morrison

"Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free."

The day truly had come full circle. Beginning with a moment for the children to face their fears at the haunted house, they were left with the remaining day to simply BE FREE.

The night finished with a 2 hour long swim in the hotel pool. During tournaments, we give the players an early curfew so that they aren't too tired for the games the next day.

With no game in the morning, we were able to let the boys stay up a little later than usual and enjoy the night with their friends as much as they had the day.

In the morning, we took the boys to Community Park Field in St. Catherines. Coach Jeff Lounsberry of the Brock University Badgers invited them onto the field for pregame batting practice.

My players got to hang out and talk to the players that a decade before were starting their Rep baseball career.

The Badgers players were awesome. They invited my Tigers players to sit in the locker room and dugout with them.

The highlight was having Mississauga North alumni Tyler Harrison put on his "Property of MNBA" t-shirt during batting practice.

Our weekend finished with eating some ice cream and watching some Canadian University baseball on a warm sunny day.

Stress free and relaxing before the grind of a full season of Rep baseball unfolds.

I'm confident that I have the athletes to compete at the highest level in Ontario. I'm certain that they will work as hard as they can and never give up.

We will give ourselves an opportunity to win every baseball game this year.

When the season is finished on labour day weekend, the 2013 summer will not only be a string of exciting baseball games.

It will be the accumulation of value that youth sports brings to a family. A value that was forged in Spring with a weekend getaway that was highlighted by moments beyond baseball.

Comments

Destiny or Chaos

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 08:12:11 +0200

In the aftermath of the horrific yet mysterious ankle injury of Jose Reyes, I ponder the metaphysical question of fate. Does everything travel to the same destined end?

Are the Jays' win totals pre-ordained or do the players, coaches and management have control over the win-loss columns?

Do we have control over the direction of our lives? Does every decision simply ignite the flame of that inevitable path?

I had two thoughts when I saw Reyes rolling around the KC dirt with tears in his eyes; 1) I hope it isn't as bad as it seems 2) Might this wake-up this sleeping giant?

The Blue Jays have reportedly been underachievers during the first week of the season.

The batters haven't been able to come up with the hit when needed.

The starting rotation has been... well... awful.

A little tangilble adversity may just be the very thing that this team needs.

With the loss of Reyes, might the starters begin attacking the zone trying to get as far into the game as they can?

With the loss of Reyes, might the difference makers like Lind and Rasmus explode towards a streak that would otherwise be thought as laughable to suggest?

Reyes' fluke ankle injury could be viewed as a chaotic accident furthering the despair that has been a disappointing 4-6 start.

I saw the faces of those Jays in the dugout. The kind of expression that says "this is serious."

And maybe that is what will happen. The Jays will take this chaotic moment and guide it towards their inevitable destiny.

Is this the destined year for the Blue Jays? Is this the year that they reach the post-season and a hockey city breeds another shade of blue in October?

After a lack luster start, this rude awakening event may be the very incident that will get the player's attention and right the rails of team that many expected to contend for the title.

Comments

A Measure of Ambivalence

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:17:52 +0200

The Blue Jays are 2-5 to start the season. Why even bother watch the next 155 games? This team is obviously not put together right. Dickey's Cy Young was a fluke. Bautista just had a few good years. It's time for 29 year old Josh Johnson to retire. He's washed up.

No, wait! The last two World Series champs started 2-4 and 2-5. Dickey gave up runs at the beginning of last year and then won the Cy Young. Bautista had 6 homeruns in Spring. Even Strasburg gave up 6 earned runs last outing.

I understand Toronto hasn't won a major North American championship in any sport in 20 years. I get that the beloved Maple Leafs haven't even made the playoffs in neraly a decade.

I realize the hype and hope that was stirred up this offseason has got people talking.

Enough already though. If you want to follow baseball, try using a measure of ambivalence.

Winning and losing coexist in this great game. A long season breeds streaks on both ends of the spectrum.

Be passionate. Fill your tweets with chirping and trash talk when they're winning. And yes, boo the disappointment when they're losing.

But can we class ourselves up a little Toronto? Do we really need to bash the team or apologize for the losses in the first week? Can't we be a legitimate Big League fanbase?

Do we really need to fire Anthopolous already or search the annals of Baseball Reference to justify the 2-5 start.

Enjoy the uncertainty and contradiction of baseball. Expect a win, be disappointed with a loss and be grateful that we get a chance to play again in a few more hours.

We are such a "what's next" culture that we never take the time to appreciate what's happening now. If we spend the whole season worrying about the end, we'll soon find the end here and we've wasted the opportunity to sit back and watch a very talented group of athletes play the greatest game.

Will the Toronto Blue Jays finish last in the AL East with 70 wins? Sure.
Will the Toronto Blue Jays finish first in the AL East with 90 wins? Sure.

I expect them to make the playoffs. I'll be disappointed if they don't.

In the meantime, I'm not going to let the future unknown distract me from watching Brandon Morrow paint the outside corner, Reyes go first to third on and infield groundout or Brett Cecil reinvent himself as a solid reliever.

The design of baseball stimulates us to have opposing feelings and attitudes towards the players and team. However, the deisgn also requires us to enjoy the roller coaster that the length of the season provides. It's hard to enjoy that ride if you jump out of the car before you even get to the top of the first hill.

Comments

42 Not Just About Racial Inequality

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 16:56:46 +0200

Last night I was fortunate to attend an advanced screening of the movie 42, the story of Jackie Robinson.

I've blogged many times about the inspiration I draw from the valour and perseverance Jackie displayed while breaking in as the first African American player in the Major Leagues.

The movie starred Chadwick Boseman as Robinson and Harrison Ford as the visionary General Manager Branch Rickey.

Most baseball historians won't learn any new facts in the movie. Much of the content has been told through countless books and documentaries.

But I don't think this movie is for baseball historians.

This movie is for a new era of children who are fortunate to live in a time when racial injustice isn't so prevalent.

Of course racism still exists but certainly not to the degree it did when Jackie broke into the league in 1947.

Like racism before, our world is prevalent with many other social injustices.

This movie isn't just about letting African Americans remember their roots. It's not about rehashing the same ignorant rhetoric that blighted the American landscape.

42 is a movie about standing up to injustice... period. It's about teaching our youth that they have a right, in fact an obligation to voice their opinion when beliefs or systems are inherently wrong.

As my friend Rob says often, the world needs people that are catalysts to change. Jackie was a catalyst to racial inequality. Branch was a catalyst to baseball injustice.

My favourite quote from the movie comes when Jackie asks Mr. Rickey for the last time, "Why did you do it?"

Was it for racial injustice?
Was it to make more money?

What drove this man to stick out his neck in front of the rest of the baseball world?

I won't ruin it for you. I'll let you find out yourself. But when you do, know this. It is the exact same reason I continue to fight for a better baseball system in the province of Ontario.

The movie 42 shall serve as a reminder that change is inevitable when it is for the right reasons.

Comments

Creating Chemistry With Your Youth Team

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 17:09:07 +0100

Rep team away tournaments are usually season highlights. The players get to hang out in hotel rooms, swim in the pool and spend time together off the field.

Strict coaches, like myself, impose early curfews during these tournaments. The players never really get to have full freedom of enjoyment because the focus must remain on the games.

In order to free my players from the game restraints we have planned a pre-season away "practice" this year.

We organize a spring hike a week before each season. I use it as a way to say thank you to the players for all their hard work during offseason training.

You can read about last year's hike here.

This year, we have planned an action-packed weekend in place of the simple spring hike.

We are heading to Niagara Falls on the Saturday and checking into a hotel on Clifton Hill.

Our players move from the pitching machine to live pitching this year. We have been teaching them to be confident at the plate. There will be no better way for them to conquer their fears than to brave a haunted house together as a team.

After experiencing the Nightmares Fear Factory, an inside pitch will be nothing.

Saturday will continue with a "sandlot" game in the park across from the Falls, team dinner and bowling at the Boston Pizza on Clifton Hill and then a pool party at the hotel.

The unique part of the trip is that we won't have a semi-final game in the morning as usually happens during summer tournaments. We can just let the boys play and enjoy their time to the fullest without the restraints of preparing for competition.

Sunday morning, we will be heading to Brock University where Coach Jeff Lounsbury has invited my team to take morning batting practice with the Badgers.

It will great for them to meet some of the Mississauga North Tigers alumni playing for Brock like Tyler Harrison

Depending on the weather and how tired the coaches are by then, we will decide to stay and watch the Badgers play a game in the afternoon or take a hike along the Whirlpool Rapids.

We've been working hard all winter to prepare and compete with all of the top teams in the province. Thousands of swings. Long toss 3 times per week since January. Bullpens, groundballs, double plays and blocking.

I'm positive they are ready to compete. However something tells me that the last 5 months of training will pale in comparison to the impact that 2 days of hanging with their friends will provide.

Comments

OBA's Complete Lack of Professionalism

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 04:08:42 +0100

I've tried to approach Baseball Ontario in every way possible. I've spoke up at Annual General Meetings. I've had a fireside chat with some of their executive management. I've written transparent controversial blogs.

I've written conciliatory emails to the entire Baseball Ontario executive board and board of management. (See Copy Below)

I've brought a public arbitrator into the picture by approaching the provincial Minister of Sport, Michael Chan, in hopes of getting the ball rolling towards positive change.

Nothing!

Not a response. Not a scheduled meeting. Not a "we'll get back to you". Not a single acknowledgement.

Baseball Ontario, understand this, your current structure is hurting the greatest game in the world. I am not going away so just deal with the situation.

Your lack of professionalism and complete disrespect for a member who wants your organization to be the greatest in the country is appalling.

I so desperately want to believe this is a misunderstanding. Want to believe that you prioritize the game and our children. Your silence has me questioning your character.

There are hundreds of people in this province who are fed up with the ridiculousness of your incompetence.

Do you think I care how my perseverance is perceived? Do you think I care if you like me?

I'm not here to join your club. I'm here for my 3 year old son. I'm here for my neighbour's kids and for the kids in every corner of this great province.

If you think it's too much work, move aside and we'll get someone in there who understands it takes a little concentrated effort to build and maintain greatness.

You should have scouted me better. I'm not going to be an easy out.

It's time to step up to the plate and make the changes necessary to maximize on the potential that the history of the OBA left you with.

Let's Go Already!

PLAY BALL !

Email to the entire Baseball Ontario Executive and Board of Management:

From: Michael Smolders [mailto:mike@elite-effort.com]
Sent: February-25-13 12:17 PM
Subject: Baseball Ontario Changes

Good Morning Everyone,

I attended the Special AGM on Saturday in Cambridge. I am always impressed to see how much passion there is for baseball in this province. Some of you may know me and some may not.

I have a deep interest in baseball in this country. I have a vision that our current development structure will be transformed and we will exponentially grow our amateur youth participants while also developing more elite level professional players.

The current structure of Baseball Ontario makes this vision impossible to realize. The disconnect between grassroots, competitive and elite is creating a disservice to the game and making everyone's job a whole lot more difficult.

I believe that I have some viable strategies to build a better system in Ontario. I am not interested in politics or processes. We all know there is a problem in Ontario and we all need to fix it. Regardless of who we are locally affiliated with or whether we sit on the Baseball Ontario board.

Some may see me as a troublemaker disrespecting the members that long served our youth. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have upmost respect for the thousands of volunteer hours you have logged. If you have been personally insulted by my actions or words, I am sincerely sorry. The bottom line is that I have a passion and a vision I intend to realize with a complete disregard for how people view me along the way. I often disassociate business with personal feelings and forget that not everyone does the same.

I would love an opportunity to get some of the amazing people together in this province and begin planning a structure that will make our grassroots players stay in the game and maximize our Elite players' potential.

Here is a recent review of this Saturday with some positive changes that can come out of it: http://beyondbaseball.blog.ca/2013/02/25/real-opportunity-for-baseball-ontario-15567477/

Over the past year, I have been focused on transforming our local association and now I would like to extend those positive changes across the province.

Comments

What To Do With Ricky Romero?

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 02:40:34 +0100

I play this game with my son at the end of every session of catch in the yard. He can stay outside all night if he continues to throw and hit the target I give him.

He's always begging me to stay out a little longer so I give him the chance to extend it as long as he can.

When we're just throwing, tossing popflies or I'm catching his pitches, he has no problem hitting the targets.

As soon as I make him worry about the results of his throws, he inevitably tenses up, aims his pitches, gets caught up in his mechanics and simply loses his natural delivery.

Last year Ricky Romero was thrown into the role of pitching staff ace and leader. He seemed to relish the opportunity on the outside but many questioned his mental confidence as he continued to walk batters and remain winless after each outing.

This year, Ricky comes into camp at the opposite end of the spectrum. He is now barely holding on to the 5th starter spot after the Jays bolstered the staff with Johnson, Beuhrle and RA Dickey.

In both cases, Ricky's mental approach focuses on the results of the pitch instead of the process of his delivery.

In 2012 he made it his responsibility to get wins. Sometimes that meant being too fine, trying to strike out a batter instead of trusting his defense. The outcome being far too many walks.

In fact, I remember a preseason promo of him talking about "1 inch". Saying that he was refining himself to fix the one inch that caused the ball to be hit out of the park. Unfortunately trying to fix that one inch caused his pitches to be off a dozen inches.

This year he's in camp competing to remain in the starting rotation. He's pitching for outs instead of working on his delivery. The same poor mental approach producing the same poor results.

HOW CAN IT BE FIXED?

Ricky needs to throw without any concern for what happens afterwards. Once he does, he will soon find that easy natural delivery that propelled him through Cal State and into the first round of the 2005 Draft.

Like Halladay before him, sending him to Buffalo (Syracuse in the case of Halladay) won't do him any good. In 'AAA' he will remain focused on the results, hoping that they will get him back to Toronto.

Ricky should remain in Dunedin after the team heads north. Let him throw with ease, find his natural delivery and rebuild his confidence by being the star of the dugout like he was in 2011.

In 2001, Halladay was optioned to Dunedin at the beginning of the season and it turned out to be the recipe for Cy Young, No-hitter and Perfect Game success.

I like Romero's grit and determination. I'm confident that someone with so much talent will find his way back to the top tier of Major League pitching.

Like my son in the backyard, once he stops worrying about the bad things that will happen from throwing the ball wrong, he will let his strong, live arm do what it was intended to do; throw the ball right and get batters out.

Comments

Priceless Gifts

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 15:53:26 +0100

I had alot of people ask me why we did it for free? Why did we spend our evenings and weekends building an indoor facility?

I had a vision it could be done and was willing to invest all of my time in a project that would prove the concept. A local non-profit baseball association could support their own indoor facility.

I was fortunate to be surrounded by a group of people that not only trust me to coach their children, but also sacrifice their own lives to help me build a better community.

I thought the reward was seeing it work. I thought the big pay off was watching the hundreds of children playing baseball inside during this long and cold winter.

I thought that was the priceless gift until I received the call from the Toronto Blue Jays.

In appreciation for the efforts we were making to grow the game of baseball in Mississauga, the Blue Jays have invited the players of my 10U Mosquito team to take part in Opening Day Ceremonies at the Rogers Centre.

In what will truly be one of the greatest Opening Days in recent history, my players will have an opportunity to be on the field as the 50,000 fans cheer, wave flags and flash cameras.

This experience will serve as a valuable visualization tool. They will be dressed in full Jays uniforms. They will be experiencing what it's like to be in the big leagues.

The Toronto Blue Jays are doing more than giving some kids a chance to be on the field.

They are allowing us an opportunity to give our children a gift that has no dollar figure. A priceless experience that they can hold in their hearts and minds and motivate them to follow their dreams.

Who knows which of them may be returning to the field 10 years from now? Using that visual of the 2013 Opening Day to drive them and remind them of what can happen if you devote your life and passion fully towards being great.

Comments

Real Opportunity for Baseball Ontario

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 18:27:29 +0100

Baseball Ontario held its Special AGM on Saturday in Cambridge. This meeting was scheduled in response to the many questions about the direction that the province should be taking in regards to Midget level baseball. Midget is for players between 15-17 years old.

The belief by many in the province is that non-profit Midget baseball is being destroyed by for-profit Elite teams that are luring players and parents away from the local baseball associations. They believe they are offering false promises of better coaching and athletic scholarship opportunities.

The consensus is that a few of these private programs do offer a higher calibre coaching and viable post-secondary opportunities while the majority are simply a private business preying on people's unrealistic views of their own talent level.

There was a lengthy discussion that was primarily focused on the relationship between Baseball Ontario and the Premier Baseball League of Ontario (PBLO). Agreements were made in the past to help protect Baseball Ontario's athletes from being taken by the PBLO. Some feel these agreements are being violated. Some feel the agreements are not strong enough. Some believe there should not be an agreement at all.

I am of the belief that the agreements don't matter.

I guess it is understandable that many would like to fix the issue of declining Midget registrations by trying to create a "quick fix".

A committee and the Board of Management had the task of creating a new model for Baseball Ontario. A model that would in essence compete against the PBLO by allowing teams to be formed with the best players from around the province.

A constitutional amendment would need to be made that would allow players to go to these teams without needing a release from their local baseball association.

The thought was that these teams could charge far less for similar programming offered by Elite teams. This would entice players to remain with Baseball Ontario.

This is a band-aid solution trying to solve the bleeding out of midget players.

My issue with this philosophy is that the diagnose is wrong.

Midget level baseball is not being destroyed by Elite programs. That is simply a fraction of the many other underlying issues.

Some of these issues can't be contended with. 15-17 year olds get jobs, girlfriends and find other interests in life. Constitutional amendments can't change that.

What Baseball Ontario and its members need to focus on is the real diagnose. The solution that has taken Sport Canada and Baseball Canada years to research and develop. They have done all the work for us and now all we need to do is to read and listen.

Without getting back into the debate about Long Term Athletic Development, I am going to simplify it down to its basic terms.

1) Early levels of baseball need to focus on developing skills before playing games. Baseball Ontario must standardize this process and provide labour, funding and resources to get associations enacting this. Baseball is only fun when you can play it.

2) Early levels of baseball need to groom parents to be coaches. Teach them organization, the importance of mentoring in a community and basic baseball fundamentals. Baseball Ontario must give local associations a developmental structure that shows how Rep baseball can assist in grooming these parents.

3) Teach the children to throw the ball properly before the age of 8. Baseball Ontario must make all associations accountable to their programming. If a local association doesn't want to change that is fine. However, they won't be eligible for the assistance that other associations are receiving.

4) As the children enter pitching, the previous focus on throwing has produced better pitchers. Making Mosquito level baseball more enjoyable and retaining families. Hitting skill is increased because players get a pitch to hit.

5) When the Rep teams are selected in Rookie Ball, the remaining players in house league still have better skill than before because of the development programs from 4-8 years old.

6) After moving to Rep, the coaches must continue to volunteer in the house league system. Again, this is a structure and strategy that Baseball Ontario needs to provide all locals.

7) There is a higher player retention in Peewee and Bantam because parents and players enjoy a well played game.

8) As the children age and mature, the continued focus on development in house league has allowed these players to be capable of playing Rep once puberty has changed their lack of athleticism.

9) As players decide to move to Elite level teams, there is a larger supply of adequately skilled players to fill in at the Midget level.

10)Baseball Ontario and the PBLO work together to train coaches at the Rookie, Mosquito and Peewee levels so that even lesser skilled players will have a chance to improve with better coaching.

This is only a worse case scenario. I believe that with increase player registration and player retention, local associations will have more money to build affordable programs that can in fact compete with the elite leagues.

The membership of Baseball Ontario voted against making any changes right now. However, that doesn't mean that we are going to allow the same dysfunctional structure to exist.

Now is not the time to make an elite level Midget program. Now is the time to plan for an elite level Midget program for the years 2018-20.

It is simply a basic concept of physics. If you want something to be strong at the top, you must build a strong base at the bottom.

I look forward to encouraging and working with all baseball people in this province to plan, prepare and execute a strategic plan that will grow the game at all levels, elevate our elite players to professional status and create a legacy for Baseball Ontario that will resonate all across Canada.

Comments

Coaching - Everything Matters

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 17:23:07 +0100

From the moment you become their coach you are engrained in the fabric of that boy or girl's mind forever. As one of society's authority figures, what you say and how you say it can have deep emotional impacts on the child.

Your actions, body language and overall vibe that you bring shows them how to act.

You can destroy their confidence or you can carry them to pinnacles they couldn't even imagine.

Everything matters as a coach.

Your impact is far less about their athletic skill development and far more about their human character development.

How do you react when they do things wrong? How do you discipline them? Do you balance the love and fear or are you a one dimensional personality giving them too much of one and not enough of the other?

When is the last time that you walked over to one of your athletes and simply told them that you liked them... or loved them?

These players sweat for you. The feel pain and push through. They trust that you know what you are talking about and they believe that your guidance will lead them in positive directions.

How often have you pushed them beyond their sport? Have you made them help out in their community? Have you told them that your team, your guidance comes for price? Not a price that money can purchase.

Have you taught your players the value of goodwill?

The devotion of a young athlete leaves them vulnerable to impression.

Let's make sure that as a coach, every impression that we leave on them is a catalyst for them to reach the mountaintop.

Comments

Every Waking Hour

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:57:16 +0100

This is that moment. Three full months since that last fastball was thrown to Miguel Cabrera to end the 2012 season.

November gave us our baseball fix, especially Toronto fans, with one of the biggest trades in Major League history.

December had our minds busy with the holidays.

January had most youth coaches either begin their offseason training or amp it up.

Now, as February arrives we are anticipating the wonderful words "Pitchers and Catchers Report". In anticipation, the moment has arrived.

The moment where every waking hour is consumed with thoughts of baseball.

Thoughts of watching the first Spring Training game to thoughts of when you want Spring Training to be over.

Thoughts of playing catch outside and thoughts of walking up to the ballpark for your first game of the season.

Hopeful thoughts of your team starting the season 5-0 and fantastical thoughts like them finishing with the best record of all time.

Thoughts of playing or coaching with your own team. Thoughts of stinging hands in early spring to barrel shots in mid July.

Every waking hour I am thinking about the game. January 31 was Jackie's birthday. February 1 is the month Spring Training begins. February 2 brings the hope of the ground hog telling us spring baseball will arrive sooner.

I search baseball movies on Netflix. I watch Hall of Fame speeches on YouTube. I throw grounders to my children in the basement. Every waking hour has me thinking or doing something involving baseball.

Let's get this started, let's hear our favourite broadcasters welcome us back to the game, let's stand in centerfield of our local park and remember there is no better place on earth.

It's February 1, every waking hour is filled with baseball and this will be my greatest summer with the game until next year.

Comments

Has The Time Come To Pay Volunteers?

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 19:21:18 +0100

Not too long ago, involving your child in sports meant registering them with a local association. That association was run by other parents who would inevitably ask you to help out.

The entire operation was run like a business. It consisted of a board of directors, management team and a treasurer balancing the budget every year. Unlike a private business though, everybody from the assistant coach to the President was strictly volunteer.

Hundreds of those associations still exist. However, more prevalent than ever before, municipalities are running their own programs and people have set-up profitable private businesses.

These competing programs are often more expensive than the non-profit association but they do offer one significant advantage; paid facilitators.

Our lives are ridiculously busy today. We have to work more than ever for less return. Any free time is usually quickly filled up with added chores and errands.

Are parents less giving to their community as before or are they just too run down and exhausted?

Enrolling your child for a privately run business means you just drop them off. They aren't going to ask you to assist. They won't require you to fund raise or run a registration table. You certainly aren't coaching.

The games involve you sitting on the sidelines finishing up some last minute work or just playing on your ipad. This being the little bit of "me" time that you actually get.

What used to be a great way for parents to communicate with each other, set common goals and fulfill great community initiatives have become burdens.

Like our modern children, the parents have become entitled. Demanding volunteers to cater to them. Not realizing that the people they are talking to are simply a paying member too.

I wonder if it is time to abandon the mentality that everyone will pitch in to help. Is it time to begin paying people to coach, run the association and perform the thousands of hours of administrative work required?

Is it time for non-profits to start profiting the few people that do all the work?

I'm not quite ready to dispose of the volunteer spirit yet!

The first step is valuable programs. When parents see that the programs they are receiving are more valuable than the private counterparts, they will choose wisely. When they recognize that these programs are entirely membership operated, they may be inclined to help keep them running.

Secondly, parents need to be educated about how the association works. Most people don't understand that there isn't some never ending spring of money that associations can play with. All cash flow is generated by the members themselves.

Thirdly, the programs need to be marketed as a venue to attain much needed quality time with our children. Give parents an opportunity to reconnect with their child and play a more important role in their life.

On any given school day with a 2 hour recreational program afterwords, a parent will spend a maximum of only 2-3 waking hours with their child. Volunteering to coach or assist with the team gives parents an additional 2 more hours to be a part of their guidance.

Some people don't need to be convinced. They are the people already keeping the ship afloat. But as our generation continues to evolve, it is more important than ever for parents to step up and support the non-profit programs before they lose any ability to play a meaningful role in their children's lives.

Even more important is the relief that they will offer other parents who cannot legitimately help out. The single parents, the shift workers, the parents with personal issues in their lives that leave them no choice but to trust our system to raise their kids.

Will they leave them with a teenaged part-time employee who has no idea how to emotionally support a young child? Or will they leave them in the hands of their neighbours who have children the same age?

A volunteer takes their role seriously. Unlike a paid worker, their only method of payment is the positive experience the children have. Not only do they get to feel that satisfaction with their own child, but it is expounded by the experience of helping a complete stranger. A stranger that will soon become a friend.

Comments

The 2 Insides of Hitting

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 04:47:20 +0100

Hitting a baseball is difficult. Teaching someone else to hit a ball can be a daunting task. Just watch a player load, stride, swing and follow through. There is so much movement, so much varying mechanical elements that sometimes coaches feel overwhelmed about where to start.

Like you, I've googled hitting drills and YouTube videos. I've read hitting books, talked to other coaches and attended clinics.

I've settled on certain key philosophies. Some have changed from when I was player. I've adapted what I learned from one source and completely abandoned what I learned from another.

No tips have helped me work with younger hitters more than what I learned from Lloyd McClendon. I heard the Detroit Tigers hitting coach speak at Baseball Ontario's 2013 Best Ever Clinic.

I must have heard similar advice before, but the way Lloyd presented it seemed to resonate with me.

It is now the first thing I teach any hitter. I have found immediate success with it off the tees this offseason and hope to see it transfer into the games this summer.

I'll call it the 2 Insides of Hitting.

INSIDE #1

Most coaches teach players to load their weight onto their back foot before swinging at a ball. Many times players will take this instruction to mean that they shift their whole body over the back foot.

It's important to make sure that players are putting the weight pressure into the inside of the back foot. This will allow them to change the direction of the weight transfer more completely.

By staying INSIDE the back foot, they can push off easier when getting into the stride position.

The best way to make sure the player is keeping their weight on the inside is to look at their back knee. Their knee must remain inside their foot and not be directly over or on the outside of the back foot.

Widening the players stance and getting them to simply bend their back knee down towards the plate, will allow them to stay inside their back foot.

NOTE USE THIS SAME INSIDE THE BACK FOOT MECHANIC TO INCREASE THEIR THROWING STRENGTH

INSIDE #2

Often times, players will try to hit the ball with the barrel of the bat. This will cause them to break their hands away from their body and swing long. This will cause alot of ground balls to the third baseman for a righty and grounders to first for a lefty.

Instead of having the players worry about hitting the ball with the barrel, have them simply bring the knob of the bat directly to the INSIDE part of the ball.

Coach McClendon used the visual of seeing a nail sticking out on the side of the ball closest to the hitter. Try to jam the knob of the bat onto that nail.

The best result of this approach is that it allows your hands to come through the hitting zone quickly. When the knob and your hands reach a point that they can't travel any closer to the ball without your arms extending, the bat head will whip towards the ball.

The result of this approach on the field is that both inside and outside pitches will be hit to the middle part of the field. Hitting the middle part of the field with give your players a higher average and your team more runs.

As in all theories in baseball, this one might not appeal to you. But if you have a player always pulling alot of groundballs, this may remedy the problem and get him hitting line drives to right and left centre.

Thanks Coach McClendon!

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Indoor Baseball For All

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 16:12:15 +0100

What started out as a sprint in September turned into a crawl through November and December. After all the late night hard work by a few parent volunteers, Mississauga North's Indoor Baseball Facility came together beautifully.

The new winter grassroots programs were filled, the weekly slots were booked by Mississauga Rep teams and a Toronto Blue Jays Camp with Duane Ward, Roberto and Sandy Alomar was scheduled.

A Grand Opening was set for November 14, 2012. Mike Wilner and Sid Seixeiro agreed to stop by and help run the ceremonies. The mayor, councilors and members of parliament were coming out to celebrate.

All we needed to do was have the professional sports company we hired install the retractable batting cages and we were ready to go.

October 29, 2012

The winds of Hurricane Sandy blew an unexpected obstacle to our plans. On the same day that the winds began to blow into Toronto, the contractor hired to install the cages, pulled part of the concrete wall onto himself.

The engineering survey that they performed failed to realize that the concrete wall wasn't structural and would not support the hundreds of pounds of pressure that the cable turnbuckle would pull.

Thankfully, the worker healed from his wounds but the project came to a screaming halt. The Ministry of Labour closed the facility and a lengthy process of paperwork and permits forced us to cancel the Blue Jays clinic, move the Grassroots programs into school gyms and tell our Rep teams to find alternative expensive facilities.

Today, the facility officially opens again. Though it doesn't look as pretty as it once did before the damage to the wall, we are able to have our children get back in there and maximize on their athletic potential.

This facility is the beginning of a whole new approach to training in Mississauga and hopefully the province. By using the population numbers of our entire association, we can financially support these type of training facilities that will allow non-profit Rep teams and Grassroots house league players year round affordable training resources.

Check out the creation of the MNBA Training Facility:

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Baseball Practice for Beginners

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 19:42:11 +0100

A significant difficulty in running youth baseball programs is finding enough volunteers to assist. It is the executive board's hope that Moms and Dads played the game and can now translate that into being a coach.

For most of them, however, their memories of youth baseball have long been fogged over and they only rely on the bits and pieces that stood out to them.

New immigrants who generally transplanted themselves to large urban areas like Montreal or the Greater Toronto Area are now choosing to live in all areas of this country. This choice presents a new problem for local associations who always depended on their volunteers having played the game before.

In addition to volunteer coaches not having played the game, the children themselves begin playing with far less skills and capabilities as they did twenty years ago.

I know personally, before I ever joined any "house league" program at 6 years old, I was already throwing a ball around outside or having my Dad pitch underhand to me.

The school yard was filled with various sports being played. Now, my children aren't allowed to bring a bat to school and most kids just stand and talk until the recess bell rings to let them in.

The result is lesser skilled coaches teaching lesser skilled players.

STEPS TO A SUCCESSFUL BASEBALL PRACTICE FOR BEGINNERS

1. Formal clinic for volunteers

Associations can no longer rely on the fact that the Mom or Dad will know what to do when they get into the field. Mandatory clinics should be scheduled prior to the season to teach the basics of organization and skill development. Rep division coaches can volunteer to assist in running these clinics but the emphasis should be on simple basic fundamentals.

2. Organization and Communication

Before teaching how to throw a ball or how to hit, all coaches should learn the simple elements of organization and communication. Being able to communicate to other parents and including them in the practices and games will make coaching so much easier and enjoyable for the newcomer. Always prepare your team with reminders on game days and practices. Delegate responsibilities like being in control of the equipment or running warm-up drills so that you are available to oversee the beginning of every game or practice.

3. Structured Practice

Every coach should arrive at practice with a predetermined plan in mind. It can be as simple as a few notes on a napkin or a detailed spreadsheet. The point is that the coach already has an idea of what they want to do, how many people they will need to do it and how it will benefit the players. Below is a diagram of how you might want to structure a practice. Elements of the practice remain constant while you can add or replace different drills into the Individual Stations section. Remember, each practice doesn't need to have a station for each skill. You might want to set up 5 different hitting stations one day instead 1 for each of the skills (fielding, pitching etc.)

4. Basic Fundamentals

Keep every skill very basic. If you ask a major league pitcher about his throwing routine, it will usually incorporate the same type of simple mechanical drills that we want our beginner throwers to use. Use resources on websites like Better Coaches or QC Baseball to guide you on the various skill developments.

5. High Energy and Fun

Not everyone possesses a boisterous loud personality and not every good coach is the one that you can hear screaming from a block away. Keep in mind that the children are surrounded with high amounts of stimulus from the moment they wake up. Look for other parents to assist you in keeping the practice running at a high pace. Use creative games of competition when performing drills. Occasionally toss the gloves and bats aside and play something that has nothing to do with baseball.

6. Help The Other Coach

The best way to improve the sport of baseball in this country is if we all pitch in to elevate all players and coaches. Even in the Rep division I coach, we often share practices and theories to each other. We encourage the other team's players and we make the games a collaborative effort to be better. At the grassroots level it is ever more important to use this philosophy. The gap between being a skilled and inexperienced coach can be that much greater. It is important to bridge that gap so that we exponentially assist everyone.

7. Keeping an Open Mind

I recently looked to add an extra player for my Rep team. I found a solid house league player and asked him to join us for practices. I told him and his parents before practice, "I don't care if you are better than everyone else today, if you are not a piece of playdough out there and are not willing to be shaped into what I believe is best for you, you will have difficulty making my team." This goes for coaches as well. As coaches we must be able to listen to everyone's theories and advice and allow them to filter in. If you keep an open mind, you will be surprised at how experienced a coach you will become in a very short time.

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2013 Blue Jays: Team of Second Chances

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 16:33:26 +0100

Whether by accident or design, it is remarkable how many members of the 2013 Blue Jays are in some way getting a second chance.

Some of them have already prospered by their second chance a few years ago while others are hoping to be reincarnated on Opening Day.

Top Ten Second Chance Opportunities With The Toronto Blue Jays

10. Tenth on the list because his second chance has already been realized, Jose Bautista is the epitome of relishing a new found opportunity. Struggling for years in the minor leagues, Bautista was traded to Toronto in 2008 and was given consistent playing time in 2009 when outfielder Alex Rios was claimed off waivers. Working with hitting coach Dwayne Murphy and former manager Cito Gaston, Bautista has turned his second chance opportunity into being recognized as an All Star of all-stars in the Major Leagues.

9. Brandon Morrow is another player that took advantage of his second chance a few years ago and is expected to flourish into a bonafide "top of the rotation" pitcher this year. Picked 5th overall by the Mariners in 2006, Brandon bounced between starting and closing in Seattle. With limited success in both roles, the Mariners sent him to Toronto for fireball relief pitcher Brandon League. Spending the last 3 seasons as a .500 pitcher, his strikeout ratio and consistent delivery should accumulate to result in a very successful second chance this year.

8. Nine years after being selected in the 3rd round by the Blue Jays, Adam Lind has not been able to return to the success he had in 2009. With an OPS of .932 and 35 home runs, it was hoped that Adam would be a long-term all-star caliber hitter for the Jays. Inconsistency over the last 3 years downgraded Lind to the minors in 2012. At this point Adam is working on his third and fourth chance with the Blue Jays and I don't think the leash will be very long if he doesn't start the season by spraying the ball all over the field.

7. Nothing could be more evident of a second chance than a former 1st round pitcher who completely reinvents himself to throw a knuckleball. Like Bautista, Dickey's second chance was realized a few years ago and pinnacled him to be the Cy Young winner in 2012. With nothing more to prove, Dickey can just step onto the mound of Rogers Centre and float his fluttering pitch past opposing hitters in 2013.

6. Edwin Encarnacion is another player who struggled with being consistent when he broke into the big leagues in 2005. After being sent to Toronto for Scott Rolen in 2010, his struggles continued at the plate. Sent to the minors and eventually claimed off waivers, it seemed as though Edwin's second chance with Toronto was over. Surprisingly the Jays brought Edwin back on a one year deal and had him play third base for the 2011 season. Being every fans whipping boy for his poor defensive play, he also struggled offensively until they moved him into the designated hitter position. 2012 saw Encarnacion finally become a legitimate threat with a .941 OPS and 42 homers. His second chance has landed him into the fans' good books.

5. Considered to be the most influential Canadian in baseball, Paul Beeston doesn't need a second chance of success for any personal merit. He has unquestionably lived a Hall of Fame life and there is no redemption of success necessary. However, that doesn't make this second chance at a World Series title any less satiable for the Blue Jays President and CEO. Since the heading the back to back championships in 1992 and 93, Beeston has returned for his second chance to lead this organization to a balance sheet and baseball success.

4. Ricky Romero was the Blue Jays opening day pitcher in 2012. His first three years with the big club saw Ricky drop his ERA nearly 2 whole points from 4.30 to 2.92. Everything was looking promising for the Jays 2005 6th round pick. Stemming from either a mental or physical setback, Ricky's success was considerably reduced in 2012 when he posted a 5.77 ERA and his first losing season. Now dropped to 5th of the pitching rotation depth chart, Romero is determined to take his second chance at proving he can still be the ace of this and any other club.

3. Second chances can be difficult even when you have everyone pulling for you. But when baseball fans view you as a cheater, the road to redemption isn't filled with very friendly bystanders. Melky Cabrera was on course to becoming the 2012 National League MVP until he was suspended 50 games after testing positive for high levels of testosterone. Now with a second chance to prove that he is a top tier outfielder, Melky could be a .300 hitter even after dropping down .46 points from his .346 August 2012 average.

2. Leading this All Star cast of Second Chancers will be the King of a second chance himself. John Gibbons dwelled in the home dugout of Rogers Centre from 2004-2008 before being replaced by Cito Gaston. His Major League career continued with a coaching job in Kansas City before finally leading him to a Double A manager's job in San Antonio. His road to a second chance became closer with a flight to Toronto. After meeting with GM Alex Anthopolous about a potential coaching job, the synergy between them eventually lead to the announcement that Gibbons was returning as the man in charge of the 2013 Toronto Blue Jays.

1. Fans have voiced legitimate concerns about the Blue Jays on field roster for twenty years since their last playoff run. These complaints have been met with a few pieced together stars like Roger Clemens and Troy Glaus. Never has the entire offense and defense been so statistically strong as it is to start the 2013 season. The Blue Jays have lived up to their end of the bargain. The biggest second chance opportunity is offered to the fans. The Blue Jays are fielding a team that many consider favourites to win the title in 2013. Will the fans take this opportunity to fill the ballpark on a consistent basis and make Toronto the trendiest baseball town in the Major Leagues?

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Would There Be A Martin Luther King Without Baseball?

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 18:28:40 +0100

Martin Luther King to Dodgers Pitcher Don Newcombe:

"Don, I don’t know what I would’ve done without you guys setting up the minds of people for change. You, Jackie, and Roy will never know how easy you made it for me to do my job.”

I guess I can keep this blog short. Nothing more to prove when the man himself makes the acknowledgment. Without the shackles of intolerance being lifted by a few Negro players that became Rookie of the Year, Cy Young and MVPs in a white man's league, the civil rights movement may not have come to pass.

In my July 2011 blog about visiting Jackie Robinson's grave, I commented that "Without Jackie Robinson, there is no Martin Luther King and there certainly is no Barrack Obama."

Some people may ask why us baseball enthusiasts put so much stock in the game. It's because baseball isn't just a game. It is a platform for life. It is as necessary a tool for societal change as a martyr who stated:

"The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges."

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Baseball Ontario's Impact on Development

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 05:09:23 +0100

DISCLAIMER: All of the information in this blog entry is strictly the opinion of me only. None of the thoughts or opinions are representative of any other baseball association or member. The information provided is based on limited knowledge provided to me through various conversations and paperwork. I welcome the open discussion of this information and am willing to make amendments where evidence is proven to the contrary.

BASEBALL ONTARIO AS OUR BASEBALL GOVERNOR

Ontario does not have a Provincial Sports Organization (PSO) that represents the majority of baseball players and coaches.

Baseball Ontario (OBA) is recognized as Ontario's PSO for baseball.

Although the object of Baseball Ontario is to "foster and improve baseball at all levels in the province", the current mandate governs competitive rep players only. This leaves 80% of players and coaches without an organization to assist them.

MY AGENDA

Before I get too deep into this blog, I think it is important for you to know where I am coming from. How have I been fatefully lead down this path and why would I bother to care?

First and foremost I am a Canadian citizen. I am a taxpayer, father, volunteer. I am a youth rep and house league coach. I am appointed as the Manager of Player and Coach Development for my local baseball association. I am obsessively compulsed with growing the game of baseball in this country.

Until 5 years ago, I didn't know the politics of baseball. I didn't know about Long Term Athletic Development, PBLO or Rally Cap.

I was simply a Dad who played baseball as a kid and wanted my sons to live those experiences. I started by helping coach Noah's T Ball team.

It became obvious from the beginning that I would need to take the lead in coaching. The association was literally dropping equipment bags and asking any parent to pick it up. That was their screening process and coaching clinic rolled into one.

I coached him in house league for 3 years. Each year, our team always ended up having the best players at the end of the year. When I was selected to be the Rookie Ball Rep Manager, the team I selected at tryouts comprised of 70% of the house league players I coached.

Over the last 3 years, the separation between my team's skill and their counterparts in house league has broadened immensely.

I wanted to get involved at the executive level of the association and solve the inefficiencies in house league training.

I came upon the Long Term Athletic Development (LTAD) document by Baseball Canada. It made so much sense and I began to implement the ideas in an attempt to repair the development system at the association.

I didn't want to stop there. I wanted every boy and girl in this province to experience the same baseball experience, learn the game and stay with the game for life.

I attended the Baseball Ontario AGM in 2011. I learned how the whole operation works. I connected with people, asked questions and made statements that I felt would encourage debate.

With the help of a strong executive board we implemented lofty ideas like our indoor training facility, created year round baseball programs for house league players and adopted LTAD programs like Rally Cap. We prepared for an equal opportunity system that would allow all players to continue playing baseball into adulthood.

I asked Baseball Ontario for a small donation/ grant to help us begin the Rally Cap program. When I was told that they do not give any donations or grants, I began to question what their purpose was.

I attended the 2012 AGM with the motive of finding out one answer. Why does Baseball Ontario not support Grassroots (House League) programs?

To my surprise, I got a point blank answer at the Hot Stove event. Both the 2nd Vice President and the Treasurer stated that Baseball Ontario is not mandated to govern House League. They went on to say that "we don't get anything from them, they don't pay a membership".

I am not some disturber looking to shake things up for drama. I sincerely want to help all parents in this province develop quality baseball programs for all children in their community.

GRASSROOTS PROGRAMS STUCK WITH NO OPTIONS

The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport (MTCS) provides grants for PSOs. The MTCS cannot fund local sports associations directly. It must flow through the PSO.

Baseball Ontario receives grants and funding from the MTCS. Their application for funding suggests that they use it for LTAD initiatives such as Active Start, Fundamentals and Learn to Train. The application also states that the funding will assist in coach' training.

Why are they applying for funding for programs they don't run?

Any local baseball association that wants to start a new LTAD program cannot receive funding directly from the government and Baseball Ontario (who the money is supposed to filter through) will not give it to them.

If a local Mom or Dad wants to be trained under the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP), they must pay a Baseball Ontario affiliate to attend the clinic. Most of these affiliates charge more for the NCCP training than Baseball Canada charges them. They received funding from MTCS to aid in coach's training. Not only do they refuse to help pay for the training, they charge more than is required.

Baseball Ontario earns profits from local volunteers for the programming that the government funds them to perform.

Baseball Ontario is using Grassroots programming as a reason to get provincial funding (Over $150,000 in 2012). They tell their members that they do not give any of that funding to Grassroots programs because of their Rep mandate. They charge their members a surcharge for Development programs.

They are collecting money from the public and private sector for LTAD development programs that never filter back to their intended targets.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

All members of Baseball Ontario must agree to change the mandate. In order for our province to run effective programs like they do in BC and Quebec, the money that our taxes pay for must be allowed to filter through the PSO down to the local Moms and Dads that run the programs.

In February, Baseball Ontario will be holding a Special AGM to discuss the formation of a new High Performance division in Midget (15+). The purpose is to solve the loss of player registration at the midget age level.

As the best skilled players leave to enter Elite Leagues such as the Premier Baseball League of Ontario (PBLO), the remaining players are quitting because of the low caliber of baseball that remains.

The High Performance Committee of Baseball Ontario believes that if they allow players to leave their local associations and congregate to a High Performance team, more players will elect to stay within Baseball Ontario rather than play in Elite Leagues.

This change would require a constitutional amendment that allows players at Midget age to change local associations without a release.

I truly think it is absurd to even consider forming a High Performance League when over 80% of the baseball players in Ontario are left without adequate training and programs.

If you want players to stay playing baseball, there is only one way to do it. The way that every other province in the nation is doing it.

Through implementation of the Long Term Athletic Development model, players will learn to play at a younger age and stay with the game at an older age. The model also guides us on better training methods for the competitive levels.

The Rep divisions will have far more players to choose from and the players that don't make it will still receive excellent training.

A High Performance division will not be something that we need to change the OBA constitution for, it will be something that each association's comprehensive programs will create.

There is only one constitutional change that needs to be made at Baseball Ontario. The change that will direct the executive board and its members to prioritize the development of grassroots baseball. To implement LTAD into those programs and to grant access of provincial funding for local associations to run the programs.

These issues have gone beyond baseball. They are about taxpayer dollars NOT getting to their intended communities to build a better society. They are about a good coach NOT choosing to be a better coach because it cost too much for training. It is about a small executive board making decisions that affect over 100,000 children in Ontario.

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Baseball Canada Awards Banquet 2023

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 04:20:40 +0100

It is becoming easier to convince people to adopt better developmental practices for their baseball teams and associations.

Research and programs from Canadian Sport for Life (CS4L) such as the Long Term Athletic Development (Ltad) model give every indication that progressive methods of training are necessary to produce a higher quality athlete in addition to producing an athletic adult.

Baseball Canada has implemented Ltad into their system arguably better than any other sport.

Rally Cap is a program that puts more emphasis on skill development and drill repetition at an early age.

In an effort to preview the program for our association's board members we began running a modified indoor version of Rally Cap during the winter this year.

The program was designed for ages 4-12 and involved a weekly 2 hour training session from October to April.

The ages were divided into 4 separate sessions and we recruited experienced house league and rep coaches to run the practices.

We also offered 15 and 16 year old Rep players to volunteer for high school "community hours".

The final coaching piece was set by encouraging all parents to come into the facility and help with the practices as well.

Understanding that no sport should be a year round commitment at this early age, we used the first three months to work on athletic movements while introducing basic baseball fundamentals to help the older children catch up from the lack of training they received in the past.

We have begun to focus on the baseball skills and started our 2013 sessions with Rally Cap evaluations.

The children loved it! They were genuinely excited to see what hat they would get!

"I'm so nervous", young Ryan said.

"Nervous?" I exclaimed. "It's just baseball. I can guarantee you one thing. You will get a hat. The more you relax, the higher up the hat chain you will go."

The rest of the group continued to run their weekly scheduled practice while I pulled one player aside and ran them through a variety of throwing, receiving, hitting and base running drills. I finished with some questions about the game and its strategies before handing them their prized hat.

The first experience suggests that the program was a success. I was sure these children had a good time. I am confident that they have a desire to get better. My intuition tells me that we ignited a passion for baseball that anyone reading this blog holds.

And then came the proof.

Moments ago I received an email from a parent. It reads:

"You coached Tim (2003 boys) this afternoon. Of course I wasn't there to hear what you said to him, but he's pretty pumped by your encouragement, thrilled to be a green cap, and was out throwing and catching with a friend as soon as he got home.

You've made an impression and encouraged him a lot.

Tim is exactly the reason we started the new development programs at Mississauga North. This is a mechanically sound player with a passion to play.

It is our obligation to provide him with equal opportunities and resources to train. With our help he can advance to a higher level of ball or at the very least, enjoy playing baseball to a much older age because he is confident in his playing abilities.

After all, baseball is the most fun when you win and you are good at it.

As I write this blog entry, baseball's best in Canada are congregating at the Rogers Centre. I am so proud of the accomplishments made by our Junior and Senior National teams and joyed to have such great Canadians playing in the major leagues.

Can you imagine the Baseball Canada Awards banquet in 2023? 10 years after players like Tim didn't quit baseball, trained to their athletic potential and accomplished successes in life that were once never made available.

It will take 10 years to prove that the Baseball Canada Ltad programs develop better and longer engaged athletes. Until then, I will take that email from a respondent parent as proof that the time and effort we put in at Mississauga North is making a difference.

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What Baseball Is All About

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 17:56:34 +0100

Everyone has their own memories of baseball. Some remember a moment in Major League history. Some think back to the glory days of little league. Some recollect playing catch outside with their Dad.

We pour over sports pages and surf through waves of baseball facts, stats and stories.

We coach, we organize, we execute groups of parents and volunteers to play the game.

Why do we do this? What compels us to put so much effort into a game involving a round stick and a round ball?

Unlike other sports, baseball transcends being a game and often times becomes a cause.

It distinguished a culture. It strengthened armies by maintaining its continuity. It made peace after a horrific bombing in Asia. It broke colour barriers. It freed people from political chains. It healed wounds after tragedy. It made anything possible for anyone.

In Canada, it unites a country.

The strategic decision to form the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Academy was the paradigm shift of how young Canadians view and learn the game.

Once left to provincial sports organizations and more so local community groups, the game of baseball in Canada was shared to new members through the theories and ideas of the local areas.

The Blue Jays Baseball Academy along with Baseball Canada has standardized those lessons and propagated them across the Canadian landscape.

Working alongside their charitable arm, JaysCare, the Blue Jays have helped to fund and develop the resources needed to make baseball a feasible option for anyone.

As everything about this blog indicates, my love for the game reaches far beyond baseball. I view baseball as my vehicle to fulfill duties requested by people such as Ghandi, Jesus Christ and Jackie Robinson. It is my link to spirituality.

Maybe that is why I feel so incredibly proud to be a Toronto Blue Jay fan today. Upon the announcement of them winning the 2012 Commission's Award for Philanthropic Excellence, my heart swelled with pride.

The Blue Jays aren't waiting for other organizations to grow the game of baseball in Canada for them. They are being the change they want to see in this country.

They are gathering disciples of baseball in every province. Working with them, teaching them and inspiring them.

They are fulfilling Jackie's epitaph on daily basis by positively impacting thousands of Canadian's lives.

My endless barrage of positive posts about the Toronto Blue Jays indicates I have drank the Kool-Aid. I provide so much positive feedback about them that you could suspect I was on their payroll.

The truth is, they are in the zone right now. The slump that occurred when John Farrel made Toronto look like some second rate city is over. They have been doing everything right since.

On and off the field, this organization is seeing the ball coming out of the pitcher's hand better than Ted Williams.

There will be gaffs and misses in the future. The on field success may struggle to meet everyone's expectations.

But as every seasoned hitter knows, if you work on and develop the things you can control, success will take care of itself.

The Blue Jays are developing ballplayers in a frozen land. They are developing hope in hopeless environments. They are being the support that volunteers have been desperately seeking in all areas of this country.

As long as they keep focused on that area of their organization, success will undoubtedly continue to take care of itself.

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The Undervalued Stat: Self-Awareness

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 19:48:11 +0100

If opposing players have as much trouble with Dickey's knuckleball as he does with putting on a jersey, Jays fans are in for a treat.

The Toronto Blue Jays held a press conference to introduce the addition of last year's National League Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey to the team.

When the bottom button wasn't undone and the sleeves became inside out, the presser had a discordant start.

Once the jersey was on though, and Dickey officially became a Jay, the next 30 minutes were filled with resonant sounds for every Toronto baseball fan.

The extent of my knowledge of R.A. Dickey was watching a few highlights as he tore up the league last year. I didn't find it that intriguing that he was a knuckleballer, but I was engaged by the fact that he was seeing some success at a later stage in his career.

Once the announcement came in December that Dickey would be joining the already revamped Blue Jays rotation, I poured over his stats to see what the Jays were getting.

Yup. I'll take that.

As every baseball fan knows, championship teams are not made with stats alone.

I discussed the Blue Jays chances of making it to the World Series over the Christmas break. One of things that bothered me about the team is that with the exception of Buerhle and Cabrera, none of the players have had to play a meaningful game in their major league career.

Yes, I agree that every game is meaningful, but I mean the type of game where the spotlight is cranked up full blast on you. The type of road game in September where every fan's taunts and jeers are amplified by the thick air that is making it tough to breathe when you are up to bat.

The type of game that determines if you play tomorrow or not. It helps to win these games with good stats to back you up, but more importantly, these games are won with experience and character.

I hoped for the best in 2013, yet felt that this lack of experience would be the Blue Jays Achilles heal. I felt as though it would take a few years of getting close, to build the character to go all the way.

And then I listened to R. A. Dickey.

Champions are formed through character. Character is a bi-product of experience. But the experience that builds character doesn't always come from the ball diamond. The maturation of a human being and the awareness of their interconnectedness with the world can be developed through struggles, successes and traumatic experiences.

As I listened to Dickey speak at the conference yesterday and hear the authentic thoughts of a person that experienced struggle in the minor leagues, success last year and trauma from his childhood, I became elated with the fact that the pitching staff had its leader.

Like Halladay before him, the Jays have a pitcher who will be a voice of calm during the struggles and successes this year and remind everyone that they must focus on their process and the results with follow. In fact, if I were the Blue Jays, I would bring up young Kyle Drabek and sit him down beside Dickey all summer long.

Much of what Dickey was saying and how he said it reminds me of Jose Bautista. The two of them are class acts. Intelligent men who have used their mind and body to develop from minor league castoffs to the echelon of their chosen career.

With these two stars leading the charge out of Spring Training, I don't think the Blue Jays will have any trouble living up to the heighten expectations.

More importantly, as the air begins to cool again, and the dome begins to remain closed in September, I am more confident that Dickey and Bautista will be able to breathe character into the younger players and take this Blue Jay team to the highest potential.

Comments

Blue Jays and Baseball Canada 2013 Coaching Clinic

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 05:32:29 +0100

Have you ever asked a spoiled child at Christmas what they got? Usually they’re so overwhelmed with gifts, they find it difficult to name one thing.

That's how I feel today as I reflect on this past weekend.

The Toronto Blue Jays and Baseball Canada teamed up to launch their first Amateur Coaching Clinic.

The program was advertised as a weekend clinic for amateur coaches to learn from select Toronto Blue Jays alumni. At the same time, the coaches would attain training credits towards their NCCP certification.

The program piled on added value as the event neared. Additional players and coaches were added to the line-up and Blue Jays apparel was given out at a Friday night Social that featured more surprise guests. All topped off with a "bucket list" opportunity for all the coaches to take batting practice on the field.

Baseball Canada added their own value to the program. They flew in some of their best learning facilitators from across the country providing in-depth training on all areas of the game.

From an administrative standpoint, the program allowed coaches to attain "Professional Development" points that are required to maintain a certified status as a coach.

From a learning standpoint, over 350 coaches got a chance to share techniques and drills while experienced facilitators like former Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame president, Tom Valke and former Team Canada pitcher Mike Johnson led the coaches through analysis and training.

Surprise guests like Blue Jays president Paul Beeston and GM Alex Anthopolous, Blue Jays alumni and the current coaching staff mingled with the amateur coaches during a Friday night social. Sportsnet's Jamie Campbell led a hot stove discussion that flipped between asking Anthopolous about the new and improved roster and general "baseball questions" to the other panelists.

Following the hot stove I had a chance to sit down with Tom Valke and talk about an array of issues including his development of the ICASE Baseball Academy.

He shared a great concept about having Sportsnet show every Canadian MLB player's highlights during a 30 minute show every evening which would elevate the awareness of Canadian baseball.

Coaches were separated into groups Saturday morning for their Baseball Canada NCCP training.

Simultaneously, the Blue Jays performed their Youth Winter Tour Camp on the field. The young hitters were surprised when Jose Bautista arrived to work with them. Bautista worked alongside Sandy Alomar Sr. and upcoming Canadian star Josh Naylor.

The health of baseball in Canada could be found in that snapshot.

A retired MLB player from Peurto Rico with a hall of fame son was placing balls on a tee for 8 and 9 year old Canadian children.

A multimillionaire Blue Jay homerun king from the Dominican was picking up the balls for the retiree and placing them on the tee.

Next to them, a 15 year old Canadian homerun king was working with players his younger brother's age.

The Dominicans love baseball like Canadians love hockey. With these type of events, our country's singular passion for hockey may begin to be shared with an equal love for baseball.

The coaches were provided lunch in the 200 level VIP section that gave them an excellent view of the multiple stations of the youth clinic being run on the field.

As the young players were ushered out of the building, it was time for the big kids to take the field. Coaches worked with Blue Jays alumni Homer Bush, Pat Hentgen, Lloyd Moseby Rance Mullinicks, and Duane Ward. New bench and hitting coach Demarlo Hale and Chad Mottola lent a hand as well.

Each instructor has his unique way of imparting their valuable knowledge on the participants. Moseby used his stand up routine to explain that outfielders need more love (more reps at practice) while Ward threatened to kill any coach who injured a kid to win a game.

"I will personally hunt you down!" Ward directed to the coaches around his station.

I enjoyed Rance Mullinicks sharing some hitting knowledge like a sage in the hills of Kilimanjaro.

"Make a verbal contract with your players about what they need to do during every at bat in a game. Follow up with them after the game and make sure they followed the plan."

Sitting down in front of him while he spoke offered a unique perspective and reminded me of what my players see and feel as I speak to them.

One of the stations included a tour of the Blue Jays clubhouse. It was quite an experience to see Jose Bautista packing up his stuff to head to Manitoba and help out with more Canadian kids the next day.

Words can't justly express how incredibly fortunate we are as Canadians to have Jose Bautista be a part of our country and our baseball culture. His devotion to his home and host community reminds me of legendary stars Roberto Clemente and Jackie Robinson.

Each evening following the learning sessions, all coaches got an opportunity to take batting practice. I spoke to many people who said that event was literally on their bucket list.

I am proud to announce that I in fact did hit it out...

... of the infield.

The energy inside the dome the entire weekend was vibrant. I didn't find anyone that wasn't satisfied with the experience.

This event, like many before and the many to come was a classic example of an organization under promising and over delivering.

Rob Jack and TJ Burton of the Blue Jays along with Wayne Parro and Andre Lachance of Baseball Canada did an outstanding job. However, I do have one serious complaint.

We need to wait far too long for next year's clinic to take place!

I'll give you some advice... as soon as you hear about any of these opportunities, register immediately as word has spread and these events fill up quickly.

A poignant closing address from the inspirational Mr. Sandy Alomar...

Comments

Hall of Fame Merry Christmas

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 22:42:50 +0100

I would like to offer a special Merry Christmas to all of you that have took the time to stop by this blog over the past year.

Thank you for sharing an interest in baseball and have a Happy New Year!!!

Comments

Local Baseball Registration to Skyrocket

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 20:00:41 +0100

In July, I wrote an article titled "Baseball's Time is Now". In it, I expressed how the marketing changes that the Toronto Blue Jays made for the 2012 season was igniting a younger fan base with visions of the future.

I explained how Baseball Canada's sponsorship deal with the Blue Jays was a strategic partnership that would grow the game at the local level with interactive marketing tactics such as Instructional Clinics and Super Camps.

Little did I know what was about to transpire less than 6 months later!

Reaching out to children as Canada's only Major League Baseball team is one thing.

Reaching out as a Playoff and World Series contending team is another.

The Toronto Blue Jays have overhauled their roster with 5 former All-Stars which include last year's NL Cy Young Award winner (Dickey) and a pitcher who has thrown over 200 innings in 12 consecutive seasons(Buehrle).

There will be many winners in the 2013 season if the Jays are able to realize the potential they hold on paper. The stadium will be packed, more vendors will be hired, the surrounding bars and restaurants will see significant increased revenues for 81 of the home games.

The biggest winner will be the game itself. As Toronto makes baseball cool again, the 20 and 30 year olds who never felt a connection to the game will begin registering their young children in baseball programs.

The moms and dads who lived out their high school and college careers with lackluster Jays teams that left no sparks of passion for the game of baseball now have children of their own.

New immigrants that bolster our urban communities have another option other than hockey to provide their children with a Canadian cultural experience.

Local baseball associations across this country need to take advantage of this flourishing trend.

Equally impressive to the Jays on-field presence for next year is Toronto's community presence as well.

Along with the Jays Care Foundation who have donated millions of dollars of funding and grants, the Toronto Blue Jays are making significant efforts to grow the game of baseball locally.

Any parent, coach and association board member should take notice of the advantages a partnership with the Blue Jays can have on their children and members.

To turn away from the hundreds of thousands of free advertising dollars that the Jays offer by simply marketing the game that you provide locally is not only foolish... it would be irresponsible to your stakeholders.

As Development Manager at Mississauga North, I fully intend to allow our members to benefit from the partnership with the Jays.

I strongly recommend for others to do the same. As Alex Anthopolous' 5 year plan for World Series contention has quickly evolved into a 3 year plan, perhaps the days for baseball playing a significant role in lives of all Canadians is much closer than we think.

Comments

Baseball Canada CHRISTMAS WISHLIST

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 19:59:01 +0100

The Annual GM meetings are in full swing in Nashville this week. Teams are bouncing prospects and dollar figures through the halls of the Grand Ole Oprey Hotel in a effort to land a baseball Christmas Gift for their organization.

The ultimate MLB gift buying week has me thinking about some great baseball Christmas gifts for the Canadian Baseball Fan.

BASEBALL CANADA CHRISTMAS WISHLIST:

WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC

Rather than flying straight to San Francisco, your flight lands in Phoenix to warm up after the cool winter check out a few Cactus League games. You visit HoHoKam Field where the Cubs will play their spring training games for the last time before they move into the New Mesa Ballpark in 2014.

You might want to send Whitby, ON native Ryan Kellog a tweet (@Ry_Kellogg)to see what day he'll be pitching for the Arizona State University Sun Devils. You watch him take the mound in what will be ASU's last year at Packard Stadium before they also move into New Mesa Ballpark.

It's time to head due north to check out the "hole in the ground" before making a 2 day trek through Nevada, across the California border and making it to San Fran for the March 17-19th Championship Games.

Nothing could stretch you out more after the long drive than jumping up and down in the seats of AT&T Park when Brett Lawrie crosses home plate to win the Classic's Championship Game in walk-off style!

Courtesy Yahoo Canada Sports

2013 LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES

A great way to spend an August vacation by visiting Williamsport for the 67th annual LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES.

Since you are in the area, you head over to watch a game at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Described by many critics as the best Major League stadium to watch a game, you have affordable upper deck seat that allows you to watch boats sail under the Roberto Clemente Bridge in between pitches.

Heading east to Williamsport, your gift pays incredible dividends when the Canadian Little League representative powers its way through the global competition and earns its way back into the Championship game for the first time since Stoney Creek (@ScollBB) did it in 1965.

Courtesy of the Toronto Star

Cooperstown Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Of course any year that you could attend the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is special. But for baseball fans north of the border (particularly in Toronto), the 2013 Ford C Frick Award inductee will be even more special. NOTE: The actual inductee is being selected the very day that this blog is being written.

Following last year's Taylor Spink Award winner for writers, Bob Elliot, another Canadian icon (albeit American born) would take the broadcasting honour.

Tom Cheek, the "voice of the Blue Jays" from its inaugural year until he needed to retire due to health in 2004 broadcasted a whopping 4306 consecutive regular season games (In addition to 41 post season games including 2 World Series).

Many current broadcasters have been lobbying for Mr. Cheek to receive his recognition. No more has been his advocate that Toronto Blue Jays broadcaster, Mike Wilner. I recommend tweeting to Mike (@wilnerness590) to meet up with him in Cooperstown and have him share some stories of the Canadian Baseball Icon before the induction.

Courtesy Toronto Sun

2013 WORLD SERIES

Yes indeed! Nothing would satisfy the Canadian Baseball fan more that seeing that trophy cross the northern border for the first time in 20 years and be lifted high above the electric blue jerseys of the Toronto Blue Jays (@bluejays).

In what may have been a much heftier wish to be granted one month ago. Santa may have a little easier time carrying this present down the Rogers Centre chimney after the addition of Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes, Emilio Bonifacio and Melky Carbrera.

A beautiful way to round out the successful 2013 year for Canadian baseball fans as they put away their ball gloves, switch over to hockey (well maybe) and eagerly await compiling their wishlist for the 2014 season.

Courtesy Sportsnet Magazine

Comments

Playing the Game

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 19:27:21 +0100

I sometimes get so wrapped up in the scientific structure of developing our athletes that I lose sight of what it is all about.

On Saturday, I ran a few baseball sessions for the 10-12 and 7-9 age groups.

Like I routinely do, we started with progressive throwing and fielding fundamentals. The same wrist, then elbow, then one knee, then standing throwing drills eventually become tedious for these youngsters. These progressions are imperative to developing the proper muscle memory required to throw a ball accurately with velocity but trying telling that to a 10 year old kid who's never experienced highly competitive baseball.

We throw in a few games to make the drills more fun but whose kidding who... it's work for these kids. If it wasn't, they wouldn't be getting better.

As the practice neared the end, I decided to reward them with a modified baseball game. I call it "Ball in Hand". Its a great game to play in a gym where you can't use bats.

Two teams play a baseball game where the batter, rolls the ball into the field instead of hitting it.

As a sat on the side and watched these house league players "play the game", I quickly was reminded of what it is all about. Watching their focus, their smiles. Hearing their laughter, their taunting of the opposing team.

There is nothing wrong with trying to make our children the best possible athletes they can be. There is nothing wrong with opening up opportunities for them by way of scholarships or drafts.

Those rewards will certainly swell a sense of pride in the coaches that have guided them there. However, you will find at the lowest common denominator, our role as coach is to give the children in our community the carefree joy that playing baseball brings.

Comments

10 Steps To Fix Your Organization

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 21:38:12 +0100

1) PEOPLE

The wrong people will never be able to implement the right plan.

2) WRITTEN PLAN

It is impossible for others to read your brain cells.

3) FLEXIBILITY

Be willing to take a giant eraser to your plan if better ideas are suggested.

4) ACTION

The right people you found don't move on "Go!", they move on your movement.

5) ADJUSTMENTS

Get the eraser out again. By putting the plan into practice, you found an even better way.

6) FEEDBACK

Positive feedback is just candy. Sure it makes you feel good, but the meat and potatoes of negative feedback will sustain you.

7) INFINITY

If you are running towards a finish line, you are in the wrong race.

8) LIFE

Make your organization a part of your family rather than a substitute for it.

9) ACCOUNTABILITY

An organization's greatest strength is accepting responsibility for its failures and doing everything possible to never repeat them.

10) DANCE

Don't take it all too seriously. Your organization is just another necessary distraction away from the awe-inspiring surreal experience called Life.

Comments

The New Model for Canadian Baseball Development

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 00:14:29 +0100

RESULTS OF THE EXISTING SYSTEM

In Canada, the level of baseball that a child will reach is set by the age of 8. The majority of children have their athletic potential predetermined by inexperienced, volunteer coaches during early-aged Rep try-outs. The more athletically mature 8 year old joins competitive rep leagues. There, that child will receive year round resources and instruction. A Provincial Association will monitor that the coaches receive certification and that the games and tournaments they play in are sanctioned by their governing body.

The lesser matured 8 year old is left in isolated recreation baseball. The quality of coaching and developmental resources are left to the local association. Often, this development will include playing 2 games per week from May to July. The coach will be the Mom or Dad that picked up the equipment and the games they play are rarely monitored by anyone except themselves.

By the age of 10, the children who were not selected into the competitive system quit baseball and choose other sports. The quality of baseball was degraded at their age level because the "best" players and the "best" coaches left to play in the competitive "REP" system. The remaining players and coaches resort to a recreation brand of baseball that involves little to no skill development. As pitching is introduced, the baseball is slow and boring with pass balls and walks taking over the game.

By the age of 15, Rep children who could not afford or were not skilled enough to join Elite programs, quit baseball and do not join another sport. There is no house league players to fill the void left by players who vacated for Elite programs. Local associations stop running programs for players beyond 16 years old.

RELYING ON LUCKY CIRCUMSTANCES FOR OUR PLAYER'S DEVELOPMENT

Grassroots - HOUSE LEAGUE (Entry Level Baseball):

Baseball is introduced to children around the age of 4 years old. Recreational leagues implement a "T Ball" game that allows players to place a ball on a tee to hit. These leagues are run by fathers and mothers who volunteer to help. Equipment, uniforms and schedules are handed out and each player's development is left in the hands of the Moms and Dads that end up being on their team.

Each year, new teams are formed with each player receiving new instruction and development as instituted by the Mom or Dad that volunteered to be the coach.

Every player pays a membership fee. Every membership ensures the same tangible items for all like uniforms and equipment but the coaching, player development, team communication, satisfaction and overall experience is vastly different for each individual player.

Develop programs like Rally Cap designed by Baseball Canada are intended to standardize the experience for all young players. However, this standardization is the choice of the Provincial Association to promote and the local association to execute.

As these players near the age to begin playing in a competitive rep system, the most organized and ambitious "parent" begins to search out the best players to form a team in the competitive Rep leagues.

Often times, the players selected to the entry level competitive team were coached in house league by the new Rep manager (Last year's best house league coach). Why? Was that coach lucky enough to be given the best players that year? Of course not! The average players on that coach's team became the best with the best training and development while the average players on another team with little training either did not improve or regressed.

We have a development system that is based on the individual lucky circumstances or "luck of the draw".

"Over half the team that I coached the year before in house league made the Rep team the following year." says Lino Feijo, manager of 2 Rep teams for Mississauga North Baseball Association.

This experience is repeated every year across all associations in Canada. The best players end up being the group of average players who were lucky enough to get the best coach.

The absurdity is that our current system now segregates those average players who were lucky enough to have the best coach and gives them the best coaches, resources and development for the next 10 years.

As Malcolm Gladwell wrote in his best selling book Outliers, "Success is the result of what sociologists like to call "accumulative advantage".

The average player who was unlucky to be assigned the inexperienced parent coach will never realize their baseball potential and will likely quit the sport.

But those lucky players get better and better as they enter the rep system.

"And that little difference leads to an opportunity that makes that difference a bit bigger, and that edge in turn leads to another opportunity" Gladwell sites, "until the player is a genuine outlier. They didn't start out as an outlier, they started just a little bit better."

The unlucky players quit baseball, join other sports or worse of all, begin sedentary lives of playing video games and hanging out on the street.

The lucky players get selected to the rep system which is a better, yet still flawed, road of development.

Competitive - REP LEAGUE (Training Level Baseball)

In September, players are invited to a try-out for the Rep team. This team will play within a competitive loop of teams in the local area. The loop will produce a league and playoff champion and the best teams will advance to the provincial championship.

Each team is made up of children that were born in the same birth year. Divisions are given names like Mosquito, Peewee and Bantam, but the division is regulated by having players being born in the same year from January 1st to December 31st.

Each team is part of the same association as the house league, but is run separately by the manager, coaches and parents that belong to that team. All functions are at the sole discretion of the team; including development.

One manager may feel as though the cost for training at private winter facilities is a necessary expense while others may think that low cost gymnasiums will do the trick.

Some might think that hiring professional instructors or taking special courses will add value to the development strategy, while others may think that they know enough to take their team to the top.

Some might have relationships with people that can give their players a developmental advantage, while other don't.

As in the house league system, this lack of standardization breeds a Rep system that allows some good players to be lucky enough to become great under a manager with a good developmental strategy while other players on other teams in the same association aren't so fortunate.

AGE CUTOFF DATES

The cutoff date of January 1st creates a whole other set of unlucky circumstances for young players. The players born in January are nearly a whole year older than the others born in December.

The selection of the rep players in September is routinely based upon their size and skill and what is demonstrated during a 2-6 hour span of "try-outs". It rarely takes into account that the December player will grow and develop over the next 6 months when the games begin being played.

Yet another example of how the predetermination of who will be our best future baseball athletes, magnifies the flaws in our current developmental system. Before a child is a teen, their lives have been destined by who their house league coach and rep coach happened to be. Now their access to proper baseball development is being determined by the month they were born in.

If our system was designed to allow for more players to receive equal training regardless of their unlucky circumstances, we would reduce the negative variables that can affect our youth's ability to reach their athletic potential.

How many more college educated athletes would we have developed in this country, let alone how many MVP and Cy Young award winners?

THE SOLUTIONS

Solving our developmental issues involves 3 main components:

1) Reciprocation
2) Education
3) Environment

1) RECIPROCATION

What is provided in value to one, should be paid back in equal value.

The value provided to the Rep system by the house league system is priceless. Without a place for children to organize and become aware of the competitive leagues, without initial training (as flawed as it is), without a networking of parents, players and coaches, the Rep system would not exist.

A effective baseball developmental system must utilize the principles of reciprocation. As the "best" players and coaches leave the house league system to play competitively, they must reciprocate the value it provided them by sharing the resource that allowed them to advance.

Creating a House League system in which the Rep league, teams and players help to organize coaching and player development will not only create a better house league system to play in, but it continuously offers the Rep system a larger assortment of skilled players to choose from.

Essentially using the same theory behind Major and Minor League Baseball, the higher skilled system takes ownership over the development of the entry level, lesser skilled players.

Furthermore, rather than Rep teams "developing themselves individually" in private facilities outside of the association, all training money and resources should be spent and housed within the non-profit structure.

Collectively pooling the training money under one roof will allow for indoor facilities to be built and provide equal training resources for all Rep teams and House League players.

This reciprocation of value will immediately begin to erode away the unlucky circumstances that have crept into our development system.

The 8 year old house league player born in November will receive the same level of training and resources as the bigger 8 year old Rep player born in February.

The 11 year old house league player will get an equal opportunity to make the Rep team next year, because his coaches in house league have been guided and instructed by the Rep coaches at his age level.

The 16 year old Rep player will continue to play highly competitive baseball even though the best players on his team have moved away to play in Elite Programs. They can be replaced by the bounty of house league players that didn't quit baseball and continued to develop.

2) EDUCATION

The number 1 reason that a Mom or Dad did not volunteer to coach a house league baseball team was "I don't know what to do."

Educating the parents and developing coaches at a young age will not only produce better ball players, it will produce a thriving association that will continue to grow and flourish.

While coaching house league a few years back, all of my players would show up to games and practices on time. The parents would help run the bench during games or shag balls at practices.

Meanwhile, other coaches would tell me that they only get 3 or 4 players to practice and that no one helps out.

Was he unlucky to get the group of lazy parents? Of course not!

We need to educate our volunteers and tell them precisely how to achieve results. Not only how to make better players, but how to make better parents of players.

All of this needs to be presented in a standardized coaches manual that deals with everything from making the initial contact to your team to running a effective practice.

Many new volunteers are scared that they don't know how to teach a kid how to throw a ball correctly during a practice. Not realizing that they need to make sure the kid is at practice first.

John Hashimoto of the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Academy said it best, "we want all of you parents to come on the field with your children", he instructed during a summer baseball camp in Mississauga, "our coaching philosophy is that we need to coach the parents alongside the children so that you can work with them at home."

3) ENVIRONMENT

The Canadian winter presents a notable adversary to the developmental system in Canada. We simply can't go out in the fields all year round like they can in Texas, Florida or the Dominican Republic.

But as every optimist knows, each adversity presents a new opportunity. This opportunity is already being witnessed by head coaches and managers across US colleges.

Speaking at last year's Best Ever Clinic, a coaching clinic hosted by Baseball Ontario, Head Coach of the University of Tennessee, Dave Serrano stated, "what we see from the Canadian kids we scout is that they are fundamentally sound, the Canadian winters force them indoors in the winter so they spend much more time on the skills while the southern US kids are working on strategy outdoors."

They are speaking of the Elite players who train at private indoor facilities throughout the winter. Most of those players began some indoor training when they began playing in the rep system while a minority of them who are chosen to Elite programs train everyday indoors throughout the winter.

Our winters give us a perfect opportunity to isolate our skill development and make us the most fundamentally sound players in the world.

We need to extend that fundamental development time all the way down to our entry level house league players.

By producing programs and clinics through the winter months and teaching our young athletes the fundamentals indoors we allow them to enjoy the game of baseball more in the summer when they are skilled enough to throw, catch and hit with ease.

END RESULT

I am not implying that every 8 year old that is trained properly will make it to the Major Leagues. I'm not even implying that they will ever make a Rep team. Beyond the unlucky circumstances that currently govern who plays competitive ball, there is the role that genetics, desire and work ethic play in the matter.

The end result is not for us to be perennial winners on the world baseball stage; though this is a strong possibility.

Our end result will be to allow our players to reach their maximum athletic potential while providing alternative systems for children to continue enjoying the great game of baseball long after it was determined they weren't going to play professionally.

Our end result will be a nation filled with children who grew up enamoured with a sport that not only tested their physical strength and skill but taught them life lessons about facing adversity, working to be your best individually for the benefit of the team and that no matter how much you are struggling, you will always get your turn to hit a homerun.

Creating a developmental system that allows for equal opportunities is not only a moral thing to do, it makes economic sense too.

As we linger out of recessed economy, baseball related corporations can take an active role in increasing their customer base. Progressive businesses will assert themselves ahead of the curve and provide support for these innovative ideas and changes that must be made.

Will the hundreds of players that didn't quit be wearing a Rawlings or Mizuno glove? Will the thousands of new players be swinging a Easton or Worth bat?

Will the Toronto Blue Jays continue to sell to parents or will the kids tell their parents they want to go to a baseball game?

The great thing about reciprocity is that the more value you give another, the more value they give back to you.

Local Moms and Dads, municipalities, and the private sector are searching for positive community programs to be involved with. They are simply waiting for them to exist. The current developmental structure of baseball in Canada does not give them value and so they have no value to give.

All it takes is one person. One man or one woman in each local to step up and produce that first act of value. In order for that act to produce results, it needs to be acknowledged and supported by the executive leadership.

Creating a structure of reciprocity, having some place to train indoors and teaching hundreds of parents about baseball seems like a novel idea, but who is going to get this done?

THE UNLUCKY CIRCUMSTANCES FOR EXECUTIVES

Local Non-profit baseball associations are run by volunteers. These are working mothers and fathers who invest their time and effort in creating opportunities for their and other local children.

The executive boards that govern the association are generally comprised of Moms and Dads that have been in the association for a while. Some of them no longer have children playing baseball and they want to give back to the association that provided them programs for years.

As in the unlucky circumstances that individual players face, associations are dealt these inequalities as well.

Some associations are run by people who take an deep interest in the development of baseball while others are more focused on the administrative structure and rules of the game. Some are simply there to be a part of something.

The members and players of these associations are fated to the type of person that happened to live in their area, what they know about baseball and how much volunteer time they choose to spend on the association's business.

Once again, we are in a situation where players from Association A are given more opportunities than players in Association B. Furthermore, the existing policy in provinces like Ontario state that players cannot play in another association that is not in their living boundaries. Regardless of how the association is conducting its business, the player is literally trapped from maximizing on their athletic potential.

LET'S MOVE UP THE CHAIN

The provincial associations are usually compromised of the ambitious members of the local associations who chose to be elected to lead the province's baseball matters.

These provincial associations are a member of Baseball Canada who govern the nation.

Like the 4 year old who was lucky to get a good coach, each local association is lucky to have a good provincial association that will give them great leadership and direction in running all of its baseball affairs.

Players from one province will have better opportunities than players from another province based on the programs and direction filtered from the provincial head down to the local fields.

LEADERSHIP

As individual local associations create a reciprocal development strategy, it is the responsibility of the federal and provincial leadership to work towards standardizing this development. Recognizing the associations that are doing a good job and supporting the others that aren't.

As a nation we can't rely on lucky circumstances to develop our athletes and have one area of the country excel while the others fail.

We can't rely on being fortunate that John Smith in Summerside, PEI takes a more progressive and dedicated role to developing players while Jane Doe in Windsor, Ontario is satisfied with maintaining the Status Quo.

As we ascertained that Moms and Dads didn't want to volunteer to coach because they didn't know what to do, Baseball Canada needs to recognize that new people aren't taking active roles in the Provincial and local leadership for the same reason.

If the federal head of baseball provides leadership and reaches down to the locals rather than leaving it up to the Provinces, the end result will be producing a foundation of volunteers that will eventually grow to lead the province in the way it was intended from Baseball Canada. The halls of Annual General Meetings will be filled with new progressive volunteers who understand how to work together to improve their own developmental system.

LEAD BY EXAMPLE

It is true that such a progressive and intensive developmental change will take a lot of new resources and people to implement. Yes, these are lofty ideas being presented by one local Manager of Player and Coach Development. Yes, I've chosen to invest as much time and energy into a non-profit volunteer position as I have my own livelihood.

However, as I travel down this pioneering path, I am quickly learning about the men and women in this province and in this country that also believe that a change needs to be made in the way we build baseball players.

Though the current philosophy of having our federal and provincial associations giving priority to the Rep and Elite players will bring a minority of great individual short term results, our greatest achievements on the baseball fields in this country and on the world stage will be when we maximize the athletic potential of the majority long into the future.

Comments

The Followers That Lead The Way

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 03:32:54 +0200

With every great leader that has risen through the history of time, there has been the unheralded advocates for their cause. Not a blind faith of the masses, but a mass of collective consciousness following the leader's vision even when they don't fully understand.

Without doubt, there is a void in the history of time to be filled for an organizational mind. A person that sees the pieces connected even as they are spilled out chaotically across the board.

Greatly undervalued however, is the disorganized minds that listen, buy-in, or execute the procedures set forth by the fearless leader.

Our lives are independently dependent on these leaders to drive through the common monotony of everyday survival/ existence.

The masses are complacent enough to continue with the everyday inadequacies and injustices. But if the right person, speaking the right language and backing up their words with the right actions directs them off the path of tediousness, they will follow courageously into new territory.

More important than those blazing the trail is the followers trampling the path and transforming it into a road.

I find myself enamored by these people. Of all cultures. Of all ages. These people have the courage to buy into a thought and vision long before their heart has true faith to believe in it.

All of our leaders throughout history have benefited from these courageous engines that drive their cause.

Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Jesus Christ and Branch Rickey espoused their ideas with certainty and confidence because they had no doubt that what they envisioned would become reality... what they envisioned was righteous.

The recognition and praise however should fall on the millions of loyal supporters who soldiered on with their cause even without being emboldened with the same foresight that their leaders were blessed with.

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Mississauga Salon Serves Community

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 15:47:46 +0200

In the heart of Mississauga’s beloved town of Streetsville, you will find an ultra urban salon with a cosmopolitan feel.

Makai Salon's team environment strives to work well together and provide clients with a flawless experience.

The trendy and stylish atmosphere, the personal attention and level of service you will find at Makai Salon will far exceed expectations.

They are the definition of service and living with a philosophy that focuses more on what they can give... rather than what they can take.

Michael Ibrahim has run Makai Salon is Streetsville for 5 years. He is an artist. Someone who makes you feel like your hair is a blank canvas being sculpted into a beautiful work of art.

He has staffed his salon with like-minded people who tailor to your every need.

So I wasn't surprised by his answer when I asked him to help support my son's baseball team.

"How much do you want?"

He understands the value that local businesses have on communities. They are not just independent entities supporting themselves. They are everyone's tools for existence.

The cost of youth sports can become a financial burden for families. With little to no support from municipal and provincial governments, the private sector plays an important role in the development of athletes.

Makai Salon is another example of a great business run by great community leaders.

Stop by for a visit, meet the staff and become a satisfied customer for years.

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