coaching management 14.7

Coaching ManagementB A S E B A L L P O S T S E A S O N E D I T I O N 2 0 0 6

VOL. XIV NO. 7 ■ $5.00

■ Lessons in Losing■ Weightroom Balance

Base InstInctsTeaching the running game

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CONTENTS Coaching ManagementBaseball EditionPostseason 2006

Vol. XIV, No. 7

COVER STORY

Base Instincts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16When executed properly, an aggressive running game can make the difference between victory and defeat . However, teaching players how to win games with their legs means more than just developing speed and quickness .

COACHING LIFE

Learning from Losing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23When losses start piling up, self-doubt is sure to follow . Should you change your approach? How can you keep your athletes from growing frustrated? Here, a Hall of Fame high school coach offers advice for getting the most out of a losing season .

CONDITIONING

No Pain, No Gain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27You want your players to dig down and get the most out of their weightroom workouts . So what is the fine line between pushing them hard and pushing them too hard?

On the cover: At UC-Irvine, base running is taught aggressively with an emphasis on stealing . Story begins on page 16 . Photo by Glenn Feingerts/University of California-Irvine .

Advertising Sales AssociatesDiedra Harkenrider, (607) 257-6970, ext . 24Rob Schoffel, (607) 257-6970, ext . 21

Ad Materials Coordinator Mike Townsend

Business and Editorial Offices31 Dutch Mill Rd ., Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 257-6970, Fax (607) 257-7328info@MomentumMedia .com

Mailing lists for Coaching Management Baseball are provided by the Clell Wade Coaches Directory .

The Coaching Management Baseball edition is published in February and September by MAG, Inc . and is distributed free to college and high school coaches in the United States and Canada . Copyright © 2006 by MAG, Inc . All rights reserved . Text may not be reproduced in any manner, in whole or in part, without the permission of the publisher . Unsolicited materials will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope . Coaching Management is printed by Banta Publications Group, Kansas City, MO . POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Coaching Management, P .O . Box 4806, Ithaca, N .Y . 14852 .

Printed in the U .S .A .

2 23

Publisher Mark Goldberg

Marketing Director Sheryl Shaffer

Marketing/Sales Assistant Danielle Catalano

Art Director Pamela Crawford

Photo ResearchTobi Sznajderman

Editor-in-Chief Eleanor FrankelAssociate Editor Dennis ReadAssistant Editors R .J . Anderson Kenny Berkowitz Nathan Dougherty Abigail Funk Greg Scholand Laura Smith

Business ManagerPennie Small

Special Projects Dave Wohlhueter

Circulation Director Dave Dubin

Circulation Manager John Callaghan

IT Manager Julian Cook

Asst. Prepress ManagerJim Harper

Production Assistant Jonni Campbell

Administrative AssistantSharon Barbell

LOCKER ROOM Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Colleges face academic probation … NJ first to test for steroids … Naming seats a profitable stadium option … High school player switches throwing arm … Beanball case thrown out of court … First college baseball video game hits shelves

Q&A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Mike Fox talks about the University of North Carolina’s NCAA Division I College World Series run .

TEAM EqUIPMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33WOOD BATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34HITTING & PITCHING AIDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35BASEBALL FACILITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38MORE PRODUCTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47WEB NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

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Under a new uniform start date set to take effect in 2008, Division I practices and games won’t start until February. Some school officials are worried that the later start date, which means more games packed into a shorter season, may hurt players academically. Above, Florida International University plays the University of Miami in January 2006.

Baseball Faces Academic ProbationWith the long debate over when to start the NCAA Divi-sion I season settled, it appeared there would be some smooth sailing ahead for major college baseball. Coaches and administrators reached a compromise on start dates: Beginning in 2008, the first date for prac-tice will be February 1, and the first game will be no ear-lier than the third Friday in February.

But now a new set of storm clouds has appeared in a warn-ing from the university presi-dents on the Division I Board of Directors: Teams will be playing far fewer games in the future if the sport’s academic performance doesn’t improve. With baseball posting the third worst Academic Prog-ress Rate (APR), bettering only football and men’s basket-ball, the Board is worried that the newly adopted common start date—a month later than some teams opened in 2006—could negatively affect play-ers’ academic performance by squeezing 56 games into a shorter time period.

The Board considered reduc-ing the maximum number of regular season games to 52, but after much discussion and lobbying by members of the baseball community who said the causes of baseball’s low APR went deeper than the number of games in the sea-son, it tabled the proposal. Instead, it called for a plan to improve baseball’s academic performance, while threaten-ing far greater cutbacks in games if it fails.

The Baseball Academic Enhancement Committee has one year to develop a plan acceptable to the Board. Two years after that, the Board will revisit the ques-tion of cutting games if aca-

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demic performance has not improved.

“Nobody is sure what com-pacting the 56-game schedule will mean academically,” says Dennis Farrell, Commissioner of the Big West Conference. “I think there was some relief that the board didn’t reduce the season initially, and now it’s up to the baseball community to prove that the compaction is not going to have a negative effect on academics.”

Dave Keilitz, Executive Direc-tor of the American Baseball Coaches Association, feels the answers lie more in struc-tural issues and the culture of the sport than in coaches’ day-to-day management of their programs. “I think the majority of programs are doing a very good job of evaluating and recruiting the right type of student-ath-letes,” he says. “I also think coaches are doing a good job of working with their kids aca-demically. But those factors are minimal compared to the bigger issues like transfer rules and a lack of scholar-ships.”

Baseball coaches have long complained that the limit of 11.7 scholarships is too low for a sport with rosters that typically include about 33 players. And since baseball players, unlike football and basketball players, can receive a one-time transfer exception that allows them to change schools and retain immediate eligibility, there’s little to keep a player from transferring if he thinks he is not getting enough playing time or can get a better offer elsewhere. The result is lost APR reten-tion points.

“I believe we can come up with a great plan that will improve the APR dramatically,” Keilitz says. “Whether the Board is willing to make the changes we recommend remains to be seen. If nothing is done with scholarships or the transfer

rule, it’s going to be very diffi-cult to improve the APR.”

But changing the transfer exception is no easy task. A proposal to eliminate it for baseball was defeated at the 2006 NCAA Convention. Far-rell says there are two schools of thought when it comes to the transfer exception. “One is that it’s too easy for kids to transfer, and when they do, the school’s APR takes a hit,” he explains. “The other school of thought is that the one-time exception at least holds the

� COACHING MANAGEMENT

student-athlete accountable because he has to be academ-ically eligible when he applies for the waiver. While you lose the retention point when a student-athlete transfers out, without the exception, you might lose both the retention and eligibility points.”

Which brings the argument back around to scholarship lim-its. “Under the present rules, it’s difficult to fault a kid for transferring if he only has a book stipend for one semester and he’s not playing,” Keilitz says.

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testing plan, randomly testing about five percent of student-athletes whose teams qualify for postseason play in 2006-07. Postseason play in the state’s 31 championship sports involves roughly 10,000 ath-letes, so about 500 students will be tested in the program’s first year.

He adds that in addition to scholarships and transfers, the plan could address the impact of the professional draft, time demands made on players, early signing periods that have players committing to col-lege scholarships before they start their senior year in high school, and numerous other factors. “It’s not going to be easy to find a solution, but it’s our responsibility to sell it to the coaches and say this is best for all of college baseball,” he says. “At the same time, we have to convince the Board of Directors that it will be good for baseball academically.”

Any plan to improve college baseball’s aca-demic perfor-mance will likely involve some compromises on coaches’ parts. “Some people are a little offended that we have to go through this because we don’t have the lowest APR,” Keilitz says. “We aren’t hap-py with our APR, but there are others who also have problems, yet we’re the only sport going through this right now.

“We have to come up with a good plan, and coaches have to buy into it, or we are going to lose games,” he con-tinues. “Some changes may conflict with coaches’ individual beliefs, but it will boil down to decid-ing whether it is more impor-tant to abide by the plan and keep the number of games we have, or continue doing things the way we have been and lose a significant number of games.”

NJ Tests for SteroidsAs steroid use continues to be a hot button in baseball, New Jersey has become the first state to take the plunge into a full-fledged drug-testing pro-gram for high school athletes, following an executive man-date from former Acting Gov-ernor Richard Codey. In 2006-07, random steroid testing will begin for athletes in all cham-pionship sports.

The New Jersey State Inter-scholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) will carry out the


and there’s evidence that the real number is closer to five or six percent. We have 240,000 athletes in New Jersey, so it’s not hard to do the math.”

The task force also noted that many student-athletes say ste-roids are very easy to come by. “They told us all you have

Codey created a task force in July 2005 to study the issue of steroid use in young athletes. The task force’s 18 members, which included high school administrators, professors of sports psychology and ortho-pedic surgery, and coaches, recommended a series of steps, including random test-ing, to address what it per-ceived as a serious problem.

“We looked at the statistics first,” says Bob Baly, Assistant Director of the NJSIAA and a member of the task force. “About three percent of high school seniors nationwide admit to having used steroids,

Former Acting Governor Richard Codey signs an executive order to begin drug testing in New Jersey high schools. Approximately five percent of student-athletes who qualify for postseason play, including baseball players, will be tested under the mandate.

to do is key in the right words on the Internet or know the right people around school,” Baly says.

The tests will look for around 80 substances in all, ranging from amphetamines to ste-roids. In accordance with the policy, any time an athlete tests positive he or she will immediately be declared ineli-gible for a period of 365 days.

The governor’s office gave the NJSIAA a $50,000 grant to pay for the first year of testing, but it’s yet to be decided how sub-sequent years will be paid for. A private agency will carry out the tests, and coaches at the targeted schools will not have any added responsibilities.

While the mandatory testing plan has drawn the most atten-tion, it isn’t the only way New Jersey is addressing perfor-mance-enhancing substance use by high school athletes. Plans are in place for a steroid education program directed at the state’s elementary and middle schoolers, as well as ramped up educational efforts for coaches, athletic trainers, and school nurses. “Our ath-letic departments will continue to work with families, coaches, and student-athletes to edu-cate them about the dangers of steroids,” Baly says.

Sitting on a Gold MineAt the University of the Pacif-ic, athletic administrators hoped a seat-naming program would raise enough money to cover the cost of seating in their new baseball stadium. They didn’t anticipate that in less than half a year, they would generate $160,000. The program’s initial goal has already been surpassed, and money is still coming in.

“When you talk about build-ing a new facility, people usu-ally think about targeting large

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home games off-campus due to the construction, so the department kept the program relatively low-key, marketing the seat-naming opportuni-ties through its Web site, an e-newsletter, alumni correspon-dence, and word of mouth. With the help of key baseball alums, nameplates have been used to honor parents, chil-dren, teammates, and former coaches. And with $2 million still needed to complete the stadium, marketers are plan-ning to re-emphasize the seat-naming campaign in the com-ing months. If the department succeeds in selling nameplates for the remainder of the seats, they could raise an additional $500,000.

Cindy Spiro, Senior Associ-ate Director of Athletics for Development, is planning to launch the next push at Pacif-ic’s alumni reunion and con-

donors,” says Head Coach Ed Sprague, a former major league all-star. “But with this program, we wanted to reach smaller donors. We thought nameplates on the seats would be a good way for young alumni, boosters, and commu-nity members to participate in building the stadium. And the response has been great.”

For $1,000, fans can engrave a seat located behind home plate, which, spread over five years, comes to 56 cents a day for the best seats at Klein Fam-ily Field. Or for $500, they can have their name engraved on one above the dugouts. Within the program’s first five months, fans named 205 of 889 avail-able seats, which also includes the right to buy that engraved seat’s season ticket.

During this past season, the Tigers played most of their



The University of the Pacific baseball team will play next season at the new Klein Family Field (shown above). As a fundraiser to pay for seating at the stadium, Pacific gave fans the opportunity to buy engraved seat nameplates and then to purchase season tickets for their named seats.

For more information, visit: pacifictigers.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/seatnaming.html.

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tinue through the close of the 2007 baseball season, when the school hopes to celebrate completion of the stadium. “One of the most valuable parts of this program is that it gives us the opportunity to talk to our young alums about philanthropy,” Spiro says. “This is a great way to encour-age them to give that first gift back to the institution.”

“We want as many people as possible to be emotion-ally invested in our stadium, and I think it’s working,” adds Sprague. “There’s still more to be done, but we’ve built a beautiful facility and made a lot of people excited about what we’re doing.”

Learning LeftyWatching Tyler Oliver’s slick play at first base, you would

never guess the Lexington (Ky.) Christian Academy junior only recently learned how to catch with his right hand and throw with his left. After bat-tling nagging injuries to his right (throwing) elbow since he was 13 and undergoing two surgeries—one before his freshman year that involved drilling a hole in his elbow to correct a bone defect, and the latest coming after his sopho-more season—Oliver decided it was time to remake himself into a southpaw.

A varsity starter since eighth grade, the 6’1”, 215-pound NCAA Division I prospect led his team to the 2005 Ken-tucky state championship as a sophomore, batting third and playing a very solid first base as a righthander. That sum-mer, while attending a base-ball camp at Florida State Uni-versity, Oliver’s arm began to

bother him. A bone chip was discovered and subsequently removed in a minor surgical procedure.

After the surgery, multiple doctors—including Cincin-nati Reds Team Physician Dr. Timothy Kremchek—told Oli-ver he would likely experience pain during the rest of his high school career and that his collegiate future could be in jeopardy. The news hit Oliver hard, but rather than accept-ing the doctors’ prognoses, he began exploring other options. “After the surgery, I started throwing a tennis ball left-handed against my bed-room wall and realized I was pretty good at it,” says Oliver.

After a little more practice, Oliver wondered if he could train himself to be a left-hand-ed thrower—permanently. “I pitched the idea to my doctors

and they said, ‘That would be better for your arm, but… well, good luck.’ Nobody really took me seriously,” he says.

But their uncertainty didn’t dissuade Oliver, and he com-mitted himself to learning to throw lefty. After a month working on his own, Oliver met up with former George-town University coach Jim Hinerman, who has worked with him in the past. “We met for 30 minutes three times a week during the winter until the season started,” says Oli-ver. “At first my form was really bad, but after working with Coach Hinerman, it got better.”

To hone his throwing motion, Hinerman had Oliver do a lot of pitching drills. “The big-gest problem was my fingertip control—I had none and was throwing balls 20 feet over his

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COACHING MANAGEMENT �

out when the court decided that being hit by a pitch is an inherent risk of playing the game.

Avila’s saga began in a Janu-ary 2001 preseason game against Citrus Community Col-lege. He was hit in the head by a pitch he says was thrown in retaliation for a Citrus play-er’s beaning earlier in the game. The blow cracked his helmet and caused immediate pain and dizziness, and Avila claims that he’s suffered from a seizure disorder ever since.

Soon after the incident, Avila sued the Citrus Community College District, citing several complaints. They included fail-ing to adequately control and supervise its pitcher, not provid-ing umpires to prevent reckless or retaliatory pitching, conduct-ing a preseason game in viola-tion of league rules, not provid-

hand. I would get nervous and move out of the way because I didn’t trust myself to catch the ball,” says Oliver, who remains a right-handed batter. “But it didn’t take me long to get over that. And I only made a couple of throwing errors all year—I could throw from first to third and make all the relay throws from the outfield.”

LCA Head Coach Keith Gal-loway says Oliver was the top defensive first baseman in the league prior to his surgery. But because opposing coach-es knew that he had recently made the change, they natu-rally wanted to see if he still had the same skills. “Certain teams tested him by having runners leave early and forcing

him to throw on a pickoff play, and some bunted on him,” says Galloway. “But he’s a gamer, and when it came time to make plays, he did.”

Oliver estimates his left arm is about 85 percent as strong as his right and that he regis-ters 75 mph on a radar gun. “I still don’t have that strong of an arm, but at least I have a chance of throwing with-out feeling like it’s falling off,” says Oliver, who attributes his injuries as a youngster to throwing hard and often with less-than-stellar form when he pitched. “I probably have bet-ter mechanics left-handed than I did right-handed,” he says.

Mechanics and skills aside, Galloway says the switch had a very positive effect on Oli-ver’s teammates.“ They saw his determination and it really inspired them, as well as other kids around the league,” says Galloway. “It speaks volumes about Tyler’s work ethic and passion for the game.”

With another year of high school eligibility remaining, Oliver is working hard to make sure he remains on the Divi-sion I radar. “He definitely has a college future ahead of him,” says Galloway. “And the Division I schools I’ve talked to are impressed with the prog-ress he’s made to this point.”

Beanball Not Grounds for LawsuitBaseball players have long understood the unwritten code of accountability on the diamond—if your pitcher hits an opposing batter, one of your hitters might soon hear some chin music of his own. But when Rio Hondo Commu-nity College’s Jose Avila was hit by a pitch five years ago, he sought redress not on the field, but in a courtroom. His case made it all the way to the California Supreme Court this spring, before being thrown FR

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“By voluntarily participating in the game, Avila agreed to assume all inherent risks associated with his participation, including the pos-sibility of being hit by a pitch.”

head,” says Oliver, who coun-tered his initial lack of control by doing more everyday tasks with his left hand. “I did any-thing I could left-handed—open doors, pick things up, eat—and eventually my finger-tip control got a lot better. By January I could throw much more accurately, and by March my arm strength improved to where I could throw to a base.”

When the season started, Oli-ver worked extensively with LCA Assistant Coach Joe Modica to refine his skills around the bag. It didn’t take long for Oliver to perfect his foot and glove work. “It was really hard because I wasn’t used to catching with my right

Lexington Christian Academy’s Tyler Oliver demonstrates his left-handed throwing technique in April. Oliver switched throw-ing arms this year due to a permanently injured right arm.

ing proper safety equipment, and failing to summon medical care in a timely fashion. His suit was initially dismissed by a trial court but reinstated on appeal in 2003, leading the district to ask the state Supreme Court to intervene.

In its ruling, issued on April 6, the court noted that getting hit by pitches is so common in baseball that it has its own terminology (“brushback” and “beanball,” for instance), and that many pitchers and man-agers openly discuss throwing at batters as a fundamental part of the sport. Therefore, the court said, even though

10 COACHING MANAGEMENT


it’s against the rules of base-ball to intentionally throw at a batter, in this case, “[the pitcher’s] conduct did not fall outside the range of ordinary activity involved in the sport.”

Furthermore, by voluntarily participating in the game, Avi-la agreed to assume all inher-ent risks associated with his participation, including the possibility of being hit by a pitch. As for the other com-plaints regarding equipment, umpiring, and league rules, the court dismissed the argu-ment that Citrus’s actions amounted to negligence—not following preseason rules, for instance, may be cause for league-imposed penalties, but it’s not a matter for the courts.

The justices also noted that allowing the suit to proceed could set a terrible precedent for all levels of baseball. “It

is one thing for an umpire to punish a pitcher who hits a batter by ejecting him from the game or for a league to suspend the pitcher,” they wrote. “It is quite another for tort law to chill any pitcher from throwing inside—a per-missible and essential part of the sport—for fear of a suit over an errant pitch. It is not the function of tort law to police such conduct.”

It’s in the GameIt looked like video game developer EA Sports had been sent to the showers when it lost the rights to produce a Major League Baseball game in 2006. Instead, the company stayed in the game and pro-duced the first college baseball video game. After a January release, EA’s MVP NCAA Base-ball has sold nearly 700,000

The University of Texas is featured in the first college baseball video game, MVP NCAA Baseball. EA Sports released the game in January, and has already sold almost 700,000 copies.

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COACHING MANAGEMENT 11

copies, much to the pleasure of game developers, coaches, and players alike.

“I think it’s an endorsement of the popu-larity of college baseball,” says Augie Garrido, Head Coach at the University of Texas, whose former third baseman, David Maroul, was featured on the game’s 2006 cover. “It helps put us into the bigger sports scene alongside Major League Base-ball, NBA basketball, and NFL football, and I think it brings us some extra credibility.”

“We knew we were taking a bit of a risk because there had never been a col-lege baseball game before, but this isn’t something we just pulled out of a hat either,” says Trey Smith, Producer of MVP NCAA Baseball. “It’s something we had in the works for the past couple of years, and we were just waiting for the oppor-tune time to do it.”

As with other NCAA video games, the developers were not allowed to use stu-dent-athletes’ names in the game, so players are identified only by uniform number and position. But their game per-formance is designed to reflect reality.

new release be a true college baseball game, not just a generic baseball video game with college graphics. “We wanted it to look and feel like an actual college game,” he says. “We changed our charac-ter models, so the players are not quite as beefy as in the big leagues. We adjusted the physics of the ball coming off the alu-minum bat and gave it a different reaction and feel. A fan of college baseball who tries this game will quickly see we did our homework.”

Future editions of the game could include updated rosters and more teams. If the University of Texas clubhouse is any indi-cation, any additions will be welcomed. Playing the game is a popular diversion for the players, who often squabble good-naturedly over who is the better player or who will get to control the virtual Long-horns. “There’s an argument over almost everything in the game,” Garrido says. “Sometimes I think that’s half the fun of it for them.”

“We wanted it to look and feel like an actual college game. We adjusted the physics of the ball coming off the aluminum bat and gave it a different reaction and feel.”

“We tried to make the game as authentic as possible,” Smith says. “We collected all the stats and translated them into player attributes, such as power, contact, and accuracy.”

The desire for authenticity was one reason why the game included only 128 teams and 18 college stadiums along with Rosen-blatt Stadium in Omaha, home of the Col-lege World Series. “We’d love to have every school and stadium in Division I, but with the schedule we were under it was too difficult to put everything together in time,” Smith says. “With the graphics and attention to detail, some of the stadiums took more than a month to complete. Some teams had as many as eight uni-forms, so it was tough to narrow it down to two and get all the details right. We wanted to make sure we represented each school to the best of our ability.”

Smith also says it was important that the

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Circle No. 10�

CM: What was it like being on the brink of a national championship, then seeing it slip away on an error in the eighth inning of the final game?Fox: It was difficult. But it’s just part of life—only one team can win, and we have to move on. Anybody who gets that close can tell you there’s a lot of luck involved in winning a national championship and everything has to fall into place for you to win. However, the one thought I can’t get out of my head is that even if we have good teams for many years here, we still may never get that close again. I need to make sure I get that thought out of my mind because we’re certainly going to keep trying for a national championship.

What did you tell the team before the final game against Oregon State?At our pregame meal, I closed the doors so it was just the coaches and the play-ers. I told them I’d probably cry whether we won or lost, but that the outcome wouldn’t change the way I felt about what those 30 guys had done for our program.

I really wanted to take some of the pres-sure off them. I said, “Just enjoy it one more time, compete like you have all year, and try not to change anything. Just play and don’t think about the consequences.” I knew it was critically important for us to play loose if we were going to have any chance of being successful.

For University of North Carolina Head Coach Mike Fox, 2006 was a dream sea-son. Along with posting a school-record

54 wins, the Tar Heels reached the NCAA Division I College World Series finals, losing to Oregon State University in three games.

A second baseman on North Carolina’s 1978 CWS team, Fox is one of 10 men to have

both played and coached in the tourna-ment. As a student-athlete, Fox also played two years on the North Carolina j.v. basketball team, getting an up-close look at the legendary Dean Smith’s coaching philosophy.

Under Fox, UNC has qualified for the NCAA Division I playoffs in seven of the last eight seasons. During that time, the 50-year-old North Carolina native has reached the 100- and 200-win bench-marks faster than any other baseball coach in school history.

Fox got his first coaching experience as a graduate assistant for the Tar Heels in 1979, before becoming Head Coach at Millbrook High School in Raleigh, N.C. In 1982, he was hired as Head Coach at North Carolina Wesleyan College, and in 1985, he also became the school’s ath-letic director. In 16 years as the baseball coach at N.C. Wesleyan, Fox reached the Division III playoffs 14 times, winning a national championship in 1989, and posted a career winning percentage of .792—second among active Division III coaches when he left for Chapel Hill.

In this interview, Fox talks about his coaching philosophy, what he’s learned from being an athletic director, and deal-ing with the emotional roller coaster that was UNC’s 2006 CWS run.


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Q A& Mike Fox UniversityofNorthCarolina

Former University of North Carolina junior lefthander Andrew Miller was the 2006 Base-ballAmerica National Player of the Year. Miller, the sixth overall pick, was one of two Tar Heel pitchers selected in the first round of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft.

What did you say after the game?I told them how much I loved them, how I thoroughly enjoyed the season, and that I was heartbroken for all of them. I said, “I might have been a little happier if we’d won, but I couldn’t be any prouder.”

What did you say to second baseman Bryan Steed, who made the error?I talked to Bryan when we got back to campus and basically told him exactly what I had said at the postgame press conference. my statement was that this is not about one player or one play—this is a team game. I don’t believe you can put a loss on one player. I told Bryan that I take full responsibility for the loss and that without him, we wouldn’t have even made it to that game.

How do you remain positive and contain your emotions during tense moments? Is it something you’ve improved over time?oh yes. there are so many factors out of your control during a game that you have to keep things in perspective. I try to stay positive all year long, but I really concen-trate on being positive down the stretch. there are very few players you can moti-vate by being hard on them, and that’s tough for some of us long-time coaches to adjust to. As hard as it may seem, you have to change with the times because your job is to motivate these kids.

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Circle No. 110

How did you keep players loose during the tournament?We never talked about winning and los-ing or who was in our bracket—we really stressed the importance of playing loose and enjoying the experience. I tried to send a message right out of the gate that we were going to treat the experience almost like a vacation. As soon as we got on the bus to catch our plane to omaha I turned my video camera on, and from that point I taped whatever and wherever I could.

What were the keys to your team's success, besides talent?A big part of it was that the players who didn’t play on a regular basis had the best attitudes I’ve seen in 24 years as a head coach. they accepted their roles and con-tributed any way they could, which is a huge component of team chemistry.

How do you maintain enthusiasm in athletes who aren’t playing a lot? It’s one of the real tricks in coaching, and it takes effort. you have to constantly talk to them and give them as much attention as the guys who are playing. And you cer-tainly have to give them the opportunity

to improve their skills and some hope of playing. tell them you noticed they were the last to leave practice, or that you saw they were the first one off the bench to congratulate somebody—let them know you’re noticing all the positive things they do. If they’re great students or leaders in the locker room, you should always try to acknowledge how much those things mean to you.

Where did your coaching philosophy come from?When I played j.v. basketball here, I learned a lot by watching the varsity bas-ketball team practice under Dean smith. I often heard Coach smith say that the play-ers win the games and the coaches lose them. that was his way of taking stress off of the players. I’ve kind of adopted that philosophy. the program is about the kids, and you have to keep that first and fore-most in your mind every day.

What is your approach to pitch counts?We’re always careful about pitch counts, and we pace our pitchers all year with the assumption that we’ll be playing in June. I work closely with my pitching coach, scott forbes, on how to distribute the pitching


load throughout the season. We use a lot of pitchers early on because I think it’s important that you develop your bullpen. I don’t think we had any of our starters go more than 75 to 80 pitches right out of the gate. toward the end of the season, the most that Andrew miller or Daniel Bard threw was 115 to 120 pitches.

What are the differences between coaching at Division I and Division III?the kids are pretty similar—they all want to be treated right and get the opportunity to succeed. But there are major differences outside the lines. In Division III, coaches pretty much do everything themselves but there are no scholarships, not many profes-sional scouts at games, and not too many egos to deal with—it’s a very pure form of the game. In Division I, there are a lot more of those things to deal with, and recruiting is a whole other ballgame. the differences are vast, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed both levels, and I’m so glad that I had the experi-ence of starting at a small school.

How did your experience as athletic director at North Carolina Wesleyan affect how you run the baseball program at UNC?

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Being the athletic director and having to manage a 10-sport department, hire other coaches, and work within a larger budget helped me a lot. Now I’m respon-sible for two full-time assistants, a volun-teer assistant, an equipment manager, a grounds crew, sports information people, and several other support personnel. It taught me how important it is to have everybody on the same page and that you have to acknowledge what each person does. I keep a list of people who support our program throughout the year, from boosters to the grounds crew to the secretaries. they’re all big parts of our program, and at the end of the season I sit down and write letters thanking each of them for everything they did to make our season as great as it was.

What’s your advice for younger coach-es about cooperating with the media?obviously it’s easier to talk with the media when you win, but when you lose you still need to act respectful, professional, and classy. I think you’ve got to swallow the emotion of the moment and understand that reporters have a job to do. you can get your point across in a respectful way even when somebody asks a question you think

is inappropriate or a little too personal. those folks really don’t know what coaches go through, but on the other hand, I really don’t know what kinds of demands report-ers and writers deal with, either.

How have you changed as a coach over the years?I’m a little more tolerant and understand-ing than I was in the past. Part of that is because I now have a son attending Car-olina who is the same age as the kids I’m coaching. As a result, I feel like I have a better idea of what my players are going through off the field.

When you only see the kids at practices or games and you’re focused on develop-ing a team, it’s easy to forget that they face a lot of challenges in the rest of their lives. I try to do some things with my

players away from the game so I can learn more about them and their personalities.

What have you learned about the coaching lifestyle?there are some great highs and lows, but no matter what, you have to stay even-keeled and have a thick skin. Coaching can absolutely consume you if you let it. you have to realize that you reach a cer-tain point in the day when you’re not pro-ductive any more, and it’s time to either go home or take a break and maybe go for a run. I also try to take some time for myself during the day when I can. some-

times I’ll sit in the stadium bleachers and catch my breath and reflect on things. you have to be able to sit back, relish what’s happening, and not constantly think about what’s next.

Q A&

“You have to realize that you reach a certain point in the day when you’re not productive any more, and it’s time to either go home or take a break and maybe go for a run.”

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A16 COACHING MANAGEMENT

BASE INSTINCTS

Stealing is a point of emphasis in UC-Irvine’s aggressive base running strategy. Here, Aaron Lowenstein has his eyes on the prize. PHoto by GLenn FeInGertS/UC-IrvIne.

COVER STORY


At first glance, base running seems pretty simple. run as fast as you can until you score. but many factors come into play when base runners are forced to make decisions between the bags. How many outs are there? What’s the count? How does the runner’s foot speed compare to the third baseman’s arm strength if the ball goes to him? the pitcher just checked the runner at first a second time—will he do it again before throwing the pitch?

all questions aside, there are a few solid rules most coaches adhere to when coaching their base runners: When in doubt, slide. Hit the inside corner of the bag to save a step when rounding the bases. always run through first base on a pop fly. but it’s the grey areas, such as how big a lead to take or how to anticipate the right moment to attempt a steal, that don’t have such easy answers.

in this article, we talk to college and high school coach-es about the running game. they offer their base run-ning philosophies, detail drills that help runners develop explosive first steps or anticipate where a pitch is headed, and explain why coaching the elusive baseball instinct is possible at any level.

Second Natureask coaches what makes a great base runner, and their

answers will vary. some say sheer speed is the deciding fac-tor, others say aggressiveness is most important, and still

others say explosive athletes make the best base runners. but one attribute that comes up again and again is instinct.

“instinct can make or break a base runner,” says larry price, Head coach at timberline High school in boise, idaho. “if a player hesitates or waits for a play to develop, it can cost his team the game. a great base runner doesn’t hesitate—he reacts simultaneously with the action that is taking place. He studies the pitcher, catcher, and the rest of the defense and knows what is going to occur before it happens.”

barry Davis, Head coach at rider university, says all good base runners hustle, slide well, and are aggressive with their turns. “but,” he adds, “the great ones also have subtle instincts that are tough to teach.”

Which leads to the million dollar base running ques-tion: can you coach instinct? “absolutely,” says bernie Walter, Head coach at arundel High school in gambrills, md. “Knowing what to do in a particular situation—based on the number of outs, the strike count, the position of other runners—just takes practice. i think you can coach every bit of it.”

price thinks base running, like special teams in football, is often overlooked by coaches, but he practices it every day. “neither is practiced enough on a daily basis,” he says, “but they can make the difference in the final score. if a base runner makes a heads-up decision, advances a base, and

Abigail Funk is an Assistant Editor at Coaching Management. She can be reached at: [email protected].

BY ABIGAIL FUNK

BASE INSTINCTS When executed properly, an aggressive running game can make the difference between victory and defeat. However, teaching players how to win games with their legs means more than just developing speed and quickness.


COVER STORY

scores an extra run, it’s like a long punt return that can win a football game.”

Davis sees base running instinct as a combination of innate ability and learned situational awareness. “those that have the instinct learn quicker,” he says. “they have a knack for knowing when to tag up or how far they can go without putting themselves in jeopardy. they get good jumps on short fly balls when on first or second. We spend a lot of time on base running in practice trying to ingrain instinct into our runners’ minds.”

During batting practice, Davis puts runners on each base and has them react to batted balls together. He uses protective screens randomly placed in

Bernie Walter, Head Coach at Arundel High School in Gambrills, Md., is also author of The Baseball Handbook: Winning Fundamentals for Players and Coaches and has produced Bernie Walter’s Base Running Video. Here, he takes us on a trip around the bases as he does with his players each year.

“In the dugout, pay attention to the game and try to anticipate what the other team is doing,” Walter says. “Once you’re on deck, you have two responsibilities—time the pitcher so you’re ready to hit, and act as the home plate coach. If someone’s coming home, it’s your

responsibility to tell them whether they need to slide or can stay upright.”

At bat, Walter says you should be thinking about your first two steps out of the box. “If you’re slow at the beginning, you may never make that time back up,” he says. “A good base runner is able to take off quickly in those first two steps and turn singles into doubles.”

Heading to first base, Walter says nothing less than a full-out sprint is accept-able. “As you reach first base, touch the inside corner and turn your head directly toward second base, which will shorten your turn,” he says. “Once the next batter is up, you should take a primary lead and then a secondary lead, depending on your abilities. This is different for everyone.”

Leading off base, your next step is to look for pitches in the dirt. “A ball in the dirt should be an automatic steal,” Walter says. “Always run initially on a pop fly. If the fielder catches it, hustle back. And if he doesn’t, you’ve got the extra base.

“At second, check the positioning of the outfielders so you know whether you can score on a line drive or not,” Walter continues. “The rule on second base is to have the ball go through on your right and past the pitcher on a groundball to your left. The cardinal rule of tagging up on fly balls is, don’t make the first or third out at third base.”

At third base Walter has his runners depend on the base coach. “Because all the hits are behind you, look for the third base coach to send you home.”

TRIP AROUND THE BASES

the infield so his runners have to look past the screens to react. by having base runners react quickly in unison in prac-tice situations time and time again, he hopes that by game day those decisions become instinct.

in a similar drill, Davis puts his pitchers on the field to act as the defense and again puts his runners on the bases. He hits a bucket of balls, and this time has each runner react on his own. His base runners are able to see what each other would do if on base alone in this drill, and are again forced to work in unison. “repetition, repetition, repetition,” he says.

getting players to trust their instincts may mean handing over the decision-

making power and giving them a green light in some cases. “ninety percent of base running is on the runner, not the coaches,” says Walter, who won his 10th maryland state championship this spring. but as coach, it’s your responsibility to make sure your athletes are equipped to make smart decisions on their own.

The Power Of Observationa large part of successful base run-

ning is taking advantage of the defense’s mistakes. that’s why great base run-ners constantly observe the pitcher, the infield and outfield positioning, and even the catcher’s set position just before a pitch. great base runners hone this instinct by continually looking for a competitive advantage.

“some teams are very good at stop-ping the running game and some are not. i want to expose the teams that don’t do it well,” Davis says. “for exam-ple, a team may be weak against the bunt, so we’ll bunt. Or they may fre-quently miss cut-off men, so we’ll look to take an extra base. if a pitcher is throw-ing in the dirt, we steal. We want to keep them guessing, at all times.”

the key to exploiting a weak defense is teaching players to think and react quickly and decisively. for example, price uses a drill that forces his players to anticipate whether or not a pitch is going to bounce in the dirt and quickly make a decision about whether to try to advance. the drill starts with a pitcher, catcher, batter, and base run-ner. “We have the runner focus only on the ball leaving the pitcher’s hand,” he says. “but to make it harder, we set up two safety screens covered with tarps between the mound and home plate, so at some point the runner loses sight of the pitched ball.

“this forces the runner to make a decision as soon as the ball leaves the pitcher’s hand,” price continues. “Will it bounce in the dirt? Does he take off or wait? not only are we working on teach-ing instinct, but the runner is also prac-ticing getting a jump off the base.”

sitting on the bench is an ideal time for players to learn good decision mak-ing and in-game awareness. at the university of california-irvine, the bench is full of experts looking to pick up cues from the defense, starting with the pitcher’s tendencies. assistant coach greg bergeron instructs his bench play-

ers to spot signs that indicate whether the pitcher will throw over to check a base runner, or if something in the pitcher’s delivery can provide the run-ner with a good chance to steal.

“One of the things we demand from our bench is to help our offense,” bergeron says. “We look to see if the pitcher is tipping his delivery. He may always pick his head up before he goes to the plate, but not if he’s headed to first. and we keep a chart, kind of a checklist of their tendencies. We know what each pitcher tends to do before he even gets to the mound.”

bob Diepold, assistant coach at rutgers university-camden, relies on his bench players to bring his attention to a pitcher’s subtle tells. “pitchers have a tendency to get in a rhythm, take one look over, then go to the plate,” Diepold says. “Our bench usually sees that. they always watch the pitcher and say, ‘back!’ to our base runner when they can see he’s going to try to pick them off.”

a sharply observant team can take advantage of the defense’s miscues, but

only if players are looking for them. “years ago our bench was louder and more excitable,” Walter says. “now we’re more professional and try to learn from everything we’re seeing on the field. in the dugout, our players pay close atten-tion to the game, trying to anticipate what the other team is going to do.”

Reinforced Stealsmart, aware, instinctive base run-

ning is most apparent in stealing situa-tions. “stealing a base is obviously more productive than a bunt since you’re not giving up an out to move the run-ner,” price says. “and anytime a runner advances to scoring position, your run production increases.” but is the poten-tial outcome worth the risk?

at uc-irvine, the answer is almost always yes, as long as the players are aggressive in their approach. “if a player gets the steal sign and worries about getting thrown out, he probably isn’t aggressive enough to stay in our lineup,” bergeron says.

to keep base runners in an aggressive

state of mind, bergeron takes the pres-sure off them and puts it on himself. “i tell our runners that if i give a steal sign and they’re thrown out, i’m the one who looks bad,” he explains. “it’s okay with us if they’re thrown out as long as they’re aggressive in trying. i want them to trust our coaching knowledge as well as their own skill and experience.”

uc-irvine’s work on stealing begins long before opening day. “early in the fall i give our guys a green light in intra-squad games,” he says. “they’re timid in the beginning, but once the regular season starts they’ve become so com-fortable with aggression that i get looks across the diamond saying, ‘come on, coach, where’s my steal sign?’ and that’s exactly what i want. eventually i give our great base runners their own green light, and it’s up to them when to steal.”

bergeron says the advantages created by stealing bases go beyond the obvi-ous benefit of advancing runners. “base stealing disrupts the pitcher more than anything else can,” he says. “teams pitch out on us at times, and the pitcher will


COVER STORY

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COVER STORY

try to pick off a runner a lot more often than he’s probably used to. all of a sud-den we have him worried about one of our guys stealing a base, and he leaves a pitch up in the strike zone for one of our big hitters.”

reducing the risk of being caught stealing depends on repetition. “We work on stealing a lot in fall ball—almost every day,” bergeron says. “and we con-tinue at least once a week during the season, just working on getting a good read from the pitcher and a good jump. the more the players practice, the more their instinct starts taking over, and soon they pick up reads on their own.

“We teach our players that you don’t need a great jump, just a good one,” bergeron continues. “One of the prob-lems we’ve run into is our guys losing confidence and deciding not to go just because they don’t get a great jump. so we tell them it’s okay to get picked off occasionally, and in the end, it’s how we stay aggressive in base stealing.”

Walter offers a few pointers for base runners to keep in mind as they’re read-

ing a pitcher. “sometimes the pitcher’s head movements will tell you what he’s going to do,” Walter says. “if he looks at first base, he’s probably going home. if he looks home, he’s probably going to first base. if his lead foot is flexed, he’s probably coming home, and if it’s relaxed, he’s probably coming to first.”

Speed It Upthere’s no doubt that straight-line

speed is a major asset for a base run-ner. “speed is a huge advantage in base running,” price says. “the ideal runner is a guy with great instincts who can fly. before one of my players makes a base running decision, i want him to think, ‘it’s my speed versus the opponent’s arm strength.’ then i want that base runner to measure how far he can get off the bag once the pitch is made, and calculate how strong the catcher’s arm is throwing back to the base.”

but the fastest sprinters can be lousy base runners and the best base runners aren’t always top sprinters. bergeron tells his runners he wants to see a maxi-

mum lead off at all times. “but that var-ies from runner to runner and pitcher to pitcher,” he says. “We can get a couple extra steps on slower pitchers, or we may need to be half a step closer to the bag for quicker guys.”

at rutgers-camden, Diepold brings in the track and field coach to discuss prop-er running mechanics. “He talks about a runner’s arms and legs being proportion-al in movement for efficiency,” Diepold says. “He also shows the players how to kick their legs out for a bigger stride and gives me drills to get my runners up to their maximum speed faster.”

One of Diepold’s favorite drills is called the box drill. it involves three plyometric boxes—one three feet high, one two feet high, and another one foot high. players run up and down the boxes, concentrating on proper run-ning technique. Once they get back on a flat surface, they’re able to run faster.

“it really makes them concentrate on proper mechanics, and builds strength in their legs,” he says. “Obviously it helps if you’re naturally fast, but i’ve coached

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COVER STORY

plenty of guys who aren’t fast that learn how to steal bases. every guy on our team has at least one stolen base, and some of our better base stealers have average speed.”

uc-irvine’s strength and condition-ing program has a large component of fast-twitch exercises, power work for the legs, and plyometrics to help athletes develop a quicker first step. rider’s off-season program concentrates on plyo-metrics, work with medicine balls, and lots of short sprints to target explosive starts. and Davis is a firm believer in practicing at game speed as much as possible to keep his base runners in the right mindset.

One of Walter’s drills helps his play-ers hone in on explosive first steps. they take turns at bat for one hit apiece, and Walter throws a base randomly into the infield as the batter connects. the bat-ter sprints to the randomly placed base as fast as possible. because the base is thrown only a few feet away and never to the same spot, only explosive steps

will win the contest. there isn’t room to make up for a slow start like there is when the runner is sprinting a full 90 feet to first.

“it becomes competitive between the five or so players batting,” he says. “because we randomly toss the base anywhere, the winning time could be one or one and a half seconds.”

to throw a little twist into a tradition-al practice, Walter sometimes has bat-ting practice, infield practice, and base running all going on at once—on the same diamond. “it looks a little bit like a three-ring circus,” Walter says. “and it requires some coordination to keep everyone safe, but it makes practice a lot more fun.” for base runners, the dis-tractions force them to concentrate on their only task: getting to the next base safely and as quickly as possible.

Walter sets it up like this: the pitcher throws the ball to the hitter and catch-er like a normal batting practice. but Walter places fungo hitters on first and third. after each pitch, the fungo hitter

at first takes turns hitting to the sec-ond or third baseman, then the fungo hitter at third hits to first base or the shortstop.

after the first batter is done with his bp swings, he runs to first base and then sprints to second on the following bat-ter’s sacrifice bunt. Once the runner reaches second base, certain rules come into play.

“if it’s a ground ball, it must go through the infield on the runner’s right, or past the pitcher on his left, for the run-ner to advance to third,” Walter explains. “at third, we practice running on contact as soon as there is a ground ball, and the base runner tags on all fly balls and line drives. the batter reacts accordingly no matter where the ball is hit. He can run immediately or wait to see if the outfield-ers are going to catch the ball.”

like Walter’s “three-ring circus” drill, combining physically and mentally demanding drills just may be the right formula to produce great base runners. “practice it every day,” Davis says. “We

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I don’t like to lose. I don’t even like to write about losing. But we’ve all been through it—having a losing season that doesn’t turn around no matter what you do.

In today’s world, with parents scru-tinizing your every move, you can’t just grit your teeth through a bad year. In fact, a sub-par season needs to be han-dled with as much care—if not more—than a winning season.

Losses usually lead to questions and doubts: Should I alter my approach? Set new rules? Change my expectations? How do I keep athletes from getting

A member of the Washington State Coaches Hall of Fame, Lem Elway is Head Baseball Coach at Black Hills High School in Tumwater, Wash. His first book, The Coach’s Administrative Handbook, has recently been published by Coaches Choice.

When losses start piling up, self-doubt is sure to follow. Should you change your approach? How can you keep your athletes from growing frustrated? Here, a Hall of Fame high school coach offers advice for getting the most out of a losing season.

BY LEM ELWAY

Learning from Losing

COACHING LIFE


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frustrated? How do I keep them from losing confidence in me? Should I start playing younger players and looking ahead to next year? How do I respond to the complaints of parents and fans? And how do I make sure I don’t lose my job? Your answers and actions will make a huge difference in how things turn out.

Check In With YourselfIt is important to realize that losing

is not an indictment of your coaching ability. However, the way you react to losing can be. When losses pile up, your values and leadership will be exposed in

a new way. How you respond to adversity will show those around you what you’re really about.

That’s why the first step to take when you start losing is to review your coach-ing philosophy. If you have a written phi-losophy, re-read it. It will help remind you why you coach, and for most of us,




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happens and present nothing but posi-tive encouragement when things are not going right.

Examine your words and your tone of voice. Yelling is not an acceptable way to correct players, nor is foul language.

Be a teacher and explain in a confident voice the mistake that was made. Every time you open your mouth, something constructive should come out.

Evaluate Why You’re LosingA key part of getting through a losing

season is making sure athletes and par-ents do not lose confidence in you. The best way to ensure this is to continually evaluate why the team is losing and try to turn things around.

Let your athletes and their parents know that you are constantly analyz-

it’s not only about winning. Staying true to your coaching philosophy is para-mount to keeping the situation positive.

Here are three critical areas that will define who you are during a losing season:

Consistent Expectations: During a los-ing season, it can be tempting to lower your standards for player behavior and work ethic. However, your players stand to gain nothing from you lowering your expectations. If you expect them to get to practice 10 minutes early every day when the team is winning, they should continue to do so when they’re losing. If you give out an award in practice every week to the player who works hardest, you should continue doing it, even if it feels like that hard work isn’t paying off.

Emotional Control: For both players

and coaches, keeping emotions in check becomes more difficult when the losses keep coming. But this is the time when your leadership and maturity are most needed to set an example for your ath-letes. Take the time to go over your rules

on behavior more frequently than usual, and don’t hesitate to quickly call players on any negative actions.

Staying Positive: It’s extremely easy to feel negative about your players and yourself when the losses pile up, and you need to fight this every step of the way. Every word out of your mouth and all your body language needs to convey that you have not lost hope.

It’s up to you to continue hustling, being enthusiastic, and bringing energy to practices and games. You must be as excited as ever when something good

COACHING LIFE


A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. When we’re losing, I ask myself if there is a weak link. Either the athlete gets better or I alter the lineup ... I let them know that I am evaluating them on their hustle, teamwork, and attitude.

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Circle No. 117


COACHING LIFE

ing everything the team does to make whatever changes are needed. Break down every game and figure out what went wrong and what went right. Know what your athletes are doing well and what they need to improve on. Are there problems with concentration, techni-cal skills, or communication? Have you neglected to teach them something? What will you do in practice to work on those problems?

I am a firm believer in the motto, “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link,” and when we’re losing, I ask myself if there is a weak link in our hitting or fielding. I use statistics and performance analysis to find areas that need improve-ment. Then, I work with those athletes to improve their skills, or I increase the number of athletes working at the posi-tion so I can make a change if necessary. Either the athlete gets better or I alter the lineup.

Throughout all these evaluations, I make sure I am communicating well. After games, I talk to players about what caused the team to lose and what we need to do to improve. I post produc-tion sheets on the locker room bulletin board so my athletes can see the facts of their performance, and I let them know that I am evaluating them on their hustle, teamwork, and attitude.

I also ask them to evaluate them-selves using one question: Did you give 100-percent effort today? If they can answer yes, then I feel we are achieving our goals. Each athlete needs to answer this question for himself, not for me or anyone else.

At the same time, I emphasize that we’re all in this together. I try to create the feeling that everyone must learn from each other’s mistakes in a con-structive manner. I also emphasize that comments on individual mistakes are not to be taken personally. I try to con-vey the idea that figuring out what’s going wrong and how to change it is a fun, dynamic process.

Tough DecisionsOnce you’ve determined why your

team is losing, you may be faced with some difficult decisions. The most impor-tant thing is for you to be able to justify your actions in whatever you do, because sometimes, you’ll need to make tough decisions. Here are some big questions that can arise:

Individual vs. Team: What if there’s one athlete who is trying to play at the next level but the team is hindering him? I still base everything we do on team goals—not on the individual. I let my best players know that for them to get the recognition they’ve worked for, the team must be successful. If they continue to work hard on an individual basis, the team will succeed. The mes-sage from the coach must be that both goals are intertwined.

I also remind athletes that if they want to play at the next level, the col-lege recruiters who come to watch them are watching everything they do. If they see an athlete only trying to impress the recruiter and not being a team player, that will not make a good impression.

Sitting Seniors: What if you decide that a senior on the team is a weak link? I always convey to seniors that they should be the strongest members of the team, but if they aren’t the best at their position, they should expect no favors. If an underclassman begins to play better than a senior, I will not hesitate to start the younger athlete. However, I always

have factual information to support my decision and I often make it a gradual transition.

I’ve also learned that, during these changes, it is critical for a coach to protect the younger player from abuse from the older player. This can be an emotional time for a senior and his or her parents, who are faced with losing their role and stature on the team. This should never be underestimated, and the coach must communicate well and offer compassion and understanding.

When Players Quit: Some players are not able to deal with losing and may decide to quit the team during the season. As a coach, be ready to deal with that possibility. Be aware some will go quietly, while others will make a scene. Some might also direct their animos-ity toward you. In this situation, always take the high road in your reaction. It is imperative that your team is ready to regroup quickly and move on with the players who have decided to remain.

If possible, I try to talk to every kid who quits to find out why. I think about their reason and if I, as a coach, feel I

JOB SECURITY

The worst part about a losing season is that it gives people license to question your decisions and objectives. I can think of several coaches who posted con-tinuous winning seasons, had one losing season, and were suddenly faced with all sorts of questions that led to their firing.

The key to avoiding the one-bad-season axe is to communicate with parents and administrators and educate them about what you’re trying to do. Over the years, I’ve come to realize that it is not only important to mold players, but also their parents, who will be very vocal if the team begins to lose.

For example, I hold a clinic just for parents, where our coaching

staff presents the fundamentals we are trying to teach in our program and explains why we teach techniques the way we do. We periodically have pre- and post-event get togethers and dinners for team members and families, and I regularly send group e-mails to update parents on schedule changes and team notes. When the team is losing, I intensify this communication, spending even more time talking to parents about what we are try-ing to do.

During a losing season, it can be tempting to hunker down, avoid contact, and communicate less than usual. Fighting this urge can earn you a new level of respect from parents and administrators. It can also help you keep your job.

when they experience adversity in their adult lives. If they can hold onto a “never give up” attitude in sports, they will go far in anything they choose to do.

We also talk about how losing can bring us together or tear us apart. One season I started with seven seniors who had minimal varsity experience from the previous year. Over the season the play-ers developed togetherness and support for each other, and the team won the league championship. The energy cre-ated by hard work fueled everything.

Communication is key to the learn-ing process. I make sure there are times when athletes can voice their frustrations, either one-on-one with me or in a group. They need to be able to express them-selves, and I let them know they can talk to me to let off steam. At the same time, they know that they will be held account-

able for what they say to the whole team.What do I do when an individual

athlete or an entire team has endured a particularly dismal outing? I believe it is good for athletes to face the reality of “being down,” especially when their performance has created the situation. If young people can be held accountable and accept responsibility for their part in a loss, they are learning a wonderful life lesson. If they can say, “I wasn’t giving 100-percent effort today” or “I botched the play,” they can figure out how to change their attitude or skills to help make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Through it all, I always try to teach the ultimate lesson—that sports are fun, no matter what the score is. I always want to accentuate the positives and show interest in the present. We laugh and joke every day. Win or lose, you need to keep true to your philosophy and your role as a men-tor of young people. n

A version of this article has appeared in our sister publication, Coaching Management Basketball.


COACHING LIFE

did something to make them quit, I try to change that part of my coaching. If the reasons for quitting come down to simply not having the right attitude, I wish them the best and tell them I’m glad they were part of the program.Make It A Learning Experience

We’ve all heard the saying, “You can learn more from losing than winning,” but the operative word there is can—this learning doesn’t happen automati-

cally. You need to seize the teachable moments of losing.

To start, I always ask my players how they want to be remembered when they leave high school. Do they want to be the athlete who fought through adversity, or the athlete who helped bring the team down? I explain that one’s true character comes out during tough times, and if they can hold their heads high while losing, they’ll know how to hold their heads high

If they can say, “I wasn’t giving 100-percent effort today” or “I botched the play,” they can figure out how to change their attitude or skills to help make sure it doesn’t hap-pen again.

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Circle No. 118


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ometime in the 1500s, an English poet named Robert Herrick used the phrase “no pain, no gain” in his writings. He was conveying the idea that if you don’t work really hard at something, you won’t

benefit from it. A good, noble phrase from a well-respected poet of his day.

Ben Franklin and, a little closer to home, Adlai Stevenson, also used the maxim with success. They, too, were pro-moting the idea of hard work.

Vern Gambetta is the President of Gambetta Sports Training Systems in Sarasota, Fla., and a frequent contributor to Coaching Management. His daily thoughts on training athletes can be viewed on his blog: www.functionalpathtraining.blogspot.com.

More recently, “no pain, no gain” has been linked with athletics. Today’s coaches motivate their athletes with the phrase and it has become the mantra of the hard-working team.

The problem is that many coaches and players take the phrase too liter-ally. For many athletes today, experi-encing pain is linked to working out. They approach the weight stack with the assumption that a little hurt is what will get them to the next level.

NO PAIN, NO GAIN?

You want your players to dig down and get the most out of

their weightroom workouts. So what is the fine line between

pushing them hard and pushing them too hard?

JAN

ICE

LEVY

SBY Vern GamBetta

wear them out at a time when you don’t want them too tired. It is important to remember that the weightroom is only one facet of a player’s total prepara-tion. If you expect them to peak in the weightroom, what will they have left for practice? And, more importantly, what will they have left when the umpire says, “play ball”?

I don’t know about you, but I want my players tough on gameday. That should be the goal of training. A thoroughly conditioned athlete who is supremely confident in his preparation will be mentally and physically tough. But an athlete can only go to the well so many times before it will begin to run dry. Push a “no pain, no gain” message in the weightroom, and you risk depleting that well and leaving the athlete with nothing in the tank for competition.

Know the LineThe obvious question, then, is: What

is the line between working hard and not overdoing it during weightroom workouts? I tell my athletes they are like

In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. For sure, proper training in the weightroom or on the diamond demands that players be pushed to their limits. And there is no doubt that a good coach can get players to accomplish things beyond what they ever thought possible. But achieving this does not mean you have to inflict pain. In fact, pain is a red flag that something is wrong with the workout.

Why not Push It?The main reason not to push your

players to their threshold of pain is that it won’t help them achieve their strength and conditioning goals. To make gains in the weightroom, it’s critical to follow a progression. An athlete should not move to a higher weight until he has mastered the weight he is at. If an ath-lete has pain, his body is struggling to adapt and needs rest. If you push more weight on a body in pain, it will lead to more pain and no adaptation. It may even eventually lead to injury.

It is important to understand the


various stimuli that cause an adaptive response to strength training and how they correspond to your specific goals. If the goal is to build mass, then volume is the stimulus. If the goal is to train the muscles to aid in performing spe-cific tasks, then intensity is the primary stimulus. To make gains, it is necessary to achieve a certain stimulus threshold. This threshold is dependent on the indi-vidual and the objective of the training.

In addition, some workouts should be very difficult and others should almost seem easy. This ebb and flow of chal-lenge intensity is essential for proper adaptation.

The question I always ask coaches when I am teaching at a clinic is: Are you making your players better, or are you making them tired? If you are just mak-ing them tired, I suggest you reconsider your approach. You need to continually keep the big picture in mind: achieving the training objective entails more than just pushing to pain at every workout.

Another reason not to push your ath-letes to their limit is that it can simply

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CONDITIONING


Here’s one more good reason not to push your players to the point of pain during their workouts: It can result in injury. And injuries that may have been preventable can lead to lawsuits.

Two years ago, Scott Koffman, a former pitcher at Brigham Young University, filed a $9.2 million lawsuit in U.S. District Court against the school and one of its strength and conditioning coaches, claiming a weight-training injury ended his hopes of playing professionally. The suit said the pitcher suffered three herniated disks in September 2001 after being forced by the coach to lift too much weight.

While performing an elevated leg press, Koffman says that he tried removing some weight from the press and was stopped by an assistant strength and conditioning coach who called him a vulgar name, added another

100 pounds, and ordered him to lift. The lawsuit indi-cated that Koffman suffered the injury on the first rep-etition he attempted.

Although Koffman participated in 16 games during the season following the injury, he says the pain eventually became too severe to continue his career. He claims it also affected his ability to study, causing his grades to drop. Once drafted by the Baltimore Orioles, Koffman says he is no longer able to be even moderately active and that he will be affected physically and financially for the rest of his life.

In February 2005, BYU and Koffman settled out of court, though terms were not disclosed. School officials claim they provided Koffman with adequate medical care, although they have not commented on the strength coach’s actions.

— R.J. Anderson

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Circle no. 120 Circle no. 121

finely tuned race cars. To stay in top shape, they must work with high energy and push themselves. But just like race cars, they cannot be at the red line all the time or there will be a breakdown.

The test of work done in the weight-room is soreness. There is good sore-

ness and bad soreness. Good soreness is soreness in the muscles involved in a particular movement, such as the glutes in squatting. If the glutes are sore after a heavy squatting session, that is good.

However, if there is soreness in the joints, that is not good. For example, if the knees are sore after squatting, that is a bad sign. It often means the training is being performed incorrectly.


CONDITIONING

In addition, soreness that persists is a red flag. The inability to recover for the next workout often indicates that the athlete is at red line all the time, or the workload was excessive. Soreness should dissipate after a good thorough warmup the next day.

An unexpected performance plateau is another sign that an athlete is doing too much. During a time when performance should be rising, a plateau or decline indi-cates that there is a problem. The athlete may very well be pushing too hard.

Holding them Back

Even if your workouts have the proper progression and you’re asking

your athletes about any soreness they are experiencing, you need to be on the lookout for those players who take the “no pain, no gain” mantra literally. There will always be athletes who want to go past their limits every day, and they need to be reined in.

As coaches we are teachers, and it is our job to show our athletes how to train. I certainly do not want to discour-age an athlete from working hard in the weightroom—or anywhere for that mat-ter—but I feel I must teach them that training is more than feeling the burn. It’s sometimes hard for a young athlete to think about the big picture, so I try to make it very clear where they are going and outline the steps they must take to get there.

The first thing I explain is that train-ing is cumulative. Progress is not made through one heavy max session in the weightroom, but through the cumula-tive effect of many sessions over a period of weeks and months. I also talk about how workouts in the weightroom cor-relate to their performance. I tell them

Testing is a great way to provide feed-back to all your players, and show them they are achieving gain without pain ... Young, developing athletes, especially, want to see tangible progress.

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Untitled-7 1 1/19/06 12:13:45 PM

CONDITIONING

why and how a certain lift will help them on the field, and why overdoing it will hurt their performance. If they are very driven on a daily basis, I ask them to put that effort into performing their lifts with concentration and intensity—mak-ing their technique perfect and explod-ing at the exact right moment.

Another part of the solution is giv-ing athletes strength and conditioning goals—the more individualized, the bet-ter. This provides direction and purpose to the training. It helps the athlete see each workout not as a one-time heroic effort, but as part of the big picture.

It is also important to provide a lot of feedback, especially for the very driven athlete who has formerly worked with a “no pain, no gain” coach. For this athlete, the hurt that comes from train-ing may be seen as a form of feedback. If it hurts, they think that’s good, and it gives them the incentive to keep going. This is not an easy athlete to work with because in their eyes you are taking away the opportunity to get better. The solu-tion is to provide this person with a lot of

feedback and motivate them in different ways. Also, they must not be allowed any leeway in their workouts.

Testing is a great way to provide feed-back to all your players, and show them they are achieving gain without pain. The tests should be carefully chosen to accurately reflect what is going on in training at the present time. Young, developing athletes, especially, want to see tangible progress. Testing reinforces the positive effects of proper training.

Some day-to-day solutions include pro-viding close supervision and structuring the training away from big lifts. I have seen too many athletes get caught up in the moment and try lifts they had no busi-ness attempting. It should be clear what the protocol is every day, and coaches should circulate around the weightroom to ensure that athletes aren’t trying to do more than what is prescribed.

I know some coaches who make a conscious effort to downplay any compe-tition over who can lift the most weight, and that tends to work well. One way they have gotten away from this is by

not emphasizing one-rep maximums. Instead, they use three-rep maximums and project a one-rep max off of that. This can help.

not a Punishment Part of the problem with the “no pain,

no gain” mentality is that it is ingrained in many sports. Coaches and athletes think: More is better and the more weight someone lifts the better, regardless of the technique (or lack thereof).

In addition, some coaches use work-outs as a type of punishment. If you aren’t listening to the coach, you have to do 100 pushups. But training is not punishment, and it should not be thought of as such. It is an opportunity to get better.

If we can shift our thinking in these two areas—more is not always better and training has a specific purpose—then the “no pain, no gain” school of thought will have a lot less credibility. And our players will, ultimately, make the most gains. n

A version of this article has appeared in our sister publication, Training & Conditioning.


CM147MASA 8/7/06 9:47 AM Page 1

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fewer abrasions than nylon• Polyethylene is softer and less expensive, but just

as durable as nylon

Challenger Industries, Inc.800-334-8873www.challengerind.com

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HandozerUnique features:• Four replaceable tools in one (scarifi er, leveler, roller,

and fi nishing drag mat) • Heavy-duty steel construction designed for manual or

motorized towing • Includes transport wheels

Benefi ts for the user:• The four tools perform all your grooming needs:

The rake creates loose material, the leveling blade levels, the roller helps re-compact, and the fi nishing drag mat makes the diamond sparkle

• Saves up to 75 percent on maintenance costs• Easy-to-use design

M.A.S.A., Inc.800-264-4519www.masa.com

Circle No. 508

Junior Baseball Hack AttackUnique features:

•Exclusive three-wheel design allows the hitter to see the ball clearly through the feed-ing motion, acceleration, and release, just like a live pitcher

•Throws fastballs and all breaking pitches quickly, dialed in using three speed knobs

Benefi ts for the user:

•In developing young hitters, there is nothing more important than timing and vision

Sports Attack800-717-4251www.sportsattack.com

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Unique features:

• You can build the base or the whole mound with Ballyard Clay

• Provides stability and resiliency

Benefi ts for the user:

• This new product is from Stabilizer Solutions, the same company that brought you Hilltopper

• Inexpensive and cost-effective solution• Ideal for programs with limited budgets

Stabilizer Solutions800-336-2468www.stabilizersolutions.com

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Wood Bats

BWP Bats814-849-0089WWW.BWPBATS.COM

Custom Features: Various models, colors, and personalization available. Superior wood quality, quick delivery, and economical pricing. Available in cupped or solid ends.Approved by: NCAA, Major & Minor LeaguesType of Training and Fungo Bats: Training bats for swing mechanics and overall hit-ting skills. Pro Fungo available in 33” and 37” lengths and in team colors. Made of silver maple for excellent feel and balance.

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Hoosier Bat Co.800-228-3787WWW.HOOSIERBAT.COM

Custom Features: Colors are black, natural hickory, and burnt orange. Top-quality Wood Force 2000 has an ash handle and hickory hitting area. Approved by: NCAA, NFHS, Major & Minor LeaguesType of Training and Fungo Bats: Wood fungo with no taping required on barrel, and 28” BP for strength and hitting skills.

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Old Hickory Bat Company, Inc.866-776-2287WWW.OLDHICKORYBATS.COM

Custom Features: Maple and ash bats are all cut from top-grade lumber. Custom Pro bats can be customized to individual player specifications.Approved by: NCAA, NFHS, Major & Minor LeaguesType of Training and Fungo Bats: Solid maple fungo bats are lightweight, durable, and available in team colors with personalization, in lengths from 34” to 36”. Maple training bats available include the One Hand Bat, Flat Bat Trainer, and Bunt Trainer.

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Wood Bats

Company Model Type of Wood Lengths Handle Barrel Ratio Warranty

BWP Bats BWP-73 Rock Maple 32–34” 15/16” w/flare

L -2 to -3 No

BWP-Nasty Maple 32–34” 15/16” w/flare

XXL -2 to -3 No

BWP-110, 141, 271, 243

Rock Maple 31–34” Various Various -2 to-3 No

BWP-271 Ash 32–34” 15/16” Medium -2 to-3 No

Hoosier Bat Co. HB105 Ash 32, 33, 34” 15/16” 2-13/32” -3

HB235 Ash 32, 33, 34” 15/16” 2-1/2” -3

HB325 Ash 32, 33, 34” 1” 2-1/2” -3

Wood Force Ash/Hickory/Maple

32-34” 1” 2-1/2” -3 Barrel won’t flake

Old Hickory Bat Company, Inc.

KG1 Maple/Ash 31–35” Thin Medium -2 to -3 No

JC1 Maple/Ash 31–35” Thick Medium -2 to -3 No

TC1 Maple/Ash 32–35” Thin Large -2 to -3 No

PWB1 Maple/Ash 31–35” Thin Medium -2 to -3 No


Hitting & Pitching Aids

Aer-Flo, Inc.800-823-7356WWW.AERFLO.COM

The Bunt Zone™ Infield Protector dou-bles as the perfect target-training system for bunting practice. It uses three color-

coded zones: Yellow is the bunt-for-hit target area; green is the sacrifice bunt zone; and

red is the bad bunt zone—never go into the red zone for hit-and-run or pull-hitting situations. Players get instant feedback at every practice. Tough nine-ounce vinyl-polyester mesh survives spike traffic. The Bunt Zone (patents pending) provides maximum turf protection while improving team bunting skills. Ground staples are included. Call Aer-Flo toll-free or go online to learn more.

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Zingbat866-ZINGBATWWW.ZINGBAT.COM

Zingbat™ introduces its new Trainer Series product line. This economically

priced version of the regular Pro Series Zingbat is ideal for youth players. The Trainer Series teaches batters basic swing mechanics. The Composite Zingbat Trainer is available in one length and weight

(30”, 17 oz.), while the aluminum Pro Series can be customized to meet your team’s specific length and weight requirements. Call today for a free instructional CD or video.

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Hitting Is A Guess661-609-0105WWW.HITTINGISAGUESS.COM

The Downright Filthy Pitching Series is an intensive study of pitch velocity and how location changes the effective

velocity of the true reaction time for the hit-ter. Ten

years of testing hitters’ true reaction-ary limitations and intensive study of a four million-pitch database from Inside

Edge, an advanced scouting company for MLB teams, has revealed some laws of velocity that will change the way you think about pitch sequencing and location. The Effective Velocity soft-ware package from Inside Edge uses PalmScout to chart games and create EV reports. Books are available in new Web Book format (eBook with special features) or as hard copies.

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Master Pitching Machine, Inc.800-878-8228WWW.MASTERPITCH.COM

The Iron Mike pitching machine fea-tures a throwing arm that lets batters see a full wind-up before the ball is pitched, allowing them to better develop the fundamental skills used when facing a live pitcher. This capability makes the Iron Mike the preferred pitching machine of many pro-fessional and amateur players and coaches. All machines are self-feeding, include a remote control, and carry a manufacturer’s warranty.

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Now is the time to buy direct!• Batting cages Indoor/outdoor and portable• Backstops New construction to replacement• Field Screens L-screens, 10 x 10, tri-fold, and many others• Pitch-EZ® Portable pitching mound• Custom Netting #18, #21, #36, #42, #60 and #96 twine available• Wall padding and wind screen — Call for quote.

Step up to the plate—call usCustom manufacturing and installations are our specialty!

PRACTICE BUDDY PORTABLE CATCHER(STRIKE ZONE TRAINER)

5X8 L SCREEN

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swingbuster.com

baseballexpress.com



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Grand Slam Pitching Machine800-GRAND-SLAMWWW.AGRANDSLAM.COM

Grand Slam is one of the most effective pitching machines for working batters’ hand-eye coordination. Its self-feeding

reservoir holds over 60 golf ball-sized Wiffle® balls and allows batters to take 50 swings in five minutes. Each pitch is guaranteed to hit the strike zone. It’s ideal for indoor training or outdoor use—all

you need is 16 to 20 feet of free space. Forty-eight balls and a lifetime warranty are included.

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Swift Stik877-845-7845WWW.SWIFTSTIK.COM

Swift Stik is one of the most versatile training bats on the market. Batters can improve hand-eye coordination, increase bat speed, build muscle mem-

ory, and isolate the bat’s “sweet spot.” Swift Stik may be used with Wiffle®, ten-nis, or soft-foam balls. Use Swift Stik during prac-tice with any drill

so batters can take more swings before muscle fatigue sets in, or use it before a game to lock in hand-eye coordina-tion. Visit Swift Stik’s Web site to see how it gets fast results.

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Power Systems, Inc.800-321-6975WWW.POWER-SYSTEMS.COM

The Baseball Power Program, exclu-sively from Power Systems, is a 12-

week training program designed to bolster the per-formance

of baseball athletes. The package includes the necessary equipment to

develop the speed, agility, and explo-siveness needed to excel in this com-petitive sport. The program includes: a Pro Agility Ladder™, a six-pound Power Med Ball™, a Lateral Stepper™, a VersaDisc™, a Power Chute™ (large), a Power Throw-Ball™ set, a nylon carry bag, a Power Program manual, and your choice of a VHS or DVD. The video shows the proper way to use the equip-ment and the training manual takes you step by step through the program.

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Develop cat-like quickness to make the game-saving play with the erratic bounces of the Reflex Ball from Power

Systems. The Reflex Ball trains quickness and improves hand-eye and total-body coordination as it forces athletes to

make split-second decisions to catch the ball. Use in team or individual set-tings by throwing it on any hard sur-face. The Jumbo Reflex Ball (four-inch diameter) has a softer bounce and its larger size makes it easier to catch. The more compact Reflex Ball (three-inch diameter) produces faster and more unpredictable bounces. A Reflex Ball training manual and video/DVD are also available.

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Sports Attack800-717-4251WWW.SPORTSATTACK.COM

The Hack Attack baseball pitching machine’s exclusive visual arm-action design signals batters to stride, show-ing them the angle of release. This provides a lifelike sense of timing and location. By simply changing the speed with three dials, the Hack Attack can throw unmatched Major League pitches, including right- and left-handed fastballs, breaking balls, curveballs, sliders, and more. The Hack Attack pivots in any direction, instantly set-ting up for fungo work or catching drills with grounders, long fly balls, deep line drives, towering pop-ups, and more.

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Sports Tutor800-448-8867WWW.SPORTSMACHINES.COM

The HomePlate machine from Sports Tutor is the first programmable pitching machine designed for both batting cage

and on-field use. The HomePlate machine simulates almost any pitch batters are likely to face, with only seven seconds between pitch-es. Up to eight differ-ent pitches—including fastballs, curveballs, change-ups, sliders, and more—can be

stored in eight different programs. The programmed pitches can be thrown sequentially for specific hitting drills, or randomly to simulate game conditions. HomePlate models start at $2,995.

Circle No. 523

Batting Tutor by Sports Tutor is the pitching machine built for true por-tability. Batting Tutor comes in bat-tery-powered and AC/DC models and is available for both baseball and softball. Batting Tutor can be transported easily and throws real and dimpled balls up to 65 mph. It is a valuable training aid for schools without accessible on-field electricity. It’s also ideal for youth team practices. Batting Tutor models start at $1,295.

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SwingBuster Sports800-937-4824WWW.SWINGBUSTER.COM

HBH Pro Team’s patented design keeps the hands back until after the foot plant. With full-time left- and right-hand capabilities, HBH Pro Team is

ideal for schools, camps, and fami-lies with hitters from both sides of the plate. Perfect for all ages, it uses any ball—from hollow plastic to regula-tion baseballs

and softballs. HBH Pro Team is easy to assemble, can be used indoors or out, and requires no electricity. It is con-structed of steel for durability.

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Unified Solutions, Inc.585-244-3180WWW.THESWINGZONE.COM

Unified Solutions recently introduced The Swing Zone pitching machine accessory, and it is revolutionizing the training capabilities of tripod-based pitching machines. The problem with some pitching machines is that they can’t randomly vary pitch location within the strike zone. The Swing Zone attaches easily to any tripod-based machine in minutes, and randomly

alters pitch location both vertically and horizontally to create a gamelike practice experience for the batter. It also greatly reduces “machine

jump” by creating a stable base for the pitching machine. See the company’s

Web site for a video demonstration.Circle No. 526


Company News Baseball Facilities

Aer-Flo, Inc.800-823-7356WWW.WINDWEIGHTED.COM

Wind Weighted Baseball Tarps are vir-tually windproof. These rain covers for the mound, home plate, and bullpens

have steel chain in their edge hem, so wind can-not get

underneath them. They stay down, even in high winds, without stakes or sand bags. The tough, waterproof 14-oz. vinyl-polyester fabric is treated for UV and mildew. The tarps now feature a three-year factory warranty. They are patented, and other U.S. patents are pending.

Circle No. 527

Beacon Athletics800-747-5985WWW.BEACONATHLETICS.COM

The Tensioned Batting Cage by Beacon Athletics is designed for both indoor and outdoor use. It accommodates space restrictions, including obstacles such as bleachers and stage areas. When outside, the cage’s special design preserves the life of the system, since it can be taken down during inclement weather. In fact, the batting cage can be put up or taken down in just 10 minutes. All Beacon Athletics systems are designed to meet your needs.

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BetterBaseball800-997-4233WWW.BETTERBASEBALL.COM

BetterBaseball is a total baseball sup-ply house, specializing in nets and

batting cages that are custom-cut to any size you want. The company provides quick, friendly customer service.

BetterBaseball supplies everything, including bases, plates, mounds, gear, and hardware. All team equipment

needs can be found easily online, or teams can call the company toll-free for more product information.

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Challenger Industries, Inc.800-334-8873WWW.CHALLENGERIND.COM

Challenger Industries offers Players’ Choice baseball field turf. The latest in

synthetic turf technology, it’s great for covering the entire field, foul

ball areas, or just the infield. Players’ Choice is part of a system specially engineered for performance, safety, drainage, and stability. It is custom made to satisfy the individual needs of each field. Contact Challenger today for more information.

Circle No. 530

DURAPlay home plate baseball and softball mats from Challenger Industries can be used anywhere a home plate area is needed. Whether cover-ing the batter’s box for protection or establishing a home plate area indoors or out, these durable mats create batter’s boxes that are ideal for either sport. Pre-cut mats are available for fungo/on-deck circles, pitcher’s mounds, and single batter’s boxes. Synthetic turf products are also available for batting cages, dugouts, or the whole field, and installation is avail-able as well. Contact Challenger for more information.

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Country Stone309-787-1744

When searching for a warning track that looks good, plays well, and is easy

to manage, look no further than Redfield Warning Track Mix by Country Stone. This 100-percent

natural aggregate provides an excellent transition zone between the turf and

New Faces, Exciting Changes at Diamond Pro®

Diamond Pro® is proud to announce two changes made this summer to bet-ter serve its customers. First, Diamond

Pro welcomes Tom Burns to its family as a Sales/Professional Consultant. With over 25 years in the athletic turf industry, Burns injects real-world

experience and knowledge into all aspects of the Diamond Pro business. He comes to Diamond Pro from the Texas Rangers, where he served as Head Groundskeeper at Ameriquest Field for the past 10 years. He has also worked on the grounds crews for both the Cleveland Browns and the Cleveland Indians under legendary groundskee-per Marshall Bosard. Burns became Assistant Field Superintendent under Jim Anglea, who later helped develop the Diamond Pro product in partnership with Barrett Reese, Sr. and TXI.

Diamond Pro’s second announcement is its improved, more user-friendly Web site. While this new site better com-municates the benefits of Diamond Pro’s great products, some of the old features remain available, such as the “How-To” section, the “Ask the Pros” question-and-answer forum, and the “Field Dimensions” pages. New fea-tures include downloadable PDFs of instructions, applications, and MSDS sheets. Users can view Diamond Pro’s latest products in its Professional Groundskeeping line, and distributor information is also available. Diamond Pro encourages customer feedback and will continue to make site modifications based on the comments it receives.

TXI/Diamond Pro®1341 W. MOCKINGBIRD LN.DALLAS, TX [email protected]


Baseball Facilities

Untitled-1 1 10/3/05 10:03:06 AM

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the fence, making the ball more vis-ible from a distance and serving as an effective warning for players. Redfield can improve the aesthetics, playability, and manageability of any field. Redfield Warning Track Mix is available in bulk.

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Redfield Infield Topdressing by Country Stone is used on the skinned areas of baseball and softball fields as a top-

dressing and con-ditioner. Excellent for improving aesthet-

ics, Redfield reduces compaction and crusting caused by the hardening of clay, silt, and limestone, especially in high-traffic areas. With its natural color, Redfield will not fade or permanently stain uniforms. It works well in conjunc-tion with calcined and vitrified clays, and is available in bulk or by the bag.

Circle No. 533

Custom Clay, Inc.631-249-7471WWW.CUSTOMCLAY.COM

Custom Clay has been manufacturing quality infield mixes for towns, schools, and professional teams for over 30

years. Stadium Red™ is the company’s new-est patent-pend-ing proprietary mix. The proven benefits of this

mix include its ability to reduce dust and improve drainage, resulting in less daily maintenance for your field. Stadium Red is approved by ASTM International. Custom Clay was recently awarded a contract to service 550 baseball fields in the five boroughs of New York City.

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Game-On888-593-0395WWW.HAYDITEGAME-ON.COM

Game-On is a sports field soil con-ditioner that provides excellent turf

results without breaking the team’s budget. It’s a lightweight, expanded-

shale product that absorbs over 20 per-cent of its weight in water. Game-On is more durable than clay and does not break down into fine particles. Game-On is manufac-

tured in Cleveland, Ohio, and is avail-able in bags or in bulk.

Circle No. 535

Game-On Red is an infield topdressing with a brick-red color that gives your field a finishing touch for that Major League look. This topdressing gives balls a more con-sistent bounce while the deep red color allows infielders to see the ball more easily. Game-On Red is available in bags or in bulk.

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P R O D U C T S D I R E C T O R Y CIRCLE COMPANY PAGE CIRCLE COMPANY PAGENO. NO. NO. NO

514 . . . Aer-Flo (Bunt Zone) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

527 . . Aer-Flo (Wind Weighted tarps) . . . . . . . 38

528 . . Beacon Athletics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

500 . . BetterBaseball (Easy Auction) . . . . . . . 32

529 . . BetterBaseball (nets and cages) . . . . . 38

511 . . . BWP Bats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

531 . . . Challenger Industries (DURAPlay) . . . . 38

530 . . Challenger Industries (Players’ Choice) 38

507 . . Challenger Industries (Product Launch) . 33

533 . . Country Stone (Infield Topdressing) . . . 39

532 . . Country Stone (Warning Track Mix) . . . 38

534 . . Custom Clay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

559 . . . Diamond Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

558 . . Eagle Picher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

562 . . eFundraising.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

563 . . Fitterfirst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

535 . . Game-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

536 . . Game-On (Red) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

565 . . Gatorade (Endurance Formula) . . . . . . . 47

564 . . Gatorade (Nutrition Shake) . . . . . . . . . 47

518 . . . Grand Slam Pitching Machine . . . . . 36

537 . . Heying Company (Infield-Drag) . . . . . 41

516 . . . Hitting Is A Guess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

512 . . . Hoosier Bat Company . . . . . . . . . . . 34

539 . . Inland Tarp & Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

541 . . . Jaypro (Dry Line Field Markers) . . . . . . . 42

540 . . Jaypro (Little Slam Batting Cage) . . . . . . 41

543 . . M.A.S.A. (Fence Guard Lite) . . . . . . . . . 42

508 . . M.A.S.A. Products (Product Launch) . . 33

542 . . M.A.S.A. (White Line Markers) . . . . . . . 42

517 . . . Master Pitching Machine . . . . . . . . 35

513 . . . Old Hickory Bats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

546 . . On Deck Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

547 . . Partac/Beam Clay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

538 . . Plus 5 Field Marker (Imerys) . . . . . . . 41

520 . . Power Systems (Power Program) . . . . . 36

521 . . . Power Systems (Reflex Ball) . . . . . . . . 36

545 . . Pro’s Choice (Rapid Dry drying agent) . . 42

544 . . Pro’s Choice (Red infield conditioner) . . 42

548 . . Profile Products (Field & Fairway Emerald) . . 43

549 . . Profile Products (Pro League® Red) . . . . . 43

550 . . Promats (digital graphics) . . . . . . . . . . 44

551 . . . Promats (Protective Wall Padding) . . . . . 44

552 . . Qualite Sports Lighting . . . . . . . . . . 44

554 . . Red Diamond (Conditioner/Drying Agent) . . 45

553 . . Red Diamond (Packing Clay) . . . . . . . . . . 44

555 . . Seating Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

560 . . Soft Touch Bases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

556 . . Southern Athletic Fields . . . . . . . . . 45

557 . . SPI Nets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

522 . . Sports Attack (Hack Attack) . . . . . . . . 36

509 . . Sports Attack (Product Launch) . . . . . . 33

524 . . . Sports Tutor (Batting Tutor) . . . . . . . . 37

523 . . Sports Tutor (HomePlate) . . . . . . . . . . 37

510 . . . Stabilizer Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

501 . . Stalker Radar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

519 . . . Swift Stik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

525 . . SwingBuster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

502 . . The Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

526 . . Unified Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

561 . . . Vantage Products Int’l. . . . . . . . . . . 46

504 . . WSI Sports (HEATR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

503 . . WSI Sports (Ultrajoc) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

505 . . Xvest (Don Chu) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

506 . . Xvest (Fire Fighter model) . . . . . . . . . . . 32

515 . . . Zingbat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

A D V E R T I S E R S D I R E C T O R Y CIRCLE COMPANY PAGE CIRCLE COMPANY PAGENO. NO. NO. NO

145 . . . Aer-Flo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IBC

141 . . . AerWay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

106 . . All-Star . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

142 . . . Axis/Play Ball! (Eagle-Picher Minerals) . 47

121 . . . Beacon Athletics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

136 . . . BetterBaseball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

132 . . . BWP Bats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

118 . . . Challenger Industries . . . . . . . . . . . 26

104 . . Diamond Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

143 . . . eFundraising.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

107 . . . Game-On Field Conditioner . . . . . . . 8

102 . . . Gatorade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

135 . . . Heying Company (Infield-Drag) . . . . . 42

115 . . . Hitting Is A Guess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

144 . . . Hoosier Bat Company . . . . . . . . . . . 48

138 . . . Inland Tarp & Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

101 . . . Jaypro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC

111 . . . M.A.S.A. Products (catalog) . . . . . . . 14

123 . . . M.A.S.A. Products (Fence Guard) . . . . 31

124 . . . Master Pitching Machine . . . . . . . . . 31

137 . . . Old Hickory Bats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

131 . . . Partac/Beam Clay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

122 . . . PIK Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

140 . . . Plus 5 Field Marker (Imerys) . . . . . . . 45

108 . . Pro’s Choice Field Products . . . . . . 10

130 . . . Prograss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

129 . . . Promats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

112 . . . Qualite Sports Lighting . . . . . . . . . . 15

116 . . . Red Diamond Conditioners . . . . . . . 21

117 . . . Redfield by Country Stone . . . . . . . 24

139 . . . Seating Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

109 . . Soft Touch Bases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

134 . . . Southern Athletic Fields . . . . . . . . . 42

133 . . . SPI Nets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

103 . . . Sports Attack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

113 . . . Sports Tutor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

105 . . Stalker Radar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

126 . . . SwingBuster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

146 . . . The Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BC

110 . . . Turface Athletics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

114 . . . Vantage Products Int’l. . . . . . . . . . . 20

127 . . . West Coast Netting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

125 . . . WSI Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

120 . . . Xco Trainer (Fitterfirst) . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

119 . . . Xvest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

128 . . . Zingbat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

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FOR FIRM, YET RESILIENT, PLAYING SURFACES

TO QUICKLY DRY INFIELDS!The Original & Most Absorbent is Now

OVER 200 OTHER INFIELD PRODUCTS!

WALL PADDING • WINDSCREEN • RAIL PADDINGTAMPERS • DRAG MATS • RAKES

HOLLYWOOD® BASES • FIELD MARKING MACHINESBATTING PRACTICE COVERS • RAIN COVERSPERMA-MOUND™ PADS • MOUND BRICKS

SAFE “T” MATT™ BATTER’S BOX PADSTYPAR® GEOTEXTILES & TURF BLANKETSON-DECK CIRCLES WITH TEAM LOGOS

PERMANENT FOUL LINES & MUCH MORE!FOR INSTRUCTIONS & BROCHURESwww.BEAMCLAY.com800-247-BEAM

908-637-4191 / FAX 908-637-8421PARTAC PEAT CORPORATION

KELSEY PARK, GREAT MEADOWS, NJ 07838

“The best infield mix I’ve ever used.” — GEORGE TOMA

Circle No. 131


Baseball Facilities

Heying Co. 712-756-8847 WWW.INFIELD-DRAG.COM

Restore and maintain your infields quickly and easily, and keep your granu-lar infields level, well-groomed, and in safe playing condition. The PR72 Pro Groomer™ levels infields, warning tracks,

granular run-ning tracks, and other surfaces by cutting off high spots and filling in low areas. It

can be used to mix in new material or to break up compacted surfaces. It saves labor, reduces puddling, removes weeds, and more. The unit is six feet wide and does not require hydraulics or a three-point hitch. It can be pulled using a vari-ety of towing machines, and no tools are needed to make adjustments. The PR72 Pro Groomer is available with a manual or electric lift.

Circle No. 537

Imerys800-552-9671WWW.PLUS5LINEMARKER.COM

The PLUS 5® field marker is now avail-able from Imerys. This marker is pre-

ferred by coaches and groundskeepers for its brighter white lines and ease of use. It’s good for turf and harmless to skin and clothing. PLUS 5 is licensed as the official marking material

of the NFHS. Call Imerys today or go online to learn more.

Circle No. 538

Inland Tarp & Cover800-346-7744WWW.INLANDTARP.COM

Athletic field covers from Inland Tarp & Cover offer outstanding protection for your baseball or softball field. The covers are mildew- and UV-resistant and feature hand loops for easy maneuverability.

Each cover is custom-built and available in your choice of 10-, 14-, or 18-ounce vinyl or 6-, 8-, or 12-ounce polyethylene fabric. Call today to learn more.

Circle No. 539

Jaypro Sports, LLC800-243-0533WWW.JAYPRO.COM

Jaypro’s Little Slam Batting Cage offers heavy-duty construction with a full line of features. Designed for collegiate and high school use, it measures 17’6” W x 12’ H x 12’ D. Constructed of two-inch heavy wall aluminum, it is easy to fold, collaps-ing to just five feet high. It includes a climate-treated nylon net and ricochet cushion to rebound and prevent frame damage. The Little Slam can be trans-ported easily on three pneumatic turf wheels. A vinyl skirt is optional.

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Call for a Free CatalogToll Free: (866) 243-6387

• Batting Cages• Protective

Screens• Back Stops &

Barriers Nets

• Pitching Machines• Custom Sizes

Available

Catalog Image

Shop Online at:www.spinets.net

South Padre Island Nets, Inc. Tel: (956) 276-9598

2001 Amistad Dr. Fax: (956) 276-9691San Benito, TX 78586 USA Toll Free Fax: (866) 421-9691

Affordable Quality Products to Play Hard

spi1407.indd 1 8/15/06 1:54:41 PM

Circle No. 132Circle No. 133


Baseball Facilities

• Mar Mound Clay• Infield Mixes• Field Conditioners• Drying Agents• Warning Trac• Infield Topdressing• Various Field

Accessories

800.837.8062www.mulemix.com

SouthernAthletic Fields...

...your complete sourcefor all athletic field

needs!

Circle No. 134

Jaypro Sports, LLC800-243-0533WWW.JAYPRO.COM

Jaypro’s Dry Line Field Markers provide crews with the precision control needed

for two-inch or four-inch lines. The field markers include 11-gauge

steel containers, handle-mounted con-trol levers for instant on/off, half-inch steel axle bushings and drive shafts, and oversized foam rubber hand grips. They are available in 25-, 50-, and 65-pound capacities, and heavy-duty mod-els are available in 50- and 100-pound capacities. Each unit is protected by an 18-month warranty. For more informa-tion, call Jaypro or visit the company online.

Circle No. 541

M.A.S.A., Inc.800-264-4519WWW.MASA.COMWWW.SPORTSADVANTAGE.COM

M.A.S.A. has welcomed the new Fence Guard Lite to its family of fence guards. The Fence Guard Lite is priced for the

tightest bud-gets. It protects against chain link fence inju-ries, increases fence visibil-ity, and can add beauty to any

field. With the addition of Fence Guard Lite, M.A.S.A. now has three grades of fence guards: Premium, Standard, and Lite. All three feature exterior-grade UV-resistant polyethylene construction that is maintenance-free and designed to produce the longest-lasting fence caps available. Call or visit the company’s Web site for more information.

Circle No. 543

M.A.S.A. carries a large selection of heavy-duty White Line Markers that are constructed for a lifetime of use. The company’s All Star Pneumatic Wheel ver-sion is its top-selling liner, with durable construction and unique features to meet even the tough-est demands. For over 20 years, White Line Markers have been respected as the most accurate and durable markers available. Call a M.A.S.A. representative for knowledgeable expertise to help you

choose a marker that’s best for your organization and budget. For more infor-mation, visit the company’s Web site.

Circle No. 542

Pro’s Choice800-648-1166WWW.PROSCHOICE1.COM

Pro’s Choice Red infield conditioner is designed to meet the challenges of wet, dry, or compacted infields. This legendary product is the first choice of

profes-sional grounds-keepers

for building and maintaining winning fields season after season. It manages the moisture on your field, keeping it in top playing condition. Pro’s Choice Red infield conditioner is the all-star veteran of the Pro’s Choice lineup.

Circle No. 544

Rapid Dry drying agent from Pro’s Choice quickly wicks away excess water from your playing field and helps improve soil consistency. It’s not a

dusty powder like some other

quick-drying products on the market today—it’s perfectly sized for both stability and absorption. Rapid Dry’s sand-like texture even improves foot-ing on slippery sur faces. Just pour it on any wet spots and you’ll be back in the game more quickly. When you need a game-saver, you want Rapid Dry dry-ing agent in your lineup.

Circle No. 545

Infield “Pro Groomer”TM www.Infield-Drag.com Keeps fields level, well-groomed and in

safe playing condition. The 6 ft. wide Pro Groomer cuts off high spots, mixes the

material, then fills in low areas. Also use to break up hard surfaces.

Control weeds, deter water Puddling, Save Labor!

Level, Smoothen, Mix, and Break Up

Infields. Available with manual or electric lift. Easily adjusts to different towing machines. No need for hydraulics or 3-pt. hitch. More info at www.Infield-Drag.com

www.Infield-Drag.com Heying Co. 515 6th Ave. Alton, IA 51003 Ph. (712) 756-8847

PR72-E,166,a

Restore & Maintain Infields quickly & easily!

Circle No. 135


Baseball Facilities

high-traffic areas that have become wet and muddy, it instantly absorbs excess water and makes the surface dry, safe, and playable. Its emerald color disguises worn areas until new tur f grows back.

Circle No. 548

As the first and only patented red cal-cined clay conditioner, Pro League® Red from Profile Products combines rich color with proven infield condition-ing benefits, creating a superior slid-ing and fielding surface. Compared to

crushed aggregates, which color other infield products, Pro League Red absorbs more water and requires half the tonnage to obtain 1/4-inch coverage. Used by the Houston Astros—a 2005

World Series team—Pro League Red is unmatched for maximum rainout protection.

Circle No. 549

On Deck Sports877-227-4824WWW.ONDECKSPORTS.COM

On Deck Sports offers high-quality arti-ficial turf products, including batter’s

box mats, pitching mats, on deck circles, and fungo cir-

cles. The company also sells new and used artificial turf by the roll. Synthetic turf is great for batting cages, foul areas, bullpens, and dugouts. The arti-ficial turf is spike-proof and is available with or without a foam backing.

Circle No. 546

Partac/Beam Clay800-247-BEAMWWW.BEAMCLAY.COM

Partac®/Beam Clay® is a supplier to every Major League Baseball team, over 150 minor league teams, more than 700 colleges, and thou-sands of towns and schools from all 50 states and many countries around the world. Partac/Beam Clay makes special mixes for infields, pitcher’s mounds, home plate areas, and red warning tracks, as well as infield conditioners and drying agents. The company also offers over 200 other infield products, including regional infield mixes blended for every state and climate condition from bulk plants nationwide.

Circle No. 547

Profile Products, LLC800-207-6457WWW.PROFILEPRODUCTS.COM

Profile™ Field & Fairway™ Emerald is a green-colored porous ceramic mate-

rial that’s ideal for native soil applica-tions. When applied as a topdressing, Field & Fairway Emerald prevents slippery, wet condi-tions and extensive wear and tear. When poured directly onto

Circle No. 136


Baseball Facilities

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ATHLETIC FIELD COVERS

•ROT & MILDEW RESISTANT

•2” WEBBING HAND LOOPS

•SILVER OR WHITE TO KEEP TURF COOL

•MAXIMUM UV RESISTANT

CALL NOW!1-800-346-7744www.inlandtarp.com

FABRIC OPTIONSHi UV PE:6oz-12mil8oz-16mil12oz-24mil

Vinyl:10oz, 14oz, 18oz

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Promats, Inc.800-678-6287WWW.PROMATS.COM

Promats, one of the most innovative names in field wall padding, is proud

to intro-duce its new line of high-resolution digital graphics. With wide-format,

photo-quality logos, you can show your team spirit like never before. With a cost significantly lower than traditional graphics, Promats can provide breath-taking logos to suit any budget. The company has a wide variety of graphic styles to choose from. Now, the only limitation is your imagination.

Circle No. 550

Promats Protective Field Wall Padding has been used in over 400 stadiums across the United States and around the world. Every facility is unique in its

requirements, so Promats custom designs and installs pad-ding to meet individual needs. With

over 20 years of experience, no one in the world is more qualified than Promats to design, manufacture, and install pro-tective padding for your facility. Call today for more information.

Circle No. 551

Qualite Sports Lighting, Inc.800-933-9741WWW.QUALITE.COM

The baseball field at Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, Fla., is lighted with the most efficient fixtures sanctioned by the IESNA in the industry. Qualite Sports Lighting installed a light-ing system that’s fan- and player-friendly using its PRO-Series PS45 fixture—a proven product that continues to out-perform the competition with optimum uniform light, superb spill light control,

and one of the best 10-year warran-ties in the business. Better light-ing, better game.

Circle No. 552

Red Diamond by Moltan800-264-5826WWW.MOLTAN.COM

Red Diamond Professional Packing Clay not only meets the needs of the professional groundskeeper, but is also very easy to install and maintain. Uniform-sized nug-gets are the result of modifying 100-percent natural clay through an innova-tive manufacturing process. This packing clay provides safe, resilient pitcher’s mounds, land-


Baseball Facilities

Quality Stadium Chair Manufacturer

seatingservices129.indd 1 9/24/04 12:12:14 PMUntitled-1 1 1/7/05 10:04:40 AM


ing areas, and batter’s boxes for every level of baseball. The nuggets may also be used in new construction, renovation projects, and daily repairs.

Circle No. 553

For baseball and softball fields at every level, from youth to the professional leagues, Red Diamond CC Conditioner® and Drying Agent® provide a safe, professional, and playable skinned infield surface. The Quantum Turf Technologies® manufacturing process

transforms a unique blend of 100-per-cent natural clay into high-quality, profession-ally-sized calcined clay

conditioners. These conditioners are used throughout the sports turf industry for the daily maintenance of skinned infield surfaces, and may also be used in new construction and major renova-tion projects.

Circle No. 554

Seating Services, 800-552-9470 WWW.SEATINGSERVICES.COM

Seating Services is proud to introduce its Tread Mount Stadium Chair. Finally,

there is a way to put stadium chairs onto your exist-ing 24-inch row-spacing bleachers. This unit requires

minimal rework and is extremely cost-effective. The tread mounts can be used on rises of up to 10-1/2 inches. These chairs can be custom-designed for fundraisers, for instance, by placing season ticket holders’ names on the number plates.

Circle No. 555

Southern Athletic Fields800-837-8062WWW.MULEMIX.COM

Southern Athletic Fields (SAF) special-izes in a wide variety of quality products. Some of these products include: infield

mixes, mound and pack-ing clays, soil con-ditioners, calcined clays, drying

agents, infield topdressing, warning track materials, and field maintenance accessories. SAF is a one-stop source for athletic field needs.

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Check out www.AthleticBid.comto contact these companies.


Testimonial Baseball Facilities

SPI Nets, Inc.866-243-6387WWW.SPINETS.NET

SPI Nets’ full-service net building facil-ity offers the highest-quality nets at unbeatable prices. The company stocks

and custom-builds a wide variety of nylon and poly batting cage nets, protec-tive screens,

and deflective barrier netting products. All custom nets are guaranteed to be of the highest quality, built in the USA to meet all your needs. Call SPI Nets toll-free or go online to learn more.

Circle No. 557

Eagle Picher Minerals800-366-7607WWW.MINERALS.EPCORP.COM

Eagle Picher Minerals offers two types of soil conditioners: PlayBall! and Axis Premium Soil Amendment. Playball! is made from 100-percent calcined diatomaceous earth, and it requires much less material (only 5.2 tons) to effectively condi-tion a field tilled four inches deep. Axis Premium Soil Amendment is applied to turfgrass root zones at a 10-percent-by-volume applica-tion. Axis adds porosity to air- and water-holding capacities, so you can expect 30-percent savings on irrigation and a healthier turfgrass system.

Circle No. 558

TXI/Diamond Pro800-228-2987WWW.DIAMONDPRO.COM

Diamond Pro offers a complete line of professional groundskeeping products:

infield condition-ers; calcined clay; mound and home plate clay; bricks; marking dust; and infield and warning track mixes. The company offers

fast and convenient delivery. Diamond

Pro’s vitrified red clay infield conditioner is available in bulk nationwide, and is easy to handle and apply. Truckloads are available in 10-, 15-, and 24-ton loads that save you both time and money. Create an all-around safe and professional infield playing surface for your team.

Circle No. 559

Soft Touch Bases800-965-4690WWW.SOFTTOUCHBASES.COM

Soft Touch “progressive release” bases are designed to flex and absorb energy

as a player slides into the base. In the case of uncontrolled slides, the “progressive release” action allows the base to flex until enough force is applied to “pop” the base free from its mount, unlike a stationary base.

Circle No. 560

Vantage Products International800-244-4457WWW.VPISPORTS.COM

VPI offers the Big Bubba professional portable batting cage. The Big Bubba is one of the leading choices for high school, colle-giate, and professional baseball programs—at considerable cost savings. Its heavy-duty aluminum construction, easy por-tability, and collapsible design make it the perfect backstop for any level. Measuring 18’ W x 12’ H x 22’ D, the Big Bubba collapses to only five feet high. Its unique dolly assembly at the rear and 16-inch pneumatic wheels make relocation simple.

Circle No. 561

Your source forfundraising tips, support,

and suppliers:www.FundraisingForSports.com

Game-On Soil Conditioners Provide “Consistent Quality”Game-On sports field conditioners are produced by DiGeronimo Aggregates and manufactured in Cleveland, Ohio.

The com-plete Game-On prod-uct line includes field con-ditioners, topdress-

ings, drying agents, and warning track blends, and to better fit your team’s budget, they’re all available in both bags and bulk. Satisfied customers have found that Game-On is more dura-ble than clay and that it does not break down into fine particles.

“I have used several baseball field soil conditioners in the past, and Game-On Red is the best performing product I have found in 27 years.”

Vince MinarchioGrounds Supervisor

Cuyahoga Community College, Ohio

“Game-On products are of consistent quality and they perform exceptionally well under all types of conditions.”

Dale FrazierPresident

Frazier’s Field Repair, Ohio

“After using Game-On soil conditioner, all I can say is ‘Wow!’”

Jack CastleHead Groundskeeper

Lou Berliner Park Complex, Ohio

DiGeronimo Aggregates LLC8900 HEMLOCK RD.INDEPENDENCE, OH 44131888-593-0395WWW.HAYDITEGAME-ON.COM


More Products

AerWay® venting tines can be used all season long to reducecompaction and stimulate strong root development without taking the field out of play. The result is a resilient playing surface with excellent top growth.

Leaves Sports Fields Safe and Playable

for more information call 1-800-457-8310

www.aerway.com email: [email protected]

A d v a n c e d A e r a t i o n S y s t e m sA d v a n c e d A e r a t i o n S y s t e m s

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eFundraising.com 866-235-9660 WWW.EFUNDRAISING.COM

eFundraising.com introduces a product specially for your baseball team that is sure to get your team members excited:

popcorn that comes in a baseball pack-age. Not only is the shape cool, but this popcorn is a healthy way to raise funds. It is a product experience that

both kids and adults will love, and on top of all that, you can generate 50-percent profit. Call eFundraising now for your free sample.

Circle No. 562

Fitterfirst800-348-8371WWW.FITTER1.COM

Fitterfirst’s Xco Trainer is an innova-tive new product that builds and tones muscles while strengthening the sur-rounding connective tissue and stabi-

lizing joints. The Xco Trainer’s innova-tive design allows for 3-D freedom of

movement so users can train anywhere in an unlimited variety of posi-tions. Delayed impact at the end of each motion, caused by a granulate

mass shifting inside the tube, produces muscle overload for maximum results. The Xco Trainer is available in 1-, 1.3-, 2-, and 2.6-pound sizes. Discounts are available on team sets. Call today or visit Fitterfirst online for more informa-tion and a free 2006 catalog.

Circle No. 563

The Gatorade Co.800-88-GATORWWW.GATORADE.COM

Gatorade Nutrition Shake is a balanced nutritional supplement that’s ideal for use as a high-energy meal replacement, or a pre-event or between-meal snack. Gatorade Nutrition Shake contains vita-min C, calcium, and iron, so it’s great

for athletes who want to perform at their best and need to supplement their diet with a convenient, balanced, and nutri-tious product. Gatorade Nutrition Shake is avail-able in two flavors: choco-late and vanilla.

Circle No. 564

After years of extensive research, sci-entists at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute have developed Gatorade Endurance Formula for athletes’ lon-ger, more intense workouts and competitions. Gatorade Endurance Formula is a specialized sports drink with a five-electrolyte blend containing nearly twice the sodium (200mg) and three times the potassium (90mg) of Gatorade Thirst Quencher to more fully replace what athletes lose in sweat when fluid and electrolyte losses become substantial.

Circle No. 565


Web News

Variety of Fundraising Solutions Available Online at eFundraising.comeFundraising’s Web site offers a wide variety of fundraising products, all backed by quality service and providing up to 100-percent profit potential. The products offered include brand-name chocolate bars, gourmet frozen food products, popcorn, scratchcards, cookie dough, and other great fund-raisers. The company’s online magazine fundraiser programs are also available, and can easily be run alongside another fundraiser to increase profits. Family and friends across the U.S. can support your group by choosing from over 650 magazine titles at savings of up to 85 percent off newsstand prices. At eFundraising, anyone can find a fundraiser that will meet their specific needs.www.efundraising.com

Make Your Field Safer with PromatsPromats, one of the country’s leading manufacturers of pro-tective field wall padding, has an improved Web site. Click on “References” in the “About Us” box to see a list of over 450 stadiums where Promats products have been used. Go to “Protective Field Wall Padding” in the products section to review all the padding you need for your stadium. Access the corresponding shop drawing/specification PDF file for com-plete product details. Check available vinyl colors by clicking on the “Vinyl Color Charts” link. Please contact Promats’ cus-tomer service staff for additional information and pricing.www.promats.com

Site Reflects Profile Products’ Advanced TechnologyTo help distributors and customers develop more cost-effec-tive and efficient soil solutions, Profile Products’ Web site offers educational tools and product application instructions. It also has easy-to-use features that guide visitors through the company’s many soil amendment, turf establishment, and erosion/sediment control products. Visitors will find that the site offers more efficient ways to fulfill information requests and features easy-to-find product information on all of Profile’s newest innovations. Downloadable brochures, speci-fications, research results, and case studies are all available. The site is built to reflect Profile’s advanced technology and commitment to educating and informing the green industry.www.profileproducts.com

View Baseball Video Clips on SPC’s Web SiteWhen coaches visit Sports Products Consultants’ Web site, they’ll find an assortment of resources that can help them properly develop young hitters. Full product information is available on special equipment like the Personal Pitcher, Timit ScoutWatch, SpeedSwing, and HitMaster Grobat. Coaches can download video clips showing how Major League players have used these products to enhance their swing. Customer testimonials, ordering information, sale items, and even rental information can be found as well. Visit Sports Products Consultants online today and see how the company can help you build—and keep—a winning team.www.personalpitcher.com

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Home Run, LLC d/b/a

HOOSIER BAT COMPANYFast becoming THE name for bats.

We have what the players want!

WOOD FUNGOGuaranteed

Never Flakes • No Taping Required

GAME BATSMajor League Stock • Minor League Stock

WOODFORCE 2000Hickory Hitting Area- No Taping RequiredGame Use Approval for Short Season A and

Rookie LeagueNCAA BESR Certifi ed

28 B.P. 3-Piece Batfor One Hand, Soft Toss and T drills

ORDER YOURS TODAYFax 219-465-0877 • e-mail:[email protected]

1-800-BAT-ERUP (228-3787)

www.hoosierbat.comMention this ad for FREE Laser Engraving or Key Chain

hoosierbat137.indd 1 8/17/05 3:08:48 PM


Aer-Flo, Inc. 800-823-7356www.aerflo.com

“Wind Weighted” is a registered trademark of Aer-Flo, Inc. • Other trademarks are property of Aer-Flo, Inc. • © 2006: Aer-Flo, Inc.

BUNT ZONETM In eld Protector-TRAINER

Bunt Zone Protector teaches bunting and hitting placement by visualization. It can improve overall team batting skills if used at every practice.

BUNTING & HITTING TARGET TRAINING SYSTEM BUILT INTOA QUALITY TURF PROTECTOR

• YELLOW• YELLOW is the “bunt-for-a-hit” target zone• GREENS• GREENS are the “sacri ce bunt” areas• RED• RED is the “bad bunt” zone, but also the area to avoid in hit-and-run or pull-hitting situations.

FEATURES • Industrial grade vinyl coated polyester mesh • Protected by UV & mildew inhibitors • Tolerant of spikes, virtually tear proof • Grommets and ground stakes included • PATENTED plus another US Patent pending. • Sizes: Large 20’ deep x 24’ x 64’, Medium 15’ d x 24’ x 54’, Little League/Softball 15’ d x 18’ x 48’

WIND WEIGHTED ®

Baseball Rain Tarps

Tim Hill, Head Coach at nearby Manatee Community College in Bradenton, FL, was the rst to use Wind Weighted Baseball Tarps.

Mound and Base Covers thatSTAY PUT IN WIND

WITHOUT STAKES OR SANDBAGS Steel chain in edge hem all around keeps wind from getting under, so they stay down even in

high winds. Field proven to over 65 mph. FEATURES

• Industrial grade 14 oz. vinyl polyester fabric for durability• UV and mildew inhibitors added for long life• Virtually tear-proof, and repairable if spiked • Stock diameters: 12’, 18’, 20’, 26’, 30’ • Squares: 6’, 8’, 10’• Custom colors and sizes available (Great for bullpens)• PATENTED plus other US Patents pending.• Now covered by 3-year warranty.

Teams using Wind Weighted TarpsPros: Dodgers, Yankees Colleges: CA-Berkeley, Cal Poly SLO, Citadel, CO, Columbia, E. MI, Hofstra, Jacksonville, LA Tech, Louisville, MI St., MN, Navy, NM, NV-Reno, New Orleans, Northwestern, PA, Penn St., Princeton, TN, TX A&M, TCU, VMI, WA, WA St., Western KY, Yale High Schools: Bainbridge (WA) Bar-rington (RI) Cary (NC) Chaska (MN) Chelsea (MI) Dublin Jerome (OH) Gilbert (IA) Herndon (VA) Highland (KY) Huntington (NY) Lemon Bay (FL) Owasso (OK) Palatine (IL) Park City (UT) Saratoga (CA) Terryville (CT) Woodlands (TX)

Paul Pierce, HBB Coach at Collins Hill HS in Suwanee, GA, after his eld had a 65 mph storm that damaged fences, signs, and windscreens: “Our eld was a mess. Then I noticed that our new Wind Weighted Base-ball Tarp was still on the mound. Looking under, we found the covered

part of the mound was untouched by the wind and rain.”

Optional Wind Weighted INSTALLER™ device lets two players cover a pitcher’s mound, home plate, or bull pen in less than 30 seconds.

Why continue using stakes, sandbags, rocks, etc? Wind Weighted Tarps save backs…and games.

Aer-Flo, Inc. manufactures other high quality sports products, including:

• Aer-Flo® Windscreen • Cross-Over Zone™ Track Protector • Bench Zone™ Sideline Turf Protector • Huddle Zone™ Special Teams Mat

Specs and pricing are available on website.

Standard

New MAJOR LEAGUE STYLE

aerflow CM147.indd 1 8/21/06 2:27:11 PM

Circle No. 145

FOR A LIST OF AUTHORIZED GAME TEAM DEALERS, VISIT OUR WEBSITE:

w w w . 2 t h e g a m e . c o m

is The Game’s new patented performance fabric. Ideal for the athlete, this amazing fabric implores

rapid absorption, swift dispersion and fast drying. Highly comfortable, lightweight and with maximum breathability,

GAMETEK helps you Keep Your Head in The Game at all times.

All GAMETEK and GAMEPRO caps are fully customizable for as

few as 18 pieces.

The Game is proud to be the Official On-Field Headwear for these schools & over 400 other Colleges and Universities.

rapid absorption swift dispersion fast drying comfortable lightweight breathability

ARKANSAS CHARLESTON FRESNO STATE GEORGIA TECH LOUISIANA STATE TULANE VANDERBILT WICHITA STATE

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coaching management 14.7

Documents

coaching lifelearning

p o s t s e

s o n e d i t i o n

aggressive running game

local jaypro dealer

high school coaches

base running

line think