The game of baseball taught me so many valuable
life lessons. This page is a tribute to those that truly made a difference
in coaching sports.
BEAR BRYANT STORY
You may already have the following. If you haven't , here it is while
football is still
going on. Bear Bryant wrote it a long time ago.
"I had just been named the new head coach at Alabama and was off in my old
car
down in south Alabama recruiting a prospect who was supposed to have been a
pretty
good player and I was having trouble finding the place. Getting hungry I spied
an old
cinderblock building with a sign out front that said simply "Restaurant.
I pulled up , went in, and every head in the place turned to stare at me. Seems
I was
the only white fella in the place. But the food smelled good so I skip a table
and go up to
a cement bar and sit. A big ole man in a t-shirt and cap comes over and says "What
do
you need?" I told him I needed lunch and what did they have today?" "You
probably won't
like it here, today we're havin' chittlins, collard greens,a nd black eye peas
with corn-
bread.I'll bet you don't even know what chittlins are, do you?"
I looked him square in the eye and said "I'm from Arkansas. I've probably
eaten a mile
of them Sounds like I'm in the right place." They all smiled and he left
to serve me up a
big plate. When he comes back he says "You're not from around here then." I
explained
that I'm the new football coach up in Tuscaloosa at the university and I'm
here to find
whatever that boy's name was, and he says, yeah, I've heard of him, he's supposed
to be
pretty good. And he gives me directions to the school so I can meet him and
his coach.
As I'm paying up to leave I remember my manners and leave a tip, not too big
to be
flashy, but a good one, and he told me lunch was on him but I told him for
a lunch that
good I felt I should pay. The big man asked me if I had a photograph or something
he
could hang up to show I'd been there. I was so new I didn't have any yet. It
really wasn't
that big a thing back then, but I took a napkin and wrote his name and address
on it and
told him I'd send him one. I met the kid I was looking for later that afternoon
but I don't
remember his name but do remember I didn't think much of him when I met him.
I had
wasted a day, or so I thought.
When I got back to Tuscaloosa late that night I put that napkin under my keys
so I
wouldn't forget it. Hell, back then I was so excited that anybody would want
a picture of
me. And the next day we found a picture of me and I wrote oin it "Thanks
for the best
lunch I ever had. Paul "Bear" Bryant.
Noiw let's go a whole bunch of years down the road. Now we have black players
at
Alabama and I'm back down in that part of the country scouting an offensive
lineman we
sure needed. Y'all remember, I forget the name but it's not important to the
story. Well,
anyway, he's got two friends going to Auburn and he tells me he';s got his
heart set on
going to Auburn too. So I leave empty-handed and go and see some others while
I'm
down there.
Two days later I'm in my office in Tuscaloosa and the phone rings
and it's
this kid who just turned me down and he says "Coach, do you still
want me at Alabama?"
And I said "Hell, yes, I sure do," and he says he'll come. And I said "Well,
son, what
changed your mind?" And he said when his grandpa found out that
he had a chance to
play for me and turned me down, he pitched a fit and told me I wasn't
going nowhere but
Alabama and wasn't playing for nobody but you. He thinks a lot of you
and and has ever
since y'all met. Well, I didn't know his granddad from Adam's housecat
so I asked him
who his granddad was and he said "You probably don't remember him
but you ate in his
restaurant when you were in your first year at Alabama and you sent him
a picture that
he's had hung in that place ever since. That picture's his pride and
joy and he still tells
everybody about the day Bear Bryant came in and had chittlins with him.
My grandpa
said that when you left there he never expected you to remember him or
to send him that
picture to him but you kept your word to him, and to Grandpa that's everything.
He said
you could teach me more than football and I had to play for a man like
you so I guess I'm
going to.
I was floored, but I learned that the lessons my mama taught me were
always right
It don't cost nothin' to be nice. It don't cost nothin' to do the right
thing, and it costs a
lot to lose your good name by breaking your word to someone.
When I went back to sign that boy I looked up his Grandpa and he's still
running that place but it loks a lot better now. He didn't have chittlins
that day
but he had some ribs that woulda made Dreamland] proud and I made sure
I posed for
a lot of pictures and don't think I didn't leave some new ones for him,
too, along with a signed football.
I made it clear to all my assistants
to keep this story and these lessons in mind when they're out on the
road. And if you remember anything else from me, remember this...it really
doesn't cost anything to be nice and the
rewards can be unimaginable."
Little League Baseball
by Hugh Holub
" Baseball is almost the only orderly thing in a very unorderly world.
If you get three strikes, even the best lawyer in the world can't get
you off. --Bill Veeck
It is said that baseball is the American game. It is more than that.
It is a course in how to be a member of American culture.
Anyone can be an American by walking (or swimming) across our borders
and registering to vote. But to be a real American, one has to understand
our culture. And the only way to do that is to watch a lot of baseball,
and better still, play ball.
Generations of Americans have been indoctrinated into our culture by
playing Little League or softball. These are the only "true" Americans.
What does youth baseball teach us?
HOW TO FAIL GRACEFULLY
It is the bottom of the last inning. Your team is behind by one run.
The tying run is on third, and the winning run is on second. And you
strike out. Or you drop the catch in right field and the winning run
scores against your team. You are the "goat" for the rest of
the night. You have to learn to take a lot of razzing when you fail,
smile, and wait for your chance to raz someone else back another day.
TRYING AGAIN AFTER YOU FAIL
Now it is the next day after you've been the "goat." What do
you do? Stay home and call in sick. Or show up for practice and work
on your hitting or catching. The kid who picks themselves up after failing
is always going to have a better chance at succeeding in life. The kid
who walks is a loser.
LEARNING INDIVIDUAL EFFORT IN A TEAM CONTEXT
There's a runner on first and the ball is hit to the short stop. A double
play is possible if the short stop throws to the second baseman, who
then throws to the first baseman. Three individuals must act to make
the play, meaning the short stop doesn't have time to look for where
the second baseman is, the second baseman better be at the right spot
to catch the ball (with foot on the base), and then throw to first assuming
the first baseman is also properly positioned (with foot on the base).
You think this is easy? Try it sometime with three of your friends.
BEING BOSSED AROUND
Generally speaking everyone on a team wants to play the same position.
Unfortunately, there's 9 positions and each has to be covered. Those
familiar with Little League should be familiar with the pouty kid with
crossed arms standing on second base while the ball rolls by him because
he wanted to pitch. A winning team consists of a bunch of people doing
things they initially didn't want to do, but someone else made them.
Learning to take orders from someone you think is an idiot is a key to
success in American business.
MANAGING A BUNCH OF MISFITS
In addition to learning how to function as a team, baseball also teaches
management. The Little League coach, who is generally unqualified for
the job, must somehow coerce a bunch of players who know more about baseball
than he or she does into taking orders. If the team wins, the next game
is usually easier to play. In some programs (not Little League) any kid
who shows up gets to play. Try and win a game with a bunch of kids who
can't hit or catch. It can be done. Amazing things can be accomplished
with the misfits if they can be convinced they can kick butt.
DEALING WITH AGGRESSIVE SPECIAL INTERESTS
Parents of children in Little League or softball are among the most aggressive
and pain-in-the-ass special interests on the planet. "My son should
play second base, and if you don't put him in that position I'll sue
you." The problem for the coach is the kid has never handled a ball
in his life, and will play one inning in right field. Many youth ball
teams have legal defense funds. This is great practice for the real world.
SAYING SOMETHING POSITIVE WORKS
The kid strikes out. Do you yell "you stupid jerk" or "nice
swing". The kid who strikes out knows he screwed up, so reminding
him or her of this fact only nurtures resentment. A positive statement
always gets results. Honey attracts more flies than vinegar.
IT IS REALLY MATH
Baseball is nothing more than a math lesson. A kid who can't add or subtract
generally can figure out his or her batting average. See if you can.
More kids would pass math if it was taught on ball fields.
AND IT IS PROBABILITIES
What is the chance that you get to be the batter at the bottom of the
last inning with your team behind and the bases are loaded? 100%. Playing
baseball teaches you' Murphy's Third Law that if something can happen
it will. To you.
IT IS NOT WHETHER YOU WIN OR LOSE, IT IS THAT YOU KICK THEIR BUTTS
The saying that it only matters how you play is bunk. What really matters
is being able to win the game through the 10 run rule. The US didn't
understand this when they stopped the Gulf War before our troops totally
destroyed Saddam Hussein and his army.
CREATING A LEGEND ABOUT YOURSELF
Really successful ball players get "legends" about them. "The
kid is a hitter." So the kid ends up with a .500 batting average.
Baseball teaches us that if we believe in ourselves, others will believe
it too, even if it isn't true, thus giving us a psychological advantage.
Pitchers will walk kids with legends as hitters. Hey, a base runner is
a base runner, especially if the kid can steal second. Successful Americans
play roles, create legends about themselves, and accomplish things because
others believe their legend. Think about Bill Clinton or Newt Gingrich
in that context.
WINNERS MAKE THE FEWEST MISTAKES
Ultimately, most baseball games are won because the other team made more
mistakes. Exploiting someone else's mistakes is a very useful thing to
learn. You hit a short hopper and are certain to be thrown out at first.
But you run like heck down the baseline hoping the first baseman will
drop the ball. Americans trained in Little League become very good at
this.
LIFE ISN'T FAIR
Baseball is a game of rules with umpires. Umpires make a lot of mistakes.
Generally, over time, both sides get an equal number of bad calls. Playing
baseball teaches Americans that while there are rules, there is no real
justice. Especially when the umpire is from the other team's hometown.
Thus, Americans trained in Little League will learn to complain and whine
about bad calls, and if it happens too often, either fire the ump or
change the rules.
NOTHING HAPPENS WITHOUT MONEY
Playing in Little League or having a kid in the program teaches you that
everything costs money, thus someone has to man the snack bar or sell
a lot of candy. True Americans therefore are always paying attention
to the bottom line. Just try and do anything without a fund-raising committee.
Quotes of the Day
“Only mediocre people feel they are always doing
their best. The excellence seekers are always looking to improve, and
that is not just in baseball. It’s in every walk of life.” -Skip
Bertman (former LSU Coach)
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