 LET'S PLAY BALL! - This is an incredible game and tons of fun. Give it your best shot.. Be careful though, pretty addicting. |
LET'S PLAY BALL! - This is an incredible game and tons of fun. Give it your best shot.. Be careful though, pretty addicting. |
 Since I was a little boy, I had the dream to play in the big leagues. To be running around just like the guys on t.v. It all began with that simple dream as a child, wishing upon the stars and dreaming large. I never gave up on my dreams and even when there were always people who would say you will never make it, I have news for them, I made it...I did not start everyday in the big leagues but I did hit a home run in game 3 of the 1989 world series. To most people they would not have any idea what was going through my mind as I rounded the bags during that moment. But in that few minutes of glory, all I could think about was all the years and hard work to fulfill my dream and with each step I took, I had realized my boyhood dream. This site is for all the kids out there who have a big dream and to never give up on what you believe in. When you get knocked down, get back up. When people say you can't, you say you can! I love the old saying, "when you get the chance, I hope you dance". Baseball is a game that people of all ages enjoy. What they don't realize is how much it parallels life to a tee. Teaching us about working with others, learning how to deal with defeat when you go 0 for 4 in an important game. Learning to win but also learning to respect with integrity and honor. Here's to the game of baseball, to the game of life and to obtaining your dreams! |
 Before you even reach the field there is a preparation that takes place. It all starts in practice and even on the drills you are doing before the game. You often hear 'the right frame of mind'. Well, it applies to all aspects of baseball. As far as practice, it simply means that you are going about your business with a purpose in mind and doing it efficiently. Let's take an example. You are about to do tee work to help your swing. Do you just put the tee up and start hacking? Or do you work on the areas that you need to, like hitting the ball the other way off the tee with you visualizing the outside pitch? You need to have a purpose to what you are doing. And when you practice, utilize the time to practice the right way. I would rather have 10 minutes of quality, purposeful practice than 20 minutes of practice with no idea of what you are trying to work on. Same thing goes for batting practice. Are you in the right frame of mind? Are you just wailing away at the pitches. Or are you hitting with purpose and trying to accomplish things? Once again, give me 10 minutes of quality hitting with purpose and not 20 minutes of hooking the ball foul with no idea of what you are trying to do. These are all small things that carry over into a game. It all begins at this stage of the game. Practice the right way with purpose and you will go into the game with the right frame of mind. What about the right approach to the game? The mental approach to the game starts with preparation. This means doing your homework and knowing the opposition. What kind of pitcher is throwing today? Is it a sidearm left-hander or an over the top right-hander that throws 95 mph? If it's a side-arming left-hander, than maybe in batting practice I will visualize the sinking fastball on the outside corner and really work hard on shortening up and just trying to stroke the ball the other way. If it's a hard throwing flame thrower than maybe my batting practice today will be on being short to the ball and trying to be a little quicker.Do you see what I mean? Now you are having purpose and the right frame of mind, or simply, the right mental approach to the game. By combining the right mental approach with the right drills and practice, you will be well on your way to vastly improving your game. |