10 Things I've learned about
Softball

1. Champions play to win, every inning, every at bat, every game, every
tournament. They don't quit trying to win until the game is over; regardless
of the score they continue to produce their maximum effort. Champions
never lose the game, even though they sometimes do run out of time or
innings with which to earn the win.

2. The actions you take and the decisions you make have one of two possible
outcomes: results or excuses. Guess what- the world is only interested
in one of them. If you don't get the results you want, the excuse doesn't
really matter to you or to anyone else. Great results win trophies, great
excuses do not.

3. Children play games. Champions compete. There is a big difference,
called determination, commitment, practice and preparation. Champions
rely on skill, strength, speed, training and preparation. Work on these
aspects of your game, and you will win more than you lose.

4. A Winner or a Whiner, the choice is yours. It's when things don't go
well that the true mark of your character is revealed. You have a choice
in how you react to adversity; use it wisely because lots of people are
watching. Here's a hint: whiners cry, throw their bat, stomp around and
pout. They look for someone to blame for their team losing- the umpires,
their teammates, the weather, whatever. Winners take personal responsibility
for their performance, and quietly analyze what they need to do differently
to help the team win, then approach the task with steely determination
to succeed.

5. Winners never quit, and quitters never win. When you give up and quit,
you are not just letting yourself down. Look around you: you are letting
your teammates down. Your coaches. Your parents. Friends who came to watch
you play and compete. Even the other team, who deserves your very best
game.

6. In softball, as in life, nothing really worth having comes easy. Determination,
commitment, preparation and practice are the keys to earning wins in both
pursuits. They are not always fun, but they will prepare you to be a winner.

7. When you get to the point that losing doesn't bother you, it's time
to find a different way to spend your summers. At this level softball
is a competitive game. Your parents, coaches, relatives and friends have
all made some level of sacrifice (their time, their money, whatever) to
give you the opportunity to be here and to compete. You owe it to them,
to your teammates, and most importantly to yourself to give everything
you have got to help the team win. If a better team still beats you, learn
from it so you can beat them next time.

8. Guess what- the air conditioner in the other team's dugout is broken
too. There are some elements of the game you can't control. The weather.
Bad calls from the officials. Outstanding plays from the other team. It's
pointless and counterproductive to worry or complain about them, and very
destructive to use them as excuses for failing to deliver your best. Focus
instead on the things you can do something about: your outlook and attitude,
your training, your preparation, and your execution when you are on the
field.

9. You can predict the future. If you worry about your personal stats,
about the error you made last inning, where you are in the batting order,
whether the plate ump has figured out where the strike zone is, etc.,
you will impact your ability to perform, thus causing the very thing you
were worrying about. It's called a self-fulfilling prophecy. Stop worrying,
focus and execute and the future is yours to take.

10. Losers say "I wish". Players say "I can". Champions say "I will".
What do you say?

A SPECIAL NOTE

I know I have lots of room for improvement as a coach
and as a person. I also believe that few work harder on improving the coach
part. I will continue to improve as slow as it may be and I will continue
to study the game and continue to help players learn and improve their game
for as long as I am healthy enough to do so. I also choose to stick with
the kids I care about and I will continue to believe that that caring will
always be a major positive difference in my team as compared to others in
victory or defeat.

At this time in a season it becomes easy for everyone, especially parents
to make excuses and to blame coaches and other players and maybe even other
parents for our failures. That has always been the nature of the softball
atmosphere. Negative comments and actions are always common when a team
goes flat late in a season. Our team has always prided itself on the fact
that we came together and are held together because of something bigger
than winning or losing. Our teams Christian atmosphere and beliefs have
been at the basis of our togetherness and will remain as the cohesive structure
that keeps this team together. We play to the best of our ability everytime
we play whatever that ability level is on that particular day and we play
with a Christian attitude of using whatever talent God gave us to the best
of our ability on that particular day. We do this with all the energy we
have and in a way where we are absolutely sure we will not let anyone down
including ourselves and especially God who gave us this talent. We must
not drift away from our Christian focus and our god that has given us this
talent, health and energy to use to its fullest. God meant us to be competitive,
lets compete.

We are a group of Christian kids and parents working together for the best
of each other and as an example to everyone that we have contact with to
subtly display our Christian atmosphere to all we come into contact with.
We need to remember this and stay on track especially at times like now
when god is giving us a little test. We will not fail this test. We will
stick together and continue on the course and pull through this time of
trial and begin again to use our talents as god intended when he gave them
to us. We are a very good example to lots of people in the small world of
fastpitch softball. These people are taking notice. Lets all stay on track
and don't slip onto the easier route.

Now that I have written all this I am reminded of how much I care for all
of you and it makes winning and losing softball games very small but it
doesn't make small the need for all of us to continue to give all we have
when using the great talent god has given us. Don't waste it. God would
not like thinking that he wasted his time in giving us so much talent when
he could have given it to someone else.