PRE-GAME PEP TALK

The primary motivating factor that inspired me to write this book was the death of my father. After his passing, it dawned on me that if his thoughts and approach to the game were not in some manner documented, they could be lost forever. I felt that I owed it to him, as well as the general baseball public, to not only document them but promote them. After all, these were the same thoughts and approach that brought him state-wide recognition and landed him in the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.

Secondly, after coaching and watching youth baseball for a number of years, it became very apparent to me that most of the coaches, as well as, players and spectators did not have a full understanding of the game. And, more often than not, the blind were leading the blind.

But what I found more shocking than the lack of knowledge, is that most youth baseball programs have been commandeered by the adults. The players have been upstaged and the adults have assumed way too big of a role. I feel that the primary purposes for playing the game by our youth have gotten lost, or have become incorrectly prioritized, after the adults seized control. I wanted to express my disapproval with the behavior of parents and coaches who are taking the game far too seriously and making the game far too serious for the kids. After discussing the problems with youth baseball programs, I felt compelled to offer a solution to restore and revitalize the programs. A plan that provides training for coaches, education for the parents, curtails poor behavior and re-prioritizes the reasons for participating in youth baseball.

Finally, most of the baseball books out on the market deal with the history of the game, are biographies about famous players or only teach proper baseball techniques. Very few baseball books teach a proper coaching style, how to deal with parents, how to organize and run a practice, how to motivate players, how to deal with failure, how to make the starting lineup or even how to watch a baseball game. Nor are there very many books that discuss sound baseball strategy. I wanted a book that would address all these aspects, teach the proper fundamentals AND BE FUN TO READ. This would be my way to give back to a game that has given so much to me.

In my quest to “overhaul” the programs I will at the same time be attaining the primary goal to return the game to the rightful owners. A game that was unknowingly ripped from their grasps years ago but always will be rightfully theirs. I believe that the plan is sound and if properly implemented, season after season, will in time “Give the Game Back to the Kids.”