2007 Demon World Series Champions

Taste the Steak!

The spoils of victory!

This has to be the biggest steak I have ever seen or eaten in my life. This was the victory meal Kelly's Heroes shared for winning the Demon Word Series yesterday 12-1. This was the text message I sent to the team on Saturday night before the game on Sunday. It was one of those coaching psychological things that you hope work, but really had nothing to do with winning the game. It was fun to see the replies from each guy; probably more excited that they found out that I can text!

For more details on the thrilling victory and to catch up with Demon baseball click the headline above.

Pictures from NSU Baseball

2005 Southland Conference Championship

Received an automatic bid to NCAA Regional in Baton Rouge, LA

Demon Baseball Locker Room

Locker Room spread for recruits
NSU Baseball has a contract with Louisville Slugger/TPX



Assistant Coaches Office

Small but efficient!

Equipment Room
Also serves as my office!

Demons World Series Game 1

We have completed our fall workouts and look to end the fall season with the Demon World Series. This is a chance to put on game uniforms, turn on the lights and see how the players react to the spotlight.

I'm coaching one team, Kelly's Heroes (after the old war film by the same name, starring Clint Eastwood and Telly Savalas) and back in the managerial seat. We had an official draft the day before and Bobby Barbier is heading up the other team, aptly named after a hard-nosed player on the Cleveland Indians, The Garko's.

We also get to practice game day preparations with pre-game BP and infield/outfield warm-ups. Helps to normalize game days, although you can't reproduce the feeling of playing at LSU, Ole Miss, and Tulane during the season. What fun those games will be!

I drafted our best pitcher with the #1 pick, opting to go for pitching over defense with that pick. Coach Barbier then got to draft the next two picks (since I had the #1) and picked our best catcher and arguably our 1A pitcher. I was able to stock the outfield with some good picks, but failed to draft a "true" shortstop. Nonetheless, I had my team and look to get it on.

The first inning was a disaster as we went down in order in the top and my #1 pick gives up 4 runs in the bottom! We scored in the second off a solo home run by our senior 1st baseman, but trailed 5-2 in the fifth. However, we surmounted an awesome comeback in the next inning to take a 6-5 lead and went on to win 8-6. Justin Morgan, senior pitcher, threw 3 strong innings only giving up 1 run.

The Heroes showed some guts after a horrible start and we look to win the series tonight in Game 2. By the way, the winner of the series gets to eat steak, while the loser has to serve the winning team and eat hamburgers.

I feel like some steak!

Changing Roles

I've just completed my first two weeks here at NSU. It has been exciting and a thrill to be here at the DI level. But, I have come to realize that it's really not that different from level to level. I've discovered that these student-athletes are the same 18-22 year old kids. They may have a little more talent, but still struggle with life issues and how to play the game the correct way.

We had a scrimmage this weekend and it was surprising to see common mistakes made here just like coaching DIII or Junior college baseball. This does, however, help to confirm that I can make an impact here and know that I can coach at this level.

My role from the past 7 years has obviously changed, as I'm no longer the head man. I can only offer my opinions and need to persuade change as much as I can. The staff here has been great and we've been learning together, but seem to work well together so far.

With this change, I've started at the ground level and have duties that reflect that:

1. Fieldwork - mowing, raking, watering, weed-eating
2. Laundry when needed
3. Equipment room organization
4. Equipment ordering
5. Any duties required to make the team better

I also have outfield duties and hope to make them better this year. They struggled last year and this is a good chance to make them better and leave my mark.

I hope to have pictures soon, so keep checking on the site!

Southern Bound Travel

What a whirlwind of a week! I'll get into some details about my first week here at NSULA. But I wanted to share some thoughts on my trip down south. I left last Saturday and had a quick trip down to KC, MO. I spent the night at my uncle's house and had a good visit with them. I left for Arkadelphia, AR the next morning to spend the night with one of the coaches from the KC Grays team, Dirk Kinney. He just started at a NCAA DII school (Ouchita Baptist University) as the pitching coach and I was able to watch a few bullpen sessions with pitchers working out. This was a great opportunity to catch up with Dirk and continue to split up the trip. I was able to relax and watch the Cowboys beat up on the Giants.

Some of observations I had as I was driving down from Minnesota:

• How flat the Midwest really is
• The hills of Arkansas and how beautiful those mountains were
• The pace of life really slows down in the South, I forgot about that
• Down in the bayou of Louisiana feels a long way from Rochester

I arrived on campus of Northwestern around 10 am and literally got to work. It was a smooth drive down, but I did have to replace a O2 sensor in my car before I left Rochester! The car ran well after that and I had no other problems. It was a good trip and I'm glad to be here.

The Call, Act II

I have resigned from Crossroads College effective Friday, September 7. I have accepted a position as an assistant coach for the Northwestern State University Demon baseball progam. I begin practice on Monday, September 10 with the program.

I can't explain how excited I am to become a coach again and work with DI athletes! This is really unbelievable and I AM living the dream. It's going to be hard, no doubt, but I'm anxious to be coaching in a college program again.

I fill in some details in a later post.

Exceeding Expectations

That's how I summarize the summer with the Grays. I had no idea what to expect when I committed to coaching the team. I knew that I wanted to be back in baseball and knew that I would enjoy being around the players. I didn't know what talent there was or the talent of the teams we would play. I didn't know the coaching staff or the area where I would spend 9 weeks. There were a few bumps and disappointments, but the majority (99%) exceeding my expectations.

The team finished 3rd in the league tournament and had a 20 win season, both program records. Even though the players were extremely tired the last week, they continued to push through and compete on the field.

The players were a joy to be around. They worked hard, showed up on time,put up with a 6 and 4 year old riding in vans with them, and didn't complain very much. A little complaining is natural! The team meshed well together and got along, except the usual spats associated with brothers who spend a lot of time together. I still keep up with the majority of the players through phone calls and texting.

The coaching staff helped me grow as a coach and a person. They challenged me on running the team and philosophy of hitting and pitching. We had chances to talk about life in general and what was going on in their life. We disagreed at times, like we should, to foster a stronger development of the team. But mostly, we cared for they players and kept them in mind in all decisions.

Spiritually speaking, we had informal times to talk about our relationship with the Lord after meeting for scheduled Bible study sessions. It was the usual issues that plaque 18-21 year olds: future, girls, language, attitude, etc. It was a nice chance to talk about how the coaches dealt with those issues and how even when your older, there are still struggles. Angela, Claire and Nolan offered a glimpse into married life with children and they provided an excellent example.

This experience has really allowed me to see that coaching is my passion and making an impact on a team day in and day out is where I would like to be. I have sought the Lord's counsel and hopefully that day will come when I'm back on the field again soon.

I want to thank each one of you that provided support during the summer. Without you it would have been a struggle, but it turned out to be one of the best summers I've had.

MINK League Tournament

It has certainly been a whirlwind last week! I haven't posted in nearly a week, but that's the life of a team on the road facing elimination each day. Here's a recap of what happened:

After winning our first game 4-0 on a solid pitching performance, we lost to the #1 seed Clarinda A's 4-3. Unfortunately, we had 3 unearned runs given away and could have won 2 in a row in the tournament. Pretty disappointing game and left a bad taste in our mouth. Now each game is do or die, win and stay or lose and go home.

This is a challenge for the coaching staff to make sure we are keeping the guys motivated. That's the struggle for our guys to fight the urge to hang it up and get back home or stay competitive and wanting to win.

Game 3 is against the Topeka Golden Giants, a team that we finished 3-3 against. Now we face them in the rubber match on neutral ground. We scratch out a 6-1 win and send them home. Big win for us!

Game 4 is against the Chillicothe Mudcats who beat us 5 of 6 times in the regular season. We win this game 3-2. Trialing 2-0, we come back to tie it at 2 and go ahead to stay on a solo home run. Our best starting pitcher comes in to close the game in the ninth to preserve the victory.

Wouldn't you know it, we have made it to the semi-final game of the tournament and once again play the host A's. If we win, we qualify for the NBC World Series in Wichita, KS. These guys have dug down deep and taken pride in playing this game despite wanting to go home. We jump out to a 3-0 lead in the first. The game goes back and forth and we regain the lead 7-5 in the eighth. The guys are playing loose, while the host team is a little tight because they should be winning. The A's again come back to tie us at 7, but we scratch out a run on a safety squeeze and take the lead 8-7. In the bottom of the eighth, we bring in our closer, but he gives up the tying run and walk-off run, both on homers and we lose the game 9-8. What a ride.

Postseason Begins

After a 3 game skid, we have made it to the regional MINK League tournament in Clarinda, IA. We were seeded #5 in the tournament out of 7 teams and drew the Omaha Wildcats in the first round. The wasn't a lot of information on this team, except that most of the players are from Wayne St. (Neb.) and that they had won their league in Omaha. Scouting has it's place in regular season games and could help in this tournament, but the coaching staff wasn't concerned because we would have the same lineup regardless.

After an injury to one of our starting pitchers, once again we turned to Jesse Bachman to start the game. He delivered. He pitched a complete game, 5 hit shutout with 13 strikeouts. Really good start for us! Our offense generated plenty of runs, including a two-run home run to win the game 4-0. Great feeling for our squad as we gained some momentum into today as we face #1 seed and hometown host, the Clarinda A's.

The game's at 8:15 again tonight and we look to continue our success so far.

Nothing Really Matters

I heard that song today by Queen, that nothing really matters. Couldn't help but think of Mike Myers and Dana Carvey lip-syncing in the car to that song in Wayne's World. Anyway, that's about as close as I can come up with to describe the last three games we lost. We were on a roll having won 8 of our last 9 games. We were scoring runs, playing good defense, and pitching well.

Then, we learned that the league tournament was moved up to tomorrow (or today if you want to get technical) and that the remaining games would not be counted toward the league standings and the tournament seeding. So, nothing really mattered. We needed to save our arms for the games that did matter. We needed to rest some guys that have been playing everyday. We gave some players opportunities to play other positions. In fact, just to spice up the game today and keep the guys loose, we actually pulled the lineup out of a hat! Really, we did. We put who was playing what position and literally pulled them out. The guys got a kick out of it and help to put the game in perspective. It really didn't matter.

Immediately after the game, we made sure to refocus the guys. The slate is clean, we're 0-0 and now the next games really do matter. We travel to Clarinda Sunday to play at 8:15 p.m. vs. a team from Omaha. The internet broadcast will be on, so be sure to listen!

"I Love It When a Plan Comes Together"

One of the most well known quotes of the 20th century. Uttered by the leader of a band of renegades destined to help those in need. Usually said when the job was done and justice prevailed. Hannibal Smith, colonel of the A-Team, would say this phrase after saving another poor soul from the clutches of evil. I watched this show dutifully every night it was on and enjoyed seeing them put together ways to beat the bad guys day in and day out.

Well, last night was like the A-Team. It was one of those games when the script was written to perfection and we executed the plan. Our #1 ace threw 8 innings with over 5 strikeouts and only gave up one run. Our defense was solid, making every routine play. We had timely hitting, scoring more runs than the other team. Our closer came in the 9th inning and shut the door picking up another save and extending our winning streak to three and winners of 8 of the last 9 games, with this 3-1 victory over league foe, the Topeka Golden Giants. It was just like you draw it up and one of those game that coaches like to be a part of. You let the game take care of itself, you let the players play, and the win happens.

I love it when a plan comes together!

We're on a Roll

It's been a hectic last week, I apologize for not posting sooner. Angela and the kids left for Rochester on Saturday and I have moved into a host home. What a great set up for me as I have a queen size comfort adjustable bed! I also have 24 hour access to the Internet and ESPN! I went golfing in the 100 degree heat yesterday and we're wrapping up the season.

We have begun to play well winning 7 or our last 8 games. We've won really close games (1-0, 3-2) and we've blown out some teams (8-2, 10-0). So it's good to see us gearing up for the league tournament which starts on Sunday.

Some of the players continue to battle through injuries: sore shoulders, tired legs, aching knees and backs. They're young, but the grind gets to them all. We had our last off day yesterday, so it's the coaching staffs job to keep them fresh as we can.

It has certainly been an exciting summer and I have enjoyed every minute of being around the game again. Thanks again for making it possible for me to do this!

Split - the Evil Reality of Baseball

The split, not a word you associate with wholesome goodness. For example, the beloved 10-6 split in bowling. I've been playing Wii bowling with Claire and have come across that pin setup one too many times. You know the one where you have to try to knock one pin clear across the alley to knock down the other. Yeah right! Other infamous splits: Britney and what's his name, Brooklyn and the Dodgers, the Partridge family, and the banana split. Wait, that's a good one. Anyway, the point in this little blog is to split is bad.

However, the way we are playing it was good to split yesterday. After yet another offensively stagnate game which we lost 3-0, we were down yet again 4-0 in the fourth inning. We were going quietly into the night, couldn't get anyone to get that two out hit and time was running out. Then just like that we were patient at the plate, drew some walks, had timely hitting and tied the game at four. Our bullpen put up zeroes in the fifth and sixth and we scored a two-out run in the bottom of the sixth and gave the lead to our closer in the seventh. He came in and struck out two, including one looking to end the game and we salvaged a split on the night.

The way it's been going the previous week, I'll take it!

Undefeated after the All Star break

Well, that's what I've come to call the last five days we had off because of the rain. Our very own All Star Break. We had a refreshing rain to make the grass greener and to rest up some guys who were banged up. Unfortunately, we opened up with the Junction City Generals who are pretty good and have been playing games when we could not. So we traveled out to Junction City, Kansas for our first game in a week.

We had our best pitcher on the hill, Ben Shockey, who has a sub 2.5 ERA yet we can't score any runs when he pitches. And wouldn't you know it, he holds the Generals to two runs over 7 innings, but leaves with a 2-0 deficit. Looks like we're going to keep the losing streak going to six games. But wouldn't you know it, in the eighth we come back to tie the game at 2 and go on to win in extra innings 4-2. What a great way to start our week! The guys played good defense and put together quality at-bats to steal a game from a good team. Our bullpen did a tremendous job with three scoreless innings to put the game away. It felt good to win again and get back in the left side of the column.

Had an interesting dilemma in the eighth inning as the coaching staff tried to figure out a lineup change. Our first string catcher is hurt and couldn't play, so we had to move our DH to catch after pinch-hitting for our starting catcher. We also pinch hit for our right fielder and brought in a new pitcher. So we had to move our pitcher to hit for our catcher as the pinch-hitter moved to right field. However, this was an educated guess and after conferring with the umpire we made the right moves. Did you follow that? Me either! It was one of the hardest lineup changes I've ever made and was made that difficult because of our lack of depth on our bench.

I'm learning this summer as well. We have 5 games in the next four days. Another great test to see what we're made of.

Rain, Rain, Go......

Well, you know the rest. It has been raining since Wednesday of last week and just stopped early Sunday morning. Other sports tough it out and play in any weather that's out there. Except for the occasional lightning storm, soccer and football and other sports play through anything. Not true with America's past time. Would you want to step into the batter's box in the rain with pitchers throwing a wet ball? You could get one in the ear!

You would be surprised how much baseball coaches know about the weather. The rain we have been getting is coming from the Gulf of Mexico due to two high pressure areas in the East and West of the Midwest. Those high pressure areas are drawing moisture up from the Gulf and dumping huge amount of rain from Texas to Missouri. The bulk of the storms have been in Texas, where extreme flooding has threaten many peoples lives.

For us, it means we have been sitting around and had to postpone 4 games. We have not played since Tuesday of last week. The clouds have broke and we are practicing today and head down to Junction City, MO for a game tomorrow.

Talk to you then.

Heartbreakers

Over the past couple of games this team is competing very well. Just not good enough to win. We lost on Friday 1-0 on a superb pitching performance by our #1 starter. Chillicothe scored their only run on an error in the first inning and again, we couldn't muster any hits together to squeak one out. The bright spots were the pitching performances of the starter and the relief pitchers. We even lost our starting shortstop to a 1 inch gash in his arm by being spiked on a head-first slide into second. He had to leave the game and have 6 stitches; he'll be out a few days.

Yesterday, we finally broke through with the sticks and scored some runs, leading 4-3 in the eighth. The relief pitching wasn't as dominant and gave up a tying home run, with a throwing error and we lost 5-4. I feel really bad for the guys and they are trying their best and the effort is there. We need to win today to make us feel better about ourselves.

Will post tomorrow.

Negro League Museum

We just can't get a winning streak together. We traveled back to Clarinda, IA to play the A's which we beat 16-8 last time we played them, but couldn't get the big hit with men on base. We are getting better at the plate and our approach is improving. We pitched decent in the game but lost 7-4. I've found that we are not as talented as the other teams, only because we are facing DI talent most of the time. However, these guys are hard working and improving everyday and enjoying their time playing. That's what this summer is all about!

Yesterday, the team traveled to downtown KC and spent the afternoon at the Negro League museum. It was a great look back at US history and how the league began from racism. There were many great players that couldn't play in the big leagues. They played before enormous crowds as those teams had tremendous support from the black community. I read about one white owner who began a team to launder money for a gambling ring, but found he made more money running a legit Negro league team. Great stuff.

We head to Chillicothe, MO tonight to hopefully get back on track. Over the course of the weekend, we have our top three pitchers throwing, all with sub 2.5 ERA. Gives us a good chance to win some ballgames.

No Bullpen Needed

We found the win column yesterday with a 5-2 win over the Topeka Giants. Jesse Bachman threw a complete game for us and helped to preserve our bullpen. We've had to use pitchers quite a bit the last week and that effort helped set us up for the rest of the week. We got timely hitting and solid defense to keep us in the hunt in the league.

The guys are dragging a little bit and we've had some injuries to overcome. One of our players might have torn a shoulder muscle and is out for the summer. However, we did pick up another pitcher who is coming back from an injury to his non-throwing hand. He'll be a much needed boost in our bullpen later.

We're back in Clarinda, Iowa tonight and trying to put together a win streak. Will post on Friday.

The Family Arrives!

On Sunday, Angela and the kids arrived a week early. It was awesome to see them after three long weeks. The kids looked bigger and Claire even has a loose tooth. Looks like we'll have the first installment of the tooth fairy, better save the change! Nolan was strutting his stuff and has been ruling the roost a little bit since I've been gone. But a little bit of rough play and tickling has settled him down somewhat, even though I've had to discipline a little bit. I got to spend Angela's 30th birthday with her alone, as one of the assistant coaches and his wife watched the kids so we could go out.

It's good to have them here, although it has been an adjustment getting back on the kid's early wake-up schedule. But it's summer and we can lay around and take it easy. We have some fun plans for the time their here such as the zoo, Oceans of Fun, parks and swimming. I'm looking forward to the time spent together.

Beatrice Bruins.....Socked Again!

We faced what the coaching staff believes in the best team in the league, the Beatrice Bruins. They have a collection of Big12 freshman and sophomores and big-time talent on the mound. Again we faced their #1 and #2 pitchers over the weekend, the same guy drafted in the MLB draft. He was throwing 91-92 and beat us 1-0. We lost the first game 13-2, and the final game we faced a pitcher throwing 94 mph. Couldn't touch him! We lost 8-0. It was a brutal trip and sapped some life out of us.

We wanted a chance to come back last Sunday and play a non-league game, but the game was called due to a scheduling conflict. So goes the life in summer ball.

Meltdown

It's getting hot in KC. You know those summer days: hazy, humid, sticky, hot breeze. Unfortunately, this is just a taste of what will actually get worse this summer. It's only 85 here and mercifully a nice breeze is blowing. It's not so bad right now and we'll deal with the weather when it arrives. That's what summer baseball is all about.

We had three games over the last two days, starting with a 13-2 loss to the Topeka Golden Giants. This is the same team we felt we could've beat last time, but lost 4-3. It was one of those games that invariably rear it's ugly head. Mental mistakes, fielding errors, bad approaches to the plate. We were beaten on the field and demoralized in our psyche. We just didn't have a good day. Didn't compete at all. The staff let out some frustration on the boys after the game and hopefully used it as a wake-up call. We just couldn't get anything done! The team was embarrassed.

But that's why you play the game. The great thing about baseball is there's always tomorrow and a new day. Put the previous game away, because there's another one today. Especially early in the year, we can chalk it up as a learning experience and move on.

The guys did just that. The Chillicothe Mudcats were in town for an unscheduled double-header. This was the team that was rained out on Sunday, so we tacked on the game on this day. After the debacle in Topeka, the guys rallied and won a tight extra inning game 2-1 in the eighth. We were leading 1-0 in the top of the 7th when the Mudcats tied it at 1-1 on a quality pitch hit up the middle with 2 outs. Could've been a letdown for us and I was afraid the team would have withered. They did not and after holding them down in the eighth, we came back to win on an infield single to get the monkey off our back and break a four game losing skid. It was nice.

We played at the same level during the second game, but couldn't muster any scoring threats and lost 4-1. The boys played two complete games and had a chance to win both. That's what the staff likes to see from game to game. It was a 180 degree turn around from the night before.

We travel to Beatrice, Nebraska for a 3 game series vs. the Beatrice Bruins. We look to do better this time around.

Let's Play Catch-Up!

Thanks for being patient with me over the last few days. I was unable to get over to the coffee shop after our games this weekend. Here's a recap of Friday and Saturday's games:

6/8 vs. Wichita Wheat Kings - These guys are a collection of former and current college players playing in the summer and had already played 12 games. We had no pitching to speak of and were going to piece together some innings with our bullpen. Our starting pitcher came out and pitched and competed with only giving up 1 run. We lead 3-1 going into the seventh and the Wheat Kings were clearly frustrated. Unfortunately, we woke them up in between innings after an errant throw reached their dugout. Those guys had some choice words for our guys and a fight almost broke out. They came back over the next few innings and lead 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth. We had the tying run on third but bounced into a game ending double play to lose a heart breaker! They hit their way to a win, but we didn't execute in crunch time either to give ourselves a chance. It was non-league game, so the staff chalked it up to a learning experience.

6/9 vs. Beatrice Bruins - We ran into a pitching buzz saw on Saturday, as we faced the best pitching we've seen this year. The Bruins had three players drafted over the weekend in the MLB draft and they happened to pitch that day. We were overmatched on some at bats, but had a small window to put runs on the board early. We couldn't do it and lost 5-0 and 8-1 on the day. The guys were obviously frustrated, but were reminded that good pitching beats good hitting every time. I could sense that they were eager to get back on the horse and get after it on Sunday.

6/10 vs. Chillicothe Mudcats - We didn't get the chance to rebound from Saturday as a thunderstorm rumbled through in the morning and dumped 3 inches on rain in Kearney. The field was extremely damp and we couldn't play the game. We were off yesterday and today and travel to Topeka for a game tomorrow.

We are a little beaten up health wise, so pray that our guys would stay healthy for this week.

And the Hits Just Keep on Coming!

Really, they did. Usually that phrase is used in a negative connotation, but last night we scored 10 runs in an inning with hit after hit.

We traveled up to the southwest corner of Iowa to play the Clarinda A's in a MINK league game. We were short some pitching and had to piecemeal the rotation a little bit to keep us in the ballgame. We trailed 5-3 going into the seventh inning and it looked like we were done for. Two of those runs were unearned scored with two out in the inning; one on an error and one on a fly ball lost in the lights. Frustrating from a coaching standpoint, but part of the game.

Then it happened. We had two great at-bats to start the seventh, earned by a hit and a walk. We loaded the bases and scored runs on a walk and hit batsman. Then the carousel started going and by the time the third out was recorded, the score was 15-5! We scored the ol' insurance run in the ninth, shut the door in the ninth, won 16-8 and brought our record to 3-2 in the MINK.

We're off today and open up a 4 game home stand this weekend. Keep checking the FCA website for game details. I'm also giving pre and post game interviews online during the live webcasts. Helps me work on media relations!

Shipwrecked on Gilligan's Island

We stranded a small village of runners on base yesterday, with 12 men LOB and lost 8-5. We even out-hit the other team 12-9, but couldn't come up with the big base hit when we needed it. There was also the usual Texas league hit against us that scored three runs when the game was close. But, that's baseball and hopefully those hits will come around for us.

The team went through a little mental adversity as well. A few of the guys displayed some emotion in the dugout that was little over the top. That will be a few of the things we talk about today and during the homestand.

We're off to Clarinda, IA to face one of the strongest teams in the MINK. We're down pitching, so we need to score some runs to have a chance tonight.

I'm having a blast! This is the most fun coaching baseball I've had in a while. Talk to you tomorrow.

First Series Win: We're 2-1

After a restful night in the Days Inn hotel, we headed to the ballpark for the triple-header against conference opponent Ozark Generals. The ballpark wasn't far, so we didn't have to get up very early. I pulled a prank on a few of the players by calling their room as a radio DJ to make sure they were up. I put on my best DJ voice I could and told them they were live on the air. Each room hung up the phone on me, but one young man wondered if a contest was at stake. He was disappointed that he hung up. Of course this sets him up for the next road trip as I'll be sure to call him with another contest. I love road trips!

We were at the park around 10:30 for pregame batting practice and started at noon. The staff really had no idea what to expect from our pitchers, but the defense is solid. Wouldn't you know it our first pitcher threw a complete game shutout and we won 4-0. The second game didn't fare as well, the game got out of hand, and we left our weaker pitchers in to take the blow; we lost 12-5. The rubber game started around 4:00 and our guys did a real nice job staying excited and eager to play. You could really tell the difference from the other team, as our guys rallied around each other and won the game 6-5. These guys are awesome and genuinely like one another, which helps them play better as well. Sure there's the usual ribbing, but they like to play on this team. The staff needs to work on a few mental aspects of the team, but it's coming around.

We got back to KC around 1 o'clock in the morning and we gave them the day off to do whatever. I found a fitness center in Kearney owned by believers and enjoyed working out to burn some energy.

I would love to hear from you. I found a coffee shop across the street from the house I'm staying at with internet access, so drop me an email!

Kitty Litter

I write this in the Days Inn in Ozarks, Missouri. We drove 3.5 hours down here yesterday only to find out the field was extremely wet. We arrived at the park, which is an old minor league facility, with the grounds crew working on the field. Most field have a large tarp which covers the infield to prevent the water soaking the field. Missouri has been getting a lot of rain the past few weeks and the tarp allows teams to continue to play when the rain breaks. Well the tarp that covers this field has holes in it and the infield became wet and unplayable.

There are many tricks in trying to get a field ready. Some coaches and ground crew pour gasoline in the puddles and then put a match to it to dry them up. With the price of gas nowadays that's an expensive effort. There is a compound called QuickDry that absorbs the water and helps to dry the field quickly. This method is also expensive with bags costing around $10 and taking up to 10-20 bags to get the job done. If you haven't guessed it already, kitty litter has the same effect as QuickDry, without being so expensive. There is a drawback: it smells like a litter box!

So the boys went to a restaurant called Lambert's, which has really good home style meals. They also have an unusual atmosphere with the wait staff walking around with appetizers that they dish out of bowls and place on napkins on your table. This includes: fried okra, macaroni n' cheese with tomatoes, and rolls that they throw from across the restaurant! We had a great meal and a great time. Some of the guys sent a birthday gift to one of the assistant coaches with balloons and a cinnamon roll. Good times.

We play a triple-header today to open the season. The sky is blue this morning, the wind blowing east to west, and it's a perfect day for a game(s)!

Will write tomorrow with the results of our day. Go Grays!

Training Camp

So, I said I would blog every day and it hasn't happened. It has been very busy the past few days with players reporting to camp, checking into St. Mary's University in Leavenworth, Kansas (home of the largest state pen in the U.S.) and the first day of practice. Today consisted of hitting and fielding in the morning, followed by more of the same in the afternoon with a scrimmage. We just finished dinner and our evening meetings.

The players are doing a study on Ephesians 6 about putting on the armor of God. The summer theme for FCA is "Get Ready" about those passages and is challenging these athletes to play for the Lord. As athletes they get ready for practices and games, and as Christians we need to get ready to do battle with the powers and principalities that exist in this world.

The Grays have some talented players and the coaching staff is excited to play games. The camp seems a little long, but necessary to gauge the talent of the staff.

I'll post more on Thursday as I gather more information on the team.

Go Time, Baby!

I arrived in KC on Friday night after a long car ride from Chicago, IL. I flew to Chicago in order to ride down with Rich Benjamin, assistant at Olivet Nazarene, who will be assisting this summer. He's a really great individual; very passionate about Jesus and baseball. We get along very well. I look forward to working with him.

We are currently staying with the former director of FCA Baseball, Mike Lusardi and his family. They are gracious hosts and it has been a joy to have fellowship with them.

The past few days have been helping the GM from the Grays, Joe Reed, continue to prepare for the arrival of the players on Monday. He has not had an assistant to help with the mundane tasks: putting together player packets, equipment, itineraries, etc. Guess who did that? It was a good way to start the summer and fill the role of servant leader. Hey, if I believe in that, I need to put that to work. That's the goal this summer, be an example to the kids and be Christ. There may be a few who have not made a commitment to Christ and could make a decision during the summer.

We had to St. Mary's University, north of KC, for training camp tomorrow through Friday night. The kids will head to their host homes, while I will be camped at a missionary parsonage at our host church, First Baptist Church of Kearney, MO. There will be space for Angela and the kids to stay with me when they come at the end of June.

My goal is to blog everyday now that I'm here and continue to share this journey with you. My family and I appreciate those who donated and the sacrifice you made!

A Cup of Coffee

As most of you, I sometimes begin my morning with a cup of coffee. It helps to wake me up and just enjoy the morning. Having coffee on days when you don't have to be anywhere, lets you slow down and think about things. Enjoying this cup o' joe doesn't last too long before reality sets in and you have to get back life. You try to make the most of this time and enjoy yourself as much as possible.

As I was searching our bookshelf for another book to read, a title from one of Angela's books caught my eye. I haven't read it, but it was titled, Cup of Coffee. I just asked Angela what it's about and as the title suggests, it's about coffee.

What does it have to do with baseball, you ask?

As you might imagine, making it to the Major Leagues is extremely difficult. Future prospects in baseball have about a 1 in 10,000 chance to make it to the big leagues. Many minor league players never make it up and if they do, they only get to stay for a little while. In essence, they only get to the majors for "a cup of coffee". In the movie, Bull Durham, Crash Davis talks about his "cup of coffee" as being the best of his life. Someone carries your bags, the batting practice balls are white, the off-speed pitches are crisper. It's all surreal. Didn't last long for him though and he was back on a minor league bus.

Kinda like the Christian life, ain't it? Stay with me, I know this life on earth isn't the major leagues but we're here only a little while. James 4:14 says "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." Time passes quickly, this life is only a "cup of coffee"; are you making an impact for the Kingdom?

In My Blood

I love to coach. I read this article on why coaches coach. So it got me to thinking. I find myself coaching, even when I'm not coaching. Typically, I correct Nolan or Claire (even Angela for that matter) on basic everyday happenings in life. Listen to how crazy I am.

I coached Claire the other day on how to flush the toilet properly! We have a somewhat tricky handle on the toilet in the downstairs bathroom and I found myself breaking down how to push the handle down, then lift it up to prevent the stopper from staying up and having the water constantly run. I also explained why Claire should do this properly and what the benefits were to doing it correctly! I praised her for flushing after going potty, corrected her on how to lift the handle, then praised her again for being obedient. That's a criticism sandwich in the coaching world! (Side note: a criticism sandwich = positive praise + corrective criticism + positive praise)

I feel that I have a gift to coach. However, that's in my own mind; what have my former players said is the real test of my gift. I've spoken to former players and I always ask them if they learned something new from me, did they learn how to play the game better?

I have been encouraged by my time with RCTC baseball program and how open those players are to learning from me. I always make sure that what I tell them make sense to them, because if it makes sense to me, but not to them, I'm no good. Communicating properly is really what makes a good coach.

Mental Toughness

I've had the chance to volunteer at RCTC this spring with the baseball team. This is a great opportunity to get back in the mode of coaching. The head coach has delegated some responsibility to me with the outfield and 1st base coaching duties. We've played 6 games here in Minnesota/Iowa (going 1-5) and the team has some talent.

What they're struggling with, however, is the mental side of the game. You really have to be crazy to play baseball. Think about it. It's one of few sports where you have an opportunity to really dwell on mistakes and the action doesn't allow you to easily forget. For example, if you have a bad at bat, you may not hit for 2-3 innings or not at all. If you make an error, you may not have the chance for another play all day! Faster paced sports such as basketball or football require you to not think about the last play because the next one is happening in the next 10 seconds.

You need to be mentally tough to succeed in baseball. A 30% success rate in the game could reap millions of dollars in the major leagues. That's failing 70% of the time! How you deal with failure is the true measure of how well you play. You can hit the ball as hard as you can, produce a screaming line drive.....and be caught by an outfielder. Do you get frustrated or think I couldn't hit the ball better than that and tip your cap and move on. On the flip side, a hitter can mishit the ball off the end of his bat and wind up on 1st with a bloop single.

I read Ron Washington, manager of my team the Texas Rangers, saying "Good hitters learn from outs, bad hitters complain about them."

Kind of like life, huh? Some days we hit the ball on the button, but don't have anything to show for it. Then we plug along and something great happens. Are you in a rut mentally? I am right now, worrying about my job, this summer, finances, etc. But I know that I need to be mentally tough and get through these times. Thankfully, Jesus has said His yoke is easy and His burden light. Will you take this moment and ask Him to guide your decisions and rely on His strength.

I welcome any comments that you may have and send me an email if you get a chance.

The Call

I received it a couple of weeks ago and it totally caught me off guard. The caller asked me if I wanted to be the head coach of the FCA Grays. I had applied to be on the coaching staff, but not as the head coach, only an assistant. But here I was, being asked to lead a group of young men for a brief time, only for a summer.

I miss it terribly. The smell of the game: sunflower seeds, pine tar, dirty uniforms, smelly players, all of it. Yeah, I've only been out of the game less than a year, but I love baseball. So one of the first things I did when we moved to Rochester was to contact the community college in the area, see if they needed any help. Free help? Of course, we'll take the free help (some clothing for payment)! So I sporadically have made practice at RCTC and look forward to helping out. The head coach has put me in charge of the outfield and I am pumped to be involved again. I noticed that it's more about coaching and the personal interaction with the athletes that I've missed most. Being an AD, you don't have the daily contact of athletes.

Angela and I discussed what this decision would mean to the family. Obviously my absence over the summer would be hard. Angela would be home with the kids alone during the most beautiful months in Minnesota. I would need to work out missing time at my real job. I wouldn't have dad time at all. This was something I really wanted to do and could lead to a position down the road in baseball. Angela was behind it and reassured me that this was something I should do and she wanted me to do it. Yes! I took the job.

So here I am, daydreaming for May 26 when the coaches need to report to KC. I've begun to formulate the summer coaching philosophy and purpose for the team. We only have them a short time, so there's not a lot of personal philosophy that we'll be able to teach. For example, there is a certain way that I have adopted on teaching rundowns. But it's different from what is generally taught. But the staff can still impact the players on how the game is played and how hard to play it.

I appreciate you following my journey and I will be posting once a week until the season starts. I will post almost daily on my thoughts of the games and how much of an impact the Lord is having on these kids. The players are not required be believers in the Lord, in fact, two players from last year came to know Jesus. What a great opportunity to impact the Kingdom!

Thanks for reading!