Category Archives: Uncategorized

Why We Are Involved with USA Baseball

By coachgallion on

A couple of days ago, I overheard two dads casually say that the only reason that the Gamers do the USA Baseball process is for “recruiting”, as if it was just a known fact. This is another one of those assertions that have zero basis in reality.

In the three years of running the Midwest Region for USA Baseball, over 1000 players have come through the sub-regional and regional process. 500 players have played in the St. Louis regional events, with 75% of them from outside of the St. Louis areas.

Of these players, there are at most 5 players that joined our program after the USA event (i.e. players that were not Gamers before the event, that become Gamers after the event). Note — we do our tryouts BEFORE the USA regional event. That is 5 out of 500, 1%.

We have more players than this LEAVE the Gamers program because they were upset at not being selected in the USA event.

I know that other local programs like to talk about this, and use it as a reason to prevent their players from competing in the USA events. Of course, this just limits their players from the USA Baseball National Team process, and results in the opportunities being given to kids from Oklahoma, Arkansas, etc..

But, this talk is far from the truth. And, it is more upsetting when parents just take these statements at face value, without questioning the basis.
So, why does the Gamers program help USA Baseball run the Midwest Region? Three reasons:

  • It is the right thing to do, to provide Midwest region kids the opportunity to participate in the National Team Process. Over the past 2 years, we have had 8 kids selected for the National Teams Trials (none from the St. Louis area). Visit http://USABaseball.com. It is the elite of the elite in youth baseball. This is something Midwest kids deserve the opportunity to participate in. Before our involvement, there was no established pipeline from the Midwest to USA Baseball. We were honored to be selected by USA Baseball to be the Midwest regional directors.
  • It expands our relationships and network with college coaches across the country. It makes the Gamers program more well-known across the country. This helps our current HS players in the college recruiting process. The USA Baseball National Team program is at the core of elite baseball for the youth and college levels.
  • We learn a lot from the process — in particular, by coaching elite players from across the region and interacting with other top club programs across the country at the National Event in Cary, NC. This makes our program better, because it helps us understand what other players/clubs do and how they do it.
Running the Midwest NTIS program takes a lot of work. If we wanted to recruit players, there are a lot of easier ways …

Update – we stopped running the USA Baseball Midwest NTIS in 2016 because the quality of the event degraded substantially in 2015/16 and the event became more about revenues to USA Baseball than the actual baseball experience of the players.

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A man is know by the company he keeps …

By coachgallion on

For some reason, this time of year in youth baseball and with the start of school & college, the proverb “A man is know by the company he keeps” pops into my head.



Below is a short essay on the proverb, from http://preservearticles.com.


Relevant for teenage boys, parents and coaches …

Man is a social creature. None can live alone, away from the society of his fellow being, like shipwrecked Alexandra Selkirk who aspired for company in the lonely island. It is always very natural for him to seek the company of others. Even when all his immediate physical needs are met, he must have someone to talk to enjoy himself with. At home he has his near and dear ones by his side. But that is not enough. He must have other companions— friends to whom he can unburden his heart and with whom he can exchange his ideas and share his enthusiasm.

Hence, we must intimately associate with others; we must do so that our friends may come to exert a great deal of influence over us, on our character and conduct. Man is by nature imitative, and he will often be led to imitate others.

For good or for evil, others very often lead and guide us. They may mould our tastes and interest, and shape our character. We become good or bad as our friends are. For instance, if a man is virtuous and honest, he will by his speech and conduct inspire his friends with goodness and honesty. Similarly, if our friends are wicked, we may follow them do as they do and become wicked ourselves. Naturally, we cannot blame people if they judge us by the company we keep. The same boy shapes differently if placed in different companies.

Furthermore, no companionship, at least no lasting companion­ship is possible unless the parties have similar tastes and interests, likes and dislikes. It is like the magnetic affinity. A man who is bad in instinctively drawn to those who are similarly bad. It has been most truly said that birds of the same feather flock together. Here also the character of our companions is an index of our own character. If he does not show his dislike nor try to avoid uncongenial company, having found undeserving, he will surely, in course of time, become quite as bad as his friend. It is quite axiomatic that one who is virtuous will shun the company of those who are given to the ways of vice. He will try to make friends with those that are good and on the right path.

Companionship thus is a positive factor not only in the formation of character but in the estimation of man’s true worth. It is at once an influence on character and a measure of one’s real worth. A man is often judged by the collective quality and identity of his group. Nobody will believe that a particular robber of the gang is honest. As we are drawn to men who feel and act like ourselves and we are influenced by them. An estimate of the moral character of an individual can easily by made in reference to that of his companions. He cannot be different from his friends. So we conclude that he is what his friends are. Just as one rotten mango spoils the rest in the basket, similarly one wicked man corrupts a lot of friends.

In the choice of our companions, we must be cautious and careful because on this choice depends so much. Before we make friends with others, we must watch their conduct and know what kind of men they actually are. But as children do not know what is right and wrong, parents must see that boys and girls do not fall into evil company. This task should begin at school, — in the formative years of a boy or girl.

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Providing information

By coachgallion on

It seems only fair to me that HS age baseball programs provide early and timely information to players and parents including:

– Total program fees
– Which team they will be on
– Who will coach them
– What the offseason practice schedule will be
– What the season tournament/travel schedule will be (at least by January)
– What the in-season practice schedule will be
Most of the top programs in the country provide this information early, a lot of it BEFORE tryouts and filling rosters. If I was a parent, I would want to know this information in advance.
It takes a lot of blind trust to commit to a team or program without this information in hand.
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Selling the Easy Way To …

By coachgallion on

Since the days of snake oil salesmen, people have been trying to sell the “easy way out” potions and formulas to a willing audience. It is human nature to look for the easy way out, the easy weight loss diet, the easy way to get in shape, the easy way to make money, the easy way to find a mate, the easy way to do about anything ….

This now includes the easy way to play baseball at the next level.
The Gamers program is built around Hard Work and Passion. These are the cornerstones of our pyramid of success. We practice a lot, work hard and have high expectations on and off the field. In our opinion it is the right way to do things, regardless of how talented players may be. Even the most talented players need to work hard — because being talented in St. Louis does not translate into being talented and successful at the next level.
There is “no easy way out” in the Gamers program. This is our image and reputation in the youth baseball market, and it is true.
But, snake oil salesmen have ridden into town (actually, they have been here a while). They target talented baseball players and sell them a magic potion that looks like this:
“Come to our program. We don’t practice as much, have friendlier coaches, don’t work as hard and have lower expectations. Don’t believe the Gamers BS about Hard Work and Passion. Plus, because we reduce un-needed coaching and instruction, our program may cost less. Easier, plus less money. A deal you can’t refuse.”
This is almost comical. Get better, by working less. Snake oil potions, combined with some multi-level Amway marketing.
Some parents and players fall for this pitch. Like the magic weight loss, hair growth and smart pills from frontier days. Sounds great for parents — a lot less driving around and fewer practices.
Don’t believe the snake oil salesmen. You cannot lose weight unless you eat less and/or burn more calories. Sorry Dorothy, but the Wizard is just a man hiding behind a curtain.
There is no easy way out if you want to be an elite baseball player. Especially, here in the Midwest, where the baseball season is too short and you do not get nearly enough reps by just playing. If you are extremely talented, you may get to the next level on raw talent alone. But, you will not succeed at the next level unless you understand Hard Work and Passion.
There is no easy way out if you are pursuing excellence and competing against yourself to be the best you can be. It takes hard work, a lot of practice, challenging coaches, high expectations and a lot of dedication. That is the magic formula. There is no easy way out.
Or, I have great deal where you can work from home 3 hours a day and earn $100k …
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Being a Dad Coach

By coachgallion on

The hardest thing I have ever done is coach my son in baseball.

Harder than playing football, harder than engineering school, harder than working in the oil fields, harder than Harvard Business School and harder than climbing the corporate ladder for 20 years.
It was a constant personal battle between emotion and logic. I was not good at it. In all my years of coaching, I have only met a couple of people who are.
So, I read every book and watched every DVD on coaching baseball, looking for the answer. I poured a lot of time and personal capital into the quest. The answer was not there.

I got a lot smarter about coaching and about baseball. And, my contribution and leadership in the Gamers program was a direct result from this failed quest to coach my own son.
This worked great at 12u, OK at 13u, not well at 14u and terribly at 15u and 16u. As a young man gets older, it is harder and harder for them to learn from their dads. It is also harder and harder for players to learn from their teammate’s dad. Just too much baggage. And, it is harder and harder for dads to be teachers. This is especially true from 15-17. We just care too much. Emotion versus logic, for both the dad and the son.
Objectively, there is no winner in this battle.
So, I brought in outside instructors to work with the teams and sent my son to private lessons. But, the games and team practices were still coached by me. I was a very good coach for 13 out of 14 players. As time went, I became a better and better coach for 13/14th’s of the team and a worse and worse coach for 1/14th of the team.
I like math. I like fractions. Those fractions suck.
This creates a lot of personal anguish for dads and sons. Being inherently stubborn, I refused to take the easy way out, and coddle my son, batting him third, playing him 95% of innings and sacrificing the pursuit of excellence for 13/14th’s of the team. Almost exclusively, this is how dad coaches cope with this situation. They come down on the side of emotion and take the easy way out, sacrificing the 13/14th’s.
I do not wish this fate on anyone. Dads and sons deserve more. Fortunately, there is a better answer.
99% of players should not be coached by their dads once they reach high school age. I know that dads always want to coach “one more year” and hold on to the triumphs of youth baseball. I was in the same boat. I also know that some baseball programs play on this emotion, using it to attract talent while avoiding the cost of paid coaches. 5 years ago, I received the same phone call and almost got sucked in.
But, this is a mistake for all involved. For the dad coaches, for the sons and for the other 13/14th’s of the team. Maybe there is someone out there that can pull this off. It is a super-human request to ask a coach to take care of his son, while effectively coaching a select-level high school age team.
This is especially true in summer baseball, where ultimately college recruiting becomes the focus. If you were a college coach, would you listen to the opinion of a dad? I know a lot of college coaches. They actively avoid conversations with dad coaches. This negatively impacts every player on the dad-coached team, even the coaches own son. This is a one-sided proposition, but does not make sense for dads, for sons and for the rest of the team.
Ultimately, there is a point where parenting and coaching do not go together. It is rarely past 15u. Once young men go to high school, start excercising independence, it becomes unsustainable and a lose-lose situation.
For the Gamers program, this means professional paid coaches at 15u and above. This raises the cost of our program, and creates separation anxiety for players moving from 14u to 15u. Dad coaches move to the stands, sons become just players and other teammates need to adjust to a new coach. Everyone gets nervous about this — but it is the right transition.
It is the right answer for all involved — dad, son and the 13/14ths.
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Truth Prevails

By coachgallion on

Back in 2007, our first year of the Gamers program, our oldest teams were 16u. One of the teams was very talented. Another local program called every player on our 16u roster and told them:

“The Gamers can never get you into college baseball. They don’t have the connections that I have. If you want to play college or professional baseball, you need to play with me. I promise that you will play D1 baseball or be drafted if you play with me. And, you won’t have to pay a dime. I’ll just add you to our existing 18 player rosters and let the other players pay for you to play”
That is pretty much verbatim the sales pitch.
One dad/player fell for the sales pitch. They promised that he would be a high round draft pick if he changed programs. He made the change the first weekend of the summer without any advance notice to us. He was never close to being drafted and is currently on the roster of a D1 program at a state school where he probably would have received a 100% academic scholarship with or without baseball.
Since then, 55 Gamers players from the classes of 2010 and 2011 have NOT fallen for the false promises. They have worked hard, become good players, and made it into college baseball through their efforts in the Gamers program. 55 players in the past 2 years.
But, the sales pitch and false promises continue from other programs. Ad nauseum.
No administrator or baseball program can promise your son a college baseball scholarship or a high round draft pick. This kind of talk belongs on the used car lot.
These opportunities are totally within control of the player. If you are talented, athletic, play the game right, work hard in the weight room and get good grades, you create your own opportunity to play college or professional baseball. No one does it for you. You do it yourself.
55 players in 2 years playing college baseball. And they did it themselves, as part of the Gamers program. We are proud of them.
No promises, no free passes. Just old fashioned sweat and effort.
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A lot of thoughts …

By coachgallion on

After a weekend of baseball at Notre Dame, the following four blog posts (from 4 years ago!!) keep running through my mind:

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Gamers 15u Perfect Game Reports

By coachgallion on

Gamers 15u teams competed hard in their first trip to East Cobb. Below are the scouting blogs from the tournament.

East Cobb Rawlings Defeats St. Louis Gamers
6/30/2011 3:43:41 PM

The East Cobb Rawlings 15U squad defeated the St. Louis Gamers 15U Blue team 9-6 on Wednesday. Rhett Harper threw 77-80 mph for Rawlings, displaying that he knows how to pitch and has mound presence. He is aggressive with his fastball. Lew Stephens showed a balanced swing at teh plate for the Rawlings squad. Weston McArthur also pitched in offensively, showing good bat speed and a power approach at the plate. Matt Westrich had a good day at the plate for the Gamers, showing good plate coverage, a quiet hitting approach, and power potential.

St. Louis Gamers 15u Blue puts up big numbers
6/30/2011 2:14:51 PM

the St. Louis Gamers 15u Blue defeated the 6-4-3 DP Cougars 15-6 today when the Gamers racked up 15 total hits. Cougars, Matt Westrich was 3-4 with 2 runs scored, and 2 RBI’s. He is a spray hitter who can hit where the pitch is thrown, medium framed build with a powerful approach at the plate. Levi Whitmire also had a satisfying game, he was 2-2 with 1 run scored and 1 RBI. He has a good eye, linedrive hitter with power and has a quiet approach.

St. Louis Gamers 8-run Action Baseball Club Green
6/30/2011 2:04:22 PM

In the consolation bracket this morning the St. Louis Gamers beat Action Baseball Club 15u Green in 5 innings putting the 8-run rule in effect. The final score was 11-3. Joseph Tanner of the Gamers had a strong day going 3-3 with 3 RBI’s and 2 runs scored. He stays inside the ball well, has a quick bat, balanced swing, and a compact swing. Paul Iseman of the Gamers also had a good day at the plate; he was 2-3 with 1 run scored and 1 RBI.

St. Louis Gamer top the long Island Rays
6/29/2011 11:14:40 AM

The bats came alive for the St. Louis Gamers today when the racked up 12 hits in 4 innings of play. Aaron Kopelman showed up to play for the Long Island Rays strung together the only 2 hits for the Rays today, breaking up Joseph Tanners no-no. Kopelman has a good eye, is a patient hitter, and a slightly crouched stance. Tanner throws with a high 3/4 arm angle, has limited arm speed, with a good follow through, and a projectable frame.

Sandy Plains Wildcats Defeat St. Louis Gamers
6/28/2011 3:18:50 PM

The Sandy Plains Wildcats won an 8-2 game against the St. Louis Gamers 15U Gray. Jack Pomerantz started for the Wildcats and threw 77-80 mph with his fastball. He comes at hitters from a high ¾ arm angle and has short arm action. Chase Solomon shone at the plate, staying inside the ball well with his quick bat. Cody Hardage helped out on offense and showed a balanced swing.

East Cobb Angels/St. Louis Gamers Tie
6/28/2011 1:31:22 PM

The East Cobb Angels and St. Louis Gamers 15U Blue played to a 3-3 tie today. Ryan Young averaged 74-77 mph with his fastball for the Angels, using a quick arm and changing speeds to fool hitters. Young also displayed armside run with his fastball while throwing easy. Jack Rouse had a solid day at the plate for the Gamers, showing an aggressive approach at the plate to go along with a quick bat and raw power.

St. Louis Gamers 15U Blue Beats Spartans
6/27/2011 5:25:41 PM

The St. Louis Gamers 15U Blue defeated the Sports A Rama Sparts 9-1 today. Daniel Schnicker pitched well for the Gamers. He throws strikes with a 75-78 mph fastball. Schnicker has long arm action, competes on the mound, and works fast. Matt Westrich excelled at the plate, hitting to all fields with a short, compact swing. He makes very hard contact.

Boyd Pitches Shoetiques to Victory
6/26/2011 2:42:45 PM

The Shoetiques defeated the St. Louis Gamers 15U Gray 11-3 today. Conner Boyd started for the Shoetiques and pitched at 74-77 mph. Trevor Sutton led the way offensively, going 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs. Caleb Hicks went 2 for 2 for the Gamers.

Florida Stars Squeak Out a Win
6/25/2011 7:09:33 PM

The Florida Stars won 6-5 against the St. Louis Gamers 15U Gray team. Florida Stars’ starter River Horning pitched at 74-78 mph with his fastball. He pitches from a high ¾ arm angle and has a short arm circle in the back. Kyle Hintz went 2 for 2 with 2 RBIs and a run scored. Hintz has good bat speed and power to all fields. Opposing Horning was Joseph Tanner, whose fastball was 71-73 mph. He has long arm action and good follow through with an online delivery.

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Addressing "Mis-Perceptions"

By coachgallion on

Over the past weeks, several parents and players have asked me about certain things that have been posted on discussion forums and/or said by individuals regarding the Gamers program. So, I thought that I would just address them in a blog post.

1. The costs of the Gamers program is high because “its all about the money” and “they only care about the money”.
This is a naive myth. Do the math …
Uniforms $300
Tournaments & Games $800 per player (entry fees only, we play in high end tourneys)
2 paid coaches – $500
100 hours of instruction – $1400 (thats $14 per hour, including facility rentals)
Total $3000 per player.
We do not pay our instructors or coaches too much. We pay them fairly, and they work harder than any other group I have seen.
The myth that club baseball is “all about the money” is out of touch with reality. It is all about what you get for the money.
Now, if a program does not play in high end tournaments, has unpaid coaches, does not provide 100 hrs of instruction, marks up travel costs and still charges $3000+, then maybe the critics have a point. The math does not work in that case.
But, that does not describe the Gamers program.

2. The Gamers promise kids a college scholarship

This is not true. Although we have put 52 players into college baseball in 2010 and 2011, we don’t promise anything to players and parents. The only way to play college baseball is to be talented, skilled, work hard and get good grades. We can help with this. But, there are no promises — it all starts and ends with the player.
3. The Gamers tell players that they can only get a college scholarship if they play club baseball.

We have never said that. If a player is talented, skilled, works hard and gets good grades, then he will have an opportunity to play college baseball. Some kids can play legion baseball during the summer, and still make it into college baseball.
The whole college scholarship thing is blown way out of proportion. The Gamers program is about providing kids the opportunity to play high level, competitive baseball in an environment that is both challenging and fun. We want to use baseball as a platform to positively impact kids’ lives.

Playing baseball in college might be one measure of success. But, it is definitely not the only measure or the most important measure. We have former players at very academic schools that we are just as proud of as our players that make it into D1 baseball.

4. The Gamers do not let their players play other sports.

Almost 50% of our high school age players play multiple sports. They find the time to work on baseball in the winter, play their second sport and keep their grades up. Not much time for partying and hanging out. But, our multi-sport athletes work hard and do things right. We are proud of them.
We want our players to take baseball seriously. A second sport cannot be used as an excuse for not working hard at baseball.
5. The Gamers are making money by charging parents to use Gamechanger.

Someone actually posted this on a local sports discussion forum…. crazy. Kind of shows the length some people will go to bad-mouth a program.
We adopted Gamechanger last year (the “pilot” program for Gamechanger) to keep track of our 13 teams and to consolidate all the stats. The design of Gamechanger was built around the stats that we keep as a program — things like quality at bats, and first pitch strikes.
But Gamechanger is an independent company. It makes money by providing “live” game info to parents that it sells through a subscription. It is a nice feature for parents. But, the Gamers do not make a dime off of it.
6. The Gamers make money by charging players for bus trips.

This one is out of touch too.
Bus trips provide an opportunity for our parents to “take the weekend off” and stay at home. Each high school age team does 1-3 trips per summer. Again, do the math on bus trip costs and you will see that $300 per player barely covers the cost. We travel on high quality, safe, large buses driven by Vandalia, the top charter service in the area. And, we stay in nice hotels with hot breakfast. Buses rent for $1000 per day. Hotels are $100 per night. It quickly adds up to $300 for a 4 day bus trip.
Some other programs travel in passenger vans and stay in lower quality hotels. Perhaps those trips cost less than $300 per trip. But, you get what you pay for. I would rather travel on safe buses for an extra $50-100 per player.
We do not do bus trips every weekend because we know that a lot of parents want to attend the games. So, to have bus trip costs plus parent travel costs is redundant. I am not sure why some programs do bus trips every weekend and make parents pay double. That math does not work.
7. The Gamers program plays out of town because they are afraid to play local SLABA and high school teams.

I can say universally that none of our coaches, including me, enjoys traveling on summer weekends. It is costly and a major impact on our families. It is a sacrifice we make to ensure that our players are playing the right competition and are in an environment where they can be seen by college coaches.
We would love to stay in St. Louis 8 weekends a year. We have worked hard to bring tournament operations like Pastime tournaments and DiamondSports tournaments to St. Louis (before us, these tournaments organizations did not even operate in St. Louis). We continue to work on it.
There are enough good baseball players in the St. Louis area to host 2x the number of tournaments that are currently hosted here. But, there are parochial barriers to this happening.
So, until progress is made on this front, we will not take the easy way out and have our teams/players play in below average local events that are not exposure-oriented. Until we get more of these events into St. Louis, we will continue to be away from our families during the summer. Our players need to play against the top competition available. If that is not available in St. Louis, then we will travel.
8. In addition to club fees, Gamers players have to take individual pitching and hitting lessons at All-Star Performance. If they don’t, they are punished.

First, only 25-33% of Gamers players take individual lessons at All-Star Performance. Way less than 1/2 the players.
Second, our program provides a lot of instruction that is already baked into the program fees. There is no requirement to add individual lessons on top of this. Some players do, because they are working hard to improve and want more direct one-on-one coaching from an instructor. But, it is not a requirement of the program.
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Freshman/Sophomore High School Baseball

By coachgallion on

This posting is primarily directed to 15u and 16u Gamers (2013, 2014 players).

We have now had hundreds of players go through high school baseball as freshmen and sophomores. Some have had great experiences. Others had bad experiences. It is important to have your expectations set properly and go into the high school baseball experience with the right mindset.
First a little grounding in reality. Of the 2010 Gamers playing college baseball right now, here is what they did during their freshman and sophomore years in high school:
During their freshmen year, 50% played freshman ball, 35% played JV and 15% played varsity.
During their sophomore years, 60% played JV and 40% played varsity.
Every situation is different. Some of our players go to huge high schools, some to small high schools. Some high school coaches push younger players to play “up”, while other coaches have firm policies to play juniors and seniors.
So, don’t get too caught up on whether you play freshman, JV or varsity baseball. Obviously, we would like you to play at the varsity level and hope that you get that opportunity.
But, we have had a number of players go on to play D1 college baseball that never played “up” in high school and did not even start as juniors. High school baseball is not necessarily a good indicator of college baseball potential or opportunities.
The opportunity to play “up” depends on a lot of factors, many of which are entirely outside of your control. My observation is that the process of selecting players to play “up” is not necessarily based on a players’ baseball talent, skill or attitude. Other factors clearly come into play, making the process seem almost random
This randomness can be quite frustrating for high school athletes and parents. But, it is outside of your control.
So, if you are selected to play “up”, congratulations. You need to work hard, continue to improve, earn playing time, be a leader and play like a Gamer.
Your challenge is to get pick up good habits from older teammates, and not pick up bad habits. I have seen too many freshmen play at the varsity level for all four years, and never get significantly better. By the time they are juniors, they start getting passed by. It happens all the time…don’t let it happen to you.
If you are not lucky enough to be selected to play “up”, just relax and focus on the things that can control. You need to do the same things as the players that are playing “up” — work hard, continue to improve, earn playing time, be a leader and play like a Gamer.
Your challenge is to overcome lower quality competition, fields and umpires to use the high school experience to improve your game, develop your skills and prepare you for the summer. With the right mindset, you can have a very successful and productive high school season without playing “up”.
This is what “pursuing excellence” is all about. You compete against yourself to get better, day by day, regardless of the level of competition you are facing. This is how you can take control of your high school baseball experience.
Remember John Wooden’s definition of success — “Success is the peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best that you are capable of becoming“.
Learning and mastering this mental approach is 10x more important than whether or not you play “up” as a freshman or sophomore in high school baseball. This is the mental approach that will ultimately help you succeed at higher levels of baseball and other aspects of your life.
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