As Coach Marlow says, we coaches are the stewards of the game of baseball. Our responsibilities include educating young ball players about the game and how to play the game, but also we have a responsibility to each player to prepare him for life after he hangs up the proverbial cleats. At the 1991 College Football Hall of Fame Dinner, Joe Paterno, Penn State Head Football Coach, said, “What are coaches? No. 1, we’re teachers and we are educators. We have the same obligation as all teachers…, except we probably have more influence over our young people than anyone, other than their families.” Both Coach Marlow’s and Coach Paterno’s insights carry much weight and hold a resounding truth. Coaches have many responsibilities, none greater than upholding the integrity of the game and educating young individuals on how to play the game with character and pride.
A team’s behavior reflects the leadership of the coaching staff, primarily the head coach. The head coach creates the culture of the team, and the assistant coaches follow the head coach’s lead regarding disposition, language, behavior, and character. The head coach is responsible for teaching his player’s appropriate behavior during games. He is also responsible for the actions of all of his players as well as the action of his coaches in practice and in games. For instance, players should never question as umpire’s calls or cheer against the other team. Teams that do this lack character and class, regardless of record and success on the field. Also, ballplayers should never throw helmets or other equipment. This is unacceptable and show poor emotional maturity. A head coach must set a high standard. Do not lower yourself and debase your team and program by conducting yourself at the level of another poorly coached team. Play with class.
Many ballplayers do not play the game past the Little League level because the game gets more complex, intense, and challenging. Very few will play high school baseball, and even fewer, less than three in 50, or about 5.6 percent, of high school senior baseball players will go on to play men’s baseball at a NCAA member institution. Also, less than eleven in 100, or about 10.5 percent, of NCAA senior male baseball players will get drafted by a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Approximately one in 200, or approximately 0.5 percent of high school senior boys playing interscholastic baseball will eventually be drafted by an MLB team. (http://www.hsbaseballweb.com/probability.htm). With this in mind, as each young athlete grows to be a young man, he takes the intangible lessons with him. The lessons he learns about self-discipline, character, integrity, playing with class, and overcoming failure and adversity are the skills that will enable one to succeed beyond the diamond. This is how a coach should define success.
