Players, NOW it's ok to........................

Now is the appropriate time for the players to reflect on their individual performance. All year long I've preached that it's a team game and that individuals getting too high or too low over their personal achievements and/or failures hurts the team and the chance for all to have success. That's a hard sell a lot of the time as it's natural for kids to live and die on the moment.

As I've said all along - At 10 to 12 years old it is about two things 1) having fun, and 2) getting better. Look back at what was done well and what wasn't. Enjoy the accomplishments and learn from the failures. Every player on this team has made a number of good plays and can build on them. At the same time, every player on this team has holes in their game that were exposed over the course of the season. Understand that everything can change, anything can change, or nothing can change - YOU get to decide that.

My advice to players returning to the Padres or moving on to play in Juniors or elsewhere is this:

1. Hitting improvement comes in the off-season. USE VIDEO! Either at the batting cages or live BP have someone get lots of video. Compare it to what really good hitters do. Maybe post the video on any one of many baseball websites and ask for help from others (many are coaches and instructors who've worked with every level of players from t-ball to MLB).

Remember that rarely anything good is eaily attained. It takes a lot of work and dedicating a lot of time. Even then hitting a baseball against good pitching is not easy. It can be done though. Last season Cordell had a donut going for most of the season, not one single hit until about game 14 or 15. This year he collected one in his first at-bat.

2. Take pride in your defense! Even good hitters go into funks where balls don't fall in for hits or they strike out. You can always play hard on defense though. And it's not even so much "playing hard" as it is having your baseball IQ sharpened up and doing all the little things right. This is especially true for the kids moving up to the big fields next year. There's not enough athletic ability in the world to compensate for even just average baseball instincts playing on 90' diamonds.

3. Understand the game. This game is not about no-hitters and grand slam home runs. Those things are rarities. What wins games are little things. When you really understand and appreciate this game, you will find that those supposedly extraordinary events will not inspire or impress you as much as the little thing, the something maybe that doesn't even show up in the scorebook as ever happening, that helps win a game.

I cannot ever remember a teammate hitting a grand slam HR, though I know it happened. Though I do remember a lot of things like players sliding hard into 2B to break up a double play, giving our team an extra out and us capitalizing on it. I remember last season Jacob Collier running a mile to get to a foul ball that not one other player in the league would've attempted to and almost making the catch. I'll forget a lot about this year. The things I'll remember are things you've all probably already forgotten. Things like Zach fouling back a bunch of 3-2 pitches against the Tigers, burning up the rest of their starter's pitch count, and then breaking their heart by eventually getting a hit. It completely changed that game. I'll remember in our last game against the Astros, Cordell and Austin going 110% after a foul ball and neither having a good shot at it, but both diving after it. I'll remember Grant's perfect bunt and his all out hustle running out that basically willed their pitcher to air mail the throw and us to score the winning run. Just to name a few.

Guys, you don't have to be in the HR club, or be the kid that hits the walk-off HR to win a game, or strike out 15 batters in a game to be a hero. In baseball, like life, real heros aren't rock stars and celebrities, but the people who can be counted on and give it their all day in and day out.

4. Finally, and most importantly - Play the game with joy in your heart! Every spring that you get to keep putting on a uniform and playing baseball is a good one -APPRECIATE IT!!! ENJOY IT!!!! SAVOR IT!!! MAKE THE MOST OF IT!!!

I've been in love with this game since I was a little kid. I never was all that great at it, but I never got out-worked and looking back I think maybe I inspired teammates and coaches with how I felt every single time I got a chance to be on a baseball field. That more than anything is probably what allowed me to put on a uniform for a few extra seasons. And, I miss it, but I'm thankful that I don't have any regrets about not enjoying it fully at the time.

For that matter, approach everything you do with joy and intensity. School, what a fantastic opportunity. Embrace it, be excited about it, and just go for it! I mean seriously, what's not to like about being smart and having all sorts of doors open to you in the future?

Finally, don't be with others that bring you down - choose your friends wisely! Not much else can keep you from being successful at anything or having that joy and positive vibe and intensity about you ripped apart as much as poor choices of people you associate with. It's pretty simple........if you tell me who you're hanging around with, I can most likely tell you what you are doing.

Guys, I thank you all. I enjoyed having the opportunity to spend some exciting times with you and teach the game. I wish all a lot of success in baseball and life. Always remember: YOU get to decide that - make it happen.