Everything I’ve read to date suggests that if you want to be SUCCESSFUL, find somebody who is and copy everything they do.
It’s that simple.
However, if you have more than a High School degree you might make this more complicated than it really is. Not only did I have a FANTASTIC education in College @ Johns Hopkins University 1992-2000 with Michael Bloomberg giving the commencement speech upon graduation; I also attended a great college preparatory school named Boys Latin and another parochial school named John Carroll. Today when I meet people and they ask me, “What do I do for a living”, I typically say, “not much”.
When they ask me where I went to school, I usually say, “it’s a long story”.
In 2019, I have the opportunity to be apart of two(2) baseball teams that are both playing in a NATIONAL 12U tournament in Cooperstown New York. In 2018, I was just a FAN watching my son play @ the Legendary Dream Park . This year I am an OFFICIAL member of a 4 man coaching staff on the Roland Park Baseball Leagues 12U Travel “A Team” that competes in Harford County (HCTB)and various other tournaments around the area.
The other team is a BIG surprise, called Lutherville (LTRC) which not only has one of the BEST baseball rec programs, they are considered #1 in Football, Lacrosse, Basketball, Soccer in both Men and Women’s sports. Since my son has made some great friends playing sports, one of his teammates was invited to play on this travel team at the OTHER Cooperstown venue called Cooperstown All-Star Village. His name is Jonah Stockton and in my opinion is perhaps one of the BEST all around athletes in Maryland. I would like to say my son is better but Jonah is about 6 inches taller and 20 pounds heavier. That makes a difference, all things being equal. Short guys have to work even harder.
Off the record, I tell Blake, “just do everything that Jose Altuve does and you will be fine. I also think Dustin Pedroia is a another great role model for shorter guys. As a matter of fact, I had the opportunity to meet the legendary Orioles Hall of Famer and MLB All-star second baseman Brian Roberts at a unique Bible Study I attend @ Baltimore Country Club about 10 years ago.
In case you did not know, Dream Park is where Bryce Harper and Mike Trout both played when they were 12 years old. It has become so popular that they are SOLD OUT 13 weeks of the year every year. Every week during June, July and August over 100 teams from around the United States come to Cooperstown to play in this VERY special tournament. But, little did I know, for the kids it is even more – it is a WEEK LONG sleep-away camp.
So, getting back to the whole BLOG title – “Crawl before you can walk”. For the 1st time in about 14 years I am NOT the head coach of a team so far in 2019. Even before my children were born I was asked to help coach at Boys Latin baseball. When my daughter arrived on May 23, 2004 I started coaching little league rec baseball. Then when she was about 4-5 I started coaching her girls soccer teams, both outdoor and indoor. Then my son Blake was born on December 20, 2006 and the rest is history – read bio under coaching menu.
Meanwhile, I am just an Assistant Coach and it sucks NOT being in charge. I already am well aware of my LIMITATIONS! When I was a college professor @ Towson University, I remember getting a SURVEY at the end of the semester and multiple students agreed that I was the biggest Control Freak they ever met.
So, once again, I go back to the SIMPLE formula mentioned above. KISS – keep it simple stupid. Find a great assistant coach and do everything they do. If you think you know more than the head coach, suck it and accept that he is in that position for a reason. Learn from him!!!
Five Legendary Baseball Coaches
The best coaches are what legends are made of. Through their commitment to players and innovative strategies, they are able to push the team to levels the players never thought was possible. Out of all of the legendary coaches who have come and gone, these five coaches are some of the best ever.
Sparky Anderson
Born as George Lee Anderson, Sparky Anderson played baseball in the Major Leagues before he started to manage teams. While he was with the Cincinnati Reds, his team reached the championships in both 1975 and 1976. A third title was added in 1984 when he was with the Detroit Tigers. He holds the record for being the first coach to win the World Series in both leagues. Over the course of his career, his teams garnered 2,194 wins. He was later admitted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.
Tony La Russa
Tony La Russa was born in 1944. He quickly rose up the ranks as a major league baseball player before turning into a head coach. Interestingly, he received a law degree from Florida State University following his MLB career, so he is one of the few managers who is also allowed to practice law. As a manager, Tony led his teams to a total of 12 division titles, 3 World Series titles and 6 league championships. Over the course of the last 33 seasons, his teams have won 2,728 games. This places him as the manager with the third most wins in the history of the major league. IN 2013, he was inducted to the Hall of Fame for his years playing and coaching baseball.
Joe Torre
Joe Torre was born in Brooklyn, New York. As he grew up, he became one of the top players in Major League Baseball with 2,000 hits. As a coach, he attained 2,000 wins, which makes him the only person to achieve both of these goals. He spent 29 seasons working as a manager and started with the Mets. Torre’s greatest success was a .605 winning percentage for the regular season with the Yankees. While he was managing the team, the Yankees achieved six American League pennants and four World Series titles. While he was there, the Yankees made the playoffs every year. By 2014, his impressive track record in the game led him to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Read more
So, since I attended University of Maryland in College Park 1985-1988, I’m going to start modeling my behavior after Erik Bakich (sounds like back ich, eric with a K).
Erik Michael Bakich (born November 27, 1977) is an American college baseball coach. He is currently the head baseball coach at Michigan. Bakich previously was the head coach at Maryland and served as an assistant coach at Vanderbiltand Clemson.
Human Vacuum Cleaner 