The Next Level
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Coaching the St. Louis Diamond team over the past 3+ years has been one of the best experiences of my life. It has been that great combination of CHALLENGE + FUN. All the players have had a positive impact on me, have helped me develop as a person and provided a lot of fun memories.
But, it
Dealing with Disappointment
Thursday, August 2, 2007
For most of us, the 2007 Summer Season had some disappointments - either at the team level or individual level (or both). Here are my thoughts on how to deal with this disappointment:
First, this is disappointment, not failure. Failure would have been if we had not competed at all or quit on
Assessment of 2007 Summer Team Goals
Monday, July 30, 2007
We established our team goals for the 2007 Summer season back in early June. Now that the season is over, here is my assessment of how we did versus our goals.
Be a hard working, mentally tough team.
I would give us a B on this goal. We were a very hard working team. We definitely put in the
Observations From Competing Against Elite Teams
Monday, July 30, 2007
We competed against a number of elite teams this summer, with pretty much every game in July against an elite regional club team.
I was proud of the fact that, for the most part, we competed head to head against those teams for 5 or 6 out of 7 innings. It just always seemed that when we made
Not on the Same Page
Sunday, July 29, 2007
It was pretty clear from early June that many of the Diamond players and parents and I were “not on the same page” this year. I take responsibility for this. I did not do a good job of communicating and getting buy-in to the team’s expectations.
There were handouts and 15 minute
Making a Change
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
We are struggling to consistently compete against elite teams. We are capable of competing for 6 of 7 innings. But, we struggling to “finish the game” - to compete against elite teams for a complete game, all 7 innings.
If we did this in Ft. Myers, we would have been more successful - probably
Coaching Style
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
There has recently been criticism from parents and players about my coaching style. This is totally understandable, given our poor win-loss record and inconsistent play over the past month. It makes sense to point to the coach when talented teams under-perform.
I totally accept the
Playing for Yourself
Monday, July 16, 2007
Before the very first game that we played as the St. Louis Diamond team in March 2005 (250 games ago - exactly), I gave the following pregame talk - this is pretty much verbatim (it was at Florissant Athletic Association before a SuperSeries Tournament).
“Up until now, you have probably played
Different Kinds of Mistakes
Saturday, July 14, 2007
At times, I have been highly critical of our players this summer, largely because we have not met expectations and it has been frustrating. It is also hard to get their attention sometimes (communicating with 15 year olds has been a challenge for me).
We played 50 games and made literally
Taking Responsibility
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Responsibility is a scary word.
Mature baseball players take responsibility for their performance on the field - both mentally and physically. They take responsibility for their own attitude and behavior. They take responsibility for being a good teammate. And, they take responsibility for
A different kind of “fun”
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Recreational baseball and softball can be a lot of fun. Even legion, SLABA and high school baseball can be fun. Expectations are low, competition is inconsistent and rosters are large. There is not much pressure. You are just playing for fun. Recreational baseball can be a lot of fun.
But,
Premonition
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Three thoughts regarding our team and 2008 season have been occupying my mind since the Springfield tournament.
During the BCS Finals, the same three thoughts were hitting me over the head again. These are big issues that players need to face.
1 - First, it is the player’s choice on how to play
Why Not....?
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Several players told me that our game against the Midwest Wolverines (Wichita) on Friday night was the most exciting and fun baseball game they had ever played in. It was no doubt a thriller. A lot of emotion, intensity and passion poured into 7 innings. Not a well played or well pitched game,
Life Lessons and Growing Up
Sunday, July 8, 2007
The Diamond players are working very hard and are competing hard. There are now mostly dirty uniforms in our dugout. Our ice consumption is increasing and most of the players care deeply about how they perform and how the team performs. By caring deeply, I don’t mean throwing helmets and acting
Roles
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Baseball is a big part of our lives - pretty much for everyone who participates in the world of youth baseball. But, sometimes the roles get a little confused. This becomes a big problem for players, because to succeed in baseball takes a tremendous amount of focus. If they get distracted from
Hitting and Pitching Stats
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
There are two key hitting statistics that matter - good at-bats and on-base %. Both lead directly to run production.
There are four
33 Games in 33 Days, And Looking Forward
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Today marks the 33rd day since our season officially started on May 26th. We have played 33 games in 33 days. Since Memorial Day, our players have only had 3-4 days off. This is a lot of baseball, and takes a lot of commitment from our players and families.
We set 6 goals at the beginning of
Showing Up Umpires
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
In the first inning of the doubleheader versus the Knights, we had two players “show-up” the home plate umpire.
For a batter, this happens when they start running to first base before the umpire calls a strike. Or, it happens when a batter shrugs his shoulders or shakes his head after an
Elite Baseball (Baseball Players vs. Kids Who Play Baseball)
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
After completing our 3 game series versus the Knights, I was struck by the contrast between “baseball players” and “kids who play baseball”.
There is a big difference.
“Baseball players” are a rare breed. That is why elite teams, like the Knights, Cincy Hurricanes, Mac-n-Seitz, etc.. are so
We are getting close
Monday, June 25, 2007
We are making progress and becoming a better and better baseball team. Some individual players are still not playing to their potential. But, as a group, we are playing better and better baseball. We are getting really close.
Here is some evidence of our improvement:
This past weekend we
This is a journal for the St. Louis Diamond season, from Coach Gallion’s perspective.
Below are the 20 most recent journal entries. Go to the archive for the complete journal dating back to January, 2006.
To open some links, you need to first click on “read more..”
