Yellowpad

Hello again passion for pitching!!  I know it has been quite some time but I am back again and ready to roll.  It has been quite an exciting year so far and I have had lots to do.  I was waiting to be inspired to write a post and waiting for a refreshing idea to assist the folks who join in and read these blogs.  So, it happened, finally....LOL!! 

Because I am in the middle of a season there are tons of subjects that I could discuss on this blog.  What I do with the pitching staff almost on a daily basis is something we call YellowPad.  What this is is a daily review of the game the night before along with other topics we may need to review or learn as a staff.  The topics could be anywhere from focus and being present, all the way to holding runners at second base.  So I thought it would be great to let you guys in on some daily conversations I have with the pitching staff and the different things we encounter during a Rookie League season.

So here it goes....

Thus far in the season we are right at .500 with our record.  We are playing inconsistent baseball but just well enough to keep us in the race for the playoffs and give our guys something to be reaching for.  In this last week we had a day off and then back to back rainouts.  For the rookie league season you play 68 games in 71 days, so the days off are far and few between.  They come about every two to three weeks.  It is perfect for me though, because it allows me to push a certain focus on certain things they need to learn at this level and then build upon those things as the season progresses.  For the first part of the season it is usually the same every year.  These pitchers need to learn about FB command with good plane out of the hand and good angle to both sides of the plate.  They also need to learn how to control the running game.  There are specific plays that we have as an organization that the pitchers at this level need to have memorized like the back of their hand by the end of the season.  All the things they learn here, this year, will be just about the same thing they will always have to do their entire career, especially if they stay with the Cardinals.  So it is very important they learn it now so they can move on to other things as they move up in levels. 

So after coming back from the day off and having a couple of rainouts I wanted to make sure the guys were still all on task and realize what we need to keep striving for in these next couple weeks until the next day off.  We had a quick review of what we have learned so far and then I added a couple items to it...

The first item was focus.  We need to keep doing the same physical things we are doing now, such as a proper long toss program, solid flatground work, good bullpen work, etc...but with that we need to tighten up our focus while we do these things.  It is one thing to show up each day and just have someone tell you what to work on each day.  It is a total other thing to realize why you are doing those things and then bring the proper focus with you to your work so that each rep is making you a better pitcher.

The next item was remembering your passion.  Sometimes in a professional baseball season, especially when it is new, you forget why you are there and what your goals are.  You forget that there is a reason why you live in a small town, get paid no money, travel in buses weekly, and show up to the field daily with almost no days off.  The reason is because you LOVE to do it.  It is NOT a job, it is a LOVE, a PASSION.  If you can come to the field each day and remember why you are here, why you do what you do, it brings things back into perspective and allows you to keep things fresh.  The ultimate focus behind a season needs to be fun.  If you come to the field every day and it is a grind and it is tough or hard work it is probably not going to be something you will stick with or enjoy and so you will be pushed out like most.  But if you can remember the love you have for the game and the reason why you play, it helps alleviate some of the pressures and some of the grind so you can develop and produce. 

The funny thing about playing professional baseball and I would figure all professional sports is that most people would feel it is a very physical thing and the most talented survive.  For me that couldn't be further from the truth.  The people who stick around are the ones who "get it."  The guys who stick around are the ones who have a perspective about their day that allows them to evolve and grow and move onward and upward.  They take their mistakes and make them their successes.  There is a fine line to it but once you figure this out people really take off quickly.  You will see some guys struggling at the rookie league level one year and then climbing through the ranks the next year just because they figured it out....they "get it"

Ok, all for now...hope this is of some assistance for you all out there in pitching land.  More to come.....

Happy Pitching!!