Hmmm....Which One Would You Rather Coach?

Will your child be prepared when he gets to a level where the competition is real (all of his peers are as good or better than he is) and his coach calls him out? How will he respond? Here is how two different professional baseball players responded following confrontations with their managers.

During a game in 2008 Jimmy Rollins, star shortstop for the Philadelphia Phillies, was benched by manager Charlie Manual for failing to hustle. Here's what Rollins said to the media after the game:

"He (Manager Charlie Manual) has two rules:be on time and hustle; and I broke one of them. I know better. Sometimes the manager gets you. I have to go out there and make sure I don't do it again. It's something you learn from."

In a recent game Hanley Ramirez, star shortstop for the Florida Marlins,was benched by manager Fredi Gonzalez for failing to hustle on a play where he had booted the ball into the outfield. Here's what Ramirez said to the media following the game:

"It's his team. He can do whatever. There is nothing I can do about it. We got alot of people dogging it after ground balls. They don't apologize. That's ok. He doesn't understand that. He's never played in the big leagues."

If you like the way Rollins handled himself and you want to ensure that your child is prepared to respond to this kind of situation in a similar fashion, talk about the importance of developing 4 key relationships:

RELATIONSHIP TO TEAM
- The team is top priority - the framework for all decisions
- The team is everyone's responsibility

RELATIONSHIP TO TEAMMATES
- Deal with the essentials (things that are important).
- Tolerate the non-essentials (personality conflicts).

RELATIONSHIP TO COACH
- Fulfill a role as defined by the coach and trust that the coach knows
what's best for the team.
- Communicate directly with the coach about any team-related issues.

RELATIONSHIP TO SELF
- Learn to persevere through adversity....demanding practices and dis-
appointing performances while striving for continual improvement.

As soon as your child begins playing on teams, emphasize that he is responsible for developing and maintaining these relationships. This emphasis on personal accountability allows for the values inherent to become INTRINSIC.

Working to help embed these concepts is far more important than rewarding accomplishments. Studley Dudley, middle school phenom, will eventually have to face that kid who used to be small and clueless, but now is stronger and ready to compete every day!