We have a myriad of reoccurring themes around here. We frequently riff on the value of resilience and resourcefulness. Particularly for a professional athlete, these characteristics are critical. Add in a dense layer of less than perfect luck, and Matt Taylor needed (and still needs) the aforementioned attributes for his very survival. He earned my respect with his tale in the … [Read more…]

Everybody pines to be in the Major Leagues, especially members of AAA rosters.  A phone call away can make you…well…sit by the phone. This dynamic requires the managers of these clubs to be very aware. They need to be equipped to manage disgruntled souls and bring positive energy perpetually. This is no easy task. Andy Haines riffs below. Enjoy.In 2012, while managing in … [Read more…]

Handling disappointment with a process is critical to navigating life with grace and class. For a successful journey, you need to be resilient.Today, amateur players across the country will sit by the phone, anxiously waiting a call from a MLB team alerting them that they have been drafted to play professional baseball. For every man receiving that call, thousands will not. … [Read more…]

Today’s post is slightly different than our usual fare, because we are without rules. A reader requested that I check out his post and discuss it. You know when you’re reading an article and your mind is chattering about what you’re digesting? Yeah, that’s what mine was doing. I put those thoughts down on paper.Justin writes: … I wanted to get your thoughts on an article I … [Read more…]

We’ve all been fired. We know what it feels like to have our boss tell us we suck. Most folks can’t comprehend, however, the feeling of having our childhood dreams snatched from our clutch. That’s what happens to a minor league player when he is released for the first (or last) time. Baseball is all Justin Viele knows. It’s in his blood. How was he to move on when his … [Read more…]