Six Tool Baseball News and Updates

So many law enforcement officers around the US run from active shooters (Uvalde) or safely wait for a swat team to show up.  NOT IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.  Metro police responded to an active school shooter in the Green Hills area today and reacted without pause.  They killed the "creature or thing", not a human, within minutes of arriving.  Within the first few minutes of the incident, the area appeared to have twenty to thirty metro police cars and their Officers ready to go.  That's nearly a 100-1 ratio of officer to monster.  However, the first few officers arriving didn't hesitate.  They found the monster and killed it.  OUTSTANDING WORK!  I encourage the parents of all our players and staff to pick up the checks of METRO police officers for the next few months.  

Multi-colored Fentanyl pills that look like candy (M&Ms, Nerds, etc.) are now available in the United States due to the assholes that run and/or are associated with the communist Chinese Government.  A single pill can kill.   Fentanyl pills, which come in a rainbow of colors have been found in the US and killed thousands of teenagers nationally (~100,000 in 2022).  They are marketed to American teens as Oxycodone, Percocet, Adderall and several other drugs that teenagers may experiment with.  They can also be offered as candy to unsuspecting Americans.  Everyone needs to make their student-athletes and loved ones aware of this situation especially around a holiday like Halloween.

What can be done?  Unfortunately, our government has allowed millions to cross the Mexico/US border illegally and provided them with free transportation throughout our Nation while providing them with cell phones.  Ideal situation for a piece of shit drug dealer or smuggler.  In addition to talking to your children, parents should request Narcan (Naloxone HCI Nasal Spray 4mg) from their Doctors and Pharmacists.  This nasal spray can reverse the effects of opioid overdose almost instantly.  Studies also show that if it is given in error it has no negative effects on the individual.  Talk to your Doctor for specifics.  There may be a small co-pay, but I believe every adult and teenager should have it immediately available for them until our United States government gets its head out of its ass and addresses REAL problems Americans face.

Common Sense goes a long way in understanding the "rules" and respect for the game expected within all Six Tool Baseball activities.

1. Be on time and prepared to start ON TIME.
2. Remember academic expectations (3.2 target) when school starts in about a month.
3. NO ALCOHOL on the premises.  This goes for adults "in the stands" also.  Nobody should show up smelling of alcohol or marijuana.  If you leave with a child in your vehicle and you appear intoxicated, law enforcement will be notified immediately.
4. Teams should act like teams.  Everyone participates and everyone shares in the success.
5. Work hard during games, practices, lessons, and open sessions you attend.
6. NO "hissy" fits from players or parents.  Tantrums will result in being released from our programs.
7. It's unfortunate to actually have to mention this, but please do not steal the equipment including team baseballs.
8. Work hard, Have fun, and respect the game of baseball and your teammates at all times.

The mission of our programs is to assist student-athletes in reaching their dreams of playing College Baseball, or beyond.  It is important to understand that Division 3 baseball programs can not offer athletics scholarships, but can offer academic scholarships.  That is why we have a strict 3.0 GPA requirement to participate in any of our programs.  If you don't work hard in the classroom, odds are you're not going to work hard on the baseball field.  College Tuition has become ridiculous during the last decade.  While athletic scholarships can be offered on the Division 1 and 2 levels, it may cost upwards of $50K a year to play at the Division 3 level and often the education you receive is not that impressive.  

     We believe that the "College Experience" is important, but not a reason to be paying student debt until you retire.  Junior College (JUCO) is often a much cheaper route and provides leverage at the Division 1 level in regard to draft status.  We encourage student-athletes to leave home (leave the State) when they choose a College.  College should have a chance to ease into adulthood responsibilities and create a new network of friends with similar interests.

     High School sophomores should begin researching colleges and universities based on programs of interest and then baseball.  College coaches usually don't show interest until you are a junior or senior (Earlier for elite student-athletes).  Parents should be aware and accept that a student-athlete may change their future plans often, but hopefully have a general idea by their junior year of college.  When choosing a College or University the tips below may help,

1. How much debt will the College/University create?
2. Does the College/University have the degree program(s) your are interested in?
3. Can you play baseball at this College/University?  Research the programs needs based on graduating seniors, who is transferring in or out, and the personality of the Coach.  Talk to the Coaches and current players to see if it's a "good fit" for you.
4. Is the College/University in an area you prefer to live and network within (Urban/ Rural/ Suburban)?
5. Please don't choose a College/University because that is where your friends are attending.  You'll make plenty of new friends on campus.

The last thing we want to do is "clone" pitchers by having them do exactly the same thing as everyone else.  Variables which make each pitcher different include height (projected height), arm slot, length of fingers, and hand size to name just a few things.  Velocity is not the only factor.  Location, movement and then Velocity are all important.  The differential between your fastball and change-up is also very important.  By the way, these are the first two pitches a student-athlete should learn.  It's nice to have a 95mph fastball, but if you can't change speed with the same arm motion, hitters will start to time your fastball with success.  The idea of teaching a curve to young players has the potential to damage young arms.  There is a wide variety of pitches that will mimic a curve ball for young pitchers that can be thrown like a fastball.  These pitches, once strong enough, often become a very effective Cutter when the student-athlete reaches his senior year or pitches in College.  ALL STUDENT-ATHLETES should adopt an ACTIVE RECOVERY routine, as well as, REHAB days so they can become better with each outing.

We need for our student-athletes to make sure that they are using common sense.  It's important, for your future, to stop and remove all the dumb shit that is being put on Social Media websites.  Everyone in our program is better than that.  It's not just your "friends" looking at your social media posts.  College Coaches, Professional Baseball Clubs, and possible future employers take a look and when they see y'all drinking, smoking, or acting like a dumbass they are likely to make an assumption that we know is inaccurate.  Think about it guys!!!!!

While most parents are trying to do what's best for their child, there are a few things we'd like you to consider.  Playing for multiple teams can be a good idea unless your son is a Pitcher that pitches for more than one team.  If a player is pitching for multiple summer baseball teams the chances for over-pitching and potential arm issues increases greatly.  Parents are also encouraged to place their child in a program that will provide a lot of practice and playing time at multiple positions.  While a season of 18-0 with constant blowout victories is a fun experience, is your child really being challenged enough to develop their skill base.  Constantly losing usually results in a decrease in passion for the game of baseball among participants.  The goal should be to find the highest level of competition that your child will get a lot of playing time to participate in.  A 3-2 loss develops an athletes skill base more than a 15-0 victory.  Also, keep in mind what is more important to your childs baseball journey, to win a little league championship or win a sectional title or go to the college world series.  This is a development verse performance scenario.  In regard to academics, they are even more important for the student-athlete baseball player.  Keep in mind while Division 3 baseball programs cannot offer baseball scholarships, they can offer ACADEMIC scholarships that assist in paying the tuition of a college baseball player.  We require a 3.0 GPA or B average to participate in our programs.  The most important thing to do is ENJOY the journey toward your childs baseball goals.  Have fun along the way, don't simply focus on a final baseball goal.