A different way to look at the same problems.

“Good writing does not succeed or fail on the strength of its ability to persuade. It succeeds on its ability to engage you, make you think, and give you a glimpse into someone else’s head – even if you decide that’s a place you don’t want to be.” – Malcolm Gladwell, from What The Dog Saw

If you’re interested in:

  • Being right and attacking those who you think are wrong
  • Driving agendas
  • Clinging to the comfort of tradition
  • Invalidating skin in the game 
  • Neglecting other perspectives
  • Launch angle swings
  • Lactic acid flush runs

this place probably isn’t for you. If instead you’re interested in:

  • Bringing a fresh set of eyes to something you never considered
  • Seeking to understand before seeking to be understood
  • Filtering out the noise and finding what matters
  • Being transparent about previous mistakes and using them as learning opportunities 
  • Having productive conversations and not being afraid of thoughtful disagreement
  • Making coaching a career, not just a passion project

you’re in the right place.

 

 

 

This blog is dedicated to the coaches who are in the trenches every single day solving problems and finding ways to help players get better. It’s to recognize the pioneers who paved the way for all of us, inspire the ones just getting started, and to fuel the fire for those who aren’t satisfied with knowing “enough.”

We all made a decision at one point to turn a kid’s game into a career, but with that decision came great responsibility. How we handle that responsibility impacts our ability to pass the torch and continue to push this great game forward. Some like it, others love it, few live it. Coaching can’t just be something we like to do. It must be an obsession. 

“It is a privilege to be in a position that allows you to mold the lives of players and have them simultaneously shape yours. Never take that role and those relationships for granted.” Kainoa Correa, bench coach San Francisco Giants

Disclaimer: This blog is not filled with feel good stories and cliches. Everything in here is real. If you’re afraid to tackle the messy realities that run most coaches away from this profession, save yourself the time and go somewhere else. You won’t like what I have to say.

For everything uncertain about our profession, there are some things I can guarantee: Our journeys as coaches will traverse the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. We’re going to forget more than we remember, not every player that comes to us is going to get better, and we will come across information that challenges everything we’ve ever known. We’re going to have to give more than we receive, operate on limited budgets, navigate political environments, and make the most of situations that are not ideal

Coaching is a thankless profession that will challenge us and make us question why we even got started in the first place, but that is the ultimate privilege of being one. The destination is the disease. The reward is the journey. 

The perfect time to get started is right now.

Connecting what hasn’t been before.

Aug
28

“Man Boobs” and Moneyball: The origin of a story that goes much further than sabermetrics

In the early 2000s, Michael Lewis was investigating a theory. In 1999, he published The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story. Born from his experiences working at Salomon Brothers – American multinational bulge bracket investment bank – Lewis detailed the growing entrepreneurial culture just south of San Francisco at the

Sep
12

Travel Baseball & The Triangle Offense: How My First Summer Coaching Resembled Phil Jackson’s Greatest Challenge

The fourth quarter of the 1991 NBA Finals was about to begin. Magic Johnson’s Los Angeles Lakers and Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls were deadlocked at 80 in a decisive game five. Jordan, over the first seven years of his career, had established himself as one of the most dynamic scorers

May
09

How these two prospects showed us “stats are really for losers” – but in two distinctly different ways

The 1999 MLB amateur draft was approaching. Tampa Bay – coming off their first ever season in franchise history – owned the first overall pick. They had their eyes on two particular prospects. Both were high school prospects hailing from the Southeast part of the country; one a right handed

Jan
30

Don’t blink: How a failed NFL career illustrates the ultimate hitting constraint

On April 22, 2010, the Denver Broncos selected Tim Tebow with 25th overall pick in the NFL Draft. Tim, 22 at the time, had just come off one of the most successful careers in NCAA history. As part of Urban Meyer’s Florida Gators football team, Tim lead the Gators to

Oct
01

How the 1954 Mad Bomber case illuminated a critical mistake that almost cost this NFL team their first overall pick

Back in 1956, the New York Police Department was desperate. Over the past two years, the city had become victim to 10 different bombing attacks. The events were recognized not as isolated incidents, but a series of interrelated crimes traced back to one elusive man. The man responsible became known

May
18

California – Thank You

I remember my first day in California like it was yesterday. Considering the events going on in the world, it was tough to forget. The date was March 14, 2020. My dad and I had spent a week driving across the country from my hometown in York, PA. I left