Umpiring Is a great way to learn the game.

First of all I would like to acknowledge my high school friend Mike VanVleet for introducing me to umpiring. That is Mike behind Mark McGuire hitting a home run. We both came through the minor leagues together. I as a player and Mike as an Umpire. He made it to the Majors, which is a feat in it's self. Umpires At that level are a small elite group. I was a college student home for the summer and I got to see Derek Jeter play in a summer league game for the Kalamazoo Maroons at Lakeview High School. I just worked the game before and was hanging around for a minute. There I saw Derek go deep in the hole for a ball and make a play that I had seen very few college players make. Then he came up and hit that right center field home run with a wood bat. Minutes later he told the Yankee's scout he would sign to play for them. I don't remember the scout, but he could hardly get the words out of his mouth right. He was so excited. Heck we were all excited, we were in the presence of greatness. Today I have about 60 games under my belt all from 10 years old up to high school.

Being an Umpire has really given me another perspective of the game. As a player I mostly watched the ball. As an Umpire I rarely watch it, unless I'm behind the plate. And some people would argue differently. There is a dance that happens when the ball is hit. The base umpire moves and watches the runner while I move to watch the ball. When a single is hit with a runner at first I move up to take the lead runner making sure he touches second on his way to third. The player in me wants to watch the ball and the ump in me fights to stay with the runner. Then, bad throw to third and the runner races home as my partner slides in to position to make the call at home. It is a perfectly choreographed dance. All the while I staying out of the way of players, runners and errant throws. Do I make mistakes? I make them daily. Do I learn something new? I learn something new daily. Sometimes something happens and I don't even know what to do. Thank God I have a partner. What I have learned from umpiring are the rules and interpretation of those rules. Everything from a balk and that the pitch is still live to what bases the runners get on a throw that goes out of play. What is interference, obstruction, and a catch. Yes, a catch is when i player catches the ball then removes it with their hand. If they dive then hold up their arm for two seconds and the ball come out, then it is not a catch. This is according to the rules and they are written. I have to tip my hat to the umpires I have worked with that have taught me this game. They keep the game moving so the kids can actually play a whole game before the time limit. When I was a kid you played seven inning with a ten run rule after 5 innings. Today because there are so many teams, so few fields, and most likely money issues a lot of games never make it to the last inning.

It is 15 runs after 3, 10 after 4 and 8 after 5 inning. All the while the umpires manage pitches in between innings, coaches making trips to the mound to talk to players, and my favorite talking to the batter after every pitch. Oh an lets not forget my favorite coach that keep asking how much time is left because he really wants the game called due to time so he can sneak off with a win. To those coaches I just say, "Respect the integrity of the game and play like you have no concept of time. It all about the kids and not how many wins you have as a little league coach."

If you ever wanted to get involved and be a servant of the game, then by all means take a class in being an umpire. So Thanks Mike VanVleet, Art Clendening, Mary MacDonald, and Gary White for showing me the ropes.

BAT LAG AND LOCKING OUT.

Functional Skills by Perry Husband

There are some examples of the points I make about

foot down and hands back creating stretch and then getting off

the backside and locking out at impact.

How Do I Get into College on a Scholarship?

This is a frequently asked question I get from parents. Most of them realize that their child will probably never play professionally, but would love to see their college education either totally paid for or partially covered by a scholarship. So here are my top tips of how to get started in the right direction.

1. KEEP YOUR GRADES UP: Yes this is the most important key. So many times have large programs given money to a top high school player and then that player was not responsible to keep their grades high enough to be eligible to play. This makes everyone look bad, the coach, the program, and the player. If a student/athlete is a student first and and athlete second and can balance good grades with outstanding performance then a coach will be more willing to part with a scholarship if he knows that the investment is solid. If a coach has a choice over a .400 hitter with a C average and a .350 hitter with an A average they will take the A student for two reasons. he first is that coach could possibly get some academic scholarship money for the A student. This academic money will lower the amount of money that the coach has for their program. This allows a coach to give out less money to more players instead of a lot of money to a few players. My first choice for college was USC. I had a 3.85 GPA in high school. USC requires out of state students to have a 3.95 GPA for admission. So my application was rejected.
2. SCORE WELL ON YOUR SAT or ACT. This is self explanatory.
3. STAY CLEAN: Don't get messed up with drugs, alcohol, steroids, fighting, legal troubles, suspensions, and gangs. True story. When I was in college there was a very promising young athlete from Los Angeles. He also happened to be involved in a gang. In his junior year he was projected to be drafted in the top three rounds. He was stabbed in the stomach while at a party back home one weekend. He never played baseball again because the injuries were to severe. I've also seen high school players get involved with alcohol and get caught. After there suspensions were over they played out their seasons and did very well, but the damage was done. No college took them serious after that. How much did that beer cost them? Probably about $120,000 in education expenses. If you cannot be responsible in high school college coaches know from experience that you probably will not be responsible when you have no parents watching over you. So keep your nose clean.
4. KNOW THE COLLEGE'S ADMISSION POLICIES: Go to the college of choice's website and see what they require for admission to attend their establishment. Some colleges require you pay application fees to be considered. If you are being recruited by these schools then you have a fast track advantage and can even get around these fees. Ask your recruiter or coach if they can fast track you through. Don't assume that the coach will do all this work for you....They won't. Another side note is that if a college is considering you or your athlete for admission and scholarship and will not waive this fee then the program probably doesn't have a lot of money. Keep looking.
5. SEEK OUTSIDE HELP. www.cpoa.com College Prospect Of America is a reputable company that actually qualifies and verifies that you can play at the level that you are trying to play. This is becoming more and more main stream because the information super highway is putting coaches and player together. Today a coach can go on YouTube and see high school players game videos. Video email and live web broadcasting have changed recruiting also. Now a coach can send a scout to a game and via a wireless Internet connection actually watch a player play from thousands of miles away. CPOA will verify that a player really is 6'3" tall and throws 89 mph. Do they run a 6.6 second 60 yards dash. And even verify the students transcripts. Also they will qualify an athlete to see if they can really get into the school they are wanting to go to or do they need to consider a smaller school. This is a reality check. I want to put this disclaimer in. I do not work for or have ever worked for CPOA. There are many companies like this out there. I just chose this one based on results and reputation.
6. WORK YOUR TAIL OFF: The really serious kids are playing and training all the time, you should be no different. For baseball get on a traveling team, or a scout team, play fall baseball, and get as much exposure as you possibly can. In high school I worked part time at McDonalds so I would have batting cage money. When I wasn't hitting, then I was thinking about hitting. I later found out at the professional level that I wasn't alone. I never had a vacation in high school or college. If I wanted to hunt I did it before school at 4:30 am. Did I regret it? I'll admit I was a little jealous of other kids, but in the end they were a little jealous of me. I've traveled all over the United States at someone else expense. Met people I would have never had met. Got payed to do what I love. I'm currently not a millionaire, but when I lay my head down on my pillow at night I know I gave my best and I have no regrets. Peace of mind goes a long way.

I hope this helps a little bit. I heard a proverb once that said, "He/She who works the hardest is the luckiest." I tend to agree. I was not the best college player I just outworked everyone. I was never drafted, signed as a free agent a year after my last college season, and ended up playing 7 years of professional baseball. It was mainly due to consistent and persistent effort. I wasn't the best when I started, but I was very good when I finished. Robert Allen, a mutli-millionaire said success is failure plus persistance. A winner never quits and a quitter never wins. If you keep working at something long enough and don't quit then eventually you will be on top. Eventually you master your skill.