Coach's Corner for March 6

One of my favorite quotes is "a journey of 1,000 miles begins with the first step." I am often reminded that to accomplish anything great we should not focus on the entire journey, but rather parts of that journey. If you attempt to run a marathon (as I hope I will have an opportunity to at some point) don't focus on the 25 miles ahead, rather focus on the next step. Can you take one more step? Will your legs bring you three more feet?

If the answer is yes you will reach and attain your goal. The same can be said for baseball. Our ultimate goal as a team this year is to win a NECC Championship. As we embark for our Florida spring break trip, our mindset cannot be to hold the trophy at the end of the year; rather we must focus on one inning and one pitch at a time. If we get better every time we go to the field then the championship trophy will almost all but hoist itself.

The 20-hour trek from New London, Conn. to Fort Myers, Fla. is going to involve three different bus drivers, approximately 10 different movies and I am sure what will be more than a few stops so the boys can stretch and get their blood flowing. After the first half hour we chose our first movie, 61*, the Billy Crystal movie that depicts Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle's epic chase of Babe Ruth's single-season home run record. Mantle, one of the game's greatest and most iconic players of all time, is portrayed by Crystal as a flawed character battling alcoholism, but is charismatic and a selfless teammate. Maris, a hard worker with a meek personality, cares more about winning than self-fame.

Watching the movie (for probably the 50th time) I feel extremely taken with the character of Maris. Not because of what he goes through and the record he does inevitably break, but because of how hard he works on the field. They show him on opening day making a catch during batting practice just in front of Monument Park (which at the time was actually located in the field of play). His teammate, Bob Cerv, approached him and told him to relax and slow down because he is going to get injured before the season even started.

The moment that most resonates with me during the movie was when Maris finally breaks the Ruth record. As the ball sails over the right field wall Maris is shown sprinting around the bases; the shot then pans to Cerv and Mantle resting in a hospital room after both suffer season-ending injuries. Cerv looks at Maris and states that "he ran it out just like it was his first one." Dedication and humility are attributes we seek in all our heroes.

What gets missed by millions when watching professional sports is the amount of time and effort that went in to becoming that good. We all aspire to be as great as Mantle and as talented as Maris, but for few, the gift is God given. And even if it is, it's hardly ever developed if dedication is not applied.

I think back to my time with UConn and our shortstop, Nick Ahmed. Nick was one of the most athletic kids I have ever have been able to work with, but what made Nick great was his work ethic. Every day we hit together, every day he was lifting, every day he made a quest to get better. Nick was projected to be a tenth round draft pick, but by the end of the year he had increased his stock and was drafted 84th overall by Atlanta Braves. Nick combined sheer athleticism with an insatiable desire to become better.

We all grew up being told that you can be anything in the world you want to be, and I vehemently agree. I think that so few realize what it takes to achieve greatness. I hope as we begin our season our boys have gained the wherewithal to know that their goals will not be handed to them. They have to continue to achieve and aspire to be great, and they most certainly must show up to the ball park each day and get better.

For the Mitchell College baseball team, championships are not won in Florida. But in order for us to finish our marathon, achieve our goals, and hoist that trophy, we must leave Florida knowing we have gotten better and hopefully exhibit the qualities that helped aid Roger Maris's epic season!

As we begin the 2013 season ...

Keep the correct perspective

TMB