Episodes

There are many baseball players that for one reason or another that do not get noticed by scouts or recruiters. Player advisor and player agent Joseph Guzman of the Empowerment Sports Group joins us for a conversation that will help youth, high school and college players understand what it takes to get to their next level.

Overcoming obstacles is not an easy thing to do. It is our responsibility to teach our players how to do navigate the unpaved road that they will travel. Former MLB player, Jeff Frye talks about his journey and the many hurdles that he had to leap in order to make it to the pinnacle of the game we love.

The game of baseball is filled with pressure, mental stress and lots of distractions. Are we teaching our players how to remove all of these "performance killing" pieces of the game? Stay focused and control what you can control during this episode while we take a peek into the mental side of baseball.

The American Baseball Coaches Association kicks off the year in early January with their annual convention. Dave and I recap my visit to the "Windy City". We also talk a little bit about ego and start a conversation about how to run a practice. Practice is a constantly evolving discipline. We try to give some insight to help get practices moving in the right direction to start 2022.

If leagues and organizations adopted the "growth mindset" philosophy, it would be a win/win situation for everyone in the world of youth baseball. In this episode we talk with Peter Lyons of the Fishkill Little League about how he, and his board of directors, are creating an environment to grow his league and develop the players in order for them to reach their full potential at the next level.

We talk about coaches, players, and parents, but what about the people entrusted with the task of creating a suitable environment to develop youth baseball players? Are they creating an appropriate atmosphere for teaching the skills, mental and physical development, respect for the rules of the game, and basic ideals of sportsmanship and fair play. Do they practice these principles amongst themselves? Let's take a look at The Board Of Directors.

It's the off season and we decided to talk a little bit about it. What should players be doing this time of the year? What should players not be doing this time of the year? We also jump into a discussion about 6U travel baseball and try to help out a baseball parent by answering a question he had posted on social media.

In this episode we talk to former pro player, author and visionary Kevin Gallagher. We will be discussing his book ”Teach Your Kid to Hit … So They Don’t Quit” and the movement that Kevin is spearheading called "Save The Game". Be part of this exciting journey by signing up at https://savethegameus.com/ to stay informed of the progress that Kevin will make as this movement gains traction! You won't want to miss this episode where Kevin details the reasons and needs for change in Americas favorit...

Most participants in youth baseball have experienced some type of crazy behavior. It comes at you, sometimes, from every angle. It really makes you want to scratch your head and say, "What the heck is going on here?" In this episode Dave and I talk a trip down Memory Lane and discuss things that we have witnessed throughout our time coaching youth baseball. If you would like to donate to the Newburgh Knights to help Jett Diaz with his battle ahead, please use this link... https://bit.ly/3FdS8TK

Experience is the teacher of all things. In this episode we learn from the experiences of North Jersey Hall-of-Fame coach Jack Smithlin. Coach Smithlin is in his 48th year of coaching at the high school and college levels. He has managed multiple symposiums on sports psychology and sports parenting. Coaches, players and parents, take advantage of the experience, knowledge and wisdom that Coach Smithlin has to offer.

Matt Cole is the Owner and Moderator of the Youth Baseball Coaching Support, Drills and Philosophy Facebook group. He also the coaching coordinator for the Bethlehem Little League in Richmond, Va. In this episode Matt shares his vision for his Facebook group and how he handles coaching for his youth baseball league.

Get those Airpods in! Relax and get ready to hear a fantastic baseball conversation with Butch Chaffin of Cookeville High School in Cookeville Tennessee! We have Coach Chaffin diving into topics such as USA Baseball, High School Baseball, Nekton, Credo and lots more!

How do you run a college program alone as a head coach? You develop the “BEAST”! Anthony Pla, Head Coach of Lincoln University and 2021 ABCA convention presenter explains this and many other topics in this episode!

There are two types of players... the confident and the... not so confident. These two mental processes live inside of every baseball player. How do we get the right guy playing every day? In this episode we talk to Steve Springer of Quality At Bats and he, not only, tells his story but why coaches and parents need to help our players to "Compete with Confidence".

Some say giving instruction to players during a game is the coach's job. Others say no. In this episode we discuss the pros and cons of coaching from the dugout. Is it right? Is it wrong? We debate and let you decide! We start the show with a look back at some of the happenings at the recently ended Olympic summer games from Tokyo.

In this episode we discuss the difference between competitors and convenient competitors. What is the difference? Is the ability to compete something that a player is born with or is it a skill that can be taught? The way a player competes will determine whether or not they reach their full potential in the game of baseball.

The development of youth baseball players is a process to be understood by players, parents and coaches. In this episode Coach Angel Lugo of the Cadets Player Development Academy launches us into the world of youth baseball development.

As we promised... Here is part 2 of our continuing conversation on the topic of travel baseball. More about organizations, players, coaches and parents. We hope that you enjoy it!

The world of travel baseball is vast and complex. The concept can range from very good for our amateur athletes to..... well..... not so good. There is so much to talk about that we decided to bring this to you in more than 1 episode. Here is Part 1. We hope you enjoy it and stay tuned for Part 2!

While participation numbers for youth baseball are on the rise, Little League numbers continue to decline. What's wrong with our youth baseball institutions? In this episode we discuss the problems and possible solutions to save local youth baseball.

In this episode we discuss why it is important for youth coaches to have a good foundation in order to develop our young athletes. We provide some resources for youth coaches to research in order to become the best that they can be!