WHEN TIGERS LOSE THEIR PASSION...

"It ain't easy being me!"

The following is a letter/post sent to Baseball Training Magazine. 

We have inserted comments, highlighted in blue, throughout the writings.

Please note: Although we believe this can be a valuable insight to many, this advice is premature for the younger youth league players.


POST: 0.5%
those are the chances that a high school baseball player will eventually be drafted, whether it’s out of high school or out of college.

after that, only one in ten players in the minor leagues ever make it to the majors.

only one out of a hundred have a major league career.

i’m not a math guy, but when you add that all up, the chances of anyone having a major league baseball career are pretty small. so when i began dreaming about becoming a professional baseball player, the odds were already stacked against me.

BTM: The odds are stacked against everybody... no matter what we choose to do in life. Here's some more math for you... In 10, 20, 30 years you'll regret what you didn't do more than what you did do...
 
POST: i’ve played every year since i was six. fourteen years straight. i hated it occasionally, but i kept playing. sometimes because my parents made me, sometimes because i couldn’t imagine my life without it.

BTM: When you lose your passion, or the game stops being fun, it's time to get out. You need passion and fun to get you through the tough times. Everyone struggles. Everyone is challenged. You need to decide for yourself what is stronger... your passion or the obstacles?

POST: i kept going through the motions until i started high school, and our coach insinuated that i had a shot to make the jv team as a freshman. i didn’t, but just the idea that i was good enough reinvigorated me.

BTM: Going through the motions is not good at all. Every player likes to be motivated, especially from a coach. But... what about when things get hard? Will you still be motivated?  You have to motivate yourself... not when things are going good (anybody can do that), but when things are hard, tough and challenging... That's what real competitors do!

POST: my two varsity seasons i was second team all league. good, but not elite.  it wasn’t good enough to be drafted or get interest from division 1 schools.


BTM: Okay... stop right there! Congrats on your individual honors but in the eyes of "baseball people" they don't mean a thing...Think about it... In the U.S. there are approximately 455,000 - 470,00 high school players... how many all-league players is that? A lot!!! College and pro baseball people could care less... Personal honors at high school are meaningless to them... A better way to describe yourself would be to say: good make-up, a competitor, explosive, athletic, good attitude and work ethic.

POST: i took a scholarship to a small school in kansas city, a huge change for a southern california kid. i hated it there and transferred to a junior college close to home. 

BTM: Call the Emergency Room! Big time attitude adjustment surgery required! First of all, I can practically guarantee that when a mid-west school talks to a southern California kid (or any kid from a warm weather state) one of the first things they will ask the players/coaches is if they can handle the change and all that comes with it... You took the scholarship! You take the responsibility that goes with it! If you're the "real deal" you turn a "different and uncomfortable" situation into a "great opportunity!". Chances are you took a scholarship that could have gone to someone more deserving... 

POST: i initially was on the short list to make the team there, but i started playing poorly, lost the passion for the game, and ended up missing the cut. i moved up to northern california to get a fresh start somewhere new, and figured things would be different this time around.

i was wrong.

BTM: Again... when things don't go your way... "adios" to your passion... If you were a coach, would you sign you?
 
POST: today was the last day of my college’s fall world series. we split into two teams, and play each other. best of five. my team lost, three games to two.

i’d already fallen out of favor with my coaches this fall. my poor play (again) got me demoted to only practicing twice a week instead of four, and i never got picked to play in any of the games that were scheduled. a shoulder injury that caused me to miss a month definitely did not help.

final cuts haven’t happened yet, but i’m almost a hundred percent sure that i’m getting the axe on friday. i can see it coming like a freight train, but my heart will still sink when i have to have this conversation.

so i’m left with tough decisions.

do i want to keep playing? i hear all the stories about guys in the big leagues who overcame what seem like insurmountable odds to make a career out of the game, and i think, “i can be one of those guys.

BTM: Admire your candor... First off... some of these so called "insurmountable odds" you have brought on yourself... People all over the world face what seem like insurmountable odds every day... Most are much more challenging than what we are talking about here... Okay... I respect your dream... But it sounds as though you are confused about dreams and goals... A dream is a journey's final destination point... A goal is what you do every day of your journey to maybe someday reach your destination point and make your dream come true... A mountain climber doesn't start at the foot of a mountain and talk about the top... He talks about today's goal only! Reach a certain point! Make a little progress! Parents dream of providing a better life for their children... But today's goal is to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table... Nothing in life is guaranteed... You're young... I know at times life can be rough and seem totally unfair... Take solace... YOU ARE NOT ALONE! In short... "THAT'S LIFE!"...

POST: i’ll work my ass off and do whatever it takes to make it,” and the answer becomes yes. then i remember times like this week, where i was only 3 for 11 against junior college level pitching, and i think that there is no way that i am good enough to make a career out of this and it’s a waste of time to pursue it further.

BTM: Your track record is you will work hard as long as things are going your way... As far as the 3-11... doesn't mean a thing... Tell me how many quality swings and at bats you had... How did you look in those at bats?... You might have hit 11 scorched line drives, eight of them for outs... or 3 dying quails off pitches thigh-high down the middle... It's time for you to start thinking about being a "BALL PLAYER" and not someone who "plays baseball" Big difference!

POST: i haven’t decided yet whether or not i’ll try to walk on at whatever four year school i transfer to. i don’t know if i want to set myself up for that disappointment. but i also don’t want to give up on my childhood dream.

realizing you probably don’t have what it takes to accomplish your childhood dream: is it giving up, or is it being realistic?

BTM: I will never discourage someone from their dreams... Giving up or realistic? It's realistic you have "given in" at times... You're decision right now is a change in attitude and approach... Simply put, if you really want to do the right thing, focus on what you can do today to make yourself better... and let these other things that are out of your control take their course...

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