The Simple Rules of Baseball

- Respect the game as much as you want to be respected.

- Tuck in your shirt.

- Don’t ever wear your hat backwards.

- Practice hard because you play the way you practice.

- It doesn’t take any talent to hustle.

- Be a student in baseball.  Learn the game – study the history of baseball.

- Help your team win whether you play or not.

- Your parents love you, but they don’t know more than your coach about baseball.

- Agree to let your coaches train you.

- Don’t cut class.

- Maintain the grades that keep you eligible.

- Set high standards along with knowing the steps to attain them.

- Don’t tell people what you are worth - prove it to them.

- Your girlfriend is not more important than your career.

- Don’t let anyone make an excuse for you.

- Maintain eye contact with all adults when they talk to you. Practice on your friends.

- It is your coach’s opinion of you that counts. He makes out the lineup. Fail to understand this point and you will soon be out of the game

- Life is not fair – regardless of what some people want you to think.

- Never argue with an umpire.

- Be passionate about your teammates.

- Love the game.

- Players are not the only people in the game. There are coaches, trainers, announcers, umpires, broadcasters and writers. All those jobs are honorable professions as well as keeping you young.

- The only thing that coaches owe you is HONESTY.

- Body language screams. It never whispers.

- Balance makes champions. If you focus on hitting and ignore the defensive part of your game, you will never be a complete player.

- Be as diligent on defense as you are on offense.

- Defense wins more games than offense.

- Pitching sets the tone.

- Games are lost, not won. Mistakes lead to losses.

- You can win a league with a few good pitchers. Well developed pitching staffs win the tournaments.

- Work on your game every day of the year. The guy who beat you out for the starting job did and the team that always beats you.

- Who you are today is a result of who you were in the past. Fill your past with smart work and good deeds, and you will maximize your potential.

- You don’t have to be a great athlete to be a good baseball player.

- Show off your talent to your current coach and your future coach by doing the following: (ALL THE TIME)

• When you jog to warm up, DO IT PROPERLY.

• When you stretch, do it best.

• When you play catch, throw to a target and hit it every time.

• When you play catch, catch the ball or block the bad throw – and keep it in front of you every time.

• When you are doing a drill, do it perfect – every time.

• Go hard all the time. Never walk on a baseball practice field.

• As a batter / runner, run to first base as though it matters that you are safe.

• Know the situation on defense and do the right thing.

- Baseball reveals character – it doesn’t build it.

- Character means doing the right thing when nobody’s watching.

- Persistence is more important than talent.