Baseball Coaches Unplugged

Huge thank you to all listeners and guests!

Hall of Fame @baseball_lobos @BirminghamRay makes the case for a short swing, fewer voices, and training the edges of the zone with “angle hitting” 👇 Listen Now⚾️ Baseball Coaches Unplugged podcast

@Velo_doc This is what happens when parents drop tons of money in travel and private lessons. They don’t see a return on their investment at the high school level, so it has to be the coach’s fault. Too many good coaches are walking away or being fired

If you are a parent trying to run a HS coach off for your kid not playing I got news for ya You are doing your kid a disservice, you are probably a bad person, and in the long run you’ll definitely find that out The stories I’m hearing from multiple HCs across DFW are baffling and some of yall need a reality check for dang sure Raising spoiled brats ain’t it yall

Kids raised in coaching households learn things you can’t teach in a classroom. Resilience.
Teamwork.
Sacrifice.
Character.
Problem-solving. They don’t just watch you coach games.
They watch you lead people. And that lesson lasts forever.

@coachzblair10 All are committed to SEC schools too

Who's in the room saying, "I think we should rank 7 year olds." What are we doing, people? 🤦🏼‍♂️ 2037?!? 🤯

Spot on! Just released a podcast on this topic Bat flips on routine doubles. Chirping every pitch. When did baseball energy turn into theater? Coach Ken Carpenter breaks down what “respect for the game” really looks like. Listen now! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bas…

So you want to be a pitcher

Baseball Coaches Unplugged Podcast Mascot “Zeke” announcing new episode drops 👉 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bas…

@KevinCa23425576 Agree that there are far more great coaches than guys like this. The coach was a deputy. Someone who has been trained to deescalate in situations like this. Just think something needs to change to prevent coaches from physically attacking umpires.

@Athlete1Podcast It’s just you. So many solid games happen with good coaches but this gets clicks.

Is it me or does this seem to happen more often in travel games? IMO 👉Travel tournaments should be required to have a police officer on sight. Tough guy”Daddy Ball” coaches would definitely think twice

@ButchBaseball29 Totally agree

If you’ve played or coached, you’ve been mad at an umpire, but I’ve never even thought about fighting one. Jail and lifetime ban.

Don’t throw the coach out. Throw the team out of the tournament. No refund.

1000 musicians gathered playing "Highway to Hell" by AC/DC.

Love the effort! Out!

That jersey was worn before you. It’ll be worn after you. Your only job? Make the next person proud to put it on.

My son came home from karate with a white belt. I asked what it meant. He said: "You know nothing. You have an opportunity to learn everything." That stopped me cold. I was an MLB manager at the time. Most leaders confuse experience with wisdom. They've "seen it all" so they stop listening, stop asking, stop being curious. But the leaders who last longest never stop being students. They have the White Belt Mentality. Here are 3 principles of the White Belt Mentality. Principle 1: Approach every room like you have something to learn. The moment you walk in thinking you already have the answers, you've lost. • Ask more questions than you give answers • Seek out people who challenge your thinking • Be the first to say "I don't know but let's figure it out together" The leaders who stay curious outlast the ones who think they've arrived. Principle 2: Your team will teach you. When I was managing the Pirates, my best ideas didn't come from strategy sessions. They came from conversations with players, coaches, and support staff who were closest to the problem. I had to listen, not just wait to talk. Actually listen. People tell you exactly what they need, if you're willing to hear it. Principle 3: Build habits that force you to keep growing. Staying a white belt isn't an attitude, it's a daily practice. • Carry a journal and write down what you learn, not just what you do • Spend a few months learning from one voice, book, or mentor, and then follow the seeds to the next • Seek out people who tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear The best leaders in any room aren't the ones with the most experience. They're the ones still acting like they have the most to learn.

Some adults should not be coaching youth sports

I have around 20 players right now in pro baseball, from rookie ball up to majors They’ve said, ‘Ben you should get in pro ball’ I say, ‘Have you met anyone like me in your organization?’ They say, ‘No.’ Me: ‘What do I provide that you guys don’t have?’ Daily Accountability I would be fired from pro baseball in less than a month, I’m 100% positive of that. I am extremely unlikable on a personal level and that’s because your average person strolling society finds the truth very prickly. I present the truth in a raw way. It upsets the median because our instinct always has us seeking ‘comfort ability.’ The vast new wave of people in player development are younger non-experienced folks who are happy to have their job and one of their main goals is to keep their job. This is why there has been such a massive shift in player development becoming cornered by the private sector. There is cache in affiliated baseball bc of the commercialization and history, but the player has complete and total control. Yes there are good and strong leaders but they are rare and far in between. I used to pick apart my players, teams and staff when the standard fell short regardless of what area it fell in. If you didn’t clean your locker room space - conflict If you didn’t transition from the clubhouse to the dugout with intention - conflict If you weren’t dressed properly - conflict If you didn’t feed a double play by working the ball uphill - conflict If you didn’t understand our pick system as a pitcher or catcher - conflict If you didn’t treat service staff with respect before, during and after meals on the road - conflict It wasn’t always nasty conflict… especially early on. ‘Hey this is how we go from the clubhouse to the dugout, baseball is a game of transitions and this is why it’s important to getting your day started properly and with focus on the field…’ if there was reoffending multiple times yea it got confrontational. I asked my teams this at least 100 times during my career: Do you want me to stop being like this? If you guys want me to stop being like this I will. I’ll pat you on the rear and give you a high five no matter what happens. Tell me if you want me to stop being like this. Every single time they genuinely told me, often times in ways that strengthened our human connection to a very high degree: Ben please keep being that way What did that tell me? That even though I was this raging prick who never let any detail slip, they yearned for this level of accountability because they knew it was making them better Baseball players have an internal system and that internal system has one major undying goal regardless of level Get better! They want this goal serviced and it can’t be serviced properly unless they have someone pointing out the areas where they are falling short (because we all do) This is why we have the issues we have in Major League Baseball and now even college ball to a higher degree than 10 years ago. The promise we make to the player is about how we will help them reach their goals or dreams and what we will give them if they do good… but… we’re not kicking their ass enough or reigniting their flame when they fall short, they just become discarded And that’s what happens with coaches too, especially in pro ball. Teams are hiring people who don’t have the ‘accountability’ capabilities. The solution? I only know where to start: If you’re reading this and you’re in a position of leadership and someone is continually falling short, go put your foot in their ass

Special thanks to @GrandeyJames44 @jeffboulware4 @Coach_Jimmy_ and @jeffmielcarek for joining the show. Listen wherever you get your podcasts‼️podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bas…