Coach Sargent

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

Brad Stevens shares his non-negotiables for life. "I wanna enjoy who I'm working with. I wanna enjoy where I'm working. I wanna have a goal, but I also wanna enjoy the journey of getting to that goal." "For me, it starts with being a great teammate. That is something I look for in people. Those relationships are probably the most important thing." It starts with the people and the character of those people. Then he explained what it means to show up every day: "You put your signature on your work every day. You give it everything you have." "You do it for the good of the whole. You do it to get better at your own job. You do it to improve the whole and see where the chips may fall." It means giving your best effort and bringing a mindset of excellence to yourself and your team. "I've been lucky enough to be on really good teams. Teams that have had chances to play for things that are really, really special." Then he shared what stays with you: "Very rarely when you look back on those teams - whether at Butler or here - do you think about the individual games or even the moments of the games." "You think about the people and the individual times with the people." "That's the special part about being a part of a sports team. That's why you walk through the building every day." The relationships always stay. Stevens' wisdom is simple: it comes down to character. • Be a great teammate. • Strive for excellence. • Enjoy the people and the process. Character isn't what you say - it's what you do consistently. (🎥 Way of Champions)

Varsity Baseball: Final - Archbishop Riordan 3, South San Francisco 2