Holy bleep, EMBARASSED?
YOU SHOULD ALL HAVE BEEN AT LEAST THAT MUCH!!! FIRST, IT ALL BEGINS WITH THE PITCHING. IF THE PITCHING DOESN'T BRING IT, THEN IT BECOMES DEFLATING IN ITSELF, NOT TO MEAN THAT THE PTICHER HAS TO STRIKE EVERYONE OUT, BUT THROW MORE STRIKES THAN BALLS, PLEASE! FURTHERMORE, IF A PITCHER IS STRUGGLING AND GETS PULLED, SWALLOW YOUR PRIDE AND ALLOW A TEAMMATE TO STEP IN AND PICK YOU UP WITHOUT THROWING 10YR OLD TEMPER TANTRUMS. THIS I FOUND OUT THE NEXT DAY WHEN A FRIEND'S 10 YR OLD SON PITCHED A GREAT PLAYOFF GAME THE SAME NIGHT, BUT LOST ON AN ERROR 2-1, THEN PROCEEDED TO THROW A FIT???
AS FOR THE FIELDING, EVERYONE OF YOU BETTER LOOK INVOLVED IN THE GAME (MEANING SET YOURSELF AND OPEN YOUR MOUTHS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!!- AND LET'S NOT FORGET THOSE THAT ARE ON THE BENCH, THOSE BALLPLAYERS CAN GET OFF THEIR BUTTS AND WARM THE OUTFIELDERS UP WITHOUT BEING REMINDED AS WELL AS LET THE PLAYERS IN THE FIELD KNOW SOMETHING THAT THEY MIGHT SEE HAPPENING, GAME SITUATION WISE THAT IS-NOT THE CUTE GIRLS SITTING ON THE SIDE! FOR THE FIELDERS, IF ANYONE IS CAUGHT WITH YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HIPS AND STANDING STRAIGHT UP WHILE A PITCH IS BEING DELIVERED, YOUR REACTION TIME WILL BE SLOWER TO A BALL HIT YOUR WAY, BUT I GUARANTEE YOU MY REACTION TIME WON'T BE IN PULLING YOUR BUTT FROM THE GAME AND EMBARASSING YOU IN FRONT OF EVERYONE!!!
INFIELD, YOU MUST GET IN FRONT OF THE GROUNDBALLS WITH YOUR GLOVES OUT IN FRONT OF YOU AND YOUR REARENDS (AKA: BUTTOCKS, NO FOUL LANGUAGE HERE) LOW TO THE GROUND, THEN STEP AND THROW WHILE TUCKING YOUR GLOVE INTO YOUR CHEST? LIGHTBULB GOING OFF YET???
HERE'S A HINT FOR THE OUTFIELD, IF A TEAM (OR SIMPLY A PARTICULAR PLAYER) HASN'T HIT A BALL OVER YOUR HEADS AND WE ARE NOW IN THE 3RD OR 4TH INNING, DON'T PLAY YOUR POSITION OUT IN WEST JABIP SOMEWHERE; CHALLENGE THE HITTERS A LITTLE! IF YOU SEE A BATTER THAT CONTINUALLY PULLS THE BALL, CHEAT HIM TOWARDS THAT SIDE OF THE FIELD A BIT! THIS MAY INVOLVE SPEAKING TO ONE ANOTHER AND SAYING, "HEY thingy (SHOULD I HAVE SAID RICHARD?), WASN'T THIS THE HITTER THAT HIT THE BALL DEEP TO LEFT CENTER LAST TIME OR BOTH TIMES HE WAS UP?
" HMMMMM, IT MIGHT MAKE SENSE AND EVEN WORK!!
AS FOR THE HITTING, AFTER A FEW BAD BREAKS EARLY, WHEN BALLS WERE HIT DIRECTLY AT OUTFIELDERS, THEN FALLING BEHIND DEFENSIVELY, WE QUIT ON OURSELVES??? WHY??? ANYONE??? BEULLER??? THE BIG GUYS NEED TO STEP IT UP AND SOON! SWING A MORE LEVEL BAT, BY NOT COLLAPSING THE HIND LEG, WHICH IN TURN DROPS YOUR BACK SHOULDER, WHICH LEADS TO THE DREADED POP-UPS OR LAZY FLY BALLS... ANOTHER BIG GUY SWINGS A BAT MOST OF THE TIME LIKE IT'S A 900LB TREE TRUNK AND SEEMS TO HAVE DIFFICULTY GETTING AROUND ON PITCHERS WITH A LITTLE VELOCITY. HERE'S A THOUGHT, USE A SMALLER/LIGHTER BAT SO YOU CAN GENERATE BAT SPEED AND GET IT AROUND BETTER.
MOST OF YOU ARE BETTER HITTERS WHEN YOUR APPROACH IS ONE OF MORE AGGRESSION AND LESS PASSIVE. DISCIPLINE IS GOOD AND WORKING A PITCHER IF YOU CAN, BUT ONLY A COUPLE OF YOU ARE ABLE TO ADJUST ONCE YOU GET BEHIND IN THE COUNT, THEREFORE, STOP WAITING FOR PITCHES (UNLESS THE SITUATION ABSOLUTELY CALLS FOR IT, AND IF NOT SURE WHAT THIS MEANS, SHOW ME YOU CARE A LITTLE AND APPROACH ME ABOUT IT). EAR TUGS WITHOUT RUNNERS ON BASE SEEMS POINTLESS, BUT IF THAT'S WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO GET YOU TO SWING THE BATS, THEN I'LL MAKE IT HAPPEN.
ALL OF YOU NEED TO FIND A LITTLE GUMPTION, GRIT, HUNGER, CAUSE SOMEWHERE IN THE PIT OF YOUR GUT EACH OF YOU HAS SOME OR I DON'T BELIEVE YOU'D BE COMPETING IN SPORTS?? AFTERALL, IT IS THE COMPETITION AND THE THRILL OF VICTORY THAT EACH OF YOU IS INDIVIDUALLY COMPETING FOR- I THINK! BUTTTTT, THIS MAY BE PART OF THE PROBLEM IN THAT IN INDIVIDUAL PART NEEDS TO BECOME COLLECTIVELY COMPETING FOR!!!!!!!! WE DON'T NEED A TEAM FULL OF ABREU'S OR BURRELLS (REGARDLESS OF HIS MULTIPLE HOMERUNS), IT'S THE UTLEY'S AND HOWARD'S (DESPITE HIS LEAGUE LEADING ERRORS, CAUSE EVERYONE HAS A ROLL ON A TEAM) THAT WILL ULTIMATELY WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS! remember the elation that summer night? want to feel it again? OR WILL YOU PUT YOUR TALES BETWEEN YOUR LEGS AGAIN AND GIVE UP? WHEN A GOOD TEAM SEE'S THEIR OPPONENTS DOWN, THEY WILL BURY THEM, BUT IF THEY SEE THE OPPONENT BATTLING IT OUT EVERY STEP OF THE WAY, IT SHOWS THAT CERTAIN GUMPTION!!! IS ANYONE GETTING THIS? DOES ANY OF IT MAKE SENSE? EVER HEARD ANY OF THIS BEFORE? IF ANYONE IS OFFENDED, TOUGH!! JUST ROLL UP YOUR SKIRT THEN AND HAVE A SEAT ON THE BENCH OR BETTER YET, MAYBE YOU SHOULD JUST STAY HOME! DON'T WANT TO BEAT A DEAD HORSE, BUT THIS NEEDED TO BE SAID, AND IF ANY OF YOU ARE WONDERING WHY I DIDN'T SAY IT AFTER THAT DEBACLE, WELL IT'S TWO-FOLD.... FIRST, I WAS FURIOUS AFTER THE GAME AND SECOND, NO-ONE WOULD HAVE HEARD ME WITH ALL THE SULKING AND HANGING HEADS AFTERWARDS. HOPEFULLY, THE ENTIRE TEAM WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO READ THIS BECAUSE EACH OF YOU NEEDS TO TAKE A LOOK AT YOURSELF AND DETERMINE WHAT YOU CAN DO TO CONTRIBUTE BETTER. WE'RE NOT BOYS ANYMORE!!!
IF THIS IS THE BEST WE'VE GOT, THEN I RECKON IT'LL PLAY ITSELF OUT WITH AN EARLY DEPARTURE, BUT I KNOW THAT EVERYONE HAS MORE TO GIVE THAN WHAT'S BEEN SHOWN. WE'VE BLENDED TWO TEAMS AND HAVE MORE INDIVIDUAL TALENT, BUT YOU NEED TO COME TOGETHER NOW AS THE COMPETITION WILL BE STRONGER DOWN THE STRETCH. SIMPLE FUNDAMENTALS AND HAVING FUN WHILE PICKING ONE ANOTHER UP ... ANY LEADERS ON THIS TEAM?? IF SO, IT HASN'T SHOWN YET! THERE ARE A FEW OF YOU WITH THAT GRIT AND HEART, INCLUDING A GUY LIKE RYAN BROWN WHO HAS BECOME A BETTER BALLPLAYER EACH AND EVERY YEAR BY LISTENING, QUESTIONING AND WORK ETHIC.
FINALLY, WE ARE A CLASSIER TEAM THAN WE SHOWED TOWARDS THE END OF THE GAME LAST MONDAY. I WAS EMBARASSED FOR CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS ON MONDAY AND HOPEFULLY WE WILL BRING A MORE SPORTMANLIKE GAME IN THE FUTURE.
LAST AND QUIT NOTE: BASE RUNNERS, EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE A STEAL SIGN, BUT YOU SEE THE PITCHER IGNORING YOU OR YOU HAVE A GOOD READ ON THE STRETCH, YOU MAY USE YOUR OWN DESCRETION AT LEAST FOR NOW TO STEAL A BASE (EVEN 3RD BASE AS A COUPLE OF YOU DID IN AN EARLIER GAME). BUT, YOU BETTER UNDERSTAND THE GAME SITUATION AND YOU BETTER MAKE IT SAFELY!!!! WHEN DOWN 11-2 AND NEEDING 10 CONSECUTIVE HITS TO TIE THE GAME, STEALING MAY NOT BE THE BEST MOVE, THOUGH I DO LIKE THE AGGRESSIVENESS. UNLESS THE TEAM HAS TOTALLY IGNORED YOU AS A RUNNER!!!!
GOOD LUCK AND BETTER/SMARTER/ERROR FREE BALL THE REST OF THE SEASON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
COACH
YOU SHOULD ALL HAVE BEEN AT LEAST THAT MUCH!!! FIRST, IT ALL BEGINS WITH THE PITCHING. IF THE PITCHING DOESN'T BRING IT, THEN IT BECOMES DEFLATING IN ITSELF, NOT TO MEAN THAT THE PTICHER HAS TO STRIKE EVERYONE OUT, BUT THROW MORE STRIKES THAN BALLS, PLEASE! FURTHERMORE, IF A PITCHER IS STRUGGLING AND GETS PULLED, SWALLOW YOUR PRIDE AND ALLOW A TEAMMATE TO STEP IN AND PICK YOU UP WITHOUT THROWING 10YR OLD TEMPER TANTRUMS. THIS I FOUND OUT THE NEXT DAY WHEN A FRIEND'S 10 YR OLD SON PITCHED A GREAT PLAYOFF GAME THE SAME NIGHT, BUT LOST ON AN ERROR 2-1, THEN PROCEEDED TO THROW A FIT??? 
well said