Brad Mumma, a former teammate, pro pitcher, and friend of mine wrote this for the blog. I hope you enjoy.

A couple years ago I was watching a baseball tonight where they interviewed Stephen Strasburg who had just been selected #1 overall in the draft and was one of the most prolific prospects of all time. He was cycling through his pitches and explaining them and showing the grips. He said, I throw this slurve thing and I said to myself, oh no, he is going to get hurt once he faces the increased innings and workload that a pro pitcher faces. Unfortunately I was right and hopefully he’ll be the pitcher we’re all expecting him to be.
I ask every player who says they throw a slider how does it spin and can you show me? Most of the answers I get are wrong. I really didn’t know the answer until Rick Langford, the greatest pitching coach I ever had, challenged our entire staff of pitchers for the Dunedin Blue Jays. Now this is a high-A minor league team so you would expect we had the answer. No one knew. After his explanation I’ve never looked at this pitch and thought dangerous. This pitch has a black eye and everyone thinks it is so devastating on your arm. But the truth is the incorrect way of throwing any pitch will get you hurt, especially when you are talking about breaking pitches.
The answer is all in the spin. Most uninformed players and coaches, like I was before, think a slider is a sideways curveball or that it spins like a globe. That slurve is somewhere in between a 12-6 curve spin and the straight sideways globe spin. The correct spin of a slider is identical to the spin of the spiral of a football. You’re probably saying how can I make a baseball spin the spiral of a football? If you make both sweet spots on the ball (the sweet spot is the channel where the seams come close together) the points of the football you will be looking at the horseshoe with the opening facing towards you. Going along and slightly across the seam that makes up the side of the horseshoe you will be pulling the seam down to create the “spiral.” It is often taught to supinate (come under the ball like you are turning a door knob) the wrist at this point, this will get you hurt. It is possible to do this by pulling the seam straight down. At first, you will most likely see a little movement and the spiral pointing upward like a pass sailing over a receivers head. As you work on the pitch and learn to pull down and extend at the same time you will notice the spiral pointing straight at the catcher and eventually down towards the catchers feet for optimal movement.
The final point about this pitch is that it is a power pitch. It is to be thrown hard. Pitchers often like the break on pitch and try to make the break bigger, this is where you will probably change the way you are throwing and you could be hurt. It is also where most pitchers supinate their wrist. If you want a bigger break, then learn to throw a curveball.

Notice the word State that is the back point
of the football. As you go towards home
with front point of the football facing the
catcher you will pull the seam down. The
back of your hand should never face the
ground coming under the ball or you should
not twist like you are opening a door knob.
This can be accomplished safely.
The Truth about the Slider

A couple years ago I was watching a baseball tonight where they interviewed Stephen Strasburg who had just been selected #1 overall in the draft and was one of the most prolific prospects of all time. He was cycling through his pitches and explaining them and showing the grips. He said, I throw this slurve thing and I said to myself, oh no, he is going to get hurt once he faces the increased innings and workload that a pro pitcher faces. Unfortunately I was right and hopefully he’ll be the pitcher we’re all expecting him to be.
I ask every player who says they throw a slider how does it spin and can you show me? Most of the answers I get are wrong. I really didn’t know the answer until Rick Langford, the greatest pitching coach I ever had, challenged our entire staff of pitchers for the Dunedin Blue Jays. Now this is a high-A minor league team so you would expect we had the answer. No one knew. After his explanation I’ve never looked at this pitch and thought dangerous. This pitch has a black eye and everyone thinks it is so devastating on your arm. But the truth is the incorrect way of throwing any pitch will get you hurt, especially when you are talking about breaking pitches.
The answer is all in the spin. Most uninformed players and coaches, like I was before, think a slider is a sideways curveball or that it spins like a globe. That slurve is somewhere in between a 12-6 curve spin and the straight sideways globe spin. The correct spin of a slider is identical to the spin of the spiral of a football. You’re probably saying how can I make a baseball spin the spiral of a football? If you make both sweet spots on the ball (the sweet spot is the channel where the seams come close together) the points of the football you will be looking at the horseshoe with the opening facing towards you. Going along and slightly across the seam that makes up the side of the horseshoe you will be pulling the seam down to create the “spiral.” It is often taught to supinate (come under the ball like you are turning a door knob) the wrist at this point, this will get you hurt. It is possible to do this by pulling the seam straight down. At first, you will most likely see a little movement and the spiral pointing upward like a pass sailing over a receivers head. As you work on the pitch and learn to pull down and extend at the same time you will notice the spiral pointing straight at the catcher and eventually down towards the catchers feet for optimal movement.
The final point about this pitch is that it is a power pitch. It is to be thrown hard. Pitchers often like the break on pitch and try to make the break bigger, this is where you will probably change the way you are throwing and you could be hurt. It is also where most pitchers supinate their wrist. If you want a bigger break, then learn to throw a curveball.

Notice the word State that is the back point
of the football. As you go towards home
with front point of the football facing the
catcher you will pull the seam down. The
back of your hand should never face the
ground coming under the ball or you should
not twist like you are opening a door knob.
This can be accomplished safely.

If you are looking for new posts, I will be doing the majority of my writing at:

http://www.michiganprospectheadquarters.com/apps/blog

Although I may still write over here occasionally, the above link will be where you can find me most of the time.

Thanks for reading, I appreciate you taking the time to stop by, and I hope you enjoy the new location as well.

If you are a High School or Junior College baseball player, or even a parent to a child who fits that category you should check out www.michiganprospectheadquarters.com

Michigan Prospect Headquarters puts athletes in front of college coaches, to showcase their ability and work directly with the coaches that could eventually be recruiting them.

Why…
Not give it your best every time?
Do you make an excuse after every failure?
Has Qdoba made their burritos smaller but raised their prices?
Do people feel it is OK to give you unsolicited advice?
Do you not want to be up when the game is on the line?
Does failure scare you so bad?
Do you not realize your fears are paralyzing you?
Do you have batting gloves in your back pocket, and none on your hands?
Do you let your swagger speak louder than your play?
Do you enjoy getting 3 hits when your team loses?
Are you selfish?
Do you not realize that your selfishness hurts your team?
Does 90 feet seem so far to you?
Are you entitled to play everyday?
Do you think your scholarship guarantees you playing time?
Do people stop working when the results are not immediate?
Would I trust that you have my best interest at heart?
Did you stop believing in yourself?
Does it take hate and negative talk to motivate you?
Did you let others steal your confidence?
Did you stop playing in the 7th inning of a 9 inning game?
Do you always look at the negative?

How…
Do you work harder than anyone all the time?
Do you not stop trying to get better?
Are you so driven?
Do you stay so positive?
Does it not bother you that you went 0-4?
Do you push others do be better?
Do you have so much energy to give?
Do you have so much energy to share with others?
Did you get to the point where failure doesn’t scare you?
Do you know the right things to say at the right time?
Do you always believe you can win?
Do you make 90 feet look so short?
Do you not let the hate slow you down?

My hope is other people are asking you the question in the How section and not the Why Section.

If you are surrounded by people you always have to ask the Why questions to, you are headed for trouble, but if you have a group of people you can ask the How questions to, you have a serious chance to achieve greatness.

Workout when nobody is looking?
Workout when your friends are all hanging out?
Go to football or basketball practice, and get your swings, bull pen, ground balls in after?
Do one more set when you can barely walk?
Push through the pain, and pitch in the big game?
Push through the pain and pitch in a game that might end up being a big game?
Go to the cage when you would rather be sleeping?
Not let others dictate your work ethic?
Put it all on the line, when it really matters?
Respectfully call out a teammate when they need it? That is what leaders do.
Go to all your classes?
Study as hard as you practice?
Show up early?
Stay Late?
Work on the basic fundamentals for hours on end?
Miss the party?
Run even when it is raining? You are going to sweat anyway.
Take Responsibility for your actions? Not just the good ones.
Sacrifice for the team?
Play the role you are given?
Try to improve, and change your roll?
Catch every ball with two hands?
Run hard to 1st base every time?
Run out every fly ball?
Back up the plays you are supposed to?

What you are willing to do, will tell you what your goals truly are.

So if I ask you, “if you want to play college baseball” and you can’t answer yes to these questions, you might want to reconsider what you want to do.

If someone tells you they played Semi-Pro, that means they played on a summer team.

If someone says “you are Semi-Pro” they are saying, you stink.

When a kid’s Mom or Dad tells you he throws 88 it means he throws 82, it just looks faster because the people in his small town can’t catch up to that noise.

When a kid’s Mom or Dad tells you they were invited to a baseball camp at (insert any school) it means they got a form letter that 1,000 other kids received. (Sorry to all my college coaching buddies for giving out your secret)

You should not lie about how far you made it because GOOGLE will always tell the truth.

Do not tell me you were the starting SS at school if you wereen’t, because again, GOOGLE will tell the truth.

Most kids do not truly understand what it takes to play collegiate baseball, especially at D I or D II.

Most hitting conversations are a waste of time because they are either between two people who agree and are saying the same thing, or they are between two people who have different views, and neither is willing to change. Either way, it is a complete waste of time, and nothing is learned.

Jogging to first base just proves you are a lazy cry baby.

Your players see right through you, so be yourself

You have to care about your players, not how many wins they can get you.

Your swing is not level, it is on plane with the ball

You match the plane of the ball with the plane of the swing (meaning a higher pitch will have a more level swing)

Being organized removes a lot of problems you encounter

The smallest details are important

Buying plane tickets 2 weeks before a spring trip is a bad idea, and will result in half your team riding a bus one way, the other half flying round trip, and everyone will know you are unorganized, lazy, and over your head

Sign all the autographs people ask you to sign, because one day you will want to sign autographs and nobody will be asking

People bought a ticket to watch you play so play hard and play the whole game

Firing your best coach is never a recipe for success

The swing does not go down on the baseball

You do drop your back shoulder, its called Tilt

You do not throw your hands

90 feet isn’t that far to run, so do it

You can win with hustle

You can win with Character

Throwing equipment doesn’t mean you care, it means you are not mature enough to handle failure

If you get hit by a pitch, either charge the mound or go to first, don’t stand there and act tough

You will be faster if you remove a few of your wristbands, necklaces, and other crap

The more you talk, the more I know you either aren’t that good, or only care about yourself

Teams win championships, so you are either all in or all out, but you have to choose

You can do things your own way, but you can’t do things your own way and be part of a team

Swag is insecurity and a waste of money, if you are good, I will see you, and probably still think you are an individual, and if you stink, I will notice more, because you look like should be good. Either way, you lose.

You should catch the ball with two hands

Girls don’t like baseball players, they like good looking baseball players, and it helps if you are actually on the field.

The clubhouse is a great place to hang out…get there early.

Don’t act like your glove will be ruined if someone else puts their hand in it…it’s annoying

You didn’t strike out because a pitcher picked your bat up, and if you think you did, then you are a mental midget (mental small person)

Your last at bat doesn’t matter

1-7 with the game winning RBI is a great day because you won.

Worrying about your average will almost always make it go down.

Coaching can win games, it can also lose them

Jordan Bigger; a former player of mine, called me out on my post about Swag and how I am sick of it. At first I thought, how stupid, doesn’t he get it. Then my coaching instincts kicked in, and I realized that it was my fault.

It was my fault, because I failed to clearly explain what I was saying. This happens a lot with coaches, but most coaches just say the same thing again, simply louder. So in an effort to coach a little, I will do a better job explaining myself.

Swagger: A quiet confidence that is exuded through body language and work ethic. Swagger is a key element to success, although you may not call it swagger, it is all the same. Swagger is when you know you are going to be successful because you have worked hard. Your confidence shines through bordering on cocky, and that is OK, as long as your teammates respect the work you have put in. Simply put, if you carry yourself in this fashion you have better put the work in. Swagger is your belief in yourself, and if you have worked hard you should believe in yourself.

Swag: Flash, plain and simple. Swag is when a person tries to stand out, tries to bring attention to themselves. They do this in many different ways, but all of them are counterproductive and not in the best interest of the team. Showing up the pitcher on a HR when your team is down by 10 runs is an example of this. It shows that you think you and your accomplishments are more important than the team.

A former college teammate of mine; Adam Rosales was once called out on ESPN for running too fast around the bases after he hit a HR. I thought this was so stupid. People thought because he was hustling, and playing the game hard, he was doing something wrong. That is because these days we are used to watching people walk to 1st base and then jog as slow as possible in order to maximize their camera time.

Make sure you have Swagger, but leave the Swag at home.

Do you care? Do you actually care about the kids you are coaching? A few days ago I wrote a post entitled “Are you trying to convince yourself”?

Well here is the ending to the conversation.  When I was at Davenport, I knew what I had, I had a program that was three years old, no kid ever dreamed of going to Davenport, not one kid I coached dreamed of playing a college they never heard of who played their home games on a high school field.

Stanford had all kinds of kids that dreamed of going there, they wanted to win National Championships, they wanted to play on Sunken Diamond, and the school is, well Stanford.  Here is the catch, the coaches there actually care.  These guys genuinely care about their players, it is incredible and truly amazing to see. 

I watched Coach Stotz cry in front of hundreds of people, not because he thought it would help him get players, but because the story of a kid who played for him whose Mom passed away.  He cried, and wasn’t ashamed, because he cares.  Stanford is Stanford, but to truly see a big time program like that have coaches that got it, or at least what I think is getting it.

So I asked you, do you know what you have? I guess the better question is do you have what truly matters; the ability to genuinely care about your players.  I do, Coach Stotz does, Mike Spiegel does.  Also, I knew, I knew I had no way of selling a kid a fantasy about DU, but what I did have is a genuine interest in them.  Them, not the ball player, not the shortstop, who hits third, them.  I cared about what happened to them while they were at school, I cared about what they did in their spare time, and I genuinely cared about what they were going to do after they left the program.  I get phone calls to this day, from kids I coached as long as 8 years ago, why? Because I care and they know that (I also make phone calls, a lot).  I proved that, not by telling them, but by being there, listening, coaching, encouraging, pushing, hugging, helping, using tough love when they needed it, but what matters is they knew I wanted them to succeed in life. 

The first day of practice I told them about who I was and where I had been, then I promptly told them I knew none of them gave a shit about that.  I also told them, I wasn’t here for me, I was here for them.  The last thing I said to them was I did not want their trust until I earned it, I also did not want their respect until I earned it.  I said, we are going to earn each others trust and respect, and because of that we are going to build something that nobody from the outside could ever understand.  This was an actual conversation we had in Left field before our first practice.

I know a few coaches who coach for the social life, to feel important, to get free meals while they recruit, to say I coach College Baseball.  This is sad, because they are coaching to make withdrawals.  These are the worst kinds of coaches, because they take, it is about them, look at me, you should really respect me because I am a Head Coach.  I am right, again these coaches take the energy from the game and the players, they are coaching to make withdrawals.

I also know coaches that care about doing right, that care about the kids, the other coaches, and the families.  My buddy Mike Spiegel is a coach like this.  Mike coaches to make Deposits.  He loves the game, and what the game represents; an opportunity for him to interact and help develop young men.  He is knowledgeable but that wouldn’t matter if he didn’t Care about the players, because they wouldn’t truly listen if they didn’t think he cared.  Mike gives energy, Mike embraces his players, he interacts with them, he truly enjoys coaching, Mike makes deposits.  Mike represents the best kind of coach and if you ask me he should be at a big time school as a big time coach, but that doesn’t matter to him, he just loves to coach (Teach) the kids.  Mike is what a coach should be, he would fit right in at Stanford, with his caring ways and his knowledge.  Mike Makes Deposits.

A list of Coaches that Make Deposits: In no specific order

Ian Hearn, Andy Pascoe, Rob Bolster, Mike Spiegel, Mike Pearson (My little league coach), Tim Frankhouse, Jay Alexander, Ryan Kelley, Mike Diaz, Jeff Nowaczyk, Steve Jaksa (picks up the phone whenever I call), Brett Haring, Jeff Opalewski, Ron Rakowski, Sean Flikke, Coach Stotz, Coach Marquess, Coach Fred Decker, Kelly Clark (high school football coach), Pat McDonald, Bob Youngs, Mark Youngs.

So if you are selling your apparel, your spring trips, your new stadium, who you will play, or any other false sense of worth you have to your recruits, you my friend are sadly missing the point. Also, if the kids you are recruiting care about that, then you my friend are getting the wrong kids (this is for a different post).  You don’t get it, not at all.  I don’t care how many games you win, you don’t get it, if these are your tactics, you are missing the point.

The game is not important, the people are what is important.  The game is simply a tool to reach out to these young men, or women and teach them, guide them, and the best part is every tool or lesson you need can be taught through the game.  Adversity, accomplishment, winning, losing, family, facing failure, bouncing back from failure, being successful, handling that success, caring about people, being part of something that matters, doing your best, hard work, putting others first, pushing yourself, accountability, responsibility, and these are just a few examples of what we can teach through the sports we coach. 

It isn’t about the wins, it isn’t about the rings, the trophies, the trips, THE TITLE: HEAD COACH, recruiting coordinator, hitting coach, pitching coach, LSU, Stanford, it isn’t about any of that crap; it’s about the people, the kids, the other coaches, the families, it is about real life. 

If you remove all the nonsense, from above, you are left with what is important:

*The kids, the memories, and the stories. (Coach Stotz understood this)

this is what it is all about, this is what a ring or a trophy represent.  Think of it like this, if you throw your ring out, or lose your trophy does that mean you never accomplished the things they represent, did you lose the memories, and do the people you accomplished these things with no longer exist? No you still have all of that.

If you remove the people, the kids, the families, will you still have the stories, the memories, or the ring?  NO, if remove what matters you lose the stuff you think matters, but if you remove the stuff you think matters, you still have all the stuff that really matters.

You have to Care, Genuinely, it is the only way.

Authority and Credibility affect each other in a continuous fashion.  It is my belief that you cannot truly have authority without credibility, and likewise credibility can give you an authoritative role even if you are not seeking that position.  In a case where you are a manager and in an authoritative role as described by your title, your lack of credibility will greatly reduce peoples’ trust in you.  When trust is compromised, authority is compromised as well.  Losing authority and credibility greatly reduces your ability to communicate with employees on any topic related to the field in which you work.  In the article “Abuse of Authority and Hierarchical communication” Friebel and Raith argue “if managers and their subordinates have the same basic qualifications, then organizations can benefit from replacing unproductive superiors with more productive subordinates”. (Friebel and Raith 2001) An employee who has the qualification to be the manager will not listen to or respect the manager for any length of time.   This lack of respect directly affects authority. 

One key component to maintaining authority and credibility is your expertise.  Expertise in a given field will gain an individual credibility.  If enough people are willing to listen to an individual they have gained an authoritative role and will be able to clearly communicate with the people they are trying to reach.  On the other side of that coin are people who only have general knowledge of their field, “there are leaders who lack credibility because they only have a superficial knowledge base with no depth”. (Zust n.d.) A person can only get away with having superficial knowledge for so long before they are exposed and lose all credibility, in turn losing authority. 

As described by Zust, people who communicate with credibility align consistent verbal and non verbal communication, are good listeners, make realistic promises and keep them, speak from the heart, have expertise, are honest, and proactive. (Zust n.d.) During my time as a business owner and now as a coach I realize all of these to be true factors in achieving and maintaining credibility.  My background of playing college and professional baseball as well as winning a conference title as a coach at Central Michigan University gave me instant credibility when I arrived at Davenport University.  Now that I am here it is imperative to gain and maintain the trust of the players by proving I actually possess the knowledge my resume states.  Players come to me on a regular basis with very detailed questions, and if I do not have the answers they are looking for or can only give them a partial answer they will begin looking other places for the answers.  To make matters worse they will begin to question my credibility amongst each other.  Also, when a player has an issue outside of baseball and they come to me I must listen.  If they feel I am somebody they can come to with ideas or simply to talk to when things are going bad they show they trust me.  Trust goes a long way in effective communication as a leader.  People who trust in you are more likely to help you out and stick up for you when others are not so happy. 

It is my firm belief that authority is not gained through a title, authority is gained through trust, credibility, and caring.  If people can trust you and trust the information you are giving them, along with knowing you care for them they will be more apt to look up to you as an authority figure and work hard for you.  If you gain this trust from people they will do whatever you ask of them to the best of their ability because they truly believe you would never ask them to do anything that was not for their own good.  This is a responsibility you cannot take lightly because you have gained the trust of the people working or playing for you, and it is much easier to lose this trust than it is to gain it.  That is why as a leader you must constantly work on your credibility.  You must as Zust said “be proactive” (Zust n.d) in order to maintain your credibility.  You do this by making sure you are up to date on the newest ideas and making sure you communicate clearly with the people who are working or playing for you on a regular basis.  The biggest mistake people in authoritative roles make is assuming their title gives them credibility, instead of understanding credibility creates authority. 

References:

Zust, Christine W., (n.d.) Communicating with Credibility, Retrieved October 28, 2010 from www.emergingleader.com/article15.shtml

Friebel and Raith 2001, Abuse of Authority and Hierarchical communication, Retrieved October 28, 2010, From http://idei.fr/doc/by/friebel/friebelraith.pdf