Brave Sox Battle the Elements

At about 5:00 yesterday, Eric, Tom, Micah, and Dan took the diamond for what was supposed to be a pre-practice pitching session. The rain was coming down at a good clip, the wind was fierce, but these four stalwarts of the White Sox rotation were hungry for reps.

In baseball, there is no such thing as "natural ability." Nobody comes by the skills without a great deal of work. What separates great players from everybody else is about 10,000 hours of practice. These four guys understand this concept, and that is why, despite being drenched and chilled to the bone, they trotted to the outfield, actually smiling, and began their throwing routine.

It became clear soon enough, though, that the balls were just too wet and slippery to do any decent pitching. Did they want to pack it in, go home, and warm their icy fingers and toes by the fire?

"Go home? No way!" said Dan. "Can we stay? Please?"

The balls were wet, the players were wet, the coaches were wet, but Cusick Field was relatively dry. The infield was a little muddy and slick, but there were no puddles. The infield and outfield grass was playable.

So we began batting practice. That is when Tim, Mike, and Zack showed up. They trotted down the hill from the street ready start the full team practice. They, too, were smiling and eager to join in the fun. They, too, wanted reps more than warmth or comfort. Why not get in one of those 10,000 hours?

As it turned out, every White Sox player who was available yesterday for practice was at practice--braving what will hopefully be the most miserable weather conditions we will face this season. Hockey tryouts, an AAU baseball practice, a family trip to Israel, and a concert occupied the other players. And rightfully so, as these are all causes worthy of missing one of many baseball practices that we have on the schedule.

As essential as regular practice is to success on the diamond, every practice we hold is ultimately optional. I am not the kind of coach who will give players a hard time for missing practices. Everybody will have to miss a practice from time to time. As much as we all love baseball, there is much more to the life of a fourth or fifth grader than baseball.

I will leave it to the parents and players to find the right balance and make choices that are right for each kid. I feel very comfortable with this arrangement because we have a team full of dedicated and motivated players who understand the importance of practice, and who want their reps like they want their Halloween candy.

A very special thanks to Coaches Gage and McKay who endured the cold and rain along with our players last night, gave excellent instruction, kept the players moving, and kept it all fun.