I know a scouting director who even passed on Derek Jeter, in part due to his being a Michigan kid! And he loved the kid, his family, his skills and his make up… Go figure!  But, it happens.

Some Examples Here’s an example of potential competition that a frozen state kid faces (remember, all teams in each area have the same weather, right?) If a 12 year old travel ball player in Florida has his 1st game of the spring season January 15, that same player would start around mid- late February in Georgia… just one state away. How about that same player in New Jersey? maybe April 1…if there’s no snow on the ground from a late storm?

Now that’s tough.

Try this one…when my son’s college ballclub headed to Florida from Tennessee, they had already played 12 games and teams from their conference in Texas had played 18. Yet some teams they matched up with were playing their 1st game of the season…right there in Florida!

One  coach from Illinois (who’s team hit the snot off the ball in their opening game) shook his head in amazement at how well they did hit. He told me that no practices had included live hitting on the field until that very game!

So, can you win if you are at this disadvantage? Absolutely…but we are talking about averages and odds…and it is just tougher with this disadvantage.

But you know who tends NOT to have a disadvantage? Pitchers!                      They can get their work in in the gym…it doesn’t seem to be a big difference-maker!

The Inaugural Under Armour All America Baseball Game was held at Wrigley Field last August. 36 rising High School seniors were chosen out of the 450,.000 HS players across the country.

1 player came from each of the following cold weather states/provinces:

Canada, New Jersey, Washington, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Utah, Maryland, N. California.

The other 27 were from below the Mason-Dixon Line… the South and the deep South!

The College World Series On the college level, there are great programs in all size schools in all parts of the country but when you get to the big schools in Division 1 (aka D1)…look at the 8 teams who competed in the College World Series (CWS) that just ended:

	LSU
	Arkansas
	Virginia
	Cal St.

	Texas
	ASU
	UNC
	Southern Miss

Since most are state schools, most draw players from their region yet there are still blue chip players on those rosters from up North. So, it can be done but…  many yankee players travel south to play at these premium baseball programs, further diluting the northern talent pool.

Is There A Lesson Here? I’d say it is more than an observation but if there is any to be learned is that all players should strive to do their best and find ways to become the best they can be. Its easy to say that you love to play the game but it is the truly honest player who searches inside himself/herself and decides how much they are willing to do… for themselves.

The Great Thing About This Game… is that you get judged everyday so there’s always the chance that it could be your career or your ticket into the college of your dreams, maybe saving your family a ton of money as well.

Its your game, its your fun… so its ultimately your decision.

Remember, everyone plays their last game… some of the best pro players I ever saw never got out of A Ball (one of the lower levels).

You have to earn the right to continue playing each season so please do it to the best of your abilities and keep learning…because this game is played from the neck-up!

And, its a blast to do anything well!

See you next time                                                                                                                     –Coach JP

BTW: We review and offer great baseball training aids for the next gen of great baseball players at www.baseballtips.com.

Last evening on my way home, I stopped at an indoor baseball training facility and watched players training to be better ballplayers for the upcoming season.

I had just visited Georgia Tech head coach Danny Hall…where his blue chip players were just finishing up their daily workout.

Here it was Friday evening at 7 PM and there were 40 kids, mostly under age 13 having a blast. Most were batting, some off batting tees, some doing soft toss, front toss, swinging underloaded training bats, and taking live BP (batting practice). Others were pitching, throwing, running while others were just taking breaks fooling around with their buddies, new and old.

Here’s the point… they were all doing a set routine of drills and seemed very happy doing it… even though none of them would be seeing game action for quite a while yet.

Which begs the question… how important is your being the best ballplayer you can be?

• It’s a great question & one that all answers can be correct.
• It’s the one question that may actually determine how far you go in ANY important aspect of your young life.
• Eventually, you have to ask yourself how much does it mean to you!

If baseball is a fun way for you to spend a few hours each week… even when there is snow on the ground, or when you are busy doing other activities that you really enjoy as well in the off season… then you are the guy who may go as far as your talent & body will take you!

But if baseball is only fun at gametime… maybe you should look at baseball as recreation and have fun with it for as long as it remains fun to play.

Like anything else that really means something to you, it takes your time…alot of your time.

Practice may make perfect but I more believe that focused practice where goals are set first, doing it correctly as part of your style will get you there… IF, you want it and think this is a very fun way to spend your valuable time.

A-Rod said “something like” the following recently:  ‘Sweat alone won’t get you there…but without the sweat… you have no chance at’ …and that ’s from the guy who was born with more talent than most Big Leaguers that you have ever even read about!

I encourage you guys to find out as soon as you can IF this is YOUR game… everyone deserves to be good at something…

Don’t just be good…be good at  something! I think I borrowed that from the writer H.D. Thoreau!

So, think about planning now to train to be a better ballplayer this season.