Dear Ruffneck,

I have been thinking about what I wanted to say to you as we begin this
season. Rather than mumbling and stumbling through it, and giving my best Coach
Papy (from the Waterboy) impression in a pre-season speech, I thought it would be
best to put it on paper.
When we had our first team meeting, we stated that our main goals were to
become better ballplayers and to learn to love the game. At the end of each
season, our question to you has been. Do you feel like youre a better player,
now, and do you still love the game? Year after year, the answer has been YES.
My question to you this year is the same, but I want to add WHY do you love it?
When I first began playing baseball, I remember loving everything about
being a part of a team, the competition, the atmosphere, the sounds, and even the
smells that surround the game. Being able to play a game that you watched your
heroes play, was also a big plus. As I grow older, however, and look at the game
from the parent/coach side, I have learned to appreciate it more for the life lessons
it teaches.
Our battle cry, when we break our huddle, has always been E.P. (EVERY
PITCH). Those two little letters represent a long checklist that we should mentally go
thru before each and every pitch. First and foremost, is to flush whatever
happened on the last pitch, and focus on the next pitch. Then, we should get our
signs , look over our situation (check the baserunners, number of outs, etc.), get our
reads ( opponents tendencies, speed, strength, etc.), make the play in our minds in
all scenarios ( the ball hit to us or to our teammate), and then relax and make the
play. Knowing what to do before we are put in the situation, allows us to play with
confidence. Proverbs 4:25-26 says Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze
directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths of your feet and be steadfast
in your ways. To me, these verses echo what we have tried to teach you with
Every Pitch. If we look or gaze straight ahead, then we arent focused on what
happened in the past. If we give careful thought to the paths of our feet, we can
be steadfast and approach every pitch with confidence.
Nothing good comes from worrying about or delighting in the past.
Whether we just made the play of our life , or we just dropped a can of corn, we
cant let it influence the next pitch. Phil 3:13-14 says, Brothers, I do not consider
that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and
straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the

upward call of God in Christ Jesus. If you look back at Pauls life, you will find it was
filled with early failures, and later, great victories, but he didnt see any benefit in
dwelling on either. Rather, he teaches us that we should forget the past and press
on to the greater goal.
Whether you are at the plate, on the sacks, behind the plate, on the mound,
or even in the field, you should always get your signs before every pitch. Knowing
what to do is half the battle, and these signs tell you what you are expected to do.
2Tim 3:16 says; All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for
reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. We dont have to go thru
life wondering what we are expected to do, because the Bible tells us. We just need
to trust His directions, and know His signs. 2 Tim 2:15 states, Study to show
thyself approved unto God, a workman who needeth not to be ashamed, rightly
dividing the word of truth.
Situations change with every pitch. Runners may move, we may get an out,
but at the very least, the count will change. Gen 8:22 reminds us that life is this
way; While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and
winter, day and night, shall not cease. Things change. Dont get caught unaware.
Take the time to evaluate the situation. Prov 19:2 teaches that; Desire without
knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.
Throughout the course of the game, there will be times when you will have to
make reads. Whether its on a throw to the plate that sails over the cut-off, a pitch
in the dirt that we can move up a base on, or even the speed of an opponent ( If the
batter is called Big Country, the fielder shouldnt have to rush a throw to first.
However, if he is called Lightning, you probably cant afford to sit back). Making a
good read allows us to take advantage of a situation, but, if we miss our reads, and
wait on our coach, its probably going to be to0 late. John 4:35 says; Do you not
say, There are yet four months, then comes the harvest? Look, I tell you, lift up
your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Sometimes we need to
lift up our eyes, and see the opportunities. Too many times, we wait, and just like
the season for harvest, the opportunities pass.
After going thru our mental and visual checklist, the focus switches to our
effort. We cant always

control our situation, but our effort should never slack.

Keep competing, pitch after pitch!!!

Col 3:23 tells us; whatever you do, work

heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.

hand finds to do, do it with your might.

Also , Ecc 9:10 says; Whatever your

Think about those verses for a second.

What level of effort do they call for?

And on a side note Shouldnt this effect

what we find to do with our hands? Can we do it as for the Lord? If we cant,
thats a pretty good indication that we should stay away from it. Make good
decisions. Our decisions never just effect us. They also effect the team.
Never let the fear of making a mistake keep you from competing to the best
of your ability. Relax and play the game with confidence. In 1 Cor 15:10, Paul says;
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain.
On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the
grace of God that is with me. God has graced each of you with the abilities to play
this game. Dont waste it. Do as Paul did; work harder than them all and give God
the credit. Confidence grows, when we know weve outworked our opponents.
Every great team is full of selfless players that fill their role and put the team
before themselves. 1 Cor 12: 14-17 explains; For the body does not consist of one
member but of many. If the foot should say, Because I am not a hand, I do not
belong to the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the
ear should say, Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body, that would
not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would
be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense
of smell.

What role you end up playing is not nearly as important as your

willingness and readiness to fill that role.

Each aspect of the game, whether hitting, pitching, or fielding, share
fundamental similarities. Each start with a solid foundation, continues with a
balanced approach, and end with a winners finish. These are also fundamentals for
a successful life. We have to begin with a solid foundation. Luke 6:48 says; he is
like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And
when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it,
because it had been well built., and 1 Sam 2:2 points us to our Rock; There is
none holy like the Lord; there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. A
solid foundation allows us to have balance, and a balanced life centers on Christ; 1
Thes 3:8 .... For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord, and if we put our
faith in Him, well have a winning finish; Rom 10:9-10.if you confess with your
mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the
dead, you will be saved.

10

For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with

the mouth one confesses and is saved., and John 3:16 declaresFor God so loved
the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish

but have eternal life.

Build your life and stake your future on Him.Youll love

the finish!!!.
As we enter into this final season of playing together, I dont want us to miss
the joy of playing this great game, with this unique TEAM, because we are worried
about the ending. Matt 6:34 says; Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Rather than worrying, lets savor the moments , work harder on our fundamentals,
develop a deeper love for the game, continue to be good teammates, and play it
the way it was meant to be played..EVERY PITCH !!!!!
Sincerely, Coach Ben