PHS Baseball Picnic Speech, June 2, 2010
(to the seniors) I asked to speak today to commemorate 10 years of your lives as baseball players and to provide perspective for your journey ahead.
10 years ago, many of you seniors showed up at Community Park to tryout for 8 year-old all-stars. We placed 2nd at Amwell, 1st at Montgomery, and 4th at Sunnybrae. I knew then it was a special group of players. Through those 10 years I discovered you were even greater young men.
3 years later we formed the Giants and won everything from Frogbridge to Amwell to HTRBA. What a great run! We even faced a team at Amwell that included Nicky Miranda. There might be a concern about peaking too early...
Through Babe Ruth and Middle School and JAL and PHS and Legion you kept going with high points and low points. But for 10 years you have been baseball players and that is an accomplishment all on its own. No one knows how hard who has not stood in the batter's box, who never stood on the mound to pitch, and who never made a play with the game on the line.
Now you are moving on to write new chapters in the story of your lives. My advice: put all that you learned in baseball to use to make the most of your future. The hard lessons are the best. And know this -- the sun will get in your eyes, the umpire will make a bad call, and the lousy outfielder will drop the easy fly ball. Make no excuses, deal with it and press on!
For Steve, my role as Dad means much more to me than Coach or Fan. Your talents amaze me and you truly are my pride and joy on the field or off. From the 5 inning shut-out that you pitched as an 8 year-old in the Sunnybrae tournament, to pitching against the strong Knottingham American Legion team last summer, you truly display poetry in motion and have a huge heart.
I want to conclude with a Tweet which as you know has to be 140 characters or fewer: "Before you were Tigers you were Giants. Go live life as large as you can dream. Take on the next phase of your life swinging for the fences."
Thank you,
Coach, Fan, and Dad, David Etherton
Showing posts with label Baseball Tales. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baseball Tales. Show all posts
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Steve is the really good one
I have provided a lot of blog coverage for Dan's record-setting spring season so I should devote some time to his brother Steve. I have always felt Steve is the truly talented one as he is better at the various tools of baseball than his brother when the same age. Dan's true talents are his eyes, must be 20-10, and his confidence. His confidence writes checks that his body seem to be able to cash.
Steve on the other hand lacks in the confidence department and that seems to inhibit his performance. He doesn't believe that his talents can write checks and so looks for reasons not to succeed. A funny opposite to his brother for certain.
I can relate an especially good performance from yesterday, however. The PHS JV team was beating the Robbinsville team 7-1 entering the top of the 7th inning. All PHS had to do was hold the lead for the win. Steve had played short stop all game and the pitcher for PHS was Colby who had been sharp for 6 prior innings.
When Colby walked the lead-off batter of the inning the Coach replaced him with the reliever Marlow. Marlow is a crafty lefty pitcher with a decent curve ball but not much of a fastball to match with it. Marlow walked a few batters and the Robbinsville team got several hits so before we knew it the score was 7-4 with runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs. The PHS fans were getting nervous with the tying run in scoring position and a big hitter at the plate.
Then when Marlow walked the bases loaded the Coach didn't hesitate in calling time out and heading onto the field. He motioned to Steve to come in for relief and I was elated. Ernie, a parent standing next to me gave his Kudos to the Coach for "calling in Mariano (as in the Yankees closer)" and he remarked to me "here comes a 4 pitch strike out." These pressure situations are where Steve really excels. He seems to draw energy from the pressure of a close game with runners on base.
Steve took his warm-up throws, mixing in fastballs, curves, and sliders. Ernie, remarked, "I think he will drop in a curve ball to start things off." I thought he was crazy as the right pitch is a fastball for strike to get ahead in the count. Sure enough, a curve ball came in at about 45 MPH just a little low in the zone for ball one. I was amazed and remarked that Ernie seemed to be calling the pitches.
The next pitch in was a 4-seam fastball for a strike. The pitch seemed about twice the speed of the first pitch but was probably closer to 77 MPH. By comparison it was on the hitter before he could react. Steve's next pitch was another fastball but he dropped down to a side arm slot that fooled the batter again. Strike two!
Now the batter seemed worried. He had seen a slow curve, a fastball that blew by him, and a side-arm pitch that he didn't know what to do with. What might be coming next? Ernie speculated another curve and I was thinking slider that breaks to the outside. With a 1-2 count he didn't want to throw anything too good so as to get the batter to chase a bad pitch.
Well, as you can imagine Ernie was writing the script on this one for number pitched rather than pitch selection because in comes another blazing fastball that the batter just waved the bat at weakly. Strike three, batter is out, game over, PHS wins! Steve gets the the save!
Seeing his smile from the field was the best part. When will he believe me when I tell him how good he is, and how good could he be if he would just believe in himself?
Steve on the other hand lacks in the confidence department and that seems to inhibit his performance. He doesn't believe that his talents can write checks and so looks for reasons not to succeed. A funny opposite to his brother for certain.
I can relate an especially good performance from yesterday, however. The PHS JV team was beating the Robbinsville team 7-1 entering the top of the 7th inning. All PHS had to do was hold the lead for the win. Steve had played short stop all game and the pitcher for PHS was Colby who had been sharp for 6 prior innings.
When Colby walked the lead-off batter of the inning the Coach replaced him with the reliever Marlow. Marlow is a crafty lefty pitcher with a decent curve ball but not much of a fastball to match with it. Marlow walked a few batters and the Robbinsville team got several hits so before we knew it the score was 7-4 with runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs. The PHS fans were getting nervous with the tying run in scoring position and a big hitter at the plate.
Then when Marlow walked the bases loaded the Coach didn't hesitate in calling time out and heading onto the field. He motioned to Steve to come in for relief and I was elated. Ernie, a parent standing next to me gave his Kudos to the Coach for "calling in Mariano (as in the Yankees closer)" and he remarked to me "here comes a 4 pitch strike out." These pressure situations are where Steve really excels. He seems to draw energy from the pressure of a close game with runners on base.
Steve took his warm-up throws, mixing in fastballs, curves, and sliders. Ernie, remarked, "I think he will drop in a curve ball to start things off." I thought he was crazy as the right pitch is a fastball for strike to get ahead in the count. Sure enough, a curve ball came in at about 45 MPH just a little low in the zone for ball one. I was amazed and remarked that Ernie seemed to be calling the pitches.
The next pitch in was a 4-seam fastball for a strike. The pitch seemed about twice the speed of the first pitch but was probably closer to 77 MPH. By comparison it was on the hitter before he could react. Steve's next pitch was another fastball but he dropped down to a side arm slot that fooled the batter again. Strike two!
Now the batter seemed worried. He had seen a slow curve, a fastball that blew by him, and a side-arm pitch that he didn't know what to do with. What might be coming next? Ernie speculated another curve and I was thinking slider that breaks to the outside. With a 1-2 count he didn't want to throw anything too good so as to get the batter to chase a bad pitch.
Well, as you can imagine Ernie was writing the script on this one for number pitched rather than pitch selection because in comes another blazing fastball that the batter just waved the bat at weakly. Strike three, batter is out, game over, PHS wins! Steve gets the the save!
Seeing his smile from the field was the best part. When will he believe me when I tell him how good he is, and how good could he be if he would just believe in himself?
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Dan's 2008 Bat
This is what I created to give to Dan to celebrate is amazing baseball season. I bought a Mizuno maple bat at Dick's Sporting Goods and used a wood burning tool to inscribe the results of his first college baseball season. .403 refers to his finishing batting average (the last person to hit .400 in major league baseball was Ted Williams - I think) which by itself was incredible. The fact that he hit 5-6 during his final two games to achieve that is also remarkable.
I inscribed the bat with .403 as you can see, and also 50H for 50 hits, 21 RBI, and 17 SB for stolen bases. I also wrote his name, 2008, and his school along the top of the circle.
It was a good thing that I created this for him as he was overlooked for any real recognition by his coach and the conference he plays in. Even though he was 2nd in hitting the Rookie of the Year went to a player who was well down in the ranks. Its all politics.
I reminded him that no one can take away his stats and what he accomplished this year. Good going Dan!
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Late night news from Dan
So I was anxiously awaiting the call last night from Dan after his games yesterday. After how well he did down in Florida and then going 0-6 in the two games played last week I was a little worried that his streak had come to an end. Well, the streak had but that didn't mean his hitting had come to an end. I just didn't want to focus too much on it.
I got the call around 9:00 and in typical Dan fashion he beat around the bush for a while telling me the game results, one win and one loss, what position he played, left field, and so forth. I finally asked how he hit and he told me, again quite too casually about hitting either 3 or 4 for 6 with 2 walks. He then said, "Dad, I have something for you." "What is that?" I asked. "A home run ball," he replied.
I went crazy of course, "No you didn't!, No you didn't" I remember shouting into the phone. Maybe the young man is the real deal after all. I was quietly amazed that he is batting in the clean-up slot since he has never been one that I would call a power hitter. I could see him hitting 1, 2, or 3, but clean-up? Wow! A home run? Amazing! I could just imagine him trotting around the bases. well, running as his coach would never allow grand-standing.
Anyway, he promised the home run ball to me but I may see if he wants to give it to Courtney instead. I would treasure it, of course, but hearing about it from him was something quite special in itself.
OK, I am going to see if they updated the game results and stats on the CHC website by now. Of course it is way too early since they got home late last night but there is nothing wrong with being impulsive.
Before I close I should mention Steve as he has been eclipsed a little lately. The week of such good news about Dan was also met with equally bad news about Steve in that he has Mono. He is side-lined for at least a couple of weeks and this the week before his high school baseball season starts. He was doing so well in his preparation for his sophomore year so the news was quite devastating.
I did take him yesterday to watch his high school team play against Lawrenceville Prep and he seemed to have fun getting out of the house for the first time since Thursday. Both the JV and Varsity lost their games and the coaches really need Steve back on the team to pitch and play. He has to take it slow, though, to make certain there is no complication or relapse. I hope he will be able to play some within two weeks.
OK, that's it for now. That is my baseball report for the baseball that matters the most to me. Great news, tough news, but what is great with baseball you get to play again, and again, and again. Love you Dan, love you Steve for your triumphs and trials and yes, love you Vincent for the accomplishments that are ahead of you. In baseball or in life.
I got the call around 9:00 and in typical Dan fashion he beat around the bush for a while telling me the game results, one win and one loss, what position he played, left field, and so forth. I finally asked how he hit and he told me, again quite too casually about hitting either 3 or 4 for 6 with 2 walks. He then said, "Dad, I have something for you." "What is that?" I asked. "A home run ball," he replied.
I went crazy of course, "No you didn't!, No you didn't" I remember shouting into the phone. Maybe the young man is the real deal after all. I was quietly amazed that he is batting in the clean-up slot since he has never been one that I would call a power hitter. I could see him hitting 1, 2, or 3, but clean-up? Wow! A home run? Amazing! I could just imagine him trotting around the bases. well, running as his coach would never allow grand-standing.
Anyway, he promised the home run ball to me but I may see if he wants to give it to Courtney instead. I would treasure it, of course, but hearing about it from him was something quite special in itself.
OK, I am going to see if they updated the game results and stats on the CHC website by now. Of course it is way too early since they got home late last night but there is nothing wrong with being impulsive.
Before I close I should mention Steve as he has been eclipsed a little lately. The week of such good news about Dan was also met with equally bad news about Steve in that he has Mono. He is side-lined for at least a couple of weeks and this the week before his high school baseball season starts. He was doing so well in his preparation for his sophomore year so the news was quite devastating.
I did take him yesterday to watch his high school team play against Lawrenceville Prep and he seemed to have fun getting out of the house for the first time since Thursday. Both the JV and Varsity lost their games and the coaches really need Steve back on the team to pitch and play. He has to take it slow, though, to make certain there is no complication or relapse. I hope he will be able to play some within two weeks.
OK, that's it for now. That is my baseball report for the baseball that matters the most to me. Great news, tough news, but what is great with baseball you get to play again, and again, and again. Love you Dan, love you Steve for your triumphs and trials and yes, love you Vincent for the accomplishments that are ahead of you. In baseball or in life.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Dan's article, Dan's accomplishment
What can I say? What can I write? Rookie of the Week for the entire freaking conference? Has at least one hit in every game of the 7 game spring trip to Florida. I will have to check to see that he may have hit safely in every game he has played so far this year. A consecutive game hitting streak? WOW! Pinch me. More importantly stop me, don't jinx a streak. Everyone in baseball knows that.
I can only imagine what is going through Dan's head. He was so funny on Sunday when we were having lunch. So laid-back, so calm and within himself. So Dan. Two things are worth writing down to commit to the future.
"Dad, you know I figured it out?" Dan said.
"Figured out what?" I asked.
"I just hit fastballs. That is the secret" he replied.
"Oh, OK, That sounds simple," I remarked, amazed that he could figure something out that sounded so simple but others have such a problem with. Just hit the fastballs. It makes sense. Why would anyone ever want to hit something curvy or slurvy or slidey or sinky or changey? Just hit the fastballs. Hear that major league guys?
The other one was about his pre-at-bat routine. This one he told me he shared with a player friend who was struggling at bat and asked for advice. He told his friend, "put the Bratt's bat on the left side of the warm-up circle, put the regular bat on the right side. Swing the Bratt's bat five times in a circle with the left arm and then five times with the right. Take three swings with the Bratt's bat, then two swings with the regular bat and then go in and get a hit."
With that action he is showing what seasoned athletes do in establishing a routine and regimen that brings forward the ability to focus completely. Who taught him that? Not me, not coaches, no one, he figured this out himself because it makes sense to him. He very easily enters the moment and that is what success in his sport is all about. Entering the moment at the plate where there is nothing but him and the pitcher, even remove the pitcher and it's just him and the ball. Here comes the fastball that he is looking for and sees with his spectacular vision and "bam" there the ball goes. And run to first base really fast. Like I said before, simply amazing.
The great afterword is that he said the friend took his advice and not only went three for three in batting, he also played much better defensively after struggling before. And that is Dan, too, completely unselfish. Love you, Dan. Keep doing what you are doing, keep being Dan.
I can only imagine what is going through Dan's head. He was so funny on Sunday when we were having lunch. So laid-back, so calm and within himself. So Dan. Two things are worth writing down to commit to the future.
"Dad, you know I figured it out?" Dan said.
"Figured out what?" I asked.
"I just hit fastballs. That is the secret" he replied.
"Oh, OK, That sounds simple," I remarked, amazed that he could figure something out that sounded so simple but others have such a problem with. Just hit the fastballs. It makes sense. Why would anyone ever want to hit something curvy or slurvy or slidey or sinky or changey? Just hit the fastballs. Hear that major league guys?
The other one was about his pre-at-bat routine. This one he told me he shared with a player friend who was struggling at bat and asked for advice. He told his friend, "put the Bratt's bat on the left side of the warm-up circle, put the regular bat on the right side. Swing the Bratt's bat five times in a circle with the left arm and then five times with the right. Take three swings with the Bratt's bat, then two swings with the regular bat and then go in and get a hit."
With that action he is showing what seasoned athletes do in establishing a routine and regimen that brings forward the ability to focus completely. Who taught him that? Not me, not coaches, no one, he figured this out himself because it makes sense to him. He very easily enters the moment and that is what success in his sport is all about. Entering the moment at the plate where there is nothing but him and the pitcher, even remove the pitcher and it's just him and the ball. Here comes the fastball that he is looking for and sees with his spectacular vision and "bam" there the ball goes. And run to first base really fast. Like I said before, simply amazing.
The great afterword is that he said the friend took his advice and not only went three for three in batting, he also played much better defensively after struggling before. And that is Dan, too, completely unselfish. Love you, Dan. Keep doing what you are doing, keep being Dan.
Amazing Dan
Now here is a truly amazing thing. Check out this article about Dan Etherton being the Rookie of the Week for his college baseball conference.
http://www.chc.edu/page_template.asp?section=1&file=592_Baseball_News#3_18_2008
Dan, I am very proud of you!
http://www.chc.edu/page_template.asp?section=1&file=592_Baseball_News#3_18_2008
Dan, I am very proud of you!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Heading to Baseball
It's Friday and I am heading to baseball!
What a great thing. If the rain will hold off and the train will hurry to station and the traffic will cooperate I will be watching my son Steve play baseball for the first time this year. What a great and wonderful thing!
I was able to get to the train station to make an early enough train to be able to see him play his first game with his JV team at Princeton High School.
I'll report more later but need to close now to prepare to sprint to the car and head to the field. Happy weekend everyone!
6:45 AM - Report of the game from the following day
To continue, was first to the car, traffic cooperated, the evening was beautiful, and I made it to the Princeton Valley Road field in time to see Steve make the last defensive out of the 2nd inning. He made a play at 3rd base which he later recapped as "the ball hit my foot and kind of stuck so I picked it up and ran three steps to 3rd for the force-out." On thing I love about Steve is his ability to understate (rather than over-dramatize). Another is that he truly does understand the game of baseball and can make the right play from just about any position. Most young people get programmed in to a specific position and have trouble adapting to others.
The timing was perfect for my arrival as I got to see him bat in the bottom of the 2nd inning, and although it was a grounder back to the pitcher, it was an at bat that I got to see. Also, he was then able to spend the remainder of the inning warming up for going in to pitch the following inning.
He ended up pitching three solid innings, allowing no runs, no hits, no base-runners, nothing even out of the infield and most hit balls coming back to him for easy put-outs to first base. It was a typical outing for when Steve is throwing strong in that he had hitters off balance, swinging behind his fastball, or pounding the ball into the ground for easily fielded balls by the infielders. He also rung up 3 batters with strike outs.
The PHS JV team ended up winning the game 3-2 with the game going 6 innings and then time ran out. Steve was fortunate to be able to pitch 3 innings this early in the season but his work through February at pitching lessons enabled him to do that with ease. It helps that his pitch count is always low, yesterday he threw only about 30-35 pitches in his three innings. First pitch strike, getting ahead of the hitter, and always being around the strike zone has been Steve's hallmark from since he was 8 years old. A great example was when he got behind a hitter with a 3-1 count and battled back to get the out.
In all, a great 1st outing for Steve to chalk up a win and to build from. His coach talked to me during the game and expects that Steve will be the ace of the JV squad. That is good because I think he will get more play time and have more positive experiences with that coach and team rather than moving up to Varsity too quickly. Maybe he can earn his way up to Varsity for special games when the JV don't play. That is what happened last year between the Freshman team and JV.
Well, that is it for this report. Once again I am glad for having retired from coaching so I can be a full time fan of Steve (and Dan, too). Of course there is the little one on the way up but right now he is only 4).
What a great thing. If the rain will hold off and the train will hurry to station and the traffic will cooperate I will be watching my son Steve play baseball for the first time this year. What a great and wonderful thing!
I was able to get to the train station to make an early enough train to be able to see him play his first game with his JV team at Princeton High School.
I'll report more later but need to close now to prepare to sprint to the car and head to the field. Happy weekend everyone!
6:45 AM - Report of the game from the following day
To continue, was first to the car, traffic cooperated, the evening was beautiful, and I made it to the Princeton Valley Road field in time to see Steve make the last defensive out of the 2nd inning. He made a play at 3rd base which he later recapped as "the ball hit my foot and kind of stuck so I picked it up and ran three steps to 3rd for the force-out." On thing I love about Steve is his ability to understate (rather than over-dramatize). Another is that he truly does understand the game of baseball and can make the right play from just about any position. Most young people get programmed in to a specific position and have trouble adapting to others.
The timing was perfect for my arrival as I got to see him bat in the bottom of the 2nd inning, and although it was a grounder back to the pitcher, it was an at bat that I got to see. Also, he was then able to spend the remainder of the inning warming up for going in to pitch the following inning.
He ended up pitching three solid innings, allowing no runs, no hits, no base-runners, nothing even out of the infield and most hit balls coming back to him for easy put-outs to first base. It was a typical outing for when Steve is throwing strong in that he had hitters off balance, swinging behind his fastball, or pounding the ball into the ground for easily fielded balls by the infielders. He also rung up 3 batters with strike outs.
The PHS JV team ended up winning the game 3-2 with the game going 6 innings and then time ran out. Steve was fortunate to be able to pitch 3 innings this early in the season but his work through February at pitching lessons enabled him to do that with ease. It helps that his pitch count is always low, yesterday he threw only about 30-35 pitches in his three innings. First pitch strike, getting ahead of the hitter, and always being around the strike zone has been Steve's hallmark from since he was 8 years old. A great example was when he got behind a hitter with a 3-1 count and battled back to get the out.
In all, a great 1st outing for Steve to chalk up a win and to build from. His coach talked to me during the game and expects that Steve will be the ace of the JV squad. That is good because I think he will get more play time and have more positive experiences with that coach and team rather than moving up to Varsity too quickly. Maybe he can earn his way up to Varsity for special games when the JV don't play. That is what happened last year between the Freshman team and JV.
Well, that is it for this report. Once again I am glad for having retired from coaching so I can be a full time fan of Steve (and Dan, too). Of course there is the little one on the way up but right now he is only 4).
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