Baseball Coach

Mistakes Commonly Made by Coaches

Coaches are the people who offer leadership and guidance, the people who the team looks up to for answers and assistance, but they too are only human and hence make mistakes. Some mistakes are less severe than others, and some could be considered to be merely embarrassing, but others can have detrimental effects on coaches and teams over the long run. Let’s explore some mistakes which coaches commonly find themselves making.

Regardless of how passionate coaches are about their careers and their teams, the truth of the matter is that coaches are in a position where a lot is expected from them on both a physical as well as on mental and emotional levels. Hence they must find a balance between work and relaxation to recharge and be able to give.

Poor Systems

Having a system in which your work form is vital, but the system should fulfil the purpose of a structure and not dictate every single step taken. A coach can easily fall into the trap of getting immersed in a rigid and restrictive system which will limit his coaching opportunities and not be beneficial to the development of the team at all.

Improving unity within a team is vital and crucial for success during competition. Still, it is essential to remember that each of the members of the group is a person with individual needs and concerns as well, and the coach should not neglect these. A team is only as strong as its weakest member, and hence, it is vital to ensure that each team member can deliver their top performance.

Neglecting Voices

As much as a coach loves to share wisdom and skills, as necessary is it not to talk too much. Whenever a coach is going on talking too much or going into long team talks, it can result in players becoming shut down and not taking in what is being said at all. It is much more advisable to listen sometimes, leave moments for reflection and contemplation and emphasize the silence in between. State your message clearly and give the team time to process the message internally.

When help is needed, or something is required, which is not your field of expertise, it is advised that assistance is requested. Sometimes getting a team member involved in some other aspect of the team’s organization can improve their sense of belonging and show them that you value their contribution. This can have a positive effect on the field. Delegating some of your responsibilities to people who can take it off your hands, can free the coach up to attend to matters which is vital to the success of the team.

Mickey Arthur Lands New Gig for T20

South African coach, Mickey Arthur is on his way to New Zealand to fulfil his newly landed position as coach to the Central Stags. The 51-year-old coach was out of contract since the Cricket World Cup when Pakistan didn’t renew his contract again. He wasn’t happy about the development since he did request that his contract gets extended for another two years.

During the World Cup, the team from Pakistan suffered a severe beating against India, their long-standing arch-rivals. The team managed to finish the tournament held in England with setting a record of five victories from nine games played. The Pakistani team managed to score 11 points and only based on a net run-rate, missed out on the semi-finals. Last month when the Pakistani Cricket Board announced that Arthur’s contract would not be extended, he expressed his disappointment and the hurt which he felt, in the media. Arthur felt that during his contract with the team, he always did the best he could to improve the organization and to uplift them as a whole.

Moving On To New Zealand

Arthur has been involved in coaching the South African team between 2005 and 2010. His contribution to the Proteas was vital in their achievement of being in the first position on the MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings. It was also during this time which they managed to defeat England in a series once again after a drought which lasted for four decades. Arthur also had his hand at coaching the team of Australia in the past. Now he is looking forward to coaching the New Zealand team, currently the defending champions in the domestic T20, when he starts on the 1st of December. He stated that he always admired New Zealand cricket. Therefore he is looking forward to becoming part of their system. The challenge to assist the Central Stags to defend their current title is one which he is looking forward to.

The Central Districts chief executive. Pete de Wet stated that the appointment of Arthur to assist the Central Districts and especially the Central Stags to go from strength to strength is an exciting day in their cricket history. Arthur is acknowledged globally as a world-class coach. Under his guidance, the current world leaders of T20 cricket managed to obtain that leading position. It is believed that the Central Stags is already home to a group of exceedingly talented players, and now with his influence, they can only go from strength to strength. His appointment is considered to be an investment made at a brilliant time. The ICC T20 World Cup is a mere couple of months away, and with his expertise, the hope exists to see more of the players from Central Stags representing their country in Australia next year.

Best Managers in MLB History


There has been plenty of top-rated managers when it comes to Major League Baseball over the years. Some had fantastic players, while others didn’t. Some never managed to win a World Series, while others didn’t even have a winning record. However, the overall statistics never lie and its for this reason that we decided to list the best managers of the MLB of all time.

John McGraw

Known as “Mugsy” and “Little Napoleon”, McGraw was manager for both the Baltimore Orioles (1899 – 1902) and the New York Giants (1902 – 1932). He was initially a .334 career hitter stretching over a 16-year period before he decided to become a manager in 1899, transforming him into one of the best managers of all time in baseball. His teams managed to finish 815 games with a .500 record, which is the most ever. Small-ball was his style which was ideal for the dead-ball era in baseball. He favoured the sacrifice and hit-and-run bunt and usually got the most from older baseball players that other teams simply gave up on. John McGraw was a manager for 33 seasons and has a total of 3 championships along with 10 pennants.

Joe McCarthy

Joe McCarthy certainly has the numbers. In fact, his winning percentage is considered the best of all time with over 300 games. He managed to win 792 matches more than he lost. He is also the Yankees’ leader in victories with a total of 1,460. He is regarded as a low-key leader and is widely labelled as a push-button manager. He was the manager for the Cubs (1926 – 1930), the Yankees (1931 – 1946), and the Red Sox (1948 – 1950). Joe McCarthy was a manager for 24 seasons and has a total of 7 championships along with 9 pennants.

Connie Mack

No manager in the world of baseball will ever get close to Connie Mack in terms of longevity. He clutches the record for losses, wins, and games managed, winning nearly 1,000 more matches than any other baseball manager in the history of the sport. He was also the first to claim three World Series victories and was also a part-owner of the A’s. Mack managed the Pittsburgh Pirates (1894 – 1986) and the Philadelphia Athletics (1901 – 1950). He was a manager for a whopping 53 seasons and has a total of 5 championships along with 9 pennants.

Casey Stengel

Known world wide as “The Old Professor”, Stengel’s record was seriously hurt during his manager role for the New York Mets during the 1960’s. He is the only baseball manager to win 5 consecutive championships from 1949 to 1953 and also won it again in both 1956 and in 1958. While he was manager of the New York Yankees, led by Whitney Ford, Yogi Berra, and Mickey Mantle, the team won 10 pennants in only 12 years. He was a huge believer in the platoon system when it came to left-handed and right-handed pitchers. He also had a humours way of speaking which became quite renowned in baseball.

Coaching – Mike Scioscia

Perhaps the only sports career tougher than being a professional or star player is being a coach, who must find the correct balance between tough training and motivation to increase athlete’s performance to the best possible level. Amongst people who are successful in sports there is a universal trade of confidence and self-believe, being a top athlete requires a certain degree of selfishness, which is sometimes the hardest part of the job, it is what coaches almost always battle against.

For reasons mentions, the number of sports star players who become successful at coaching is a not as many as you would expect. Not to say, that it is unheard off for a successful athlete to not enjoy a fulfilling career as a pro athlete as well as a pro coach. It is in actual-fact basketball that has produced the most successful star turned coach stories, although there are the odd superstar coaches in just about every sport.

When it comes to athletes that reached the highest rankings in sports and then turned coach, Mike Scioscia is the first that comes to mind. If you have watched baseball, it is easy to tell just how much physical demand is on a catcher, which makes it an extremely difficult position to remain in for more than a decade. Mike Scioscia, remained in this position for 11 years of his sports career and remains one of the greatest baseball players of all times. His World Series rings, many will argue between 1981 and 1988 were pretty good and Scioscia when he took over in 200 he enjoyed major success as the Manager of the Year, which earned him an award.

Scioscia Enjoy Major Success in Sports Career & Major League Coaching

After Scioscia’s sports career ended he became a minor league manager for several seasons as well as a major league coach for the Dodgers. This was before Mike Scioscia accepted the invitation to become the manager of the Angles at the end of the 1999 season. As a manager, he led the Angles to the World Series championship, their only one to date in 2002. When it comes to wins, division titles, and games, he earned the American League Manager of the Year Award in both 2002 as well as 2009.

Scioscia became one of few to win 1,000 or more games on the 8th of May 2011 while he is one of only twenty-three to lead a single team to well over 1,000 victories. In 2015, the tension between Scioscia and Dipoto regarding the way he and some of his coaches delivered statistical reports developed by Dipoto lead to the resignation of Dipoto on the 1st of July 2015, this was despite all the efforts made by the Angels to keep him. Bill Stoneman, the former Angels general manager, who actually, hired Scioscia at the end of 1999, was then appointed as the interim general manager.

Coaching Little League Baseball

Coaching Little League Baseball can be one of the most rewarding, and at the same time most challenging, coaching jobs in all of sports. A well-seasoned and effective coach working with players who are still in their formative years, can provide a foundation for future success in baseball. On the other hand, dealing with inattentiveness , short attention spans and lack of focus on the part of players at this age can be frustrating for a coach.

Also, one can never forget the challenges to come with dealing with the parents of Little League ball players. Any given team will have one or two sets of parents that overestimate or overstate the talent of their child. That is not to say that there are not some good or even great ball players at this age, but parents should be aware that coaching should be left to the coach. This is one of the first things a coach should impart to his team and to the team parents.

Coaching a player in the Little League system requires patience and understanding of where the children are at developmentally. Older players in the system usually have this mastered, but younger players will struggle with the ability to pay attention to coach throughout the entire practice.

Coaching this age is also extremely rewarding. Correcting minor flaws in a player’s swing or throwing motion can have a lifelong effect on their ability to play baseball competitively. The lower end of the Little League age group is also learning the basic fundamentals of the game. Teaching them proper fundamentals is essential to future success in competitive baseball. Some players take to the game immediately while others learn with very little direct supervision and then there is a group who need a lot more Hands-On coaching. This last group is the group that the coach can have the most impact on. Patience can go a long way and can affect whether a player continues to play competitive baseball. And inpatient coach can negatively affect the players self-esteem or desire to play. Younger players are very impressionable and can easily be turned away from the game at this age.

Some players also take to the game like a fish to water. They already know the fundamentals from playing pick up games with their friends. They’ve already established themselves as good players and have learned fundamentals through trial and error, or with the help of their parents or older siblings. This type of player one require too much direct attention.

Baseball is the sport in which the better players come with an abundance of natural talent. It’s the Little League coach’s job to hone that talent. Players without that Raw Talent can still be shaped into productive players. This is where the little league coach can shine. He must be a patient and focus on the player’s needs.

Little League coaching can certainly be a challenge but it is worth the time and effort required.