Brent Mayne

The Birthright, Slumps, and Perspective

Let’s just say you had a hard day at the ballpark. Maybe you struck out a few times, made a couple errors, or couldn’t find the strike zone. It’s not the end of the world, but you can’t stop thinking about it. You realize baseball is loaded with failure and that the best players have short memories, but you need something to snap you out of your funk.

Try watching this video clip. It has nothing to do with baseball, but a lot to do with perseverance, will, and perspective. Doing what you love, and loving what you do. Overcoming obstacles without excuse.

Hopefully you’ll enjoy it as much as I did. Maybe it’ll remind you that most of your troubles are in your head and not as big as you thought. If you’re a surfer, you’ll never look at your sport the same and you’ll never, ever bitch about putting on a wetsuit again.

For a little baseball fix, here’s a little interview I did for a blog following Royals minor leaguers.

Unorganized Baseball Part 3

Today I’m going to bring this Unorganized Baseball Series in for a landing by looking at some reasons why we’ve drifted away from pick up games (free play) and explore the possibility of bringing them back. I’ll then end on a positive note by giving a bunch of pick up game options for the kids in the hood.

WHY ARE PICK UP GAMES VANISHING?

Whether or not you share my enthusiasm for unorganized baseball, you have to admit there are some benefits. And if there are legitimate benefits (that don’t cost money) why are all the open fields empty? How come the modern kid doesn’t know the rules for “3 flies up?”

One reason is because most parents have unrealistic goals. Instead of viewing sport as a vehicle for personal growth, they see it as a stepping stone to stardom. By training them and enrolling them in every travel ball team in the universe, they mistakenly think they’re giving the child his best shot. I disagree. I think they might be just creating another robot prone to burn out.

Yes, to be the best in the world (in any field) you have to have participated and practiced more than just about everybody. There’s simply no substitute for the repetitions. So let’s go strictly by the numbers. A kid in the Dominican might go home after a day of pick up ball with 20 at-bats under his belt. While the kid in the States playing Little League goes home with 4. Assuming each kid plays 3 days a week, one kid is finishing a month with 48 AB’s and the other with 320…without the wear and tear of playing under pressure and the risk of burn out. And we’re surprised that the best players in the world are coming from a tiny little island?

I thought another reason might be because kids are inside more – playing computer or video games; however, this statistic made me reconsider…

Time-analysis studies done at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research provide the best picture of the trend: From 1981 to 1997 the amount of time that children aged three to twelve spent playing indoors declined by 16 percent. The amount of time spent watching TV declined by 23 percent. Meanwhile, the amount of time spent studying increased by 20 percent and the amount of time spent doing organized sports increased by 27 percent.

While inside play might still be a factor, now I think this stat tells more of the story. In 1981 the association U.S. Youth Soccer had 811,000 registered players. By 1998 it had nearly three million. Yes, soccer in the States has grown in popularity over the last couple decades, but I think this stat might just speak to organized sports in general. Kids are simply involved in more leagues.

The last factor I can think of for the disappearing pick up game is fear. I hear people say all the time that this is just a different, more dangerous world than we grew up in. As a result, parents rarely let kids venture out alone. Well, I would argue yes and no. While I realize we don’t live in the “go out and come back when the street lights come on world” anymore, I would have to agree with Mike Lanza in his blog Playborhood…

“kids who are driven around to organized activities are at greater risk of death than those who roam close to home. As for the concern about sports-related injuries, kids today are less likely than kids decades ago to break bones and are more likely to develop “overuse” injuries (e.g. torn rotator cuff) due to the shift from pickup sports to organized sports.”

I don’t know about your neighborhood, but the reality in and around mine is that I DO see kids outside playing alone. I see them riding bikes or skateboards or playing in the park. But I rarely, if ever, see them in packs larger than two. I think the chances of getting more than two together at one time with no scheduling is next to impossible. The idea that a whole pack of nine kids might have enough free time to meet in the park and play is out of the question. You’ve got a better shot getting the President to take time out of his busy schedule to come over for dinner at your house.

SO WHAT HAPPENS?

Unfortunately, probably nothing. It’s kind of like eliminating performance enhancing drugs or the hole in the ozone. It’s probably not gonna happen. But all is not lost. As a parent, you can step out of line a little bit, look at the situation honestly, and make some adjustments. I’m not advocating eliminating organized sports, but how about limiting it to just during the baseball season?

How about taking the time and money allocated to off season travel ball and spend it trying to find parents with similar interests? Then make it a priority to keep the kid’s schedules open and make sure they spend the time outside of the house. Like magnets, they’ll come together. And if you’re neighborhood isn’t safe, maybe one parent can be present at the park just to be present (on the outskirts). Making sure not to resolve or judge anything.

Take your kid to the open field and teach him or her the games you used to play in your youth. Encourage them to be creative and change the rules to suit the new surroundings or needs. Maybe some of these games will jar your memory…please write in and share your variations.

PICK UP GAME RULES

Here are some games that I used to play when I was younger. Just about all of them followed the general rules of baseball (3 outs, baselines, pop fly caught is an out, etc.) The ball could be anything, from rolled up socks, to a ball of tape, to a tennis ball or real baseball. The bat could be a real bat or a tennis racket or a stick. Gloves were optional. Rules were important and much of the time was spent figuring them out and making them adapt to the surroundings. Depending on the field, there were certain places you couldn’t hit the ball. Picking teams was an art and feelings got hurt because the worst players aways get picked last, that’s life. Bending the rules for the new kid happened. Arguments happened. Lost balls happened. Broken windows happened. Ghost runners existed. Spitting was perfected, grass stains on the knees…you get the picture.

Pepper  - the batter stands about 15-20 feet away from a fairly straight line of fielders. Batter hits grounders to the fielders, fielders field the ball and pitch it back to the hitter and on and on. Many rule options. Hitter can loose turn if he lines out or fouls off more than a couple balls. Fielder can become the hitter by catching a pop out. Fielder can be eliminated by making an error. You might include a game of “flip” into pepper by making a rule that the fielder must field the grounder cleanly then flip it to another fielder and down the line. This is a great game for bat control, fielding, throwing strikes, etc.

Three flies up – a simple game where either someone pitches to a hitter or the hitter just tosses the ball to himself and hits until someone in the field catches 3 pop flies. That fielder then becomes the hitter. A variation might be to give certain point totals for fielding different balls. For example 10 points for a fly ball, 5 points for a ball on one hop, 2 points for a grounder. First fielder to a certain number wins or gets to hit. This can also get as rough as you want, often turning into a hybrid of rugby and baseball depending on how much contact the fielders allow.

Over the line – a field is set up with an area for the hitter, then a straight line is established about where second base would be, then another where shallow right field would be. The width of the field is determined by how many people are in the field. The hitter either tosses the ball to himself or hits a pitched ball into the confines of the field. If it lands to the left or right of the boundaries he’s out. A ball that makes it passed the first line on the ground is a single. If it lands in between the first and second line in the air it’s a double. If it goes over the deepest fielders head, homer. Outs are made by fielding any grounder in front of the first line or catching a ball in the air. Three outs switch.

Over the line variation – this one comes from Don Weiskopf. Referred to also as Line Ball, this is a favorite playground, school and yard game. With two teams 30 feet apart and perhaps 6 players on a team, the object is for the batter to drive a ground ball through the other team. Each team has a bat. The first player tosses the ball up and tries to bat it across the other team’s goal line. The ball must hit the ground between the two lines. The other team tries to field the ball and then attempts to bat it back across the opponent’s goal line. Each member of each team gets a chance to bat. One point is scored for each ball that crosses the other team’s goal line. Another variation is for the players to throw rather than bat the ball.

First to ten – my son and I play this game all the time. It’s fun and excellent for concentration and control. It’s a simple game of catch. Get a decent distance away from each other. The receiver stands perfectly still and holds the throw from the thrower exactly where he catches it. A ball that would’ve hit him in the head is worth two points, a throw that would’ve hit him in the body area (above the knees though) is worth one. First man to ten wins.

Wall Ball – Here’s another one I used to play a lot of on the outdoor racquet ball courts. Again, I’m going to let Don Weiskopf explain the rules. One or more players stand about 20 to 40 feet from the wall, preferably concrete. The game begins by having each player throw a ball against the wall. The player other than the thrower has to field the ball and the “pitcher” can vary the type, speed and difficulty of throws. Rules can be established as to catching the ball on a fly or a bounce. The players can keep score and the one who has the most points will win. Another game involves a pitcher pitching an imaginary game against the wall. He keeps the count, outs, innings and score. To make this an even more competitive experience, two pitchers can oppose each other, alternating innings and keeping score.

Scrub – Another one from Don…One player is at bat, with a catcher, pitcher, first base and other fielders. All players are numbered: the batter is scrub; catcher, one; pitcher, two; first base, three; fielders, four and up. The batter hits a ball pitched to him, and runs to first base and back. If he is put out by being tagged at first base or home, striking three times, hitting three fouls or having a fly ball caught, he goes to the field and takes the number of the last fielder. Each player moves over one position and number, first base to pitcher, pitcher to catcher, and catcher to batter (scrub). If the batter gets home safely, he will bat again. Each batter is allowed to make three runs before taking to the field, provided he is not put out.

CONCLUSION

So that’s it. I hope you enjoyed this series on Unorganized baseball. Hopefully it didn’t offend anyone but opened some eyes and shifted some perspectives. Hopefully it helped more than it hurt. I look forward to your comments and perspectives. Also please, please write in and share your versions and rules of different pick up games you played or play. I’d love to create a big library. Until then, good luck, have fun, and keep your eye on the ball.

Unorganized Baseball Part 2

In Part I of the Unorganized Baseball series we looked at our (parental) goals for kids as they play organized sports, whether these goals are being met, and the inclusion of pick up baseball as a possible solution. In Part II let’s look at the current state of youth sports (as if we all didn’t know) and explore the ramifications. I’ll also share some of my personal baseball observations.

Let me lead off with with this quote from Don Weiskopf, author of BaseballPlayAmerica.com. “I have always believed that youngsters learn the game best in an unstructured setting. The fundamentals must be practiced continually, even at the big league level. Many kids have missed out on the simple pleasure of playing catch with a parent or sibling. Since they are not playing enough catch, the throwing skills of young children have diminished. They need to make playing catch fun and challenging. Young players need more skill-based, fun-resulting experiences, as opposed to high-pressurized organized league play.”

Here’s what Johnny Damon has to say about the subject. “I think nowadays kids are getting so worn out playing baseball year-round that by the time they get to the high school level, they’re kind of tired of it and tired of the politics of it, instead of just going out there and playing baseball.”

THE KIDS ARE ORGANIZED

I couldn’t agree more with both of these quotes. The simple fact is that today, if a kid’s playing sports in the States, he’s most probably participating in a game structured and organized by adults. David Brooks writes in his excellent article titled The Organization Kid “Kids of all stripes lead lives that are structured, supervised, and stuffed with enrichment. Time-analysis studies done at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research provide the best picture of the trend: From 1981 to 1997 the amount of time that children aged three to twelve spent playing indoors declined by 16 percent. The amount of time spent watching TV declined by 23 percent. Meanwhile, the amount of time spent studying increased by 20 percent and the amount of time spent doing organized sports increased by 27 percent. Drive around your neighborhood. Remember all those parks that used to have open fields? They have been carved up into neatly trimmed soccer and baseball fields crowded with parents in folding chairs who are watching their kids perform. In 1981 the association U.S. Youth Soccer had 811,000 registered players. By 1998 it had nearly three million.

Today’s elite kids are likely to spend their afternoons and weekends shuttling from one skill-enhancing activity to the next. By the time they reach college, they take this sort of pace for granted, sometimes at a cost. In 1985 only 18 percent of college freshmen told the annual University of California at Los Angeles freshman norms survey that they felt “overwhelmed.” Now 28 percent of college freshmen say they feel that way.”

TODAY’S SPORTING PRODUCTS

For the social development of kids, I find these stats alarming and so does Peter Gray in his article about Kids and Social Play “How sad it is that children today have less opportunity for true social play, unsupervised by adults, than we did when we were children. Not only does this loss contribute to the epidemics of childhood obesity and depression, but it also, I fear, is making it harder for children to grow up with a full appreciation of democratic values. In play we learn how to negotiate our needs, as equals, and to treat others as equals. In play, no matter what our age, we learn that we are the adults; there is no higher authority to turn to who will solve our problems.”

“Bullies persist, and so do patsies. But social play, more than any other force we know of, helps people overcome their bullying and helps the patsies become more assertive.”

Viewed from a baseball perspective, I have a sneaking suspicion that the current state of youth sports isn’t effective either. Aside from the “burn out” problem that Johnny Damon highlighted, my whole reason for diving into this subject came from watching amateur ball in the Southern California area. The stiffness and lack of improvisation when compared to their Dominican or Puerto Rican counterparts got me thinking. I don’t have any hard stats, but could it be attributed to the fact that kids in Latin American countries are playing less organized and more pick up games?

It’s just my opinion, but I think the best players in the world right now come from Latin countries. Again, this is an unscientific opinion, but I think much of their greatness comes from their improvisational, playful approach to the game. And I think much of this comes from growing up playing improvisational, playful, unorganized games. Maybe I’m wrong, but what if I’m right?

NEXT BLOG POST

In my last installation of this series, I’ll look into why we’ve drifted away from pick up games and explore some possible options. I’ll also include a bunch of rules that kids can use if they’re interested in starting some neighborhood games. Until then, keep your eye on the ball.

Unorganized Baseball Part 1

If you’ve been following this blog for any amount of time, you know that I’m a big fan of kids playing unstructured baseball. Sandlot ball, stick ball, stoop ball, 3 flies up, over the line, whatever…just so long as it doesn’t come with a written rule book and ridged structure.

This post will be the first of a series I’m going to do on the subject of pick up baseball. I’ll go into why I think it’s important, why it’s bordering on extinction, maybe sprinkle in some history, and maybe provide some solutions through examples of rules from games we played as kids.

THE GOAL

Let’s begin by stripping it down to the bone and come to an understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish here. What’s the goal? What’s the big picture? Why do we have our kids playing organized sports in the first place?

I may be going against the grain a little bit, but my goal is to have kids who grow up happy, productive, creative, citizens with decent moral compasses. I think this is sort of the American ideal or what we’d call democratic. My goal is not for them to become big leaguers. If it happens, great, but it’s not the goal. I’ve always believed baseball (and it’s hybrids) to be great platforms for learning positive life skills. Skills that might transcend the game and spill over to make one a better student, worker, or citizen.

DOES ORGANIZED BALL MEASURE UP?

Now that you understand at least what my goals are, let’s evaluate whether the organized Little Leagues, Pony leagues, etc. are meeting these ideals. To a certain extent, I think they are. Kids are certainly gonna have to learn how to deal with pressure, how to deal with failure, with success, how to be a good teammate, etc. Approached the right way, organized ball can teach us a lot.

But it can’t teach us everything. There’s a few things I want that are very hit or miss in the organized version of baseball. Again, what I’m trying to produce is a dynamic, creative, problem solver who can work well with people and bring some passion to the table.

I don’t want a robot. I could care less if you can turn the perfect double play at age 12. Give me passion, give me a risk taker, give me creativity, give me someone who can think outside of the box. If we took this to a school setting, I’m talking about creating a kid who questions the teacher, that’s interested in creating a better way, that’s hungry to learn. Not a person that is just concerned with doing well on the tests, conforming to the rules, and scoring through the roof on the SAT.

From a baseball perspective I’m trying to create a player who’s not just surviving, but pushing the game to another level. A player who plays. It’s hard for me to put into words, but you know it when you see it. It’s that kid who knows the game inside and out and plays with passion. I’m not saying organized ball can’t be the platform that produces this kind of animal, I’m just not so sure it does a great job of cultivating these qualities.

WHAT’S THE ANSWER?

So how are kids going to learn, experience, and foster that democratic ideal? How are they going to practice the balancing act between freedom and rules, or individual needs and the recognition that other’s needs are just as important (being a good teammate)?

Common sense would tell you that it needs to be an environment where the kids themselves can make up the rules. An environment where they communicate with each other as equals. Where they’re free to solve problems and challenges amongst themselves. Where they’re free to tweak the rules, push the boundaries, assert themselves, make mistakes, and learn. An environment where, if they don’t figure these things out, the game simply isn’t going to happen.

For me (and I’m sure many of the adults reading this post) these skills were learned during free play. Or for the sake of this article, pick up ball. Certainly you can remember all of the logistics that went into a sandlot game? Where to have it, when to meet up, how to choose teams, the rules of the game, how it ends, how to get the most kids, and on and on.

For that game to happen, you had to have some people skills, some organizational skills, and some creativity. You had to have the ability to think outside of the box and improvise. You had to know and negotiate the rules of the game, you had to be fair. In short, you had to be democratic. We all remember that kid who was the dictator. The kid who had to pitch every inning, who wasn’t fair, who wasn’t fun? What happened? You just bailed and started your own game. It was simple like that.

NEXT BLOG POST

So that’s it for today. Next post I’ll get into why I think these pick up games are bordering on extinction. I’ll also look towards solutions and provide some example guide lines for kids interested in starting their own neighborhood games. Until then, I’ll leave you with this excellent clip from The Fantastic Mr. Fox featuring the made-up game of WhackBat. Enjoy.

HotStove interview of Brent Mayne

Sorry for the lack of blog posts lately…I’ve been busy putting the finishing touches on some instructional video tips. In addition to the free posture video below, I have completed one on the catcher’s stances (sign, comfort, and blocking/throwing stances), one on the “off-set” technique, and one on the “drop-knee” technique. The next video after that will cover receiving mechanics.

The clips are done, now it’s just a matter of figuring out the best method to get them to you. I anticipate this happening (hopefully) by the end of the week. Here’s a question for you…I plan on charging 3-5 bucks per video. Would you be more comfortable buying these “a la carte” or would some kind of annual membership be better (assuming I could produce a couple clips a month)? I would GREATLY appreciate any suggestions or comments you might have.

I know what you’re thinking. Why don’t I just post them on YouTube for free. Answer: cause I don’t want to. Next question…why don’t I just make one full length video. Answer: because I want to get this information to you now. My plan is do a couple clips a month. In a year (or two) I should have a big enough library of information to edit them all together to create a full length video. Again though, that’s a couple years out and I want to get you on the right track now.

Let me know what you think…thank you in advance for your help. In the meantime, here’s a little interview I did with HotStove.com a couple days ago. Enjoy.