Never Give Up

April 29, 2017

I have a senior on my team. His name is Jake. He's a great kid and plays left field for our Bruins. He is a decent baseball player, not a great one, but he is very respectful (he often says "yes, sir") and a kid you trust to stay on task when your back is turned.

He started the season with a couple hits when we opened the season with a game in Kentucky and a couple games near Evansville. But his bat has fell silent of late. Thankfully, he continues to play well in left and has the ability to get a bunt down when needed despite my knowing he would probably prefer to swing. Unfortunately, he has struck out far too much and leads the teams in runners left on base. But I believe in him and really don't have anyone else who can do better, so I keep sending him up there.

After the early success, I moved him up in the line up but soon realized he just can't seem to make consistent contact so I moved him back to the 9-hole where he had the early success. That spot just seems to suit him better.

Lately though, he has had some big at bats and has come up short. Short to the point where I have told him "if you can't produce, I may have to hit for you." He understood. I mentioned I had one more idea to help him get out of his funk if he was willing. It's a simple two tee drill I tried in high school that I believe made me a better hitter or at least to hit with more power.

I asked him if he was interested. He said "yes." We had early batting practice and lifting scheduled the following day and I told him to arrive early so he could get some extra swings. He said he would be there.

Lo and behold, I arrived at 6:25am for the 6:30am practice and only two cars were in the lot. One of them belonged to a staff member. The other was Jake's. A smile crossed my face.

He helped me get things set up and I showed him the drill. He spent the next 15 minutes working on his swing. The day went by and rain was in the forecast so we cancelled mandatory practice due to a lack of gym space caused by building construction. I decided to hold an optional session after school in the batting cages to see who might show up. 9-10 kids showed up including Jake who was willing to spend more time on his swing.

Maybe in the scope of world this wasn't a huge positive, but it was for me. This is my fourth year at Blackford in a program that hasn't seen great success (not even a winning season) since 2004. This includes four wins in '15 and eight wins last year. But we are currently 9-6, our talent level is up slightly, and I have kids like Jake willing to do a little extra to get better one small step at a time.

In a world where some kids simple give up if they struggle, Jake is willing to do what it takes just four weeks from the end of his high school career to keep working on improving. In short, I appreciate his willingness to do so. And to me, that's a positive worth sharing!

Tony Uggen

Welcome to Keeping Sports Positive

April 29, 2017

Hello to anyone who might visit this page!

I have been a high school head coach in central Indiana for 24 years. Throughout my career, I have coached some great kids, coached against some outstanding coaches who mentor and role model for their kids, and met some great people along the way. In short, it has been a great experience 95% of the time.

But, as we all know, there are those 5% of the time when things are not enjoyable due to one reason or another. By my hope is to not create a blog that leans toward the 5% of what is wrong in sports, but share the positive side that makes it so enjoyable to play, watch, and appreciate.

If anything, I want to create a blog where anyone involved in sports (or who just seeks the positive things in life) for whatever reason can come and share about the positive side of sports if simply to gain encouragement and motivation to keep doing what you do whether an athlete, coach, or fan.

Blogging is new to me so I hope you enjoy what is shared on this site. And to be honest, if I am the only one who ever visits this page, I hope it inspires me to keep doing what I love!

Enjoy,

Tony Uggen