"If a tie is like kissing your sister, losing is like kissing your grandmother with her teeth out" --George Brett, HOF

ABC Nation,

  Good morning. As the first week of school winds down I want to take this opportunity to share a friendly reminder that we are STUDENT-athlete's. Taking care of business in the classroom precedes the time you put in on the ball field. Many of you have heard me share the statistic that less than 6% of high school baseball players transition into the NCAA (DI,DII,DIII) to play baseball, but 100% of high school students have the opportunity to further their education in college. A responsible student-athlete recognizes that we only control our own effort and that we must have a healthy balance between our effort in the classroom and our effort on the field. Set your sights on a strong showing in the classroom during the 2012-2013 academic year.

  You might have sensed a little "quiet before the fall ball storm" over the past few weeks. My desire is that families focus and prepare for the adjustment back into the daily school routine. I am proud of the ball players who have been able to budget and balance time for some baseball activities in their schedule. The optional sessions over the past few weeks have allowed the coaches and myself to spend some quality time getting to know many of the ABC family a little better. You are at a point in your career where you should be pro-active and a self motivator. You do not need to be at the indoor academy or on a ball field in order to get your daily baseball work in. Playing catch with a friend in the neighborhood (dad?), swinging the bat off a batting tee in the back yard, jogging around the block, etc...are all things that could/should be in your daily workout journal (your daily workout journal is a topic that I will be addressing in a future newsletter). 

  Please take a minute to review the ABC fall home page for updates and review the data points below to make sure you are "in the know":