2 Things I Learned at a Coaches' Appreciation Dinner That I Will Never Forget

I just got back from a coaches' appreciation dinner hosted by our athletic club. There were two things that were said that I never want to forget. I want them two be passed along to my teams. Feel free to pass them along to your team.

1) A parent spoke and he quoted a statistic that said, "90% of the time failures occur, not as a result of skill or talents, but rather things fail because of a lack effort or a poor attitude". When he said this I thought "Hey, I/We are in control of our attitude and our effort". I made a commitment right then, "If our team fails, let it not fall within that 90% category." My prayer is that my team will give forth incredible effort (see earlier post), and give this effort with a Christ-like attitude.

Philippians 2:5 "Your attitude should be that of Christ Jesus."

2) The second speech came from a female student-athlete at my school. One of the points that she made was "Everyday Satan is going to be at work trying to keep your team from becoming a TEAM." How profound is that? When I am teaching to be selfless, he is tugging at them to be selfish. When I am teaching how awesome it is to be apart of something bigger than yourself, he is telling them that this world is all about "me". When I am trying to unite the team, he is trying to divide the team. When I am teaching them the power of encouragement, he is planting the seed "Why is that so important?".

As I write this blog right now, I realize, I know that I and my coaches cannot solve this problem. We must ask for God to intervene. To take control. To have confidence that God will provide. To understand

Mark 9:23 "All things are possible for the person who believes!"

A Scary Morning

I received an email and then a phone call this morning explaining to me that one of the Seniors on my baseball team had been in a serious car accident. There was about a two hour period where all anyone knew was that he was at a hospital. Those two hours were extremely scary for me and the other coaches. During those two hours, I thought the worst, I cried and finally, I reflected on "Murph", the player in the car wreck.

As I write this blog, "Murph" is OK. This blog is to reflect upon my thoughts about him during those two hours. I truly believe that he serves as a great model for what coaches are looking for in their players for the following reasons:

He loves God; He loves his family; he loves his coaches; he loves his teammates; he is selfless; he works hard; he is an encourager; he could care less if he were the one making the winning catch or one of his teammates; he is humble; he does not know how important he is to our program; he has grown into an incredible young man; and he gets John 10:10 "I have come to bring you life".

In closing, one of the reasons why I love coaching so much is not because of what I am doing in the lives' of my players. No, No, No. Rather, one of the main reasons why I love coaching so much is because I get to walk alongside great people, great players, great men, like "Murph".

Leslie Snoddy -- An American Hero

November 11 -- Veterans Day

Many families have members that have served in the military. This is a great day to reflect upon their service to our country.

On this day, I am thankful for my grandfather, Leslie Snoddy, who served in the United States Marine Corp during the Korean War.

Papa, as I call him, lied about his age when he was a 17 year old senior, so that he could enlist in the Marines. After training at Paris Island, he was shipped off to fight against the North Koreans. During his time there, he stepped on a land mine. As a result of this accident, my grandfather lost both of his legs.

As of this year, he has lived over 50 years without his legs. On this day, I am mindful of him. I am inspired by his courage and his resiliency. Many people would not have been able to move past that moment; however, he moved on to become one of the nicest, sweetest men that I have ever met.

Thank you Papa, thank you veterans, thanks to all of you who are serving our country in the military. I am grateful and appreciative of your service.

Wishing you a happy Veteran's Day,
Larry

"Anyone Can Give Incredible Effort"

Mike Leach, head football coach for Texas Tech, is known as an offensive genius. If you look at the current AP polls (11/7/2008), Texas Tech is number 2 in the nation. I always wonder "How does one man/coach bring a team from obscurity to National prominence?".

I am always searching for insight as to how coaches turn programs around. Last night, I was watching a college football game in which he was being interviewed. During that interview, he said this, "Anyone can give incredible effort".

Does Texas Tech have better athletes/football players than every college football team in the nation except for Alabama (the current #1)? The answer to that question is a resounding "no" when you compare them to the likes of Georgia, Florida, USC, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Penn State, Ohio State, and the list goes on...

Is it possible that Texas Tech is not number 2 in the nation right now because they have the best athletes, but rather because Mike Leach and the Texas Tech coaching staff is getting the most out of their players? Could it be because the Texas Tech players are sold on what Coach Leach said "Anyone can give an incredible effort!".