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My son, like many of yours, has a personal goal of playing baseball at the highest level - in the Majors. Millions of boys have this dream, but there is a heck of a lot of work - years and years of work - between youthful daydreams and one day stepping onto the diamond in the Bigs. The reality is that very few ever make it to the Majors and even more rare is the player that becomes a legend. Talent is one component of Big League success, but even more important is the sheer quantity of sweaty work behind the scenes. And according to one British sociologist, it'll take at least 10,000 hours of such sweaty work to reach the pinnacle of success!

It is practice, however, that makes perfect, according to the sociologist whose books have become required reading within the Conservative party. The best way to achieve international stardom is to spend 10,000 hours honing your skills, says the new book by Malcolm Gladwell, author of the best-selling The Tipping Point.

The greatest athletes, entrepreneurs, musicians and scientists emerge only after spending at least three hours a day for a decade mastering their chosen field.

...“What’s really interesting about this 10,000-hour rule is that it applies virtually everywhere,” Gladwell told a conference held by The New Yorker magazine. “You can’t become a chess grand master unless you spend 10,000 hours on practice.

“The tennis prodigy who starts playing at six is playing in Wimbledon at 16 or 17 [like] Boris Becker. The classical musician who starts playing the violin at four is debuting at Carnegie Hall at 15 or so.”

The obsessive approach is particularly evident in sporting icons. Jonny Wilkinson, the rugby player, Tiger Woods, the golfer, and the Williams sisters in tennis have all trained relentlessly since they were children.

The simple secret is that "the years spent intensively focused on their area of expertise place the world’s most successful people above their peers." That translates into approximately three hours a day for 10 years. That's it. It makes perfect sense to me. Because as I've explained to my son, it doesn't matter how much talent he has, he WILL get passed up by boys who OUT-TRAIN him. It's up to him whether he allows that to happen or not. He has since developed the mentality that he will not ever be out-worked. That mind-set alone will take him to heights his natural talent can't reach. There will always be plenty of players who can pitch as fast as he can, but there will be far fewer of them who will train relentlessly to be The Best. That is where he will shine.

How many times have you watched a truly gifted athlete skate by in his early years on sheer athleticism and coordination alone - easily out-playing lesser-developed boys the same age? I have. But guess what? Those boys never developed a work ethic, or a self-discipline that pushed them to work harder the older they got. I always told my son that if he could out-work his peers, he would out-strip their early achievements. It's just fine to be a home-run king when you're nine years old, and it's quite another to parlay 400' high-school home runs into a college scholarship or professional draft! So what's in between the Little Leaguer and the Major Leaguer? Well, only about 10,000 hours of hard work!

Heads up on a deal from Eastbay. I was forwarded this email from my son's coach this morning, who got it from one of the dads on our team:

Eastbay.com has Nike Monster metal cleats for 29.99 in their "Outlet". I purchased a pair this week and just received them and it is the real deal. This is a very good price so you might want to pass this on to the other parents. At this price you can purchase a larger pair for future growth.

Even though Eastbay is one of our advertisers, I didn't know about the sale and am happy to pass along the info. Click here to go to Eastbay, and then click on the red "Outlet" tab in the top right corner of the main menu.

My son uses the Nike Air Zoom 5-Tool metal cleats, which are also on sale for $29.00 (down from $104). He wears a size 15 1/2, so I have to buy the cleats when and where I can find them. $29 is an unbeatable deal.

Great off-season deals! I think I'll do a little shoppin' tonight.

Thanks Kevin and Robert for the tip!

From an AP news story this morning:

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Nine-year-old Jericho Scott is a good baseball player — too good, it turns out.

The right-hander has a fastball that tops out at about 40 mph. He throws so hard that the Youth Baseball League of New Haven told his coach that the boy could not pitch any more. When Jericho took the mound anyway last week, the opposing team forfeited the game, packed its gear and left, his coach said.

Officials for the three-year-old league, which has eight teams and about 100 players, said they will disband Jericho's team, redistributing its players among other squads, and offered to refund $50 sign-up fees to anyone who asks for it. They say Jericho's coach, Wilfred Vidro, has resigned.

But Vidro says he didn't quit and the team refuses to disband. Players and parents held a protest at the league's field on Saturday urging the league to let Jericho pitch.

"He's never hurt any one," Vidro said. "He's on target all the time. How can you punish a kid for being too good?"

The controversy bothers Jericho, who says he misses pitching.

Read the rest of the story...

Hmmmm...I think I'll forward this article to a few select coaches in the Connecticut area. I'm sure they would be interested in picking up another pitcher.

Frankly, this article indicates to me a level of FAIL for every single adult involved - coaches, league officials, and parents.

The best players have left league play (because the competition level has declined) and are now playing for USSSA, Super Series, AAU, Nations Baseball, etc. And in fact, this kid would fit right in, because 40 mph would be about normal if he played Select - perhaps a little slow even.

My son’s pitching coach has a ten year old son (almost 11) who pitches 69 mph. My son and his contemporaries are 13 and pitching 80. Select is much more competitive and that’s where the best players go. A nine year old pitching at 40 mph is not exactly scary-good at the Select level.

The fact that the boy is still in a “developmental” league indicates to me that he’s a ringer. So what? We've ALL seen that - the coach wants the very best player for his team and the parents want their son to be a SUPERSTAR. But what good does it do for Jericho's development as a player if he's the most dominant player of a bunch of beginners? I say "Big whoop."

How many of us have seen reputed league superstars come to Select and just get creamed? Uh-huh, we all have. His parents should quit acting like they are victims and let him play amongst kids who are just as good - perhaps better - than he is. But wait... in Select there are try-outs and the kid will have to make it on his own merit. There's no reason for them to avoid that, is there?

Maybe there is. I can see one reason already why a Select team might pass over young Jericho Scott - his mother! Plenty of Select coaches audition the parents as well, and will pass over a decent player because the parents are notoriously difficult. And Jericho's mom sounds overly obnoxious. She called the police when the other team forfeited?! C'mon, lady! Get a grip and get some perspective. The police have better things to do than answer a call from a hysterical baseball mom! Pitiful.

As for the other teams who forfeit rather than play him, they are doing a huge disservice to their beginner athletes. HUGE. Any player should want to be challenged to play his best - to play up. The coaches and parents of the opposing teams are teaching those kids to be victims and losers. Pitiful.

As I said above, this situation is an all-around FAIL for every single adult involved - coaches, league officials, and parents. Only the kid is a winner here.

How will the best team in Little League stack up against the best team in Select? I'm looking forward to finding out! I've always held an opinion that Select baseball was more competitive and therefore produced better ballplayers. I felt like my son should make it on his own merit as an athlete, and not on whose dad was coaching the team. I also liked that in Select, my son was playing open bases, with longer baselines and greater pitching distances. I felt like Jonathan was more challenged and that could only make him better.

So just to test my homegrown theory, I went and watched a few Little League and Pony games. My intent was to try and honestly gauge whether my son was better off staying in Select or perhaps we should consider returning to Pony. After all, everyone (and I do mean everyone) was telling us that Pony was the place to be in the years before high school. I watched and weighed and considered...

And all things considered, we decided that Select would be best for our son - and we never looked back. Now this weekend, thanks to the first ever inter-association National Championship, we will have a chance to observe Little Leaguers, Pony players, and various Select organizations in direct compeition with each other. Which truly produces the more disciplined, competitve, and skilled ballplayers? I don't know, but I'm excited to find out!

Here's the NYBC Preview video. I've got all the pertinent info, such as schedules and results, posted up in the main menu under Big Events. It all starts today. Check it out!