Tips

• Diamonds are awesome- so are kids. Some are famous, some are not, some do the work, some do not, but each is still a diamond.
• Make sure the kids are having fun. Incorporate challenges into mini-games and drills. Give kids as many chances to touch the ball during practice.
• Too much pressure – they are crushed. too much heat – they are tarnished. Careless – they are wasted. Foolish – they are mishandled. Handle with care, they are special.
• Set practice goals and outline a practice schedule before each practice.
• Diamonds are not perfect- neither are kids. Both have small hidden defects. Flaws in their integrity and character affect their values and usefulness.
• While some kids are “real gems”, most kids are diamonds in the rough. Coaches are there to help cut and polish the diamonds. It’s about challenging coaches to look past action, the excitement, the passion and help kids grow in sports and in life.

Dugout Chatter

"Never let the fear of striking out get in your way." - George Herman Ruth

"Sports do not build character. They reveal it." – John Wooden

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." – Thomas Edison

"Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical." - Yogi Berra

"I see great things in baseball. It’s our game – the American game." - Walt Whitman

"Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer." – Ted Williams

"Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best." – Tim Duncan

"I don’t want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it." – Rogers Hornsby

"If you are going to be a champion, you must be willing to pay a greater price." – Bud Wilkinson

"You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them." – Michael Jordan

"During my 18 years I came to bat almost 10,000 times. I struck out about 1,700 times and walked maybe 1,800 times. You figure a ballplayer will average about 500 at bats a season. That means I played seven years without ever hitting the ball." – Mickey Mantle

"Make sure that team members know they are working with you, not for you." – John Wooden

"Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way." – Satchel Paige

"My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging." – Hank Aaron

"The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that."

"Whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand." – Vince Lombardi

"Life is like a baseball game. When you think a fastball is coming, You gotta be ready to hit the curve."

"The key to being a good manager is keeping the people who hate me away from those who are still undecided." - Casey Stengal

"To succeed…You need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you." - Tony Dorsett

"Ask not what your teammates can do for you. Ask what you can do for your teammates." - Magic Johnson

"I learned that if you want to make it bad enough, no matter how bad it is, you can make it." - Gale Sayers

Official Baseball Rules

True or False

Top 40 Baseball Rules that cause confusion

1. The hands are considered part of the bat.
2. The batter-runner must turn to his right after over-running first base.
3. If the batter breaks his wrists when swinging, it’s a strike.
4. If a batted ball hits the plate first it’s a foul ball.
5. The batter cannot be called out for interference if he is in the batter’s box.
6. The ball is dead on a foul-tip.
7. The batter may not switch batter’s boxes after two strikes.
8. The batter who batted out of order is the person declared out.
9. The batter may not overrun first base when he gets a base-on-balls.
   
10. The batter is out if he starts for the dugout before going to first after a dropped third strike.
    
11. If the batter does not pull the bat out of the strike zone while in the bunting position, it’s an automatic strike.
    
12. The batter is out if a bunted ball hits the ground and bounces back up and hits the bat while the batter is holding the bat.
    
13. The batter is out if his foot touches the plate.
    
14. The batter-runner is always out if he runs outside the running lane after a bunted ball.
    
15. A runner is out if he slaps hands or high-fives other players, after a homerun is hit over the fence.
    
16. Tie goes to the runner.
    
17. The runner gets the base he’s going to, plus one on a ball thrown out-of-play.
    
18. Anytime a coach touches a runner, the runner is out.
    
19. Runners may never run the bases in reverse order.
    
20. The runner must always slide when the play is close.
    
21. The runner is always safe when hit by a batted ball while touching a base.
    
22. A runner may not steal on a foul-tip.
    
23. It is a force out when a runner is called out for not tagging up on a fly ball.
    
24. An appeal on a runner who missed a base cannot be a force out.
    
25. A runner is out if he runs out of the baseline to avoid a fielder who is fielding a batted ball.
    
26. Runners may not advance when an infield fly is called.
    
27. No run can score when a runner is called out for the third out for not tagging up.
    
28. A pitch that bounces to the plate cannot be hit.
    
29. The batter does not get first base if hit by a pitch after it bounces.
    
30. If a fielder holds a fly ball for 2 seconds it’s a catch.
    
31. You must tag the base with your foot on a force out or appeal.
    
32. The ball is always immediately dead on a balk.
    
33. If a player’s feet are in fair territory when the ball is touched, it is a fair ball.
    
34. The ball must always be returned to the pitcher before an appeal can be made.
    
35. With no runners on base, it is a ball if the pitcher starts his windup and then stops.
    
36. The pitcher must come to a set position before a pick-off throw.
    
37. The pitcher must step off the rubber before a pick-off throw.
    
38. If a fielder catches a fly ball and then falls over the fence it is a homerun.
    
39. The ball is dead anytime an umpire is hit by the ball.
    
40. The home plate umpire can overrule the other umps at anytime
    

All of the following statements are FALSE. Read the explanations and rule references to find out why.