We’ve started treating education like an expense but youth sports training like an investment.

And so it begins... #MenofCentral #RollVikes

Some of the best baseball players I ever coached spent their falls in shoulder pads or on a pitch. They arrived in the spring as competitors, not just players. The scoreboard pressure, the different locker room, the coach with a different voice. You cannot buy that at a showcase.

The fear is always the same: he will fall behind the kids playing fall ball. Forty years of watching says otherwise. The athlete comes back in November hungry, fresh, and stronger, while the year-round player comes back with a tired arm and a stale swing. Absence is not falling behind.

Why I Love Public Schools My answer is simple. Because I've seen what happens inside schools that most people never get to see. The headlines rarely tell the whole story. Most people don't realize that public schools are one of the few places in our society that welcome every child, regardless of ability, income, language, disability, background, or circumstance. Every child. If a student has autism, ADHD, dyslexia, anxiety, depression, a traumatic past, a medical condition, or a physical disability, public schools don't get to choose whether to serve them. They do. Every single day. If a student is exceptionally gifted and needs greater academic challenges, schools work to provide those opportunities, too. Through IEPs, 504 Plans, gifted programming, counseling, speech therapy, occupational therapy, school psychology, nursing services, social work, behavioral supports, English learner services, and countless other programs, educators work tirelessly to meet thousands of individual needs. That is an incredible responsibility. Here's something else many people don't know: Our teachers are among the most educated professionals in the workforce. More than half of public school teachers have earned master's degrees or higher, and nearly every school administrator holds graduate degrees with many completing specialist or doctoral programs. These are highly trained professionals who could have chosen careers with higher salaries and fewer demands. Instead, they chose children. Research consistently shows that the single most important school-based factor affecting student achievement is the quality of the teacher standing in front of the classroom. Think about that for a moment. One caring, knowledgeable, encouraging teacher can literally change the trajectory of a child's life. I've seen it happen thousands of times. I've watched teachers buy winter coats with their own money. I've watched custodians quietly become mentors. I've watched bus drivers become the safest adult in a child's day. I've watched cafeteria workers learn every student's name. I've watched counselors save lives. I've watched school nurses comfort frightened children like they were their own. I've watched paraprofessionals celebrate the smallest victories that most people would never notice. I've watched principals lose sleep because they couldn't stop thinking about a struggling student or staff member. None of those moments show up on a standardized test. Every year, millions of students graduate from public schools and go on to become architects, nurses, electricians, plumbers, engineers, teachers, therapists, entrepreneurs, military service members, first responders, artists, scientists, mechanics, parents, physicians, and community leaders. They build our homes. They care for us when we're sick. They protect our communities. They invent, create, teach, lead, and serve. And almost every one of them can point to a public school educator who believed in them before they believed in themselves. Are public schools perfect? Of course not. No organization made up of millions of human beings ever is. There is always room to improve, innovate, and do better. But don't let the challenges overshadow the extraordinary work happening every single day in classrooms across this country. Every morning, before the sun comes up, millions of educators walk into school with one goal: To make life a little better for someone else's child. That deserves our respect. That deserves our gratitude. And that deserves far more attention than it receives. To every teacher, school counselor, social worker, psychologist, paraprofessional, nurse, secretary, custodian, cafeteria worker, bus driver, coach, administrator, and support staff member... Thank you. Thank you for believing in children. Thank you for seeing potential where others sometimes see problems. Thank you for choosing a profession that changes lives, often without recognition.

Few baseball people impress me as much as Eugene. You can tell he’s thought through everything he says. So many spew before thinking! Not 👇

A player that was basically cut from a below average HS team as a sophmore (transferred to new school the following two) will go off and play college baseball. Sometimes all it takes is for coaches to believe in a kid that has something special about him. He’s been a star for us.

2028 Grads across the country Aug. 1 has come and gone. Maybe your phone blew up with interest and even offers. Maybe you got a few. Maybe you didn't get any. So what. The work is never done 😤 Stop worrying about the opinions of others and lock in on the things you can control: • Strength training • Skill development • Recovery • Nutrition • Your inner circle • Your work ethic • Consistency Your recruiting timeline is yours. The opinion YOU have of yourself will always matter more than the opinions of others. 🙌⚾️

Honest question for tournament directors: Are we ever going to move away from stay-to-play requirements? Between tournament fees, gate fees, and mandatory hotels… how much more money needs to be made off youth sports before enough is enough?

My Non-negotiables for ELITE student athletes : - 2 Breakfasts - 3 to 4 meals per day - 7-11 hours of sleep/night - 100 oz of H20 daily -Carbs + protein before & after training - Show up early and ready to go - Avoid fried foods, candy and soda - No phone within 45-min of bed or within waking - Only use third party tested supplements -Carbs + protein before and after training - Protein + carb + veggie + fruit at each meal - Daily stretching and mobility drills - Studies before scrolling social media or video games

When I was at UCLA, Barry Bonds told me something that changed the way I looked at hitting forever. It was 2007. His last season in the big leagues. He lived in Beverly Hills and trained at UCLA. One day I asked him... "What's the key to consistent hitting?" I expected him to talk about mechanics. Instead, he said... "Stay away from 0-for-4." I looked at him, confused. He explained, "If you're 0-for-3, find a way to get on base." Take a walk. Wear a pitch. Get a hit. It's a lot better to finish 0-for-3 with a walk than 0-for-4. That lesson stuck with me. From that day on, I wasn't just trying to get hits. I was trying to avoid empty games. Because every time you avoid an 0-for-4... You protect your batting average. You keep your confidence. And you keep the momentum on your side. Because there's one thing i learned playing this game: Sometimes taking your game to the next level isn't about doing something spectacular. It's about avoiding the games that quietly pull you backward. Thank you for reading. - Jermaine Curtis P.S. - if you enjoyed this, and thought it was helpful, please share it. (It tells me you wnat more stories like this)

The game will tell you everything you need to know, you just gotta be honest with yourself and listen: ⚾️Not a lot of power? 👉🏼Get serious in the weight room and eat better ⚾️Make a lot of errors? 👉🏼Get more repetitions on ground balls ⚾️Don’t have the arm strength? 👉🏼Take the long toss and arm care more seriously ⚾️Making stupid baserunning mistakes? 👉🏼Watch more games and actually study the game The game is screaming at you what to work on…. The question is, are you listening?!?! #BaseballTruth

“Coach” says: “If you shake off my call again, you’re benched!” Been around this game a long time. Have pitched and been a pitching coach for nearly 40 years. Pitching is about feel, confidence, strategy and throwing whatever pitch you throw with 💯 conviction. Being forced to throw something your mind and heart aren’t fully committed to often won’t end well. Anyone who has played this game, pitched, long term understands this. Coaches, if you think and say things like this, I’ll be frank here, you don’t understand the position the way you think you do. For the success, production and development of your pitchers, it may be time to learn more about the position, especially the mental side of it, and change your approach.

Recruiting 101: You’re upset about not getting a hit? But, Coach is impressed with your approach and ability to find barrel! You’re angry that you rolled over? But, Coach likes your speed and your hard 90! You think 1 bad game ruined your future? But, Coach loves your attitude, your hustle and the way you play! YOU CAN STILL MAKE A HUGE IMPACT EVEN WITH BAD RESULTS! A Coach’s perspective is usually way different than yours! #BaseballTruth

It amazes me when you pull into a youth travel baseball game and the opposing team’s parents are tailgating or pre-gaming in the parking lot. It’s youth baseball… not a college football Saturday. Nothing surprises me in travel ball anymore.

Alone in the Crowd. Why do some parents sit alone? More and more sports parents distance themselves from the drama. They’re fed up with negativity, excuses, and toxic energy. Here are 5 reasons why sports parents sit alone... 1: NO DRAMA - Most parents do not like drama. They avoid drama. So they sit alone. Unfortunately, too many adults still need drama in their lives. They seek it out and need it to thrive. When drama parents are "Sports Parents," they can destroy a team's culture. Stay away. 2. NO BCEs - Most parents hate the BCEs. BCE = Blaming, Complaining, Excuse Making. It is a disease, and they do not want to catch it! When parents constantly complain about calls, it creates major negative energy for a team and affects others. AVOID these people. 3: NO IGNORANCE - What is the problem with some parents? They know all of the answers—or they think they do. Most have never coached or reffed a game in their lives. Yet, somehow, they are "Experts." Ignorance is shown, and many "Sports Parents" want to escape. 4: BAD-MOUTH COACHES AND OFFICIALS - Bad-mouthing coaches or officials is not OK. Always remember, it is your child's experience, not yours. So some "Sports Parents" leave this environment. They sit alone. They want to watch their child play. That's all. 5: THEY WANT TO RELAX AND ENJOY THE GAME! Ultimately, most "Sports Parents" just want to watch and enjoy seeing their son or daughter have fun playing a game they love. That's it. They do not want the outside noise. After all, this is what it is all about! CONCLUSION - We are in a crisis with youth sports parents in our country. Be a part of the solution, not the problem. Avoid negative energy and BCEs with parents. - Remove yourself from the environment - Address negativity head-on - Choose to sit alone _____ If you like this post, then you will love my free weekly newsletter. 🏆 Great Teams Better Leaders 123. Actionable ideas on coaching, leadership, culture, and teams. Join 12,900+ others who read for free each week. Subscribe below.