Memorial Day Weekend is just about up. A few more hours of daylight, maybe toss one more hot dog or hamburger on the grill, or simply arrive home after a long, long, long weekend tournament in New Hampshire (no names here Erin and Harvey). With May just one day away from turning over to June, the regular seasons for so many Rhode Island baseball players will be turning over into playoff times. And unfortunately the regular season for so many other Rhode Island baseball players has come to an end, so these players will be turning their attention to their travel, AAU, and amateur league team schedules. And since many Rhode Island student-athletes will be returning to school tomorrow, I thought I would throw out a little homework assignment to learn more about how your season went.

No A, B, C, D, F, X, Y, Z or whatever grading system you use in school here. No pass or fail. Everyone gets a gold star for their answers and everyone’s answers (that are kid friendly to Adult friendly) will be published. Here is what I am looking for:

1. Think of a goal you had pre-season. Something you and your parents, your coaches, maybe your mentor discussed in the off season. Learn how to catch, learn how to throw a 12-6 curveball, learn to drive the baseball into the gaps or up the middle or over the fences, get stronger, get faster, get more athletic.
2. Who was/were the/those mentor(s) that helped you? Do you remember their advice? If so, please share it with me so I can share it with others.
3. What was an important step in achieving this goal? Video analysis? Repetition at a local indoor facility (side note, which one)? Believing in yourself? Lifting weights? Running sprints? Looking back, what was it that helped get you closer and closer to that goal?
4. At what point in your season (middle school, high school, college) did you achieve this goal? Game 1? Game 10? Game 40?
5. How did it feel to achieve this important goal you set months ago? Give me some details as to how it all went down? Did you stand at first base and look out in the crowd and scream? Did you just nod to your catcher because your fastball was that electric? Did you hit a gap double to win a game or get mobbed by your teammates? Or strike out the side on that split-fingered fastball you have been trying to perfect for two seasons? Or did you steal a base and stand at second thinking, “Wow, I got speed this year!”?

There are no wrong answers (except those shaming someone else). Let’s face it… You are an inspiration for others and your hard work has paid off. Now, let’s get you some credit and let others know that you value hard work, dedication to the fundamentals, are a gym rat that works hard on conditioning, and above all listens and respects your parents, coaches, and mentors. And let’s give credit to those who helped you along the journey to success. And inspire others to want to work hard to achieve their goals!!!

I am assigning this homework assignment to all of the Rhode Island Baseball Community and I am encouraging you to BRAG ABOUT YOURSELF!!! If you can, please include a game photo or team photo that I can use in the article. The deadline is Midnight on Thursday June 2nd. I will be publishing all of the answers Friday morning, June 3rd. Don’t think of it as homework, think of it as recognition for your hard work, your mentor’s advice, and the joy of achieving a goal months and months in the making. And please share with others, I want to write a gigantic article this Friday showcasing the top baseball talent we have here in Rhode Island and the mentors and advice that helped achieve their goals.

Please use this contact form to reach out to me, or simply email me your answers to ribaseballexperience@gmail.com.

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