June 25, 2025 • 53 mins
What does it take to build a championship high school baseball program without flame-throwing pitchers or Division I talent? Wisconsin Hall of Fame coach Jeff Ryan pulls back the curtain on his old-school approach that's produced 438 wins and a state championship at small-school Prescott High.
Ryan's journey from milking cows on a hobby farm to becoming one of Wisconsin's most respected baseball minds reveals how traditional values translate to modern success. "Consistency, fairness, discipline, and professionalism," he shares, form the bedrock of his coaching philosophy. His 2012 state championship team epitomized these principles, displaying what he calls "quiet intensity"—a focused, unflappable demeanor that carried them to a 26-2 record despite not having a single pitcher who threw harder than 78 mph.
What truly sets Ryan's program apart is his meticulous attention to fundamentals. His teams spend 30 minutes every practice on scripted situations, mastering pickoff plays, controlling the running game, and executing defensive fundamentals that "steal outs" in crucial moments. Ryan's approach to middle infield defense—eschewing the common "alligator funnel" technique for a more precise method—exemplifies his willingness to embrace proven techniques over trendy methods.
Perhaps most remarkable is Ryan's candor about coaching's challenges. He considers making out the lineup card his most difficult task, understanding that his decisions affect not just players but entire families. His solution for surviving 27 years as a head coach? Setting clear boundaries with parents while maintaining unwavering consistency in how he treats every player, from stars to bench players.
Ready to transform your coaching approach? Discover why Jeff Ryan believes "baseball doesn't teach us how to win; it teaches us how to lose," and how this philosophy creates not just better players, but better people. Subscribe now to gain insights from one of high school baseball's most thoughtful practitioners.
Emphasizes four pillars of success: consistency, fairness, discipline, and professionalism
• Believes making out the lineup card is the most challenging aspect of coaching
• Credits his 2012 championship team's "quiet intensity" as key to their success
• Explains how small-school programs can compete through fundamentals rather than pure talent
• Advocates for 30 minutes of situational practice during each session
• Shares techniques for controlling the running game and "stealing outs" through pickoff plays
• Discusses the challenges of coaching longevity and managing parent relationships
• Focuses on infield defense, particularly middle infield play and bunting fundamentals
• Views baseball as teaching players how to lose with dignity more than how to win
• Maintains clear boundaries with parents to survive 27 years as head coach
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
and I've had that.
I had a grandmother come intomy house on a Saturday morning,
literally Didn't even knock onthe door.
She came into my house andconfronted me while I'm sitting
at this table where I am rightnow.
The door is right there.
Knocked on the door, there shewas, came in and wanted to know
why her grandson wasn't playing.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
I hope you have the popcorn ready Today.
On Baseball Coaches Unplugged,we go to the great state of
Wisconsin and hear from an oldschool baseball coach.
He reveals how they shut downthe running game, why you should
spend 30 minutes every practiceworking on situations and why
the hardest job for him is tomake out the starting lineup
(00:43):
each game.
Wisconsin Hall of Fame headcoach and state champion at
Prescott High School, jeff Ryan.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
next, on Baseball Coaches Unplugged Welcome to
Baseball Coaches Unplugged withCoach Ken Carpenter, presented
by Athlete One.
Baseball Coaches Unplugged is apodcast for baseball coaches,
with 27 years of high schoolbaseball coaching under his belt
, here to bring you the insidescoop on all things baseball,
from game-winning strategies andpitching secrets to hitting
(01:12):
drills and defensive drills.
We're covering it all.
Whether you're a high schoolcoach, college coach or just a
baseball enthusiast, we'll diveinto the tactics and techniques
that make the difference on andoff the field.
Discover how to build a winningmentality.
Inspire your players and getthem truly bought into your game
philosophy Plus, get the latestinsights on recruiting,
(01:33):
coaching, leadership andcrafting a team culture that
champions productivity andsuccess.
Join Coach every week as hebreaks down the game and shares
incredible behind-the-scenesstories.
Your competitive edge startshere, so check out the show
weekly and hear from the bestcoaches in the game.
On Baseball Coaches Unplugged.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
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Hello and welcome to BaseballCoaches Unplugged.
I'm your host, coach KenCarpenter, and don't forget to
hit the subscribe button andleave us a review if you have
the opportunity.
It helps us to grow the show.
(02:59):
Remember to look for a newepisode every Wednesday at 5 am
Eastern Standard Time.
Now let's get to the guest outof Wisconsin Head Coach Jeff
Ryan.
This guy is the reason why Igot into podcasting.
He is so good at what he doesand he makes my job easy as the
(03:24):
host today at what he does andhe makes my job easy as the host
today.
Please enjoy what Jeff Ryan hasto talk about because he's an
old-school coach and he hasgreat stories and there's a
reason why he's a Hall of Famerand a state champion baseball
coach.
Thanks for taking time to be onBaseball Coaches Unplugged.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
I appreciate the invitation and I'm humbled by
having the opportunity to sharea few things.
So thank you very, very much.
Appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
When you grew up on a hobby farm milking cows,
dealing with pigs and chickenschores morning and night.
What did that teach you aboutwork ethic and how do you get
your players to understand theimportance of hard work?
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Yeah, that's a great question.
I think one of the things thatI've always said anecdotally to
my coaches you know, prescott,is we're about a half an hour
from Minneapolis and St Paul.
We're as far west as you can bein Wisconsin and still be in
Wisconsin.
So we're not too far from, ofcourse, a major metropolitan
area and we're basically abedroom community of St Paul,
(04:30):
minnesota.
And the reason I bring that upis I always say that you know
there aren't enough kids that Idon't think have thrown hay
bales around.
I've always said that would bekind of a hilarious drill to
have the kids come to practiceand have a bunch of hay bales
set up in the outfield and saywe're going to throw hay bales
(04:51):
as our condition.
I've never done that.
I thought maybe I should dothat one of these times.
But you know, I think, growingup on a hobby farm with great
parents, real humble parents andfive brothers, you know real
humble parents and five brothers.
You milk cows, you clean thebarn with a wheelbarrow, you cut
wood, you butcher chickens, Imean you bale hay, you do all
(05:17):
that stuff.
That's important.
And again, having olderbrothers too meant in the summer
, after you got the lawn mowedand after you got all the chores
done on Saturday, you know it'slight till nine o'clock, so
it's time to play baseball timeto play baseball in the backyard
, and a ball off the barn was ahome run.
A ball that hit the stump was adouble.
(05:39):
We all had like you did,probably too your quirky ground.
You know I really cherish thosemoments growing up and a lot of
the things that you know.
I would stop by my parents.
You know the values and youknow work hard, be respectful.
I think that's something that Ilearned growing up.
So you try to instill thosesame type of values as a coach,
(06:01):
because we know that coachingbaseball is not just about
coaching baseball, it's aboutcoaching life skills.
And once those kids, you know,graduate, you want them to
remember those things too.
Um, so that's, that's reallyreally important.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
so, yeah, how I grew up is really really important
well, 438 wins in a state titleLater, what's your biggest key
to building a sustainablewinning program?
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Well, first of all, I think, four things Consistency,
fairness, discipline andprofessionalism.
You know, as a teacher and as acoach, I firmly believe that
(06:52):
players and students, they likerules.
They like rules, they want whatthe parameters are, but they
want those rules to be appliedfairly and consistently.
And that's one of the things Ithink we've we've done.
When I say we me and my twoassistant coaches, who have both
been with me for over twodecades I think we've done a
(07:12):
really really good job of doingthat.
Um, it doesn't matter if you'rethe number three hitter or the
number one pitcher.
Uh, you know that 18th player,that guy on the bench, uh, you
have to let them know that theyare important and that's really
challenging, that's reallyreally difficult and it's got to
be done in a way that's genuine.
(07:35):
So for me I'm kind of maybegetting off topic here a little
bit I've always said that in my27 years of coaching, being a
head coach, the most difficultjob I have is to fill out the
lineup card.
That's not an easy thing andI'm very thankful that I view
that as being a difficult jobbecause you know you've got 15
(07:58):
to 18 kids in the dugout.
It changes, you know, from gameto game, you could put nine
guys on the field, nine kids onthe field, and there's five or
six kids in the dugout whoaren't playing and they want to
play.
You know you want to play,everybody wants to play and I
get that.
And of course they're going tobe disappointed.
But it's not just the kid Momand dad are disappointed,
(08:18):
grandma and grandpa aredisappointed, aunt and uncle are
disappointed, brothers, auntand uncle are disappointed,
brothers and sisters aredisappointed, girlfriends are
disappointed, friends aredisappointed, and you know that.
Again, it's one of the thingsthat I'm thankful that that
really bothers me and I thinkthe players know that too.
And of course, those decisionsthat you have to make as a head
coach have to be made withpurpose and you've got to be
(08:42):
honest with players.
I think you really really haveto be honest with purpose and
you got to be honest withplayers.
I think you really really haveto be honest with players and
sometimes coaches get themselvesin trouble, especially young
coaches, I think they makepromises to players that aren't
playing and then you know youbreak those promises.
But I think it's about keepingyour promises, being honest with
players and, again, I'm allabout professionalism,
(09:03):
professionalism, consistency,and I like to think that the
teams I've coached over theyears kind of act a particular
way that I think the communityshould be proud of.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
Well, you know you mentioned your two assistants
being with you all this timethat you've been there.
I would imagine you guysprobably can know what the other
guy's thinking.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Yes, no question, we have real, real good
conversations when the three ofus get together about game
strategy, practice planning.
It's really, really importantto have that kind of a
relationship because in this dayand age I don't know what it's
like in Ohio the coachingprofession has really become
(09:48):
kind of a revolving door, aturnstile, so to speak, and when
I tell people that I've notonly been coaching for 27, 36
total, but to have twoassistants that have been with
me for two decades, they kind ofgive a double take and they say
to me I hope you understand howfortunate you are.
Believe me, I know howfortunate I am to have two
coaches that have been so loyaland that share the same
(10:11):
philosophy, the same approach tocoaching the game.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Take me back to 2012, that state championship run.
What set that team apart andwhat did you learn as a coach
during that ride?
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Well, that 2012 team was just was a dream team.
Now I say a dream team.
They did experience somenightmares when they were
sophomores.
You know, I we didn't have alot of really talented
underclassmen, so we had sevensophomores that started that
(10:53):
year and finished the seasonactually 12 and 12 finished 500
and.
But there were some bumpy partsof the season, as you know,
you're going to have when youhave, you know, 10th graders,
when you have underclassmen.
But as they became juniors,they had a very, very good year
as juniors and then when theybecame seniors, of course they
(11:15):
were about as dominant a teamthat I've ever had the
opportunity to coach.
Now, when I say dominant, theword dominant today is different
than it was back in 2012.
You know, for whatever reason,it must be our coaching, but in
2012, we had five pitchers thatwe threw and not one threw over
(11:39):
78 miles per hour, not one.
We just we threw strikes and wecaught the ball ball and we
played great defense.
That's one of the hallmarks ofthe 2012 team great defense.
You know, we 26 and 2 that yearfor a high school team.
Uh, the team turned 26 doubleplays, which is pretty good for
a small school.
(11:59):
Um, so our, our defense, uh,was just fantastic and our
approach, our, our, our, ourdefense, uh, was just fantastic
and our approach, our, our, ourapproach, our quiet intensity.
It was just the dugout.
You would have thought maybe, um, the way the kids acted, I mean
of course they reacted to greatplays, but between pitches and
the dugout you would think, man,that he's kids in church.
(12:21):
I mean just quiet and sofocused.
But again, that's the type ofplayer that I love coaching.
You know, you don't have to bea fist-pounding, rah-rah,
drum-playing, fence-slappingtype of player in the dugout.
You can just tell.
I mean some players just in thezone and that team, which was,
(12:51):
you know, a veteran team by thetime they were seniors, just all
of them have had that intense,quiet, intensity that just made
them unflappable and they werejust a fantastic, fantastic,
fantastic team, but a lot ofgreat players.
Been lucky enough to coach alot of great players, um, been
lucky enough to coach a lot ofgreat players, but I would say,
collectively, there's never beena team that I've had players
(13:11):
that have had that same look,but not a team that had that
quiet, intense look, which wasjust a joy, a joy to watch and a
joy to coach.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Well, how have you adapted throughout the years
when it comes to your coachingstyle, because I think you know,
the kids may have been a littlebit different, you know, as,
like you said, 2012 or evenbefore that compared to now.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Say that again.
How has your ask the first partagain?
Speaker 2 (13:40):
How have you adapted throughout the years your
coaching style?
Oh, okay, that's, that's a goodquestion, and, boy, you adapted
throughout the years, you'recoaching now?
Speaker 1 (13:46):
Oh, okay, that's a good question.
And, boy, you know, baseballhas its evolution too.
I mean, you have to adapt, andif you don't adapt, that can
lead to problems.
You know there have beenchanges in the game that I have
not been particularly fond of.
One of the things that you haveto adjust to is just how
(14:14):
hands-on parents are.
I mean really hands-on.
And you know, one of the thingsthat I do as a coach at the
beginning of the year, like allcoaches, do you go through the
rules.
Now, if you've got a question,if you've got a problem, there
is a hierarchy, there is a wayto do this, there's different
(14:36):
steps, and I insist on thosesteps being followed.
You know you have to havethings like.
You know, the first thing, thekid has to come up to me and has
to talk to the coaches.
Now, I will never, in this dayand age, I will never have a
conversation with a playerone-on-one, I just will not.
I will never have aconversation about playing time
(14:58):
one-on-one.
You know, maybe 20 years ago,but now there's no way I would
do that, and I always have anassistant coach with me all the
time listening.
So I have a witness, so tospeak.
But one of the things that I'llsay at our meeting is that you
know, step one isn't a phonecall from home, it's the student
(15:21):
or the player has to come upand talk to me and then I'm sure
that might be a parent thatmight say well, that might be
difficult for the kid.
I said well, you know what?
That's part of growing up.
That's one of those skills.
I think that is important forthat young kid to, if not,
approach me, approach anassistant coach.
But I am going to be involvedin that discussion and that's
(15:44):
usually where it stops.
I did have this is a few yearsback a little story where a
parent called me up and we'rehaving a conversation and then
the parent said I have aquestion about you know, my
(16:05):
son's playing time.
I said stop, stop for a second.
I said have you had thisdiscussion with your son, or I
haven't heard from your son.
No, I'm just inquiring.
I said, well, this conversationis over with him and I ended
the conversation.
I mean, I'm not the only coachwho does that, but again, you
(16:25):
have to be honest with parents.
You can say somethingforcefully without having a
confrontational tone in yourvoice, but again it goes back to
being consistent.
These are the rules and theseare the rules that you have to
have.
I think I had this Coach.
I had this one moment Actually,it was in 2010 when we had all
(16:49):
the sophomores that were playing.
A student was a player who was asenior, had asked me if he
could come and talk to mebecause he wasn't playing enough
and, of course, I was thereason why he wasn't playing and
he wasn't that good of a playerand I tried to find a way to
get his uniform dirty, which youcan do in football.
It's a lot easier to get a kidin a football game get his
(17:09):
uniform dirty than baseball andthe kid came into my classroom
and said Coach, I just want totell you that I'm going to quit.
And I said okay, and I askedthe kid why.
He says well, I just want totell you I'm a senior this year
and it's nothing that you'vedone, it's nothing that you've
(17:32):
said, it's got nothing to dowith your coaching, but I'm not
the baseball player that I wantto be, that I wish I was, and I
am going to respectfully quit.
And he says I know I'mdisappointing you and I'm
disappointing you and sayingthis, I says well, you are
disappointing me.
He says, but I'm just, I needto do this.
(17:54):
And I told him.
I says you know what?
That's one of the most maturethings that any student, any
athlete, has ever said to me andone of the things I am doing.
I'm very proud of this.
I'm writing a book and that'sone of the stories I'm talking
about.
I have a top ten moments incoaching and, in a weird way,
that moment that young manthat's one of the greatest
(18:16):
moments I've ever had as a coach.
It was just so unbelievablyimpressive what that young man
did.
You know I know the family verywell and when you live in a
small town, everybody knowseverybody.
And you know I know the familyvery well, and when you live in
a small town, everybody knowseverybody.
That young man teaches at anearby school, is a social
studies teacher, like I am.
(18:36):
I see him quite often and Ihave so much respect for him, so
much respect for him, and youknow those moments are really,
really important.
It's not just winning thatstate championship or winning
those conference championships,but those moments like that that
you really see kids really dosome things that are impressive.
(18:57):
So yeah again, honestconversations.
The 2012 team was a real easyteam to coach.
Real easy team to coach, realeasy team to coach.
You just fill out the lineupcard and you let them play
Hustle on the field, hustle offthe field, just very respectful,
(19:21):
very professional, just class Aindividuals, every one of them.
They were an unbelievable club.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
When it comes to your offensive philosophy, do you
build around your athletes eachyear or do you stick to a system
that works regardless of thepersonnel.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
That's a great question and I think you know,
for a small school like us, itgoes back to consistency.
I think there's a foundation.
We have a reputation inPrescott as teams that pitch
well, play great defense,execute the short game, execute
(20:08):
the short game and we justutmost respect for opponents,
umpires, when we address umpires, I think this is kind of a
funny thing.
I heard somebody say this at aclinic.
A lot of the stuff of course wedo is stolen.
You were talking about that atthe beginning of the show how we
steal everything.
(20:28):
Coaches that are willing toshare and we can steal, we don't
get arrested for it.
So that's.
You know.
That's good to do that, but Iforgot my train of thought now
what I was saying.
Dog got it.
That happens to me sometimesTalking about philosophy, oh,
(20:53):
when it comes to defense, I knowthis is controversial, I know
it is, and I was lucky enough.
A few years ago I got invited tospeak at the National Clinic in
Oklahoma City and my topic wasan infield play, middle infield.
(21:14):
I was a middle infielder incollege and that's kind of my
thing and we work really, reallyhard.
A middle infield, really, Imean all infield, but middle
infield.
If I could choose one thing tocoach, it would be middle
infield and catching.
But middle infield is kind ofmy thing and, uh, you know I'm
all about separation, separationand this is a controversial
(21:35):
thing.
Um, we don't, we don't funnel,we're not, we don't funnel,
we're not alligator funnelers,we don't, we're a.
We're a pancake, pinky pinkyball out of glove I.
I mean, we really, really focuson that because, again, at a
school our size, you know, theathleticism is there but it's
(22:01):
not like it is at a Division Ischool.
We're a small Division IIschool.
We've got about 400 kids andyou've got schools near us that
are 1,900, 2,000.
We've got about 400 kids andyou've got schools near us that
are 1,900, 2,000.
But every year we're not goingto have the great athletes.
We'll have some good athletes.
From time to time We'll havesome really, really good ones.
(22:27):
But those defensive philosophiesthat we've taught over the
years have really, really servedus well and that is our infield
play, our glove work, ourpitchers.
Again, I told you we don't haveany real, never.
It's just really strange.
We've never had a realfireballer.
We've had very good pitchersand our pitching coach, brad
(22:50):
Matzik, who was actually ateammate of Jared Washburn I
don't know if you remember himpitched for the Angels and Jared
played at UW Oshkosh and that'swhere my assistant coach went
to school and he was on the 1994National Championship team with
Jared.
We haven't had a pitcher likeJared come through our program,
(23:13):
but one of the things we do.
You know we really really workhard at controlling the running
game.
We really work hard at that.
So I can never coach the majorleague level because of course
you can only pick twice andthat's it.
But we really work hard at thatand teams, when they play us, I
(23:33):
would say, have a tendency tobe quite timid.
They come into the game havinga reputation for being very
aggressive but when they play usthey know that.
You know we are going to controlthe running game and we've had
good catchers not great catchers, but in high school baseball
you can have a great catcher butof course if you don't do a
(23:54):
very good job of you knowchanging your looks and working
on your, you know everybodythrows to the plate, count one
or count four, you know you gotto go on two, go on three.
We really work hard at that andI think that's also one of the
things that we've doneconsistently that has enabled us
to be successful.
And we bunt, we bunt and we'regood at that.
(24:18):
We're good at that.
We also our pickoff plays, ourfirst and third plays, our sneak
behind play from first base.
I mean we practice that,practice it, practice it.
But you have to be committed toit.
And you know, I think I treatwell, I'm really rambling here I
(24:41):
treat baseball practice likedoing a lesson plan for teaching
.
I mean it's like all coaches,very, very specific.
You know, from this time tothis time you work on this drill
picks to first base and thenyou work on, you know, your
V-tag at third and work on justreally, really specific stuff.
And we don't practice forlonger than two hours.
(25:03):
I mean anything over two hoursis a typical game.
A long high school game is twohours.
So I've never really understoodmy personal philosophy.
I never understood those longpractices.
But we get after it.
In practice Kids have 11seconds to get into the dugout
after the third out.
(25:24):
So we practice that and I'llhave the stopwatch.
I'm sure a lot of coaches dothis and there might be a little
bit of silent griping.
The left fielder says I got thelongest run to make and the
first baseman only has 20 steps.
But we watch them all and wewant to get in and hit.
(25:46):
We're ready to hit, so get inthere quickly.
Everything that we do in a game,you got to practice it, you
know.
People say that you know,bunting is easy.
No, bunting is not easy.
And people say, well, we don'tbump because it's easy to do.
No, you're wrong, bunting isnot easy.
And if you bunt, well, inpractice you're going to get
(26:08):
more cuts before they swing.
Everybody, of course, wants ahit in the cage, they want to
hit in the field with the shell,they want to show off, and so
on and so forth.
But you know what?
You're not going to get ninecuts unless you get six out of
six bunts down.
You have to provide someincentive, you have to show that
it's important and then in thesecond season playoffs or then
when it pays off, then, and thenin the second season playoffs
(26:28):
or then when it pays off, whenthe kids start saying, well,
yeah, we understand why we'reworking on this.
So you know, I think there aresome things that we do yearly.
Sometimes you can't be asaggressive on the bases if you
don't have good team speed, butyou don't have to be fast to be
a good base runner, to beaggressive.
(26:49):
But no, I think there's thingswe try to do consistently and
have done consistently that haveenabled us to be successful.
And this is another thing thatI really really like is when
kids will watch the other teamwarm up and they'll see how they
throw, they'll see how theyfield and they're like shaking
(27:12):
their heads, so they see thosefundamental things that we drill
, drill, drill so hard, notmanifesting themselves in their
opponents in the pregame, and Ithink that gives us a little bit
of an edge.
Our pregame is pretty good andthe players get after it and
(27:34):
again, we do so withoutscreaming and yelling and
hollering.
It's just I'm going to befocused and I'm going to throw a
dart over first base and, yeah,it's a joy to watch.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
Well, you know you mentioned a couple things there
that you know the 11 seconds.
That is the one thing thatstands out to me is, when you do
that, umpires are going to behappy with you, you know.
And then I as a coach, you know27 years I never had a guy hit
90.
I was like I don't know howevery kid in the world is
(28:08):
throwing 90 now.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
Yes, that.
Speaker 3 (28:09):
Yes, that's right, but yeah, there's a lot of
things there.
Speaker 2 (28:14):
Now you mentioned the pickoff in controlling the
running game.
Can you give me an example ofsomething you guys might do that
really helps coaches, helps youguys as a team prevent teams
from running on you Sure, Idon't know if you know of I'm
guessing you have and it'sprobably different terminology
(28:37):
aggressive teams.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
We played some aggressive teams this year that
did, on their leads from firstor leads from second, they do
that vault step or almost thatrunning start and if you, I mean
you can steal bases at willagainst teams that don't
practice trying to control that.
(28:58):
And we've played.
We had a big tournament gamelast week that we lost in the
bottom of the seventh.
That's a whole other story, butanyway, a real aggressive base
running team that we knew thatthey had done this vault step
because we had scouted them, wehad sent a couple coaches to
watch and we really, reallyworked on, of course, changing
(29:24):
our timing but also picking atone, picking at two, picking at
three, picking at four, and notjust picking, you know, or just
stepping back and what we didand we have to again, we're a
little school, you know, we're asmall school and you have to
really practice this and we hadsome kids serve as stand-ins Boy
(29:46):
, I'm giving away a big secretand we had our catcher.
We had our catcher give asignal to the pitcher when the
kid was in the middle of hisvault.
And we picked three guys off,two off a second and one off, or
two off a first and one off thesecond base and the base
(30:07):
runners.
Well, you know, if you're inthe air, it's over, it's over.
And and what did that do tothat team's running game?
Basically eliminated it.
That was in the first threeinnings, so they didn't try
anything after that and it just.
I was just really really and itwas so exciting to see the kids
(30:27):
get so excited after working sohard on this.
The pitcher and the catcher andthe team was just really really
fired up.
So that was a big thing.
And you know we have all thesedifferent.
We love throwing from behindwith bases loaded.
We'll throw from behind tofirst base, you know, but you
got to practice that and we'renot afraid the kids, we got to
(30:52):
drill into those kids.
You can't be afraid to try tomake that play.
You know you got a number threehitter up with the bases loaded
and you got that guy who's kindof a sleeping and that first
base coach isn't doing a verygood job of paying attention and
, holy cow, that can just andwe've done that quite a few
times and it is just deflatingfor the other team.
(31:15):
You know it happened last year,I think a tournament game where
that happened had number threehitter up and we had a
left-handed pitcher, so a littlebit easier to do with a righty,
but the righty is a great play.
I love that one more thananything because that's even
more dangerous, and so we pickedthe guy off first and then we
walked the number three hitterto face the number four hitter
(31:36):
who was left-handed.
We got over the ending.
It was just perfect, justabsolutely perfect, so you can
steal outs like that man.
We worked hard on that.
We worked hard on stealing outs, picks first and thirds, all
the different plays that allcoaches do.
We just really, really drilledthat.
This is another thing.
I think that is really reallyhelpful for us and I'm assuming
(31:59):
you've heard of Bill Walsh, the49ers coach, if you remember how
he, when he was coaching andthere's still coaches today who
do this he has scripted plays,plays that he has identified,
that we're going to run, I don'tknow 10 plays or 12 plays or 15
plays.
We have scripted situationalsection of practice where we'll
(32:23):
have 20 plays, situational plays, runners in first and second,
runners in first and third, oneout, two outs.
Have two coaches.
You have the base runners, whoare told what to do, what to
happen, what happens, and it'sjust been a really, really good
way for us to cover basicallyany situation in those scripted
(32:48):
situations.
So you have the varsity.
Players will be on defense,then they'll flip-flop, then the
JV will be on defense and itprobably takes about 30 minutes.
But, boy, you get a lot of repsand you're working on base
running, you're working ondefense, you have pitcher throws
a pitch and the coaches hitfungos.
But it's just great.
(33:09):
It's really, really been a goodthing.
And again, it forces kids tothink on their feet and
communicate.
So that was something I gotthat from a coach in Oklahoma
City just gave a couple examples.
I thought, man, that's a coolthing to do, that's a good way
to do it, instead of just saying, okay, we're going to work on
first and thirds, now we'regoing to work on bunt coverages,
(33:32):
do it all at once.
It just is great and the kidslike that too and they make it
competitive.
Speaker 2 (33:37):
Try to find a way to make it competitive JV varsity
and they have a good timesomething that's, uh, you know
it seems to be increasing, youknow, and there's more and more
of it happening is the number ofgood coaches that are are
leaving high school baseball,and you know some.
You know some are leaving foryou know very good reasons, you
(34:01):
know they want to spend moretime with their family, uh, but
but others just being pushed out, whether it's the parents, the
athletic director, the schoolsuperintendent, whatever it may
be.
What is your take on it andwhat's the secret to your
longevity?
Speaker 1 (34:19):
Well, first of all, of course you know everybody
says the easiest coaching job tohave is to be a varsity
assistant, because of course youdon't have any decisions to
make.
You make all therecommendations in the world,
but of course you know yourname's not on it, so to speak.
You know, I think in this dayand age, because of going back
(34:41):
to what I talked about, thestarting lineup you have to
recognize that you are going todisappoint people.
You are going to disappointpeople, and a lot of people.
I would say more so today orget tired of the.
Some coaches today would sayI'm just not going to do this.
(35:05):
Some coaches today would sayI'm just I'm not going to do
this, I'm not willing to gothrough that type of, I'm not
going to allow people to treatme that way.
And I get that.
You know and I've.
You've probably had that andI've had that.
I had a grandmother come into myhouse on a Saturday morning,
literally didn't even knock onthe door.
(35:26):
She came into my house andconfronted me while I'm sitting
at this table where I am rightnow.
The door is right there.
Knocked on the door, there shewas, Came in and wanted to know
why her grandson wasn't playing.
I mean, you know, we've all hadmoments like that.
I don't know if you've had agrandmother and curlers come
into your house and I think fora lot of people that's tough.
(35:50):
Now I've got a phenomenal wife,phenomenal and she loves
baseball too, so that helps.
But being a coach in a smalltown, there's not a lot of
places to escape to, there'sreally no escape.
(36:10):
And one of the things I'vechose and I'm not complaining,
I'm not complaining about thisOne of the things that I've
chosen as a head coach is tokind of isolate myself.
You know, I'll go to arearestaurants, you know, and I'll.
You know, of course you got togo shopping, go to gas stations,
see people.
But what I do not do is I don'tput myself in social situations
(36:35):
that could end up in a parentwith some liquid courage coming
over and offering me advice.
So I just avoid thosesituations and I think sometimes
again, in small towns, thatsome coaches can get themselves
(36:56):
in trouble in those situations.
You know, I think you have tokeep parents at an arm's length.
You have to.
Again, that's my philosophy.
Some people don't I mean somecoaches are very, very close
with parents and I say, well,how do you define close?
(37:18):
I've had some situations whereI've lost friendships because of
coaching decisions and I've hadparents who have done things
(37:38):
for me without being asked.
Then, two years later, of course, when things don't turn out for
their son, then they won't haveanything to do with me or we'll
say negative things about me orthe program, and again, that's,
that's part of coaching, that'swe we get.
(37:59):
So I mean I'm a parent, I havethree kids, all graduated, but I
mean we want the best for ourkids and sometimes, you know,
wanting the best turns intobehaviors.
That clouds people's judgmentand I understand that.
But I think it's been best forme to kind of remove myself or
(38:21):
not put myself in thosesituations and I think sometimes
people then view me being likethat is that I'm kind of aloof,
that I'm unapproachable, which Ithink is far from the truth.
But so there is a price to pay.
(38:42):
I've paid a price for that, butI think for me it's been one
that has served me well.
I think it has, and again it's,you know, I've had to sacrifice
some things and thank God likethank goodness I have I had
three great kids who understoodthat baseball was important and
I have a wife who's just A1,just an A1 wife very, very
(39:06):
supportive.
So you know, I think a lot ofcoaches and this is going to
sound negative just don't havethe spine to put up with some of
the nastiness that's out there,because there's some nasty
stuff, real nasty stuff.
Speaker 2 (39:28):
Yes, and I, I, you know I agree with a lot of
things you're saying there.
You know the the the one thingthat I, really, looking back on
it now, when I was at BuckeyeValley, I, my athletic director,
had my back and you know shewould, you know, know she was
also the softball coach, so sheunderstood and, uh, you know
(39:51):
they, if you've got anadministration that really backs
you and is willing to stand upfor you as a coach, that that is
helpful.
Because you know, like I putout something on x the other day
where you know somebody wastalking about a coach and I said
that I had an administratorfriend of mine who he used to be
(40:13):
a athletic director, and youknow he said that he's heard
that if the athletic directorhas got to decide between your
one year stipend, you know,contract that you have, and them
having to deal with parents allthe time, they're going to just
move on from the coach becauseone it's a spring sport,
(40:35):
non-revenue sport, and why?
Why spend the time you knowfighting for you when they can
just go get another coach andmaybe make that?
Speaker 1 (40:45):
parent group happy After my life.
I wonder you know, when I walkaway, when I decide that I'm
done will that be the same forthe coach that replaces me?
Speaker 2 (41:02):
Well, looking back on your career, what do you hope
that players remember most aboutplaying for Coach Jeff Ryan?
Speaker 1 (41:14):
You know, I think you know respect, professionalism
and, again, being fair.
You know, one of the greatestyou know and this is nothing
revolutionary, you know thisBaseball doesn't teach us how to
win, baseball teaches us how tolose.
I mean, that's the mostimportant thing and I think one
(41:36):
of the greatest moments coachingis when a player plays his last
game and you know to see howthey react and you know to see
how they react.
You know, and usually of courseyou have these kids, these
macho 16, 17, 18-year-old kids,of course, where the last thing
they're going to do is show anyemotion.
But of course, when theyrealize, especially in baseball,
(41:57):
that the career is over withand if it ends in a
disappointing manner, to see thetears well up in their eyes, I
think that is a beautiful moment.
That is a beautiful moment, theemotion of empathy.
(42:19):
And one of the reasons why thatis important to me is my oldest
brother had Down syndrome and hepassed away at the age of 44.
And I've always told people Imean he was the first home run
hitter I ever knew, he was thefirst one.
I mean he was Babe Ruth, I meanwhen we were, you know, third
grade, fourth grade, fifth gradehim, the world would be a
(42:39):
better place.
So he is having thatrelationship with him and him
being a.
He loved baseball, was good atit, had a heart condition, of
course, as many people with Downsyndrome have, but he had a
great life and you know, havingparents, humble parents, who did
(42:59):
what a lot of parents didn't dothen when he was born in 1950,
a lot of parents you probablyknow this that a lot of parents
who had Down syndrome childrenwere told again, the emotions of
the game are just, they'rebeautiful, they're beautiful
moments, beautiful moments.
And I, you know I cherish thosehugs.
And when the, you know when a17-year-old kid cries, like you
(43:22):
know, like the, like thefour-year-old you know who had a
sucker taken away from him, andhe balls like crazy and then,
after he's done crying about twominutes later, there's one more
.
You know when a player doesthat.
That's priceless.
And when they're the ones whoinitiate the hug too.
(43:43):
You know that's beautiful.
Speaker 2 (43:46):
It's beautiful.
I'm really interested in whatyour response is to this one
Hate losing or love winning.
Speaker 1 (43:55):
At the end of every game we talk with the players,
but we do it a little bitdifferently.
Okay, we go by the dugout tothe right of the dugout or, if
we're on the road near thedugout, right near the fence,
and that's where we have ourconversation, and we'll have
(44:15):
parents and other people willcome over and they'll be able to
hear everything that is said.
So we do it in front ofeverybody, and for two reasons
First, first of all, I have nosecrets.
And also, um, you know, we, wegot to be careful what we say
and how we say it.
Um, it doesn't mean you don'tsay what you want to say.
(44:39):
Um, but in that moment, one ofthe things we do when we win, I
give game balls like everybodyelse does.
So, two game balls or threegame balls.
Now, going to graduationparties there's been a few of
them, I've gone to a few playersit is just so tremendous to see
(45:02):
those game balls on littlepedestals.
You know what they did, youknow who was it against and
everything like that.
And some people say, oh well,when you talk to the kids, then
you go back to the school, thenyou talk to them again.
No, uh-uh, no, no, no, no, no,that's it.
That's where we talk, andthere's a lot of coaches who say
(45:26):
, well, I'm not going to do thatbecause that's a moment for us.
That's why we go out to leftfield, that's why we're for
what's to come, because thereare going to be disappointing
things that happen in your lifeand athletics teaches that.
And that's what bothers me,that some people don't
understand the importance ofcompetitive athletics, because
it teaches you to deal withdifficult times that we all face
(45:48):
in our lives.
It gives you kind of a taste ofit.
So you know again, I've beenteaching for 36 years and I love
teaching.
I just love it.
But I love coaching too.
Speaker 2 (46:04):
Well, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (46:13):
Did you get a chance to see the College?
Speaker 2 (46:14):
World Series game yesterday.
Speaker 1 (46:16):
All right, I wanted to get your thoughts on the
ejection of the Coastal Carolina.
I don't get it.
I mean, I don't know if theumpiring is very good in Ohio.
Our umpiring is very good inOhio.
Our umpiring is adequate.
We had a.
Our season ended on a verysuspect call.
Really, really bad.
It's terrible when the umpireor referee determines the
(46:39):
outcome of a game and that'swhat happened to us and I know
it kind of sounds like sourgrapes but I still taste those
sour grapes in my mouth and it'sbeen two weeks since our season
ended.
But no, I I mean, come on, he'sgot to understand.
This is a national championshipgame.
I'm not talking about the coachand talk about the umpire and
(47:01):
all the.
All the coach said and I saw thepress conference too is that
you missed three already.
He didn't say you're blank andblank and you're terrible, you
suck, just said you've missedthree already.
All you need to do is put thestop, sign up and just move on
or come over and say okay,that's enough.
Yeah, I didn't understand that.
I mean, you've got to bekidding me.
And again, sometimes I look atsome of the behaviors that I've
(47:25):
seen in the College World Seriesand the Super Regionals like
and that guy doesn't get ejected.
It's like my God, that's a guywho should be tossed, not the
coach of Coastal Carolina doingsomething as you know One
pitcher and one hitter in a Game7 of the World Series.
Speaker 2 (47:45):
Group A you got Pedro Martinez as your pitcher and
Willie Mays as your hitter.
Or you get Group B, greg Maddoxas your pitcher and Barry Bonds
as your hitter.
Speaker 1 (48:02):
That's me.
I get past the Barry Bondsthing.
Sorry, I'll take Willie Mays.
I'll take the Say hey Kid.
Yes, and Martinez, I'm a hugeMaddox fan.
Maddox was awesome.
Maddox was successful.
You know, at the beginning ofthe fireballing pitchers man he
was just, oh, just yeah, he'swonderful.
(48:22):
He was a tactician and you knowthat.
But yeah, I'm a Maddox fan.
But you put Maddox and Bonds inthe same duo.
So I'm going to go withMartinez and Willie Mays.
Speaker 2 (48:36):
Well, to finish up, can you share the best story
from all your years of coachinghigh school baseball?
Speaker 1 (48:41):
I don't say a whole lot during games, I just don't
and I don't argue with umpires.
I'll ask questions of umpires.
And we were playing atournament game I was coaching
third base, of course and we hadthis umpire that says, get your
(49:03):
foot back in the batter's box,and he had one foot out looking
and the kid puts his foot backin the batter's box and then he
got quick pitched and anotherstrike was called and then he
looks down for a signing Homeplate umpire comes out and I
said, mr Umpire, can I just one?
(49:25):
more word out of you and you aregone.
I said one more word, so I hadto turn into a mime, literally
the rest of the game.
So I get back to the dugout,back to the dugout, back to the
(49:49):
first base coach.
He follows me all the way tothe dugout.
He did that every inning forthe next five innings.
He was waiting for me to sayone thing, and if I would have
said one thing he would havetossed me.
So then after the game I endedup losing, which made it worse.
(50:11):
After the game I said reallyloud, really loud he came over
to bring the baseballs and putthem over, because the game was
at home, put them by the dugout.
He was right there.
And I said really loud I saidyou have got to be kidding me.
(50:31):
And then he said to me you'relucky, you're not playing
tomorrow, because you wouldn'tbe allowed to play tomorrow.
I said one word and then, ashe's walking away, I said you've
got to be kidding me.
And then the bass umpire comesup to me and he apologizes to me
.
(50:52):
So I've never turned into MarcelMarceau coaching.
You know, I need everything butthe white mind face and the
striped shirt.
So that is just an unbelievablestory and that's not very.
But again, coach, when I waswalking by him he did this and
(51:17):
he turned around and watched mego to the waiting for me to say
one word yeah, so that guy'sname, I won't mention it Mike
Schmidt.
There's a couple coaches,there's some umpires here that I
know really have a goodrelationship with and they heard
(51:39):
about the story.
They wanted me to tell thestory and then just this year a
really good umpire says hey,coach Ryan, come here.
He says, yeah, I almostcouldn't make it today and I had
a sub ready for him.
Mike Schmidt was going to behere.
I'm like whatever.
So they all know the story fromthat.
(52:00):
So yeah, that's kind of likethe College World Series, you
know, to the 100th power, youknow.
I mean come on.
So yeah, that was awful, awful,awful, right when I was in
(52:21):
college.
Again, if it was the umpirefrom the Coastal Carolina game,
yeah, I definitely would havebeen tossed, yeah.
Speaker 2 (52:28):
Yes, no doubt.
Well, it's Jeff Ryan, headbaseball coach at Prescott High
School in Wisconsin.
Coach, wow, I've loved thestories and I love for you
taking the time to be onBaseball Coaches Unplayed.
Speaker 1 (52:42):
I appreciate you believing me worthy of saying
this, that and the other aboutthe greatest game in the world.
Speaker 2 (52:49):
Today's episode of Baseball Coaches Unplugged is
powered by the nettingprofessionals, improving
programs one facility at a time.
Contact them today at844-620-2707 or visit them
online at wwwnettingproscom.
Be sure to tune in nextWednesday for a new episode.
As always, I'm Coach KenCarpenter.
(53:12):
Thanks for listening toBaseball Coaches Unplugged.
and I've had that.
I had a grandmother come intomy house on a Saturday morning,
literally Didn't even knock onthe door.
She came into my house andconfronted me while I'm sitting
at this table where I am rightnow.
The door is right there.
Knocked on the door, there shewas, came in and wanted to know
why her grandson wasn't playing.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
I hope you have the popcorn ready Today.
On Baseball Coaches Unplugged,we go to the great state of
Wisconsin and hear from an oldschool baseball coach.
He reveals how they shut downthe running game, why you should
spend 30 minutes every practiceworking on situations and why
the hardest job for him is tomake out the starting lineup
(00:43):
each game.
Wisconsin Hall of Fame headcoach and state champion at
Prescott High School, jeff Ryan.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
next, on Baseball Coaches Unplugged Welcome to
Baseball Coaches Unplugged withCoach Ken Carpenter, presented
by Athlete One.
Baseball Coaches Unplugged is apodcast for baseball coaches,
with 27 years of high schoolbaseball coaching under his belt
, here to bring you the insidescoop on all things baseball,
from game-winning strategies andpitching secrets to hitting
(01:12):
drills and defensive drills.
We're covering it all.
Whether you're a high schoolcoach, college coach or just a
baseball enthusiast, we'll diveinto the tactics and techniques
that make the difference on andoff the field.
Discover how to build a winningmentality.
Inspire your players and getthem truly bought into your game
philosophy Plus, get the latestinsights on recruiting,
(01:33):
coaching, leadership andcrafting a team culture that
champions productivity andsuccess.
Join Coach every week as hebreaks down the game and shares
incredible behind-the-scenesstories.
Your competitive edge startshere, so check out the show
weekly and hear from the bestcoaches in the game.
On Baseball Coaches Unplugged.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Today's episode of Baseball Coaches Unplugged is
powered by the nettingprofessionals, improving
programs one facility at a time.
The netting pros specialize inthe design, fabrication and
installation of custom nettingfor baseball and softball.
This includes backstop battingcages, bp turtles, screens, ball
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The netting pros also work withfootball, soccer, lacrosse and
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Contact them today at844-620-2707.
That's 844-620-2707.
You can visit them online atwwwnettingproscom or check out
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Hello and welcome to BaseballCoaches Unplugged.
I'm your host, coach KenCarpenter, and don't forget to
hit the subscribe button andleave us a review if you have
the opportunity.
It helps us to grow the show.
(02:59):
Remember to look for a newepisode every Wednesday at 5 am
Eastern Standard Time.
Now let's get to the guest outof Wisconsin Head Coach Jeff
Ryan.
This guy is the reason why Igot into podcasting.
He is so good at what he doesand he makes my job easy as the
(03:24):
host today at what he does andhe makes my job easy as the host
today.
Please enjoy what Jeff Ryan hasto talk about because he's an
old-school coach and he hasgreat stories and there's a
reason why he's a Hall of Famerand a state champion baseball
coach.
Thanks for taking time to be onBaseball Coaches Unplugged.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
I appreciate the invitation and I'm humbled by
having the opportunity to sharea few things.
So thank you very, very much.
Appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
When you grew up on a hobby farm milking cows,
dealing with pigs and chickenschores morning and night.
What did that teach you aboutwork ethic and how do you get
your players to understand theimportance of hard work?
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Yeah, that's a great question.
I think one of the things thatI've always said anecdotally to
my coaches you know, prescott,is we're about a half an hour
from Minneapolis and St Paul.
We're as far west as you can bein Wisconsin and still be in
Wisconsin.
So we're not too far from, ofcourse, a major metropolitan
area and we're basically abedroom community of St Paul,
(04:30):
minnesota.
And the reason I bring that upis I always say that you know
there aren't enough kids that Idon't think have thrown hay
bales around.
I've always said that would bekind of a hilarious drill to
have the kids come to practiceand have a bunch of hay bales
set up in the outfield and saywe're going to throw hay bales
(04:51):
as our condition.
I've never done that.
I thought maybe I should dothat one of these times.
But you know, I think, growingup on a hobby farm with great
parents, real humble parents andfive brothers, you know real
humble parents and five brothers.
You milk cows, you clean thebarn with a wheelbarrow, you cut
wood, you butcher chickens, Imean you bale hay, you do all
(05:17):
that stuff.
That's important.
And again, having olderbrothers too meant in the summer
, after you got the lawn mowedand after you got all the chores
done on Saturday, you know it'slight till nine o'clock, so
it's time to play baseball timeto play baseball in the backyard
, and a ball off the barn was ahome run.
A ball that hit the stump was adouble.
(05:39):
We all had like you did,probably too your quirky ground.
You know I really cherish thosemoments growing up and a lot of
the things that you know.
I would stop by my parents.
You know the values and youknow work hard, be respectful.
I think that's something that Ilearned growing up.
So you try to instill thosesame type of values as a coach,
(06:01):
because we know that coachingbaseball is not just about
coaching baseball, it's aboutcoaching life skills.
And once those kids, you know,graduate, you want them to
remember those things too.
Um, so that's, that's reallyreally important.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
so, yeah, how I grew up is really really important
well, 438 wins in a state titleLater, what's your biggest key
to building a sustainablewinning program?
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Well, first of all, I think, four things Consistency,
fairness, discipline andprofessionalism.
You know, as a teacher and as acoach, I firmly believe that
(06:52):
players and students, they likerules.
They like rules, they want whatthe parameters are, but they
want those rules to be appliedfairly and consistently.
And that's one of the things Ithink we've we've done.
When I say we me and my twoassistant coaches, who have both
been with me for over twodecades I think we've done a
(07:12):
really really good job of doingthat.
Um, it doesn't matter if you'rethe number three hitter or the
number one pitcher.
Uh, you know that 18th player,that guy on the bench, uh, you
have to let them know that theyare important and that's really
challenging, that's reallyreally difficult and it's got to
be done in a way that's genuine.
(07:35):
So for me I'm kind of maybegetting off topic here a little
bit I've always said that in my27 years of coaching, being a
head coach, the most difficultjob I have is to fill out the
lineup card.
That's not an easy thing andI'm very thankful that I view
that as being a difficult jobbecause you know you've got 15
(07:58):
to 18 kids in the dugout.
It changes, you know, from gameto game, you could put nine
guys on the field, nine kids onthe field, and there's five or
six kids in the dugout whoaren't playing and they want to
play.
You know you want to play,everybody wants to play and I
get that.
And of course they're going tobe disappointed.
But it's not just the kid Momand dad are disappointed,
(08:18):
grandma and grandpa aredisappointed, aunt and uncle are
disappointed, brothers, auntand uncle are disappointed,
brothers and sisters aredisappointed, girlfriends are
disappointed, friends aredisappointed, and you know that.
Again, it's one of the thingsthat I'm thankful that that
really bothers me and I thinkthe players know that too.
And of course, those decisionsthat you have to make as a head
coach have to be made withpurpose and you've got to be
(08:42):
honest with players.
I think you really really haveto be honest with purpose and
you got to be honest withplayers.
I think you really really haveto be honest with players and
sometimes coaches get themselvesin trouble, especially young
coaches, I think they makepromises to players that aren't
playing and then you know youbreak those promises.
But I think it's about keepingyour promises, being honest with
players and, again, I'm allabout professionalism,
(09:03):
professionalism, consistency,and I like to think that the
teams I've coached over theyears kind of act a particular
way that I think the communityshould be proud of.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
Well, you know you mentioned your two assistants
being with you all this timethat you've been there.
I would imagine you guysprobably can know what the other
guy's thinking.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Yes, no question, we have real, real good
conversations when the three ofus get together about game
strategy, practice planning.
It's really, really importantto have that kind of a
relationship because in this dayand age I don't know what it's
like in Ohio the coachingprofession has really become
(09:48):
kind of a revolving door, aturnstile, so to speak, and when
I tell people that I've notonly been coaching for 27, 36
total, but to have twoassistants that have been with
me for two decades, they kind ofgive a double take and they say
to me I hope you understand howfortunate you are.
Believe me, I know howfortunate I am to have two
coaches that have been so loyaland that share the same
(10:11):
philosophy, the same approach tocoaching the game.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Take me back to 2012, that state championship run.
What set that team apart andwhat did you learn as a coach
during that ride?
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Well, that 2012 team was just was a dream team.
Now I say a dream team.
They did experience somenightmares when they were
sophomores.
You know, I we didn't have alot of really talented
underclassmen, so we had sevensophomores that started that
(10:53):
year and finished the seasonactually 12 and 12 finished 500
and.
But there were some bumpy partsof the season, as you know,
you're going to have when youhave, you know, 10th graders,
when you have underclassmen.
But as they became juniors,they had a very, very good year
as juniors and then when theybecame seniors, of course they
(11:15):
were about as dominant a teamthat I've ever had the
opportunity to coach.
Now, when I say dominant, theword dominant today is different
than it was back in 2012.
You know, for whatever reason,it must be our coaching, but in
2012, we had five pitchers thatwe threw and not one threw over
(11:39):
78 miles per hour, not one.
We just we threw strikes and wecaught the ball ball and we
played great defense.
That's one of the hallmarks ofthe 2012 team great defense.
You know, we 26 and 2 that yearfor a high school team.
Uh, the team turned 26 doubleplays, which is pretty good for
a small school.
(11:59):
Um, so our, our defense, uh,was just fantastic and our
approach, our, our, our, ourdefense, uh, was just fantastic
and our approach, our, our, ourapproach, our quiet intensity.
It was just the dugout.
You would have thought maybe, um, the way the kids acted, I mean
of course they reacted to greatplays, but between pitches and
the dugout you would think, man,that he's kids in church.
(12:21):
I mean just quiet and sofocused.
But again, that's the type ofplayer that I love coaching.
You know, you don't have to bea fist-pounding, rah-rah,
drum-playing, fence-slappingtype of player in the dugout.
You can just tell.
I mean some players just in thezone and that team, which was,
(12:51):
you know, a veteran team by thetime they were seniors, just all
of them have had that intense,quiet, intensity that just made
them unflappable and they werejust a fantastic, fantastic,
fantastic team, but a lot ofgreat players.
Been lucky enough to coach alot of great players, um, been
lucky enough to coach a lot ofgreat players, but I would say,
collectively, there's never beena team that I've had players
(13:11):
that have had that same look,but not a team that had that
quiet, intense look, which wasjust a joy, a joy to watch and a
joy to coach.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Well, how have you adapted throughout the years
when it comes to your coachingstyle, because I think you know,
the kids may have been a littlebit different, you know, as,
like you said, 2012 or evenbefore that compared to now.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Say that again.
How has your ask the first partagain?
Speaker 2 (13:40):
How have you adapted throughout the years your
coaching style?
Oh, okay, that's, that's a goodquestion, and, boy, you adapted
throughout the years, you'recoaching now?
Speaker 1 (13:46):
Oh, okay, that's a good question.
And, boy, you know, baseballhas its evolution too.
I mean, you have to adapt, andif you don't adapt, that can
lead to problems.
You know there have beenchanges in the game that I have
not been particularly fond of.
One of the things that you haveto adjust to is just how
(14:14):
hands-on parents are.
I mean really hands-on.
And you know, one of the thingsthat I do as a coach at the
beginning of the year, like allcoaches, do you go through the
rules.
Now, if you've got a question,if you've got a problem, there
is a hierarchy, there is a wayto do this, there's different
(14:36):
steps, and I insist on thosesteps being followed.
You know you have to havethings like.
You know, the first thing, thekid has to come up to me and has
to talk to the coaches.
Now, I will never, in this dayand age, I will never have a
conversation with a playerone-on-one, I just will not.
I will never have aconversation about playing time
(14:58):
one-on-one.
You know, maybe 20 years ago,but now there's no way I would
do that, and I always have anassistant coach with me all the
time listening.
So I have a witness, so tospeak.
But one of the things that I'llsay at our meeting is that you
know, step one isn't a phonecall from home, it's the student
(15:21):
or the player has to come upand talk to me and then I'm sure
that might be a parent thatmight say well, that might be
difficult for the kid.
I said well, you know what?
That's part of growing up.
That's one of those skills.
I think that is important forthat young kid to, if not,
approach me, approach anassistant coach.
But I am going to be involvedin that discussion and that's
(15:44):
usually where it stops.
I did have this is a few yearsback a little story where a
parent called me up and we'rehaving a conversation and then
the parent said I have aquestion about you know, my
(16:05):
son's playing time.
I said stop, stop for a second.
I said have you had thisdiscussion with your son, or I
haven't heard from your son.
No, I'm just inquiring.
I said, well, this conversationis over with him and I ended
the conversation.
I mean, I'm not the only coachwho does that, but again, you
(16:25):
have to be honest with parents.
You can say somethingforcefully without having a
confrontational tone in yourvoice, but again it goes back to
being consistent.
These are the rules and theseare the rules that you have to
have.
I think I had this Coach.
I had this one moment Actually,it was in 2010 when we had all
(16:49):
the sophomores that were playing.
A student was a player who was asenior, had asked me if he
could come and talk to mebecause he wasn't playing enough
and, of course, I was thereason why he wasn't playing and
he wasn't that good of a playerand I tried to find a way to
get his uniform dirty, which youcan do in football.
It's a lot easier to get a kidin a football game get his
(17:09):
uniform dirty than baseball andthe kid came into my classroom
and said Coach, I just want totell you that I'm going to quit.
And I said okay, and I askedthe kid why.
He says well, I just want totell you I'm a senior this year
and it's nothing that you'vedone, it's nothing that you've
(17:32):
said, it's got nothing to dowith your coaching, but I'm not
the baseball player that I wantto be, that I wish I was, and I
am going to respectfully quit.
And he says I know I'mdisappointing you and I'm
disappointing you and sayingthis, I says well, you are
disappointing me.
He says, but I'm just, I needto do this.
(17:54):
And I told him.
I says you know what?
That's one of the most maturethings that any student, any
athlete, has ever said to me andone of the things I am doing.
I'm very proud of this.
I'm writing a book and that'sone of the stories I'm talking
about.
I have a top ten moments incoaching and, in a weird way,
that moment that young manthat's one of the greatest
(18:16):
moments I've ever had as a coach.
It was just so unbelievablyimpressive what that young man
did.
You know I know the family verywell and when you live in a
small town, everybody knowseverybody.
And you know I know the familyvery well, and when you live in
a small town, everybody knowseverybody.
That young man teaches at anearby school, is a social
studies teacher, like I am.
(18:36):
I see him quite often and Ihave so much respect for him, so
much respect for him, and youknow those moments are really,
really important.
It's not just winning thatstate championship or winning
those conference championships,but those moments like that that
you really see kids really dosome things that are impressive.
(18:57):
So yeah again, honestconversations.
The 2012 team was a real easyteam to coach.
Real easy team to coach, realeasy team to coach.
You just fill out the lineupcard and you let them play
Hustle on the field, hustle offthe field, just very respectful,
(19:21):
very professional, just class Aindividuals, every one of them.
They were an unbelievable club.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
When it comes to your offensive philosophy, do you
build around your athletes eachyear or do you stick to a system
that works regardless of thepersonnel.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
That's a great question and I think you know,
for a small school like us, itgoes back to consistency.
I think there's a foundation.
We have a reputation inPrescott as teams that pitch
well, play great defense,execute the short game, execute
(20:08):
the short game and we justutmost respect for opponents,
umpires, when we address umpires, I think this is kind of a
funny thing.
I heard somebody say this at aclinic.
A lot of the stuff of course wedo is stolen.
You were talking about that atthe beginning of the show how we
steal everything.
(20:28):
Coaches that are willing toshare and we can steal, we don't
get arrested for it.
So that's.
You know.
That's good to do that, but Iforgot my train of thought now
what I was saying.
Dog got it.
That happens to me sometimesTalking about philosophy, oh,
(20:53):
when it comes to defense, I knowthis is controversial, I know
it is, and I was lucky enough.
A few years ago I got invited tospeak at the National Clinic in
Oklahoma City and my topic wasan infield play, middle infield.
(21:14):
I was a middle infielder incollege and that's kind of my
thing and we work really, reallyhard.
A middle infield, really, Imean all infield, but middle
infield.
If I could choose one thing tocoach, it would be middle
infield and catching.
But middle infield is kind ofmy thing and, uh, you know I'm
all about separation, separationand this is a controversial
(21:35):
thing.
Um, we don't, we don't funnel,we're not, we don't funnel,
we're not alligator funnelers,we don't, we're a.
We're a pancake, pinky pinkyball out of glove I.
I mean, we really, really focuson that because, again, at a
school our size, you know, theathleticism is there but it's
(22:01):
not like it is at a Division Ischool.
We're a small Division IIschool.
We've got about 400 kids andyou've got schools near us that
are 1,900, 2,000.
We've got about 400 kids andyou've got schools near us that
are 1,900, 2,000.
But every year we're not goingto have the great athletes.
We'll have some good athletes.
From time to time We'll havesome really, really good ones.
(22:27):
But those defensive philosophiesthat we've taught over the
years have really, really servedus well and that is our infield
play, our glove work, ourpitchers.
Again, I told you we don't haveany real, never.
It's just really strange.
We've never had a realfireballer.
We've had very good pitchersand our pitching coach, brad
(22:50):
Matzik, who was actually ateammate of Jared Washburn I
don't know if you remember himpitched for the Angels and Jared
played at UW Oshkosh and that'swhere my assistant coach went
to school and he was on the 1994National Championship team with
Jared.
We haven't had a pitcher likeJared come through our program,
(23:13):
but one of the things we do.
You know we really really workhard at controlling the running
game.
We really work hard at that.
So I can never coach the majorleague level because of course
you can only pick twice andthat's it.
But we really work hard at thatand teams, when they play us, I
(23:33):
would say, have a tendency tobe quite timid.
They come into the game havinga reputation for being very
aggressive but when they play usthey know that.
You know we are going to controlthe running game and we've had
good catchers not great catchers, but in high school baseball
you can have a great catcher butof course if you don't do a
(23:54):
very good job of you knowchanging your looks and working
on your, you know everybodythrows to the plate, count one
or count four, you know you gotto go on two, go on three.
We really work hard at that andI think that's also one of the
things that we've doneconsistently that has enabled us
to be successful.
And we bunt, we bunt and we'regood at that.
(24:18):
We're good at that.
We also our pickoff plays, ourfirst and third plays, our sneak
behind play from first base.
I mean we practice that,practice it, practice it.
But you have to be committed toit.
And you know, I think I treatwell, I'm really rambling here I
(24:41):
treat baseball practice likedoing a lesson plan for teaching
.
I mean it's like all coaches,very, very specific.
You know, from this time tothis time you work on this drill
picks to first base and thenyou work on, you know, your
V-tag at third and work on justreally, really specific stuff.
And we don't practice forlonger than two hours.
(25:03):
I mean anything over two hoursis a typical game.
A long high school game is twohours.
So I've never really understoodmy personal philosophy.
I never understood those longpractices.
But we get after it.
In practice Kids have 11seconds to get into the dugout
after the third out.
(25:24):
So we practice that and I'llhave the stopwatch.
I'm sure a lot of coaches dothis and there might be a little
bit of silent griping.
The left fielder says I got thelongest run to make and the
first baseman only has 20 steps.
But we watch them all and wewant to get in and hit.
(25:46):
We're ready to hit, so get inthere quickly.
Everything that we do in a game,you got to practice it, you
know.
People say that you know,bunting is easy.
No, bunting is not easy.
And people say, well, we don'tbump because it's easy to do.
No, you're wrong, bunting isnot easy.
And if you bunt, well, inpractice you're going to get
(26:08):
more cuts before they swing.
Everybody, of course, wants ahit in the cage, they want to
hit in the field with the shell,they want to show off, and so
on and so forth.
But you know what?
You're not going to get ninecuts unless you get six out of
six bunts down.
You have to provide someincentive, you have to show that
it's important and then in thesecond season playoffs or then
when it pays off, then, and thenin the second season playoffs
(26:28):
or then when it pays off, whenthe kids start saying, well,
yeah, we understand why we'reworking on this.
So you know, I think there aresome things that we do yearly.
Sometimes you can't be asaggressive on the bases if you
don't have good team speed, butyou don't have to be fast to be
a good base runner, to beaggressive.
(26:49):
But no, I think there's thingswe try to do consistently and
have done consistently that haveenabled us to be successful.
And this is another thing thatI really really like is when
kids will watch the other teamwarm up and they'll see how they
throw, they'll see how theyfield and they're like shaking
(27:12):
their heads, so they see thosefundamental things that we drill
, drill, drill so hard, notmanifesting themselves in their
opponents in the pregame, and Ithink that gives us a little bit
of an edge.
Our pregame is pretty good andthe players get after it and
(27:34):
again, we do so withoutscreaming and yelling and
hollering.
It's just I'm going to befocused and I'm going to throw a
dart over first base and, yeah,it's a joy to watch.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
Well, you know you mentioned a couple things there
that you know the 11 seconds.
That is the one thing thatstands out to me is, when you do
that, umpires are going to behappy with you, you know.
And then I as a coach, you know27 years I never had a guy hit
90.
I was like I don't know howevery kid in the world is
(28:08):
throwing 90 now.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
Yes, that.
Speaker 3 (28:09):
Yes, that's right, but yeah, there's a lot of
things there.
Speaker 2 (28:14):
Now you mentioned the pickoff in controlling the
running game.
Can you give me an example ofsomething you guys might do that
really helps coaches, helps youguys as a team prevent teams
from running on you Sure, Idon't know if you know of I'm
guessing you have and it'sprobably different terminology
(28:37):
aggressive teams.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
We played some aggressive teams this year that
did, on their leads from firstor leads from second, they do
that vault step or almost thatrunning start and if you, I mean
you can steal bases at willagainst teams that don't
practice trying to control that.
(28:58):
And we've played.
We had a big tournament gamelast week that we lost in the
bottom of the seventh.
That's a whole other story, butanyway, a real aggressive base
running team that we knew thatthey had done this vault step
because we had scouted them, wehad sent a couple coaches to
watch and we really, reallyworked on, of course, changing
(29:24):
our timing but also picking atone, picking at two, picking at
three, picking at four, and notjust picking, you know, or just
stepping back and what we didand we have to again, we're a
little school, you know, we're asmall school and you have to
really practice this and we hadsome kids serve as stand-ins Boy
(29:46):
, I'm giving away a big secretand we had our catcher.
We had our catcher give asignal to the pitcher when the
kid was in the middle of hisvault.
And we picked three guys off,two off a second and one off, or
two off a first and one off thesecond base and the base
(30:07):
runners.
Well, you know, if you're inthe air, it's over, it's over.
And and what did that do tothat team's running game?
Basically eliminated it.
That was in the first threeinnings, so they didn't try
anything after that and it just.
I was just really really and itwas so exciting to see the kids
(30:27):
get so excited after working sohard on this.
The pitcher and the catcher andthe team was just really really
fired up.
So that was a big thing.
And you know we have all thesedifferent.
We love throwing from behindwith bases loaded.
We'll throw from behind tofirst base, you know, but you
got to practice that and we'renot afraid the kids, we got to
(30:52):
drill into those kids.
You can't be afraid to try tomake that play.
You know you got a number threehitter up with the bases loaded
and you got that guy who's kindof a sleeping and that first
base coach isn't doing a verygood job of paying attention and
, holy cow, that can just andwe've done that quite a few
times and it is just deflatingfor the other team.
(31:15):
You know it happened last year,I think a tournament game where
that happened had number threehitter up and we had a
left-handed pitcher, so a littlebit easier to do with a righty,
but the righty is a great play.
I love that one more thananything because that's even
more dangerous, and so we pickedthe guy off first and then we
walked the number three hitterto face the number four hitter
(31:36):
who was left-handed.
We got over the ending.
It was just perfect, justabsolutely perfect, so you can
steal outs like that man.
We worked hard on that.
We worked hard on stealing outs, picks first and thirds, all
the different plays that allcoaches do.
We just really, really drilledthat.
This is another thing.
I think that is really reallyhelpful for us and I'm assuming
(31:59):
you've heard of Bill Walsh, the49ers coach, if you remember how
he, when he was coaching andthere's still coaches today who
do this he has scripted plays,plays that he has identified,
that we're going to run, I don'tknow 10 plays or 12 plays or 15
plays.
We have scripted situationalsection of practice where we'll
(32:23):
have 20 plays, situational plays, runners in first and second,
runners in first and third, oneout, two outs.
Have two coaches.
You have the base runners, whoare told what to do, what to
happen, what happens, and it'sjust been a really, really good
way for us to cover basicallyany situation in those scripted
(32:48):
situations.
So you have the varsity.
Players will be on defense,then they'll flip-flop, then the
JV will be on defense and itprobably takes about 30 minutes.
But, boy, you get a lot of repsand you're working on base
running, you're working ondefense, you have pitcher throws
a pitch and the coaches hitfungos.
But it's just great.
(33:09):
It's really, really been a goodthing.
And again, it forces kids tothink on their feet and
communicate.
So that was something I gotthat from a coach in Oklahoma
City just gave a couple examples.
I thought, man, that's a coolthing to do, that's a good way
to do it, instead of just saying, okay, we're going to work on
first and thirds, now we'regoing to work on bunt coverages,
(33:32):
do it all at once.
It just is great and the kidslike that too and they make it
competitive.
Speaker 2 (33:37):
Try to find a way to make it competitive JV varsity
and they have a good timesomething that's, uh, you know
it seems to be increasing, youknow, and there's more and more
of it happening is the number ofgood coaches that are are
leaving high school baseball,and you know some.
You know some are leaving foryou know very good reasons, you
(34:01):
know they want to spend moretime with their family, uh, but
but others just being pushed out, whether it's the parents, the
athletic director, the schoolsuperintendent, whatever it may
be.
What is your take on it andwhat's the secret to your
longevity?
Speaker 1 (34:19):
Well, first of all, of course you know everybody
says the easiest coaching job tohave is to be a varsity
assistant, because of course youdon't have any decisions to
make.
You make all therecommendations in the world,
but of course you know yourname's not on it, so to speak.
You know, I think in this dayand age, because of going back
(34:41):
to what I talked about, thestarting lineup you have to
recognize that you are going todisappoint people.
You are going to disappointpeople, and a lot of people.
I would say more so today orget tired of the.
Some coaches today would sayI'm just not going to do this.
(35:05):
Some coaches today would sayI'm just I'm not going to do
this, I'm not willing to gothrough that type of, I'm not
going to allow people to treatme that way.
And I get that.
You know and I've.
You've probably had that andI've had that.
I had a grandmother come into myhouse on a Saturday morning,
literally didn't even knock onthe door.
(35:26):
She came into my house andconfronted me while I'm sitting
at this table where I am rightnow.
The door is right there.
Knocked on the door, there shewas, Came in and wanted to know
why her grandson wasn't playing.
I mean, you know, we've all hadmoments like that.
I don't know if you've had agrandmother and curlers come
into your house and I think fora lot of people that's tough.
(35:50):
Now I've got a phenomenal wife,phenomenal and she loves
baseball too, so that helps.
But being a coach in a smalltown, there's not a lot of
places to escape to, there'sreally no escape.
(36:10):
And one of the things I'vechose and I'm not complaining,
I'm not complaining about thisOne of the things that I've
chosen as a head coach is tokind of isolate myself.
You know, I'll go to arearestaurants, you know, and I'll.
You know, of course you got togo shopping, go to gas stations,
see people.
But what I do not do is I don'tput myself in social situations
(36:35):
that could end up in a parentwith some liquid courage coming
over and offering me advice.
So I just avoid thosesituations and I think sometimes
again, in small towns, thatsome coaches can get themselves
(36:56):
in trouble in those situations.
You know, I think you have tokeep parents at an arm's length.
You have to.
Again, that's my philosophy.
Some people don't I mean somecoaches are very, very close
with parents and I say, well,how do you define close?
(37:18):
I've had some situations whereI've lost friendships because of
coaching decisions and I've hadparents who have done things
(37:38):
for me without being asked.
Then, two years later, of course, when things don't turn out for
their son, then they won't haveanything to do with me or we'll
say negative things about me orthe program, and again, that's,
that's part of coaching, that'swe we get.
(37:59):
So I mean I'm a parent, I havethree kids, all graduated, but I
mean we want the best for ourkids and sometimes, you know,
wanting the best turns intobehaviors.
That clouds people's judgmentand I understand that.
But I think it's been best forme to kind of remove myself or
(38:21):
not put myself in thosesituations and I think sometimes
people then view me being likethat is that I'm kind of aloof,
that I'm unapproachable, which Ithink is far from the truth.
But so there is a price to pay.
(38:42):
I've paid a price for that, butI think for me it's been one
that has served me well.
I think it has, and again it's,you know, I've had to sacrifice
some things and thank God likethank goodness I have I had
three great kids who understoodthat baseball was important and
I have a wife who's just A1,just an A1 wife very, very
(39:06):
supportive.
So you know, I think a lot ofcoaches and this is going to
sound negative just don't havethe spine to put up with some of
the nastiness that's out there,because there's some nasty
stuff, real nasty stuff.
Speaker 2 (39:28):
Yes, and I, I, you know I agree with a lot of
things you're saying there.
You know the the the one thingthat I, really, looking back on
it now, when I was at BuckeyeValley, I, my athletic director,
had my back and you know shewould, you know, know she was
also the softball coach, so sheunderstood and, uh, you know
(39:51):
they, if you've got anadministration that really backs
you and is willing to stand upfor you as a coach, that that is
helpful.
Because you know, like I putout something on x the other day
where you know somebody wastalking about a coach and I said
that I had an administratorfriend of mine who he used to be
(40:13):
a athletic director, and youknow he said that he's heard
that if the athletic directorhas got to decide between your
one year stipend, you know,contract that you have, and them
having to deal with parents allthe time, they're going to just
move on from the coach becauseone it's a spring sport,
(40:35):
non-revenue sport, and why?
Why spend the time you knowfighting for you when they can
just go get another coach andmaybe make that?
Speaker 1 (40:45):
parent group happy After my life.
I wonder you know, when I walkaway, when I decide that I'm
done will that be the same forthe coach that replaces me?
Speaker 2 (41:02):
Well, looking back on your career, what do you hope
that players remember most aboutplaying for Coach Jeff Ryan?
Speaker 1 (41:14):
You know, I think you know respect, professionalism
and, again, being fair.
You know, one of the greatestyou know and this is nothing
revolutionary, you know thisBaseball doesn't teach us how to
win, baseball teaches us how tolose.
I mean, that's the mostimportant thing and I think one
(41:36):
of the greatest moments coachingis when a player plays his last
game and you know to see howthey react and you know to see
how they react.
You know, and usually of courseyou have these kids, these
macho 16, 17, 18-year-old kids,of course, where the last thing
they're going to do is show anyemotion.
But of course, when theyrealize, especially in baseball,
(41:57):
that the career is over withand if it ends in a
disappointing manner, to see thetears well up in their eyes, I
think that is a beautiful moment.
That is a beautiful moment, theemotion of empathy.
(42:19):
And one of the reasons why thatis important to me is my oldest
brother had Down syndrome and hepassed away at the age of 44.
And I've always told people Imean he was the first home run
hitter I ever knew, he was thefirst one.
I mean he was Babe Ruth, I meanwhen we were, you know, third
grade, fourth grade, fifth gradehim, the world would be a
(42:39):
better place.
So he is having thatrelationship with him and him
being a.
He loved baseball, was good atit, had a heart condition, of
course, as many people with Downsyndrome have, but he had a
great life and you know, havingparents, humble parents, who did
(42:59):
what a lot of parents didn't dothen when he was born in 1950,
a lot of parents you probablyknow this that a lot of parents
who had Down syndrome childrenwere told again, the emotions of
the game are just, they'rebeautiful, they're beautiful
moments, beautiful moments.
And I, you know I cherish thosehugs.
And when the, you know when a17-year-old kid cries, like you
(43:22):
know, like the, like thefour-year-old you know who had a
sucker taken away from him, andhe balls like crazy and then,
after he's done crying about twominutes later, there's one more
.
You know when a player doesthat.
That's priceless.
And when they're the ones whoinitiate the hug too.
(43:43):
You know that's beautiful.
Speaker 2 (43:46):
It's beautiful.
I'm really interested in whatyour response is to this one
Hate losing or love winning.
Speaker 1 (43:55):
At the end of every game we talk with the players,
but we do it a little bitdifferently.
Okay, we go by the dugout tothe right of the dugout or, if
we're on the road near thedugout, right near the fence,
and that's where we have ourconversation, and we'll have
(44:15):
parents and other people willcome over and they'll be able to
hear everything that is said.
So we do it in front ofeverybody, and for two reasons
First, first of all, I have nosecrets.
And also, um, you know, we, wegot to be careful what we say
and how we say it.
Um, it doesn't mean you don'tsay what you want to say.
(44:39):
Um, but in that moment, one ofthe things we do when we win, I
give game balls like everybodyelse does.
So, two game balls or threegame balls.
Now, going to graduationparties there's been a few of
them, I've gone to a few playersit is just so tremendous to see
(45:02):
those game balls on littlepedestals.
You know what they did, youknow who was it against and
everything like that.
And some people say, oh well,when you talk to the kids, then
you go back to the school, thenyou talk to them again.
No, uh-uh, no, no, no, no, no,that's it.
That's where we talk, andthere's a lot of coaches who say
(45:26):
, well, I'm not going to do thatbecause that's a moment for us.
That's why we go out to leftfield, that's why we're for
what's to come, because thereare going to be disappointing
things that happen in your lifeand athletics teaches that.
And that's what bothers me,that some people don't
understand the importance ofcompetitive athletics, because
it teaches you to deal withdifficult times that we all face
(45:48):
in our lives.
It gives you kind of a taste ofit.
So you know again, I've beenteaching for 36 years and I love
teaching.
I just love it.
But I love coaching too.
Speaker 2 (46:04):
Well, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (46:13):
Did you get a chance to see the College?
Speaker 2 (46:14):
World Series game yesterday.
Speaker 1 (46:16):
All right, I wanted to get your thoughts on the
ejection of the Coastal Carolina.
I don't get it.
I mean, I don't know if theumpiring is very good in Ohio.
Our umpiring is very good inOhio.
Our umpiring is adequate.
We had a.
Our season ended on a verysuspect call.
Really, really bad.
It's terrible when the umpireor referee determines the
(46:39):
outcome of a game and that'swhat happened to us and I know
it kind of sounds like sourgrapes but I still taste those
sour grapes in my mouth and it'sbeen two weeks since our season
ended.
But no, I I mean, come on, he'sgot to understand.
This is a national championshipgame.
I'm not talking about the coachand talk about the umpire and
(47:01):
all the.
All the coach said and I saw thepress conference too is that
you missed three already.
He didn't say you're blank andblank and you're terrible, you
suck, just said you've missedthree already.
All you need to do is put thestop, sign up and just move on
or come over and say okay,that's enough.
Yeah, I didn't understand that.
I mean, you've got to bekidding me.
And again, sometimes I look atsome of the behaviors that I've
(47:25):
seen in the College World Seriesand the Super Regionals like
and that guy doesn't get ejected.
It's like my God, that's a guywho should be tossed, not the
coach of Coastal Carolina doingsomething as you know One
pitcher and one hitter in a Game7 of the World Series.
Speaker 2 (47:45):
Group A you got Pedro Martinez as your pitcher and
Willie Mays as your hitter.
Or you get Group B, greg Maddoxas your pitcher and Barry Bonds
as your hitter.
Speaker 1 (48:02):
That's me.
I get past the Barry Bondsthing.
Sorry, I'll take Willie Mays.
I'll take the Say hey Kid.
Yes, and Martinez, I'm a hugeMaddox fan.
Maddox was awesome.
Maddox was successful.
You know, at the beginning ofthe fireballing pitchers man he
was just, oh, just yeah, he'swonderful.
(48:22):
He was a tactician and you knowthat.
But yeah, I'm a Maddox fan.
But you put Maddox and Bonds inthe same duo.
So I'm going to go withMartinez and Willie Mays.
Speaker 2 (48:36):
Well, to finish up, can you share the best story
from all your years of coachinghigh school baseball?
Speaker 1 (48:41):
I don't say a whole lot during games, I just don't
and I don't argue with umpires.
I'll ask questions of umpires.
And we were playing atournament game I was coaching
third base, of course and we hadthis umpire that says, get your
(49:03):
foot back in the batter's box,and he had one foot out looking
and the kid puts his foot backin the batter's box and then he
got quick pitched and anotherstrike was called and then he
looks down for a signing Homeplate umpire comes out and I
said, mr Umpire, can I just one?
(49:25):
more word out of you and you aregone.
I said one more word, so I hadto turn into a mime, literally
the rest of the game.
So I get back to the dugout,back to the dugout, back to the
(49:49):
first base coach.
He follows me all the way tothe dugout.
He did that every inning forthe next five innings.
He was waiting for me to sayone thing, and if I would have
said one thing he would havetossed me.
So then after the game I endedup losing, which made it worse.
(50:11):
After the game I said reallyloud, really loud he came over
to bring the baseballs and putthem over, because the game was
at home, put them by the dugout.
He was right there.
And I said really loud I saidyou have got to be kidding me.
(50:31):
And then he said to me you'relucky, you're not playing
tomorrow, because you wouldn'tbe allowed to play tomorrow.
I said one word and then, ashe's walking away, I said you've
got to be kidding me.
And then the bass umpire comesup to me and he apologizes to me
.
(50:52):
So I've never turned into MarcelMarceau coaching.
You know, I need everything butthe white mind face and the
striped shirt.
So that is just an unbelievablestory and that's not very.
But again, coach, when I waswalking by him he did this and
(51:17):
he turned around and watched mego to the waiting for me to say
one word yeah, so that guy'sname, I won't mention it Mike
Schmidt.
There's a couple coaches,there's some umpires here that I
know really have a goodrelationship with and they heard
(51:39):
about the story.
They wanted me to tell thestory and then just this year a
really good umpire says hey,coach Ryan, come here.
He says, yeah, I almostcouldn't make it today and I had
a sub ready for him.
Mike Schmidt was going to behere.
I'm like whatever.
So they all know the story fromthat.
(52:00):
So yeah, that's kind of likethe College World Series, you
know, to the 100th power, youknow.
I mean come on.
So yeah, that was awful, awful,awful, right when I was in
(52:21):
college.
Again, if it was the umpirefrom the Coastal Carolina game,
yeah, I definitely would havebeen tossed, yeah.
Speaker 2 (52:28):
Yes, no doubt.
Well, it's Jeff Ryan, headbaseball coach at Prescott High
School in Wisconsin.
Coach, wow, I've loved thestories and I love for you
taking the time to be onBaseball Coaches Unplayed.
Speaker 1 (52:42):
I appreciate you believing me worthy of saying
this, that and the other aboutthe greatest game in the world.
Speaker 2 (52:49):
Today's episode of Baseball Coaches Unplugged is
powered by the nettingprofessionals, improving
programs one facility at a time.
Contact them today at844-620-2707 or visit them
online at wwwnettingproscom.
Be sure to tune in nextWednesday for a new episode.
As always, I'm Coach KenCarpenter.
(53:12):
Thanks for listening toBaseball Coaches Unplugged.
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