Diamond Notes > 2006

Compiled By: Austin Alexander – May 29, 2006   A term often used among coaches and scouts is “make-up”. With the MLB draft a week away, organizations everywhere are doing last minute tests, additional research and constant probing on players on that exist on draft boards. College coaches are forever asking questions about players to determine his “make-up.” But what exactly is it, how do you measure it and is it important? Well, Diamond Prospects surveyed college coaches and pro scouts in the Carolina’s before the season to assist us. In the conclusion of a three-part series, we will provide for you just how much emphasis is actually placed on “make-up.” You often hear this term when deep discussions abound surrounding a quality player. For many evaluators, a players “make-up” can often make or break whether an opportunity is extended to an individual, how much money is attached to scholarship amounts or signing bonuses and line-up cards often reflect the players that possess it.  Last week we explored examples of good and bad make-up, now it’s time to find out what evaluators do with the information they accumulate. Diamond Prospects put this question to the experts. According to one Junior College coach: Make-up is extremely important to us here….We might not be the most talented team in Region X but I want people to think that we play the game hard and we play the right way. Make-up has a lot to do with that. I want guys that can handle adversity…if they can’t deal with adversity, then they are going to have a hard time being successful. We also look for guys that have good make-up because that usually means they are self-motivated. According to one Division I recruiting coordinator: Talent doesn’t matter without make-up. According to one American League scout: Starting out I will look for these things when I am evaluating the players. Also when I sit down and talk to the players, I will look to see how he handles the questions, how he treats his parents and family, whether he looks me in the eye, etc. According to another Division I recruiting coordinator: Make-up is a big factor but you do not always find out what kind of make-up a guy has until you get him in the program and away from his parents. Coaches tell you a kid is a good kid, he hustles, he gets good grades, so on. He gets to your school and he has freedom. Now he likes to party, he puts that ahead of school and baseball. We try to get as much info as we can about kids because we want team guys, and good make-up guys but you do not always know until you get them on campus. According to one National League scout: My boss has told me not to bother turning a kid in who lacks make-up. We do a ton of tests on each player we are seriously considering in the draft, and that helps, but ultimately you have to go with your gut. If my gut tells me that a kid has questionable make-up, I move on down my list. I cannot risk my career putting my name beside a kid that does not possess make-up. According to one Division I assistant: When you get to see a prospect play, you want as many questions answered as you can that first time you see him. Sometimes I may only see the prospect once. I do not want to leave thinking, “Yeah he got a couple hits but he carried himself in a lazy and unprofessional manner out there.” You can tell a guy who plays the game “easy” and with fluidity and then the guy who lacks desire and has bad body language. According to another Division I assistant: Make-up for me is very big. However, does this mean that a kid cannot play just because he has bad make-up, of course not, but as my dad would say, “it breaks the ties.” If you have two kids of equal talent and one is always out early and is getting his arm loose before everyone, he is talking to everyone on the team, he has the ability to effect the game just by getting everyone on the same level, he is moving his feet to receive thrown balls…this is who I want on my team. So “Kid A” only went 1-for-4 and “Kid B” was 3-for-4, it is worth me taking “Kid A” because he will be there for the long haul. The toughest part is that kids today are salesman they know how to be pseudo-respectful and they know how to give the answers that you want. However, true make-up comes when know one is looking and then you see if he has it or not. According to one Division I head coach: The more I do this, the more I realize it’s everything. If a player lacks it, it’s likely he’ll be useless to you and your program. If your teams lack make-up, they can’t win and you become leery of staying in hotels and entering restaurants! Surrounding yourself with kids that have character makes coming to work everyday an enjoyable experience. Regardless of who you ask, everyone has their own idea of what make-up actually is. Few, however will ever dispute its importance in the evaluation process or its presence in winning programs or organizations. We hope you have enjoyed Diamond Prospects’ three-part series and have benefited from the feedback we received from coaches and scouts.   Part I Part II

Compiled By: Austin Alexander – May 29, 2006   A term often used among coaches and scouts is “make-up”. With the MLB draft a week away, organizations everywhere are doing last minute tests, additional research and constant probing on players on that exist on draft boards. College coaches are forever asking questions about players to determine his “make-up.” But what exactly is it, how do you measure it and is it important? Well, Diamond Prospects surveyed college coaches and pro scouts in the Carolina’s before the season to assist us. In the conclusion of a three-part series, we will provide for you just how much emphasis is actually placed on “make-up.” You often hear this term when deep discussions abound surrounding a quality player. For many evaluators, a players “make-up” can often make or break whether an opportunity is extended to an individual, how much money is attached to scholarship amounts or signing bonuses and line-up cards often reflect the players that possess it.  Last week we explored examples of good and bad make-up, now it’s time to find out what evaluators do with the information they accumulate. Diamond Prospects put this question to the experts. According to one Junior College coach: Make-up is extremely important to us here….We might not be the most talented team in Region X but I want people to think that we play the game hard and we play the right way. Make-up has a lot to do with that. I want guys that can handle adversity…if they can’t deal with adversity, then they are going to have a hard time being successful. We also look for guys that have good make-up because that usually means they are self-motivated. According to one Division I recruiting coordinator: Talent doesn’t matter without make-up. According to one American League scout: Starting out I will look for these things when I am evaluating the players. Also when I sit down and talk to the players, I will look to see how he handles the questions, how he treats his parents and family, whether he looks me in the eye, etc. According to another Division I recruiting coordinator: Make-up is a big factor but you do not always find out what kind of make-up a guy has until you get him in the program and away from his parents. Coaches tell you a kid is a good kid, he hustles, he gets good grades, so on. He gets to your school and he has freedom. Now he likes to party, he puts that ahead of school and baseball. We try to get as much info as we can about kids because we want team guys, and good make-up guys but you do not always know until you get them on campus. According to one National League scout: My boss has told me not to bother turning a kid in who lacks make-up. We do a ton of tests on each player we are seriously considering in the draft, and that helps, but ultimately you have to go with your gut. If my gut tells me that a kid has questionable make-up, I move on down my list. I cannot risk my career putting my name beside a kid that does not possess make-up. According to one Division I assistant: When you get to see a prospect play, you want as many questions answered as you can that first time you see him. Sometimes I may only see the prospect once. I do not want to leave thinking, “Yeah he got a couple hits but he carried himself in a lazy and unprofessional manner out there.” You can tell a guy who plays the game “easy” and with fluidity and then the guy who lacks desire and has bad body language. According to another Division I assistant: Make-up for me is very big. However, does this mean that a kid cannot play just because he has bad make-up, of course not, but as my dad would say, “it breaks the ties.” If you have two kids of equal talent and one is always out early and is getting his arm loose before everyone, he is talking to everyone on the team, he has the ability to effect the game just by getting everyone on the same level, he is moving his feet to receive thrown balls…this is who I want on my team. So “Kid A” only went 1-for-4 and “Kid B” was 3-for-4, it is worth me taking “Kid A” because he will be there for the long haul. The toughest part is that kids today are salesman they know how to be pseudo-respectful and they know how to give the answers that you want. However, true make-up comes when know one is looking and then you see if he has it or not. According to one Division I head coach: The more I do this, the more I realize it’s everything. If a player lacks it, it’s likely he’ll be useless to you and your program. If your teams lack make-up, they can’t win and you become leery of staying in hotels and entering restaurants! Surrounding yourself with kids that have character makes coming to work everyday an enjoyable experience. Regardless of who you ask, everyone has their own idea of what make-up actually is. Few, however will ever dispute its importance in the evaluation process or its presence in winning programs or organizations. We hope you have enjoyed Diamond Prospects’ three-part series and have benefited from the feedback we received from coaches and scouts.   Part I Part II

  Compiled By: Austin Alexander – May 22, 2006 A term often used among coaches and scouts is “make-up.” With the MLB draft less than a month away, organizations everywhere are doing last minute tests, additional research and constant probing on players on that exist on draft boards. College coaches are forever asking questions about players to determine his “make-up.” But what exactly is it, how do you measure it and is it important? Well, Diamond Prospects surveyed college coaches and pro scouts in the Carolina’s before the season to assist us. In part two of a three-part series, we will provide for you what examples of good and bad make-up are and how much stock is actually placed on it. You often hear this term when deep discussions abound surrounding a quality player. For many evaluators, a players “make-up” can often make or break whether an opportunity is extended to an individual, how much money is attached to scholarship amounts or signing bonuses and line-up cards often reflect the players that possess it.  Last week we determined what “make-up” was, but what are some examples of good and bad make-up? Well it depends on who you ask. Diamond Prospects put this question to the experts. According to a Division I assistant: When evaluating a player the first thing that stands out is how they look on the field. Are they taking groundballs between innings from the first baseman correctly? Are they working through these balls? Accurate throws? They need to be hustling on and off the field and show they have energy through positive body language. They need to wear their uniform right. All these things go under a positive first impression. According to one Junior College coach: It can be exposed when things are going good (hitting a homerun-taunting) or when things may be going bad (booting a ball in the field after you strike out). Good make-up is your all-around effort and attitude when things are going or BAD. Bad make-up is the guy you can look at figure out that he is 0-for-4 with four strikeouts or the guy who wants to blame everybody but himself when something bad happens. According to one Division I Recruiting Coordinator: Good make-up is being able to perform and have confidence in your abilities after they have had failures. Also, being able to perform in big situations. According to another Division I Recruiting Coordinator: Good make-up is a guy that comes early and stays late for work. A guy who will take school seriously, may not have the greatest grades, but goes to class and gets the job done. Team player. Bad make-up: A guy who is on his own page. He is constantly in trouble. He cannot, or will not, conform to team rules. He is a cancer. One Division I assistant coach used the example of a player: I think a great make-up player is a kid we have right now. He understands the game; he understands what he can do and works to improve on his skills everyday. He also understands his shortcomings and does not try to be something he is not. He is rarely seen without a smile on his face because he loves the game and it is not a question for him to be a practice. He is the first to show up everyday, he is not scared or does not think he is too good to help set the field up. He takes what you say to him and processes it and makes up his mind as to trust you or not. That is fine with me because in the heat of battle, players have to be able to think for themselves and be able to make their own corrections. On the field, you tell him to do one thing he understands and then will give you feedback why, he agrees with the concept. I recall the time I had to teach him how to rake the cuts at first base, now he rakes it better than I could. His maturity level is off the charts. We have taken him from a third baseman/shortstop, and thrown him at first base, now he could be the first baseman of our future and he just wants to be on the field.  Bad make-up guys are a dime a dozen. Guys that seem to put all their needs above the team and other people as well. Players that are willing to take the high road and risk the team as a whole and sometimes risk their own game as well.  Bad make-up players are not willing to take small suggestions but are quick to give you their theories on everything from, why they cannot hit and what they need to work on, yet they do the same thing each and everyday. Bad make-up comes from different experiences they might have witnessed throughout their life, and it is tough to speculate why kids react or do not react to anything. Some players actually think they know more than anyone else. Then their maturity level is low because they cannot take themselves and say, “I could be wrong in this situation.” That is bad make-up. Someone that cannot say they are sorry, and mean it, also has terrible make-up.  One Division I head coach put it this way: Good and bad make-up can take on many different faces. Make-up can sometimes be revealed very early on in the recruiting process. I listen to how kids ask their parents questions on the phone. When they sit in the office, how do they speak to their mom and dad? Do they give me good eye contact? Today’s generation dresses very casual but when you are on a college visit, and you know you’ll be meeting with the coaches, I believe there is a certain attire that is appropriate. Many times a player’s official visit will provide you with valuable information about his personality. When a kid leaves campus, my players can usually tell me if his make-up is up to par or not. If you ask enough questions and your own observations come through seeing a player several times, you can normally …

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  Compiled By: Austin Alexander – May 22, 2006 A term often used among coaches and scouts is “make-up.” With the MLB draft less than a month away, organizations everywhere are doing last minute tests, additional research and constant probing on players on that exist on draft boards. College coaches are forever asking questions about players to determine his “make-up.” But what exactly is it, how do you measure it and is it important? Well, Diamond Prospects surveyed college coaches and pro scouts in the Carolina’s before the season to assist us. In part two of a three-part series, we will provide for you what examples of good and bad make-up are and how much stock is actually placed on it. You often hear this term when deep discussions abound surrounding a quality player. For many evaluators, a players “make-up” can often make or break whether an opportunity is extended to an individual, how much money is attached to scholarship amounts or signing bonuses and line-up cards often reflect the players that possess it.  Last week we determined what “make-up” was, but what are some examples of good and bad make-up? Well it depends on who you ask. Diamond Prospects put this question to the experts. According to a Division I assistant: When evaluating a player the first thing that stands out is how they look on the field. Are they taking groundballs between innings from the first baseman correctly? Are they working through these balls? Accurate throws? They need to be hustling on and off the field and show they have energy through positive body language. They need to wear their uniform right. All these things go under a positive first impression. According to one Junior College coach: It can be exposed when things are going good (hitting a homerun-taunting) or when things may be going bad (booting a ball in the field after you strike out). Good make-up is your all-around effort and attitude when things are going or BAD. Bad make-up is the guy you can look at figure out that he is 0-for-4 with four strikeouts or the guy who wants to blame everybody but himself when something bad happens. According to one Division I Recruiting Coordinator: Good make-up is being able to perform and have confidence in your abilities after they have had failures. Also, being able to perform in big situations. According to another Division I Recruiting Coordinator: Good make-up is a guy that comes early and stays late for work. A guy who will take school seriously, may not have the greatest grades, but goes to class and gets the job done. Team player. Bad make-up: A guy who is on his own page. He is constantly in trouble. He cannot, or will not, conform to team rules. He is a cancer. One Division I assistant coach used the example of a player: I think a great make-up player is a kid we have right now. He understands the game; he understands what he can do and works to improve on his skills everyday. He also understands his shortcomings and does not try to be something he is not. He is rarely seen without a smile on his face because he loves the game and it is not a question for him to be a practice. He is the first to show up everyday, he is not scared or does not think he is too good to help set the field up. He takes what you say to him and processes it and makes up his mind as to trust you or not. That is fine with me because in the heat of battle, players have to be able to think for themselves and be able to make their own corrections. On the field, you tell him to do one thing he understands and then will give you feedback why, he agrees with the concept. I recall the time I had to teach him how to rake the cuts at first base, now he rakes it better than I could. His maturity level is off the charts. We have taken him from a third baseman/shortstop, and thrown him at first base, now he could be the first baseman of our future and he just wants to be on the field.  Bad make-up guys are a dime a dozen. Guys that seem to put all their needs above the team and other people as well. Players that are willing to take the high road and risk the team as a whole and sometimes risk their own game as well.  Bad make-up players are not willing to take small suggestions but are quick to give you their theories on everything from, why they cannot hit and what they need to work on, yet they do the same thing each and everyday. Bad make-up comes from different experiences they might have witnessed throughout their life, and it is tough to speculate why kids react or do not react to anything. Some players actually think they know more than anyone else. Then their maturity level is low because they cannot take themselves and say, “I could be wrong in this situation.” That is bad make-up. Someone that cannot say they are sorry, and mean it, also has terrible make-up.  One Division I head coach put it this way: Good and bad make-up can take on many different faces. Make-up can sometimes be revealed very early on in the recruiting process. I listen to how kids ask their parents questions on the phone. When they sit in the office, how do they speak to their mom and dad? Do they give me good eye contact? Today’s generation dresses very casual but when you are on a college visit, and you know you’ll be meeting with the coaches, I believe there is a certain attire that is appropriate. Many times a player’s official visit will provide you with valuable information about his personality. When a kid leaves campus, my players can usually tell me if his make-up is up to par or not. If you ask enough questions and your own observations come through seeing a player several times, you can normally …

Read More

Compiled by: Austin Alexander – May 15, 2006 A term often used among coaches and scouts is “make-up”. With the MLB draft less than a month away, organizations everywhere are doing last minute tests, additional research and constant probing on players on that exist on draft boards. College coaches are forever asking questions about players to determine his “make-up.” But what exactly is it, how do you measure it and is it important? Well, Diamond Prospects surveyed college coaches and pro scouts in the Carolina’s before the season to assist us. In a three-part series over the next three weeks, we will provide for you what make-up is, examples of good and bad make-up, and how much stock is actually placed on it. According to one junior college coach: Make-up consists of a number of factors. It involves attitude, effort, being a good teammate and being “coachable.” It is best defined by “what are you doing when nobody is watching”…in the classroom, study halls, weight room, batting cage, etc…Make-up and character go hand in hand. According to one Division I recruiting coordinator: Make-up can be defined in a couple of ways, but we feel it is how a player handles the pressure of the game. (Success/Failures/Preparation/Toughness) According to one American League scout: Make-up is tough to define and quantify but a very important aspect of evaluating a player. They say tools and talent get you to the Big Leagues, but make-up keeps you there. I look at make-up as some of the intangibles that make a guy a good baseball player and a good kid. Does he have respect for the game and for his teammates and coach? Is he a leader, does he want the ball or does he want to be in the box when the game is on the line? Is he intelligent, does he have some baseball instincts, can he make adjustments? More importantly, how does he handle adversity? Does he melt out on the mound when things are not going his way or when he’s in a slump, or does he suck it up and find a way to get it done. The games are much easier when things are going your way. The mental aspect of the game is the hardest part and that can be difficult to evaluate because we often only see a player for one game here or there. Once in the minors, it’s a grind and a player has to be strong mentally to handle the ebb and flow of the game. I want guys who hustle and work hard, who pick up their teammates and who prepare for success. Of course, having talent sure helps too. A National League scout responded this way: Someone I respect a great deal in baseball once said to me ‘Everybody in the big leagues has a little bit of asshole in them.’ It makes sense when you think about it. According to one Division I recruiting coordinator: What is make-up? It is a program guy, who puts the team first. It is your stud who does not have a big head and wants to work hard. It is all the little things, some are noticeable and others are not. It is a good kid. According to one Division I assistant: To me it starts with body language. Good body language gives me the impression that the kid is confident in what he is doing. He is prepared and has an approach. He gives me the confidence that he can succeed. I can’t stand a hitter getting upset after missing a pitch in BP or a game situation. He will never be as prepared mentally or ready physically if he is thinking negative. This also gives the opponents confidence in getting you out because they think you are weak. According to one Division I head coach: I would define “make-up” as the inner strength of an individual. His toughness, his ability to recover from failure. How does he handle success? Is the “team first” expression really his mindset or just a cliché? Kids either have make-up or they don’t. It is not a trait you can install in an 18-year old kid. Regardless of who you ask, everyone has their own definition and interpretation of make-up. Stay tuned to Diamond Prospects next week as we get examples of good and bad make-up from the coaches and scouts who should know best.   Part II: Some Examples of Make-up Part III: Is Make-up Important? .

Compiled by: Austin Alexander – May 15, 2006 A term often used among coaches and scouts is “make-up”. With the MLB draft less than a month away, organizations everywhere are doing last minute tests, additional research and constant probing on players on that exist on draft boards. College coaches are forever asking questions about players to determine his “make-up.” But what exactly is it, how do you measure it and is it important? Well, Diamond Prospects surveyed college coaches and pro scouts in the Carolina’s before the season to assist us. In a three-part series over the next three weeks, we will provide for you what make-up is, examples of good and bad make-up, and how much stock is actually placed on it. According to one junior college coach: Make-up consists of a number of factors. It involves attitude, effort, being a good teammate and being “coachable.” It is best defined by “what are you doing when nobody is watching”…in the classroom, study halls, weight room, batting cage, etc…Make-up and character go hand in hand. According to one Division I recruiting coordinator: Make-up can be defined in a couple of ways, but we feel it is how a player handles the pressure of the game. (Success/Failures/Preparation/Toughness) According to one American League scout: Make-up is tough to define and quantify but a very important aspect of evaluating a player. They say tools and talent get you to the Big Leagues, but make-up keeps you there. I look at make-up as some of the intangibles that make a guy a good baseball player and a good kid. Does he have respect for the game and for his teammates and coach? Is he a leader, does he want the ball or does he want to be in the box when the game is on the line? Is he intelligent, does he have some baseball instincts, can he make adjustments? More importantly, how does he handle adversity? Does he melt out on the mound when things are not going his way or when he’s in a slump, or does he suck it up and find a way to get it done. The games are much easier when things are going your way. The mental aspect of the game is the hardest part and that can be difficult to evaluate because we often only see a player for one game here or there. Once in the minors, it’s a grind and a player has to be strong mentally to handle the ebb and flow of the game. I want guys who hustle and work hard, who pick up their teammates and who prepare for success. Of course, having talent sure helps too. A National League scout responded this way: Someone I respect a great deal in baseball once said to me ‘Everybody in the big leagues has a little bit of asshole in them.’ It makes sense when you think about it. According to one Division I recruiting coordinator: What is make-up? It is a program guy, who puts the team first. It is your stud who does not have a big head and wants to work hard. It is all the little things, some are noticeable and others are not. It is a good kid. According to one Division I assistant: To me it starts with body language. Good body language gives me the impression that the kid is confident in what he is doing. He is prepared and has an approach. He gives me the confidence that he can succeed. I can’t stand a hitter getting upset after missing a pitch in BP or a game situation. He will never be as prepared mentally or ready physically if he is thinking negative. This also gives the opponents confidence in getting you out because they think you are weak. According to one Division I head coach: I would define “make-up” as the inner strength of an individual. His toughness, his ability to recover from failure. How does he handle success? Is the “team first” expression really his mindset or just a cliché? Kids either have make-up or they don’t. It is not a trait you can install in an 18-year old kid. Regardless of who you ask, everyone has their own definition and interpretation of make-up. Stay tuned to Diamond Prospects next week as we get examples of good and bad make-up from the coaches and scouts who should know best.   Part II: Some Examples of Make-up Part III: Is Make-up Important? .

Generations Linked: A Baseball Obituary By: Austin Alexander-May 3, 2006 Diamond Prospects was never built to serve as a personal outlet for free speech, but tonight I felt the need to give an old baseball fan his due. The older I get, the more I appreciate family. For those of you who have an elder someone in your past, you may just be able to see a glimpse of your own life in this most important ‘recap’ that I’ve ever written. My grandfather passed away at 8:10 PM on Wednesday, May 3. I lost a friend, a confidant and my biggest baseball fan, not to mention my biggest critic! We called him Pappaw. Former teammates of mine called him that too. So did my wife. He was a fixture at the ballpark wherever my teams played. Coaches knew him and baseball diehards enjoyed his stories. He was full of stories. He loved to tell them and told them well. Pappaw met Joltin’ Joe, Pee Wee, Dizzy Dean, Casey Stengal, Yogi and Nolan Ryan…and would happily share his experience with you, even if you didn’t ask! Pappaw had been to Old Yankee Stadium and Crosley Field just to name a few.   He was so ‘old school,’ he referred to Roy Campanella as a contemporary catcher! His favorite player was Charlie Gehringer because, as he would say, “he handled the glove better than anyone I ever saw.” He loved the Chicago Cubs and Greg Maddux. He despised Tom Glavine though, Pappaw said he was too big of a coward to pitch inside! His favorite pitcher was Early Wynn “because he’d knock his own mother off the plate!” His favorite place to watch a baseball game was at Duncan Park or on the hill along the sidewalk at Spartanburg Methodist. If you’ve ever been to either, there’s a good chance you saw him there. And if you ever spoke with him, he probably fired a trivia question at you and told you something you didn’t know. Pappaw made his first and only visit to Cooperstown, New York in 1996 with my father and me. It was my third trip to the Hall of Fame but experiencing his baseball ‘finish-line’ was a day I’ll remember with fondness forever. He’d saved up money three years earlier for that trip but ended up sending my dad and I to see my idol, Nolan Ryan, in Baltimore during The Express’ final season. Years ago, my Pappaw drilled me on the importance of catching the baseball with two hands…so I did. He made me realize that ‘real ballplayers’ wear stirrups, not socks, and that baseball pants were meant to be pulled up to the knee…so I did. He always talked about the right way to play the game, to hustle and play hard everyday…and so I did. When I became a coach, he made me realize the impact that a coach can have on a young man. He told me the story of a teacher he had in grade school who took an interest in him and changed his life forever. He always encouraged me to be a positive influence on the lives of young people that I shared a uniform with. Pappaw had been ill all of my adult life. A week before he left us, I visited his hospital room in Spartanburg on the way to a high school playoff game. Each visit in recent memory was made knowing it could be our last. Well, last Wednesday was our last time together. We spent that afternoon like we’d spent many afternoon’s, watching a Cubs game on the television. No telling how many games we’ve watched together on WGN, and it didn’t matter that Chicago lost that day, I’m sure they were well below .500 when we hung out anyway! We talked some and he told me a couple of stories I’d heard dozens of times before. He was also enthused about the Renaissance season Maddux was having, “he’s never started 4-0 before you know,” he told me. After a couple of hours he told me to go on, that he knew I needed to get to the game in time to see infield and outfield. So I told him good-bye. Good-bye forever. Four days before he died, Tim Wallace my coach at Spartanburg Methodist and dear friend, stopped by room #314 to visit with Pappaw. His Pioneers had swept a doubleheader earlier that day and he had the team sign a baseball for him. As Pappaw slipped into a coma, the ball remained in his hand until he took his final breath. That Saturday a baseball was signed by a roster full of young men who likely did not know Bill Alexander (shown left with his great-grandson, Nolan). That night, my Pappaw received a baseball signed by a bunch of young men he likely did not know. That baseball, however, will hold a permanent place on my mantle as it represents a link from my grandfather to a group of people that will carry the baseball torch forward. To the young player reading these words who is fortunate enough to have a Pappaw of your own: Appreciate him, get to know him, learn from him. Remember that nothing is forever. A relationship with a grandparent can be the most unique of any you have throughout life, develop that while you still can. Baseball is a great game, trust me, no one is a bigger fan than I. But understand this, in the end it will be the relationships you build around that ball in your hand that remain with you for a lifetime. William Lee Alexander, Sr: December 23, 1924 – May 3, 2006