Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Unity in sports




Sports have long held the ability to bring people across the globe from all over the world together since the Olympics were held in Greece. By providing people with an outlet where they can share experiences and accomplishments, in an environment where they are comfortable, is an effective means to forge unity among people even when they are from divergent groups originally.

As a participant players and coaches understand that you have to be able to communicate with teammates to reach your common goals. Even in individual sports, communication with a coach or caddy is vital to success. Communication is a key element in any relationship where unity is important.

When you have unity in a team or group setting you have trust. Teammates have to trust each others ability to do their jobs effectively so the team succeeds. A team divided--or without trust in each other--will rarely defeat a team united even though they may appear to have more talent overall. We see teams with one or two superstars who don't seem to mesh or play well together and we don't understand why they don't win more games. We blame "bad chemistry" or say they just don't seem to mesh well together. It really comes down to the fact that the stars either don't trust each other or their teammates enough to win. Good communication breeds trust and trust breeds unity and unity breeds success. This is when we see that elusive "good chemistry" that coaches are looking to see in their team.

We see the power that world wide events like the Olympics have to bring people together and sometimes tear them apart. The same elements that lead to success on the field or in the locker room lead to success at higher levels where unity would be even more important. Call me a hopeless romantic but I believe that when people practice good sportsmanship and have a good time on the playing field or court, they tend to be more likely to develop better understanding and mutual acceptance off the field.

Most of us know from experience that a unified team is more enjoyable to play for than team divided. And we know intuitively which one is more likely to succeed. In addition, if you remove unity, you remove a lot of the enjoyment from participating on a team.

UNITY - How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! - Psalm 133:1
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Giants Top Minor League Prospects

  • 1. Joey Bart 6-2, 215 C Power arm and a power bat, playing a premium defensive position. Good catch and throw skills.
  • 2. Heliot Ramos 6-2, 185 OF Potential high-ceiling player the Giants have been looking for. Great bat speed, early returns were impressive.
  • 3. Chris Shaw 6-3. 230 1B Lefty power bat, limited defensively to 1B, Matt Adams comp?
  • 4. Tyler Beede 6-4, 215 RHP from Vanderbilt projects as top of the rotation starter when he works out his command/control issues. When he misses, he misses by a bunch.
  • 5. Stephen Duggar 6-1, 170 CF Another toolsy, under-achieving OF in the Gary Brown mold, hoping for better results.
  • 6. Sandro Fabian 6-0, 180 OF Dominican signee from 2014, shows some pop in his bat. Below average arm and lack of speed should push him towards LF.
  • 7. Aramis Garcia 6-2, 220 C from Florida INTL projects as a good bat behind the dish with enough defensive skill to play there long-term
  • 8. Heath Quinn 6-2, 190 OF Strong hitter, makes contact with improving approach at the plate. Returns from hamate bone injury.
  • 9. Garrett Williams 6-1, 205 LHP Former Oklahoma standout, Giants prototype, low-ceiling, high-floor prospect.
  • 10. Shaun Anderson 6-4, 225 RHP Large frame, 3.36 K/BB rate. Can start or relieve
  • 11. Jacob Gonzalez 6-3, 190 3B Good pedigree, impressive bat for HS prospect.
  • 12. Seth Corry 6-2 195 LHP Highly regard HS pick. Was mentioned as possible chip in high profile trades.
  • 13. C.J. Hinojosa 5-10, 175 SS Scrappy IF prospect in the mold of Kelby Tomlinson, just gets it done.
  • 14. Garett Cave 6-4, 200 RHP He misses a lot of bats and at times, the plate. 13 K/9 an 5 B/9. Wild thing.

2019 MLB Draft - Top HS Draft Prospects

  • 1. Bobby Witt, Jr. 6-1,185 SS Colleyville Heritage HS (TX) Oklahoma commit. Outstanding defensive SS who can hit. 6.4 speed in 60 yd. Touched 97 on mound. Son of former major leaguer. Five tool potential.
  • 2. Riley Greene 6-2, 190 OF Haggerty HS (FL) Florida commit.Best HS hitting prospect. LH bat with good eye, plate discipline and developing power.
  • 3. C.J. Abrams 6-2, 180 SS Blessed Trinity HS (GA) High-ceiling athlete. 70 speed with plus arm. Hitting needs to develop as he matures. Alabama commit.
  • 4. Reece Hinds 6-4, 210 SS Niceville HS (FL) Power bat, committed to LSU. Plus arm, solid enough bat to move to 3B down the road. 98MPH arm.
  • 5. Daniel Espino 6-3, 200 RHP Georgia Premier Academy (GA) LSU commit. Touches 98 on FB with wipe out SL.

2019 MLB Draft - Top College Draft Prospects

  • 1. Adley Rutschman C Oregon State Plus defender with great arm. Excellent receiver plus a switch hitter with some pop in the bat.
  • 2. Shea Langliers C Baylor Excelent throw and catch skills with good pop time. Quick bat, uses all fields approach with some pop.
  • 3. Zack Thompson 6-2 LHP Kentucky Missed time with an elbow issue. FB up to 95 with plenty of secondary stuff.
  • 4. Matt Wallner 6-5 OF Southern Miss Run producing bat plus mid to upper 90's FB closer. Power bat from the left side, athletic for size.
  • 5. Nick Lodolo LHP TCU Tall LHP, 95MPH FB and solid breaking stuff.