State

Bobby LeCount

Dedication

            Dedication is when you really care about something and devote most of your free time to it. When I dedicate to something I don’t just show up, I think about it 24/7 and try to get mentally ready for what might happen. And if I don’t think about it all the time it feels like I haven’t played that sport in forever. Its kind of awkward when you get that feeling at first because you know it wasn’t that long ago when you played but it just seems like you need some more practice at your position or need the see the ball coming out of the pitchers hand as a baseball player.

            During the summer I was playing baseball like everyday and then all of a sudden I had like two or three days off and I didn’t think about. All I wanted to do was hang out with friends and go to parties. Just get out of the house and do whatever came my way. Play it by ear so to say. And when baseball resumed it felt like I was whole different player. Being lazy on groundballs, not throwing the ball hard and not seeing the ball out of the pitchers hand as well as I was before our three-day off baseball break. This is why when I dedicate my self to something I have to do it all out. Practice everyday at all the little aspects of the game. Such as going to hit or go take fly balls or groundballs, play long toss with a buddy to keep my arm in shape. But not too much or my arm will get sore.

            The ways someone can be lazy in baseball is not paying attention or during batting practice not running down fly balls or not going after groundballs. Just not going hard. I like it when I’m going all out and I know the person next to me is going just as hard as I am. If everyone does this in practice, I twill translate to the game. I want to know that the left or right fielder is trying as hard as I am, and have trust in that person to make the right play or execute the play. This year I can say that I trust the left and right fielder next to me, since I play center field. One of the biggest question marks in a team is the bench players’. Some guys get mad that they’re not starting and don’t try to get better in practice and when its time for them to go in the game they choke as in not hitting the cut off guy in crucial situations and letting the guy who hit it get on second and letting the double play chance go away. Also by misreading fly balls because during practice they were too busy talking and not trying to get better at it. But this year everyone works hard and when those bench players go in they execute every play and do a good job in what they have to do. Everyone seems dedicated to the team, and it seems like people are having fun playing baseball.

            Most people say that their dedicated to something but I don’t think they’re dedicated on my level. Other people just show up and go throw the motions, I try to make myself better so when game time comes people are scared of me. This year just in the first three games I’ve walked eight times. Pitchers are scared of me. That’s because people talk about me and when its time for me to hit the, opposing pitcher freezes up and can’t throw strikes. I’m not trying to talk my self up but it’s just what I’ve noticed this year. And when I pitch, hitters freeze up cause I’m such a presence one the mound. I mean there are seniors on other teams who have faced me before so they might be comfortable hitting against me but the underclassmen might be a little worried. Because when I hit I try to focus on the pitchers best pitch, focus on what he likes to throw in different situations. His arm slot and how much movement his ball has. Does he slow down his arm on a change up and does he change his arm slot change on curve ball or does it look the same. Does he move his throwing hand in his glove before an off speed pitch or does he hide it well? All these things you pick up when you’ve been playing baseball for a while.