Father’s Day and Baseball
My father, Jim Wagner Sr, was my hero…..no if, ands or buts about it. He was a role model for working hard and being there for his family. Every Father’s Day he was asked what he wanted for ‘his’ day and I remember clearly him saying the same thing each year……he just wanted to be with his family.
Dad was a baseball fanatic. He moved to Southern California in 1961 which was the same year the then, Los Angeles Angels, began their franchise. The Angels played their 1st season at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles (yes, there was a Wrigley Field in Los Angeles) before moving to Dodger Stadium in 1962.
Dad had his team….the California Angels. That was his team through thick and thin…..alot of thin back then.
I still remember in 1979 when the Angels finally won their division for the first time and how exciting it was to run out onto the field which was somewhat allowed back then. In 1980, he bought season tickets and we drove from Burbank to Anaheim at least 20 times a year rooting for this Angel team.
For me, I was a Dodger fan….part of the Dodger/Pepsi fan club and always sitting in the bleachers back then. Somehow my Dad pulled me to root for the Angels and it has been that way my whole life. Dodgers and Angels ….my 1a and 1b favorite teams.
But the pull of rooting for my dad’s team was a treasure. We had great talks about players, team rivals and what the Angels needed to improve back then. Tragically, he passed suddenly in 1997 and it has just been down right sad for our family for him to have missed all the events, people and baseball that he has not been able to share with us for the past 27 years…..though I suspect that he has been with us through everything.
On this Father’s Day month, we can only hope that the game of baseball can be a way to tie you and your family together in what is a special month for baseball families everywhere. The MLB season is in full swing…..many people are getting ready for their ‘trip’ to Cooperstown and Omaha as part of the College World Series,as well as the Little League World Series district and tournament of champions play… And the talk of the Major League Draft coming up in a month.
Throwzone Academy has been blessed over the years to be involved in the MLB Draft. Our 1st round pick, Trevor Bauer. Players like Tyler Glasnow as the 5th round pick of the Pirates….and we are fortunate for Tyler to pitch for his hometown team, the Dodgers…..Cody Buckel as a 2nd round pick of the Rangers….as well as countless others who heard their name over the second and third days of the draft and just being stunned that a dream came true….some of those names: Scott Heineman, Christian Lopes and his brother Timmy a year later……JC Cloney, Charles Harrison. It is a very exciting time in getting for life-changing moments!
This is real life…..actually being drafted by a MLB team….but the work started when they were younger. None of these ever believed they would get picked. Oh they dreamt about it but then again everyone dreams about being a MLB player.
All of these players kept grinding away and focused on what was immediately in front of them….getting through another rep….showing up to another class on a night before a major test in the classroom….. doing whatever it took to reach another velocity high through pitching, med-ball throws or reps in a drill…constantly challenging themselves
Side note: They did not play games all the time…..in fact all of them trained hard and worked on their development through Throwzone Academy and their college programs. None of them played 30+ games throughout the summer with tournaments going on for months on end when they were working on the process that got them to the highest levels. Unfortunately, Perfect Games, among others, has ruined the game through slick marketing and flooding the market with fool’s gold……but I will always enlighten families about the Do’s and Don’t’s about showcases. Please ask my opinion about camps and showcases and I can help you decide if it is right for you or not……PLEASE.
The lesson to be learned is that the process leads the way to the result….not the other way around. Being a process oriented player allows you to focus on what you can control. Whether you are drafted or not is beyond any one person’s control. However, working hard on a consistent basis will put a player in the best position possible to realize their dreams.
The one thing we constantly remind our players is that you can only control what you can control……and that is your effort and work ethic. All fun things like committing to a college or being drafted by a team is one of the rewards for ‘sowing you seeds’.
And one of the ways your player….our players……and those around us can better the chances of improving their arm health, recovery and velocity is training with us this summer. Our 1st session summer velocity training camp is 1/2 way through our June session. There is STILL a chance to sign up and be a part of our successful training environment. And, you have the offer to join us for our 2nd session which begins July 1 and runs for 4 weeks through July. Click here to find out more information about what we do:
We can assure you that we will provide a path to enhance your game on the mound and the field.
If you can’t make that then contact us today about our daily group training:
For our Dads, we wish you a very Happy Father’s Day. Whether our loved ones are with us here physically or spiritually always remember that fathers are the ones who provide us our first love with the game of baseball. It is through the game that we hope that memories are provided for a lifetime and beyond.
I know my Dad did for me and if he could see what Throwzone Academy has done for thousands of players over the past 17 years I can thank him for it!
Until next time…..
Jim Wagner
Jim Wagner's ThrowZone Academy 