The Essence of Being a Great Teammate

[Ken Krause]

There have been tons of books and articles written instructing players on how to be a great teammate. Many of them talk about things like cheering loudly in the dugout or communicating well or standing up for a teammate if he/she is verbally or even physically attacked. But one of the best things you can […]

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[Cannonball]

Ken, I could literally write a book on great teammates. I'll share one example. When I was an AC in baseball and coaching one of the top teams in the US, we had a young man try out in bare feet. He has some condition that causes his feet to blister if he is in a traditional shoe. Therefore, he wore flip-flops all year long. (Epidermolysis bullosa mild version) I had to look the genetic condition up. It can cause both the feet and palms of the hands to blister. He didn't have a problem with his hands but his feet were horrible. He told the coaching staff that he just wanted to be a part of a team for once and he loved baseball. He said he threw all of the time against a wall and had skills. We kept him on the team. Naturally, this team had top-level talent and he was not going to see the field. He knew that when we kept him. One day, he comes to me and tells me he had the cage set up to throw BP. I was in charge of BP and threw on the field. We used machines in the cages. He said he could throw strikes. We let him try it. He was GOOD. We brought in a carpet and a pad under it for him to step on and he did have to stop sometimes when his foot opened up. Our kids learned a lot about the love of the game and dedication from him.