Kevin Birchfield

The Sound of a Losing Culture. I hear it in the dugout during games. A player strikes out looking on a borderline pitch. He walks back to the bench tosses his bat and starts the script: "Blue has a flight to catch," or "The sun was right in my eyes." The coach nods just to stop the noise. The teammates shrug because they do it too. But the standard of the program just dropped another inch. You think you’re just "venting." Everyone else sees a player who is too soft to own his failure. The 3 Lefts Mental Audit: • The Excuse Subsidy: Every time you blame the umpire, the sun, or the mound you are paying a tax on your own development. If it’s someone else’s fault you don't have to fix anything. And if you don't fix anything you stay exactly where you are Average. • The "Main Character" Delusion: The sun is hitting the pitcher’s eyes too. The umpire is missing calls for both sides. The game isn't out to get you it just doesn't care about you. Stop acting like the world is conspiring against your batting average. • The Respect Gap: You want your teammates to trust you in the 7th inning. Then stop acting like a victim in the 2nd. Real leaders don't look for someone to blame they look for a way to adjust. The game doesn't reward the player with the best reason It rewards the player who makes the most adjustments. If you want to be treated like an elite ballplayer, start acting like one when things go wrong. High-level players don't have bad luck they have short memories and a plan for the next pitch. Average players want the world to be fair. Ballplayers realize the dirt is dirty and they keep digging anyway. Stop auditioning for the victim role. Nobody is buying tickets to that show. #3LeftsBaseball #BaseballIQ