1 00:00:03,680 --> 00:00:06,120 Speaker 1: I'm I'm gonna tell you the best picture to ever 2 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:09,559 Speaker 1: play at Vanderbilt University. I found in a summer league 3 00:00:09,600 --> 00:00:12,680 Speaker 1: playing shortstop, and that was a six ft five left 4 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:18,680 Speaker 1: handed picture named David Christ. The bottom line is our 5 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 1: attraction to him was that he was a baseball player, 6 00:00:22,079 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 1: and then he became a picture. This is the Reformed 7 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:31,800 Speaker 1: Sports Project, a podcast about restoring healthy balance and perspective 8 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:38,440 Speaker 1: in all areas of sports through education and advocacy. Hi, 9 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 1: this is Nick Bonacoor from the Reformed Sports Project podcast. 10 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:44,120 Speaker 1: Today's guest is the head baseball coach of the two 11 00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:48,400 Speaker 1: time n C Double A National champion, Vanderbilt University. Commodore's 12 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:51,560 Speaker 1: Tim Corbin. Coach Corbin and I dig into a host 13 00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:55,160 Speaker 1: of topics all pertaining to youth sports, from sports parenting 14 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:58,520 Speaker 1: to early sports specialization, and why Coach Corbyn has a 15 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 1: passion for being able to be crue multi sport athletes. 16 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:05,520 Speaker 1: Will also dig into Coach Corbin and my unique experience 17 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:08,600 Speaker 1: as Division three athletes and how that Division three experience 18 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:11,840 Speaker 1: help shape the rest of our lives. Coach, thank you 19 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:14,600 Speaker 1: so much for hopping on at my pleasure. Next, thank you, 20 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:16,920 Speaker 1: I'm just gonna get down to them as someone who's 21 00:01:16,959 --> 00:01:19,120 Speaker 1: spent to the highest levels and coach guys who have 22 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:20,840 Speaker 1: played at the highest levels. You know, and you're a 23 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:23,600 Speaker 1: parent and all that stuff yourself. When you look at 24 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 1: youth sports, the culture of youth sports, say what concerns 25 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:30,800 Speaker 1: you the most as a collegiate coach in apparent when 26 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:33,120 Speaker 1: you look at youth sports today. When I look at 27 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:36,480 Speaker 1: youth sports as a whole, it's someone who's advocating for 28 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:39,320 Speaker 1: the kids themselves. You think about what the kids are 29 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: doing on playing fields or playing courts, and a lot 30 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:46,399 Speaker 1: of what they're doing are largely the interests of adults. 31 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:49,560 Speaker 1: Adults are making the decisions for the children themselves, so 32 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:52,520 Speaker 1: the children are only going to follow the paths of 33 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:55,400 Speaker 1: which the adults put them in. And I think us 34 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:58,440 Speaker 1: as adults, and you hope in a lot of cases, 35 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 1: prudent adults, especially people that work with athletes every day, 36 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 1: you can look at those kids and say, Okay, this 37 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:08,600 Speaker 1: is a six year old, or this is an eight 38 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:10,800 Speaker 1: year old, and this is a ten year old, and yes, 39 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:13,520 Speaker 1: you want them outside, and yes you want them active, 40 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:16,520 Speaker 1: but at the same time, there's a certain level of 41 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:20,760 Speaker 1: time and volume that that you want to give children 42 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:24,360 Speaker 1: and then at some certain time pull back. And I 43 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:27,919 Speaker 1: think our restrictive measures have certainly lessened through the years. 44 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:33,480 Speaker 1: There's more activity in certain concentrated areas rather than maybe 45 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:35,480 Speaker 1: an eight or nine or ten year old being able 46 00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:40,320 Speaker 1: to do other things or explore other sports. And I've 47 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:42,400 Speaker 1: got to see in it as a coach, and certainly 48 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:45,360 Speaker 1: have got to see it as as a stepparent. You know, 49 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:47,880 Speaker 1: when I married my wife, I thought my wife was 50 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:51,160 Speaker 1: a very good parent with her girls in terms of 51 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:53,480 Speaker 1: what she was giving them, and she was just giving 52 00:02:53,520 --> 00:02:55,840 Speaker 1: them a lot of opportunities. But what she was trying 53 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:58,720 Speaker 1: to do is facilitate and try to find their passion, 54 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:01,440 Speaker 1: whether it was music, whether it was soccer, whether it 55 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:03,960 Speaker 1: was tennis. And the thing that she didn't do is 56 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:07,120 Speaker 1: she didn't force feed them on something that she did, 57 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:10,480 Speaker 1: which was tennis. The younger one ended up becoming a 58 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:13,440 Speaker 1: college tennis player, but Maggie was a very you know, 59 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:15,880 Speaker 1: an All American tennis player herself. But she just didn't 60 00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:18,639 Speaker 1: send her girls down that path because it pleased her. 61 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:22,519 Speaker 1: She really wanted them to see and open up opportunities 62 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:24,680 Speaker 1: for them and try to find their passion. And I 63 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:26,240 Speaker 1: think she did a great job of it. But I 64 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:29,040 Speaker 1: think that's that's where we are. There's too much concentration 65 00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:32,400 Speaker 1: and certain areas for kids that places a high amount 66 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 1: of volume on them, and so much so that they 67 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:37,760 Speaker 1: a lot of times mentally and physically can't handle it. 68 00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:41,160 Speaker 1: I started playing baseball. I'm talking about regular baseball, and 69 00:03:41,200 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 1: I was seven years old. I never played T ball. 70 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:46,160 Speaker 1: And I've actually heard parents, I swear, by God, I've 71 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:48,640 Speaker 1: heard this. I've heard parents say, I've brought my kid 72 00:03:48,640 --> 00:03:51,200 Speaker 1: out there to play, you know, machine pitch baseball. They're 73 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:53,520 Speaker 1: too far behind. These other kids are too good. They 74 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:56,360 Speaker 1: can't play baseball anymore. And my hand goes to my head. 75 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 1: I'm like, there's seven, you know, but there's kids that 76 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:04,000 Speaker 1: are being told by someone somewhere somehow that they need 77 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:06,080 Speaker 1: to do one thing and one thing only if they 78 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 1: even want to have a chance to go to let's 79 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:11,920 Speaker 1: say play forget about it, just to play in college. 80 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:15,640 Speaker 1: What's your take on early sports specialization and it's pre puberty, 81 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:18,280 Speaker 1: but let's use twelve view twelve you what are your 82 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:21,600 Speaker 1: thoughts about specializing at those early ages from one hundred 83 00:04:21,960 --> 00:04:24,720 Speaker 1: or two hundred or three hundred whatever percentage you want 84 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:27,600 Speaker 1: to put on it above one hundred against it percent 85 00:04:27,640 --> 00:04:30,920 Speaker 1: against it. I don't feel that at that age right there, 86 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:34,839 Speaker 1: a young man should specialize, or young woman for that matter, 87 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:40,040 Speaker 1: specialized in any certain area because there's, first off, the 88 00:04:40,040 --> 00:04:43,440 Speaker 1: most important piece of this is the brain needs a 89 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:47,640 Speaker 1: chance to reset. And if you're involving yourself just in 90 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:51,800 Speaker 1: one concentrated area, there's kind of a given a take. Yes, 91 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:53,840 Speaker 1: you're spending a lot of time in that one area, 92 00:04:54,279 --> 00:04:55,880 Speaker 1: but then I think there's a lot of time to 93 00:04:56,080 --> 00:04:58,760 Speaker 1: where you think you're getting better when actually you're not 94 00:04:58,839 --> 00:05:01,919 Speaker 1: getting better because you're body in your brain. They start 95 00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:04,680 Speaker 1: to go into cruise control just because they do it 96 00:05:04,800 --> 00:05:08,720 Speaker 1: so much that their focus and their level of attention 97 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:12,440 Speaker 1: and their level of care for the repetitions that they're 98 00:05:12,440 --> 00:05:15,239 Speaker 1: doing inside of that sport are at the same level 99 00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:17,320 Speaker 1: as if they were removed from it for a certain 100 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:19,720 Speaker 1: amount of time where they were hungry to go back 101 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:21,800 Speaker 1: into it. And I think, you know, even at the 102 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:24,279 Speaker 1: college level, we take the ball and the bat away 103 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:26,280 Speaker 1: from our players. We just do it, and we do 104 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:31,120 Speaker 1: it because we know that they cannot sustain even at eighteen, 105 00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:34,400 Speaker 1: nineteen and twenty years of age twelve months out of 106 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:37,200 Speaker 1: year doing the same thing and think that they're going 107 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:40,000 Speaker 1: to improve. The brain needs to decompress, the body needs 108 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:42,520 Speaker 1: to decompress, and even if it's doing something else. But 109 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:45,840 Speaker 1: you're talking to someone who was a three sport athlete 110 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:49,880 Speaker 1: himself in high school. And our mission as a as 111 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:53,280 Speaker 1: a staff is to find multi sport athletes that play 112 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:57,159 Speaker 1: other things besides baseball in recruiting. So yeah, I'm dead 113 00:05:57,160 --> 00:05:59,680 Speaker 1: set against it. I hear this all the time, and 114 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:02,200 Speaker 1: interesting because it always comes from a lot of times 115 00:06:02,200 --> 00:06:04,480 Speaker 1: from people who hadn't played a sport past high school, 116 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:07,680 Speaker 1: but they are convinced because I've yet to speak to 117 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:10,279 Speaker 1: a professional athlete who's and this goes for Michael Phelps, 118 00:06:10,640 --> 00:06:13,920 Speaker 1: who specialized that one thing before they were twelve years old, 119 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:16,240 Speaker 1: and he tabbled and other things when he was younger. 120 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:20,159 Speaker 1: But I often hear people say, the only way to 121 00:06:20,279 --> 00:06:22,240 Speaker 1: even get and I'm gonna go up to high school 122 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:24,920 Speaker 1: and talk about recruiting a little you can't get seen. 123 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:28,560 Speaker 1: No college coaches can see multi sport athletes. Their rosters 124 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:31,400 Speaker 1: are riddled with specialists, so they're talking out of both 125 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:34,200 Speaker 1: sides of their mouth. So I hear that and I go, well, 126 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:36,840 Speaker 1: I think that's just a product of the environment, right, 127 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:38,360 Speaker 1: But you tell me, is it harder to be a 128 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:41,680 Speaker 1: multi sport athlete today? What's the reason for the search? 129 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:43,480 Speaker 1: Because I feel like when I was coming up, that 130 00:06:43,520 --> 00:06:45,320 Speaker 1: was the norm. You played baseball, then you went to 131 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:49,040 Speaker 1: basketball or football. What what's changed. What's changed is the 132 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:54,039 Speaker 1: coaches and the parents themselves. The coaches want exclusive rights 133 00:06:54,120 --> 00:06:57,440 Speaker 1: to a kid if they feel like he's going to 134 00:06:57,480 --> 00:06:59,760 Speaker 1: be good at that sport. And you know, there's some 135 00:06:59,839 --> 00:07:02,480 Speaker 1: of it I understand, But at the same time, if 136 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:05,120 Speaker 1: a young man, and I'm doing a quarterback study right 137 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:07,359 Speaker 1: now on all the quarterbacks who are eligible for the 138 00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:10,120 Speaker 1: NFL Draft, and I look at every single one of them, 139 00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:13,520 Speaker 1: and all of them at age twelve, thirteen, fourteen, or 140 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:17,480 Speaker 1: fifteen played three sports minimum, and then as they got 141 00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:20,920 Speaker 1: into sixteen and seventeen, they started moving into an area 142 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:24,800 Speaker 1: exclusively just as a football player. And even some of 143 00:07:24,840 --> 00:07:28,440 Speaker 1: them still retained two to three other sports and still 144 00:07:28,440 --> 00:07:30,640 Speaker 1: played those up until their senior year. But I think 145 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:33,320 Speaker 1: it's the pressures that we just put on them as adults. 146 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:36,240 Speaker 1: We want their time, especially if they're good, and we 147 00:07:36,280 --> 00:07:38,400 Speaker 1: want them in the summer months maybe to learn the 148 00:07:38,400 --> 00:07:42,440 Speaker 1: playbook or we need them over here, when in essence, 149 00:07:42,480 --> 00:07:46,040 Speaker 1: really it's allowing the player himself to do the things 150 00:07:46,080 --> 00:07:48,160 Speaker 1: that he needs to do to find his passion and 151 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:50,560 Speaker 1: to get better, because I and a lot of times 152 00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:54,960 Speaker 1: you're getting a lot better at baseball. If you're playing basketball, 153 00:07:55,080 --> 00:07:58,239 Speaker 1: you're your athletic skills are growing, You're becoming more nimble, 154 00:07:58,320 --> 00:08:01,800 Speaker 1: you're becoming more aware of space awareness on a basketball court, 155 00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:03,840 Speaker 1: which really helps you as a baseball player once you 156 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:05,560 Speaker 1: get on the basis, and so on and so on. 157 00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:08,840 Speaker 1: So there's so many transitional skills that are learned in 158 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:12,840 Speaker 1: other sports that just slow over to the game of baseball. 159 00:08:12,880 --> 00:08:15,200 Speaker 1: And I'm speaking to baseball because on a baseball coach 160 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:19,040 Speaker 1: because of it. But baseball is a very stationary sport 161 00:08:19,440 --> 00:08:22,800 Speaker 1: for a long period of time until the game becomes 162 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:25,760 Speaker 1: more skilled. The game becomes more skilled at fifteen, sixty 163 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:29,280 Speaker 1: and seventeen, but even then it's a stationary sport. And 164 00:08:29,320 --> 00:08:32,440 Speaker 1: I just feel like there's a lot of transitional skills 165 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:34,760 Speaker 1: you can learn by playing other sports, and should play 166 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:37,960 Speaker 1: other sports. Jim Calhoun's on our advisory board to right, 167 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:41,200 Speaker 1: you know Calhoun kon Yes, Yeah, he said. When we 168 00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:43,040 Speaker 1: talked about this, I said, Coach, what do you think 169 00:08:43,040 --> 00:08:46,760 Speaker 1: of the biggest benefit in your mind from multi sport participation? 170 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:49,160 Speaker 1: And he said his belief is it teaches you waste 171 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:52,920 Speaker 1: to be competitive in multiple ways, to compete in multiple ways. 172 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:55,160 Speaker 1: And when I talked to Coach Fox, he had talked 173 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:57,200 Speaker 1: about Nick, go to our field in the middle of 174 00:08:57,240 --> 00:09:00,000 Speaker 1: the summer, there's travel teams, there's games taking place all 175 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:02,520 Speaker 1: the time. Because I hear often there's so many games 176 00:09:02,559 --> 00:09:05,400 Speaker 1: being played all year along a hundred degrees that their 177 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:08,040 Speaker 1: competitiveness kind of goes out the window. Do you believe 178 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:12,520 Speaker 1: that keeping distance between sports keeps that hunger right? Like? 179 00:09:12,559 --> 00:09:14,440 Speaker 1: I know when I said I didn't love football, I 180 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:17,079 Speaker 1: liked it, but I love baseball. But now I look 181 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:19,920 Speaker 1: back and I think playing football made me more hungry 182 00:09:19,920 --> 00:09:21,600 Speaker 1: to get on the baseball field. Do you think there's 183 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:25,839 Speaker 1: a correlation there and competitiveness. Well, yeah, and the competitiveness 184 00:09:25,960 --> 00:09:29,400 Speaker 1: is derived from your emotional feelings towards the people who 185 00:09:29,400 --> 00:09:32,520 Speaker 1: are playing next to you. And that's what sport does. 186 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:36,640 Speaker 1: It integrates our personalities into one another. And and from 187 00:09:36,679 --> 00:09:39,480 Speaker 1: a baseball mode, that's kind of the amateur setting, right, 188 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:44,400 Speaker 1: now kids are auditioning, they're not necessarily competing. When you 189 00:09:44,559 --> 00:09:47,559 Speaker 1: run from a showcase to a showcase to a showcase, 190 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:51,080 Speaker 1: you're doing it to serve yourself. You're not doing it 191 00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:54,280 Speaker 1: because it serves nine other people. Are twelve other people 192 00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:56,720 Speaker 1: that you're doing it with. When you jump on a 193 00:09:56,760 --> 00:09:59,040 Speaker 1: field on a Friday night under the lights in front 194 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:01,800 Speaker 1: of people to place the ball, you're doing it for 195 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:05,040 Speaker 1: other people. And when you do what you do, no 196 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:07,640 Speaker 1: matter what it is, you do it better when you 197 00:10:07,720 --> 00:10:11,200 Speaker 1: do it for other people outside of yourself. And that's 198 00:10:11,240 --> 00:10:14,880 Speaker 1: the most important thing that sport does is it makes 199 00:10:14,880 --> 00:10:19,120 Speaker 1: it emotional for us to where our personality start unifying 200 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:22,720 Speaker 1: together in order to build an energy system that allows 201 00:10:22,800 --> 00:10:24,880 Speaker 1: us to have more fun inside the game. But it 202 00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:27,640 Speaker 1: allows us to create a spirit. It allows us to 203 00:10:27,679 --> 00:10:32,559 Speaker 1: build some competitiveness. But competitiveness is built on doing something 204 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:36,559 Speaker 1: with other people, and when you do something individually, not 205 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:38,480 Speaker 1: saying you can't have fun at it, and not saying 206 00:10:38,520 --> 00:10:41,040 Speaker 1: you can't be good at it. But it's not as fulfilling. 207 00:10:41,160 --> 00:10:43,720 Speaker 1: There's no way it's just fulfilling. And I think every 208 00:10:43,760 --> 00:10:46,120 Speaker 1: coach would tell you that it's more fulfilling when you 209 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:48,679 Speaker 1: do something as a group rather than when you do 210 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:52,120 Speaker 1: it individually. And that's what playing other sports allows you 211 00:10:52,160 --> 00:10:54,120 Speaker 1: to do well. I want to shift gears a little bit, 212 00:10:54,120 --> 00:10:56,720 Speaker 1: and I see a lot, especially on social media, but 213 00:10:56,760 --> 00:11:00,319 Speaker 1: there's a lot of baseball twitter right pitching guru, hitting ruin. 214 00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:02,640 Speaker 1: When I talked to coach back at folks specifically on 215 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:05,960 Speaker 1: this saying kids should be throwing hard. You know, young 216 00:11:06,040 --> 00:11:08,319 Speaker 1: kids twelve and unders should be playing right, just going 217 00:11:08,360 --> 00:11:11,000 Speaker 1: out and playing and testing their bodies. Is there a 218 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:15,760 Speaker 1: benefit to building a swing or formulating a spin rate, 219 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:18,120 Speaker 1: launching was all those things for young kids? Because I 220 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:20,360 Speaker 1: hear those metrics all the time, and I'm wondering are 221 00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:23,960 Speaker 1: they beneficial for young twelve you kids know I I 222 00:11:24,040 --> 00:11:26,800 Speaker 1: don't think it's necessary at that age. I think what's 223 00:11:26,800 --> 00:11:30,359 Speaker 1: necessary at that age is it's just overall skilled development 224 00:11:30,520 --> 00:11:32,360 Speaker 1: is learning how to be a baseball player. And I said, 225 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:34,520 Speaker 1: learned how to be a baseball player. To be honest 226 00:11:34,520 --> 00:11:36,560 Speaker 1: with you, Nick, I didn't know what a PO was 227 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:39,400 Speaker 1: six years ago. When someone in my camp said my 228 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:42,520 Speaker 1: son's a p O, I didn't even I didn't even 229 00:11:42,600 --> 00:11:44,959 Speaker 1: answer the question because I didn't know. I don't know 230 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:49,040 Speaker 1: what it's a it's a picture only, and and that's 231 00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:51,439 Speaker 1: how I felt. So I was embarrassed because I didn't 232 00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:53,840 Speaker 1: know it. So I just didn't answer the question. I 233 00:11:53,920 --> 00:11:55,960 Speaker 1: just nodded my head and I said, that's fine. But 234 00:11:56,080 --> 00:11:58,760 Speaker 1: once I start to understand what pos were, I'm thinking 235 00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:02,280 Speaker 1: to myself of baseball player is a baseball player. Baseball 236 00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:05,680 Speaker 1: player is someone that at that age, anyway, ten eleven, 237 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:09,520 Speaker 1: twelve thirteen, you get to a field and it's almost 238 00:12:09,559 --> 00:12:13,840 Speaker 1: like you could open your equipment bag and any glove 239 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:16,160 Speaker 1: could follow. And I'm not to say that parents should 240 00:12:16,160 --> 00:12:18,560 Speaker 1: buy their kids three gloves, because they shouldn't, but it's 241 00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:21,840 Speaker 1: just like, Okay, my mindset is, I'm a baseball player, coach. 242 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:24,320 Speaker 1: I could play first base, I can play second, I 243 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:26,320 Speaker 1: can play short. And you're for your left handed you know, 244 00:12:26,440 --> 00:12:28,840 Speaker 1: there's only certain positions you can play. But I'm gonna 245 00:12:28,880 --> 00:12:32,040 Speaker 1: tell you the best picture to ever play at Vanderbilt University, 246 00:12:32,400 --> 00:12:35,280 Speaker 1: I found in a summer league playing shortstop, and that 247 00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:38,280 Speaker 1: was a six ft five left handed picture named David Price. 248 00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:41,040 Speaker 1: And he was playing shortstop in a summer league. But 249 00:12:41,400 --> 00:12:44,280 Speaker 1: the bottom line is our attraction to him was that 250 00:12:44,360 --> 00:12:47,360 Speaker 1: he was a baseball player, and then he became a pitcher. 251 00:12:47,360 --> 00:12:49,640 Speaker 1: And I think when you start to see kids that 252 00:12:49,679 --> 00:12:52,880 Speaker 1: are baseball players first that start to move in the 253 00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:55,920 Speaker 1: direction of certain positions, that's okay. But even if you're 254 00:12:55,920 --> 00:12:58,200 Speaker 1: a position guy, if you come into as Vanderbilt as 255 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:01,280 Speaker 1: a shortstop, it's most likely you're going to move to 256 00:13:01,400 --> 00:13:03,960 Speaker 1: another position on the field. It's just the way it is. 257 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:07,240 Speaker 1: You can't have fifteen shortstops. A lot of times they're 258 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:09,800 Speaker 1: the best athlete, but they've also done other things on 259 00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:13,080 Speaker 1: the field. So to that point, no, I think specialization, 260 00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:15,640 Speaker 1: even from a position, is a mistake at that age, 261 00:13:15,640 --> 00:13:21,359 Speaker 1: and numbers identifying kids with spin rates and angles not necessary. 262 00:13:21,400 --> 00:13:23,920 Speaker 1: Kids don't need to be saddled down with those types 263 00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:26,400 Speaker 1: of thoughts. Those are for parents. Those are for adults, 264 00:13:26,720 --> 00:13:28,920 Speaker 1: and even for adults and parents, they don't need him 265 00:13:28,960 --> 00:13:31,960 Speaker 1: at that age. I'm gonna ask you characteristics that you 266 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:35,600 Speaker 1: look for in the recruiting process outside of the obviously 267 00:13:35,679 --> 00:13:39,640 Speaker 1: skill set. How important is being a great teammate and 268 00:13:40,040 --> 00:13:43,559 Speaker 1: having tremendous character are they are they high up on 269 00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:45,839 Speaker 1: the list or is it all about well, this kid throw, 270 00:13:46,559 --> 00:13:48,320 Speaker 1: this kid hits it. You know what? Where do the 271 00:13:48,400 --> 00:13:50,480 Speaker 1: rankings come as far as a kid that you want 272 00:13:50,520 --> 00:13:53,959 Speaker 1: to have complay a Vandabile university. Those are essential components 273 00:13:53,960 --> 00:13:56,600 Speaker 1: of kids that we want inside of our program. They're 274 00:13:56,720 --> 00:13:59,079 Speaker 1: very essential, and I think you can find out right 275 00:13:59,080 --> 00:14:02,720 Speaker 1: away when you're communicating with kids on how they feel 276 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:06,400 Speaker 1: about those components. When a young man has those types 277 00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:10,920 Speaker 1: of fibers, it accentuates the skill sets that he has physically, 278 00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:14,320 Speaker 1: but the physical skill sets that are void of those 279 00:14:14,360 --> 00:14:18,839 Speaker 1: components right there, it just makes an individual less satisfying, 280 00:14:18,880 --> 00:14:21,560 Speaker 1: at least in this world. We want kids that really 281 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:26,320 Speaker 1: enjoy being part of something where it's bigger than themselves, 282 00:14:26,320 --> 00:14:29,560 Speaker 1: it's more special than themselves. That makes the experience whole. 283 00:14:30,120 --> 00:14:33,000 Speaker 1: And I think being patient as a player and understanding 284 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:36,080 Speaker 1: that I'm going into this program and it may mean 285 00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:38,880 Speaker 1: that I'm not active on the field and I'm not 286 00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:41,640 Speaker 1: a participant right away. It may mean that it takes 287 00:14:41,640 --> 00:14:43,960 Speaker 1: me a year, it may take two years. They have 288 00:14:44,120 --> 00:14:46,880 Speaker 1: to be fine with that. It doesn't lessen their competitiveness 289 00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:49,920 Speaker 1: or make them less hungryous, just that I understand. I 290 00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:52,720 Speaker 1: became part of this program because I understood it was 291 00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:55,280 Speaker 1: gonna be tough. And I also have to have a 292 00:14:55,400 --> 00:14:58,320 Speaker 1: level of patients in order to be able to play 293 00:14:58,320 --> 00:15:00,480 Speaker 1: here and understand that it's very difficult to play as 294 00:15:00,520 --> 00:15:04,800 Speaker 1: a freshman. So I would say character traits, patients, and 295 00:15:05,040 --> 00:15:08,840 Speaker 1: the feeling of unification to do something as a whole 296 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:13,200 Speaker 1: is a is an extreme interest of ours. When we're 297 00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:16,040 Speaker 1: recruiting a young man, you have two kids in front 298 00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:18,280 Speaker 1: of you. You know, both very good. You know athletes 299 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:21,840 Speaker 1: can play physically at Vanderbilt University. One has played strictly 300 00:15:21,880 --> 00:15:24,360 Speaker 1: baseball off the time they were a freshman of high school. 301 00:15:24,360 --> 00:15:26,720 Speaker 1: Ones a multi sport athlete. Is there one you prefer 302 00:15:26,800 --> 00:15:29,480 Speaker 1: and everything else being equal, and you have to pick one, 303 00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:32,160 Speaker 1: where do you go if they're the same. If they're 304 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:34,080 Speaker 1: the same, ones a multi sport athlete and one's a 305 00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:38,160 Speaker 1: baseball well, the easy answer would be the multi sport 306 00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:40,520 Speaker 1: athlete because of his growth. But the first thing I 307 00:15:40,560 --> 00:15:42,560 Speaker 1: would do is I would take the guy with the 308 00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:44,840 Speaker 1: what we just got done talking about, I would take 309 00:15:44,880 --> 00:15:47,880 Speaker 1: the take the young man with the fibers and the 310 00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:50,880 Speaker 1: personality traits that I'm looking for. First, I think the 311 00:15:50,960 --> 00:15:54,600 Speaker 1: human qualities of a player. If there's a sameness to them. 312 00:15:54,640 --> 00:15:57,080 Speaker 1: They both have the same skill sets, I'm always moved 313 00:15:57,120 --> 00:15:59,920 Speaker 1: towards the personality and the character traits of the young man. 314 00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:03,560 Speaker 1: And now if if you're just identifying and that isn't 315 00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:06,000 Speaker 1: part of the equation, that I'm always going to move 316 00:16:06,080 --> 00:16:08,720 Speaker 1: towards the multi sport athlete just because I think he's 317 00:16:08,800 --> 00:16:13,000 Speaker 1: been exposed to more team play. More team play, I 318 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:16,440 Speaker 1: would say, in most cases brings out the team qualities 319 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:19,080 Speaker 1: of a young kid, and those are essential, as I said, 320 00:16:19,120 --> 00:16:22,960 Speaker 1: inside our environment. And you mentioned more upside potentially, do 321 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:25,640 Speaker 1: you think that's because they hadn't specialized yet that if 322 00:16:25,680 --> 00:16:29,160 Speaker 1: they do when they dial into college, is potentially more upside. Yeah. 323 00:16:29,160 --> 00:16:31,320 Speaker 1: And I think they've got improv skills. I think the 324 00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:34,080 Speaker 1: thing about being an athlete, as you improvise your whole life. 325 00:16:34,120 --> 00:16:37,280 Speaker 1: You you make up things along the way because you can. 326 00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:40,240 Speaker 1: And I think when you learn how to improvise on 327 00:16:40,280 --> 00:16:43,600 Speaker 1: a field of play, you're not so mechanical. You have 328 00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:47,520 Speaker 1: some instincts, and the instincts are derived from playing another sport. 329 00:16:47,520 --> 00:16:50,640 Speaker 1: If I'm a basketball player and I shoot a shot, 330 00:16:50,680 --> 00:16:53,080 Speaker 1: and I see the shot leave my fingertips and I 331 00:16:53,120 --> 00:16:55,360 Speaker 1: know it's headed to the right side of the rim, 332 00:16:55,400 --> 00:16:58,600 Speaker 1: I'm already moving towards the right side of the court, 333 00:16:58,640 --> 00:17:02,680 Speaker 1: anticipating the ball going to bounce that way. That's an instinct. 334 00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:06,160 Speaker 1: But if I don't play basketball, then I don't pick 335 00:17:06,280 --> 00:17:10,919 Speaker 1: up that one specific instinct. And those instincts all transition, 336 00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:14,080 Speaker 1: they all run together. Whether it's catching skills when you're 337 00:17:14,080 --> 00:17:16,400 Speaker 1: on a football field, whether it's blocking skills when you're 338 00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:19,560 Speaker 1: on a football field well, whether it's learning angles, whether 339 00:17:19,600 --> 00:17:23,399 Speaker 1: it's learning movements and your ability to move your hips 340 00:17:23,480 --> 00:17:25,880 Speaker 1: or move your feet in a certain way. You can 341 00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:28,679 Speaker 1: only gain those things by doing other things. And if 342 00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:30,640 Speaker 1: you just play baseball, you're gonna miss out a lot 343 00:17:30,680 --> 00:17:33,720 Speaker 1: of those skills that are needed as you grow inside 344 00:17:33,720 --> 00:17:35,560 Speaker 1: the game of baseball that you're going to see as 345 00:17:35,560 --> 00:17:38,040 Speaker 1: you start to get older and you start playing deeper 346 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:40,520 Speaker 1: into your career. What would be your advice to a 347 00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:42,639 Speaker 1: parent of a kid is twelve years old. You know 348 00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:45,919 Speaker 1: they're fighting that all the travel organization says, well, if 349 00:17:45,920 --> 00:17:47,480 Speaker 1: you don't do this, you may lose your spot, but 350 00:17:47,560 --> 00:17:49,639 Speaker 1: their kid likes to play different things. What would be 351 00:17:49,640 --> 00:17:51,960 Speaker 1: a thirty second piece of advice to a parent of 352 00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:55,200 Speaker 1: a young athlete today? Release the opportunity to your child 353 00:17:55,480 --> 00:17:58,160 Speaker 1: be a teammate to your child. Don't look above them 354 00:17:58,160 --> 00:18:00,240 Speaker 1: and don't talk above them. Be a teammate to your 355 00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:03,800 Speaker 1: child by opening doors for them, Be a facilitator, and 356 00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:06,200 Speaker 1: then let them take it from there. Let them carry 357 00:18:06,240 --> 00:18:08,560 Speaker 1: the torch. I think any time that we want to 358 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:10,879 Speaker 1: drive the car and take the keys from our kids 359 00:18:11,119 --> 00:18:14,360 Speaker 1: at every single turn, we don't empower them. Your empower 360 00:18:14,400 --> 00:18:17,920 Speaker 1: them by letting them make decisions. And you're standing next 361 00:18:17,960 --> 00:18:20,760 Speaker 1: to him, not standing over him, And I think that's 362 00:18:20,800 --> 00:18:23,560 Speaker 1: so important for a kid. It's just releasing the opportunity 363 00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:27,000 Speaker 1: to child. Let it be his situation, not your situation. 364 00:18:27,920 --> 00:18:31,879 Speaker 1: That's Tim Corbyn, head baseball coach at Vanderbilt University. After 365 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:33,800 Speaker 1: the break, Coach Corbyn and I we'll talk about the 366 00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:37,080 Speaker 1: impact D three has had on Coach Corbyn and how 367 00:18:37,080 --> 00:18:39,040 Speaker 1: it helped him get to where he is today. I'm 368 00:18:39,119 --> 00:18:42,639 Speaker 1: Nick Bonacourt and you're listening to the Reform Sports Project podcast. 369 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:53,879 Speaker 1: Welcome back to the Reform Sports Project podcast. I'm Nick Bonacourt, 370 00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:56,240 Speaker 1: and today we have Tim Corbyn, head baseball coach at 371 00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:59,639 Speaker 1: Vanderbilt University. When we left off, we were discussing the 372 00:18:59,680 --> 00:19:06,159 Speaker 1: upset of multi sport athletes before entering college. You and 373 00:19:06,200 --> 00:19:08,920 Speaker 1: I share a background, but I think it's important to 374 00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:11,639 Speaker 1: talk about, especially today when it comes to you know, 375 00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:14,159 Speaker 1: kids looking to play collegiate sports. There's a D one 376 00:19:14,280 --> 00:19:16,960 Speaker 1: or bust mentality, And I, for one, wouldn't be where 377 00:19:16,960 --> 00:19:19,800 Speaker 1: I am today if we're from my Division three baseball experience. 378 00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:21,920 Speaker 1: Not because I got to play for a legendary coach, 379 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:24,400 Speaker 1: but like Mike Fox for a year and I'm Scott Forbes, 380 00:19:24,440 --> 00:19:26,520 Speaker 1: and you know all these great teammates and friends. When 381 00:19:26,560 --> 00:19:29,080 Speaker 1: a national title, those were all great, but it opened 382 00:19:29,160 --> 00:19:31,760 Speaker 1: up so many doors. And I remember people at times 383 00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:34,120 Speaker 1: still will say like D three, like Coach Fox said, 384 00:19:34,119 --> 00:19:37,480 Speaker 1: this D three is not a synonym for third rate. 385 00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:39,320 Speaker 1: And what I read your story a little bit. I 386 00:19:39,320 --> 00:19:41,840 Speaker 1: want you to talk about what Division three playing and 387 00:19:41,920 --> 00:19:44,800 Speaker 1: the experience meant to you, and most importantly, what doors 388 00:19:44,960 --> 00:19:48,760 Speaker 1: opened up as a result of your experience. Well, I 389 00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:52,520 Speaker 1: think it's the chair I'm sitting in. I mean, long term, 390 00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:55,600 Speaker 1: I ended up in a place because of my Division 391 00:19:55,640 --> 00:19:58,399 Speaker 1: three experience. But I think you have to go back 392 00:19:58,440 --> 00:20:00,560 Speaker 1: and look at why you make those just visions as 393 00:20:00,560 --> 00:20:04,879 Speaker 1: a person, and you get to that point because you 394 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:07,919 Speaker 1: decide what you want out of an experience, do you 395 00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:11,359 Speaker 1: want to go somewhere and have an opportunity to play? 396 00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:13,280 Speaker 1: And I think I, like a lot of kids, wanted 397 00:20:13,320 --> 00:20:15,840 Speaker 1: to play at the highest level. The College World Series 398 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:19,800 Speaker 1: was on TV in the early eighties, and the University 399 00:20:19,800 --> 00:20:22,600 Speaker 1: of Maine was that school that I always aspired to 400 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:26,800 Speaker 1: go to. But the reality was I wasn't the type 401 00:20:26,840 --> 00:20:29,800 Speaker 1: of player that could play there from a skill standpoint, 402 00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:33,680 Speaker 1: and it took a while to understand that. But then 403 00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:35,920 Speaker 1: I had to make the decision do I just want 404 00:20:35,920 --> 00:20:38,240 Speaker 1: to go there and try to walk on and be 405 00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:41,479 Speaker 1: a piece of it or potentially get cut, or do 406 00:20:41,520 --> 00:20:44,760 Speaker 1: I want to go somewhere and have an impact in 407 00:20:44,760 --> 00:20:47,919 Speaker 1: a program where I feel like I can play personally 408 00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:50,000 Speaker 1: and be part of the team. So I chose to 409 00:20:50,040 --> 00:20:53,080 Speaker 1: do that, and by doing that, I opened up other 410 00:20:53,080 --> 00:20:57,520 Speaker 1: opportunities for myself. I was a student coach in football 411 00:20:57,800 --> 00:21:01,760 Speaker 1: as a sophomore, junior, and senior. The assistant coach there 412 00:21:02,119 --> 00:21:04,879 Speaker 1: who happened to be the head coach in baseball gave 413 00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:08,240 Speaker 1: me that opportunity, and also because I was a roommate 414 00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:11,359 Speaker 1: of a couple of football players, so my coaching and 415 00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:14,840 Speaker 1: teaching career actually started while I was in college, while 416 00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:18,920 Speaker 1: I was playing baseball because of a small school experience. 417 00:21:19,160 --> 00:21:22,879 Speaker 1: And I think the interactions that you have people because 418 00:21:22,920 --> 00:21:27,399 Speaker 1: of of a smaller school allow you personal touches that 419 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:32,040 Speaker 1: you might not get if you're not connected to a program. 420 00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:35,400 Speaker 1: And I think when we start looking as kids at situations, 421 00:21:35,800 --> 00:21:39,439 Speaker 1: we get caught up in facilities, We get caught up 422 00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:42,600 Speaker 1: in the glamor of the uniform, We get caught up 423 00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:47,400 Speaker 1: in the size of a crowd. And what we do 424 00:21:47,480 --> 00:21:50,399 Speaker 1: is we don't necessarily are looking at the right things 425 00:21:51,160 --> 00:21:53,199 Speaker 1: and the right things. For me back then, when I 426 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:55,879 Speaker 1: made that decision, that had more to do with a 427 00:21:55,920 --> 00:21:59,480 Speaker 1: personal connection that I didn't think I could get it 428 00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:02,879 Speaker 1: a bigger school because my skill set would not allow 429 00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:06,719 Speaker 1: me to do so. And I don't think it's you know, 430 00:22:06,800 --> 00:22:09,280 Speaker 1: for for kids. And I had this discussion over at 431 00:22:09,280 --> 00:22:12,399 Speaker 1: Montgomery Bell Academy several years ago when the athletic director 432 00:22:12,600 --> 00:22:16,600 Speaker 1: called me in and asked me to speak about my 433 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:19,959 Speaker 1: Division three experience and what it led to because he 434 00:22:20,040 --> 00:22:23,560 Speaker 1: was concerned with kids like yourself that if I'm not 435 00:22:23,640 --> 00:22:26,480 Speaker 1: going to Division one school to play a sport, then 436 00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:29,600 Speaker 1: forget it. And then you have to ask yourself why 437 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:32,199 Speaker 1: you're playing. And I think that the reason I was 438 00:22:32,240 --> 00:22:36,200 Speaker 1: playing because I enjoyed competition and I enjoyed just playing 439 00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:40,480 Speaker 1: a sport. And heaven forbid, you go to a college 440 00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:44,800 Speaker 1: and at eighteen or nineteen, you stopped participating because you 441 00:22:44,840 --> 00:22:48,320 Speaker 1: didn't give yourself an opportunity because the size of the 442 00:22:48,359 --> 00:22:51,400 Speaker 1: school and the fit of the school didn't necessarily fit 443 00:22:51,480 --> 00:22:54,240 Speaker 1: your skill set. So you chose to give up everything 444 00:22:54,720 --> 00:23:00,320 Speaker 1: that had provided you fun, opportunity and relationship bill holding 445 00:23:00,480 --> 00:23:02,920 Speaker 1: that you could have, but you took it away from yourself. 446 00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:05,239 Speaker 1: So I just think, you know, I know that's a 447 00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:08,480 Speaker 1: long winded answer, but you start to look at that 448 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:11,320 Speaker 1: school that I went to, Ohio Wesleyan, much like where 449 00:23:11,359 --> 00:23:14,560 Speaker 1: you went, and I look at all the college coaches, 450 00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:17,120 Speaker 1: and I look at an athletic director and my college 451 00:23:17,400 --> 00:23:20,560 Speaker 1: baseball coach and the assistant coach that gave me that 452 00:23:20,640 --> 00:23:23,119 Speaker 1: opportunity as the general manager of the Pittsburgh Steelers the 453 00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:27,440 Speaker 1: last twenty years. So these small college people, now we're 454 00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:31,480 Speaker 1: all Division one coaches, Division one athletic directors in professional sport, 455 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:34,239 Speaker 1: and you have to ask yourself, if they played at 456 00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:37,840 Speaker 1: a higher level, what they have been granted the same opportunities. Well, 457 00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:40,399 Speaker 1: you never know, but at the same time, I know 458 00:23:40,480 --> 00:23:42,640 Speaker 1: I never would have had this. I used to hear 459 00:23:42,920 --> 00:23:46,359 Speaker 1: people say, in order to go play Vanderbilt, people read 460 00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:48,920 Speaker 1: the headlines on social media and they see D one 461 00:23:48,920 --> 00:23:51,400 Speaker 1: power five. You know, you gotta start getting recruited. When 462 00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:53,320 Speaker 1: you're an eighth, ninth grade, tenth grader, you don't have 463 00:23:53,359 --> 00:23:55,639 Speaker 1: a shot. And if you go to Juco, you and 464 00:23:55,640 --> 00:23:57,720 Speaker 1: I'm sitting there, I played with three guys at the 465 00:23:57,760 --> 00:23:59,959 Speaker 1: Division three level who had big league careers. I mean 466 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:02,440 Speaker 1: they went to the big leagues, had careers. I mean 467 00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:04,639 Speaker 1: by the time they were juniors. Of course they didn't 468 00:24:04,640 --> 00:24:06,399 Speaker 1: belong at the D three level, but you know that 469 00:24:06,760 --> 00:24:10,360 Speaker 1: besides the point when they were seventeen, like Billy Wagner, 470 00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:14,120 Speaker 1: that guy was throwing the Division three school in my conference. 471 00:24:14,280 --> 00:24:16,960 Speaker 1: Do you think there's a misconception that it's if you're 472 00:24:16,960 --> 00:24:19,560 Speaker 1: not D one you can't get a look because parents 473 00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:21,840 Speaker 1: think or kids here, Oh, if I'm not getting looks 474 00:24:21,880 --> 00:24:24,000 Speaker 1: when I'm a sophomore, you know I'm not gonna make it. 475 00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:25,399 Speaker 1: You know. Could you talk a little bit about that 476 00:24:25,520 --> 00:24:27,920 Speaker 1: speeding up with the recruiting process, how that might because 477 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:30,680 Speaker 1: let's face it, COVID, it's probably gonna make it even 478 00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:33,280 Speaker 1: more challenging just to play at a lower level. Forget 479 00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:37,320 Speaker 1: about you know, a Vanderbilder or you know Power five. 480 00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:39,359 Speaker 1: It's gonna be tough to play anywhere because there's more 481 00:24:39,440 --> 00:24:41,280 Speaker 1: kids and it gets gonna be more challenging. I mean, 482 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:43,639 Speaker 1: what are your thoughts on that. Well, I mean, it 483 00:24:43,800 --> 00:24:46,359 Speaker 1: is a challenge. It's an an obvious challenge. But I 484 00:24:46,480 --> 00:24:49,879 Speaker 1: think the people that can provide the most sense to 485 00:24:49,960 --> 00:24:53,320 Speaker 1: this and can provide a commune effect on this or 486 00:24:53,520 --> 00:24:57,119 Speaker 1: are certainly the parents themselves because they're the older voice. 487 00:24:57,840 --> 00:25:01,080 Speaker 1: And when you have a son or daughter that aspires 488 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:04,720 Speaker 1: to be a collegiate athlete, then I think it's it's 489 00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:07,400 Speaker 1: just the parents duty just to do as much research 490 00:25:07,480 --> 00:25:10,280 Speaker 1: as they possibly tend to help their child, but at 491 00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:13,640 Speaker 1: the same time not get caught up in the processes 492 00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:16,080 Speaker 1: of the people on their left or on their right. 493 00:25:16,240 --> 00:25:19,480 Speaker 1: Everyone runs their own race. Everyone has an individual race 494 00:25:19,640 --> 00:25:22,879 Speaker 1: based on their skill set, based on their growth, and 495 00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:26,920 Speaker 1: that's different. And if you're running a race and your 496 00:25:26,920 --> 00:25:30,760 Speaker 1: focus is what other people are doing around you, then 497 00:25:30,800 --> 00:25:34,160 Speaker 1: you're getting disconnected from your own personal situation and your 498 00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:37,280 Speaker 1: own personal process, and your own personal process is brought 499 00:25:37,359 --> 00:25:41,920 Speaker 1: upon by you just involving yourself and what you want 500 00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:44,720 Speaker 1: to do and how you want to do it. And 501 00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:47,160 Speaker 1: I mean, I think that's the other side of social 502 00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:49,840 Speaker 1: media and the other side of kids today and how 503 00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:54,040 Speaker 1: we operate from a communication standpoint that creates hurdles for us, 504 00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:58,080 Speaker 1: mental hurdles because those aren't real. Twenty thirty years ago, 505 00:25:58,359 --> 00:26:02,480 Speaker 1: people were operating with with communication by landline, by phone, 506 00:26:02,520 --> 00:26:04,960 Speaker 1: and I know that's gone, but at the same time, 507 00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:08,959 Speaker 1: people were disconnected from each other's race. They didn't know 508 00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:11,480 Speaker 1: what was going on. And a lot of times what 509 00:26:11,640 --> 00:26:15,400 Speaker 1: you don't know obviously is good for you. So I 510 00:26:15,440 --> 00:26:18,359 Speaker 1: think as a parent is just to guide your child 511 00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:21,680 Speaker 1: in a way that you can so that they can 512 00:26:21,840 --> 00:26:25,840 Speaker 1: move towards their passion, whatever it is. And if it's playing, 513 00:26:26,160 --> 00:26:29,400 Speaker 1: then guide them towards the situation and a fit where 514 00:26:29,440 --> 00:26:33,159 Speaker 1: they can play. If it's not, then obviously move in 515 00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:37,840 Speaker 1: it in another direction. But being challenged and being interrupted 516 00:26:37,840 --> 00:26:40,800 Speaker 1: in your own process by what other people doing what 517 00:26:40,880 --> 00:26:44,560 Speaker 1: you feel is important other people has nothing to do 518 00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:47,720 Speaker 1: with you. You're you're running your own individual race and 519 00:26:47,760 --> 00:26:49,880 Speaker 1: it you know, it always needs to be that way. 520 00:26:50,040 --> 00:26:52,040 Speaker 1: When I talked to Scott Brown, right, Brownie and and 521 00:26:52,040 --> 00:26:53,960 Speaker 1: and Coach Fox, they both kind of I asked Coach 522 00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:55,920 Speaker 1: Fox this question. I'm gonna ask you a shame on me. 523 00:26:56,040 --> 00:26:57,840 Speaker 1: I don't know if you went to the College World 524 00:26:57,880 --> 00:26:59,840 Speaker 1: Series when you were at Ohio Wesley and if you 525 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:01,359 Speaker 1: and I really don't know, you could tell me here 526 00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:03,200 Speaker 1: in a second. But Coach Fox, when he was at 527 00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:07,280 Speaker 1: North Carolina Wesley, they wanted national title in nine. He 528 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:09,119 Speaker 1: went to a bunch of World Series, but he wanted 529 00:27:09,119 --> 00:27:11,920 Speaker 1: then we wanted the year after he left. And then 530 00:27:11,960 --> 00:27:14,040 Speaker 1: Scott Brown, I mean he went with Courtland to the 531 00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:15,920 Speaker 1: World Series a bunch of times. And Brown he said 532 00:27:15,960 --> 00:27:17,959 Speaker 1: to me, like, that's the same thing we do here 533 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:20,160 Speaker 1: at Vanderbilt. Nick, the same thing that we were trying 534 00:27:20,200 --> 00:27:22,080 Speaker 1: to do. The feelings the same when he was at 535 00:27:22,080 --> 00:27:24,280 Speaker 1: Courtland as it is when we wanted here in Vanderbilt. 536 00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:27,000 Speaker 1: And Coach Fox said the same thing. The feelings the same. 537 00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:29,640 Speaker 1: I mean, winning a national title Division three wasn't any 538 00:27:29,720 --> 00:27:32,960 Speaker 1: less gratifying than going to Omaha. Again. I get it. 539 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:34,840 Speaker 1: When I was a freshman high school, I want to 540 00:27:34,880 --> 00:27:36,320 Speaker 1: go to Miami. I want to go to cal State 541 00:27:36,400 --> 00:27:37,840 Speaker 1: fort I want to go to because that's what I 542 00:27:37,840 --> 00:27:39,800 Speaker 1: saw on TV. I have a little did I know 543 00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:41,600 Speaker 1: I wasn't good enough to play there. But is there 544 00:27:41,600 --> 00:27:45,160 Speaker 1: any difference between the experience at the Division three level 545 00:27:45,440 --> 00:27:48,040 Speaker 1: the things you're chasing versus what you're trying to accomplish 546 00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:51,720 Speaker 1: at Vanderbilt from an emotional and gratification standpoint, Well, I mean, 547 00:27:51,760 --> 00:27:54,639 Speaker 1: you said it. It's a human emotion, and human emotion 548 00:27:54,760 --> 00:27:56,959 Speaker 1: is brought upon by a lot of different doctors in 549 00:27:56,960 --> 00:27:59,720 Speaker 1: our life, and they have nothing to do with the 550 00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:03,000 Speaker 1: eyes of where you're doing it and how you're doing it. 551 00:28:03,320 --> 00:28:05,919 Speaker 1: If the impetus of what you're doing is based around 552 00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:12,320 Speaker 1: relationships and people and helping teams, then it doesn't matter 553 00:28:12,359 --> 00:28:14,840 Speaker 1: where you're going to school, doesn't matter, the size of 554 00:28:14,840 --> 00:28:17,200 Speaker 1: the school, doesn't matter the amount of people that are 555 00:28:17,240 --> 00:28:22,680 Speaker 1: watching you do what you do. You're connected by fibers 556 00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:26,920 Speaker 1: that are emotional, and emotion has nothing to do with 557 00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:31,879 Speaker 1: outside things. Sometimes it gets louder because of other people 558 00:28:32,440 --> 00:28:36,120 Speaker 1: that are sharing that emotion with you. But my thoughts 559 00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:41,560 Speaker 1: and my feelings of what I did it Ohio Wesleyan, good, bad, 560 00:28:41,560 --> 00:28:45,640 Speaker 1: and different have have everything to do with my perspective 561 00:28:45,680 --> 00:28:48,560 Speaker 1: about that situation and no one else's perspective, and that's 562 00:28:48,600 --> 00:28:51,280 Speaker 1: all that matters. It's it's my own personal perspective on 563 00:28:51,360 --> 00:28:53,400 Speaker 1: what I did and how I did it and who 564 00:28:53,440 --> 00:28:56,719 Speaker 1: I was linked to, and I think outside of that nicket, 565 00:28:57,160 --> 00:29:00,720 Speaker 1: it doesn't matter. I think again, when you start thinking 566 00:29:00,800 --> 00:29:03,200 Speaker 1: outside of those things, you're thinking about the wrong things. 567 00:29:03,200 --> 00:29:06,760 Speaker 1: You're looking at the wrong things. It's all about your 568 00:29:06,840 --> 00:29:09,560 Speaker 1: personal feelings towards what you want to do and how 569 00:29:09,600 --> 00:29:11,920 Speaker 1: you want to do it. When I interviewed coach Gilmore 570 00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:13,880 Speaker 1: from Coastal, he said, Nick, you know he coached the 571 00:29:13,960 --> 00:29:15,640 Speaker 1: usc A can for a long time and he said 572 00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:17,680 Speaker 1: to me is quote was, Nick, there's D two teams 573 00:29:17,800 --> 00:29:20,040 Speaker 1: right here in my backyard, meaning in North Carolina or 574 00:29:20,040 --> 00:29:21,680 Speaker 1: South Carolina that I don't want to play. I mean, 575 00:29:21,720 --> 00:29:23,400 Speaker 1: if they throw their best guy, you know, they can 576 00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:25,520 Speaker 1: certainly beat us any given time. And he's like, there's 577 00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:28,000 Speaker 1: junior college teams that they have just as much talent 578 00:29:28,040 --> 00:29:30,600 Speaker 1: as we have. He goes, I get it, Vanderbilts the 579 00:29:30,640 --> 00:29:33,400 Speaker 1: cream of the crop, But do you think a Division 580 00:29:33,440 --> 00:29:36,320 Speaker 1: two team or Division through there's a picture out there 581 00:29:36,360 --> 00:29:38,960 Speaker 1: somewhere that one time can get out there potentially, you know, 582 00:29:39,040 --> 00:29:42,160 Speaker 1: shoving and beat a Vanderbilt. Well you know the answer 583 00:29:42,200 --> 00:29:44,680 Speaker 1: to that, Nick, You know, I just look at the 584 00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:47,560 Speaker 1: third basement for the Tampa bay Rays. I have to 585 00:29:47,560 --> 00:29:49,800 Speaker 1: do is look at a left handed picture named Fleming 586 00:29:49,840 --> 00:29:52,560 Speaker 1: for the Tampa Bay Rays. I mean, those kids. All 587 00:29:52,560 --> 00:29:54,280 Speaker 1: you have to do is go up to the Cape 588 00:29:54,320 --> 00:29:56,360 Speaker 1: Cod League All Star Game during the course of the 589 00:29:56,400 --> 00:29:59,400 Speaker 1: summer and see some of the kids that are on 590 00:29:59,480 --> 00:30:01,959 Speaker 1: that roster or those are Division two players, those are 591 00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:05,560 Speaker 1: Division three players. There's a certain amount of kids because 592 00:30:05,560 --> 00:30:10,600 Speaker 1: of roster sizes in spots that allow kids to play 593 00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:13,880 Speaker 1: Division one baseball and not allow kids to play Division 594 00:30:13,880 --> 00:30:17,200 Speaker 1: one baseball. But the reality is there's Division three players 595 00:30:17,240 --> 00:30:20,320 Speaker 1: that could play Division one baseball, and there's Division one 596 00:30:20,320 --> 00:30:23,520 Speaker 1: baseball players that should be playing Division three baseball. So 597 00:30:23,600 --> 00:30:26,520 Speaker 1: sometimes you get disconnected with where you go and at 598 00:30:26,520 --> 00:30:29,320 Speaker 1: the time that you're at. So I think it's really 599 00:30:29,360 --> 00:30:31,840 Speaker 1: being comfortable with who you are and what you do 600 00:30:31,920 --> 00:30:35,280 Speaker 1: and how you want to do it. Outside of that, again, 601 00:30:35,640 --> 00:30:38,720 Speaker 1: you're running your own personal race, and that's really all 602 00:30:38,720 --> 00:30:42,000 Speaker 1: that matters. I just cannot thank you enough. Hope you 603 00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:44,960 Speaker 1: and your family stay safe. And healthy through this ridiculous 604 00:30:45,040 --> 00:30:47,080 Speaker 1: time or going through. And best of luck once you 605 00:30:47,120 --> 00:30:50,160 Speaker 1: guys start back up with their Vanderbilt Commodores. I'm so 606 00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:52,240 Speaker 1: grateful and humble for you to come on. Thank you 607 00:30:52,320 --> 00:30:56,240 Speaker 1: very much, Nick, I appreciate the opportunity that's Tim Corbyn, 608 00:30:56,360 --> 00:30:59,840 Speaker 1: head baseball coach at Vanderbilt University. Thanks for listening to 609 00:30:59,880 --> 00:31:03,480 Speaker 1: the Reformed Sports Project podcast. I'm Nick Bonacourt and our 610 00:31:03,520 --> 00:31:06,720 Speaker 1: goal is to restore healthy, balance and perspective in all 611 00:31:06,840 --> 00:31:10,960 Speaker 1: areas of sport through education and advocacy. For updates, please 612 00:31:10,960 --> 00:31:14,440 Speaker 1: follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or check out 613 00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:17,320 Speaker 1: our website by searching for the Reform Sports Project