WEBVTT - Ep 106: Patrick Murphy 0:00:03.800 --> 0:00:06.800 In our clubhouse, there's a saying right above the hallway 0:00:06.880 --> 0:00:09.879 to the girls locker room. It says person and bold 0:00:10.000 --> 0:00:13.520 all caps letters and then align and then athlete. So 0:00:13.680 --> 0:00:17.400 person first, athlete second, and the sooner they realize that 0:00:17.480 --> 0:00:20.120 it is the god honest truth that they're more important 0:00:20.120 --> 0:00:22.120 to me as a person than an athlete. That's when 0:00:22.160 --> 0:00:23.400 the magic happens. 0:00:26.640 --> 0:00:29.680 This is the Reform Sports Project, a podcast about restoring 0:00:29.720 --> 0:00:32.919 healthy balance and perspective in all areas of sports through 0:00:33.040 --> 0:00:36.839 education and advocacy. Hi, this is Nick Bonacor from the 0:00:36.880 --> 0:00:40.760 Reform Sports Podcast. My guest today is Patrick Murphy, head 0:00:40.800 --> 0:00:44.159 softball coach at the University of Alabama. Coach Murphy has 0:00:44.159 --> 0:00:46.680 helped build the Crimson Tide program from the very beginning, 0:00:46.840 --> 0:00:49.800 leading the team to a national championship victory, twenty four 0:00:49.880 --> 0:00:54.960 straight NCAA appearances, and seventeen Super regionals. Entering his twenty 0:00:55.000 --> 0:00:57.840 eighth year on the university's coaching staff, Patrick and I 0:00:57.920 --> 0:01:00.840 discuss why the best teams experienced vis curious, joy and 0:01:00.960 --> 0:01:04.240 other people's success, reminding his players that they are people 0:01:04.280 --> 0:01:07.320 first and athlete second, and why he has to saying 0:01:07.360 --> 0:01:10.479 in his program, can you handle thirty seconds? Of embarrassment 0:01:10.800 --> 0:01:13.840 for a lifetime of learning. Man, I got another awesome 0:01:13.880 --> 0:01:17.080 guest super up to have him head softball coach University 0:01:17.120 --> 0:01:19.560 of Alabama coach Pat Murphy, Coach, thanks so much for 0:01:19.600 --> 0:01:20.480 hopping on man. 0:01:20.440 --> 0:01:22.200 Nick, Thanks lot, coach, I got it. 0:01:22.280 --> 0:01:25.640 Mean congratulations Alabama Hall of Fame, Sports Hall of Fame. 0:01:25.720 --> 0:01:29.399 Last year, I think thirteen trips to the college. You know, 0:01:29.440 --> 0:01:32.960 the softball College World Series Women's College World Series national 0:01:33.040 --> 0:01:37.680 title in twenty twelve. Congrats, Like just an absolute dynamite program. 0:01:37.760 --> 0:01:40.080 A lot of coaches, a lot of sports parents, a 0:01:40.120 --> 0:01:42.119 lot of student athletes will listen to this, and coach, 0:01:42.160 --> 0:01:45.080 I got to ask, with all that success that you've had, like, 0:01:45.240 --> 0:01:47.000 how the hell do you start it? Like, I know 0:01:47.040 --> 0:01:48.880 you've been with the program since the mid nineties, is 0:01:48.920 --> 0:01:51.120 an assistant at Alabama, but like, how do you get 0:01:51.120 --> 0:01:53.760 the sustained success that seems to be the secret of 0:01:53.840 --> 0:01:56.520 the secret sauce that everyone's finding wanting to find? 0:01:56.560 --> 0:01:59.600 I should say, exactly, you know, this is starting year 0:01:59.720 --> 0:02:03.160 twelve at the University of Alabama for me, and I 0:02:03.280 --> 0:02:06.560 spent my probably first hour and a half of the 0:02:06.600 --> 0:02:10.079 morning texting anybody that has been with me for that long. 0:02:10.720 --> 0:02:14.280 Every boss so I've had at Alabama my current boss, 0:02:14.320 --> 0:02:18.600 doctor Karen Lee greg Burn, the athletic director at Alabama now. 0:02:19.160 --> 0:02:22.200 But it's just been a labor of love for sure, 0:02:22.320 --> 0:02:25.200 from day one, and it's been really really cool to 0:02:25.280 --> 0:02:27.960 be able to start a Division one program from scratch. 0:02:28.200 --> 0:02:29.960 And like you said, I was an assistant for the 0:02:29.960 --> 0:02:32.720 first two years and then I took over in July 0:02:32.880 --> 0:02:35.040 of ninety eight as the head coach. 0:02:34.800 --> 0:02:36.040 And been here ever since. 0:02:36.120 --> 0:02:38.760 But I think one of thet things is my associate 0:02:38.800 --> 0:02:42.560 head coach, Alison Habits. She's been here for twenty five years. 0:02:42.680 --> 0:02:44.800 She's been with me since I've been as head coach. 0:02:46.000 --> 0:02:49.880 So the consistency in our program, our string coach Michelle Dilts, 0:02:49.960 --> 0:02:53.239 she'sy to go on on year eighteen or nineteen with us. 0:02:53.639 --> 0:02:57.119 So that consistency and the staff, the people, I think 0:02:57.160 --> 0:02:59.680 that means a lot to the young ladies that come 0:02:59.720 --> 0:03:02.680 here because you know, once you get used to our system, 0:03:02.880 --> 0:03:04.720 we're pretty much going to be around, you know, for 0:03:04.840 --> 0:03:08.440 your entire career. And you know, I remember the first 0:03:08.440 --> 0:03:11.840 time we won the SEC And one of the coolest 0:03:11.840 --> 0:03:15.200 traditions at Alabama is you get a ring at halftime 0:03:15.240 --> 0:03:17.519 of a football game that next fall after you win 0:03:17.800 --> 0:03:18.919 a conference championship. 0:03:19.040 --> 0:03:20.240 So here we are out of. 0:03:20.240 --> 0:03:22.960 The fifty yard line, the athletic director and the president 0:03:23.200 --> 0:03:26.280 at the time are handing out rings to everybody on 0:03:26.360 --> 0:03:30.280 the team, the staff, and then as we're walking off, Malmore, 0:03:30.320 --> 0:03:33.160 the ad at the time, kind of puts his arm 0:03:33.240 --> 0:03:33.639 around me. 0:03:33.760 --> 0:03:36.880 And he was a backup quarterback when Joe Naman played. 0:03:36.640 --> 0:03:39.640 At Alabama and he's been around Alabama athletics for a 0:03:39.680 --> 0:03:41.720 long long time, and he kind of looked at me, 0:03:41.800 --> 0:03:46.280 and I know it wasn't a negative thing, it just 0:03:46.480 --> 0:03:51.160 was matter of factly he said, yeah, it's pretty cool, 0:03:51.360 --> 0:03:54.440 you know, first SEC championship, but it takes a really, 0:03:54.480 --> 0:03:56.720 really good program and a really good coach to win 0:03:56.800 --> 0:04:00.200 another one. And you know, I kind of looked up 0:04:00.200 --> 0:04:02.640 at him and I said, yes, sir, and then I thought, 0:04:02.840 --> 0:04:05.040 you know what, I'm going to win another one, and 0:04:05.480 --> 0:04:08.240 just year and year out. I look for the same 0:04:08.240 --> 0:04:11.400 type of kid when we recruit. We want kids who 0:04:11.440 --> 0:04:13.760 want to be here, because when they want to be here, 0:04:13.800 --> 0:04:15.440 they're not going to look over their shoulder and think, 0:04:15.520 --> 0:04:16.120 what if. 0:04:16.680 --> 0:04:18.520 They're going to be better academically, They're. 0:04:18.279 --> 0:04:20.120 Going to be better socially and they're certainly going to 0:04:20.160 --> 0:04:21.080 be better athletically. 0:04:21.400 --> 0:04:23.960 So we kind of stuck with the same formula from 0:04:24.040 --> 0:04:24.400 day one. 0:04:24.760 --> 0:04:27.159 You know, as you're talking, it got me thinking about, 0:04:27.440 --> 0:04:29.960 Like I mentioned to you before, I was fortunate enough 0:04:30.000 --> 0:04:34.000 to play for Mike Fox and Scott Forbes and Charlie 0:04:34.000 --> 0:04:36.680 Long and such at North Carolina Wesley and before coach 0:04:36.720 --> 0:04:39.400 Fox took the job at University of North Carolina, and 0:04:39.440 --> 0:04:40.960 we you know, it was Division three, but I mean, 0:04:41.000 --> 0:04:42.640 we were in the World Series every year and we 0:04:42.640 --> 0:04:44.920 were fortunately win a national title in nineteen ninety nine. 0:04:44.960 --> 0:04:47.400 But I remember when I was a sophomore, one of 0:04:47.440 --> 0:04:49.640 our freshmen at the time, we were about to win 0:04:49.680 --> 0:04:52.600 the conference championship. You know, we're sitting there on the 0:04:52.720 --> 0:04:54.920 edge of the dugout or whatever, and you know, you're 0:04:54.920 --> 0:04:57.000 getting ready to, you know, go celebrate with your teammates, 0:04:57.040 --> 0:04:58.720 and one of the freshmen looks at one of the 0:04:58.760 --> 0:05:01.560 upper class was actually the ace of our staff and says, so, 0:05:01.640 --> 0:05:02.960 what are we gonna do? You know, we're going to 0:05:03.080 --> 0:05:06.080 dog pile and all that, and and the upper classman, 0:05:06.240 --> 0:05:09.159 Sean Fleming shout out says to him, dude, we win 0:05:09.200 --> 0:05:12.840 the conference championship. Here we dogpile for regional and national championships. 0:05:12.839 --> 0:05:13.200 That's it. 0:05:13.800 --> 0:05:15.560 You know, we just expect we're gonna go out there, 0:05:15.600 --> 0:05:17.280 we're gonna shake hands, we're going to stop. But we 0:05:17.279 --> 0:05:19.800 don't dog pile for that. And I've never forgotten that 0:05:19.880 --> 0:05:22.680 story because you know, that was just the culture that 0:05:22.760 --> 0:05:24.960 was created. It was an expectation to go back to 0:05:25.000 --> 0:05:27.640 what you know, what you were describing, but that took 0:05:27.720 --> 0:05:29.880 time for the coaching staff to build. What I have 0:05:29.960 --> 0:05:32.120 found from my experience having played at a school that 0:05:32.160 --> 0:05:35.040 where that was the expectation is that wasn't an expectation 0:05:35.120 --> 0:05:37.640 put out by the coaching staff. That was an expectation 0:05:37.720 --> 0:05:40.200 that the players understood, and really it was led by 0:05:40.240 --> 0:05:43.839 the upper classmen, you know, getting the underclassmen in line. 0:05:44.080 --> 0:05:45.960 How do you create that? Is that when you have 0:05:46.040 --> 0:05:48.839 something really cooking, when when the players themselves or the 0:05:48.880 --> 0:05:52.160 athletes themselves are kind of leading that mentality. 0:05:52.520 --> 0:05:55.160 Definitely, I think you said it perfectly. 0:05:55.240 --> 0:05:58.160 When a team's player led, I think it's going to 0:05:58.200 --> 0:06:00.520 be a really really good team. And this was example 0:06:00.560 --> 0:06:03.600 this year where we had a really good senior class, 0:06:04.000 --> 0:06:06.680 including you know, Montana Fountain, you know, one of the 0:06:06.680 --> 0:06:09.480 best pitchers in the country and Ali Shipman dashing praying 0:06:09.680 --> 0:06:12.840 Faith Hensley, and you just kind of like, you know, 0:06:13.120 --> 0:06:15.360 I think one of the best things we do at Alabama, 0:06:15.400 --> 0:06:18.400 and we've done it for probably twenty years at least. 0:06:18.560 --> 0:06:20.520 I don't even remember the last time we didn't do it. 0:06:20.560 --> 0:06:24.400 But we do something called class dinners, And I used 0:06:24.440 --> 0:06:26.520 to have the entire team come over to my house 0:06:27.200 --> 0:06:29.920 the first week of school and I cooked dinner, and 0:06:30.000 --> 0:06:32.320 you know, there'd be thirty thirty five people there. The 0:06:32.360 --> 0:06:36.880 staff was invited and every time though, the new freshmen 0:06:37.800 --> 0:06:41.520 would be sitting in a corner by themselves, like the 0:06:41.560 --> 0:06:45.799 shyest kids at the junior high dance, scared of everything 0:06:46.000 --> 0:06:48.599 and wouldn't say a peep, and you know, it was like, 0:06:48.680 --> 0:06:51.400 oh my gosh, we got to do something different. So 0:06:51.480 --> 0:06:55.680 the next year I did class dinners, where one class 0:06:55.720 --> 0:06:58.560 at a time would come. So the seniors come to 0:06:58.600 --> 0:07:01.599 my house first, I cooked, the juniors go to my 0:07:01.680 --> 0:07:05.880 associate head coach's house, she cooked dinner. Sophomores go to 0:07:05.880 --> 0:07:08.960 my pitching coach's house. They cook dinner, and then the 0:07:08.960 --> 0:07:11.080 freshmen come to my house as well. And I read 0:07:11.120 --> 0:07:14.080 one time in a book, and it was an educational 0:07:14.400 --> 0:07:16.600 administration book, and I don't remember the name of it, 0:07:17.240 --> 0:07:19.680 but there was a stat in there that just blew 0:07:19.720 --> 0:07:22.640 me away, and it was if a freshman at any 0:07:22.680 --> 0:07:27.160 college steps foot in a house within that community where 0:07:27.160 --> 0:07:31.120 the college is, they're like eighty eight percent more likely 0:07:31.200 --> 0:07:34.200 to return to that school the next year just by 0:07:34.440 --> 0:07:37.480 feeling at home one time. You know, that doesn't matter 0:07:37.520 --> 0:07:41.080 if it was a professor, a coach, whatever. And so 0:07:41.920 --> 0:07:44.160 I want the freshmen to feel at home immediately. And 0:07:44.160 --> 0:07:46.280 it's the first week of school. Some of them might 0:07:46.280 --> 0:07:48.680 already be feeling homesick, but I want them to be able 0:07:48.720 --> 0:07:50.840 to come to a house, you know, feel at home. 0:07:51.440 --> 0:07:54.120 I usually cook one of their favorite meals and we 0:07:54.200 --> 0:07:57.160 get going that way. But the seniors when they come over, 0:07:57.640 --> 0:08:00.800 as the dinners get older, the biggest team throughout it 0:08:00.840 --> 0:08:05.400 all is leadership. And basically the entire senior class dinner, 0:08:05.760 --> 0:08:08.040 all we talk about is leadership and how we're going 0:08:08.120 --> 0:08:09.480 to do it this year and how they're going to 0:08:09.560 --> 0:08:12.720 do it. And I asked specific questions of what do 0:08:12.760 --> 0:08:14.600 you think is holding you back right now as a 0:08:14.640 --> 0:08:17.640 really good leader, And every senior has to say it 0:08:17.640 --> 0:08:21.320 out loud and we take notes. It's very open. It's 0:08:21.920 --> 0:08:25.400 sometimes it gets vulnerable with their answers, but we want 0:08:25.440 --> 0:08:27.840 to hear that, so that consistency. 0:08:27.320 --> 0:08:28.600 Year after year after year. 0:08:28.920 --> 0:08:30.840 They started as a freshman at my house, we talk 0:08:30.880 --> 0:08:32.920 a little bit about leadership. Then we go to the 0:08:32.960 --> 0:08:37.360 sophomore class, talk about leadership there, junior, even more senior. 0:08:37.559 --> 0:08:40.920 All it is about leadership, and I think it's helped 0:08:40.960 --> 0:08:43.120 us year after year after year. And you know, we'll 0:08:43.120 --> 0:08:47.319 do tweaks in the itinerary, but I've handled those out 0:08:47.320 --> 0:08:49.160 and coaches clinics, and I think a lot of people 0:08:49.200 --> 0:08:52.640 have found that they're very valuable for their team as well. 0:08:53.120 --> 0:08:55.040 So it just seems to use the word vulnerable, you know, 0:08:55.120 --> 0:08:58.320 being vulnerable, or it sounds like you're trying to create 0:08:58.360 --> 0:09:00.400 a safe space. So I make it comfortable. I know 0:09:00.440 --> 0:09:02.360 what it's like to be a freshman, and you know, 0:09:02.440 --> 0:09:05.200 it's very it's just new, right, it's new. It's it 0:09:05.240 --> 0:09:09.320 could be overwhelming. There's a competitive piece in there. You're nervous, 0:09:09.400 --> 0:09:11.200 you're trying to feel it out. You're no longer the 0:09:11.240 --> 0:09:13.200 big fish in a small pond. Now you're just a 0:09:13.760 --> 0:09:16.240 You're just a fish. Women with a usually just a 0:09:16.240 --> 0:09:18.720 little fishwoman with a bunch of sharks trying to figure 0:09:18.760 --> 0:09:21.800 it out and could be very intimidating. Do you let 0:09:21.840 --> 0:09:24.280 some of it happen organically? Like do you do you 0:09:24.320 --> 0:09:27.680 really try to coach your upper classmen how to handle 0:09:27.720 --> 0:09:31.000 the underclassmen or is that something that evolves over time? 0:09:31.080 --> 0:09:32.680 I mean, and I guess the next step of that 0:09:32.760 --> 0:09:35.280 question is how much effort goes into on a day 0:09:35.280 --> 0:09:37.800 to day basis really trying to build as much of 0:09:37.800 --> 0:09:40.599 a relationship you can with those freshmen as they're onboarding 0:09:40.640 --> 0:09:41.240 into the fall. 0:09:41.760 --> 0:09:42.719 Well, I think first thing. 0:09:42.840 --> 0:09:45.360 One of the things we do at the junior class 0:09:46.000 --> 0:09:49.920 outing is we do this role playing game and there's 0:09:50.160 --> 0:09:52.720 I think there's five scenarios that we have come up 0:09:52.800 --> 0:09:57.040 with that have actually happened in the history of our program. 0:09:57.400 --> 0:10:00.160 And some of it's not so good. You know. Some 0:10:00.240 --> 0:10:03.439 of it's typical of a team where somebody. 0:10:03.160 --> 0:10:06.560 Is complaining in the dugout that they don't get to 0:10:06.559 --> 0:10:09.360 play or they don't get to hit or something. And 0:10:09.600 --> 0:10:12.480 you know the people that hear that the most are 0:10:12.480 --> 0:10:14.160 the kids, the teammates. 0:10:14.520 --> 0:10:16.560 They're usually not complaining in front of the coach. 0:10:16.400 --> 0:10:19.800 Right, So how do we equip the young ladies to 0:10:20.120 --> 0:10:23.280 kind of deal with that? How do they respond to 0:10:23.320 --> 0:10:27.199 somebody that says, you know, why aren't I playing? You know, 0:10:27.240 --> 0:10:29.160 I hit really good in practice the other day and 0:10:29.200 --> 0:10:33.240 it's happened. They're all like true stories. So the junior class, 0:10:33.480 --> 0:10:36.000 we do this little game in front of my assistant 0:10:36.000 --> 0:10:36.880 coaches fireplace. 0:10:36.960 --> 0:10:39.920 It's like the stage and two of the coaches are 0:10:39.960 --> 0:10:43.760 the actors. We grab a junior. She goes up on stage. 0:10:44.200 --> 0:10:47.520 The two coaches talk about whatever the situation is, and 0:10:47.559 --> 0:10:51.240 then they start to engage the junior and she has 0:10:51.320 --> 0:10:54.079 to come up with what she would say to her 0:10:54.120 --> 0:10:57.600 teammate in this situation. And it takes about five to 0:10:57.640 --> 0:11:02.160 ten minutes each each little scenario, and then the others 0:11:02.160 --> 0:11:04.440 clap for her and they sit down and we go. 0:11:04.400 --> 0:11:07.199 Okay, how do you think she handled it? 0:11:07.320 --> 0:11:09.640 Does anybody have something maybe that they would do differently 0:11:09.760 --> 0:11:13.000 or say differently? How would you do it? And then 0:11:13.120 --> 0:11:16.240 the coaching staff gives their opinions. Man, Nick, you handled 0:11:16.240 --> 0:11:20.840 that perfectly. What you said at that time, that's money 0:11:20.960 --> 0:11:22.920 right there. That was a perfect response. 0:11:23.240 --> 0:11:24.400 And then we go from there. 0:11:24.760 --> 0:11:27.320 So that is definitely something we do and it's usually 0:11:28.280 --> 0:11:29.920 first week of September, so. 0:11:31.320 --> 0:11:33.800 They kind of have a little practice under their belt 0:11:33.840 --> 0:11:34.080 with that. 0:11:35.280 --> 0:11:37.920 I forget the second part of your question, but we 0:11:38.040 --> 0:11:40.760 do a lot of We have a team retreat in 0:11:40.800 --> 0:11:43.080 the fall. We do a ton of team building. I 0:11:43.080 --> 0:11:47.760 have a classroom actually in our building. Everybody's assigned a 0:11:47.840 --> 0:11:49.160 chair at the beginning of the year. 0:11:49.080 --> 0:11:51.120 So that includes a freshman as well, like do you 0:11:51.160 --> 0:11:53.199 go out of your way with freshmen in particularly just 0:11:53.280 --> 0:11:54.040 keep it all together? 0:11:54.440 --> 0:11:54.560 Now. 0:11:54.760 --> 0:11:58.600 We also do like separate things for just a freshman, 0:11:59.080 --> 0:12:01.640 and I'll pick like or four words that really mean 0:12:01.679 --> 0:12:08.359 a lot to our program, like grit, legacy, Moodida, servant leadership, 0:12:09.080 --> 0:12:12.160 and just the freshman will come to the classroom. I 0:12:12.240 --> 0:12:16.840 literally set a timer on my phone and I'll say, Hey, 0:12:16.920 --> 0:12:18.320 this is going to be twenty minutes. 0:12:18.920 --> 0:12:21.240 And if I'm still talking and my phone goes off, 0:12:21.520 --> 0:12:24.840 you're free to go. We're done. And I usually have 0:12:24.880 --> 0:12:27.000 a little story, I have a video. 0:12:28.240 --> 0:12:30.920 We'll maybe have an alum call in and have her 0:12:31.080 --> 0:12:34.520 say what grit meant to her, what servant leadership meant 0:12:34.559 --> 0:12:37.520 to her, what Medida means to her, and modida is 0:12:38.200 --> 0:12:41.760 having vicarious joy in someone else's success, So the opposite 0:12:41.760 --> 0:12:44.520 would be jealousy or envy, and we don't want any 0:12:44.559 --> 0:12:47.360 of that in our clubhouse and our sport because I 0:12:47.360 --> 0:12:50.480 think that's where teams die, when somebody becomes jealous and 0:12:50.520 --> 0:12:53.640 then they become detached from the program and the team, 0:12:53.720 --> 0:12:54.439 and it's. 0:12:54.280 --> 0:12:54.959 Just not a good thing. 0:12:54.960 --> 0:12:57.840 And I'm sure you realize that, but we really try 0:12:57.880 --> 0:13:00.640 to teach the culture to the freshman right away. 0:13:01.000 --> 0:13:03.840 So then smooth sailing for the next three years? 0:13:04.840 --> 0:13:05.000 Is it? 0:13:05.040 --> 0:13:07.040 Modida Moudita named you. 0:13:07.280 --> 0:13:08.439 D I t a. 0:13:08.880 --> 0:13:11.439 I've never heard that before, and I got to tell you, 0:13:11.440 --> 0:13:13.360 you know, because I've seen it in my professional life, 0:13:13.400 --> 0:13:16.200 and it's like it doesn't matter whether it's a professional 0:13:16.240 --> 0:13:18.120 life or whether it's in a locker room. And I 0:13:18.240 --> 0:13:22.720 never understood this. I never took pleasure in seeing someone 0:13:22.720 --> 0:13:26.360 else struggle, like I want to see someone succeed because 0:13:26.360 --> 0:13:28.280 that reassures me that I can too. I just need 0:13:28.320 --> 0:13:30.000 to do what they do. It's like I just got 0:13:30.000 --> 0:13:32.079 to do what this person is doing. But there are 0:13:32.200 --> 0:13:35.760 people out there, particularly in sports, people will pull for 0:13:35.840 --> 0:13:37.559 someone to struggle, you know what, I mean, to get 0:13:37.559 --> 0:13:40.240 their shop that I don't believe. I don't know of 0:13:40.240 --> 0:13:42.920 anyone that ever succeeded as a result of that. But 0:13:43.160 --> 0:13:45.000 that is something I'm so glad you brought that, something 0:13:45.040 --> 0:13:47.040 that is real, and it goes on. How do you 0:13:47.120 --> 0:13:49.400 balance that because, let's face it, in order to have 0:13:49.440 --> 0:13:53.240 a really successful program, even for me in my last 0:13:53.280 --> 0:13:55.240 couple of years, when I was the number one catcher 0:13:55.240 --> 0:13:56.840 and I knew I was going to start, But you know, 0:13:56.920 --> 0:13:58.520 coach with Tom, hey, we're bringing this other kid in. 0:13:58.520 --> 0:14:00.280 It's almost like you want to keep some one on 0:14:00.280 --> 0:14:01.880 the edge of their seat a little bit right, keep 0:14:01.880 --> 0:14:04.880 a little sense of urgency so there's no complacency. But 0:14:05.000 --> 0:14:08.920 how do you juggle that competition because you're recruiting new 0:14:08.960 --> 0:14:13.000 players and everyone wants to start. But keep them where 0:14:13.400 --> 0:14:16.240 they can balance the team aspect that and put aside 0:14:16.280 --> 0:14:18.440 their ego if they just didn't win the job. 0:14:19.000 --> 0:14:22.080 Yes, so number one, we have to teach them what 0:14:22.200 --> 0:14:25.280 the bigger picture is. You always have to have the 0:14:25.280 --> 0:14:28.440 bigger picture of mind, and that's getting degree from the 0:14:28.520 --> 0:14:32.360 University of Alabama, being a successful business person for forty 0:14:32.440 --> 0:14:34.720 fifty years after you graduates. 0:14:34.920 --> 0:14:36.600 That's number one. You see the bigger picture. 0:14:36.800 --> 0:14:40.040 Way too many kids and parents only see what's ten 0:14:40.080 --> 0:14:42.480 feet in front of them, and that is just so 0:14:42.960 --> 0:14:47.200 upsetting me when that happens and they don't realize the 0:14:47.280 --> 0:14:51.720 bigger picture is what really truly matters, So we try 0:14:51.720 --> 0:14:54.480 to hammer that home from the very beginning. The second 0:14:54.560 --> 0:14:57.920 thing is, and sometimes this is more for parents than kids, 0:14:58.160 --> 0:15:00.320 but we try to get our young laby. He needs 0:15:00.320 --> 0:15:03.560 to understand they do not have to be on the 0:15:03.600 --> 0:15:06.960 field to help us win. They do not have to 0:15:07.000 --> 0:15:10.880 be playing in a game to help us win. I'm 0:15:10.880 --> 0:15:12.400 gonna love you no matter if. 0:15:12.320 --> 0:15:15.880 You go zero for four, four for four, or are. 0:15:15.800 --> 0:15:18.440 The pinch runner in the sixth inning room. We need 0:15:18.440 --> 0:15:22.400 to run, okay. And you know, in our clubhouse, there's 0:15:22.440 --> 0:15:26.120 a saying right above the hallway to the girls locker room, 0:15:26.760 --> 0:15:31.120 and it says person in bold all caps letters and 0:15:31.160 --> 0:15:35.840 then align and then athlete. So person first, athlete second, 0:15:36.000 --> 0:15:38.720 and it's in gold letters, and it's the only thing 0:15:38.760 --> 0:15:42.320 in our entire clubhouse that's written in gold. Okay, because 0:15:42.320 --> 0:15:45.760 it's not important to us, And the sooner they realize 0:15:45.840 --> 0:15:48.680 that it is the god honest truth that they're more 0:15:48.720 --> 0:15:51.520 important to me as a person than an athlete, that's 0:15:51.520 --> 0:15:54.560 when the magic happens. The sky's the limit with the team, 0:15:54.720 --> 0:15:57.280 the young lady, but I have to do things. I 0:15:57.320 --> 0:16:00.960 have to say things, the team to say things. 0:16:01.560 --> 0:16:02.640 We're really really. 0:16:02.400 --> 0:16:05.760 Big in affirmation, and it just it kind of has 0:16:05.760 --> 0:16:09.040 snowballed over the years. But this fall or last ball, 0:16:09.080 --> 0:16:11.200 when we started, it was team twenty seven, which is 0:16:11.200 --> 0:16:13.320 the twenty seven to year valve by the Softball At 0:16:13.360 --> 0:16:16.120 the very first team meeting, I remember saying I want 0:16:16.520 --> 0:16:21.720 affirmation to be just as easily talked about as accountability. 0:16:22.080 --> 0:16:24.600 So we do something called prompts and own its at 0:16:24.600 --> 0:16:25.840 the end of every practice. 0:16:26.040 --> 0:16:27.480 So I'm going to give Nick. 0:16:27.560 --> 0:16:32.400 A prompt and then you say what you loved about Nick, okay, 0:16:33.080 --> 0:16:35.800 And then when everybody's done with the props, I'll say, Okay, 0:16:35.960 --> 0:16:38.440 somebody have an own it. And that means they're going 0:16:38.520 --> 0:16:41.480 to take accountability for maybe a mistake that day, or 0:16:41.880 --> 0:16:43.800 maybe they didn't go so hard for a ground ball 0:16:43.880 --> 0:16:45.400 or a fly ball, or they didn't die for a 0:16:45.440 --> 0:16:49.400 ball or whatever it is. So the props are really 0:16:49.680 --> 0:16:51.920 quite easy and they flow, and it's awesome to see 0:16:52.080 --> 0:16:53.200 and they're really good at it. 0:16:53.680 --> 0:16:55.240 You know. I was really proud of this team. 0:16:55.320 --> 0:16:57.440 But then when you come to the own it's it's 0:16:57.480 --> 0:17:01.240 not as many, and usually it's maybe one, and then 0:17:01.280 --> 0:17:04.080 maybe the third day there's two, and then maybe the 0:17:04.440 --> 0:17:07.640 two weeks into it, there's like four people, and then 0:17:07.760 --> 0:17:10.520 you know, I really believe that if I can affirm 0:17:10.560 --> 0:17:13.760 the behavior I love in you, Nick, I should be 0:17:13.800 --> 0:17:17.199 able to turn around and say, Nick, you got to 0:17:17.200 --> 0:17:20.119 be better, dude. We need you to win because I 0:17:20.280 --> 0:17:24.880 just affirm something that truly truly love in you. And 0:17:24.960 --> 0:17:27.199 another thing that we always say is you can't be 0:17:27.240 --> 0:17:29.480 fake about it. You have to be genuine with either 0:17:29.520 --> 0:17:32.600 your praise or you know, let's. 0:17:32.359 --> 0:17:33.439 Get your head out of your butt. 0:17:33.800 --> 0:17:36.480 So if they realize that they're coming from a good place, 0:17:36.520 --> 0:17:38.760 and when they affirm you, it should be the same 0:17:38.840 --> 0:17:41.560 exact thing when they hold you accountable for something. I 0:17:41.600 --> 0:17:44.520 think it's really really hard for kids nowadays to be 0:17:44.560 --> 0:17:46.360 able to accept the criticism. 0:17:46.720 --> 0:17:49.160 They can take the praise right, but to be able 0:17:49.200 --> 0:17:51.480 to take the accountability and. 0:17:51.440 --> 0:17:55.720 The criticism as easily as the affirmation. It just does 0:17:55.840 --> 0:17:59.160 wonders for a team, and this team this past year 0:17:59.200 --> 0:18:01.200 for us was probably one of the best I've ever 0:18:01.240 --> 0:18:02.920 had with those two words. 0:18:03.240 --> 0:18:06.040 When we come back Coach Murphy and I discuss self 0:18:06.119 --> 0:18:10.440 esteem and how parent egos can negatively impact their child's success. 0:18:10.960 --> 0:18:13.040 Before we head to break, I have a question for you. 0:18:13.320 --> 0:18:15.919 Are you tired of your current sports management platform? Is 0:18:15.920 --> 0:18:18.199 it just not getting the job done? While our partner 0:18:18.200 --> 0:18:20.879 and industry leader, Team Snap is making it easier than 0:18:20.920 --> 0:18:23.520 ever to switch to their Team Snap for Business platform 0:18:23.600 --> 0:18:27.040 and unlock fifteen hundred dollars in savings with their exclusive 0:18:27.080 --> 0:18:31.160 Seamless Transition promotion. The offer includes white glove transition services 0:18:31.200 --> 0:18:35.920 to their all in one sports management platform with registration, communication, scheduling, 0:18:35.960 --> 0:18:39.760 and more, all designed to improve experiences for parents, athletes, 0:18:39.800 --> 0:18:42.159 and administrators. You can be up and running on their 0:18:42.200 --> 0:18:44.719 platform in three weeks or less if you sign up 0:18:44.720 --> 0:18:48.359 for the Seamless Transition promotion by November fifteenth. Visit teamsnap 0:18:48.400 --> 0:18:51.160 dot com today to register. Offer valid only for new 0:18:51.160 --> 0:19:01.160 Team Snap customers with mid to large size organizations. Where 0:19:01.200 --> 0:19:03.480 we left off, Patrick and I were about to talk 0:19:03.520 --> 0:19:06.800 about why he values the intangibles that potential recruits bring 0:19:06.840 --> 0:19:09.720 to the team and the importance of athletes taking eight 0:19:09.760 --> 0:19:14.159 weeks off throughout the year. You're kind of you're getting 0:19:14.160 --> 0:19:16.600 me fired up, because I mean, I love when I hear, 0:19:17.160 --> 0:19:20.320 especially folks at your level who are so successful, say 0:19:20.359 --> 0:19:22.600 things that it's like God, you know, I believe in it, 0:19:22.640 --> 0:19:24.439