To the editor:

In the May 8 Sports section, I was interested in the article in which George Brett was asked who should be the next manager of the Royals. His reply was that it should be someone with a similar coaching style of Whitey Herzog. Whitey really believed in the power of positive thinking and once said something that lifted George’s spirits after an inning in which he played poorly. Consequently, he felt better about himself and therefore played better. Good point; good article.

Then, I turn the page and ironically, Mike Hill, coach of Free State High School baseball, is yet again blasting his team for another poor performance.

Over the last several years of reading about what Hill thinks about his baseball team, there is a recurring theme. Supposedly there is very little talent on his teams and even less desire to win ball games. How is that possible at the high school level, year after year? With seniors graduating and underclassmen moving up, wouldn’t the law of averages dictate that by sheer luck he would run into some talent sometime? A lot of these boys have probably been playing competitive baseball most of their young lives. If they have no ability by the time they reach high school, I doubt they would have any interest in trying out for the team.

Could the tiniest part of FSHS baseball problems be (dare I say it) Hill’s coaching technique? For the sake of argument, let’s say next year’s players are again without talent and desire to win. If they are going to lose most of their games anyway, what would it hurt to lift up their spirits instead of beat them down? Just my humble opinion.

Cheryl Mooney,
Lawrence