There’s Always Next Year

Jason Budden: Un-Common Sense?

Finally, the season is over (no, this isn’t going to be a blog about Cole Hamels asking for the season to end). If Chase Utley had hit another home run in game six and the Phils had made a comeback, we really would have had a Mr. November. Isn’t there something drastically wrong about that?

Don’t get me wrong, I am a diehard baseball fan, but there has to be something that the commish can do to shorten the season. I am not advocating for the league to cut any games, just figure out a way to end the season in October. Schedule some double headers. Cut out a few travel days. Eliminate the extra off-days during the playoffs. I’d even settle for October 31.

A few other end of season comments:

Just because he finally performed in the post season, doesn’t mean ARod won’t get booed next year at Yankee Stadium. The first night he goes 0 for 4 and strikes out in a clutch situation, the fans will let him know about it.

Cole Hamels should make sure he does more off-season workouts than off-season commercials (those Comcast commercials are horrible)

When is Fox going to realize that Tim McCarver is past his prime? He’s been past his prime for 10 years. I’m sure he’s a great baseball guy, but there are so many other analysts I’d prefer to listen to during the World Series.

I’m sure ratings dictate the start time, so I don’t see this changing, but these games don’t end until midnight most evenings. This wasn’t a problem when I was 23, but I’m not 23 anymore.

A few interesting stats to keep an eye on for 2010:

Alex Rodriguez is only 17 home runs away from 600 for his career. He is likely to pass three more players on the all-time list and should finish the season in 6th all-time behind only Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Ken Griffey, Jr.

Albert Pujols has hit 366 homeruns in his career. He turns 30 years old this January. Only Rodriguez (401 home runs), Ken Griffey, Jr. (398), Jimmie Foxx (379), Mickey Mantle (372), and Eddie Matthews (370) hit more home runs prior to turning 30 years old. Pretty good company to be in and he should get to 400 next year.

Don’t expect anyone to reach hit 3,000 in 2010, but Derek Jeter is getting closer to adding this stat to his Hall of Fame resume. He is 253 hits away and he’s averaged 203 hits per year over the past five seasons. The next player to do it after him will likely be Ken Griffey, Jr. (237 hits shy), Pudge Rodriguez (289) or Alex Rodriguez (469). Griffey and Pudge can get there if they play another 2-3 seasons of healthy baseball. Rodriguez is 2+ seasons away.

At age 43, Tim Wakefield is only 11 wins away from 200 for his career. Pretty good for a guy that tops out at 70 MPH. Only 110 other pitchers in the history of the game have reached 200 wins.

At 122-60 for his career, Johan Santana is #11 overall in win-loss% for pitchers with a minimum of 1000 innings pitched. His .6703 percentage is only .0011 behind #10…Babe Ruth, who was 94-46 in his career.

Early prediction for 2010:

Yankees over Dodgers in five games

MVP: Alex Rodriguez and Chase Utley

Cy Young: Roy Halladay and Clayton Kershaw

Jason Budden is the Vice President of Operations and Marketing at Baseball Factory. Jason joined the Baseball Factory in 1997 while still a junior in high school. After going through the Baseball Factory's college recruiting program he was placed at Johns Hopkins University where he played two years of college baseball before graduating with a degree in Economics. After working part-time at the Factory throughout college, Jason joined the team as a full-time employee in January 2002 when he was promoted to Director of Marketing. He currently oversees all marketing projects and sponsorship opportunities at Baseball Factory. He is also in charge of development and marketing for Baseball University, the leader in online baseball education and a division of Baseball Factory.

Should I Walk-On?

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

I can’t tell you how many of our Baseball Factory parents and players have asked this question over the past 15 years. For anyone not familiar with the term “Walk On,” it is in reference to a player that decides to attend a college and earn a spot on the baseball roster without having a scholarship commitment, and in some instances, without even being recruited. It certainly is a very tough decision and there is no blanket answer to the above question. Each family and each baseball program is a unique circumstance.

The New York Times had a great article recently entitled, “For College Walk-Ons, a Road Less Traveled Makes All the Difference.” It detailed the stories of Brett Gardner (current CF for the NY Yankees), Ryan Howard (former MVP for the Philadelphia Phillies), and Eric Karros (former 1B for the LA Dodgers). All three of these players walked on to their college baseball programs and then turned into Major Leaguers. While these stories are very inspirational and are a testament to their hard work, it doesn’t mean that “walking on” is the right decision for each family. For every Brett Gardner success story, there are hundreds of players that get cut from their college program and never have a chance to pursue college baseball.

Kelly Kulina, our Senior Vice President of the Exclusive Program, has told me time and time again that when he was the Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at the University of Maryland, they had 75-100 players each year that would try to walk on. The program might keep one or two of the players and the rest never had a chance to play college baseball. Kelly believes that the majority of these players could have been college baseball players, just not players at the University of Maryland. They were a better fit for smaller programs and not the right match for the rigors of playing Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) baseball. Most of these players probably didn’t market themselves to a variety of college programs or did not have any other college baseball coaches showing interest. With no other baseball options to consider, they most likely chose University of Maryland for academic or social reasons.

My advice to Baseball Factory families on this topic has always been consistent. Have as many options as possible before making a decision to walk-on. Your son may decide that he wants to try and walk-on, because in the end, there are just too many things about that particular school that he loves and can’t pass up. However, I would want that player to have to say “no thank you” to a number of other schools that have shown interest in him for baseball.

In my mind, if you explore all your options, and can make an informed decision one way or another, you can’t go wrong. It is only when you make a desperate move, or when you haven’t given the process 100% effort that regrets seem to set in.


Rob Naddelman is the President of Baseball Factory. Naddelman is a former two-time All Ivy League Third Baseman at the University of Pennsylvania, where he competed in a College World Series Regional. He has served as the President of Baseball Factory for the past 13 years, and also is the Executive Director of Baseball Factory's charitable arm The B.A.S.E. - H.I.T. Foundation. Naddelman and Steve Sclafani (CEO) have been featured in Business Week and CNN for their work in building Baseball Factory into the nation's leader in player development and college placement.

Parents Can Help Kids “Just Say No”

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

It seems like everyone has an opinion about New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez and his recent admission that he used steroids between 2001 and 2003. I have heard lots of commentary and opinions about A-Rod’s apology, how sincere it was, how truthful it was, or how disingenuous it was. What I haven’t heard enough talk about is how we can help prevent more young baseball players from making the same mistakes. With the fierce competition of Major League Baseball and the high stakes of salaries and signing bonuses for those that achieve success, how do we as a society work to reduce and eventually eliminate drug use in young athletes that are looking for competitive advantages? I personally think parents can help play a large role.

I have never used illegal drugs of any kind. A big reason why is based upon talks I had with my parents and what they instilled in me as a young man. I remember speaking to my dad about the dangers of drugs as a high school student and his advice was right on the money. Here are a few key bullet points of what he stressed to me:

1. They are illegal so stay away from them.
2. The best thing to do is never start, and if you don’t start, you will never have to worry about quitting.
3. You work your whole life to build a solid reputation for how you are perceived. It only takes one bad decision to have that reputation come tumbling down.
4. If you can say that you gave 100% and you did the best you could, that will always be good enough and you don’t have to cheat to gain an edge.
5. Even if you don’t get caught, you will always have to live with yourself, and in those quiet moments you will have a tough time being at peace with your soul.

I think a large key to the hopes of stopping illegal drug use in young athletes is for parents to help ingrain a strong moral compass within their souls. Young adults that are secure in their decision making, feel trusted by their parents, and truly believe in themselves, tend to make well grounded decisions as adults. It is the combination of building strong moral fiber and educating on the dangers of drugs that will go a long way towards curtailing drug use in the future. I personally think we are better off spending our time and energy on this initiative instead of conducting witch hunts and public trials of Major League players.

As parents, continue to speak with your children about these issues and help them make the smart choice when it comes to drugs. “Just Say No” is a slogan that has been around for decades and it may be more appropriate in these times than ever.


Rob Naddelman is the President of Baseball Factory. Naddelman is a former two-time All Ivy League Third Baseman at the University of Pennsylvania, where he competed in a College World Series Regional. He has served as the President of Baseball Factory for the past 13 years, and also is the Executive Director of Baseball Factory's charitable arm The B.A.S.E. - H.I.T. Foundation. Naddelman and Steve Sclafani (CEO) have been featured in Business Week and CNN for their work in building Baseball Factory into the nation's leader in player development and college placement.

Torre Tears Into the Yankees

Jason Budden: Un-Common Sense?
Is anything in sports sacred anymore? It used to be that what happened in the clubhouse, stayed in the clubhouse. I don’t know when Vegas trademarked this statement, but these days, What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas…and what happens in the clubhouse, is blasted throughout the media and apparently, exposed in tell all books by Joe Torre.

As a lifelong Orioles fan (and Yankee hater) I never disliked Joe Torre. I could list you 50 players on the Yankees that I did dislike, but I always respected Torre. He re-created a dynasty in New York that rivaled the days of Mantle and DiMaggio, Yogi and Whitey, and Ruth and Gehrig. He led the Yankees to four World Series titles in the span of five years, and appeared to do it the right way. He created leaders (Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera) and gamers (Scott Brosius and Paul O’Neill) and managed to get every last drop of talent out of veteran players (Bernie Williams, Orlando Hernandez and Luis Sojo).

But all of that respect is gone with the publishing of a new book called The Yankee Years, by Tom Verducci and Joe Torre in which the book reveals that the players called Alex Rodriguez, “A-Fraud” behind his back. The book claims that A-Rod had a “Single White Female” obsession with Jeter. It also rips general manager Brian Cashman and dishes on the Steinbrenner family.

Now Torre can claim that these comments are Verducci’s words and not quotes (which is true), but his name is on the book. His image is on the cover. He reviewed and approved every paragraph. And he got paid for it.

Why Joe? Does this really make you feel better about how things ended in New York? The majority of the baseball watching world would agree that you got a raw deal. Is this what you remember most about the Yankee teams that you managed? The dirt. Not the championships or the great games or great memories or even the great players you molded into stars? Did you want revenge that badly that you felt it was important for the world to know what happened behind closed doors?

Come on! You moved on to Los Angeles. I’ve seen the commercials. You’re doing yoga and drinking wheat grass. You were managing the Dodgers in October while Rodriguez, Cashman and the Steinbrenners were sitting at home watching. You were the clear winner in this situation. Torre 1, Yankees 0.

So why bring it all up again? Isn’t your success combined with the Yankees’ failure enough to provide closure? How does it help your conscience by trying to humiliate Alex Rodriguez? I assume you don’t need the money, so I lack to see the motivation. Maybe LA really has changed you. You used to avoid sensationalism at all costs, now you are feeding the tabloid frenzy.

Well congrats Joe. We now have no winners, just a bunch of losers, with your name on top of the list.

(check out Buster Olney’s blog for some good reading on this subject)


Jason Budden is the Vice President of Operations and Marketing at Baseball Factory. Jason joined the Baseball Factory in 1997 while still a junior in high school. After going through the Baseball Factory's college recruiting program he was placed at Johns Hopkins University where he played two years of college baseball before graduating with a degree in Economics. After working part-time at the Factory throughout college, Jason joined the team as a full-time employee in January 2002 when he was promoted to Director of Marketing. He currently oversees all marketing projects and sponsorship opportunities at Baseball Factory. He is also in charge of development and marketing for Baseball University, the leader in online baseball education and a division of Baseball Factory.

Bring Your Own Bottle...(Of POWERade or Water)

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

This is a big one for parents (especially moms). With two young children of my own (see picture on the right), I know keeping your children hydrated is a major concern for parents. My wife is constantly reminding me to bring sippy cups wherever I go so that our little girls are never thirsty. But at some point, as your children get older, the responsibility of bringing your own liquids needs to shift from mom (or dad) to the kid.

A major no-no for college coaches or pro scouts is to be at a game watching high school prospects and see a mom walk over to the dugout, open the door, and throw bottles of liquid to their sons. At our Baseball Factory Player Development Events, I have seen moms perform acrobatic stunts in an effort to reach their arms over chain linked fences to ensure that their son is properly hydrated. For a funny video, click below to watch Rick Sofield, Baseball Factory Special Advisor, and current head coach of University South Carolina-Beaufort speak about this exact topic.

Moms and Dads, this is a major red flag for on watching baseball professionals. What is going to happen when the player gets to college? Is he going to remember to bring his own liquids, uniform, or equipment when mom and dad are not around? It creates question marks in a coach’s mind as it relates to the player’s responsibility and maturity level.

Here are a few suggestions for how to eliminate this issue in the future:

1. Go to Target and buy a small cooler
2. Prior to the game, load the cooler with ice
3. Put bottles of POWERade or water in the cooler
4. Have the player carry the cooler with his baseball equipment into the dugout

There we go! That wasn’t that hard now was it? The player is sure to not dehydrate on the field and he looks responsible in the eyes of the coach. This also eliminates the need for moms and dads to run around like lunatics at the field looking for the nearest convenience store and missing out on the chance to watch the game.

As a parting comment, if you are a Yankee fan like me, you will see Derek Jeter’s mom and dad in attendance at almost every home game. Just like you, they are loyal parents who are dedicated to their son’s baseball endeavors. I am certain that Derek’s mom has never reached over the Home Dugout at Yankee Stadium to flip him a bottle of liquid. Start taking the same approach with your own son and it will only help him in the long run.

Naddelman is a former two-time All Ivy League Third Baseman at the University of Pennsylvania, where he competed in a College World Series Regional. He has served as the President of Baseball Factory for the past 13 years, and also is the Executive Director of Baseball Factory's charitable arm The B.A.S.E. - H.I.T. Foundation. Naddelman and Steve Sclafani (CEO) have been featured in Business Week and CNN for their work in building Baseball Factory into the nation's leader in player development and college placement.