Toth’s Words

Now that we have had a long break from baseball and everyone is rested and ready to go it’s time to go to work!!  It was good see a large number of our kids working out during the break and I can tell they are all eager to get started.  We still have about 4 weeks to go but the season is definitely right around the corner.  The main thing right now is preparation.  I talk to the kids all the time about not waiting until Jan 30 to start getting ready but that they need to be in full gear once that date rolls around.  What that means is that right now they need to do their best to find time to throw and hit on a daily basis.  This is especially important for the pitchers.  There should not be a day that goes by at this point that they don’t do some type of throwing and conditioning.  I will hand out a throwing/bullpen program that our off-season kids can do.  It is very very important that they take this to heart.  The commitment they show now will say a lot about where we stand in May.

The other important item coming up other than the fundraiser is our 1st annual Dad’s Day.  There is a list of items attached to the homepage of the website.  Please take a moment to look it over and any questions you may about the list bring those to the next bullpen meeting. 

Last thing, don’t forget that we will begin collecting funds for our fundraiser on Jan. 12.  The boys will each receive a packet with all the information they need.  I think it is going to be a great event for our program and community.

I can’t believe how fast this fall semester has flown by. I guess because last year was my first as a head coach and everything was spinning around 100mph all the time it seemed it took the season a lot longer to get here.  I am extremely excited about the upcoming year and know it is going to be very special.  I also want to congratulate all our football players and coaches.  What an awesome journey!  If our kids who were in the stands didn’t get motivated by what they experienced on Sat. then something has to be wrong.  There is nothing like reaching the top and getting that feeling of accomplishment.  I hope all our players hang on to those feelings and it pushes them even harder as we begin our road to state once we get back from break.  I also want to congratulate DJ as he was named to the All-State football team.  Daniel is a truly remarkable player in football and baseball and outstanding person.  I am so proud of how he represented himself and our athletic program each and every time he stepped on the field.  Lastly, I want to thank all our parents and players who worked so hard selling t-shirts and handing out AHMO fans at the games.  I received so many compliments on what an outstanding group we have.  More than every, our baseball family is coming together and demonstrating how special and unique our program is.

One important note is that the IMPAC building will be open from 10-12pm for anyone wanting to come up and work out on Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week.  Also, we will have another bullpen meeting on Jan. 12 at the IMPAC at 6:45pm before the booster club meeting.  This will give us an opportunity to tie up loose ends on the fundraiser and discuss the upcoming Dad’s Day that weekend.  Again, I appreciate everyone’s help and have a great Christmas break and a Happy New Year!

I wanted to start off by saying how awesome it is to see our football team so close to reaching every team’s goal of making the state championship.  It is definitely a great accomplishment for the players and coaches to have made it to this point.  The other thing that makes me proud to sit in the stands and watch our team each time they play is the class they win with.  We have beaten up on some really good teams these past weeks and there has been several times when our players could have tried to “show up” the other team or get caught up in the emotion of the game but have resisted.  The way those players have handled themselves on the field and then once they get back into the classrooms has been outstanding from a teacher and coaches point of view. 

The other thing I hope our players are getting out of the football team’s success is that winning a state championship is a realistic goal if you have the drive and desire to make that your ultimate goal.  Sometimes it seems that when you start out at the beginning of the season a state championship is more of a dream than a realistic accomplishment.  However, there is no doubt that anything is possible if you believe in it and then work hard to prepare yourself for that challenge.  That is one thing we talked a lot about this week in off season.  This time of the year is extremely tough on our kids because the season is still a little ways off and they going through a pretty tough lifting and conditioning program.  For me it is this time that helps me find those guys that are going to be dedicated and do what it takes to overcome challenges they face when they feel they can’t go any more.  That is exactly what it is going to take for us to achieve our goals this season.  As I told them, our team is not built to be average.  Now is the time a player has to pay that price if they want to be a part of an outstanding team and program, which is exactly what I think we have.

I hope everyone makes note that our bull pen meeting was changed from the IMPAC classroom to the First Baptist Church in Wylie.  I appreciate every one’s time and understanding with this process.  This is going to be an outstanding event and a big thanks to everyone who has helped in this planning process.   In any program it takes a total effort by everyone involved and a huge reason we have been able to develop a top rate baseball program in Wylie is because of the great parent support.   I hope everyone has a great week!

Well I hope everyone has gotten the news that our bullpen meeting has been rescheduled for Dec. 15 2008.  That will give us an opportunity to meet before Christmas break and see where we are in terms of the fundraiser and what we need to do once we get back in Jan.  Also, no other groups should be meeting during that day so we should be able to have access to the meeting room in the IMPAC. One important item I want everyone to be aware of is the newsletter I’ve put together.  You can find this on the News link located on the homepage of the website.  This contains a number of important items and issues related to the program.  We also still need about 6 banners and have some opportunities for some bigger sponsorships if we could get them.  You can contact Kenneth Q. if you need more info.  Also, as always, if you have any questions please feel free to contact me.  Thanks for all your support and we are down to two months and counting before the season!!!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving break.  It’s hard to believe that the season is only 2 months away.   With that being said we have a lot of work to do in order to get ready.  Please try to make every effort to be at our bull pen meeting on Monday.  We will be discussing a number of items.  We also need as many people in attendance at the booster club meeting as we will be asking for money in order to make a purchase.  Thanks for all your help and support!!!

I just wanted to congratulate our football team on the great job they have done this season.  It’s awesome to see them get the recognition they deserve and I hope they keep on going all the way to Houston.  There are so many similarities between the make-up of their team and ours.  You can see how well they play together as a team and there is no one on that team that puts themselves above the others.  It’s also great to see our baseball players stepping up and making a huge difference out there.  There is no doubt that the contributions they have made has been the a major factor to the team’s overall success.  I definitely look forward to watching them play again on Saturday.

I hope everyone takes time to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday next week.  Taren and I are very fortunate to attend a great church. The message last week was about how Thanksgiving is really one of the last remaining holidays we have that solely revolves around being thankful for your family and the blessings you have in your life.  Obviously, I am very blessed to have a great family that grows stronger everyday.  I am also truly thankful for being able to be involved in these kids lives each and everyday.  Our seniors are an unbelievable group of kids and to have had the opportunity to grow with them over the last 5 years has been a great experience.  It will be tough to see them go after this year but I know they are working hard to leave the program in good hands with the talented group of younger kids we have.  As I told the boys before we left, this week is a great opportunity to take a step back and rest.  Once we get back from this break we will have another 3 weeks of off-season and then another chance to recharge before we get down to business and start on our road to having a great season!!  Hope all of you have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Well, I suppose if you have found this post then you have been searching around our brand new website.  I think it’s pretty awesome and will definitely be a great tool for us to promote our kids, program and relate news throughout all 3 levels.  Please check back to this site often as it will be the main source of information throughout the season.  As you can see all our schedules will be posted here, which will include tournament information.  Once the season starts we will post our rosters and have varsity player profiles.  We also have a link entitled “college bound” which we will use to post pictures of all the boys who have committed to play college baseball.  As I said before, this is going to be an extremely useful tool for us to have and will hopefully be something our players and parents will be proud of.