Pharm wrote this in another thread, and I think it is a good observation that deserves to be seen here as well...
"There's something else that is quite noticeable and it has nothing to do with their play in the field (and it was quite noticeable last season as well - and perhaps the prior one although I don't recall it as much) -- this program used to have a standard of intensity, excellence, and hustle that extended far past live ball situations. Players sprinted to their positions and engaged quickly in their between inning preparations, they hustled down the line at all times...not just when they believed they had a chance to make it safely, and they got into and out of the dugout (and cleared the field) with an urgency that was quite uncommon. I'm not sure when this style of professionalism and intensity and focus left the program but it is markedly absent and has been for a while. Players ground out and lolly-gag around first base. Players strike out and saunter back to the dugout. Players are late arriving for between inning preparations. It used to be that you'd rarely (if ever) see a Frog player walking or lightly jogging between the lines. Now it's the norm. And this was true for game situations and in-and-outs.
I've mentioned this before but I knew (and know) many Okie Lite players and their parents. Going back to 2011 I was told by Okie Lite players, parents, and two coaches that the way TCU approached the game was intimidating as hell. One player told me directly that when you saw TCU show up and saw their non-game hustle and their focus and intensity, it made him wonder if he had prepared enough to play against a team that seemingly wanted it more than he did. This was immediately after TCU took 2 of 3 against Okie Lite and then turned around and beat Baylor for the second time that year.
And, I think that signature endeared this program to a certain segment of baseball fans. I hope we're not losing that."
Attitude. "A bad case of the wants." How do we get that back?
