Talent,Confidence, and the ability to adjust adds up to victories

[Band of Brothers]

I always believed that you need three important qualities to win in baseball.

1) Talent. You have to have the players who excel and love the game. Sometimes you can overcome a little lack of talent, or overcoming key injuries and play with pure heart . Those teams become the really special teams you remember. Over the long haul of 162 games though through the grind day after day you have to have talent.

2) Confidence . I heard Krukow talk about when he went to spring training players will look around and know if their team has a chance. It's important that the team believes in each other early on. They don't have to get along all the time as teams that have fought like cats and dogs have won Championships in the past but having everyone on board is a special quality that will get teams through the tough times especially in August and September. You can hear guys repeating the words of their manager and the belief is in their words. I can just look at they way a team takes the field or stands at the plate to know who has more confidence. When you are confident you can also relax more and you have to be loose to play baseball.

3)The ability to adjust. This is so important in baseball. I see guys doing the wrong things over and over and being stubborn not willing to change to compete at the highest level. This drives me nuts ! You have to make adjustments all the time. Once other teams find a weakness in a players game they will exploit it to the max. The players that are willing to drop the macho B.S. and learn especially from older players or coaches will improve. Belt for a while would not listen to the coaches and former players about his grip and his approach at the plate. Once he put away the macho stubborn B.S. and adjusted he is shining like the star he will be. You have to be willing to learn . The game can be a chess match and you have to be one or two steps ahead of the competition or the game will swallow you up. I can remember a statement by Joe Morgan the great 2nd baseman saying about if he knew what he knew later in his career when he was younger he would of been a even better ballplayer. The willingness to learn and adjust in the game is priceless.


I can see all these qualities in this 2014 Giants team and if they can stay on track playing balls out baseball they can pull this thing out and become Champions once again. They believe they can do it and so do the fans. Ya gotta believe !


Go Giants !!