As we celebrate our 5th Anniversary publishing Inside Pitch magazine, I look at this issue's cover and think of the many outstanding baseball men who have made giant contributions, and dozens more who contributed to other articles and features.
I am grateful to our senior editor, Adam Revelette, who balances being a husband, father, Division-I pitching coach and the "quarterback" of our magazine. I am thankful for one of my former players (he wants to keep his name anonymous) who helped in a major way create the concept of Inside Pitch and continues to provide a constant stream of ideas and improvements, all the while he supports the magazine financially. Speaking of finances, our sponsors and advertisers continue to help in a significant way. We appreciate you!
Of course, I want to thank our subscribers, ABCA members and everyone who reads our content. It’s always fun to hear from you. It was especially rewarding recently to hear from a friend and a hero, Bud Daniel. Bud has worn many hats during his incredible life; father, husband, WWII Marine Fighter Pilot, College Baseball Coach, ABCA president and board member, author and more. It’s good to hear from all of you, but when a hero gives us a pat on the back, it’s extra special. Please read Coach Daniel’s comments in "From the Bleachers" in this issue. While you are reading, make sure you check out his book, Cowboy Down: A WWII Marine Fighter Pilot’s Story. You can find it on Amazon. Thank you, Coach Daniel, for serving and protecting us and for all of your contributions to our game.
There’s a lot to love about our 5th Anniversary Issue. It starts with our Inside Interview with Long Beach State’s Troy Buckley, then an interesting take on the benefits of the head coach coaching first base from Jason Ryals. And you won’t want to miss a great article about High-Pressure Performance by former D-I athlete and Navy Seal Jason Kuhn. Next, be sure to read In Defense of Travel Ball by Derek Leppert, followed by another phenomenal Frame by Frame presentation by our own big leaguer and ESPN analyst, Chris Burke. Trent Mongero is one of the brightest minds in the game. He nails it in Coaches’ Corner and, also, you will definitely want to read about Fullerton’s Rick Vanderhook’s most courageous recruiting commitment in Field of Dreams. IP finishes strong with Darren Fenster sharing how David Ortiz became a great hitter and Birmingham-Southern’s Jan Weisberg and Venice High’s Craig Faulkner discuss the benefits of competing and serving internationally in Intentional Walk. If you are passionate about baseball – and I know that you are – you will love this issue of Inside Pitch!