Walk Off Winning

9Good Impressions

Have you ever found yourself gravitating toward a certain product when purchasing goods? Or not even checking the prices in front of the gas station, just pulling into the lot of the same name-brand company each time you need gasoline? Or sticking with good ol' Chevy (or Ford) when shopping for a pickup truck?

Companies like Coke versus Pepsi or UPS versus FedEx infiltrate college campuses and offer lucrative deals to obtain exclusivity rights to sell their products, in hopes of these college graduates growing into executive leaders one day and making decisions on what companies to use when running a business for their products. It's all about image and brand recognition.

In my position as a college baseball coach, it is vital to recruit quality student athletes to be a part of our program. I am going to be around these 18- to 22-year-olds nonstop for the next four years and not only do I need good players with high athletic skills, but there is so much more expected of the recruit. They represent me, the school, the former players, and all the alums of the university.

“Surround Yourself with Good People”

My college coach, legendary Division III Baseball Hall of Fame Coach Bill Holowaty, was a master of repeating phrases and routines that had significant meaning to him. His motto was “Surround yourself with good people, and good things will happen. Surround yourself with bad people, and you will be in bad situations much of the time.”

So what constitutes ...