21 Years of Baseball, Compassion, and Praise - Sandwich, NH
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⚾ 21 Years of Baseball, Compassion, and Praise
Sandwich, NH July 2, 2022
Dear SandwichLot Friends, New and Old:
This will be, sadly, the final summer of SandwichLot Baseball. It is not
that I am worn out (though, at sixty-one, Coach T, as a hurler especially, is be-
ginning to inch past even the legendary Satchel Paige) or, necessarily, that I’ve
worn out my welcome. (Let’s hope not.) It is simply time to amble off into the
sunset — to wherever it is old ballplayers go, especially those who have given
their all to the world’s greatest game.
I began SandwichLot in the summer of 2001 with a single aim: to make
baseball both accessible and palatable to whatever kids wanted to give it a try,
principally by showing them in minute and granular ways precisely what the
game was about, and how each of its facets could be taken apart, practiced, in-
ternalized, and roundly loved. As I wrote in last year’s opening letter: Sand-
wichLot would be an experiment in readiness, exploration, and joy.
We will be “small,” rest assured, in this final season. Some of you may
remember the years — it’s almost lore — when we had sixty boys and girls in
uniform; when SandwichLot games, particularly those on Wednesday and Friday
evenings, would carry us into twilight and beyond because, well, the action was
simply too spectacular, too engrossing, and oh-so-good, as it were, for the soul.
This summer we bring to Quimby Field (a verdant venue I like to think of
as the loveliest baseball diamond in the land) two tried and true programs:
Coach T’s 5-Day in the final week of July, and an I-Ball/ABC smorgasbord in
the first week of August. All boys and girls are eligible for the 5-Day. I-Ball and
ABC require previous SandwichLot experience or, in particular cases, permis-
sion of instructor — i.e. yours truly, Coach T.
One final, all-important thing: the ethos of SandwichLot Baseball is
praise. Which is to say: every single kid we coach/teach/instruct/mentor mat-
SandwichLot© Baseball 2022ters to us, deeply, and we work as hard and as ceaselessly as we can to make every
single kid feel welcome, supported, cared for and, most important of all, ac-
knowledged and appreciated. Baseball, after all, is at its heart a democratic
game, and our mission has always been to open it — in every sense of that pro-
found little verb — to everyone.
For those of you new to our program, I include in this year’s application
packet three essential documents:
1. “The SandwichLot Rules,” which lays out the tenets our players learn to play
by and uphold.
2. “The Four Pillars of SandwichLot,” which defines and delineates our philos-
ophy, our approach, and (once again) our overarching aim.
3. “SandwichLot Cornerstones” and “The Coach T Quartet” — both of which
we hope will make as clear as possible our pedagogy and our kid-centered
reasons — inspire, teach, nurture, praise — for being.
For those of you who will be making your way back to the Quimby Field dia-
mond this summer, I would ask of you only that you continue to spread the
SandwichLot word.
Please do not hesitate to contact me* if you have even the most in-
finitesimal question or concern. I am very much looking forward to teaching
baseball to another group of wonderful, wonderful kids.
My baseball best,
Coach T
P.S. Abject apologies this “spring” letter is so late!
*By phone: (603) 284-6586; or email: timmuskat@gmail.com
SandwichLot© Baseball 2022The SANDWICHLOT Rules
Timothy Muskat ©2022
1. Root for one another.
Root, at root, means: to lend moral support. And moral support, in the SandwichLot set-
ting, should take the following forms:
• Encouraging teammates as well as opponents at all times
• Congratulating and/or consoling, at all times
• Empathizing with others
• Offering up insight, knowledge or perspective – with willing kindness (as op-
posed to haughty disdain)
2. Play for the sake of the game.
Baseball is a difficult game. We don’t need to make it any more difficult by behaving like
boors or buffoons. Playing for the sake of the game means, therefore, that one should
work consistently to
• Play the game right and well
• Play the game pitch to pitch, and never simply for the “score”
• Play the game with focus, desire and hustle – at all times
• Incorporate what one has learned into every at-bat, every fielding opportunity,
every throw, every situation
3. Do your absolute best, on and off the field.
Absolute is a wonderful word. For Coach T it means without condition –or, in plainer Eng-
lish, without the hindrance of excuse or petty reasoning. When we say, “Do your absolute best, on
and off the field,” we mean
• Better yourself every single day
• Make a contribution – even a tiny one will do
• Treat others with respect and decency
• Aim high; believe in who and what you are
• Have a plan on and off the baseball diamond, and see if you can follow it
• Don’t shirk: do what you know you are capable of and nothing less
• Don’t confuse quality with perfection: only one of them is attainable
SandwichLot© Baseball 2022THE FOUR PILLARS OF SANDWICHLOT
Desire.
I see desire as an almost literal leaping-up for something. Flames lapping at air.
Desire is a yearning to give your best, to “bring” all you’ve got to whatever it is you’ve set
your sights on. Truest learning is a direct outgrowth of desire, and desire always aims
high.
Aptitude.
On a baseball diamond, I de ne aptitude as quickness of understanding. Aptitude for
me is not an “innate” quality; it’s a practiced appreciation for knowledge, a hunger for
detail, a need to understand the whys and the wherefores, the what-lies-beneath. In our
program, aptitude is about wanting to learn, wanting to get at something, and then wanti-
ng to “do it” over and over the exact right way.
Focus.
The focus we work to encourage and instill is a combination of in-the-moment
diligence and carefully tempered enthusiasm — a heartfelt zeal for the task at hand. Un-
like many educators, I do not believe focus to be “inherent” in some kids and absent in
others. After all, everyone of us is susceptible to distraction. The focus I strive to impart
is something practiced, something learned. My job is to nurture it into being. Focus is as
essential to baseball as sound throwing mechanics or a uid and powerful swing and, I
believe, as teachable.
Effort.
Effort is a can-do resolve that comes from within. It’s the give-back we offer what-
ever is before us, whatever the task. But effort — and this is an imperative with me —
should be more than “trying hard,” particularly where baseball is concerned. The effort
we strive for in SandwichLot is an active, moment-by-moment engagement — one part
grit, one part joy. It’s both engine and ethos, what we call playing for the sake of the game.
But what distinguishes our program from all others — and I say this with utmost humility
— is that we don’t demand this effort from our participants. Rather, we encourage it, culti-
vate it, draw it forth, and we do this by means of an ancient magic: praise. Genuine praise
— a near-constant patter of it, at that. To put it in slightly different terms: effort is one
thing; effort enhanced by praise is something else altogether, and it’s the heart and soul of
SandwichLot baseball.
SandwichLot© Baseball 2022
fi
flSANDWICHLOT CORNERSTONES
Cornerstone 1: Readiness
SandwichLot is predicated on the notion that baseball, if it is to be played honorably and well and
with more than the usual brochure-promised “fun,” requires a willingly attentive group of participants. Or, to
put it somewhat differently: Give us a contingent of joyous acolytes, a few bats and one reasonably round
white ball, and we’ll give you a baseball experience to remember. We want the kids we coach to give of them-
selves on the ball field and, so doing, discover by season’s end how much baseball has given back to them.
Cornerstone 2: Acknowledgment
The kids we coach, regardless of skill level, disposition, reputation or potential, deserve to be recog-
nized for all they are and all they have to offer. SandwichLot, after all, is about giving every player chance
after chance after chance to experience baseball in all its majesty – and its occasional near-comic unpre-
dictability as well. We admire and appreciate the individual, and we want our players to know from the very
first day that we acknowledge not only who they are, but that they’ve stuck out their necks to play a quirky,
difficult-to-master game. And for their efforts, we offer up to each of them a surfeit of unstinting praise.
Cornerstone 3: Expectation
We aim high, because we believe the kids we coach are capable of wondrous achievement. We be-
lieve in their energy, their passion, their focus. We believe they are capable of learning baseball in its subtlest,
most complex forms – whether they’re eight or eighteen, shy or outgoing. Finally, we believe that when it
comes to learning, kids do best when they’re given something to shoot for, something to emulate, something
to become. Our aim, therefore, is nothing less than transformational: we want our players to be able to say,
years from now: You know, in SandwichLot, I learned a a good deal about myself, and I really learned baseball.
Cornerstone 4: Trust
As baseball is first and foremost a team game – and arguably the most democratic – we define our-
selves according to three bedrock team-building rules:
Root for one another.
Play for the sake of the game.
Do your absolute best, on and off the field.
These are the rules we live by, and their reach extends far beyond the ball field. By summer’s end we want the
kids we coach to have discovered within themselves three immutable strengths: a deep-seated capacity to
care; a proclivity for good old-fashioned effort, along with a budding sense that joy is at the root of all true
work; and, most important, a newfound inclination to put one’s best foot forward, no matter the stakes,
whatever the context, because one can, in the end, make a difference.
The Coach T Quartet
INSPIRE: to animate or impel; breathe life into; in uence
TEACH: to impart knowledge; to give instruction; to contribute by being present
NURTURE: to feed and protect; to support and encourage; to bring up
PRAISE: to express approval or admiration of; commend; extol; be grateful for
SandwichLot© Baseball 2022
fl2022 Programs
Coach T’s 5-Day
Coach T’s 5-Day, an intensive learning experience that involves participants in the foundational
aspects of baseball, is open to any boy and girl between the ages of 8* and 18. The 5-Day welcomes veter-
an players (over 70% of our participants return year after year) as well as those who are completely new
to SandwichLot baseball. This is baseball the right way, coached and taught the right way, and we work
conscientiously all during this joyful week to make every kid a powerful part of the proceedings.
*Seven-year-olds are occasionally allowed to participate in the 5-Day, but only with permission of instructor.
2022 5-Day Schedule:
Mon., July 25— Fri., July 29, 9 a.m.—noon; rain date, Sat., July 30, same time
Fee: $150.00/player; 10% sibling discount
I-Ball/ABC
The I-Ball (Intermediate Baseball) and ABC (Advanced Baseball Clinics) programs are tailored to fo-
cused, highly motivated players interested in professional, finely detailed, hands-on instruction in all
facets of the game, and who may be thinking of baseball beyond Little League. The I-Ball/ABC experi-
ence is open to participants who consistently demonstrate high baseball aptitude and are deemed “Coach
T-ready” for the nuances of higher-level instruction. Any player who has participated in the past in either
the I-Ball or ABC program is automatically eligible; all others must be evaluated before signing up. (Par-
ents: if you have questions about the readiness of your boy or girl for either I-Ball or ABC, do not hesitate
to contact Coach T.)
I-Ball/ABC Schedule:
Session I: Monday, August 1, 1-3 p.m.: OUTFIELD
Session II: Tuesday, August 2, 1-3 p.m.: FIRST AND THIRD
Session III: Wednesday, August 3, 1-3 p.m.: SECOND AND SHORT
Session IV: Thursday, August 4, 1-3 p.m.: CATCHING
Session V: Friday, August 5, 1-3 p.m.: PITCHING
Session VI: Saturday, August 6, 9 a.m.—noon: HITTING
Fee: All six sessions: $250.00/player
Each individual session: $50.00/player
SandwichLot© Baseball 2022SandwichLot 2022: Application Form
Player Name(s): _________________________ / _________________________ / _________________________
Age(s): _____ / _____ / _____
Date(s) of Birth: __________ / __________ / __________
Parent Name(s): ______________________________________ / _______________________________________
Summer Address: ______________________________________________________________________________
e-mail Address: _______________________________________________________________________________
Permanent Address (include zip code): _____________________________________________________________
Phone: _________________________ Cell: _________________________
Emergency Contact (Name and Phone number): _________________________ / __________________________
Medical Conditions/Concerns we should be aware of: ________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Having been informed of the Sandwich Recreation Department’s supervised programs for boys and girls, I/we, the parent(s) of the above named child(ren),
do hereby give our approval to his/her/their participation in Tim Muskat’s 5-day baseball clinic and related programs. We understand that baseball is an
inherently dangerous game, and hereby assume all the risks and hazards associated with the game, and do further release, absolve, indemnify and hold harm-
less the program director and any volunteers involved in SandwichLot, or any of the persons transporting my child/children to and from this activity.
Parent/Guardian Name(s)____________________________________________________
Signature of Parent or Guardian__________________________________ Date_______________________
IMPORTANT: (Circle) Shirt Size(s) YL AS AM AL AXL
Quantity ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ (one jersey per player/program)
Program (Check all that apply): No. of Participants Fee (per player; apply 10% sibling discount/program)
Coach T’s 5-Day, July 25-29 _____ $150.00 = _______
I-Ball/ABC, August 1-6 (All) _____ $250.00 = _______
Application
I-Ball/ABC [individual sessions; I II III IV V VI $50.00/session = _______ Deadline:
please circle choice(s)]
July 23
GRAND TOTAL: _______
Mail completed application with check to: SandwichLot
P.O. Box 306
Center Sandwich, NH 03227
Make checks payable to: TOWN OF SANDWICH. Thank you for your support.
All questions are good questions. Coach T can be reached at (603) 284-6586 or e-mailed at timmuskat@gmail.com.
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