I don’t care what anybody tells you: coaching is harder than playing.

Many professional athletes think they’re naturals or shoo-ins to become coaches after they’re done playing. The same holds true in the business world: “Yes, I have arrived after that glorious interview, or maybe my job placement was already secured, for whatever reason.”

The coach’s role(s) The coach is the teacher, but he is also a psychologist; the referee; a hardass if need be; a guidance counselor; a fill-in Dad (never a Mom)—so many different roles. Hell, on a 25-man roster, you’ve got individuals who are poles apart on many things.

Players need a coach who’s in their corner; one who understands the game and what they’re going through, yet is firm, and -- above all -- honest. To a player, a coach either “has it” or he doesn’t. It’s best to know what you’re talking about; almost any player can read right through mediocrity and patchiness, so don’t stumble. Hell, a thirteen-year-old can read through BS.

Your delivery, body language, knowledge of the game, being able to relate to each player on an individual basis – all of those things, and more, are important. 

If you don’t know or don’t have the answer to a player’s question, raise your hand to the crowd and say, “I don’t know – but I will find out.” Believe me, you will come out ahead. And yes, respect is earned. The KISS theory (Keep It Simple, Stupid) comes into play quite often, and you will repeat yourself a lot.

Coaches have to follow organizational guidelines, which vary with each affiliated team. Believe me, you’ll be dealing with adversity (sometimes off-the-charts); you will definitely be tested; you’ll be stepped on from above and below. And eventually you’ll get kicked in the nuts, doubted, given direction, and then get no direction.

Well, guess what? The ball just keeps on rolling. And on some occasions, you may even get the drift of an old smell, and conclude that it’s the scent of a rose. Well, maybe it smells like a rose, but it’s really a musty, jock-smelling locker room that will flare your nostrils. 

Unfortunately, sport in general is set up for us to take a back seat, and possibly fail. Matter of fact, an athlete will have more failure on the field than success.

A little peak from inside my book - What's Up Ramrod

Country Boy: Conveniently Wild - The sagas before Mark pitched for the Royals and Cardinals. Mark' s crazy character was formed on a cotton and soybean farm in the Missouri Bootheel. Growing up was a wild ride for Mark, full of family, fun, and lots of mischief. This book will take you through the many malfunctions of Mark's early life, and introduce you to the folks who kept him in line and showed him the ropes.

On the Eight Day, God Made Baseball - Mark takes you through his wild and wooly career as a baseball player, from his very first at-bat when he was six years old, through his career in the Major Leagues. This collection of unbelievable tales will have you on the floor laughing, as Mark’s Southern twang and quick wit show you a side of baseball you’ve never seen before. 

All books are personalized and signed by Ramrod

Spread the word... A lot of athletes are still injuring their family jewels because they don't understand how and why you need a three-piece protective system for your protective cup.

Our Founder/Inventor, Mark Littell, a former MLB pitcher, created an entire system to give athletes the best protection, support and comfort. Our system includes three separate pieces (NuttyBuddy Athletic Cup, NuttyBuddy Jock and NuttyBuddy Lock Compression Shorts) and is designed from the ground up for maximum protection. The NB jock to be worn OVER the NB Lock compression shorts with the NB cup inserted in between is a system that has been proven to work again and again over the past 15+ years.

We invented this system with a NuttyBuddy because our cup is not flat, it is anatomically correct and is curved to fit snug to your body. (By the way, our cup is the only cup on the market that is anatomically correct allowing your junk to hang naturally). Our jock strap is used to hold the NB cup tight to your body and is worn on the outside of the shorts (our shorts hold your package up and in one place) in order to provide maximum comfort and protection. Just like the pros! You get the best of both worlds - luxury and protection.

We spent years trying to find the best solution and we firmly believe we still have the best design on the market. When you wear the NuttyBuddy system correctly, the cup will "float" with the movement of your body. It is way better than an inside pouch, which only gives the illusion that the cup is in the correct position. You want your cup snug to your body, and we found that pouches did not do that as they are designed to just hold the cup and not hold it tight. If it's not snug, it's useless. The Jock and shorts combination is how the professionals wear cups. We believe in this system so much we trademarked “Wear It Like A Pro®”.