ABOUT PLAYING FOR THE BANDITS

What do the Long Island Bandits look for in a player?

          The player must have a great attitude and must mesh well with his club-mates. Self-discipline is an extremely important factor in a player’s progress, and we hold each player to very high standards.

          The player has to be coachable. He must be willing to listen, and able to learn and to implement what he has learned.

          The player has to be a team player and value the team more than the individual. What position a player plays in the field during a game and where he bats in the batting order are secondary to what he is contributing and what he is learning.

          The player has to have heart and hustle. We define heart as the desire to want to do one’s best. Hustle is when a player shows just how much he wants it.

          The player must have supportive parents who are good-hearted, respectful people. The club will spend a substantial amount of time together; it is always more fun to spend time with people whom you love to be around. Furthermore, a player’s family is vital to his success as a player.

How dedicated must a Long Island Bandits player and family be?    

The entire Bandits program is geared toward those who have a love and passion for baseball! The club counts on a serious commitment from the player and his family. We understand, of course, that a scheduling conflict can arise when players or their families have another important commitment. The Bandits’ policy is that as soon as a player knows that he is unable to attend a certain practice or game he MUST notify the club.

What are the goals of the Long Island Bandits?

          To do everything in our power to help your son grow as a ballplayer and as a person.

          To develop competitive players through hard work, dedication and commitment.

          To play on some of the best baseball fields, against some of the best competition – locally, nationally and internationally.

          To prepare your son for the next level of play in his baseball life.

          To have the players’ families experience and share in their sons’ lives through baseball, forming friendships and memories that will last a lifetime.

How many players will be on each Tournament Team?        

The Long Island Bandits will normally take 13-14 players to a tournament, but this can vary depending on the rules of the tournament, the scheduling and player availability. Every player is an important part of the team to which he is assigned and must be able to pitch (throw strikes) and be versatile, i.e. be able to play multiple positions. The benefit is that the players will have significantly more playing time than if we take 15+ kids. We do not believe in having a player dedicate himself the entire off-season and come to all practices, just to sit on the bench.

What is the club’s philosophy on winning?    

The Long Island Bandits tournament teams strive to win tournaments. The club does not feel that winning or playing to win is a bad thing. The Managers, coaches, players, and the players’ families are passionate about their baseball.  They value hard work, dedication, commitment and winning, while maintaining the utmost respect for the game, the opponents and the officials. The club prepares extremely hard to get the players ready for each Tournament Event. We practice, prepare and play to win.

The club values ball players (and players’ family members) that conduct themselves by the rules and handle themselves with class during wins and during defeats alike. Winning at all costs is never a consideration. The club will never jeopardize a player’s well being, nor do anything that will tarnish the club’s integrity or reputation just to win. If winning does not happen, then we will ensure that the players learn from the loss and are motivated by it to become better players. Sometimes, losing can actually be more valuable to development than winning. If a team uses what they have learned during a defeat to make them an even better prepared team against their next opponent then they have turned a defeat into a victory. We would rather lose and learn against a better team, than win and not grow against a lesser quality opponent.

What do we ask on the field from our players?          

            The club asks that each player:

          Play for the name on the front of his jersey and not for the name on the back of his jersey.

          Always give his best effort. If that best effort fails, immediately and without hesitation, make a second effort.

          Be a positive force in the dugout, and pick up his teammates when they are down.

          Show respect to everyone involved with the game.

          Never ever give up – always focus as if the team was down by one run in the last inning, no matter what the score happens to be.

Talk to me about playing time…        

Payment of the Club fees does not guarantee perfectly equal playing time. If a player misses practices without good reason his playing time will be affected. In order to have a fair chance to develop, all committed players should play at least 50% of the innings in any given tournament, barring exceptional cases of injury, fatigue or indiscipline. In other words, if a player is committed and available, the club will guarantee him a fair amount of playing time regardless of his current skill level. However, “fair” does not mean perfectly equal. In any given tournament, whether due to performance or just particular game situations, some players will still play more than others; that is simply a fact and needs to be accepted up front.

What position will my son play? Where will my son bat in the lineup?         

On the local level, a Bandits player is typically one of the best players on his team, if not the league, and may be used to playing his favorite position(s). But surround that player with 12-14 other players like him and now that player must be willing to make a big adjustment. Parents must help their son see the overall picture and become a team player rather than an individual player that plays on a team. Realistically, tournament teams need a very good player at every position on the field and in every part of the lineup. Every player is a contributor! What position a player plays in the field and where he bats in the batting order are secondary to how he can help the team offensively or defensively in the short run – meaning the game. A player may not play his favorite position or bat in his favorite spot in the lineup as often as he would like, and he and his family MUST be prepared to accept this. An important club goal is to develop players who can play multiple positions. Since we do not want to have a lot of players on the bench during games, the players need to be versatile and interchangeable.  The payoff for them is that versatility greatly benefits their baseball development. Remember our philosophy: games are about a team and not an individual.

Might the club take more than 14 players to a tournament?  

The club may expand the size of its rosters to more than 14 players under either of two conditions: When it has a player on its roster who cannot make all the games or has to leave before the completion of the tournament or when the team can add a quality player that will significantly improve the team in a position where the team very much needs that improvement.

Will there be any fundraising or sponsorship money?           

Fundraising can help make up for a large part of the costs associated with the Bandits, and in fact the kids generally enjoy working toward realizing their baseball dreams. The club also actively solicits sponsorships to support our motivated, dedicated and talented athletes. We put any funds coming from Fundraisers into a fund to help defray the costs of accessories, tournament fees, travel, or lodging for the players and coaches. Funds coming from Sponsors will be distributed as follows: 80% directly to the sponsored players account, and 20% into a general fund to help defray the cost of accessories, tournament fees, travel, or lodging for the players and coaches. If the Bandits families participate in a strong, coordinated effort to raise funds, our 2010 team may end up not costing us very much at all!

Should you have questions about these guidelines and team rules, please don’t hesitate to talk to me or your coaching staff.

Respectfully,

Gary Fischer

Long Island Bandits.