{"product_id":"the-matheny-manifesto-isbn-9780553446722","title":"The Matheny Manifesto","description":"\u003cb\u003eSt. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny's \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling manifesto about what parents, coaches, and athletes get wrong about sports; what we can do better; and how sports can teach eight keys to success in sports and life.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eMike Matheny was just forty-one, without professional managerial experience and looking for a next step after a successful career as a Major League catcher, when he succeeded the legendary Tony La Russa as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012. While Matheny has enjoyed immediate success, leading the Cards to the postseason four times in his first four years−a Major League record−people have noticed something else about his life, something not measured in day-to-day results. Instead, it’s based on a frankly worded letter he wrote to the parents of a Little League team he coached, a cry for change that became an Internet sensation and eventually a “manifesto.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe tough-love philosophy Matheny expressed in the letter contained his throwback beliefs that authority should be respected, discipline and hard work rewarded, spiritual faith cultivated, family made a priority, and humility considered a virtue. In \u003ci\u003eThe Matheny Manifesto, \u003c\/i\u003ehe builds on his original letter by first diagnosing the problem at the heart of youth sports−it starts with parents and coaches−and then by offering a hopeful path forward. Along the way, he uses stories from his small-town childhood as well as his career as a player, coach, and manager to explore eight keys to success: leadership, confidence, teamwork, faith, class, character, toughness, and humility. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eFrom “The Coach Is Always Right, Even When He’s Wrong” to “Let Your Catcher Call the Game,” Matheny’s old-school advice might not always be popular or politically correct, but it works. His entertaining and deeply inspirational book will not only resonate with parents, coaches, and athletes, it will also be a powerful reminder, from one of the most successful new managers in the game, of what sports can teach us all about winning on the field and in life.“\u003ci\u003eThe Matheny Manifesto\u003c\/i\u003e illustrates a perspective we need not only in youth sports, but in our culture as a whole. By teaching the importance of respect, character, and a team-first approach, Mike Matheny gives our kids, and those who set an example for them, a positive outlook on healthy competition—and demonstrates how the most powerful lessons of baseball apply to their futures beyond the diamond.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Joe Torre\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Readers agree there are ‘must read ‘ books.  \u003ci\u003eThe Matheny Manifesto,\u003c\/i\u003e inspired by Mike's letter is one and much more. After you read it, you ‘must consider’  and then  ‘must act’ on its core principles—principles that benefit coaches, parents, success seekers, and especially young players.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Tony La Russa\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“You win, or in this case, lose, with class.  With integrity.  You play hard.  You play smart.  You respect yourself, your teammates, your opponents, and your craft.  It’s a game and it should be fun.  It’s a business, and those realities are there, too.  But it can be more than just that.  It can, at least for some, be an expression of principles…. In many ways, Matheny’s still new, but already extremely successful, tenure with the Cardinals is an ongoing example of those principles writ large.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—From the afterword by Bob Costas\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“I once told Mike Matheny that if I ever became a big league manager, I’d want to manage just like he does. \u003ci\u003eThe Matheny Manifesto \u003c\/i\u003ewill show you why. Mike approaches the game as the ultimate competitor, but totally with class and dignity.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Orel Hershiser, Los Angleles Dodgers broadcaster, 18-year big league pitcher, Cy Young Award winner, World Series champion\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Matheny Manifesto\u003c\/i\u003e is mandatory reading for coaches, parents, and athletes of every age. The book is packed with winning insights and practical advice for all to use. A powerful read!”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003ePat Williams, Orlando Magic co-founder and senior vice president\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Mike Matheny has some tremendous lessons for coaches but mostly for parents…. You’ve got to know someone who could use this book. You’ve got to know 10 people who could use this book. They’ll thank you for getting it.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003ePeter King\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Lots of coaches write inspirational books, but this one has a lot of interesting stuff in it...It's an important book.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Mike Francesa\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A must read for parents, coaches, teachers all who work with young people\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Jim Harbaugh\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e[The Matheny Manifesto] should be read by every parent of every youth league player in this country.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—Providence Journal \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Beautifully readable and morally meaty.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eChristianity Today\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[T]his book should be read by anybody who coaches a kids team, as well as the parents of those kids.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—St. Louis Post-Dispatch\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Every parent who has a son or daughter that plays sports, dances, plays in the band, is in theater, or does anything as team or group, must read The Matheny Manifesto.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Quad-Cities Online, \u003ci\u003eThe Dispatch\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMike Matheny \u003c\/b\u003eplayed thirteen years as a catcher for four Major League teams, won four Gold Gloves, and holds the MLB record for most consecutive games without an error. He was the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals for six seasons, leading the Cardinals to the postseason in each of his first four campaigns and winning the National League pennant in 2013. He and his wife, Kristin, are the parents of five and live in St. Louis. For more information about Mike’s Catch 22 Foundation, and to keep up with his blog, visit www.MikeMatheny.com.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJerry B. Jenkins \u003c\/b\u003eis the author of twenty \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestsellers, including the Left Behind series. His writing has appeared in \u003ci\u003eTime, Reader’s Digest, Parade, Guideposts\u003c\/i\u003e, and dozens of Christian periodicals. He has collaborated on as-told-to autobiographies by Hank Aaron, Orel Hershiser, Walter Payton, Nolan Ryan, Mike Singletary, and Billy Graham. For more information about Jerry, visit www.JerryJenkins.com.\u003c\/p\u003e1\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhatever Happened to the Love of the Game?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI’m a fierce competitor, and I don’t apologize for that. I want only that kind of player on my teams, too. But while coaching—­and parenting—­in youth sports, I have to keep that in its proper perspective. To create an atmosphere in which young people can reach their full potential, I must first make sure they develop a love and a passion for their sport, before any other lessons can be taught—­including the will to win. Argue with me all you want, but I’m going from what I’m hearing from my current players, former coaches, and former teammates.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen I was a kid, we loved sports. We played baseball, basketball, and football because they were fun and we enjoyed them. Organized sports were great, but most of the time we played on our own. Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan has said that the difference between the way kids play today and the way he and his friends played is that now they only play with uniforms on.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSomehow, the more organized sports became, the more they became about the parents and not about the kids. All of a sudden, kids didn’t seem to love sports as much as I did when I was their age—­and that’s something I thought needed to change.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy very first baseball memory was Wiffle ball in the backyard, baseball in its purest form. I was the third of four boys growing up in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus. We played all sports, competed at everything, and like everyone else— ­probably including you—­made up our own rules.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMom tried to change those rules. She wanted to make every ball we hit over the fence a three-­out infraction, since the neighbors always complained about us being in their yard. But what kid could ever follow that rule? Baseball is all about home runs and mimicking your favorite player, and in those days I was Tom Seaver when I pitched and Johnny Bench when I was at the plate.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSometimes I would work on my left-­handed swing so I could watch the ball bounce off the neighbors’ roof. My brothers and I would make sure Mom wasn’t watching before we hopped the fence to retrieve the only ball we had that wasn’t cracked.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEven though we aimed away from the house with the dog, that animal had a sporting goods store’s worth of our Wiffle balls. The Sandlot movie, which would come along a couple of years after I signed a pro contract, could have been our story. But none of us dared go to the door or jump that fence.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe talked our dad into putting up lights so that we could play at night, and often we played so late the neighbors yelled out their window that it was time for the game to be over.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt seemed my older brother Rusty could throw a Wiffle ball ninety miles an hour. He loved putting welts on my bare back, since pegging—­throwing the runner out between bases by nailing him with the ball—­was permitted. Mom tried to change that rule, too, to no avail.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI don’t know what your game looked like, but here are some more of our details:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• Rock, paper, scissors served as our review process.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• The tie always went to the runner.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• Appropriating Dad’s black electrical tape to give the skinny yellow bat a little more weight was deemed completely legal.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• The greatest accessory was a plastic helmet from your favorite team.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• A drive into the far corner of the yard was an easy double if you hustled out of the box.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• Second base was a Frisbee we hadn’t tossed for years.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• A worn patch of dirt served as home plate.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI fell in love with the game of baseball in that backyard before I ever wore a jersey or played on an official team. I learned base running, cutoffs and relays, rundowns, even bench-clearing brawls with my brothers and neighborhood kids.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy dad worked construction and my mom for a church missionary association, so there was never enough money for an Atari, Nintendo, or Xbox. I’m grateful, because if we’d had those, I might never have known what baseball was really all about.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe kept score but never remembered, dinner was an annoyance, and the end of summer was a tragedy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne of the first things I did for my own kids was build them a Wiffle ball field on our property—­backstop, bases, home-run fence, scoreboard, lights, sprinkler system, the whole bit. On their birthdays, our kids get to choose what we do, and almost without fail, even to this day, it includes Wiffle ball late into the night—­sometimes until dawn. Big-­league teams have played Wiffle ball at our place.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat I love about baseball has evolved over the years, though.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs a first-­time player on an organized team, I loved a chocolate swirl ice cream cone with sprinkles at Dairy Queen after the game, even when we lost.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI later fell in love with playing in front of a crowd and the thrill of making a play.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBack then, fun trumped winning, and wearing the same jersey as your friends was the definition of success.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI loved the smell of the bubble gum you could get only at the ball field, and seeing how many pieces I could keep in my mouth during the game.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOver time and the onset of puberty, fun turned to ferocity, and testosterone made every game live or die. I learned how much it really meant to me when I couldn’t control the tears after letting a ball roll through my legs cost my team the game.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI soon realized the sport had changed for me. Far beyond a source of joy and a sense of accomplishment, it came to define my social status. Baseball became part of who I was—­not just how others saw me, but how I viewed myself. Its heroes, past and present, became like Greek gods, and getting even a glimpse of them in person was surreal.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI’ll never forget getting to travel and seeing how I matched up to the talent in other areas, finding out how much more work I had to do. How exciting, that first out-­of-­town trip without my family, my first night in a hotel with a bunch of kids too rowdy to sleep—­or let anyone else for that matter.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI loved using a hose to fill my jug that needed to last an entire day, showing up early to rake the infield, praying it wouldn’t rain, enjoying a Snickers bar as a between-­games meal, and being covered with dirt from head to toe.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWho can forget discovering you’re on the local scouts’ radar and have a legitimate chance to play a game that can pay for your education, are you kidding me? What’s not to love about showing up on a college campus and joining a team of guys you’ve never met but you know already have your back?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhy did I come to love baseball?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe game became the pacesetter for my life. What could top:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLying in bed at the University of Michigan, dreaming of playing professionally, earning a degree along the way because you can catch and throw.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGetting an actual check for signing your name, just because you have potential.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWaking up every day knowing you have a chance to improve your odds of making it to the Show, and realizing you actually play every single day.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow occasionally praying for rain so your body can recoup.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGetting the call that tells you your lifelong dream has come true and you’ve become one of the select few who ever make it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSharing a locker room with superstars and future Hall of Famers and finding yourself in the same lineup.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGetting paid to play a game—­well enough to get a great start in life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAsking for autographs from legends, and having them actually engage you in conversation as if you’re in the same fraternity—­because you are.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTruly realizing the depth of your love for the game by how you feel when it’s taken from you—­twice.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGetting another chance to chase the dream and actually experience a winning season.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFeeling the buzz of the crowd in the postseason and the month-­long celebration known as October baseball.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStepping up to the plate in the World Series and facing the best of the best on the baseball world’s biggest stage.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHaving hung in there long enough for your kids to get to walk onto a major-­league field and understand the passion the fans hold for this great game and its players.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd finally to watch the sun set on a career some believed would never happen, and to humbly, silently say, “I told you I could.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMaybe my wife, Kristin, and John and Ann Mabry were the only three parents who could truly understand where I was coming from that night, a true lover of baseball standing before them and reading what otherwise had to sound like a very strange letter. I was no guru, hardly a know-­it-­all, and I certainly didn’t want to come across as a Little League dictator.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut neither did I have any interest in being involved in a youth baseball program that disgraced the game that had virtually been my life and helped shape my character. Ironically, if I had learned anything from baseball, from all the coaching and the training and the practices and the development, it was that so much more went into making a child an adult than teaching them athletic skills and how to win games.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the few short decades since my childhood, I had seen a shocking shift in the values and actions of parents and coaches that I believed made it nearly impossible for the youth of today to love the game the way I do. If I was right, youth sports was long overdue for an overhaul of business as usual.With a New Foreword by the Author","brand":"Crown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302130864357,"sku":"NP9780553446722","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780553446722.jpg?v=1767740444","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-matheny-manifesto-isbn-9780553446722","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}