Baseball teams lacking in team pride, character, and self esteem as a unit will under perform and reflect an inabilility to achieve a winners trophy. Baseball leagues have standards and rules outlining the requirements for uniforms and conduct but any team which needs a leagues rules for guidance is a proven "also ran."

The pride of a team, the associated conduct and respect for the game, the uniform, and the sport must be an integral part of and be within the individuals of the team to produce winners. Attention to small details and the pride to honor the most minute parts of proper behavior and the wearing of a team uniform and performing before the fans and general public is critical.

How can a team develop a winning attitude when it as a group has no burning pride of the teams demeanor and dress? Would a manager of a team allow one of his players to enter a game with no socks on and looking like "Joe the Rag Picker?" Not likely, however, pay attention to some of the teams and you might notice some have their trousers bloused and some have them full length to the shoe top. What it represents is a lack of attention to detail and a sure sign of a perennial loser.

One local team I have noticed will almost invariably in any picture, in the local paper, show players with caps on of the parent Major League club. A team lacking in enough pride to be photographed wearing the local teams cap and logo is lacking in pride enough to be a winner. Small detail but a telling truth teller as to pride of the team.

I was a very fortunate young player during my high school days in that our coach did his dead level best to instill team pride in all of us players. He provided us with the very best and the sharpest looking uniforms the school could possibly afford.

He relentlessly pounded home the idea that we were not out there on our own but that we represented "Our Team" and "Our School" and "Our Families" and that if we had other thoughts then go hang it up for we did not belong on the team.

I had to get off my chest this little short "on my mind" tirade about pride of team concerning conduct and appearance.

I do firmly believe there is a correlation of team pride and winning teams. Well! tell me do you think a team can be a winner that doesn't care? Nuff said.