Jen Rusnak: First, I’d like to congratulate you on a successful season. It’s not uncommon for a team to end with a losing record their first season, but you guys walked away with a .500 finish. What do you attribute the success to?
Doug Posdon: Well, you know, there’s lots of credit to pass around. Everyone deserves credit for helping us win a good number of games in our first year. Sure, we got beat up pretty good a few times, won a nail-biter or two, and blew a couple games we had in hand. If you really look at how we were able to have success, I think it’s because most players took time from their busy summers to practice. Can’t tell you how important practice is. Repetition. Swinging the bat over & over. Catching fly balls over & over. You’re never going to be very good if your team only shows up for games. You just can’t have real games serve as your practice time. That being said, if we had even more practice, we could have been a bit better. We’ll probably be looking to be having more practice early in the season next year……
JR: I know your game against the High Country Easy Riders was a nail-biter. What made the difference in you coming away with the W?
DP: Well, the game your referring to, in which we blew a 11-0 lead only to hold on & win 15-14, is probably the most exciting game in the Pulaski’s short team history. What a game that was. In terms of what was the difference - I’d have to credit the deep, strategic analysis that went into determining line-up and field position as the determining factor. The assistant coach of the Pulaskis is huge on analyzing match-ups and statistics, and she came forth with the winning formula for us – we’re sooo lucky she is skilled in that realm else or we’d have lost by a landslide. Had nothing to do with the clutch play of our first basegal, shortstop & catcher on that fateful final play of the game...
JR: The tournament schedule was just released. Your first game is against the High Country Easy Riders. What are your expectations for this game?
DP: It's gonna be a really good grudge match. I'm going to go even further to say that we have our first real rival. It's the 1st team we'll have played twice. We don't like them, they don't like us. Should be an evenly matched game.
JR: Your team has a history of temporarily falling apart mid-game. This has cost you. What is your strategy for recovering?
DP: You gotta just keep on keeping on. In recreational slow-pitch softball, every team is going to have what I call the “melt-down” innings. This is typically an inning where you make some bad plays in the field. An error or so. They snowball on each other. Next thing you know the opponent is feeling it and momentum builds in their favor. At this point, it’s of primary importance to focus only on what the next play is – let the rest of what has occurred go. I try to drill this in to our players. Of course, the other team is in all likelihood going to experience the same thing, so you just hope your meltdown inning is not as bad as theirs...whoever’s is less damaging, that’s usually who is going to win the game. It also is worth noting – the best teams in the league have the experience to make sure they minimize their meltdowns, in fact in most games they don’t even meltdown. That’s what we’re striving for and we’ll only ever achieve it by practice and time on the field together.It’s a long road.
JR: What are your chances for going all the way this year?
DP: I think if all of our team plays their A+ game we have a shot. It’s well known that there are like 3 teams that are pretty much head & shoulders above the rest of us, but you just never know. The score always starts at 0-0. You gotta play the game. Lots of intangibles come into play in the tournament – team spirit, how roudy your are, how much support you give each other – all these things work in your favor. We are really good in all of these areas, so even if we play teams who may possess a higher level of skill and experience at this point, we feel we can play with them, give them a run for their money. I’d have to say though, if we were to win the Bozeman District Tournament this weekend, it would go down as one of the greatest Cinderella stories in sports history!
JR: Can the team recover from Stober’s sidelining injury last game?
DP: We’re deep in all areas. We can recover. Stober, ever since coming off the DL from her horrible early season injury (that broken toe by the vacuum cleaner), has been a huge asset. Hopefully she’s ready to go and play a role for us. She’s a tough cookie, I expect her to be 100%.
JR: How will you handle your pitcher’s temper?
DP: I’m not exactly sure which pitcher you’re talking about. We’re fortunate enough to have 2 good pitchers. And actually both of them have a bit of a temper. I guess one of them is a bit more of a wise old sage type, whose not as likely to vent out temper and frustration on the field, plus the coach just can’t show that. Our other pitcher, he’s a competitor. I’m not sure there is anyone on the team who wants to win more than he does. I like that. I admire that. That’s the type of player you want, however there is a delicate balance between having that fire and knowing when to use it, and knowing when it may be a detriment to your team. He’s found that balance during the course of the season. He’ll be fine.
JR: There are rumors circulating that your job may be on the line if you don’t take home the district trophy. How do you deal with that?
DP: The press. I tell you, the press is always making a mountain out of a molehill. Yes, there’s been some pressure from the Pulaski front office to bring home the trophy, to win, but I think my job is safe for now...I’m sure both sides want to wait until after the tournament to discuss contract extensions.
JR: What will you do to advance your team to the next level?
DP: We need to practice. We need more time on the field together. We need to get to that zone where every player knows what their role is at any given time. We need to experience some success, to know what it tastes like, to want it more. We need to experience crushing defeat to know how we don’t want to experience that again. Next season, I’m pretty sure we’re going to take the next step and emerge as one of the league’s elite. You can quote me on that. It's like that famous quote by Ed Macauley, and I think this applies to all sports, "When you are not practicing, remember, someone somewhere is practicing, and when you meet him he will win."
JR: Alright coach, well thanks for your time. I look forward to following your progress at the District Championship. Good luck to you.
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