Snowy Days

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

For those of us that live in the Baltimore/Washington DC Metropolitan area, it has been a rough winter. Over the past week, we have had nearly four feet of snow fall with drifts that eclipse seven feet! This is the most snow this area has seen since the 1800’s. It has been a lot of shoveling to say the least. Check out a funny photo of me and my youngest daughter.


This will illustrate just how much snow is on the ground.

It is times like this when I remember how baseball players in the North East and Midwest have to be creative to stay in baseball shape. Today is February 12th and college baseball practice has started and high school programs in the west and south have already started practicing (outside). Kids in our geographic area are certainly at a disadvantage, but they can’t use the bad weather as an excuse. Let’s face it, most high school players from our area want to go down south to play where it is warm. So if they want to compete with those players for college roster spots, kids in our geographic area need to do all they can to get their work in and not fall behind.

As parents, you need to encourage your sons to stay motivated for baseball. Once you dig your cars out, try and get to an indoor hitting facility. Get to the gym to get their conditioning and weight training in. If you can get to a gymnasium for them to throw and do defense work, take advantage of that opportunity as well. Keep dreaming of warmer days and hopefully they will be here soon. I am certainly ready for it!


Rob Naddelman is the President of Baseball Factory. Naddelman is a former two-time All Ivy League Third Baseman at the University of Pennsylvania, where he competed in a College World Series Regional. He has served as the President of Baseball Factory for the past 14 years, and also is the Executive Director of Baseball Factory's charitable arm The B.A.S.E. - H.I.T. Foundation. Naddelman and Steve Sclafani (CEO) have been featured in Business Week and CNN for their work in building Baseball Factory into the nation's leader in player development and college placement.