Coach's Corner

(05/03/08) Hey Honker Fans. Okay, so we took a week off, and now were a couple of days behind with our latest update. With the season less than 30 days away, time is beginning to become a factor. But Jason Plourde has stood up for you, the fans, with this quote sent to me with this week's edition of the Coach's Corner:

"Ryan, why no questions last week? The city and fans of Rochester want to hear what I have to say. Figure it out, dude."

While my pride is crushed, the show must go on. Oh, and by the way, due to a clerical error, one of the questions for JP this week had to be abbreviated after the fact.

Dude is trying hard to figure it out.

Q and A with Jason Plourde

Q: The Honkers have had to sign a few new players recently. Did you expect to have to pick up a few players at this time of the year?

Absolutely. Right about now is the time that guys are finding out that they have to do summer school, or it's getting late in the college season and guys are getting banged up a bit. When we started putting this team together you have to figure that we'll lose anywhere from 5 to 10 guys due to grades or injuries. Thankfully we haven't lost that many guys. We might need to do this one more time in early June with the draft, so it's something you anticipate, but hope you don't have to deal with.

Q: Your roster is really kind of like your recruiting class. How would you grade out your class, based on your strengths and weaknesses?

Well Ryan, we are very happy with the people we've signed. All of them are currentyl playing an instrumental role at there colleges, and that plays a big part. They will all have game experience. I'm very excited to get everyone there and let them do what they do.

Q: How valuable is experience in a league like ours?

It's invaluable. I want those guys to lead us. Every summer team I've been a part of has been successful, and a good majority of that success is due to leadership. And it doesn't have to be a guy that is the most talented and puts up the best numbers to lead. In 2004 when I was with the Mallards and we won it, the leader of our team, Doug Beck hit like .230, but man he could get everyone to play to the energy level he did. Thats why we were so good.

Q: You have a 6 game road trip the first full week of the season. Since it is so early, will it really matter that you’re on the road?

I actually prefer to start out on the road. When you're on a bus that much guys get a chance to know each other a little better. It's almost a good bonding experience.

Q: What do you have left to do to get ready before joining the Honkers this season?

Well, the team is set, for now, hopefully not too many of our guys get drafted.The coaching staff is set (our final coach will be revealed soon). I guess the biggest thing is for my staff and I to get up there and get everyone on the same page. I know I'm excited about it though.

(04/17/08) Hey Honker Fans! We are closing in on the 40 day-and-under mark for the opener of Rochester Honkers baseball. In this week's edition of Coach's Corner, we asked JP if it was sneaking up on him, and we further discussed the day-to-day life of baseball in the Northwoods League.

Q and A with Jason Plourde

Q: I have to ask you about the feelings on the upcoming season. I know it’s tough to get excited about your summer job while you’re still heavily involved in your spring job. But is there an internal baseball clock reminding you that, in about 40 days, you’re coaching the Rochester Honkers?

I think about it everyday Ryan. I'm extremely excited to be coaching the Honkers this summer. Every weekend I check and see how our guys have done via the internet.

Q: We began discussing the grind of playing every day last week. Let’s discuss that further. Tell us when you expect to start to see signs of the daily grind on your players.

It all depends on the guy. Some of our guys play everyday at school, while others don't play as much. You tend to see those guys break down a little sooner than the everyday guys. But lets face it, everyone is going to break down some. Typically no one wants a day off through the first 20 games and everyone wants a day off through the last 20 games, so I just ask the players how they're doing. The know what their bodies can and cannot do.

Q: How about the grind on managers managing every day? I know that coaches coach practice as well as games, but typically you’re playing three or four days a week in college. Now, you have to manage a game every day. Is that tough on managers?

Only if you let the games get to you. I give myself an hour after the game to think about what happened that day, good or bad. There is nothing I can do to change what has happened, so I try to focus on the next days game. That helps me stay fresh.

Q: As far as strategy is concerned, I would expect that managing your relief pitchers is probably the biggest change to the day in, day out life of baseball. True, or is there something else that rises to the forefront?

As a pitching coach yes, making sure that your bull pen is ready on a daily basis is tough. You just have to get them in a routine. Once that happens you hope that the players will maintain that routine on their own a little. As a manager though, you need to worry about everything as a whole.

Q: Finally, tell us how you expect to use your past experience in the Northwoods League to your advantage on these challenges?

Basically you just tell the guys that way it is, and how the league works. There's no real secret to this. You get the best players and let them play.

(04/10/08) Hey Honker Fans! In this edition of Coach's Corner, I decided to discuss the caliber of baseball we can expect out of this year's Northwoods League's sesaon. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the product turned out by the premier college summer league, JP's comments will get you started with the introduction process.

Q and A with Jason Plourde

Q: I want to pick your brain about the caliber of play in the Northwoods League this week. First, in general, how would you describe the level of baseball the league has to offer?

Well Ryan, the Northwoods League is the top summer collegiate league in the nation. Many of these players will go on and play professionally, with some making it to the big leagues, so that tells you the quality of baseball being played.

Q: Let’s move on to specifics. First, lets talk pitching. How does the pitching differ from what the players you are bringing in see right now in their college seasons?

The pitching doesn't really change much. The biggest difference is the hitters using wood as opposed to using aluminum. It will take a little while for the hitters to adjust to hitting with the wood bats, so I definately think the pitchers have the advantage early on.

Q: How important is it for your players to have a high level of what we tend to label as “baseball IQ”?

I think it's very important for our players to know the game. It will make the coaching staff's job a lot easier.I heard legendary coach Augie Garrido speak one time, and he said the way to win ball games is "to get the best players and let them play." Plus you don't want the players thinking to much, having too many socks in the top drawer is not a good thing in baseball.

Q: Chances are, your bench players will tend to be pretty quality players. Does that present you, as a manager, with some different situations to stay on top of?

Ryan, all our players are going to be high quality, so when we make moves or change the line up, there won't be much of a drop off. But some of the things you have to worry about are certain matchups, how a guy has been swinging it lately; left vs. left; right vs. right; pinch runners; defensive replacements; those are the typical situations you have to think about.

Q: Finally, tell us about adjusting to the grind of playing every day for your players.

I think that's the hardest thing to get across to the players. Bringing the energy day in and day out, getting better everyday.I always tell the players at the beginning of the year, you play about 60 games in your college season, and another 70 or so in the summer, if you want to play in the bigs you'd have to play another 30 games. I think it is a great way to prepare players for pro ball.

(04/03/08) Hey Honker Fans! On this edition of the Coach's Corner, I decided to pick JP's brain about the Major League baseball season. We all have our favorite big-league teams, and it's fun to talk about the expectations of the season during the opening week of baseball. And who better to ask than a baseball coach, right?

Q and A with Jason Plourde

Q: This week is the opening week of Major League baseball. So, let’s pick your brain on that. First up: Dodger Blue. How will your favorite team contend this year?

Well Ryan, if their young players play the way they did last year, their pitchers throw it the way they did last year and Andruw Jones has a decent year, I think they will definately contend for the NL West.

Q: Okay, JP, from your team to my team: Can the Chicago Cubs erase 100 years of futility this season?

Ryan, I hate to answer a question with a question, but have you seen Lucifer shopping for winter coats lately?

Q: That hurt, JP. Now, onto the team most of our Rochester Honkers fans will be rooting for. Can the Minnesota Twins be a contender this year? It seems they’ve kind of been written off by a lot of the pundits out there.

Ryan I think it's going to be hard when you lose guys like Johan Santana and Torii Hunter. Plus it's going to be a tough division anyway with the Tigers and Indians.

Q: Now it’s time for predictions. Division by division, pick the winners. Then, pick the wild cards.

NL West: Dodgers. Central: Cardinals. East: Mets Wild Card: Rockies. AL West: Angels. Central: Tigers. East: Boston. Wild Card: Cleveland

Q: Finally, a question about a potential change to the post season. The owners are talking about giving the wild card winner home field advantage if their record is better in a playoff matchup. Do you think this is fair?

Yes, solely for the fact that some divisions are tougher than others.

(03/27/08) Hey Honker fans. It's another edition of the Coach's Corner with Honker's Field Manager Jason Plourde. Last week, we got the strategy discussion going, and we decided to keep with that topic this week. Toward the end of this week's edition, I tried to get a sneak peek of the team, but coach Plourde threw the first shutout of the season!

Q and A with Jason Plourde

Q: Let’s stay with strategy this week. We all know that baseball is, in large part, a game of situations and how managers like to respond to them. What situation is the toughest to teach to your team in the short time you will have to teach them when you get to Rochester?

Ryan I think the toughest thing to teach in the short amount of time we have with them is bunt defenses and first and third defenses. We'll run some basic bunt defenses and first and third defenses, but everyone has to be on the same page. It's really just about getting the timing down.

Q: How about your thoughts on strategy at the plate. You mentioned last week that you’re a fan of putting pressure on with the running game. Does that mean you want your guys taking a lot of pitches as a rule?

Well our basic strategy at the plate is to stay inside the ball and use the middle of the field, being aggressive in hitters counts and putting the ball in play with two strikes. As far as taking pitches goes, I want our guys to be unselfish. If there's a guy on base that likes to run, the hitter might need to take a pitch or two to give the runner an opportunity to steal the bag. If the runner steals the bag then he's in scoring position for the hitter, so it's kind of reciprocating. Also, all the starting pitchers in this league are tough, games are typically won and lost with the bullpen, so if you can get a starter out early you have a better shot to win the game.

Q: Take us through your thoughts on assembling a lineup. Do you have a recipe on what kind of guy you want in various spots in the order?

To be honest with you, I ask the guys when they get here where they like hitting in the lineup and try to get them in that spot. I want our guys to feel as comfortable as possible, so I try my best to keep them in those spots if at all possible.

Q: Now, based on your thoughts on the lineup, do you have some ideas on who we may see in those spots for the Honkers?

I do Ryan, but I want our fans to come to the games to find out.

Q: How important is your bench in the era of using the DH?

I like using my bench a lot throughout a game if it's needed. I want to put guys in situations that they will be successful in. It all depends on the situation.

Now, Coach Plourde may not have wanted to tip his hand about his lineup, but we got to see what could be an explosive offense with the performances of Austin Wates and Aaron Senne this week. Check out the newsroom for more on that, and we'll have another edition of the Coach's Corner next week!

(03/20/08) Hey Honker fans! Welcome to another edition of the Coach's Corner with Honkers' Field Manager Jason Plourde. This week, I decided to pry into JP's management style and philosophy on the game. I think we'll all like the way Jason approaches the season!

Q and A with Jason Plourde

Q: Let’s talk strategy this week. Most baseball fans are familiar with the basics, but coaches seem to have different tendencies with some finer points. Is there anything that you would describe as a definer of your coaching/managing style?

My coaching style is pretty much putting pressure on the defense to play catch. I like to green light guys on the base paths, put guys in motion, bunt for base hits. You do all those things, it puts guys in scoring position, possibly allowing them to score without having to get a hit. I want teams to feel physically tired after a series with us.

Q: The Northwoods League uses the designated hitter. Most colleges, if not all, do as well. What do you think of the DH? Is it good for the game, or would you rather play old school?

Well Ryan I think it has it's pros and cons. It obviously adds more offense to the game, which I guess the fans like. But on the other hand it takes away a lot of the strategy that is used without the DH, the double switch for instance.

Q: What do you see as the top difficulty in college players adjusting to swinging wood sticks instead of metal?

Initially pitchers will have the advantage early on until the hitters start to figure it out. I think the biggest thing is that wood is less forgiving. If you get a pitch off the handle or off the end of the bat your going to wind up with a handful of spentors and some tingling fingers. In order to get good wood on the bat you have to make sure you stay inside the flight of the baseball with your hand. This will allow the barrell to stay through the zone longer and give the hitter a better chance at getting good wood on the ball.

Q: In your lineup, who needs to be able to lay down a bunt?

Well Ryan, everyone will need to know how to bunt. I like guys that can do the small things to win games. With wood bats you can't sit around and wait for a three run homer. In certain situations I'll ask our 3,4,5 hitters to lay down a bunt.

Q: If there is something that you see high school kids doing wrong with the bat today, one thing more than any other, what is it?

I see a lot of younger kids trying to lift the ball as opposed to backspinning balls. When you back spin a ball,you create carry to it, allowing it to travel farther. When you try to lift a ball it creates top spin, top spin doesn't help the ball travel in the air.

Coach Plourde hits on one key aspect of the game: wood bats. The Northwoods League is a wood bat league, so the game becomes a more true, pure example of baseball. And it sounds like JP is ready for it!

(03/13/08) Honker fans, the countdown continues. We'll soon be in the final 70 days before first pitch between the Rochester Honkers and the Mankato MoonDogs at Mayo Field on May 29th. You can follow the countdown on our homepage!

It's time for our second installment of Coach's Corner with the field manager of the Honkers, Jason Plourde, who, of course, is the man pictured on the left. (If you thought that was me, sorry to disappoint. There's a reason I'm the radio broadcaster) Plourde's team, the Fort Hays State University Tigers, is going through a rough start to the season, and that's how we started this week's Coach's Corner.

Q and A with Jason Plourde

Q: Looks like it’s been a tough start to the season at FHSU. You’ve dropped 8 of 10 to start the season. What seems to be the story with the team right now?

Well Ryan, we have played an extremely tough schedule. We've played the 9th ranked team, the 3rd ranked team and the 14th ranked team, I'm not making any excuses, but we've played those teams tough.We've just been coming up a little short. We start conference play this weekend and that doesn't get any easier, with one of the best conferences in the nation.

Q: As a coach, what do you do in a situation like the team is in to keep the players motivated and playing hard?

Right now we are just trying to be positive. We don't want to get down on our guys. Every game we want them to play hard, and beat the game.

Q: You’ve heard about some of the players that will be in a Honker uniform this season, and you know about some others that will be here. When you were recruiting these players, how did you decide who to go get?

I've been doing this for a long time, and over that time you make some good contacts. Those are the first coaches I called. I trust that they will send us quality players, because I've had quality players from them before.

Q: When you get here, you’ll have a very limited amount of time to put the team together. Does that worry you at all?

No not really. Initially you tell them that you need them to play hard everyday, from that point on, everything takes care of it's self. These are good ball players, just let them go out and do what they do.

Q: Tell us how you will go about pasting the team together during that time.

Well the most important thing is getting the guys here on time. Some of the guys will be late because their schools don't end until the first week in June, and some guys will be late because their school teamsmade regionals. That first week is important, because many of the teams will be in the same situation, so you hope that you have all your guys here. Early on, some guys might have to play out of position, but you manage until everyone gets there.

The Honkers want to wish good luck to Coach Plourde's FHSU Tigers. And we'll have another edition of the Coach's Corner next week!

(03/06/08) Honker fans, welcome to our first installment of the Coach's Corner with Rochester Honkers Field Manager, Jason Plourde!

Q: This will be your first year with the Rochester Honkers. What is it about the team and the league that made you want to take on this job?

Well Ryan, the Honkers are the most successful franchise in league history, they've won four NWL Championships, and put together some quality teams together. And I know Dan and Kim run a first class operation, and I look forward to working with them.As far as the league goes, I've already had the pleasure of coaching in the NWL, and I'm really glad to be back in the league.

Q: What type of players make up a team that you would describe as a team that you like? (and you can’t say “good ones”!)

The first thing I ask coaches when I'm recruiting their players is what kind of person they are. Yes we want to have good ballplayers, but we also want good people as well. We want players thatare good on the field as well as off the field. Baseball wise I like guys that can find a way on base and then turn them loose with the running game. With wood bats you can't sit around and wait for a three run homer, so I like to force the action to make the defense play catch. On the mound I want guys that will throw strikes and let the defense work for them. The guys that we've signed are guys that can do these things.

Q: Before you join the Honkers, you have to guide your team at Fort Hays State through their season. What are your expectations for the 2008 season?

We lost 14 seniors from last years team, so right now the coaches are just trying tofind the rightcombination of playersto put on the field. We might struggle on the mound initially, having lost three of our four weekend starters to graduation, but that will allow some of our younger guys to step in and show what they can do. Offensively we can swing it a little bit, and we are one of the best defensive teams in the nation (5th best fieldingpercentage in DII last year). The one thing we don't have a lot of is team speed. Last year we just missed making a regional, and I think we have more talent this year, so hopefully the coaching staff won't screw anything up.

Q: Tell us about your family.

Well I have one older brother, who's married, and has two beautiful daughters Makena and Malia.They live in California about 20 miles from where we grew up. My father still lives in the house I was born in, and he's the one who taught me the game growing up. My mother passed away in 1999 unfortunately. I'm very close to my grandma who we call G.G. which stands for grabby grandma. Any time a baby was born in our familyshe was the first one to grab them away and hold them.I'm also close to my aunts and all my cousins. I'm the second oldest of nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, so there's always a ton of people around during the holidays.

Q: What is your favorite professional baseball team, and how did you come to like that team?

I've bled Dodger Blue since I was a little kid. I do like the Angels a little though because I think Mike Scioscia (former Dodger)is a great manager. I thought the Dodgers should have hired him, but their manager now is pretty good.