Article in the Omaha World Herald a couple of days ago about Creighton baseball coach Ed Servais. Servais has raised the accountability factor with his players by staying quiet but supporting them when needed:Servais told his players about three weeks ago that he would no longer attempt to inspire them with impassioned postgame speeches. No more barking at them, no more challenges.
"I told them, 'It's your team, if you want to go win a championship, go win it. If you want to finish fourth or fifth, do that.'" Servais said. "I told them, 'It's up to you because I've done all that I can do.'"I've pulled out all my stories from 27 years of coaching. I didn't have any more."
The players' reaction?
"They kind of looked at each other and probably thought, 'Oh, he'll never be able to do that,'" Servais said, laughing. "I've tried this before, but it's never lasted more that three or four days. But I haven't raised my voice now for three weeks.
"Outside of family and outside of faith, baseball is more than just a game to us," outfielder T.J. Roemmich said. "It's important that everyone in that dugout and everyone in that locker room knows that. We all have the same goals, of finishing the season out strong and getting in a good position for the Valley tournament."We needed to take ownership of this. Coach can only yell and say so much. It's our responsibility to do the things he asks. I think early in the season we were just reluctant to play the style of baseball that Creighton is accustomed to and that wins games. When we started accepting the system, things started turning around to us."
"If guys held themselves accountable all the time, there would be no need for coaches to yell at them or get on their cases," Roemmich said. "Unfortunately, that hasn't happened throughout the whole season, but now that guys are putting more effort into that, the results are showing on the field."
