Life Is Yours to Win: Lessons Forged from the Purpose, Passion, and Magic of Baseball

Now in paperback, the winningest college baseball coach of all time shares his powerful philosophy on life and sports.

FROM THE WINNINGEST COACH IN NCAA DIVISION I HISTORY, A GUIDE TO PRACTICING PERFECT AND PLAYING FOR FUN

While the statistics speak for themselves, Augie Garrido, the legendary baseball coach, is far from a “win-at-all-costs” leader. Rather, he focuses on building men of quality, teaching that lessons learned on the diamond can be applied to any facet of life. Life Is Yours to Win offers a refreshing approach to seizing life’s opportunities and understanding that trophies are not the true goal. Garrido’s advice includes:

• BE A PLAYER, NOT A PROSPECT—Garrido once used a game of catch with his Labrador retriever to show a team playing without heart the character it takes to be fully engaged as a ballplayer.

• STEP UP, SUPERMAN—Garrido stages a costumed Superhero Scrimmage each Halloween to remind his players that their inner superhero is just waiting to be realized.

• THE FEARLESS FIELD—Master fear and other emotions so that they don’t paralyze you. Renting a hearse and placing a casket on the pitcher’s mound helped a slumping Cal State team “bury” their fears and put past losses behind them.

• BUDDHA AT BAT—Small ball is not glorified like the home run, but the bunt does advance the runners and puts runs on the board. Small successes add up to big victories on and off the field.

Garrido’s coaching methods are often unconventional, but as seen in Life Is Yours to Win, his creativity and wry humor always lead to unforgettable lessons.

Augie Garrido has notched the most wins in NCAA Division I baseball history. Inspired by his coaching style, director Richard Linklater wrote and directed a 2008 documentary about him titled Inning By Inning: A Portrait of a Coach. Since 1997, Garrido has been head baseball coach at the University of Texas in Austin.