The Mainieri Factor: Promoting Baseball With a Passion From Miami Dade to Notre Dame, LSU and the Chicago Cubs

Many young coaches, over the years have asked me, "How does one climb the ladder in the baseball coaching profession?" This book will give you examples, through real life stories, on how you can move ahead in a coaching career. Someone has coined the phrase, Apples don't fall too far from the tree" or "He comes from good genes or good stock". These statements seem to indicate some successful endeavors are related, to some degree, to genetics. On the other hand, some doors may open because of the success of someone in the family. Not being an expert in genetics, let's leave this to speculation! In addition, networking and what it is and how it works will be discussed in The Mainieri Factor, and how it may open doors for you in the coaching profession. Getting your foot in the door is only the beginning, being successful and proving yourself at each level is paramount to moving up the later. This book will give general insight into ways in which you can prove yourself as successful coach. You will be judged as having been a successful coach if you are able to substantially improve the players' skills from the time the players initially come under your tutelage. In the final analysis, the ultimate evaluation of you as a coach and leader will be directly related to your win-lost record! In addition, it is essential that you develop the total person so that your players have the tools to meet the vicissitudes of their daily living. The game of baseball is a great laboratory for developing these skills. After reading The Mainieri Factor, you should understand better how the road to success in coaching works. You should find these life stories to be practical, helpful, interesting and entertaining.

Demie Mainieri was the first junior college baseball coach to win 1000 games. Thirty of his former players made it to the major leagues. Steve Carlton has been inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Over one hundred were drafted or signed by professional teams. One hundred and fifty received senior college scholarships. His Miami Dade baseball team won the 1964 NJCAA National Championship, three second place finishes and one third in the NJCAA World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado. He was head coach for the USA Junior National team that won the 1980 World Championship in Venezuela. In 1978 he was on the staff that placed second at the World Games in Italy (forerunner of the Olympic Games). Coach Mainieri was inducted into six Hall of Fames besides being selected to the NJCAA All Century team. In the summer of 2007, Paul Mainieri was selected the new Head Baseball Coach at LSU. With 983 college wins already he should hit the 1000 win plateau during the LSU 2008 season. He is very committed to returning the LSU program to the elite status they had under Skip Bertman. Fifty of Mainieri's Notre Dame players were drafted or signed as free agents. Eighteen of his players were drafted in the first twenty rounds of the draft. His Irish players also combined for fourteen All America and ten Academic All America seasons. While at Notre Dame, he had a 100% graduation rate of those players that completed their collegiate eligibility. Brad Lidge and Aaron Heilman, low draft selections out of high school, were drafted in the first round out of Notre Dame and are now in the major leagues with the Phillies and NY Mets.