Persistence is more important than talent.....There is a reason why “Student” comes first in “Student Athlete.”.....If you are jogging, stretching or playing catch, make sure you do it better than anyone else.....Respect the game as much as you want to be respected.....The direction of your hat is the direction of your life.....Practice the way you play games… All go, no quit.....It doesn’t take talent to hustle.....Be a student of the game, learn it’s history and you learn the game.....Help your team win if your playing or not.....Never argue with an umpire, they remember faces.....Allow your coaches to coach you.....Don’t skip classes, would you skip practice?.....Strive to be as good in the classroom as you are on the field.....Set high standards along with knowing the steps to attain them.....Don’t tell people how good you are, prove it......Your friends are not more important than your future, don’t give into peer pressure.....Your parents love you, but they don’t know more about baseball than your coach.....Don’t let anyone make an excuse for you.....Maintain eye contact, it shows maturity and respect.....In baseball, it’s your coaches opinion that matters, not your friends. Remember who makes the lineup.....Life is not fair, regardless of what some people may tell you.....Be enthusiastic about your teammates.....Love the game.....The only thing your coach owes you is honesty.....Body language screams, it never whispers.....Balance makes champions, if you focus on just hitting and ignore defense, you will never become a complete player.....Defense wins games.....Pitching sets the tone of the game.....Games are lost, not won. Mistakes lead to losses.....You can win a league with a few good pitchers, titles are won with great pitching staffs.....Work on your game everyday, the team that beat you does.....Who you are today is the result of who you were in the past! Work ethic???.....You don’t have to be a great player to be a great “ball player,” hustle......Show off your talent to your coach and your future coach.....Baseball doesn’t build character, it reveals it.....Character means doing the right thing when nobody’s watching

Letter From Joe Dear Fellow Baseball Enthusiasts, “Do something wonderful, people may imitate it.” Albert Schweitz Over 12 years ago, Omaha businessman Harley Schrager opened a facility called “The Strike Zone”. He had always loved the game and had a vision of giving those who shared his passion a place to not only improve their skills, but have fun in doing so. Mr. Schrager approached me in 1996 and asked if I would be interested in managing the facility. Since baseball had been a huge part of my life, this was a great opportunity to “work” in a facility doing what I love. With my wife expecting our son, a change in employment was not planned, however, we decided that if I passed up this endeavor, I’d be crazy!!!! I grew up playing baseball in the Keystone Little League Program, played high school ball at Roncalli and then went on to play college ball for the Auburn Tigers where I received my teaching degree. After being drafted by the Minnesota Twins, I played 5 years in their organization. My experience as a catcher with the Twins not only taught me fundamentals of the game, but also discipline and proper ethics in being a ball player. So playing ball and teaching is what I know. After a few years of getting the Strike Zone off and running, I was offered a chance to purchase The Strike Zone. Again, here was another fabulous opportunity. With the support of my family, it was decided this was a “no-brainer”. I’ll never forget my mother-in-law’s advice: “Columbus took a chance!” And so did I. I had many visions of what I wanted the Strike Zone to be. It needed to be a place for ALL baseball/softball players to work out. I HAD to make sure that we reached out to everyone at every level. Whether it was beginning players, house league players, select play-ers or anyone loving the game--ages 5-90! We would need programs designed for all players, at all levels of play. We staffed our pro-grams with the best of the best providing lessons, training, fall leagues, summer leagues, camps, etc. Over time, people started seeing the success of the Strike Zone and decided that they could do the same, but building bigger. However, bigger is not always better. Interestingly enough, the programs being offered are all carbon copies of what the Strike Zone created and that we have implemented for years. We have had several opportunities to increase the size of our facility and also thoughts of chang-ing our location. However, we chose to remain the same. We did not want to lose the commitment and values we offer to our custom-ers. Our primary goal is for every player/customer to attain the goals that they have set for themselves and be available to assist them in achieving their goals. At the Strike Zone, we believe that we have done this and will continue to do so. We STILL are willing to hear our customers’ feedback and any suggestions in which we can improve upon. We want our customers to love baseball as we do, and help them attain their goals. Here at the Strike Zone, we thrive on their accomplishments. We have heard from several of our loyal customers that they have been and are being solicited by phone and mailers from other facili-ties. I appreciate all of you who have brought this to my attention. We do not have any knowledge of our customer phone log being “shared”, but somehow it happened. I would personally like to apologize for any inconveniences this may have caused. Although, we should be somewhat “flattered” that everything we started here is being duplicated. We hope you’ve not been misled. Over the past few years, many talented and knowledgeable baseball/softball instructors have emerged and entered into instructing the fine sports of baseball and softball. They are fresh, have current knowledge and their motives for wanting to instruct are for the player. I have surrounded myself with a wonderful staff that shares this commitment with me. Most importantly, they are in this for all the right reasons. They love the game and STILL enjoy being a part of it. We are proud that they’ve joined us and are all on the same page with us regarding our mission. The Strike Zone Mission Statement The Strike Zone Program regards each player as the "Most Valuable Player" in each of our programs and realizes that their dedication deserves special recognition. As baseball and softball teachers, we understand how chal-lenging baseball and softball skills can be to master and value the idea that baseball is a game designed princi-pally for enjoyment. Players are provided ample opportunity to develop their skills in a friendly, and controlled atmosphere designed to be constructive and encouraging. Key elements in our program include; a disciplined environment; qualified instructors; cooperative learning and an ethic of hard work. Overall, the Strike Zone’s main objective is to offer the very best in baseball and softball training in the Omaha and surrounding areas. We at the Strike Zone want to continue providing a service to all. The personal attention that you all deserve will continue. I assure you that I am here to listen to your concerns and help you achieve your goals. I’m easily accessible at the Strike Zone and also wel-come your emails. Remember, at the Strike Zone, there is no middleman. Again, thank you for your years of patronage at the Strike Zone and we hope that you will continue in letting us be there for you. Joe Siwa Owner

© 2009 Strike Zone | 2900 South 110th St. | Omaha, NE 68144 | (402) 398-1238 Site developed by Tomcat Technologies.