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5/29/07 Back on March 28, 2005, I wrote about something I observed. You can trust your eyes, they’ll tell you a lot. I got the chance to workout with the Novi Varsity baseball team, and while pitching batting practice, and generally making mental notes of what I was witnessing, I noticed Kevin Cislo. Everyone knows Cislo was an All-State Football player, and his numbers spoke for themselves on the baseball diamond, but I noticed the things I believed college coaches would appreciate most. I noticed the things that would surely enable him to acclimate well to the college game, and 2-years later in his sophomore season at the University of Michigan, Kevin Cislo has made me a prophet. Currently hitting .374 and helping his team win the Big Ten Regular Season Title, Cislo was one of three Wolverines to be named to the First Team All-Big Ten Conference squad. This is a huge achievement. It is tough enough to make the transition to the college game, let alone have this kind of success so soon. The pitching is better, the athletes are better and more experienced, the travel is more demanding and of course you go from playing 30 games to 70 games, and it’s easy to physically break down if you don’t take care of yourself. What I noticed most about Cislo that day was his hustle, leadership and workmanlike attitude. His take-charge quarterback-like mentality set the tone for a productive workout, and he managed it without the least bit of cockiness or arrogance. Head Coach Rich Mahoney obviously noticed these attributes when recruiting Cislo, and it underscores what I believe all athletes that desire to play at the next level need to know; people take awhile to figure out how talented you are, but they know right away if you’re working hard. Hard work opens doors, and that gives your talent a chance to blossom and help the team. The last ballplayer from Novi to have this kind of success this quickly post High School sports was a kid named Mitch Maier, and you know already know about him, just check out the Kansas City Royals website. Stay tuned for the Cislo kid… (c) 2007 Novi
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