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Baseball General Manager and Scouting Course

The course instructors, Dr. Lynn Lashbrook, Jonathan Story, Maury Brown and occasional guest speaker Rob Neyer

Jonathan Story is a MLB Scout, author and former pro ball player. For the 2007 season, Story completed his third season as a scout for the Houston Astros. He provides detailed coverage of the Southern League and selected spring training rosters to aid the club in the selection of players during trades, the Rule 5 draft and six-year free agent signings. Jonathan’s scouting career began with the Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club in 1992.

Jonathan’s varying roles for several teams during his fifteen years of involvement in professional baseball as a player, amateur scout, professional scout and front office administrator have provided him the opportunity to observe the game from numerous perspectives. His duties within his area as an amateur scout included talent evaluation along with coordinating schedules with supervisors, interviewing players and their families, negotiating contracts and signing players within his area.

As the Asst. Director of Professional Scouting with the Cleveland Indians Baseball Club he managed/coordinated the professional scouting staff, provided detailed knowledge and understanding of each MLB organization’s minor league system by reviewing and listing preferentially all professional reports and served as a liaison between the front office and professional scouts.


Maury Brown is the editor of The Biz of Baseball and President of Bizball, LLC. Maury was the creator of the original Business of Baseball.com, and the former co-chair of SABR's Business of Baseball committee. His first notable work in the business of baseball was assisting in the Submission to MLB by the MLB to Portland effort during the Expos relocation derby. His main contribution involved the proposed Charter Seat License program. He is currently on the staff of Baseball Prospectus, has been a staff member for The Hardball Times and writes the companion blog to The Biz of Baseball, The Baseball Journals. His analysis and commentary has been published in the NY Times, Boston Globe, Washington Times, CNN/Money, Toronto Globe and Mail, Los Angeles Times, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, San Jose Mercury News, The Baseball Analysts, the Oregonian, and Sports Fantasy Monthly magazine. An essay on the Collusion Rulings of the late '80s and early '90s is within Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Blunders: A Complete Guide to the Worst Decisions and Stupidest Moments in Baseball History.

Rob Neyer, ESPN's most respected baseball analysts appears on ESPNews weekly with Brain Kenny. Rob is one of baseball's most respected writers and analysts, began his career in 1989, working for legendary sabermetrician (and now Red Sox executive) Bill James. Rob spent four years with James, then worked as an editor and writer for STATS, Inc. In 1996, Rob was hired by Paul Allen's Starwave Corporation, which had just begun to publish ESPNet SportsZone, the precursor to ESPN.com, the most popular sports-related Website in the world. These days, Rob writes at least four times a week for ESPN.com, and he's also authored or co-authored roughly a dozen books, including his latest, The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers. Rob's extensive knowledge and experiences allow him to offer perspectives from both "inside" and "outside," resulting in a nuanced view that is rare among those connected to the game.

You can find out more about Rob Neyer by listening to ESPN Radio with Bob Valvano. Or check out Rob's website at www.RobNeyer.com or read Rob Neyer's latest ESPN article at http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/neyer/index.

Former student and Associate Scout for the San Francisco Giants Michael Hemenway had this to say about the course:

The Sports Management Worldwide General Manager/Scouting course has given me the opportunity to examine the latest trends in baseball management and player evaluations. As a recent graduate of the Major League Scouting Bureau's Scout Development Program it allows me to reanalyze and reinforce traditional scouting methods. Along with an introduction to Sabermetrics and how the two diciplines can work together in the difficult task of finding a prospect to compete in Major League Baseball.

Course Details

Weekly Audio Chats - A unique aspect of each 8 week course is the opportunity for students to participate weekly in interactive audio chats with fellow students, Maury Brown, Jonathan Story, Rob Neyer and Dr. Lynn Lashbrook and renowned guest speakers. This is a tremendous opportunity to network within the professional and collegiate baseball industry and get to know your instructors and fellow students personally via the internet. This is available via any online computer with a microphone. At the conclusion of the course, students will have a well-rounded understanding of the methods used by baseball scouts and general managers that have put winning teams on the field.

What is the role of a Baseball General Manager or Major League Scout?

With the help of the Baseball General Manager and Scouting Course, students will understand the day to day tasks performed by a Baseball GM and major league scout and gain the understanding of overall management of both on-field and off-the-field personnel. A great baseball general manager can put a winning team on the field whether he or she has the budget of the Yankees or the Devil Rays. The course covers all the bases from sabermetrics-the cutting-edge evaluation of baseball talent, used by Athletics and Red Sox-to traditional major league scouting methods and prospect ranking systems. Learn what baseball general managers do, year-round, to improve their clubs. Learn the different ways organizations rank their prospects and maximize the draft. Students get an inside look at what it takes to be a baseball major league scout from season to season.

Sabermetrics is the mathematical and statistical analysis of baseball records.

Baseball statisticians have shown that it is possible to answer a variety of questions about the game of baseball by means of sabermetrics.

This revolutionary course integrates traditional scouting and sabermetric techniques.

Students will be introduced to the everyday operations of major league scouts and the baseball front office. As a coach the course can teach you how to evaluate player talent from a scouts perspective and learn the scouting language thus helping your players and program succeed. As a baseball enthusiast you’ll be able to impress friends with your insight into questions like "How can the A's continually turn over their roster and still succeed?" Learn baseball’s most respected writers and analysts, and get into the sabermetrics world of Bill James and Billy Beane, learn to blend traditional scouting practice with the new method of sabermetrics, and advance your current career in baseball.

Course Certificate & Resume Reference:

Successful graduates of the Sports Management Worldwide courses will be sent a SMWW Certificate of Accomplishment. This certificate represents not only your achievements in the course but also demonstrates your personal commitment to self-improvement and ability to "self train" yourself for higher positions within the sports business industry.

In addition to your certificate, you will be given the stamp of approval by SMWW. This approval includes a personal reference you may add to your resume with contact information for Dr. Lynn Lashbrook and a reference to the mentors of this course.

Student Troy Steffy of Pro Baseball Training (probaseballtraining.com) summed up the students attitude about the course:

And for the record, I LOVE THIS COURSE!

Apply Now - Free

Cost: $1,450 ($45 additional for international book shipments). Payment plans available (as little as $$495 a month). Length: 8 Weeks; "Live" audio online chats weekly with renowned instructors! Prerequisites: Must be 18 or older to participate and have a passion for sports Payment: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Diner's Club, or Wells Fargo Loan CALL TODAY: 1-877-SMWW-NOW (In the UK: 087 12884799) Register Now

Student Loans Available

To apply for a student loan through Sallie Mae, you must first apply for the course with SMWW.

SMWW is pleased to offer student loans available through SLM Financial, the nation's leading provider of education funding. Check here to read more and get started on your loan today!

Academic Credit

Western Oregon University (WOU), a member of the Oregon University System, offers a separate Credit Overlay Program for Sports Management Worldwide's courses. Students interested in obtaining college credit for Sports Management Worldwide courses must apply for the credit with Western Oregon University directly. For more information, please visit the following webpage:

http://www.sportsmanagementworldwide.com/collegecredit.asp