Mike Spiers loved baseball. He loved coaching kids. He loved teaching kids how to play this great game that we all love. He loved creating opportunities for players of all ages and he was fiercely competitive.

Mike was involved with Perfect Game from the very beginning and spent just as much time helping Perfect Game as he did his own programs. He sent hundreds of players to college and professional baseball and many of the players he helped never donned an ABD uniform.

Mike was never shy about sharing his opinion, and he did so intent on improving the game of baseball.

There was a player that Mike was adamant about and a guy we used to argue about all the time.  I used to argue with Mike when I knew there was something he felt really strongly about, even if I agreed just to get him riled up.  Mike was dead serious that this guy would hit in the big leagues.  He just kept saying, "People don't realize how good this guy is."  I knew he was a good player, but Mike knew he was special when the kid was 14 years old.  That player was Allen Craig.

I used to aol chat with Mike from like 10 at night to sometimes four in the morning.  I would copy the chat and paste it into a word document just to make sure I didn't forget all of the ideas that we talked about, or the teams that he said we should try and get.

Mike really wanted a baseball complex built in California.  He was one of the happiest people I talked to when the LakePoint development became a reality.

I still can see Mike chewing on a straw telling me why he gets so many guys thrown out stealing bases.  Yep, I argued with him on that one too.

I had so many conversations with Mike involving other parents about going to events, getting seen, and him selling our stuff again better than anyone.  Mike did it the right way.  His players loved him and the parents of his players did as well.

Baseball is and will continue to be the best game there is because of men like Mike Spiers. I know that Mike will continue to coach, continue to teach, and continue to live the game of baseball, because that was his life. I just wish baseball had more guys like Mike Spiers. Baseball lost one of our best ambassadors of the game and I lost a good friend. Rest in peace Mike Spiers.


Here are some other quotes from those that were close to Mike Spiers that responded to the news late on Friday evening:

"On behalf of SHOW Baseball may Mike Spiers rest in peace. The baseball world has lost a coach who made a difference. Dios te Bendiga Mike Spiers and ABD." ~ Hector Lorenzana