The Coffee Cup That Changed Everything: Why Finding the Right Expert Matters

By Coach Ron Wolforth –

In the fall of 1989, Jill Wolforth was a senior right fielder for the University of Nebraska when a hard headfirst slide into second base changed the trajectory of her season. Her hand collided with the shortstop’s leg, and her right thumb took the brunt of the impact. That evening, she found herself in the office of Dr. Pat Clare, the Head Orthopedic Doctor for the University of Nebraska, a physician with impeccable credentials and years of experience treating athletes.

Dr. Clare examined Jill thoroughly for about fifteen minutes. He checked range of motion, assessed swelling, performed various tests. At the end of the examination, he admitted he wasn’t certain about the severity of the injury. Being the professional he was, he referred Jill to his colleague and friend, Dr. Tom Heiser, who also worked with UNL athletes.

The next morning, Jill arrived at Dr. Heiser’s office expecting another lengthy examination. What happened instead has become a defining story in the Wolforth family about the power of specific expertise.

Dr. Heiser welcomed Jill warmly, confirmed his understanding of how the injury occurred, then did something unexpected. He simply asked her to hold a coffee cup.

The cup slipped through her fingers.

Dr. Heiser caught it before it hit the table, smiled, and delivered his diagnosis: “You’ve torn the ulnar collateral ligament of your thumb, the ligament that allows you to grip. We’ll schedule surgery for tomorrow.”

The entire appointment lasted less than two minutes.

One specialist identified in 120 seconds what another couldn’t determine in 15 minutes of examination. This wasn’t about intelligence or dedication, Dr. Clare was highly respected and thoroughly competent. This was about the incredible power of specific expertise.

The Lesson That Extends Far Beyond Medicine

This story has shaped how we approach development at the Texas Baseball Ranch® for over three decades. Just as Jill needed Dr. Heiser’s specific expertise, not just any orthopedic surgeon, but one who had seen this exact injury countless times and knew the precise diagnostic test, young pitchers need the right kind of guidance for their specific challenges.

I see this play out constantly in baseball development. A pitcher struggles with command, and well-meaning coaches offer generic advice: “Just throw strikes,” “Stay balanced,” “Follow through.” They’re not wrong, exactly, but they’re like Dr. Clare examining the thumb, competent and caring, but missing the specific insight that unlocks the solution.

Then that same pitcher works with someone who recognizes the specific issue, maybe it’s a timing pattern, maybe it’s a mobility restriction, maybe it’s a mechanical inefficiency and progress happens almost immediately. Not necessarily because the second coach is smarter, but because they have the specific expertise to diagnose and address that particular issue.

The Coffee Cup Principle in Baseball

Dr. Heiser’s coffee cup test has become legendary in our family because it represents diagnostic elegance, the ability to cut through complexity and identify the core issue with precision. In baseball development, we need more coffee cup moments.

For velocity development, the “coffee cup test” might be watching a pitcher’s deceleration pattern. One coach might focus on arm speed, another on lower body mechanics, but the expert who specializes in velocity development might spot the inefficient deceleration that’s causing the body to govern down acceleration to protect itself.

The Cost of Not Finding Your Dr. Heiser

Without Dr. Heiser’s specific diagnosis, Jill might have spent weeks or months dealing with an injury that was fixable with one surgery. She might have tried physical therapy that wouldn’t address the torn ligament. She might have attempted to play through it, causing further damage. The 1990 softball season might have been lost to an injury that was identified in two minutes by the right expert.

In baseball development, I see the same costly delays. Pitchers spend months or years struggling with issues that the right expert could diagnose and address quickly. They try generic programs, follow conflicting advice, and often make their issues worse through well-intentioned but misguided efforts.

How to Find Your Dr. Heiser

So how do you find the right expert for your specific challenge? Here’s what the coffee cup story teaches us:

First, recognize that referrals from respected professionals matter. Dr. Clare knew his limitations and immediately connected Jill with someone who had the specific expertise needed. In baseball, don’t be afraid to ask coaches: “Who would you recommend for this specific issue?” The best coaches know their strengths and aren’t threatened by referring you to others.

Second, look for people who can quickly identify patterns. Dr. Heiser didn’t need fifteen tests because he’d seen this injury before. He knew exactly what to look for. In baseball development, experience with your specific challenge matters more than general credentials.

Third, pay attention to diagnostic elegance. The right expert often makes complex things simple. They don’t need to overwhelm you with jargon or run endless assessments. Like the coffee cup test, their approach cuts straight to the heart of the issue.

What’s your coffee cup test? And more importantly, who’s the right person to administer it?

To this day, Jill can hold a coffee cup just fine. But more importantly, she learned a lesson that has shaped how we help thousands of pitchers: the right expert at the right time changes everything. Don’t settle for general when you need specific. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do for your development is to stop working with good people who aren’t quite right for your specific needs, and find the expert who can catch your coffee cup before it hits the table.

Your career might depend on it.

Stay curious and keep fighting the good fight.

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Important TBR Updates

• TBR’s Fall and Winter Classes are open! Classes are held Monday & Wednesday and will run from September through January.  Spots are limited. CLICK HERE to download the registration form or call to reserve your spot. If you have any questions email info@texasbaseballranch.comor call (936) 588-6762. Can’t attend twice a week?  Not a problem.  We have a once a week option. Give us a call.

• Attention Youth Pitchers & Parents – Registration is open for our youth pitching camp! This once a year event, for players ages 8-12, will be October 4th & 5th.  Registration is open! CLICK HERE for more information and to register.

• Our Fall/Winter Elite Pitchers Bootcamp dates have been released!  These are great opportunities to take advantage of our world renowned training. Dates include:
  Oct. 11-13 (Sat-Mon) Columbus Day Weekend
  Nov. 22-24 (Sat-Mon)
  Dec. 28-30 (Sun-Wed)
  Jan. 17-19 (Sat-Mon) Martin Luther King Day Weekend
  Feb. 14-16 (Sat-Mon) President’s Day Weekend
  To register or learn more CLICK HERE

Tagged as: Baseball, baseball instruction, baseball pitching, baseball training, Coach Wolforth, Jill Wolforth, perspective, Pitching Central, Ron Wolforth, Texas Baseball Ranch, The Ranch