Yesterday's Hitter!

Looks Like... Homers

2011-05-12T08:23:00.000-07:00

A quick peek at the AL West and we are reminded of how long the season is. Texas' sprint out of the gate has turned into a slow trot and a 1 1/2 game deficit to the steady eddie LA Angels. The White Sox were the Rangers' best friend in last night's tilt when they snuck past the Angels after falling behind by 3 runs.

Adam Dunn put the big bop on the ball and racked up 4 hits including a Home Run to fuel the Sox rally.

Nearly the same story exists over in the NL West where those Falling Rockies were caught on Wednesday behind the 5th straight W of the San Francisco Giants.

Ironically, the Giants also rallied from a 3 run deficit to sneak past the D'Backs. Andres Torres provided the spark with a couple of timely knocks including a go ahead RBI double to bring SF even in the standings with Colorado.

Speaking of go ahead doubles that won games.. Hunter Pence.. c'mon.. this guy is en fuego in Houston. Not only did he extend the longest active hitting streak in the NL (15) with an early hit, he one-upped it with a clutch Walk Off double into the right field corner that scored his not so fleet footed catcher from first base without a throw.

Pence has raised his average to .307 during the streak and now sits 2nd in the Majors with 31 RBIs, one behind Lance Berkman and Ryan Howard. Nice.

Check out Adam Jones over in Baltimore. This guy is a spark plug and fun to watch. The O's are hanging in there in the East and won a tight one yesterday behind Adam's antics. His 4 for 4 day included his first triple of the season and led the O's to a 6-4 win over Seattle. Jones is hitting a solid .286 on the year.

Remember my post about the kid KC was bringing up for his MLB debut, Eric Hosmer? Well, after getting his toes in the water with a couple of games. . the kid was in THE spotlight last night when KC visited Yankee Stadium. Ok, not only was every friend and family member present to watch the "event".. the kid was penciled in as the no. 3 hitter in the lineup! Are you serious?

So, what does he do... ? Not much, just belted out the first HR of his career (and what a swing), scored what looked like the game winner in the 10th (until NY tied it), then.. just for giggles.. he won the YH with a sac fly in the 11th that scored the winning run from 3rd. Nice job of hitting Eric!

Nomar No Mas!

2011-05-10T09:05:00.000-07:00

Hold on there Buckaroo! Take a look at the NL Central standings and you may be just a tad surprised at where the Bucs are sitting. Yep, you read that right... Pittsburgh is over .500 this late in May! Last time that happened was nearly 7 years ago. Now, we won't go into the "how" in this particular instance because that's a mighty touchy subject to the Dodgers and.. the Umpires.. and, probably MLB at this time. But, suffice it to say the Bucs won a close game in the late innings with a nifty little hit and run that scored the winning run from first base. That's baseball. Well done Bucs!

Slide on over to the AL Central and you may be just as surprised to see where the ChiSox are sitting... uh, ya... nearly in the cellar and 8 games under .500 for the year. Yikes. But, hey.. it's early ; )

Part of the reason is the offense only has one player hitting over .300 on the year. Yesterday it was Carlos Quentin trying to up his average a few points by stroking out 3 hits, including a HR and 5 RBIs to lead the Sox over the Angels in a shutout. Another few games like that and Carlos might be able to sneak back to .300 on the year. He does have 23 RBIs to rank near the top of the league.

Detroit is sitting directly on that .500 mark at 18-18 thanks to V-Mart, Victor Martinez who is doing his best to fit in with the Tigers. Victor had a big 3 hit day to up his average to .293 on the season. He posted an HR and 3 RBI outing to help Detroit's run away win over the Blue Jays. The Tigers are 3 games back in the Central and trail both KC and those 22-11 Indians.

All in all though, not alot of fireworks in Monday's league action. So, let's look back to 1934 and see if something special happened at the plate. Hmm.. yup, You might recognize the name Lou Gehrig.

Well, he had himself quite a day 77 years ago. Lou was ailing and tired after 5 innings and took himself out of the game. But, by that time.. he had already smoked 2 Home Runs and rapped out two doubles that gave him 7 RBIs as the Yankees pasted the White Sox. Yea, I'd be tired too. Way to go Lou but.. ya ain't getting the YH.

Because... a dozen years ago a fella named Nomar Garciaparra had himself one heck of a day. Nomar racked up 10 RBIs on the strength of two Grand Slams and a two run HR. Wow! No Mas! No Mas!

Hang Five!

2011-05-09T09:46:00.000-07:00

Kind of a quirky thing happened yesterday in the American League games when every single tilt featured at least one of the teams scoring 5 runs. Some of those were winners and some of those were losers. But.. each and every game had a team scoring 5. Kinda funky huh. Imagine if that would have happened on Cinco de Mayo ; )

Kudos to Andre Ethier who somehow shook off his disappointment of losing the hit streak on Saturday by blasting a Home Run in the LA Dodgers win over the Mets. His two hits helped him maintain an incredibly lofty .371 batting average, good for third in the League. I know Andre deflects any personal accomplishments in favor of a team win, but at some point ya gotta acccept your props.

Ok, back to the number 5. How about the Pirates getting some late fireworks to knock off Houston 5-4. Trailing 4-2 in the bottom half of the 8th inning it was up to Ryan Doumit with a couple of ducks on the pond. A hit would have gotten them a touch closer but Ryan went one better and simply pounded the ball over the wall for a 3 run bomb. All Houston could do was look up at that darn 5 on the board.

Oh Captain, My Captain! Anybody ever see the Robin Williams movie Dead Poets' Society when the students stand on their desks in honor of "the Captain"? Well, the Yankees were standing on the top step of the dugout in Arlington and they may as well have been chanting "Oh Captain, My Captain" to Derek Jeter. All he did is smoke the ball his first four times at the plate to erase a 4-0 Texas lead. The Clipper Captain homered twice and drove in 3 as the Yankees bombed Texas with '5' Home Runs! Thats weird huh?

Gabby Sanchez had a terrific game yesterday as the Marlins put a rompin on tthe Nats 8-0. The Fish are just two games behind the Phightins in the NL East and part of the reason is guys like Sanchez picking up the massive slack in the line left by their multi billion dollar flop - Hanley Ramirez. Gabby powered out a huge Home Run and knocked in 3 Ribs with his 4 for 4 day at the dish. Just for the heck of it, he scored 3 times as well. Nice Gabby.. but, ya gotta have some kinda 5 to take down the YH on a Big 5 kinda day like Mother's Day. Gimme 5 dude!

So, let's hand it to the White Sox hitter that sparked a rally in the 10th inning of a 2-2 tie. Yup, Paul Konerko notched his '5th' hit of the day and started a 3 run rally that ultimately hung up the last 5 of the day in the quirky Mother's Day AL tilts. I know, his 5 hits didn't really accomplish much all day when it comes to production.. except that last hit did carry with it the eventual winning run. I only wish Paul was wearing number 5 on his back ; )

and then there were none..

2011-05-08T09:14:00.000-07:00

Look at those San Francisco Bay teams playin walk off games like they're the norm. San Fran's 2nd Walk Off winner in as many nights has them sneaking up on the Rockies in the NL West. The Giants' little utility man extraordinaire (Mike Fontenot) lofted a deeep sac fly in the bottom of the 9th to score Aaron Rowand and send the Rocks falling to their third loss in a row. They're hanging on to a two game lead in the West.

Across the Bay... (and a few thousand miles more ; ).. in KC, the A's were in a Walk Off battle of their own, Again! Problem is, they were in Kansas City and falling victim to a resurgent Royals team that is learning how to win games late. In a near copycat of events, the Royals got a runner on 3rd with less than two outs in the bottom of the 9th and waited for someone to be the hero. Mike Aviles stepped up and said "I'll be that guy!" while lofting a sweet little sacrifice fly to score the Walk Off win and give KC another boost of confidence in 2011. The Royals are a real threat in the Central.

Meanwhile in Arlington, the Rangers and the Yankees were going at each other tooth and nail. Texas jumped out to a fast start. Michael Young helped by carding a Home Run in the 1st off NY's new "old thing" Bartolo Colon. Then, they jumped on him again in the 2nd putting up 4 more on the speed of Julio Borbon's two run triple.

But, the Yanks arent' the Yanks for nothin and by the bottom of the 6th it was all back to square in a 5-5 tie. Which is when we get to see something I love a player to show off.. versatility at the plate.

Fresh off his triple earlier in the game, Julio laid down a beautiful bunt to squeeze the air out of New York and give the Rangers that much needed W at home.

I guess you already know Andre Ethier's 30 game hit streak came to a screeching halt last night in New York. The heat of that city's media is just hard to fathom. The very humble Andre had a tough time talking about his accomplishments while his team slid further and further into a hole in the NL West. That didn't really mesh too well for a succesful outcome.

You wonder how Joltin Joe did it back in 1941. Well, lets see.. yes, Joe DiMaggio was a humble guy, but in a very different way. Yes, alot of media in New York even in 1941.. but.. c'mon. Just a slight difference in today's app driven society. Couple that with the fact that nearly every game he faced one.. possibly two pitchers for the entire game.

Oh, and the Yankees were kicking some serious behind at the time. Ya, Joe.. you had the right ingredients thats for certain. We're gonna hand you the YH.

Can I get a Big 3 0!?

2011-05-06T08:40:00.000-07:00

Aside from the energy the Indians are bringing to the game this year there's another cool story that's gaining a little mo. That would be the attention a hitting streak brings to a team and a player. Enter Andre Ethier who is captivating the Dodger faithful with his run at the Dodger history books. Andre is in the Big Apple this weekend and he'll have a heavy dose of media attention if he happens to reach 30 on Friday night. That number 30 is pretty elite when it comes to hit streaks. Hit em where they ain't, Andre!

But, forget it. The Indians are just a blast to watch play. Scrappy comes to mind. "Hard nosed", "won't quit" and "Charlie Hustle" do too.

Oh, and winners would work when describing the Tribe who have reeled off an impressive string of last chance, come from behind thrillers. Ya gotta love it. Unless you're Kansas City. The Royals are playing great ball ... only to look up and see themselves 4 1/2 behind the Red Hot Indians.

Speaking of the Royals, they're calling up a heralded prospect in Eric Hosmer today. Eric was the first round pick for KC in 2008. He's a hard hitting First Baseman that's virtually owned every stop he's made enroute to the Majors. This season's Triple A numbers? .. A cool .439 with 3 Bombs and 15 RBIs. Good Luck Eric.

How about Chris Young in Arizona. The D'Backs were plodding along without a run for nearly 9 innings, getting their behinds handed to em by Colorado. Well, not really that bad.. but, 2 to zip in the 9th is kinda gettin your behind handed to ya. Well, in the 9th the Rattlers struck.

After a Gerardo Parra Home Run knocked the nil off the board, Chris Young stepped up and absolutely drilled the ball. His HR tied the game and the D'Backs were shakin their rattles in the rubber match. Two innings later Chris belted another shot to deeeeeep Center Field.

It was such a laser that it boinked off the wall an inch below the HR mark. Bummer. But, no worry.. Justin Upton capped the walk off with a two out Texas leaguer to score Chris from 2nd. Cool game.. watch the highlights Here!

With all the hoopla that surrounded Lance Berkman last year in his rear view mirror, Sir Lance (Homers Alot) is on a tear in the NL. This guy is just a monster at the plate this year - 32 RBIs leads the Majors. His 10 HRs has him 2nd.. Runs.. 2nd.. Average (.392).. 2nd. And to think he called Houston in the off season looking for a place to play and was turned down.. oops.

He was at it again yesterday on his way to our YH. Lance racked up 4 RBIs in a 6-3 win over the Marlins. It wasn't really just a 4 RBI day for Lance, it was more how it happened. It was more, "go ahead and mess with me". Which is kinda what the Marlins thought they were doing when they brought in our LH buddy Mike Dunn to turn Lance around. The plan was to make him swing from the right side in a 3-3 tie with two on in the 8th. Sorry.. shouldn't have messed with Sir Lance. He's too hot. We love ya Mike, but that tater you gave Berkman was too sweet to pass up. Lance belted it. No, I mean.. he Belted It! Watch it Here!

Congrats to Lance for his YH.

Zack Attack!

2011-05-04T09:22:00.000-07:00

What in the world is going on with the Cleveland Indians? Is there anything that can slow them down lately? What a refreshing and satisfying beginning for the Cleveland faithful in 2011. These guys are finding ways to win.. but even cooler.. they're doing it with a bit of flair and excitement. Just exactly what you want to create a fervor in your Tribe.

After perfecting the Walk Off at their own ball park, the Indians decided to see what it was like to quiet down the other team's fan base with a late inning rally away from home. The Oakland fans became the victims when Orlando Cabrera (fresh off his Saturday walk off single) delivered again. This time it was from off the bench as a late game managerial maneuver. The O Man singled in the go ahead run in the 9th and the Tribe danced around on enemy territory in celebration of their 7th in a row!

In complete contrast, The Rays are trying to climb out of the AL East craziness after a horrid beginning to their year. But, things are kinda lookin UPton as they've pulled within two games of the Yankees with a walk off gem of their own. Thanks to BJ Upton who seemingly continues to confound everybody with his sporadic stats vs. his potential. Check out his game winning bomb by clicking Here!

Since we're lauding over the AL .. .what about KC's rise this year. Clearly overshadowed in the Central by the remarkable '11 of the Indians, they have definitely looked highly competitive so far this year in Kansas City. Last year, they knocked the ball all over the park and a couple of additions and/or position changes seem to have helped out the synergy on this team. Jeff Francouer is one of those key components that has helped push this team toward the top.

Jeff did everything but pitch to help Kansas City to it's fourth win in a row.. this time in Walk Off style when he lauched a sac fly to right that scored Alex Gordon in the 10th. Francouer had Homered earlier in the game and made a terrific catch as well. Well done Frenchy!

And what's going on with the streak in LA? No, not the winning streak. This team seems to take one step forward and two steps back in the win column everytime you look up. The "streak" is a personal one and a great story for baseball as we get to relive those magical baseball years when names like Joltin' Joe DiMaggio and the boys of summer ruled the radio waves. Andre Ethier delivered a sinking liner that barely eluded the acrobatic leap of rookie second baseman Darwin Barney and fell safely into right field to extend Andre's hit streak to 29 games!

That single pulled Andre within two games of the longest hitting streak in Dodgers history (Willie Davis had 31 in 1969) and into a tie with one of the coolest names in baseball and our YH - Zack Wheat.

Yup, Zack Wheat had himself a 29 game hitting streak way back in 1916. He was no slouch with the stick guys.. here's a look at how Zack stacked up at the dish. He played for 19 years and racked up nearly 3,000 hits while posting a .317 career average. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1959. Pretty Slick Zack.

It's America's Game!

2011-05-02T08:12:00.000-07:00

USA! USA! USA!

How fitting that those chants rose during America's game being played by the NY Mets. Baseball fans, Americans... celebrated the end of a decade long hunt for a man responsible for so much hurt. Finally.. he'd been tagged out.

It really didn't matter that the Phillies would eventually lose to the NY Mets in 14 innings. It only mattered that the fans standing and chanting were Americans feeling a sense of closure... together. It was stirring.

What it really says is "the game" is just that.. a game.

The American fans didn't really care that it was a knock down drag out baseball game in front of them. It took a back seat. It didn't really matter that Cleveland had won again in their last at bat. Or, that Andre Ethier had extended his incredible heat streak to 27.. It didn't even matter that Paulino would end the game in Philly with his 5th hit of the day in the 14th.

What mattered to them was American Pride.. so fitting that it occurred during America's Game. More so, as I said earlier, that it came during the NY Mets game. Do you remember the NY Mets game after 9/11 when Piazza thrilled the country? Yea, that's what I'm saying here. You don't remember? Watch it... Here!

Well, I know it's short.. anti-climactic even.. but, ya really can't even compare anything that happened yesterday to that moment.. so my YH is none other than the healing man of baseball.. Mike Piazza.

Rhymes with Cant Miss!

2011-04-29T08:43:00.000-07:00

C'mon... how can you not smile for Sir Lance (Homers) Alot!? I read that he was a bit nervous going back into Houston after all those years as an Astro. Maybe nervous for the Astro pitching staff since he has more HR's there than any other player in history.

Nervous.. Smervous.. Lance Berk'd 'em with 4 hits, a couple of Dingers, 5 RBIs and raised his batting avg. to a robust .410 to lead the Cards over the Astros. That first HR was a missile shot too.. Watch it Here!

HooRay for Nick Swisher! I love watching this guy, he's fun to watch no matter what is going on. Yesterday he finally got that monkey off his back by belting his very first HR of the year against Chicago. Thats the longest streak of Nick's career to start a season without a bomb. He did alright last night by wrapping out 3 Hits, scoring 3, knocking in 4 and slowly but surely edging his average upward. The Yanks romped on the ChiSox.

Worth mentioning is the little guy in Toronto, Corey Patterson. Ya it's true.. it wasn't much.. just a tiny little bunt. But, that's not the point. It's "when" the bunt came and the fact that the day before he showed he could go yard. This is called "situational hitting" and why a guy like Corey can make his mark in the Show. What did he do? Ya gotta click here to check it out.. it's kinda cool and brought a W to the jays.

What rhymes with "Can't Miss"? ... ah... Ben Zobrist! Are you kidding me? What a day! 8 RBIs in the first game of the doubleheader and 2 more in the Night Cap.. 10 Ribbies for the Utility man. How about this for a day's work: 7 hits, two HRs, three doubles and oh yea, those 10 Ribs. And just for the sake of conversation.. has anybody noticed how the AL East is getting back to normal. It's a funny game, dontcha think?

Extra Extras!

2011-04-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

One of the cool things about baseball is there's no real "clock" on the game. It's nine innings. That could be a lightning quick 9... or it could drag out over 3hrs or so. But, no matter the length.. there is no shortage of drama. It's built in to the game. If there's no clear winner by the 8th inning or so, every runner becomes a high tension thriller. Will he reach scoring position? Who will knock him in? It's fun to watch.. obviously.

Well, yesterday was a bit more of the same.. and a little extra to boot. Extra innings galore. Now, the cool thing about Extras is the hero roles could come from anywhere in the lineup. Lots of heroes yesterday. Take Cliff Pennington who led off the A's 10th with a stinging triple and then buzzed home on an infield chopper to beat the Angels 2-1. That's one way to do it.

Or, you could go the more conventional route like the red hot Andre Ethier did for the Dodgers. After LA fell behind 4-0 early in the game Andre and the boys rallied to a 4-4 tie. Chances for both teams failed to end the game in 9, so.... extras = ) And, what does Andre do to cap off a day in which he set the record for most consecutive April games with a hit (24).. what else? Hit a game winning Home Run in the 10th inning. Cool stuff.

Then you have the guy who's been sitting on the bench watching the game all day. It gets late... manager's make their trickly little moves, next thing you know he's got a bat in his hands and asked to make a difference. That's what Daniel Murphy did for the Mets in Washington. He delivered in spades when he belted a game tying blast in the 8th inning. Then, just for the heck of it he wrapped out a two run double in the 9th inning to ice it.

I know, it's kind of anti-climactic when you're the visiting team and score that winner in the top half of the frame. No where near as cool as the Home team walk off winners. But, still... it's fun to watch. Drew Stubbs completes the streak of visiting teams that stole their games late as the Reds snuck past Milwaukee 7-6 on the strength of his 10th inning lead off bomb. And it was a rocket.. .watch it Here.

But, crazy enough.. my YH goes to an old timer who did something pretty miraculous on this date in 1982. Philadelphia's Pete Rose went 5 for 5 to tie Max Carey for the NL Record, doing it for the 9th time in his career! Rose led the Phils to a 6 run 9th inning and they stomped the Dodgers 9-3 in LA. Congrats to the Hit King.

Deja Vu all over again...

2011-04-22T08:26:00.000-07:00

Ya really gotta wonder how these Managers keep committing the same Tommy LaSorda mistake. You know, the one guy that can beat you is coming to the plate..ala Jack Clark in a playoff tilt with the then LaSorda managed Dodgers. . First base is open.. walk the dude! No. ? Bang! Home Run.. you lose!

The Cardinals just did that a couple of days ago, didn't they? Was anybody paying attention? Now, it was the Braves turn. Don't get me wrong.. the player (whoever that may be)still has to get the hit. But, why would you let him? That's my point. Why would you let "that guy" have the chance?

Well, they did. And... "that guy" (Matt Kemp) did. And... the Dodgers won it in 12 innings of greatly entertaining baseball. But, I gotta give the YH to another fella in the throwback Brooklyn Bums uni - Mr. Casey Blake.

Now, Casey had himself a game. Blake had 3 hits and 2 of those were incredibly special and very impactful. First, he blasted a Solo Home Run in the 7th that snapped a 1-1 pitcher's duel. Then, with LA surprisingly down by a run in the bottom of the 9th.. Casey at the Bat smoked a game tying, two out single into left field to set the stage for the incredible heroics in the 12th inning.

Yea, it's a crazy game.. watch it Here!

Squeezin The Splendid Splinter

2011-04-20T08:36:00.000-07:00

I wonder how many people realize it's been neary 3/4 of a century since Ted Williams broke into the Big Leagues. Yup. Believe it or not today marks the Anniversary in which one of the most heralded hitters in baseball played in his very first MLB game. Cool huh?

Oh, how did he do... you ask? He smacked the dog snot out of the ball! Ted cracked a 400 foot.... double.. in the cavernous Yankee Stadium. But, the Red Sox went on to lose to the New York Yankees, 2-0. Ted would go on to figure in a heckuva lot more of those Yankee/Red Sox tilts over the next 20+ years.

He'd also go on to belt another 500+ doubles in that time. Funny that a guy with this kind of POP was nick named after a Splinter. Yea, he was lanky.. but he could coil and uncoil with the best of them. Here's something I think is incredible about Ted - He led the AL in Slugging Percentage in '41 and '42 .. went off to war for 3 years, came right back and led the AL again for the next 4 years running. From MLB to the US Marines to MLB and never missed a beat. Crazy.

Ok, enough history... let's look at Yesterday's Hitter.

No, he's not a lanky dude that can belt the ball a hundred miles. Nope, not a war veteran either. He is a scrappy second baseman that never fails to surprise me. John McDonald isn't even the starting 2B for the Blue Jays, but that doesn't keep him from contributing when they need him.

They needed him on Tuesday when the Jays were in a dog fight against those pesky Yanks. McDonald came into the game as a runner for Aaron Hill only to be thrust into the spotlight in the bottom of the 9th inning. The Jays were rallying against the greatest closer of all-time and had runners on the corners and down by a run. What's a scrappy little dude do against Mo Rivera when the game is on the line? Squeeze 'em!

Check it out Here!

Deep Blue

2011-04-18T09:08:00.000-07:00

The Dodgers were sinking like bricks in the NL West behind a 5 game losing skid. Worse yet, they were facing one of the hottest teams in baseball and a team that was outscoring them by more than 2 runs a game! Not a good combination at all.

With all of that working against them, LA was far from being a lame duck. They boasted two of the hottest hitters on the planet, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp. Andre the giant entered the game with a 13 game hitting streak and left it with a Major League leading 14 game streak and a sizzling .374 average.

Matt, well... I'm getting ahead of myself aren't I? We'll get to him soon enough. The fact is that the Dodgers' losing streak was more the cause of untimely hitting and pitching than anything else. One missed opportunity at the dish here, a bad pitch there and the next thing you know you're looking up from the bottom of the NL West wondering.. what the heck just happened? So, the easiest fix...? Hold the opposition down.

Enter Chad Billingsley who did just that. In fact, both starting pitchers did just that - no runs through 8 innings in a Chavez Ravine scrapper. When Billinglsey left in the 9th, Broxton was tabbed with a tough task of taking out the heart of St. Louis' lineup. He failed when Matt Holliday scorched a two out double to right center and then scored on a bloop off the bat of blazing hot David Freese. And the air went out of Dodger stadium. Cards 1.. LA nada. Here we go again was written on every face. .

Except Andre's... and Matt's. With their backs against the wall again, LA bucked up and took charge in the bottom half of the 9th. Ethier smashed a double into the right field corner to extend his League best hitting streak and breathe a touch of life into the listless crowd.

The buzz around the stadium began as Kemp walked to the plate. Most people were probably wondering why a HOF manager like LaRussa would even pitch to Matt in this situation. First base was open. Kemp is the hottest hitter in the Majors AND he had taken closer Ryan Franklin deep a few days before. But.. who are we to 2nd guess ; )

A few pitches later Chavez Ravine erupted when Kemp blasted a moon shot out to center field and snuffed out that 5 game losing streak. Our YH is hitting an unworldly .474 and grinning from ear to ear as he rounded third base with the winning run. Way to go Matty!

And for baseball.. it simply capped off a week of Wild and Whacky Walk Offs! Check 'em out Here!

Chipper, The Mick and... Freddy ?

2011-04-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

Not long ago there was a heckuva lot of speculation on whether Chipper Jones would even play this season. With his longtime Manager and mentor, Bobby Cox, retiring... Chipper on the heal from a host of nagging injuries and all.. most fans were wondering. Well, he's playing and off to a fabulous beginning for the 2011 campaign.

Chipper has already reached a couple of very cool milestones in his career and has provided a steady thump to the middle of the Braves batting order, batting a solid .327 and ranking among the NL Leaders in RBIs with 12. He led Atlanta to a Double Header sweep over NL East rivals NY Mets yesterday. The Brave Nation couldn't be prouder of the future Hall of Famer.

Bet ya didn't know that Today marks the Anniversary of Mickey Mantle's very first game in the Major Leagues. Yep, 'Ol No. 7 notched a hit way back in 1951 and helped the Yankees beat their Boston Red Sox rivals 5-0.

Of course, the Mick went on to do some pretty great things! Funny, Chipper and Mickey, 2 of the Greatest Switch Hitters in History with a couple of cartoon like names : ) There was nothing funny about Mickey's legendary Home Run that also occurred on this date in 1953. He blasted a cartoon like moon shot that cleared the bleachers in old Griffith Stadium that measured... 565 feet!

Ok, back to the present. The YH for today is none other than former NL Batting Champ Freddy Sanchez. Freddy is Mr. Steady for the SF Giants and is slowly pulling his team back toward the top in the NL West. This guy is a real throwback player that knows how to get the ball in play when you need it.

Freddy tied the game in the sixth inning with a double and then sent the Diamondbacks back to their locker room with an "L" when he iced the game in the seventh with a 2 run single. The Giants won 5-3. Nice Job Freddy!

King of Troy

2011-04-15T09:25:00.000-07:00

I guess you might say that the passing of the guard is taking place in the position of Shortstop. You can call it a Baton if ya want. Or, more appropriately a BAT ON. ; )

I say this because Troy Tulowitzki, who idolized arguably one of the greatest SS's ever - Derek Jeter, is rising above the pack a little more with each year he logs in the League. Troy wears the #2 on his back in honor of Derek, but clearly.. he is #1 at the position in this particular era of baseball.

He's doing it all. He makes stellar defensive plays at critical moments in the game.. ala Derek.

He's pounding the ball with incredible power in the vein another superstar in the center of the diamond did - Alex Rodriguez.

He's led his team to the Post Season and is on a quest to reach the ultimate .. a World Series Ring. In 2011 he is on a terrific offensive tear in an effort to accomplish just that. Because, without the ring.. you can't be The King.

Yesterday Troy kept the quest in tact when he led the Rockies to a smashing of the hapless New York Mets in a double header sweep that left many people in awe of his talents. Troy homered in both games to lead the charge. He homered in each of the 4 games in the set against the Mets, a feat that fanned the accolades. We may not be able to annoint him just yet as he has many hits to gain before reaching the incredible milestones of his idol. But, you can't deny.. he's on the right path.

What's a Walk Off Worth....

2011-04-14T09:32:00.000-07:00

A Crazy day in baseball yesterday with a host of Walk Off's, an extra inning rally and... one for the ages. California teams were in the spotlight with late game heroics by 4 of the 5 Cali teams. In and of itself, that's pretty amazing.

Let's kick it off in San Diego where the "O Dog", stroked a Walk Off single that lifted the Padres over Cincinnati 3-2. Orlando Hudson's scrappy style of play and mindset was just what the Pads needed at the dish in the bottom of the 9th. San Diego had posted a single run in the 7th and 8th innings to tie the game and were desperately trying to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Reds.

Enter Orlando. He ripped a bases loaded, opposite field missile into left field to notch a much needed win for San Diego. I loved his statement when asked about his game winning single - "I just wanted to have a Quality At Bat". Beautiful. You certainly did "O Dog". Watch it Here!

The Oakland A's were just as impressive, if not more so, in their late game heroics vs. the White Sox. Down by 3 in the 9th the A's put together a terrific rally that tied the game and sent it into extra innings for the third game in a row. Having every game in a 3 game series go "extra" had not happened to the A's in over 23 years! Incredible stuff.

More Mindset stuff for you hitters out there. . . with two out in the 9th Cliff Pennington came to the plate with ducks on the pond. What was he thinking when he was facing a fireballing pitcher? "With Thornton on the mound throwing 97 miles an hour," Pennington said, "I was just looking for a fastball I could hit."

He got it. First Pitch too! Tie game. The game winners came in the 10th when Oakland posted 3 more runs to walk away with a series win against Chicago. Not exactly a Walk Off.. but pretty cool, just the same.

In Anaheim it was another extra inning tilt AND a Walk Off win! The Angels' billion dollar baby (jus kiddin'),Vernon Wells, earned a few of his dollars by delivering a base knock in the 12th that clinched the win over the Indians. A huge hit for Vernon's confidence as he was mired in 0 for 16 slump when he stepped in the box. His single off the shortstop started the rally. Wells eventually scored the winning run on a Sac Fly by Jeff Mathis with the bases juiced. I'll bet the Rally Monkey was going bonkers in Anaheim ; )

The Fans in Atlanta got to see something pretty special on Wednesday. Yes, their team got dumped by the Marlins and there were plenty of long faces in the crowd. That is until the 9th inning when Braves super hero Chipper Jones came to the dish.

Chipper launched a deep drive that cleared the center field wall for a Solo Home Run. Yea, yea.. so what you say? Well, that Home Run gave Chipper 1,500 RBIs for his career! In the History of baseball there is only one other switch hitter to have amassed 2,500+ hits and notched 1,500+ RBIs (Eddie Murray). That put a smile on the face of alot of Atlanta fans last night. Check it out by Clicking Here

Yesterday's Hitter honors has to go to our scrappy little throwback dude in Detroit. . . Brandon Inge. The Tigers have a couple of these guys I really like, but last night it was all Brandon. He tied the game in the 6th inning with a Sacrifice Fly. Great hitters do what has to be done to get that run home in close games and Brandon is a great hitter.

Not exactly satisfied with his 6th inning success, Brandon came to the plate in the 9th inning with one out and the game still knotted at 2-2. He had to be looking for something with a little 'wrinkle' to it because... on the very first pitch (one with some wrinkle) he Belted a Blast to deep Left Field. It was one of those - Crack! It's Gone! kind of shots. A real No Doubter that gave Detroit it's 2nd straight Walk Off win vs. the Rangers. Watch Yesterday's Hitter by clicking Here!

Sox it to 'Em

2011-04-13T08:28:00.000-07:00

Can anybody figure out baseball teams? Off season trades often load up the most impressive group of players throughout the history of baseball, only to see that team sputter on the playing field. Crazy game.

This year is no different with the paper lineup of the Red Sox. Prior to the season nearly every baseball expert was handing over the AL East and even the World Series to Boston before they placed a single win in the W column. 11 games later, they have a total of 2 W's and sit on the bottom in their Division. Crazy.

Yesterday, it was Red Sox castoff Johnny Damon that poked and pried another "L" out of Boston. Johnny was far from spectacular, but you really don't need to be spectacular to take down the Sox so far this year. Johnny was definitely steady, racking up two hits and two RBIs, which were enough to log a 3-2 win in Boston. Crazy Game.

Another fella that tormented his prior team was Jayson Werth. The Nationals are a really good looking bunch. They have hustlers, hitters and hard nosed managing... and they play the game right. Off to a 5-5 start, most folks might think that's mediocre. Well, look to the last few years before you decided 5-5 isn't very good.

Jayson Werth put up some wonderful numbers over the years for the Phillies, but this time he poked holes in them. Jayson's day was indicative of how he led the charge for the Phightin's in the past. Start the rally, inspire the team.. and away they go. Locked in a 1-1 tie, Werth ripped a double to lead off the 4th inning and sparked a 3 run rally the Nats never gave up. Just for the heck of it he added a Solo Shot in the next inning. Bang.

Back over in the AL, the Tigers vs. Rangers game was a classic. You know, one of those games you might emulate with your brother in the backyard whiffle ball contest. Your team is down 1-0, then tie it 1-1... only to go down 2-1.. oh, tied 2-2. And back and forth you go all the way to the 9th inning where ya find it tied again at 4-4.

The stuff of legends as the bottom of the 9th rally starts to unfold. A single gets it going and the next thing you know it's bases loaded.. two outs.. score is tied in the bottom of the 9th with THE team slugger at the dish (you in the back yard) - Miguel Cabrera in real life. You guessed it.. the Slugger comes through with a single and the walk off win is complete. Now, go have a Kool Aid! You deserve it! :-)

Ramp that backyard thing up just a touch and you'll find Yesterday's Hitter... Alexei Ramirez!

His first impact on the game looked like he might just put it away in the 2nd inning. Alexei smoked a 3 run HR to put the White Sox up 4-1, a lead they usually hold on to. Not this time.. the A's would slowly scratch back. They got back one run, then another to make it 4-3.. and uh, oh. .they actually surged ahead 5-4 in the 6th. Not so good for the Sox.. unless you're bidding for the YH honors ; )

Fast forward to the 10th inning and it's all locked in a 5-5 tie for the Slugger (in the backyard).. this time the Slugger is none other than our 2nd inning star - Alexei Ramirez. What does he do? ShaBang! It's a deep fly ball.. way back.. very high.. and over the backyard fence she goes! Alexei's second HR of the game was the game winner. Cool. Let's go for that Kool Aid!

The Feasting Begins

2011-04-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

Most casual baseball fans can't wrap their minds around how the games they remember seeing in the World Series can be so drastically different in April. What they remember seeing is high tension games where runs and hits are a premium. What they see now is an onslaught of offense.

It's really pretty simple if you give it some thought. First off, the pitching in Post Season typically consists of your #1 and #2 guy... sometimes your #3 starter.. but not too often. Add in the fact that these Aces have been dealing the entire season and truly on their mark with most every pitch in their arsenal. You end up with a 1-0 game that every hit seems magnified in.

Fast Forward to early April and you get past those Aces.. and into the PHAT (Pretty Hittable And Tempting) pitchers in the rotation. What do you get? Drubbings like we saw yesterday. Guys racing around the bags like a merry go round ; )

The hitters have had enough at-bats to get their eyes and timing adjusted to live game situations.. the pitches are nice and tasty... the hits keep coming. Take Russell Martin for example. He had two 3 hit games all of last season. He racked up 3 hits yesterday in the Yankees loss to Detroit. That game could actually serve as a micro-cosm of my point. Jorge Posada blasted 2 Home Runs! Mark Teixeira hit a Home Run for the 3rd straight game. Flip over to the other box score and you get Miguel Cabrera going Yard ... twice!

Not to mention my favorite Tiger.. Brennan Boesch. He ripped off a 4 for 4 day with a Home Run.. scored 4 and knocked in 4! You get the picture? Heck, Nick Swisher had 3 hits in that game as well. There were 26 total hits in all.

Look at the Royals and Angels - 33 hits! Another 26 hits in the Reds vs Brewers contest. 25 more in the Cubs vs Pirates game. Crazy huh?

Speaking of the Reds and Brewers game. The Reds picked up a sweep behind the hitting show put on by my pick as Yesterday's Hitter! Click over to BeABetterHitter to see who it is!

Early Milestones

2011-04-03T10:24:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest hitters of our time etched his name in Seattle Mariner lore (again!) with one trademark swing. Ichiro Suzuki set the all-time hit mark at 2,248 Seattle hits, topping the previous mark by Edgar Martinez. Quite a feat when you consider it happened on the 10th Anniversary of his debut. Think about it.. that means Ichiro has "averaged" over 2,000 hits per season! That's a purty darn good average, huh?

Speaking of milestones, how about Big Papi? The Big Boston Bopper became the all-time Major League leader in RBIs as a Designated Hitter when he crushed a two run bomb in Texas. Who did he pass? None other than the Mariners' Edgar Martinez. Speaks volumes for the talent of the unheralded hitter from Seattle, doesn't it?

And since we're in Texas.. How about Ian Kinsler setting an all-time MLB mark of his own? Yup, the scrappy second baseman ripped a lead off Home Run for the second straight game! Nobody has ever done that to start the season. Pretty cool. I love this guy... he's a gamer. Not even a classic "jam job" bothers this dude.

Alright, enough of the blustering. Let's get down to business and figure out who had the most important game at the dish. Lots of contenders for sure.

Mark Teixeira. Wow. Have yourself a couple of games will ya? Usually the slowest guy in the Majors out of the gate, Mark is smoking it for the Yankees. He belted his 2nd 3Run Homer in as many games. His co-hort in slugging, Alex Rodriguez, crushed his first dinger of the season. But, he is red hot at the plate with a sizzling .600 Batting Average. Just what the AL East needs to see... Not!

High Averages are everywhere in the White Sox box score. They are smoking the ball up and down the lineup. Led by Beckham's and Quentin's .625 and followed by Dunn and Konerko at .429! It's safe to say that the Indians pitching staff hasn't fooled anybody in that batter's box as of yet. Not surprised are yaOver in the Senior circuit.. how about the revamped Padres putting on a show in St. Lou? King Albert has no answer for the whipping the Cards have taken in the first two tilts of the year. They were tilts too. No contest in either one. It may not be the same lineup in San Diego but they sure have found a chemistry there. The team can Hit! The NL West should be one of the more intriguing races in baseball this year.

The Mets are another team that has a bit of a turnover in the box score. They do boast the solid hitting of David Wright in the middle of that order. He's proven. He's steady. And, sure seems like he's ready for 2011. David led the Mets to a comeback win over the Marlins with three hits, 2 runs and 2 RBIs. His 10th inning single was the winner and helped all of New York sigh in relief : )

But, the kid that "gets" it this time is .. Chris Getz! Click over to BeABetterHitter.com to see what he did

Here we Go Again!

2011-04-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

Its a brand new season but the song seems to remain the same. It's been a Walk Off beginning (or should I say ending) so far for the 2011 season. Without question these are the types of games that keep you coming back for more.

And... since we're all about the Hitter in this blog - who could ask for anything more?!

Speaking of More... what about J P Arencibia's debut as the Opening Day catcher for the Toronto Blue Jays? Although he has shown some promise at the plate, nobody could have predicted what he did to the Twins on Friday Night. From the #9 hole in the batting order, J P launched two Home Runs and crushed a triple off the center field wall. Three hits and 5 RBIs to open his season. My bet is the Jays move him up in the order pretty quickly.

The Walk Off in Philly was probably the coolest game of the day. The Phils were down by 2 in the bottom of the 9th and I'm sure they didn't expect anything like what they saw unfold. With one out the Phillies turned to their spark plug, Jimmy Rollins. He delivered a single. Ryan Howard followed with another. Ben Francisco then stepped up and provided a major boost to the aura when he singled in Rollins to cut the deficit to 4-3.

Oh, but those Phightin's weren't quite done yet. Wilson Valdez, in place of the clutch hitting Chase Utley, racked another single to score the big man and tie the game. It set the stage for the youngster - John Mayberry, Jr.

I watched Mayberry as a member of the USA National team years ago. He had the spark then... and the blood line as well... and he had it on Friday! The Tall Cool One stepped in as a Pinch Hitter and smoked a single to right field for the Game Winner!

Cool Stuff.. and a Cool beginning for the season. Dontcha Think?

Upsetting the Cargo

2010-09-09T08:09:00.000-07:00

Just as the hype was building on the possibility of having a Triple Crown winner in the NL for the first time in... forever (it seems), along comes the kid from Venezuela to upset the cart. The scary thing is he has an outside chance of taking the Crown himself! Yes, Carlos Gonzalez is that good!

So good in fact that he has the Rockies on another late season charge up the ranks of the NL West and fighting for a playoff shot. He's strong, fast and powerful at the plate and reminds me a little of Willie Mays in that he can do it all on the baseball field. The prototypical Center Fielder.

Can he possibly take the Triple Crown away from St. Louis icon Albert Pujols and Cincinatti's surprising Joey Votto? Well, he has easily eclipsed those two in batting average. He's been on an absolute tear at the plate since the end of August, hitting .500 in that span with 10 RBIs and 3 HRs. Those ribbies gave him the NL lead with 100. .. .

CarGo's issue is the same as Votto's. Will he catch Prince Albert in the HR Department where he trails by 4 as of this writing? One hope is that he is in Colorado and the ball does fly out of the park there with regular ease.

As much as I like the kid. As much as I hope he can pull it off. I have to say that in my heart, I don't think he can do it. He has 32 HRs and 100 RBIs with a .340 average in 125 games this year - incredibly impressive numbers for the soon to be 25yr old. I'm sure he will be filling his trophy case with a ton of metal over the years, I just don't think one of them will be the Triple Crown in 2010.

Will the Prince get the Crown?

2010-08-23T08:28:00.000-07:00

We've all been mesmerized by the incredible hitting talents of Prince Albert since the day he stepped into the Major Leagues. This man has achieved incredible heights, amassed terrific numbers, that will surely land him in the Hall of Fame and has led his team to a World Series Championship! What more could a player ask for? How about a historic feat??

I mean, really historic. Something that hasn't been achieved by a NL player in nearly 3/4 of a century. Yes, the "Holy Grail" of baseball statistics - The Triple Crown. The ultimate prize for a professional hitter.

Something only two great hitters (Roger Hornsby - NL & Ted Williams - AL) have put in their trophy case twice!

The last Major League player to accomplish the Triple Crown was Carl Yastremzki, out of the AL (Red Sox), back in 1967. But... that was the AL. The last Triple Crown winner in the NL occurred thirty years earlier! In St. Louis!

Yup, believe it or not, in 1937 it was Joe Medwick of the St. Louis Cardinals that achieved the Triple Crown with 31 HR, 154 RBI and a .374 average. Could it be destined for St. Louis again, 73 years later? To the Prince?

Or, will it be spoiled and maybe even achieved by Cincinnati's Joey Votto?

Joey Votto? Yes, he is having a career year in a quest to lead the Reds to the NL Central title. But, can he upset the Prince and take the crown?

Well, it's completely possible that either of these fine two talents can take home the prize. Let's take a look.

At this time Joey has the lead in the NL Batting title (albeit a tenuous one), with a .323 average.

The problem is... this is the most precarious of all statistics. One bad series and you could drop right out of the batting average race!

The Prince, meanwhile is right in his rear view mirror with a .316 average.

If I were going to bet on either, I'd have to give the nod to Prince Albert. He's been there. He's a 3 time NL MVP. He's got a career .332 average and he's hit over .350 twice. Pretty stellar. Have to lean toward the Prince foiling the challenge of Joey Votto in this category.

As for Home Runs, well.. Prince Albert already holds the lead here at 32 and also has a pretty impressive history to fall back on (just shy of 400!).

Joey Votto is three HRs behind and has never hit more than 25 in any of his previous 3 years at the MLB level. Clearly this year will mark a career high for Votto even if it ended today. Again, I just can't see Votto overtaking The Prince in this category either.

Lastly, RBIs ... where we see The Prince leading Votto by 3. Understanding that this is a stat dependent on many more factors than the previous two. RBIs require opportunity; teammates need to get on base for you to have a chance to "get em in".

Already this season Votto has had fewer opportunities than Prince Albert and may be at a greater disadvantage as a result of the aforementioned HR scenario. The Prince simply rounds the bases himself more often than Votto does. That will add up over the season.

So, when you look at the probability, opportunity, history and ability of the two players. You simply have to believe that this will be the year the NL will see a Triple Crown winner. And... that winner will be - King Albert!

Young Guns

2010-06-09T09:15:00.000-07:00

We're creeping up on the half way mark of 2010, the Draft is over and all eyes are set on the All-Star game. So far it appears that there may be a changing of the guard in terms of team leaders.

No longer is Chipper Jones the face of the Braves, or Mannywood the place to be in LA. Instead it's Martin Prado and Jason Heyward in Atlanta and Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and James Loney in LA.

It's a similar story all over the league. Elvis Andrus is batting over .300 for Texas and seems to add the perfect mix for the 1st place Rangers. Add in Ian Kinsler, Justin Smoak and Joaquin Arias and you have a bundle of talent at a very young age.

They're not just young and talented, they know how to win. Texas leads the AL West, albeit barely. Yet, these young guns may have more in their tank then the A's or Angels who are significantly older (especially in the Outfield).

In Seattle, the age has definitely had an impact. Griffey, Jr. recognized it and decided to get out of the way, retiring after a Hall of Fame career. The problem is Seattle can't seem to find the spark to get it moving up in the standings. They don't have that young superstar that ignites the team, the fans and the scoreboard.

So, where are the young superstars that light up the scoreboard, fan interest and drive their teams toward the top of the standings? Here's my top 5.

Austin Jackson - Detroit Tigers.

This guy is only 23, barely... and his presence is just what the Tigers need at the top of their lineup. They have all the power they could possibly want behind him. That's not his game. It's speed baby, speed. Get on, get over and get in. That's the Austin Jackson game. He's batting .318 with 17 doubles and has scored 36 times already. When he cuts down on the K ratio he'll be even more impressive.

Martin Prado - Atlanta Braves

I know.. he's not super young.. but, he's super good. At only 26 Prado is the catalyst for the Braves. He took over the job late in '08 and hasn't missed a beat since. This is another guy that is not about power and production, it's about table setting and average. Every team needs one (at least) and the better they are at doing their seemingly insignificant job, the higher the team rises in the standings. Prado is that guy. He leads the NL in average at .325 and is 2nd in runs scored with 44. There is more than enough fire power behind Martin, funny how that works huh? Just like Jackson in Detroit, Prado sets em up in Atlanta. Watch this team, they're exciting and fun to watch.

David Freese - St. Louis Cardinals

After getting a cup of coffee last year and showing he could handle the hot corner, the Cards bet on David as the cornerstone of the infield. They won, big time. This kid is real good. He's nothing flashy, all business... both at the plate and in the field. His .311 average is among the leaders and he's scored 35 times this year while knocking in 32. That's saying something when you have run producers like Ludwick, Pujols and Holliday in the lineup. Give him time and you could see something special here.

Jason Heyward - Atlanta Braves

No wonder the Braves lead the NL East. They have a supreme mix of youth and experience. The key is their youth is just other worldly. Jason came on with a bang and he has yet to flatten out. You can see that he's not perfect, with a horrendous 0 for 5 in LA with 5 K's! Yikes. Yet, despite that, he's among the leaders in RBIs with 40 and has 10 HRs already. And who can blame him for the 5K performance when he was facing a nasty young lefty (Kershaw) and a blazing bull (Broxton) in LA. There's been more than one good hitter go down to that pitching staff. He's only 20 and there's magic in this kid's bat. Just give it time to show off.

Andre Ethier - LA Dodgers

Stud. That about covers it. Had he not broken his pinky earlier in the year, this could have been (and may still be) an absolutely remarkable statistical year for Andre. The A's gave up on this kid after he was named Minor League player of the year. How do you do that? LA was glad to offer him a home. Man, has he taken advantage of it. THE clutch hitter in baseball, Andre is the Walk Off wizard. He's got a .360 average and 40 RBIs. I'm pretty sure we're just beginning to see the talent that Andre possesses. Watch his at bats, you'll definitely learn something.

Offenses on Fire in first week.

2010-04-12T12:01:00.001-07:00

It was a good first week of MLB for the men at the dish. Balls were flying all over (and out of) every host stadium. That's always a good sign for Hitting fans like us.

Who's really hot? Well, as mentioned in the previous blog, the Jays have a solid hitting lineup. The hottest Jay is not Adam Lind or even Vernon Wells. It's the shortstop with the short quick bat - Alex Gonzalez. He stayed red hot on Sunday with a solid 2 for 4 performance that netted 2 more Home Runs to give him 4 on the season. He also picked up a couple more Ribs at the plate. In the past week he's ripped at an 8 for 22 clip. No wonder the Jays are on top of the AL East.

In St. Louis it's more than just the King Albert show. Although, Albert is
certainly off to a super start at .375 with 4 Big flies and 10 Ribs.. all putting him among the leaders in the NL. It's his counterpart Matt Holliday who is on fire as a Cardinal. Matt is stroking a .423 average with 3 Bombs and is providing a lot of protection to Pujols. Last night was no exception as the Cards were down by 3 going into the 9th in Milwaukee. Low and Behold, Albert belted a 2 run shot to get them close. Then, Matt crushed a shot to deep center field to tie it. Pretty incredible encore from Matt. Watch these back to back gems Here! No Surprise, they're on top in the Central Division.

Because of San Francisco's uncharacteristic hot start, the D'Backs are not atop the NL West despite the offensive flash from Chris Young. He's on fire in the desert. How hot? How about 7 for his last 20 with 11 RBIs to lead the league in the Ribby department. Chris has also belted out 3 Bombs to sit among the leaders in the power display.

So, there ya have it. Some of the hottest bats in baseball as we roll into week number 2. Enjoy the barrage of hits. I know we do here at BABH.com

Click here it you'd like to learn to mash like these guys! And.. to see who Yesterday's Hitter was.

Renteria Raging Hot in SF

2010-04-10T07:49:00.000-07:00

What a start to the season for hitters. Although that's generally the case most every April, it seems especially apparent this year. If you look around the league, you'll see some softball like averages out there. It's a bit crazy.

Speaking of which, it's wild in San Fran right now. They're 4-0 and atop the NL West behind the strength of their bats (okay, they have some decent arms too). But this blog is about hitting and there's no shortage of that in the City by the Bay. Two games in a row the combo of Renteria and Rowand has been over the top. Edgar's game tying 2 run shot in the bottom of the 9th on Friday set the stage for his partner in crime to slip a game winner past the infield in the 13th. Renteria has a sizzling average of .688 out of the gates in 2010.

There's alot of High Fives going on across the Bay in Oakland where things aren't that much different. The hitters are saving the day. The A's had back to back walk off wins in Oakland on Wednesday and Thursday before thumping the Halos 10-4 last night. Mark Ellis is sporting a .400 average and seems to be in the mix of every rally the A's muster. NorCal never looked so good.

It's a little topsy turvy in the East as well, ok.. in the AL anyway. Who's on top? Tampa...on bottom? Boston. The Yanks are nestled in 3rd behind Toronto. Toronto? Yea man, this team is packed with hitters. Adam Lind can rake and Vernon Wells is Mr. Deep Wells so far in 2010. He's got 4 HRs already this year and his .500 average is packed with power numbers. Tampa Bay is stacked from top to bottom as well and it shouldn't surprise anybody to see them sitting in the cat bird seat.

The best hitter yesterday though was Rick Ankiel. He just couldn't do anything wrong. That's a great thing for Kansas City and exactly what they hoped for when they got Rick from St Lou. He delivered in spades yesterday going 4 for 4 and helping KC push the Red Sox into the cellar in the East. It's too bad KC's relief pitching (yuck, we hate that word) sucked so bad in the first two games.. heck, they could be 4-0. Now that would be a story!

Which Wood Bat Would That Be

2009-05-09T09:24:00.000-07:00

I don't quite understand MLB's weird approach to the growing broken bat problem in baseball. I imagine that the only thing that will prompt anything more than a cursory "investigation" will be serious injury or worse to a player, an umpire or possibly a fan.

I don't have the statistics as to the average number of bats broken in each MLB game this year, but just from watching I can say... It's alot. Sure, they have commissioned studies on several thousand bats that have broken. These studies were expensive and involved a Harvard Statistician, a Massachusetts-Lowell mechanical engineering professor and a wood-certification company. They studied the broken bats and tried to figure out why.

Guess what? There are bat companies out there and wood types out there that don't break. Did they study those? Nope. Big Frank Thomas used a bat that broke maybe once a year. Twice at the most. Did they study that wood type or manufacturer to see what they were doing right? Nope. Seems kinda silly to look at one side of the box. Even sillier to look at that side of the box from inside the box.

Get your thinking caps on guys. MLB has got it's share of problems right now for sure. The last thing it needs is to have a pitcher irreparably harmed by a flying missile because the powers that be don't have the sense to conduct a study properly.

What's worse is this problem is not that hard to fix. Let me come back to this.

Major League Baseball rule 1.10(a) describes the specifications of a bat:

"The bat shall be a smooth, round stick not more than 2 3/4" in diameter at the thickest part, and not more than 42 inches in length. Bats shall be one piece of solid wood."

The last sentence is your problem. "Bats shall be one piece of solid wood." Why?

There are a couple of companies out there right now that have MLB approval for their bats to be used in the Minor Leagues. Brett Bros. is one of these companies. The company is owned by Hall of Famer George Brett. What makes a Brett bat different? Simple Simon, he uses several "planks" of wood (the type of wood can vary from bamboo to maple to ash) that are layered to form a billet. The woods are melded together with a special glue process. When sufficiently bonded, the billet is lathed into a particular model bat. This process makes the wood bat incredibly strong and resistant to breakage.

More importantly, it does NOT change the game. It's still a wood bat. The ball doesn't come off the barrel any different than it does with a normal "one piece" wood bat. One professional team broke nearly 50 bats a season before switching to Brett Bros. bats. Guess what, in the next two seasons the entire team broke a total of 4 bats!

Come On. Who is making the decisions that allow these bats in Minor Leagues and not the Major Leagues. Why wouldn't you? You think George Brett is going to tarnish the tradition of baseball? No. He has made it better because he is thinking outside of that damn box.

Another company has recently decided to venture into this new concept of "assembling" a bat. This company uses a very unique approach that makes all the sense in the world. They have taken the Brett Bat concept one step further. This company is called Radial Bats. I've swung these bats and am very impressed. Time will tell if these are more durable than those made by Brett, but the concept is impressive.

Each Radial bat consists of twelve wedges that are flawlessly milled with patent pending methods. Then each wedge is perfectly aligned to provide great strength in every orientation.

The bottom line is this... MLB needs to figure out that these types of wood bats will not change the game. They don't look any different, they don't sound any different, they don't perform any different EXCEPT when it comes to breakage. They DON'T break nearly as often as what they are allowing in the Major Leagues at this time.

MLB has struck out on this one.

Watching Baseball

2009-04-09T10:46:00.000-07:00

The technology curve has been the greatest thing that ever happened to baseball. In live games there is so much more information available to the fan... nearly any statistic, invigorating graphic scoreboards, fancy flashing rings around the stadium. It just adds so much more to the fan experience. I mean, these are just not the same arenas that our fathers and grandfathers went to watch games at. Sure, Wrigley is a bit outdated and rusty, but even Fenway is a modern marvel for watching a ballgame. No wonder those seats are hard to get into.

But, where the real change for fans has blossomed is television and online broadcasts. I realized last night while watching the Dodgers vs. Padres broadcast that there are a slew of players in the game today that rank very high all time in their statistics. Finally, a broadcast director took advantage of the historic nature of the game and began showing where a player ranked all-time in a certain category. Just a small pop-up that lasted only a second or so. But, that moment allowed a true fan to realize a little piece of history and nostalgia as the game unfolded. It was a great touch and should be used much more often.

The Online capability has really improved with MLB.tv (a spinoff of MLB.com)At this site, a fan can watch just about every game in real clear broadcast with the capability of watching as many as 4 games at a time. Or, switching throughout to catch action in any one of the games. The video quality is very high and very impressive. The cost is minimal compared to the experience a true fan receives. You should check it out.

You've got to be a Carpenter

2008-09-30T10:30:00.000-07:00

One thing I've noticed about professional hitters... as a general rule, they are emotionless. Now, without question.. during a key moment of a stressful big moment game.. emotions are hard to hide.. passion rides high and ... occasionally, there is emotion. Sometimes for the good.. ala Alexei Ramirez' elation in yesterday's dynamic White Sox win (above). And... sometimes for the bad (after a strike out or a disputed called third strike). For the most part though, emotionless rules.

The professional hitter is concentrating on one thing.. the ball. It's intense concentration, too. Watch for yourself and figure out when the last time is that you focused on something.. anything.. so intently. Pure focus... "I am going to hit this pitch!"

Then, here comes the pitch... the professional batter does everything just right.. perfect load, perfect timing on the step.. whips the bat through the zone and.. oops, missed it. He is stoic. He doesn't stomp around.. hang his head or any other shenanigans. He just regroups... sets his focus and goes right back to work on the next pitch!

I like to use the analogy of a carpenter. Carpenters are paid to hit nails. They climb up on top of a structure.. they have their tool belt.. they have their nails. And they have their hammer. Pounding nails is what they do. Nail after nail.. whack .. whack .. whack! Hey, on occasion, they miss one. Do you think they stand up on the roof and announce to the world with some kind of antics that they missed the nail? Uh... no. They just pull another nail out and go back to work.

This is how a professional hitter approaches his at bat. He gets three strikes at the ball.. more if he "just misses one and fouls it off".. but, essentially he gets three shots at it.

He has his tools (knowledge of the game, the pitcher, the count, etc.) and he has his hammer (bat). His job is to hit nails.. hit the ball. Period. Go to work... be a carpenter at the plate.

Where as a carpenter has the little bitty nail to hit with the head of his hammer... a professional hitter has a small sweet spot (17 to 21 inches from his top hand) to hammer the baseball with. You have to concentrate to do that. You can't have emotion clouding your focus. Go to work. Hit some nails.

Magic in the Big Apple

2008-09-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

The Cubs have been giving the Mets plenty of stress in their four game series, games the Mets simply had to win to stay on pace in the NL East and Wild Card spots. Game four was a battle Royal to be sure.

The Cubs even threw in a secret weapon to spice things up.. starting Rookie Micah Hoffpauir at 1st Base instead of Lee. All Micah did was go 5 for 5 on the night.. drive in 5 RBIs and hit his first two Major League HRs! His shocking 3 run shot in the 7th gave the Cubs what looked to be a win.. but that was before the magic arrived :)

Will all that, the resilient Mets came roaring back late in the contest to tie it in the 8th.. this after going down by 3 runs and the cold, wet NY fans getting very quiet. But, the Mets kept plugging away.. scoring one in the seventh.. two more in the eighth to tie it (the tying run scored when Ryan Church made an amazing slide to get around the tag of catcher Koyie Hill)... they did this with a nobody-on-2-out rally which was started by superb at bats from Beltran and Church. Ramon Martinez and Robinson Cancel followed with unlikely heroic hits of their own. Cancel's driving in Church for the tying run.

Good ol' Shea Stadium was rocking again in the rain and the stage was set for more heroics in the bottom half of the ninth when Beltran stepped up to the plate. Beltran smoked a 2-0 pitch on a rope down the first base line.. it clipped off the glove of the diving Micah Hoffpauir and trickled into right for the game winner.

Reyes led off the ninth with a single off losing pitcher Kevin Hart, and he stole second after Daniel Murphy, bunting on his own with two strikes, and Wright struck out. After Hart intentionally walked Carlos Delgado, Beltran pulled a line drive off Hoffpauir's glove for his second walk-off of the year.

I've got a pretty good feeling that there will be more Magic in the next few days.

Where have all the "Scouts" gone?

2008-06-28T09:59:00.000-07:00

So, the other night at the local pub, I was sitting there enjoying the many games being broadcast when I overhear this fella spouting about how he knows the scout that "found" Jacoby Ellsbury.

"Yea, found him and signed him! What a find that was! Find one like that and you are set."

Funny thing is, I know the guy too - John Booher. I worked with John for alot of years. No offense to Boo.. but.. he didn't "find" Jacoby Ellsbury. The kid was on a team that set the stage for back to back National Championships. He was a Pac-10 All Star standout from Freshman year on. My point is.. Jacoby Ellsbury was not "hiding" in the vast talent pools of American Amateur baseball. How do you qualify that as "finding" a player?

Since I am ranting on "Scouts".. how about all of the "findings" in Latin America. Here we have some incredible young talent that is often signed at 16 years of age (legal or not) and then brought up through the pro instructional leagues with the best competition, coaching, equipment, etc. The youngster shows he has a little speed, some arm strength, a desire for the game and some scout "finds" him, signs him and wow... what a find that was!

Uh, just checking in here.. but, don't you think the same thing could be done in rural America? You know.. some Iowa corn field. Some place where the "Jacoby Ellsbury's" of the world are not slapped right in the face of the "scout"?

Let me take you back a couple of years to a fella named Bill Russell. Yea, the standout Dodger short stop. Russell never even played High School baseball. Oh, he would have played High School baseball... it just so happens his school was so small they couldn't field a team!!! Yet.. a real, live .. bonafide "scout" saw the athleticism of this guy.. saw the desire and competitive fire in him... and drafted him to the Dodgers out of High School! A couple of years later he is in the big leagues as an outfielder because the great Maury Wills plays shortstop. Wills leaves, Russell steps in.. for 12 years!

Sorry guys... I love ya Boo... but "THAT" is scouting. Not picking from the most celebrated.. high profile kids. There are tons and tons of young men capable of playing the game at the highest level all over America. Who will "Find" them?

College World Series

2008-06-26T10:54:00.001-07:00

The Champions of mens College Baseball was decided on Wednesday. What a great ending to a fun post season in the college ranks. There were so many outstanding players showcased for the country. It's a shame that most people do not share in the excitement of college baseball.

Sure, the metal bats change the game some.. but no different than Arena football changing the NFL. They light up the scoreboard. That's just the way that game is.. the same for college baseball.

Although, you certainly see that good pitching can even shut down a metal bat lineup. Just as the young lefty from Fresno State did to the powerful Georgia Bulldog bats. Speaking of the Georgia bats... was it fun to watch that Gordon Beckham play? Or What? He is a very intense competitor and I loved watching his approach to hitting. He was rarely satisfied with an at bat... even when he hit it hard and it found the leather. He wants a hit every at bat.. that's kind of cool : )

I also enjoyed watching Tommy Mendonca from Fresno State. He was very impressive on defense and tied the CWS record with 4 Home Runs in the series. The bomb in Game 2 was massive.. first pitch! His glove was fabulous though.. if you hit it to the corner.. you are out.

This year is in the record books and next year will bring a new crop of players that will show us the passion of the game.. the excitement of offensive baseball and the unbridled enthusiasm of amateur baseball at it's best.

Bonds and Clemens

2008-05-14T08:40:00.000-07:00

What a crazy era we are in for baseball. You have to look back sometimes at the controversies that plagued other eras and recognize that baseball players seem to step into piles of dog doo on a regular basis throughout history.

In year's past it seemed that greed played a big part of it. Players were not really paid that big of a salary in comparison to the money generated by the sport, consequently they were easy targets for bribes and other tactics ala the Black Sox scandal. The character flaws in some of the players were brought to light, never mind their physical skills on a baseball field.

Today's ballplayer, even the lowly rookie, is paid handsomely. So, greed gives way to ego in the 21st century. With so many performance enhancement drugs being developed and the nature of the game, combined with the personalities of players like Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds... it's a mixture sure to blow up in your face.

Look, it's no secret that "man" has been swayed by a host of illicit things... drugs, sex, alcohol.. "man" in the spotlight.. ala famous ballplayer, is no exception. These guys that have character flaws (think lie, cheat, steal) are eventually exposed. They were exposed in the early 1900's and they were exposed in early 2000's and they will be exposed in every century that follows.

The shame of it is that throughout history baseball takes the beating for the individual sins of a few. Especially when those "few" have placed themselves in elite statistical company in the history of the game. The funny thing is .. had they been able to keep their ego in check and not found it necessary to illegally enhance their already blessed skills at the game, both Clemens and Bonds would have stood at the top in the end naturally. And... they would not have been placed in a position to lie through their yellow teeth to you, me, congress and themselves!

Ah, but... the nature of "man" and the nature of the game.. a volatile mix. Say it Ain't so.. Joe.

Chipper and Lance chase .400

2008-05-13T12:32:00.000-07:00

What a start for Chipper Jones and Lance Berkman. Could this be the year we end up with a .400 hitter? Okay... sure, it's only 6 weeks into the season. Even so, these two are about 25% of their total at bats from 2007. It's not inconceivable that they could stay at or near this magical number for the entire year.

Perhaps Chipper was upset that in 2007 he barely missed gaining his first Batting Title. This guy has been a steady hitter since his high school days. In case you've forgotten... he was the high school player of the year for 3 straight seasons in the state of Florida! Think about that... so, as a sophomore in a baseball rich state like Florida.. he beat out the top Seniors in the state. Then, he did it two more years running. It's no surprise that he has had tremendous success. To see this type of a start is a testament to his Desire to place himself among the elite players to have stepped on the diamond... and to get that batting title he narrowly missed in '07.

With all that Chipper brings, he must be looking over his shoulder and thinking... damn, of all the years for Lance to put together these kinds of statistics... why this year? :)

Lance Berkman is leading or near leading in virtually every offensive category in 2008. His .393 average and power numbers are so impressive that you have to wonder if this career .303 hitter is making HIS statement to be placed among the elite hitters in the game. Lance should easily reach the 300/300 club of Home Runs and Doubles by the end of 2008. At only 32 years of age, he should easily put up solid numbers for the next 5 years which would place him in tall company with the legends of the game, like Chipper Jones.

So, all in all... sit back and enjoy the seasons these two fabulous entertainers are having. It's likely you won't see this type of performance for years to come.

Cards Blank Mets, Lead 2-1

2006-10-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

ST. LOUIS (AP) - During batting practice, scoreboards at Busch Stadium billed Game 3 of the NL championship series as "Gotham vs Gateway."
With Jeff Suppan doing just about everything for St. Louis, "No contest" would have been much more appropriate.
Suppan hit a rare home run and pitched a tidy masterpiece Saturday night that gave the St. Louis Cardinals control of the NLCS against the suddenly staggering New York.

Spiezio smacked another big triple and St. Louis dazzled on defense, dominating the Mets for a 5-0 victory and a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

New York lost yet another pitcher to injury when an ineffective Steve Trachsel was clocked by Preston Wilson's comebacker. On offense, the Mets' normally imposing lineup hardly threatened against Suppan, who allowed three hits in eight crisp innings and homered against Trachsel for the second time in two years.

"They say I don't smile in the dugout. I was smiling there, man," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "I thought we got a one-run gift."

With a sea of red-clad Cardinals fans twirling their colorful towels, St. Louis moved within two wins of a trip to the World Series to face the Detroit Tigers, who polished off a four-game sweep of Oakland in the ALCS earlier Saturday.

Only 24 hours before, the Mets were in great shape. After tagging Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter, New York led Game 2 by two runs with two outs and none on in the seventh inning.

But the Mets' vaunted bullpen faltered, St. Louis rallied back and the Cardinals grabbed all the momentum with a 9-6 victory.

"I don't think there's any real correlation or carry-over from last night to tonight," New York manager Willie Randolph said.

Now the Mets, who cruised to an NL East title and tied the crosstown Yankees for the best regular-season record in baseball, will pin their hopes on erratic lefty Oliver Perez in Game 4.

With a 3-13 record and 6.55 ERA, he'll face Cardinals rookie Anthony Reyes.

"We've been in tougher spots than this," Randolph said. "We feel like we're in pretty good shape, even though we're down 2-1. Things could change real, real quick, so we'll get some rest tonight and I guarantee you we'll be ready to play tomorrow."

But while New York keeps losing key players to injuries, the Cardinals are beginning to get them back.

All-Star third baseman Scott Rolen, hampered by a sore left shoulder, returned to the lineup and snapped a 1-for-15 skid with a fifth-inning single. He also made a couple of fine plays in the field.

Trachsel left with a bruised right thigh in the second after getting struck by Wilson's smash, ending a horrendous performance in what could have been his final outing with New York.

"It stiffened up pretty quickly and I wasn't able to drive off that leg," Trachsel said.

Already missing Pedro Martinez and Orlando Hernandez, the Mets can't afford another serious injury to a starting pitcher.

But if they don't regroup fast, Trachsel's next turn won't come up again anyway.

"He had a little swelling and we'll keep it iced overnight and see how he feels tomorrow," Randolph said. "He seems OK."

The lone positive for New York: long man Darren Oliver chewed up six scoreless innings, saving the rest of the bullpen a bit for Games 4 and 5.

Suppan, who beat Houston's Roger Clemens in Game 7 of the 2004 NLCS, didn't need much help at all.

After losing 3-1 to San Diego in Game 3 of the division series, the right-hander struck out four and walked one Saturday night, throwing 69 of his 99 pitches for strikes in an absolute gem.

"He was so focused and kept making great pitches," La Russa said.

Josh Kinney finished up with a perfect ninth, leaving New York scoreless in its past 12 innings.

With no off day because of Wednesday's rainout in New York, the Mets and Cardinals had a short turnaround between Games 2 and 3. The Cardinals' charter landed at about 3 a.m. CDT, while the Mets got to their hotel about 4:30 a.m.

And New York definitely looked like the tired team in a lethargic performance.

Spiezio sparked St. Louis again with a two-out, two-run triple in the first inning.

With Wilson and Albert Pujols aboard, Spiezio hit a drive toward the right-field line that dropped just in front of a diving Shawn Green and deflected away off his chest.

Of course, it was Spiezio's two-out, two-run triple (on an 0-2 pitch from Guillermo Mota) off the glove of a leaping Green that tied Game 2 and turned the series.

Leading off the second, Suppan connected on an 0-2 offering and the ball bounced off the top of the left-field fence, just beyond the reach of a leaping Endy Chavez, and into New York's bullpen.

"I don't know. I swung, it ran into my bat," Suppan said.

Suppan's only regular-season homer in 251 career at-bats also came against Trachsel on Sept. 10, 2005.

The previous pitcher to homer in the postseason was Kerry Wood for the Chicago Cubs in Game 7 of the 2003 NLCS, off Florida's Mark Redman.

Suppan also dropped down two successful sacrifice bunts, drawing chants of "Suuuupe!" from the crowd of 47,053.

Wilson's hard comebacker hit Trachsel on the leg, and the ball ricocheted into shallow left field for a single that put runners at the corners. The right-hander was checked by Randolph and a trainer after hobbling off the mound.

Trachsel remained in the game - but not for long. He was removed after a four-pitch walk to Pujols, and Oliver was given as much time as he needed to warm up.

Still, Oliver's second delivery to Jim Edmonds was a run-scoring wild pitch, and Edmonds' RBI groundout made it 5-0.

Trachsel lasted only one-plus inning. He faced 12 batters, giving up five hits and five walks.

"I felt like I made some pretty good pitches. Just, I fell behind," he said. "I wasn't missing by a lot. I was probably trying to be too fine, too early."

Tigers Win!

2006-10-15T09:31:00.000-07:00

DETROIT (AP) - All those people who kept doubting the Detroit Tigers, take a week off and think again.
Magglio Ordonez hit his second homer of the game, connecting for a three-run shot with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and lifted the Tiger's over the Oakland Athletics 6-3 for a startling four-game sweep of the AL championship series.

"I think early on in spring training we had a lot of good players. We didn't have a good team," Leyland said. "And today I can make the statement that we've got a good team, and that's the thing that I'm proudest of."

With the crowd of 42,967 at Comerica Park in delirium, joined by fans watching from distant downtown buildings and all over Michigan, the Tigers rejoiced after their seventh straight postseason win.

The wild-card Tigers now get to rest up for Game 1, at home next Saturday night against either the New York Mets or St. Louis Cardinals. It will be their first Series appearance since winning it all exactly 22 years ago Saturday on Oct. 14, 1984.

In those days, Sparky Anderson, Kirk Gibson and Jack Morris were among the big names at Tiger Stadium, making history at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull.

Starting next week, these Tigers get a chance to make their mark at the address of baseball's most surprising story - Woodward and Montcalm.

"Nobody could have expected this. It's unreal," said Tigers Hall of Famer Al Kaline, currently a team official.

The losingest team in the majors over the past 13 seasons, Detroit was in despair after dropping an embarrassing 119 games in 2003. But in their first year under Leyland, the Tigers projected a winning attitude from the start.

And never has the olde English "D" on the jerseys puffed more proudly. The symbol stands for Detroit, of course; yet at this point, surely some think it stands for destiny.

Ordonez stamped it so with his no-doubt, winning drive into the left-field stands.

"I knew it was gone as soon as I hit it," Ordonez said. "This is what I've dreamed about my whole career, my whole life. I don't even remember running around the bases."

Members of the Tigers' bullpen rushed in from left field and nearly beat Ordonez to the plate as fans twirled white towels. The guys from Motown were losers no mo'.

Detroit was the site for the Super Bowl in February, but local fans were simply bystanders. This time, the party is theirs.

"The Super Bowl was great, but that was Pittsburgh's time to dance," Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said. "This is Detroit's. The only thing better than hosting a party is hosting one for yourselves. We're going to enjoy this."

Down 3-0 early, the Tigers clawed back to tie it against Dan Haren when Ordonez hit a solo home run in the sixth off Dan Haren.

After Craig Monroe and ALCS MVP Placido Polanco singled with two outs in the ninth off Huston Street, and with the entire ballpark on its feet, Ordonez launched a shot over the wall.

Ordonez stood to watch the ball sail while Monroe and Polanco began jumping. It was the eighth homer ever to end a postseason series, and it had to be sweet salvation for Ordonez - there were certainly plenty of critics when the Tigers signed the injured All-Star to a multimillion dollar, free-agent deal before the 2005 season.

As the Tigers celebrated at the plate, Leyland walked across the field to Oakland's first-base dugout to congratulate the A's. He had special words for A's slugger Frank Thomas, who went 0-for-13 in the series.

"It was a numbing feeling," Thomas said. "It's my little brother who did it - Magglio. We spent seven years together and I'm happy for him. He's always wanted a ring and he's going to get a chance."

Leyland then slapped high-fives with fans along the box-seat railings before taking part in the festivities in the middle of the field.

Not even a baseball lifer like Leyland - who started out in the Tigers' system as a minor league catcher - could have foreseen this. Heavy underdogs, they lost Game 1 in the first round to the New York Yankees, but have roared back to win seven in a row.

And those last six victories have all been by at least three runs - making Detroit the first team to put together such a streak in the postseason.

Leyland won the 1997 World Series with Florida, but had taken six years off before deciding to accept the Tigers' job. A lot of people figured he was crazy, taking over a team that had endured 12 straight losing seasons.

"I kept getting closer to it and closer to it," he said.

Wilfredo Ledezma, who bailed out the Tigers by retiring Marco Scutaro on a foul pop with the bases loaded to end the eighth with the score 3-all, got the win.

Detroit posted the first ALCS sweep since Oakland chased Boston in 1990. The A's started off strong in this postseason, sweeping Minnesota in the first round, but manager Ken Macha's AL West champions could not get key hits against the Tigers.

"I told the players they can't let this series diminish what they did this year," Macha said. "I thought it was a tremendous year.

"The guys played their tails off and that's all you can ask," he said.

Polanco, whose separated left shoulder in mid-August had him worried that his season was over, delivered three more hits and went 9-for-17 in the series.

"I know we had a shot to make it to the playoffs, and I didn't know if I was going to play again," he said. "Like I said before, you don't have this opportunity every year, and I wanted to be part of the team."

Jay Payton's solo homer gave Oakland a 3-0 lead in the fourth.

A night earlier, Thomas said the A's needed one big inning to get back into the series. Or at least, as Athletics owner Lew Wolff quipped before the game, "We've got to figure out how to beat them without getting a run."

While they scored, the A's didn't get quite enough.

"There's a thing called the Chaos Theory, where you just can't control certain things," Athletics outfielder Mark Kotsay said. "We had no control. We did our best. There wasn't a lack of effort, just a lack of execution."

Held to a paltry two singles in a 3-0 loss Friday, the A's came out swinging in Game 4. It worked, as Milton Bradley and Eric Chavez hit RBI doubles in the first inning off Jeremy Bonderman.

As the afternoon turned into night, however, the game tilted to the Tigers.

"The Detroit Tigers are going to the World Series," Monroe said. "Oh, my God. We're going to the World Series

Cards steal one from Mets

2006-10-14T02:28:00.000-07:00

Scott Spiezio delivered a clutch hit in the 7th inning, driving a 0-2 pitch into the right field corner for a two run triple and tying the score at 6-6. Shawn Green leaped in an attempt to catch the drive, the ball just bouncing off his glove and hitting the top of the wall. Both runners scored and the back and forth game was tied again.

It stayed that way until the 9th.. when defensive replacement So Taguchi battled vaunted Mets reliever Billy Wagner for nine pitches before finally hitting a mistake into the left field seats for the go ahead run. The Cards tacked on two more off Wagner and shut the Mets down in their half. A huge win for the Cards, they now travel back to St. Loo with a 1-1 series and a chance to flex their muscles at home.

With Pujols emerging from a poor post season, battling for two sold hits late in the game, and Jim Edmonds showing life... the Cards offense could present problems for the Mets if they get on track. They were solid throughout the season and continue to impress you with their lineup.. speed at the top and solid power in the middle.

The Mets must shake off the loss and consider it the Process of Baseball. It's a funny game and you have to take your failures and brush them aside. The only thing that is important is.. the next pitch. And we will be waiting to see that pitch in anticipation as this series just got very entertaining.

Kenny Rogers deals A's another Loss

2006-10-14T02:18:00.000-07:00

Detroit is one win away from a World Series! Kenny Rogers pitched another fantastic game in October, going 7 1/3 innings and blanking the A's powerful lineup. After having miserable statistics in the post season for his career, Rogers seems to be intent on wiping those numbers off his record. Two straight fabulous October performances have made a believer out of me.

Detroit's offense did just enough to secure a 3-0 win and, more importantly, a 3-0 advantage in the series. Such an advantage has the A's up against insurmountable odds as only one team in history has recovered... the Boston Red Sox vs. the Yankees in 2004. For some strange reason, I don't see that happening this time around. The Tigers simply cannot lose.

Leyland has pulled all the right strings.. the starting pitching has been incredible.. the offense has provided power... a steady defense.. all resulting in 6 straight playoff wins.

Check out this awesome article on ALCS Game 3 - click here!

El Tigre' Bueno!

2006-10-12T20:34:00.000-07:00

Story by Jack Curry - NY Times

Alexis Gómez, a rookie who was designated for assignment twice by the Tigers this season, had a homer, a single and knocked in four runs as Detroit stifled the Oakland Athletics, 8-5, in the second game of the American League Championship Series.

Behind Gómez, the Tigers grabbed a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series and scooted to within two victories of their first World Series since 1984. The Tigers, who played miserably at the end of the regular season, have won five straight playoff games.

Gómez, a left-handed batter, started at designated hitter because Sean Casey, another left-handed hitter, is out with a torn muscle in his left calf. Manager Jim Leyland switched shortstop Carlos Guillén to first and put Neifi Pérez at short. But Leyland still wanted more help from the left side against the right-hander Esteban Loaiza, so he pulled Gómez out of the corner of the dugout.

Leyland and Tigers catcher Iván Rodríguez joked how Gómez hit what seemed like 500-foot home runs in batting practice. But Leyland was serious when he took a chance by starting Gómez.

Leyland’s hunch proved magical and provided memorable results. When Gómez batted with the bases loaded and the score tied in the fourth, he chopped a ball that hit near the lip of the infield grass and zoomed at third baseman Eric Chavez. The ball hit off Chavez’s glove and squirted into left field, allowing two runs to score and putting the Tigers ahead, 5-3.

Two innings later, Gómez took a more muscular route to driving in a pair of runs, drilling a two-out homer to right-center field. There must have been fans at McAfee Coliseum staring at their scorecards and wondering who Gómez was and why he was playing. The fans might have also wondered how a player who had six runs batted in all season had damaged the A’s so badly.

“We didn’t have a whole lot on him,” Oakland Manager Ken Macha said.

Justin Verlander allowed base runners in five of the six innings he pitched, but he was better than Loaiza and that was enough to enable him to win. Verlander gave up four runs in five and one-third innings, while Loaiza surrendered seven runs in six innings. Milton Bradley homered twice for the A’s, who must win two of the three games scheduled in Detroit to avoid elimination.

The Tigers draw first blood.

2006-10-10T21:20:00.000-07:00

The stage is set and the Final Four teams are in the gate... Which horse will hit it's mark?

Detroit is riding such an incredible high after losing the first game in the Yankee series.. only to reel off three straight impressive wins. Pitching was the difference, as it always is in the post season. The Tiger's young arms are as impressive as any in baseball and the demonstrated why they had the No. 1 ERA in the league.

The A's .. off an impressive sweep of the high flying Twins are also relying on incredible arms in their rotation. Opening the ALCS with Barry Zito vs the depth of the Tiger offensive lineup, this turns into the classic matchup. Pitching vs. Hitting. Pudge and Company vs. Zito and Company. Frank Thomas and Company vs. Nate Robertson and Company.

As for the NL Series.. it is so elementary.. who's offensive lineup will expose the rotation's weakness. Which incredibly potent offense will prevail? Will it be Delgado, Beltran, Wright and company... or Pujols, Edmonds, Rolen and company?

I can't see either pitching staff fending off the tremendous bats on the opposing side.. I can only see an offensive series here.

Whereas, on the AL side. . it can easily be dominated by pitching.

Awesome game. . . Baseball. It all boils down to Me against YOU. Pitcher against Hitter. Who will win?

Just like tonight's game.. Nate Robertson was impeccable.. made every pitch he needed to make to keep the A's from answering any challenges. The Tigers were so patient vs. Zito that they could eventually get into good hitter's counts and put Zito on the defensive. Once you can get that position... and have the offensive capabilities of a team like the Tigers... look out. Just ask the Yankees.

And so it was tonight. The patience of the Tiger hitters prevailed. They couldn't even put a dent in Zito through the first eight hitters. 1-8 got up .. and just as quickly sat down. But.. each of those hitters remained patient.. getting to at least a two ball count.. working Zito.. working Zito.. Until the #9 man.. Brandon Inge. . 2 outs nobody on. Bang! Bombarooni! A good hitter's count.. a 1-0 ball game. All of a sudden the Tigers came alive.. and .. never looked back. Don Slaught had to be proud of the approach the Tiger hitters undertook.. in part (I'm sure) from Don's coaching.

So.. with a first game win on the road.. here go the Tigers again. They have put themselves in a tremendously advantageous position to take the ALCS and get to the World Series.

Who will they meet?

My pick.. the Mets!

Tigers take a bite out of Yanks!

2006-10-07T07:31:00.001-07:00

Detroit's improbable season continues... The Tigers snuck past New York in Game2 to excite Tiger fans for their first home playoff game in many years. No disappointment... Kenny Rogers was intensely focused and shutout the mighty Yankees 6-0. The Tigers are one win away from advancing to the ALCS with the Oakland A's who dispatched the Twins earlier in the day.

New York's impressive lineup was stymied again by Tiger pitching. A-Rod has had a miserable series so far. Actually, the only bat in the Yankee lineup since Game 1 has been Jeter's.. and he has even cooled off from that Fabulous 5 for 5. Tip your hat to the Tigers, it's very impressive to watch. Game 4 should be awesome.

Woah! Nellie!

2006-10-05T07:30:00.000-07:00

Or should I say Whoah! JD! Where are you going? What are you thinking 1st to home?? It better be over the fence.

A sad day for the Dodgers as they turn into the Brooklyn bums in Shea Stadium. Nobody out in the top half of the second with Kent and JD Drew on the bases, rookie Russell Martin rifles a shot to right field, for some reason Kent hesitates... and the worm turned. A perfect relay not only plugs Kent at home but JD Drew!! Whoah! Who is the traffic cop at third base!?

As it usually proves to be the case.. those lost runs were the difference in the game. The Dodgers end up scoring just one run in the inning and the Mets had life. They came back in the fourth with two solo homeruns by Carlos Delgado (4-5 on the day) and Cliff Floyd. Both homeruns were on 2-1 counts. .hitters counts.. must be some Rick Down teaching in that dugout. Better yet. .Delgado goes oppo! Superb hitting by the Mets.

And then it was Mr. Wright to the rescue. The Mets went up 4-1 in the bottom of the 6th on another outstanding at bat by David Wright. The guy just continues to thrive in the NY Met lineup. Wright's double to the opposite field knocked in two and knocked out Derek Lowe.

The Dodgers.. not a team that has quit in the stretch.. score 3 runs to answer the challenge in the top half of the seventh. In a typical Dodger inning, Anderson leads off with a drag bunt single.. and they get a little help from Jose Valentin making a bad decision on a grounder by Betemit. Valentin attempted to get the lead runner on a tough spin and throw move. The ball was errant and the Dodgers had an inning cooking. Rafael Furcal cashed in one on a sharp single to make it 4-2 and a clutch double by Nomar down the Left field line tied the game at 4!

But.. for some inexplicable reason Grady Little went out of the norm and brought in Brad Penny in the bottom of the inning. Penny was tarnished for sure.. walking Reyes and putting the rabbit on the bases. A 1 out walk to Beltran and a sharp hit by Carlos Delgado put the mets up for good at 5-4. David Wright followed with another opposite field hit.. a soft one that dropped and drove in the Mets final run to make it 6-4.

Again, the Dodgers bowed their necks but couldn't get that big hit from Nomar as he struck out to end the game. A 6-5 Thriller and a good start to probably the most entertaining of the series' so far.

Kotsay saves the Day!

2006-10-04T14:57:00.000-07:00

Marquis pitching lasted four innings between two top notch starters. Loaiza was a little shaky with two outs.. allowing the Twins to mount a little offense on a couple of occasions. He was able to snuff out the scares each time.

A's batters staked him to a 2-0 lead in the fifth when Scutaro started a rally. Then in the Twins' half of the 6th two incredible at bats by Cuddyer and Morneau tied the game for the home team with back to back blasts! Cuddyer worked a beautiful count to 3-2 and deposited a Loaiza pitch into the Left Field stands and deep. Morneau followed with a monster blast to the upper deck in Right field.

But with two outs in 7th inning Kotsay hit a sinking drive to center that Twins center fielder Tori Hunter misplayed. Thinking he could snag the liner to end the inning.. the ball died and dropped to the left of the sliding Hunter, rolling all the way to the wall. Kotsay motored around for an inside the park homer and the deciding runs. The A's went on to win it 5-2.

Ironically, exactly four years ago to the day Ray Durham (then with the A's)also hit an inside the parker against the Twins in Minnesota. It's a crazy game.

Padres lose, Tigers Trounced

2006-10-04T08:48:00.000-07:00

Jake Peavy looked tremendous for the first 3 innings, he was precise with his spots... impeccable even. That is...Until Piazza misplayed a foul ball off the bat of Pujols that would have retired the PhatMan. From that moment on.. it was like waking up the sleeping Giant.

The Cards, who looked so sleepy down the stretch, suddenly awoke with one swing of Albert Pujols' bat... Bang! The alarm clock has sounded. Pujols slammed a two run blast off of Peavy to start the train rolling and it never stopped. Nothing San Diego could do about it. The Cards just rode the wave of emotion.. did everything right and walked away with a 5-1 win to take Game 1.

It's funny, I knew from the moment Piazza dropped that ball that he had made a mistake. It wasn't an easy play .. mind you, but.. he's the leader.. he should have caught it. When the leader of one team allows the leader of the other a second chance.. .. .. well, you saw what happened. Pujols was so locked in. He is a joy to watch in those situations, such superb concentration. For all you young players out there, he wasn't trying to hit a home run. His concentration was simply to hit the ball pure. He had just missed the previous pitch and it almost cost him his at bat.. so he locked in a little more in his mind and thought about nothing but hitting the ball pure. Voila! Ding Dong! Home Run. It really is awesome to watch him. I hope you pay attention to that in the next few Cards games.

On to the Tigers. What Happened? Well, sadly they have a mountain to climb and it just got steeper with ice on the sides and a strong head wind. Derek Jeter, Five for Fabulous Five, is an amazing post season player. Already the all-time leader in Post Season hits, Jeter put on a show for the Yankee crowd last night. He hit to left, he hit to right, he hit to center.. Oh, he hit one OVER center :-)

Derek Jeter may be one of the best players to have played the game. Surround him with the cast that makes up the NY Yankees and it is very difficult to see them getting beat. Of course, it happens .. I mean, they weren't undefeated this year by any means. But, in these short series match ups.. what a line up.

About the only thing you had to scratch your head about was a move by Torre in taking out Wang with such a quick hook. Wang pitched very well. You have to tip your hat to the Tigers line up for not laying down after the Yanks jumped out to a 5-0 lead. They clawed back into it.. but Abreu, Jeter and company were too much to handle. Game 1 is history and it looks like the Tigers might be history as well.

It Hurts soooo Good!

2006-10-03T13:04:00.000-07:00

Holy Premonition Bat Man! Maybe I should listen to myself a little more closely :-)

I do believe I said something like "Can you say Frank Thomas?" Yea, well I be you can hear that name all over the state of Minnesota right now.. and my bet is it is precursed with at least one expletive and followed by a couple more.

The man that was signed for a half million (+ incentives.. he reached every one by the way and earned about 3.8m for his year) was worth his weight in gold today! Thomas led off the second and ninth innings with solo home runs and supported a beautiful pitching performance by Barry Zito. Houston Street mopped up in the ninth and .. that was that!

Oakland takes a 1-0 lead in the series.

Post Season Upon Us

2006-10-03T09:11:00.000-07:00

Wow! What an awesome year of baseball we were blessed with in 2006.
We had a little bit of everything there. Heck, we even got a no-hitter and a few flirts with others... including a near no-hitter vs the powerful NY Yankees offense. Yea, it really was a great, great year for baseball. Don't even think about the mud that flew.. just look at the shiny new version in front of us: Its The Post Season!

Lets take a look here, hmmmm.. A's vs Twins. Well, if you look back at my blogs you can see I didn't pick either to get there. I had the Mariners in the West and was certain that the White Sox and Tigers would make it from the Central. The White Sox dropped like a soggy wet one and the Tigers clawed and scratched their way through a very tough end of the season to end up as AL Wild Card reps. The Mariners.. well, never mind. :-)

Who do I like here? The A's are just sneaky. They have bigger bats then you think they do.. can you say Frank Thomas? And their arms are strong as well. I kind of like them... except for the fact that they open in Minnesota and have to face a formidable pitching staff in the Twins' staff... not to mention a studly offense led by AL Batting Champ Joe Mauer (Yea, same guy from Mauer QuickSwing - Awesome product by the way.. you should check it out here). I think I have to lean toward the home field advantage. It's there for a reason and when it comes to playoffs it may be the one thing that makes a difference in a team moving on. The Twins are tough at home winning 2/3 of their games there for the season. It stands to reason they will do well in a short series.

Tigers vs Yankees .. well, as much as I love my man Don Slaught and am excited for him and the Tigers to get to the playoffs, it would have been so much better to face the A's!! Losing the Division has really placed them in the Hornets nest in NY. The Bronx Bombers are awfully tough in the post season. Soooo much experience. Soooo much talent. Soooo much Jeter and Giambi and Sheffield and A-Rod and Johnson and Mussina and Johnson and.. and.. and... you get my drift.

The Tigers had a really tough ending to an incredible year. I think part of it could be the young arms having pitched more innings than in their past. The playoffs could infuse some Desire in the youth of the Tigers, and they do have great leadership in Pudge Rodriquez. But, they would simply have to play a superb series and have tremendous pitching to come out on top vs the Yankees.

As for the Yanks, well.. despite the fact that I recognized a lack of unity at the very beginning of the year (which did exist by the way).. they have gelled in the second half. With Matsui back they take on a completely different look and his bat compliments the rest of the lineup so very well.. it will be a Yankee win in this series. I can't see the Tigers getting past them, unfortunately.

Dodgers vs NY Mets. Well, I was pretty sure the Dodgers were going to make it. They had themselves a helluva year.. up and down and back up again when it counted. Their young players really stepped up all year. Adding Marlon Anderson late in the year was a superb move my Grady Little. They will give the Mets all they wanted and more. Coming off a tremendous sweep at the close of the regular season to make the playoffs.. they are on a great roll now. They showed earlier in the year how they were able to prolong winning streaks. I think if they can split in NY in the opening two games.. they will win this series. Even though I love my buddy Rick Down and the Mets look incredibly awesome on paper, they are on a downward slide and it may be difficult to reverse it... even if it is the post season. But.. time will tell and either way this one shakes out I'll be happy. If the Mets win.. I'll root for my man Rick to get his ring. He deserves it. Hell, he deserves a shot at one of the vacant managerial jobs coming up. The man is a winner.. check his record here if you don't believe me.

And.. you know, just looking at that lineup.. it's hard to believe they could lose. Wright, Reyes, Delgado, LoDuca, Beltran, Floyd, Green.. The Dodgers will need to continue to ride the wave to beat this team. But.. like I said, either way.. this may be the best of the 5 game sets we get to watch.

Cards vs Padres. Maybe not the most intriguing of the matchups to start the playoffs. The Cards are limping badly and the Padres are rolling. They played very well down the stretch to snatch the West. I like the Padres here. Again, home field advantage is huge and the Cards are coming in wounded and wondering if they can win. Piazza has the Padres on a charge and I think the pitching will be good enough to quiet the bats of St Loo (not even a whisper at the end of the season). It will be fun to watch Phat Albert though, he is an incredible hitter. If nothing else you have to hope to watch him in a clutch situation. He is so focused and steady, there is alot to learn here.. just by watching.

Anyway, that's my two cents. Enjoy the Playoffs.. they should be Fan Tastic!

Trade Line Check Up

2006-07-31T15:59:00.000-07:00

With slightly more than 100 games played in the season.. the deadline now dead.. here's the shakedown on MLB as I see it.

There were some interesting moves made within the last 48 hours. I think Abreu moving over to the Yankees and the fact that neither the Red Sox or the Blue Jays did anything much to help their causes.. The Yankees were our pick in the beginning and I think they give the AL East a good run.

The Red Sox have been getting such tremendous production from their young closer, together with some incredibly timely hitting by Big Papi and Manny, they have shown what a Championship seasoned team can do. But, the season is far from over and this two team battle is going to be one of the most entertaining and exciting races to watch.

There really is no pressure on the NL East leading NY Mets. With the sweep of the Atlanta Braves.. the East is pretty much wrapped up. They made a nice move to shore up the pitching rotation loss of Duaner Sanchez (injured in a car accident and out for the season) by picking up Hernandez from the Pirates. Since Roberto has been with the Mets in the past and proven he can play under the pressure of the Big Apple press.. I think that was a safe and very solid move on the Mets' part.

Over to the wild and whacky West. In the AL it is still a tightly bunched up Division. From top to bottom the separation is 3.5 games. I put my hat in the ring with the Mariners early in the season and I think they are playing fairly decent ball recently. They have some issues in the pitching department .. but only 3.5 games back and the troubles in this Division they could still pull it off.

As for the trading.. It appears the Rangers have made the biggest moves in an attempt to make a run at the top. Although the wise move might be to go with the Angels who are stacked.. or the Rangers with all the moves.. or even the A's who still have the best pitching staff in this group.. I have to go with what I picked in the beginning. The bat of Sexton has been heating up and Ichiro's leadership will make a difference in the end.

As for the NL West.. speaking of leadership.. The Dodgers made a leadership type of move when they picked up Greg Maddux. A certain HOF'er .. his game may not be so perfect after his big 5-0 start to the year.. but.. his leadership abilities are without question. He may be just the stabilizing force the Dodger staff needs.. especially following the embarrassing tirade put on by Brad Penny in his last start. The injuries continue to slow the Dodger parade though. They can't seem to keep the same lineup on the field.. Nomar and Kent have been in and out all year.. No Bill Mueller. Letting go of Izturis and picking up Lugo may end up being a super move in the long run. The Dodgers have some outstanding young talent in the farm system as far as their position players are concerned. This move makes a lot of sense to me. Five games back and at the bottom of the NL West does not bode well for my early season pick.. but hey, it ain't over til it's over.

The Detroit Tigers look like they have finally separated a bit from the Chicago White Sox. Ozzie showing a bit of frustration a few games back may be just the chink in the armor that the Tigers needed to see. Since that time the Tigers have steadily pulled away. I see them finishing strong. The White Sox will battle for the Wild Card.

The NL Central looks like St. Louis staying strong. Although, the Reds made some nice moves to shore up their pitching staff and 3.5 games is not that large a deficit if they can get on a bit of a roll. Strong hitting leads the way for both clubs and it will come down to whether the pitching additions were the smart move or not.

All in all the season has been outstanding.. with tremendous plays (remember Matthews, Jr's catch?) incredible hitting performances.. now it is Chase Utley in the spotlight.. and topsy turvy divisonal races. Baseball is awesome and I am proud to be involved in my own little way.

Enjoy the rest of the season!

60 Game Check on MLB

2006-06-11T08:05:00.000-07:00

Looking around the league there are plenty of stories to excite us so far in the season. The unexpected leaders, the expected leaders, the great play of some lesser knowns and the great play of the very well knowns.

Assessing our earlier comments about where we thought the cream of the crop would end up, we are looking fairly prophetic slightly over 1/3 of the way into the season. They Yanks and Red Sox.. pretty much neck and neck.. with the Blue Jays playing well, this is surely looking like a 3 horse race. The Blue Jays team Batting average is over .300! That has to come as a surprise to most analysts. Our feeling though was the Yanks hand was a better play.. and although they have had some crippling injuries.. we'll stay with that horse. Jeter is the ace in the hole.

The surprising Tigers and White Sox .. running away with the Central. I still have to ponder.. is it because both teams use the XLR8 Practice Balls :-)

Seriously though, these two teams have proven to be solid up and down the lineup. Great pitching: The Tigers lead MLB in ERA. They hold the AL lead in ERA by nearly a 1/2 run over the Yankees, White Sox sitting 3rd. Hitting is a toss up between these two Central Division leaders. The White Sox are first in AL in HR's with 87 and the Tigers sit right behind them with 86! Only the REDS with Griffey and Dunn have more (88). I think this surprises most people this far into the season. Jim Leyland has done a masterful job with this team and I think he has truly gotten more from them than even he has realized. A talented coaching staff and great moves from GM Dave Dombrowski have this team in position for the long haul. I think they can pull it off although I am hesitant to hang my hat just yet as the White Sox are defending WS Champs and are playing supreme baseball. We'll continue to watch and be entertained by this Division.

Rounding up the AL with the mediocre WEST; Not alot to say here as no team looks strong enough to push much farther than a Division Championship. Funny things happen and you never know with this game. But from the start of the season until now we haven't seen much from this group. Believe it or not, I think the best team here is the Mariners. Sitting just 4 1/2 games out of the lead and to this point not having any significant win streak. They have solid pitching, fielding and hitting . .ranking in the top 1 or 2 in the West in all categories. With Sexon swinging a solid power bat and Ichiro being Ichiro (hitting over .500 in his last 10 games!) .. This could be the team that comes out on top here.

Sliding over to the NL the Phillies have made a small push at the Mets, closing within 5 1/2 at the time of this writing. Although they are in lower half in BA for the NL, they are fourth in HR totals behind the Reds, Brewers (!) and Mets. The power could be the key factor. But, I don't think they have the horsepower in the long run as the Mets are just too solid up and down. The Mets lead the NL in Pitching and I think that will be the difference. I'm sticking with em and hope Rick Down gets that elusive ring this year.

The Central is a little different animal. With Pujols on DL the Reds have seized the opportunity to get solidly back in position to steal this Division. Griffey and Dunn provide the power and the run production has been fantastic, trailing only the Dodgers in the NL. The achilles heel here though is the fielding; 2nd to last in MLB in fielding and not a solid enough pitching to staff to compensate. I say the Cardinals run away with this Division as soon as Pujols makes his return. His health is a huge factor, there is no question there. The Cardinals are solid though, even without PhatAlbert. I'm on the RedBirds here and feel very confident with that choice.

The NL West has really shaped up to be a great Division. The Diamondbacks have played outstanding baseball. The Padres were really smoking earlier in the season, proving that their young talent is capable of making a run. But.. injuries and all the Blue Crew is at the top of the heap. Outstanding run production with very little power has been a key for the team. They are outstanding with RISP and have a young group of guys that are excited to take the field every day. With Gagne on the return.. Nomar playing like his old self.. this is the team I chose at the start and I'll stay with them. You may see some interesting battles with the Diamondbacks though. Arizona has a very solid team and with the right trade at the right time.. they could end up making this long season a memorable one.

So.. lets just let em play and enjoy the games.

Matsui: The Pride of the Yankees

2006-05-23T16:40:00.000-07:00

Matsui: The Pride of the Yankees
by Tom Plate
Los Angeles --- In the sports-happy, globe-oblivious country of United States, probably more people know who Hideki Matsui is than who Junichiro Koizumi is.

The former is the star left fielder of the New York Yankees baseball team. The latter is only the prime minister of Japan. But for a shining few minutes late last week in New York, you could very well make the case that Matsui was the most important Japanese celebrity in the world.

The dramatic situation was this. It was early in a feral game against the hated Boston Red Sox baseball club. A sharp line drive was slammed into left field in the general direction of Matsui. An excellent fielder as well as batter, a Yankee star and a baseball superstar in Japan, Matsui charged the liner without fear, lunged for it, fell to the ground and rolled over onto his left wrist and arm.
The capacity crowd at historic Yankee Stadium in the Bronx gasped at the sight of the fallen warrior on the ground unable to move because the pain was so great. The team doctor and teammates ran to his aid, but nothing could be done. The arm was broken, the star had to leave the game, the recovery period is said to require months.

But here is where Matsui exceeded his greatness as individual player with great dignity as a human being and as a team player. In the age of the coddled athlete, the widely overpaid athlete, the agent-protected athlete, and the totally obnoxious superstar athlete, Matsui from Japan did something that hardly anyone could remember another athlete doing in a long time.

Matsui apologized.

He publicly apologized to his manager for the injury that would keep him out of the team's lineup indefinitely, and he apologized to his fellow players for having to withdraw from the front lines of the battle to allow his broken left wrist to heal back together.

The apology was so unusual and unexpected and uncharacteristic, it became a major news story in the American media. The New York Times devoted a major feature to the Matsui apology. Countless news organizations picked up the story for the astonishing if almost unprecedented development that it represented: a superstar athlete and celebrity actually and sincerely saying he was sorry.

Apologies are as rare in the United States as they may be unexceptional in Japan. In this country even major newspapers fail to apologize to a citizen who has clearly been wronged by a story. To date, nearly 2,500 Americans have died in the Iraq war (and who knows how many Iraqis) and nothing remotely close to an apology has been issued by the perpetrators of this unnecessary calamity. In Los Angeles a driver on a cell phone will drift mentally off into Mars, make a serious life-endangering driving error, cause a multi- car pileup, and will you hear an apology? More likely you'll hear first from his lawyer or his insurance company.

It was against this stony-faced culture of arrogance that the Matsui "I'm sorry' rang across America like the ringing of some new liberty bell, freeing us from a culture of smugness. Unprompted by media advisors, unforced by barristers, it offered the feeling of sincerity and of coming deep from the heart.

In American baseball lore, few phrases or gestures are memorable enough to last longer than the next newspaper edition. Perhaps the most famous gesture of all time is Yankee slugger-of-history Babe Ruth's alleged gesture to the bleachers right before hitting one more or less exactly there. Another is Lou Gehrig's famous "I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth" phrase memorably delivered in Yankee Stadium during a ceremony saluting the great player's struggle against a fatal disease.

Matsui's apology probably will not go down in history to quite that degree of gravity. But to this ear it was memorable. Like Ruth or Gehrig before him, Matsui, the happy but humble warrior from Japan, gave a public and moving demonstration that reflected the pride of a Yankee.

UCLA Prof. Tom Plate, a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy, is an American journalist who has worked at Time, New York, Newsday and The Los Angeles Times. © Tom Plate, 2005. Distributed by the UCLA Media Center, Oct. 1, 2005.

Reprinted and distributed with permission by Nagase Kenko Corporation.

'06 Individual Performances

2006-04-30T09:44:00.000-07:00

Where do you start? So far this year we have seen Jimmy Rollins scare the all-time hitting streak record. Kevin Mench has just fallen short of the all-time MLB record of consecutive games with a Home Run. Mench clubbed a round tripper in 7 straight. Ken Griffey Jr., Don Mattingly and a fellow named Dale Long (Pittsburgh Pirates - 1956)share the record at 8. Mench, however is the only right handed hitter in that group and holds that distinction. Mench tied another all-time mark back in June when he smashed a homerun in three consecutive innings vs the LA Angels. During his current binge, Mench hit two Grand Slams and drove in 20 RBI's!

Speaking of Griffey, he has surpassed Mickey Mantle and continues to climb the all-time Home Run list. Mike Piazza crushed his 400th Home Run. Barry, yes Barry... he climbed over Babe Ruth. No, not for the Home Runs. Barry has amassed more walks in his career than The Babe. How many more marks will he topple? He sits just 3 Home Runs shy of Ruth for second place all-time. The problem for Barry is... nobody seems to care. MLB plans no celebration, the Ruth family seems distant. A far cry from the moments in 1998 that featured Mammoth Mark eclipsing Roger Maris. Poor Barry. Do you think the trust factor might be missing?

And oh.. mentioning the Babe Ruth records. One more of Babe's records could be tied this year. His pitching prowess is completely forgotten. But, the Babe could chuck the rock! Curt Schilling takes aim at tying Babe Ruth and Pedro Martinez (if he could only hit like the Babe)as the only Red Sox pitchers to chalk up five wins in April.

What else is happening out there? Oh, who could forget.. possibly the most intimidating hitter in the league (yea, even more than Bonds); Albert Pujols is drumming the opposing pitchers. Big Bad Mr. Albert (can't call him Fat) set the MLB record for most Home Runs in the opening month of the season - 14! Should we get a blood test here? Only kidding. I think Albert is as legit as they come... Humble, confident and completely honorable, there doesn't appear to be any "fat" on the man. We could be seeing something special from him this year.

MLB Team CheckUp

2006-04-30T08:58:00.000-07:00

What a tremendous start to the 2006 season. As we have already noted, some surprising teams have forged their way to the top of their divisions. The Tigers remain hot holding the MLB best winning percentage on the road and sitting only 1.5 games behind the Chicago White Sox. The Tigers continue to pelt the ball at just about every park they go to. The great pitching of the Angels staff was able to put a small bump in their road.. but the teams that followed have paid dearly. Tigers scoring runs like a Little League team (I wonder if those XLR8 Balls have anything to do with it?).

Speaking of the White Sox.. Not even the great Angels pitching seems to slow them down. The World Series champs keep on pounding out hits, getting timely hitting and playing very solid in the field. If they win today they will sweep the Angels in their own ballpark.. no small feat. The addition of Jim Thome into that lineup has been huge. With Konerko, Dye and Crede swinging solid bats.. throw in the pitching and fielding.. this will be a tough challenge for any team to beat.

Then there's the NY Mets. They are simply running away with the East, beating up on the Braves at every opportunity. Sometimes pounding their teams, often times relying on the pitching. They are a solid team. Tom Glavine having a remarkable year beating the Braves yesterday and pitching like the Hall of Famer he will be. Glavine was contstantly fooling the powerful Braves hitters enroute to a sterline 1-0 win on Saturday. The only hitter that looked like he had a plan against Glavine was LF Diaz who went up to the plate with the right approach, had good at bats and still only managed one hit against Terrific Tom. The solid hitting of the Mets and their rotation that features one of the best of our time; Pedro Martinez.. well, they may just find themselves playing for a ring a little later in the year.

Other notable teams; Houston Astros, Colorado Rockies and Cincinnati Reds. The Astros have set a franchise record for the month of April with great pitching and timely hitting. Thats the great news. The bad news is they are in the same division as the Reds. Yea, the same Reds that have set a franchise record of their own.. reeling off 17 wins to sit atop the NL Central. They hold a single game lead over the Pujols powered Cards (who just keep chalking up wins) and a 1.5 game edge over the Astros. The Rockies, even without their star Todd Helton, have just decided to take over the West. Although a 14-10 record isn't exactly scintillating, they sit atop their division over the Bonds led Giants. Or should I say; The Alou led Giants. Moises has clearly had a great start to his year. I stand by my prediction that this division will eventually be won by the LA Dodgers. They just seem to be blogging along at this point, but up and down that lineup (with exception of the catcher spot.. where is Paul LoDuca when you need him)they look pretty solid.

Here is the standings as of today.

RedSox, Indians, Mets, Rockies RedHOT!

2006-04-12T10:37:00.000-07:00

The Red Sox, powered by offseason acquisitions look to be a team to reckon with this year in AL East. Mike Lowell has fit in nicely, thank you very much. Lowell went 4 for 4 yesterday to support the pitching of Josh Beckett. Beckett's day started rather slowly. He struggled mightily in the first inning, but survived to walk off the mound only surrendering one run. The Red Sox bats did the rest. Look for this team to gel as the season moves on.

The Indians have reeled off six wins in a row! After watching the hot start put up by the Detroit Tigers, Cleveland decided to show a little muscle of their own. Hoping their pitching would be the key for them this season, they have relied heavily on the bats instead. Only one of the starting nine is struggling at the plate; Ronnie Belliard at .143. Every other player, with the exception of Ben Broussard (.286), is at .300 or better for the season. I'm not so sure this team can continue to post numbers like that for any length of time. With the exception of Hafner and Boone there is simply not alot of proven talent in the lineup. Time will tell.

The Mets. Wow! The Mets. Their offseason moves look to be complimenting an already star studded team. Unlike the Indians, the Mets have a proven lineup 1-8 that can deliver on any day against any pitcher. David Wright appears poised to establish himself as one of the premier players in the league. His power and leadership skills are making a positive impact on a daily basis. No doubt, with Rick Down there to hone the little things, Wright will blossom this year. I see this team as the cream of the crop. Pitching, Hitting, Fielding, Coaching... that about says it.

The Rockies are definitely a surprise. Packed with a bevy of young talent and sprinkled with just the right veteran (Todd Helton), this team could be a force. Helton is a masterful hitter that rarely gets his kudos because of the Coors Field stigma. Make no mistake, He can hit! Throw in the young talented bats of Hawpe, Holliday and Clint Barmes and the run production shouldn't be a problem. Can they put up the pitching numbers? I think that is the major question for this team. They should be fun to watch, but I think my money rests on the Dodgers in this division. They are loaded with talent and once Grady Little figures out how the pitching breaks down they should be solid all year long.

Yanks stumble out of gate

2006-04-09T06:43:00.000-07:00

Poor George. He must be going through a few sleepless nights in New York. The beloved and fabled Yankees, yes the same Yankees with 26 World Championships, are a woeful 1-4 starting the 2006 campaign.

You can point the finger in a few spots, mainly the Murderers Row of the 3-4-5 hitters, but I have my own view on why they sit at 1-4. Hey, it's a long season and these guys are proven winners. They are perennial front runners that know what it's like to grind it out for 6 months.

Will they have their hands full in the division with the improved Blue Jays and rival Red Sox? You bet. Will it make the road tougher starting off slow? You bet. Will they put the off field distractions behind them and get some team unity going? You hope. You see, that's what I see wrong. From a distance mind you.. but you can sense something.

There seems to be no unity. Zip. Zero. Nada.

Nobody is picking up the slack. In the past, one Yank would falter in a crucial point of a game.. no problemo.. next guy.. or the next guy would step up and deliver. The Yankees of today, laden with talent, are simply laying down.

A-Rod looks run down and tired. Jeter is being pitched deep inside on a consistent basis (although he made a nice adjustment in his first at bat last night). Sheffield, well.. Gary's troubles have only just begun if you ask me. With the news about the Grand Jury testimony on the Balco trial... there are some damaging, very damaging, statements coming to light. Has this permeated the Yankee locker room? I think so.

On the field, the players are so immensely talented it is difficult to determine anything in the clubhouse causing a loss on the field. But, if you watch the dugout.. if you watch the interaction on the field. Something is amiss. It is like a rift going through a close knit family. You can see and feel the tension. It comes down to unity. One for all and all for one. It is the unwritten code in baseball. A key to success in every championship team that has ever stepped on the field is team unity. You can't manufacture it. You can't package it. You simply have to be lucky enough to have it. It comes from trust, faith, caring and sharing the same desire. You will hear it described as chemistry or a number of other terms. But, Unity is what is missing from the Yanks. They can physically go out and perform every day, no problem. They just aren't playing for the team yet. Will they? Yea, the season will move on and the Yankee cream will rise to the top. But, without Unity ... will they be able to get number 27? I don't think so.

Rollins Hit Streak ends

2006-04-07T07:53:00.000-07:00

Jimmy Rollins, a career .270 hitter, was making news over the past two seasons as he slowly crept up on some all-time great hitters with his hitting streak. Rollins fell just shy of Paul Molitor who hit in 39 straight back in 1987.

Controversy swirled on the talk radio circuit on the validity of a streak that was split between two seasons. Did he have a two game hit streak (2006) or a 38 game hit streak (2005 & 2006).. the debate fueled many a discussion with baseball analysts.
My personal feeling is that had Rollins been able to continue the streak to say.. 44, matching Pete Rose for the longest hitting streak since DiMaggio's incredible run of 56 in 1941, there would have been a lot of chatter about placing an asterisk on the Rollins streak.

Here is the list of the greatest streaks of all time (courtesy of Fox Sports); Click Here

Notes from Opening Day '06

2006-04-04T08:51:00.000-07:00

So.. opening day is over and the stories are coming in from around the league. Is Roger Clemens through? Will he return? If so.. with who?

Did the Dodgers, Mets and a few others improve over the off-season? What about the Soriano saga? Or... more so.. The Bonds epic?

It's all here. Take a trip around the league...

CLICK HERE TO SEE A PHOTO GALLERY

ARLINGTON, Texas — Unsigned and not-quite-retired Roger Clemens spent nearly an hour in the Red Sox clubhouse before the game, including closed-door conversations with general manager Theo Epstein, principal owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner, then watched alongside Rangers owner Tom Hicks as Boston won 7-3.
Clemens received a standing ovation when introduced during the first inning. In between, he made it clear he is considering the Red Sox, Rangers, New York Yankees and Houston Astros — if he decides to play this season.

He can't negotiate with Houston until May 1 because the Astros did not offer him salary arbitration, but he plans to attend Tuesday's game to receive his 2005 NL championship ring.

"I don't have any interest in playing right now," said Clemens, 43, emphasizing "right now."

Clemens added he would be watching the four teams' progress. He said he has no timetable for making a decision, but agent Randy Hendricks, who was with him in the Boston clubhouse, said he would advise not waiting past the All-Star break.

Clemens said the teams' championship chances might override the lure of remaining in his hometown Houston, at least at a salary below what he views as his open-market value.

"If I was offered arbitration," he said, "we probably wouldn't be talking about this right now."

By Paul White, USA TODAY

Bonds has them howling in San Diego

SAN DIEGO — The sellout crowd at Petco Park, witnessing perhaps the final opening-day game of Barry Bonds' career, responded by vociferously booing the San Francisco Giants slugger at nearly every opportunity.

Bonds, under investigation by Major League Baseball for allegations he began using steroids after the 1998 season, was booed heavily during pregame ceremonies, in his first at-bat and on the first catch he made. He was greeted by an array of signs, including one that read "Barr-roid."

Bonds, who at 708 career home runs is six shy of Babe Ruth and 47 from Hank Aaron, ignored the "s-t-e-r-o-i-d" taunts and doubled to left-center on the first pitch he saw from San Diego starter Jake Peavy. Bonds finished 1-for-4 as the Padres won 6-1.

Peavy, who gave up Bonds' 700th home run, called him "the best player I've ever played against or will play against."

"You've got to respect the guy," said Atlanta Braves special assistant Jim Fregosi, who like Bonds graduated from Serra High in San Mateo, Calif. "But I just wish everything was cleared up, one way or another."

Matos wakes himself up

BALTIMORE — Outfielder Luis Matos, the player that no team wanted in the offseason, including his own Baltimore Orioles, is learning a valuable lesson this spring.

"I'm not going to take anything for granted anymore," Matos said after hitting his second consecutive Opening Day home run in the Orioles' 9-6 win against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. "The manager told me what I needed to do, and I am going to do it. It was a wake-up call."

Matos, 27, hit .303 in 2003 but slumped last season, leading to a heart-to-heart with Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo, who told Matos he needed to work harder. The Orioles tried to trade Matos but couldn't.

When the Orioles acquired center fielder Corey Patterson, Matos figured he'd move to left. Then the Orioles added Jeff Conine, and Matos realized his job was in trouble.

Patterson had a bad spring while Matos hit .350 and impressed with his hustle. So Monday, Matos batted second and played center.

Matos' first two innings didn't go well. The Devil Rays scored on a short sacrifice fly to center. Matos got a bad grip, and his throw bounced on the mound. He got doubled off second to end the Orioles' half of the first and struck out in the second inning.

In the fifth, he became the first Oriole since Frank Robinson in 1969-70 to hit back-to-back opening-day home runs.

By Mel Antonen, USA TODAY

Injury pains Dodgers again

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers' penchant for acquiring high-mileage veterans in the team's first year under general manager Ned Colletti was the source of much consternation during the offseason.

L.A. players logged the second-most time on the disabled list in the National League in 2005 (1,366 days), and the club's Opening Day lineup Monday averaged 32.6 years.

So word that new first baseman Nomar Garciaparra would sit out the opener and possibly go on the disabled list with a strained rib-cage muscle had a certain here-we-go-again feel to it. Already, new center fielder Kenny Lofton, 38, had been placed on the DL with a calf strain.

As a further omen, scheduled national anthem singer Kristin Chenoweth was sidelined with laryngitis. Darius Rucker of Hootie and the Blowfish pinch-sang for her.

Then two three-run homers powered the Atlanta Braves to an 11-10 victory, spoiling the debut of Dodgers manager Grady Little.

Colletti smiled when asked whether the early injuries were a bad sign.

"If it goes from now till the end of the season," he said, "you'd probably be right."

When someone pointed out it was raining, Colletti cracked: "Things are looking up."

By Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY

President uses executive priviledge

CINCINNATI — President Bush became the first sitting president to throw a ceremonial pitch in Cincinnati as the Reds lost to the Chicago Cubs. The ball to catcher Jason LaRue was high and off the plate, but Bush called it "my best pitch, which was kind of a slow ball."

Bush received a loud standing ovation when he took the mound in this Republican-leaning city. He was accompanied by two injured soldiers and a father who lost his son in Afghanistan. Little American flags were distributed to the crowd of 42,591 before the game. Fans waved them excitedly as Bush was introduced and drowned out the few scattered protesters, like the family sitting behind home plate wearing matching red-and-white T-shirts that said "11-04-08" — the date of the next presidential election.

Bush, the former Texas Rangers owner, told Fox Sports Network that he has been a baseball fan since birth. "I've got the dish at home at the White House, and so, when I'm doing my work, I keep a game on."

Bush shook hands with players from both teams before they took the field. In the Reds clubhouse, Griffey gave him a black bat, and pitcher Kent Mercker showed he was a loyal Bush supporter holding up a blue Bush-Cheney hat.

In the Cubs clubhouse, Bush announced, "This is the year." He went straight to manager Dusty Baker, grabbed his hand, and turned him to the cameras. "Smile," Bush said, shaking Baker's hand with a broad grin. Baker did as instructed, saying, "I'll do what I got to do."

By The Associated Press

Soriano in middle of major play

NEW YORK — All eyes were rightly fixed on Washington's Alfonso Soriano in left field when the Nationals played the New York Mets on Monday. Turns out he was being watched for the wrong reasons.

Most in the record Opening Day crowd of 54,371 wanted to see how Soriano would fare after he reluctantly made the transition to the outfield after playing his first five seasons at second base.

Soriano was the central figure in Washington's 3-2 loss to the Mets — but it had nothing to do with positioning. Soriano made four putouts, including a nice running catch by the wall in foul territory.

In the eighth inning, Soriano led off with a single but was thrown out at home as he attempted to score the tying run on Ryan Zimmerman's double to left.

Then again, maybe not.

Replays showed catcher Paul Lo Duca dropped shortstop Jose Reyes' relay throw, then quickly grabbed it in time to fool umpire Tim Tschida.

"Show it, sell it and if you don't get it, you don't get it," Lo Duca said of his sleight of hand. "We were lucky enough to get it."

After the game, Tschida saw the replay and admitted his mistake.

"We've all seen it now. The angle there is pretty conclusive that the ball came out," he said. "From my vantage point, it looked like he made the tag. For the brief second the ball was out of my sight, it came out of his glove."

It happened so quickly that both Soriano and Washington manager Frank Robinson were fooled. Neither argued.

By Tom Pedulla, USA TODAY

Posted 4/4/2006 3:30 AM

Tips on Hitting

2006-02-27T11:25:00.000-08:00

You know, sometimes... every now and then.. you run across something that you weren't even looking for. But, once you find it.. you think.. hey, this is pretty cool. I need to share this.

Well, that's exactly what happened to me today. I happened to be mindlessly scrolling through the internet when I came across this really great page about hitting. It is simply a compilation of many different aspects, but each of them rings very true.

If you have a moment, and you too are mindlessly scrolling through the internet, click on the below link and check this out. It has a real cool little chart at the bottom that shows the probable batting average in relation to the particular count you are facing. Like I said, just a cool little thing. Every little bit helps, 'cuz; it's the little things that make big hitters!

CLICK HERE

World Classic Teams Preparing

2006-02-22T13:06:00.000-08:00

Japan's Tokyo Dome will host the Korea vs. Japan game on March 5. (Katsumi Kasahara/AP)

Look Out! Baseball is about upon us... Spring Training Camps have opened, World Baseball Classic camps have opened. All the off-season bickering and trading is behind us. Let us set upon a new season, be excited for our team's chances to reach the Playoffs and be ready to see some historic moments in the 2006 Baseball Season.

Click on the link below to see the latest on the World Baseball Classic.

Click Here

Lingering Off-Season Issues

2006-01-30T09:35:00.000-08:00

By
Ken Rosenthal / FOXSports.com

As busy as the off-season has been, an unusually large number of issues remain unresolved, raising the possibility of a volatile spring.

So much talk, so many possibilities, so many loose ends.
Alfonso Soriano. The Nationals want to move Soriano to the outfield; Soriano intends to stay at second base. A trade is possible, but a more logical solution would be a juicy long-term contract that would entice Soriano, a potential free agent, to change positions. The idea that Soriano's value is highest as a second baseman no longer is valid. Soriano has committed a major-league high 105 errors at second over the last five seasons; Jeff Kent and Ray Durham are next with 59 each, according to STATS Inc.

Manny Ramirez. All indications are that Ramirez is staying put, but the return of general manager Theo Epstein adds fresh intrigue. Epstein A.) craves roster flexibility B.) tried to trade Ramirez last summer and C.) placed him on waivers in 2003, inviting any team to assume his contract for the $1 waiver price. It would be difficult to move a contract as complex as Ramirez's in the middle of a season, but why not take one more shot before spring training? Remember, two years ago the Yankees didn't acquire Alex Rodriguez until Feb. 16.

Boomer Wells. Red Sox Distraction No. 2. Wells wants to be traded to a west-coast team, and his first choice is to return to the Padres, who currently project Chris Young and Woody Williams as their Nos. 2 and 3 starters. The Red Sox want no part of an exchange for Williams, and their need for outfielder Dave Roberts was eliminated by their trade for Coco Crisp. Not to worry — the Dodgers, Angels, Giants and Mariners all could use Wells, too.

Will Roger Clemens be back in Houston this season? We still don't know.

Roger Clemens. When the Astros declined to offer Clemens salary arbitration, it prevented them from re-signing him as a free agent until May 1. Clemens likely will continue his flirtations with the Rangers and possibly the Yankees, if only to drive up the price for Astros owner Drayton McLane. The best bet is that he goes back to the Astros for a salary similar to the $18 million he earned last season — not bad for a five-month gig.

Jeff Bagwell. The Astros are trying to collect a $15.6 million disability claim on Bagwell, who wants to prove that he can still play first base with his twice-surgically repaired right shoulder. The logical solution would be to trade Bagwell to an American League team that could use him as a DH, but the Astros received a lukewarm response when they made informal inquiries to the Angels, Red Sox and other clubs. If the Astros get their money, they could take another run at Tejada or pursue other deals at the July 31 non-waiver deadline.

Miguel Tejada and Javy Lopez. Tejada is content for the moment, but Lopez — displaced at catcher by free agent Ramon Hernandez — wants the Orioles to either give him a three-year extension or trade him. Club officials gladly would have obliged the latter request, clearing Lopez's $8.5 million salary and signing free agent Mike Piazza to play a similar role for much less; Lopez and Piazza had almost identical offensive numbers last season. Alas, no team would bite.

Reds general manager. New Reds owner Bob Castellini made his first curious move by hiring former Expos and Orioles GM Jim Beattie as a consultant and naming him a candidate to be G.M. The Reds need to do better than Beattie, whose low-key, deliberate style is too similar to that of Dan O'Brien's. A bold, dynamic leader is required to perform the necessary overhaul, and though the timing of O'Brien's firing was unusual — it's too close to the start of the season for a new GM to hire his or her own people — Castellini does not lack for quality candidates.

The Phillies. New GM Pat Gillick says openly that his team isn't good enough; the question is whether he can improve it by the start of the season. A number of rival executives anticipate Gillick making a splash, but the Phillies' inflexible roster and weak farm system is working against him.

The Braves. Still without a closer, they likely will trade for another reliever, probably a hard-throwing youngster, by Opening Day.

Remaining free agents. Outfielder Sammy Sosa appears headed to the Nationals. Catcher Mike Piazza could end up with the Padres. The wait continues for right-hander Jeff Weaver and catcher Bengie Molina, both of whom could play significant roles for contenders.

The market for Weaver remains unclear. The Orioles backed off after acquiring right-hander Kris Benson. The Indians were interested only if they traded right-hander Jake Westbrook earlier in the off-season. The Mets can't be ruled out, but don't seem especially eager. If Weaver ends up accepting a one-year deal, his decision to reject the Dodgers' offer of a one-year contract through arbitration will appear short-sighted. He could have remained in a comfort zone pitching for his hometown team.

Molina is threatening to sit out rather than accept a one-year, $4 million contract from the Blue Jays or a similar offer from another club. It's difficult to believe he would actually follow through with that plan, but taking time off from catching would save wear-and-tear on his body, enabling him to get into excellent shape and come back stronger. Then again, teams might not consider him as desirable if he was away from the game for even half a season.

Remaining chips. The list of players who could be moved between now and July 31 includes A's left-hander Barry Zito, White Sox right-hander Jose Contreras and Pirates right-hander Kip Wells. Others who are expendable: Cubs second baseman Todd Walker, Reds outfielder Austin Kearns and Devil Rays shortstop Julio Lugo and D.H. Aubrey Huff.

Ken Rosenthal is the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com.

Football Change

2006-01-04T19:34:00.000-08:00

Well, Football has about past us for the year. We have seen some incredible games, fantastic plays, awesome Bowl games.. AND the NFL Playoffs are just around the corner.

Great, so what does all of that have to do with Baseball and a Be A Better Hitter website.

I'm about to tell you my friend.

Football Change.. that's what. Football what? Football Change. It has also been referred to as Football Curve. It is a devastating pitch that hitter's should learn to immediately recognize. It not, you will likely have a very difficult time laying off of this pitch. If thrown by a Right Handed Pitcher, the ball falls away from a Right Handed Hitter. It looks like a fastball, has a fastball arm speed... comes at you like a fastball. The only problem is, It's not a fastball. It's a Football Change and it completely disappears right at the front of the plate.

I scoured the internet to find any photos of this grip. Unfortunately, I could not come up with any. So... I made a few myself. I have to ask you to please excuse the pictures from inside the house.. my socks, etc. :-)

As for you Pitchers out there. These photos should show you how to grip and throw the pitch. I personally like to have my thumb on a bottom seam and the top seam resting between my index and middle fingers. You may want to experiment with a few different positions. One important fact about the pitch: Do NOT slow down your arm. Throw it just like a fastball. Full fastball arm speed. You will have to experiment to find out your release point. But, when you do it is a devastating weapon. Especially to your 3, 4 & 5 hitters in the lineup. You know, the guys that like to gear up and drive your best fastball. Surprise! It only looks like a fastball. The Football Change does NOT act like one.

The best part about it is .. no stress.. none.. nada.. zip.. zero.. zilch. When you throw it right. There is no difference between the fastball arm action. Just do not rotate the wrist trying to provide spin (slider). Simply let the ball slip out of your hand with fastball motion. The fact that there are more fingers on the one side of the ball creates more friction at the release. This automatically causes spin. You don't have to try to create it. It's automatic. Just throw it. Pretend you are Matt Leinert throwing to Reggie Bush. Just throw it as hard as you can. Let the ball come out on it's own.

For you hitters. You had better learn to recognize the grip early. Stay Back .. Wait.. Wait.. Wait.. if it gets in your zone and is UP.. give it a rip if the count is in your favor. If it isn't up.. you better lay off. It will disappear on you. AND with it your average will too! Hope this helps you to be a Better Hitter (And Pitcher!)

Mantle vs. McGwire_Ruth vs. Sosa!

2005-11-30T10:31:00.000-08:00

Mickey “The Mick” Mantle was 6 inches shorter than McGwire. The Mick weighed 55 lbs less. And yet, when it came to blasting powerful, “kiss-it-goodbye” homeruns, McGwire couldn’t come close to Mickey. The following list documents reported distances on the five longest Homeruns hit by both players. Unbelievably, Mickeys 5th longest is listed as farther than McGwire's longest! In fact, Mickey hit three more homeruns (8 total)farther than McGwire's longest!!!

Mark McGwire's five longest homeruns:

1. 545 ft. – 5/16/98, vs. Florida,
at St. Louis, Pitcher: Livan Hernandez

2. 538 ft. – 6/24/97, vs. Seattle,
at Seattle, Pitcher: Randy Johnson

3. 527 ft. – 5/12/98, vs. Milwaukee,
at St. Louis, Pitcher: Paul Wagner

4. 517 ft. – 9/16/97, vs. Los Angeles,
at St. Louis, Pitcher: Ramon Martinez

5. 514 ft. – 4/20/97, vs. Detroit,
at Detroit, Pitcher: Brian Moehler

Mickey Mantle's five longest homeruns:

1. 734 ft. – 5/22/63, vs. Kansas City,
at New York, Pitcher: Bill Fischer

2. 660 ft. – 3/26/51, vs. USC,
at Bovard Field, USC, Pitcher: Unknown

3. 650 ft. - 6/11/53, vs. Detroit,
at Detroit, Pitcher: Art Houteman

4. 643 ft. - 9/10/60, vs. Detroit,
at Detroit, Pitcher: Paul Foytack

5. 630 ft. - 9/13/53, vs. Detroit,
at New York, Pitcher: Billy Hoeft

How about the gargantuan “Slammin” Sammy Sosa? He hit just one 500 ft. homerun during his much talked about 1998 home run spree.

Compare that to the out-of-shape, cigar-smoking, booze-guzzling Babe Ruth…

The Babe Hit At Least One
500ft Homer In Every Single
Major League Ball Park!

Mantle vs. Ichiro_A comparison

2005-11-17T10:16:00.000-08:00

The folks over at Right View Pro have the unique ability to capture, analyze and compare the baseball swings of not only current players.. but ANY player. A recent posting of still photos on their site: www.RightViewPRO.com compares side by side photos of the great Mickey Mantle and Ichiro, the hitting sensation from Japan.

If for no other reason than seeing what similarities exist between two of the greatest hitters to grace the game, you owe it to yourself to click HERE!

MLB Hitting Coach and former player Don Slaught is the president of the company and founder of the software that may revolutionize the new era of Major League Baseball hitters.

2005 MLB Award Winners

2005-11-15T10:02:00.000-08:00

Houston Street: The second consecutive AL Rookie of the Year from Oakland.

Click Here to see a photo gallery of all the winners.

Hitting Flaws and Fixes!

2005-10-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

The following article addresses the most common flaws in young hitter's and the common sense fixes for each. From poor balance and stance problems to looping and casting the barrel.

This is a fairly short article... well constructed, with photos and clear concise language to help you understand the mechanics and key points of a good swing.

Remember.. we advocate a "Short To.. Long Through" approach to the baseball swing. If you can take the time to implement the little things you see periodically on this site, You will BeABetterHitter!

Click Here for Article

White Sox Take Charge WS'05

2005-10-24T08:58:00.000-07:00

More On-Field controversy follows the White Sox during the Post Season. Perhaps tainting a fantastic come from behind win, another bad judgement call by home plate umpire highlights Game 2 of the 2005 World Series.

With runners at 2nd and 3rd and a full count on Jermaine Dye in the bottom of the seventh, a high hard one came in through the rain drops backing Dye off the plate. Dye's bat barrel lagged and the ball clearly struck the bat and caromed off into first base foul territory. Home plate umpire Jeff Nelson claimed the pitch from Astros' Dan Wheeler struck Dye in the forearm, loading the bases. Argues from Astros Manager Phil Garner were futile. Wheeler was replaced with Chad Qualls, whose first pitch to first baseman Paul Konerko was launched into the left field bleachers for a Grand Slam, erasing a two run deficit and giving the White Sox a two run lead late in the game.

Astros mettle was tested. They responded with a two run rally of their own in the top of the 9th inning when pinch hitter Vizcaino slapped a two out, two run single into left field to tie the game.

Sadly, for the Astros, the White Sox were undaunted when surprise post season slugger, Scott Podsednik took Brad Lidge deep in the bottom of the inning for a walk off World Series homer.

See the hole story here:

World Series - best of seven

Houston Astros vs. Chicago White Sox
(White Sox lead 2-0)
• Game 1: Chicago 5, Houston 3 | Box

• Game 2: Chicago 7, Houston 6 | Box
• Game 3: At Houston, Tues., 8:30 p.m.

Garland (18-10) vs. Oswalt (20-12)
• Game 4: At Houston, Wed., 8:25 p.m.

Garcia (14-8) vs. Backe (10-8)

Game 5: At Houston, Oct. 27, 8:25 p.m.*

Game 6: At Chicago, Oct. 29, 7:55 p.m.*

Game 7: At Chicago, Oct. 30, 7:55 p.m.*

*if necessary
All times Eastern

Cards Force Game 6!

2005-10-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

Albert Pujols launches his 3-run homer that stunned the Astros and kept the Cards breathing in the NLCS. By David J. Phillip, AP

CARDS SEND ASTROS REELING WITH DRAMATIC VICTORY IN GAME 5!
By Mike Lopresti, Gannett News Service

HOUSTON — So back to St. Louis they go. The revived Cardinals and the unfulfilled and shattered Houston Astros, who must now be looking over their shoulders, hoping history is not catching up to them yet again.

With one swing of the incomparable Albert Pujols' bat, everything changed in the National League Monday night.

With a three-run, two-out homer in the ninth inning, Pujols turned roaring cheers into shocked silence, and a 4-2 fatal St. Louis loss into a 5-4 victory of salvation.

With a stunning blast off closer Brad Lidge, Pujols transformed a Houston celebration into a shock that may be impossible to get over.

"It couldn't be better than this," Pujols said. "I just couldn't believe I did it."

"You saw some magic there," St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. "Once in a while, you get a miracle."

But in the other clubhouse? "Well," manager Phil Garner began, "it's terrible."

The National League Championship Series is tied 3-2. No misprint, that. The Astros still lead, but the Cardinals have forced the issue to Busch Stadium, with a lightning bolt that made a pennant disappear before the Astros' eyes.

And after keeping the Houston champagne bottles corked Monday night — after not only winning but breaking a city's heart — the Cardinals can reasonably feel their chances now are at least even.

"It's not over until you make 27 outs," Pujols said. "That's the attitude we were doing all year long. That's why we win this game tonight, because we believe in ourselves."

"Tough loss, no question," Garner said. "But we've still got a lot of baseball to play."

They all remember last October.

That's when the Astros took a 3-2 lead to St. Louis, and watched all their World Series hopes fall part.

"It feels different than last year," La Russa said.

The difference this year is the Astros, who had the chance to finish off the Cardinals Monday night in the warm and noisy embraces of roofed-over Minute Maid Park. The first opportunity the Astros had to clinch a pennant at home since 1980.

And it seemed meant to be, when Lance Berkman took a Chris Carpenter pitch the opposite way for a three-run homer and 4-2 lead in the seventh inning. The hit Houston had waited four decades for, or so it seemed at the time.

Until then, Carpenter and Andy Pettitte been in a willful, determined duel, evading threats, each give up soft run-scoring hits early and nothing more.

With the score 4-2, the matter was turned over to the Astros bullpen for final closure. The bullpen that has so rarely given way. Especially Lidge.

This time he did.

It began with two outs. Actually with two strikes on David Eckstein. One more pitch, and the Astros' long wait would be over.

"You're high as a kite," Garner said.

But Eckstein singled into left. "It wasn't pretty," he said. "It found a hole."

Jim Edmonds walked. Lidge did not quite seem himself, perhaps forcing the moment, knowing how much it meant.

"You can't walk him," Garner said. "Brad knows that and that was a mistake."

Pujols. As dangerous and revered a hitter as there is in baseball, but shackled this night. He had struck out with two men on in the third, and grounded out with a man on in the seventh.

But Pujols never sleeps for long. He had put his batting gloves on as the ninth began, as a gesture of hope, even though he was scheduled fifth to hit. No matter what happened, he wanted the game in his hands.

"I wanted to make the last out," he said. "If it's anybody that wants to make the last out, I wanted to make it. Which I didn't.

Kneeling in the on-deck center, watching Edmonds work his walk, he prayed.

"Just give me strength ...

Garner visited Lidge on the mound. Told him it didn't matter if he walked Pujols. Just don't give in and make a mistake.

The first pitch was a strike. A good slider. Lidge thought, go to it again.

Pujols was waiting, not even thinking about the shocker to come.

"Don't try to be a hero," he said to himself. "Don' try to hit a three-run homer. Just try to hit a base hit."

But he caught the Lidge pitch full and square, and sent it deep into the night.

"I knew it was gone," Lidge said. "I wish I had that pitch back was the immediate feeling.

"This will sting. But I'm the closer. I have to put it behind me."

"He distinguishes himself everyday in his whole career," La Russa said of Pujols.

Especially Monday.

So now the shadows of the past begin to crowd in on the Houston faithful, who now must yearn for deliverance in a hotly hostile place.

There's the grief of 1980, when they had two chances to clinch a pennant in the Astrodome and lost both in extra innings to Philadelphia.

The torment of 1986, when they were eliminated in a 16-inning classic by the Mets.

The anguish from last season.

And this foreboding number. The Astros, who entered the National League as the Colt .45s in 1962, are now 2-9 all-time in clinching opportunities. They led in six of those nine games, including Monday.

That was about to be wiped clean. One more out ... a few more seconds ...

Then Pujols took his swing.

"It will just make it all the more meaningful," Astros owner Drayton McLane said, "when we do it in St. Louis."

Maybe. But never have 40,000 people turned silent faster.

They won't be quiet in Busch Stadium when Game 6 starts Wednesday night.

White Sox '59 World Series Team!

2005-10-17T07:29:00.000-07:00

Scrappy Nellie Fox was a catalyst for the "Go-Go" White Sox of the 1950s. The 12-time All-Star was the American League MVP in 1959, leading the White Sox to their first World Series in 40 years. He led the American League in hits four times and in fewest strikeouts 10 times. He compiled 2,663 hits, while striking out just 216 times in 9,232 at-bats. He was a three-time Gold Glove winner and set the major league record for consecutive games played at second base (798).

Quote
"I've never seen anybody who wanted to play more than Fox did. In spring training you had to run him off the field to get him to rest, and I mean literally run him off." — Paul Richards

Did You Know... that Nellie Fox holds the record for most consecutive years leading the league in singles (seven, 1954-1960).

After nearly a half-century of ho-hum baseball, the White Sox will get a chance at their first title since 1917.

And they will get a shot at some long overdue redemption — they lost the most infamous World Series ever, when Shoeless Joe and his "Black Sox" threw games against Cincinnati in 1919 and gave the sport a black eye.

The 46-year gap between Series appearances is the longest in major league history. The Chicago Cubs would end up with an even longer one, if they ever get back — their last NL pennant was in 1945.

"It finally puts us above the Cubs, because they've been getting all the credit," said bench coach Harold Baines, who played more than 13 of his 22 seasons with the White Sox.

The last time the Windy City's South Side team made it this far, it was all about Nellie Fox and his Go-Go Sox of 1959, who lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games.

Here is a roster of the team that made it to the World Series in 1959 after winning 94 games in the regular season (154 game seasons). See if you remember any of these guys...

1959 Chicago White Sox

Complete Roster

# Pitchers Height Weight Throws Bats Date Of Birth
25 Rudy Arias 5-10 165 Left Left 06-06-1931
22 Dick Donovan 6-03 205 Right Left 12-07-1927
18 Barry Latman 6-03 210 Right Right 05-21-1936
27 Turk Lown 6-01 185 Right Right 05-30-1924
15 Ken McBride 6-00 195 Right Right 08-12-1935
29 Ray Moore 6-01 205 Right Right 06-01-1926
12 Gary Peters 6-02 200 Left Left 04-21-1937
19 Billy Pierce 5-10 160 Left Left 04-02-1927
28 Claude Raymond 5-10 175 Right Right 05-07-1937
15 Don Rudolph 5-11 195 Left Left 08-16-1931
35 Bob Shaw 6-02 195 Right Right 06-29-1933
21 Gerry Staley 6-00 195 Right Right 08-21-1920
36 Joe Stanka 6-05 201 Right Right 07-23-1931
24 Early Wynn 6-00 200 Right Both 01-06-1920

# Catchers Height Weight Throws Bats Date Of Birth
26 Earl Battey 6-01 205 Right Right 01-05-1935
44 Cam Carreon 6-00 198 Right Right 08-06-1937
10 Sherm Lollar 6-01 185 Right Right 08-23-1924
20 Johnny Romano 5-11 205 Right Right 08-23-1934

# Infielders Height Weight Throws Bats Date Of Birth
11 Luis Aparicio 5-09 160 Right Right 04-29-1934
8 Ray Boone 6-01 188 Right Right 07-27-1923
38 Norm Cash 6-00 190 Left Left 11-10-1934
14 Sammy Esposito 5-09 165 Right Right 12-15-1931
2 Nellie Fox 5-09 150 Right Left 12-25-1927
6 Billy Goodman 5-11 165 Right Left 03-22-1926
4 Ron Jackson 6-07 225 Right Right 10-22-1933
4,8 Ted Kluszewski 6-02 225 Left Left 09-10-1924
32 J.C. Martin 6-02 200 Right Left 12-13-1936
5 Bubba Phillips 5-09 180 Right Right 02-24-1928
17 Earl Torgeson 6-03 180 Left Left 01-01-1924

# Outfielders Height Weight Throws Bats Date Of Birth
9 Johnny Callison 5-10 175 Right Left 03-12-1939
32 Larry Doby 6-01 182 Right Left 12-13-1923
3 Del Ennis 6-00 195 Right Right 06-08-1925
28 Joe Hicks 6-00 180 Right Left 04-07-1933
1 Jim Landis 6-01 180 Right Right 03-09-1934
3 Jim McAnany 5-10 196 Right Right 09-04-1936
7 Jim Rivera 6-00 196 Left Left 07-22-1922
8 Harry Simpson 6-01 180 Right Left 12-03-1925
3 Lou Skizas 5-11 175 Right Right 06-02-1932
16 Al Smith 6-00 191 Right Right 02-07-1928

# Other Positions Height Weight Throws Bats Date Of Birth
32 Don Mueller 6-00 185 Right Left 04-14-1927

Major League Latin Pride..

2005-10-05T10:12:00.000-07:00

Baseball is their identity

By John Erardi
Enquirer staff writer

As part of the lead-up to tonight's documentary on Spike TV titled "Viva Baseball!" - about the Latin influence on Major League Baseball - Enquirer reporter John Erardi spoke with the Reds eight Latin-born players.

Here is what they said about growing up in Latin countries, their experiences in the States playing Baseball, and playing professional ball back home in the winter leagues.

Felipe Lopez, 25, Bayamon, Puerto Rico

When I was growing up in Puerto Rico 15 years ago, baseball was still big.I lived right in front of the stadium (where one of the winter ball league teams played). I always had baseball around me. Not that anybody made me play, but it was there if I wanted it - and I did.

Roberto Clemente was the person everybody idolized.That's how I grew up - I wanted to be like Roberto Clemente. Even though I never saw him play in person, I saw him on TV in classic games. But, still, his name lived on.

I started playing organized ball when I was 4. They called it "The Pamper League." Everything was about baseball back then. It was so big.

(Lopez's family moved to Kissimmee, Fla., when he was 11.)

I was so far ahead of the kids in Little League in Kissimmee because of playing all that baseball in Puerto Rico that it (baseball in the States) was a joke to me. I couldn't believe the kids weren't any better than that. They would practice (one day a week) and play one game (a week). In Puerto Rico, I was playing ball all the time, any kind of ball, stickball, anything that had something to do with baseball. We'd round up a group ofguys and play.

There are too many other things going on in Puerto Rico now. Kids aren't interested in competing anymore. They want to party or play basketball and volleyball. C'mon! How many kids play basketball in the NBA? But baseball? Yeah, baseball is in our blood, and it goes way back. But they (Puerto Ricans) have lost interest. It's like night and day from what it used to be.

Back in the day, there used to be a lot of Puerto Rican players. But look at this year in the All-Star Game. It was only me and Pudge (Rodriguez) and Carlos Beltran.The rest were Dominicans and Venezuelans. ... Fortunately, there are still some great players coming out of Puerto Rico, just not as many of them, guys that are going to be like Juan Gonzalez.

I played three seasons of winter ball in Puerto Rico. But, if the excitement's not there - if I don't feel that excitement -why go and play? We'd have like 300 fans a game. You could count 'em! Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, they still are filling their ballparks. Kids there still love baseball. Baseball is what they want to do.But in Puerto Rico? No, it is not that way anymore.

Javier Valentin, 30, Maniti, Puerto Rico

Felipe's right about winter ball in Puerto Rico. It used to be one of the best leagues in the Carribbean, now it's the worst. ... The (current) president doesn't know anything about baseball, and that doesn't help. If a person who is going to buy and run a team, he wants it to be successfu0l. ...My brother (Los Angeles Dodgers middle infielder Jose Valentin) and I have tried (to resurrect it), but we don't know what happened. It went down quickly.

Maybe it's that the Puerto Rican players don't play as hard (in winter ball) as they do when they're in the States. It's not the same game we play over here. The respect for the game is not there like it used to be. If we love the game, we have to play it hard. My brother played every winter in Puerto Rico, and so did I. We play together for our (hometown) team, Manati.

I've been playing winter ball every year since '93. My brother and I, we don't think, 'I'm going to get hurt.' Playing winter ball has helped me. A lot. Here in the States, I don't play against lefties that much, but in Puerto Rico I know I'm going to play every day and I can work on my swing from the other side. I see a lot of left-handed pitchers.And I worked on other positions - first base, third base. And I stay in shape. This sport has given me a lot, and I have to give back all I can. My brother is going to build a sports complex (in Manati). We give a lot to Little League. I've got a young kid. My brother has three kids. We want baseball to be there for them like it was for us, if that's what they want to do.

Yes, baseball in Puerto Rico was bigger when I was growing up. It was huge.My father played with (Roberto) Clemente (in a national tournament). He knows (Clemente's) family ... When I started playing baseball, I loved going to the park and watching Candy Maldonado and Ruben Sierra.

When I started in baseball, oh, Ruben Sierra! I told my uncles and my dad, "I'm going to play this game someday. I'm going to be like Ruben Sierra."

I learned from an early age: Everybody wants to play in the major leagues. So, when I got there, I knew how many guys wanted to be in my spot. That's why I've worked hard at it. I love this game!

Miguel Perez, 21, Guatire, Venezuela

My dad was a pitcher. Not professional, but very good I hear.I started playing baseball when I was 5. My mother and father both pitched to me. My mother is a left-hander. I started catching when I was 10, 11. We had a game, and we had only nine players, and nobody was a catcher. And the coach asked, 'Who want to catch?'

And nobody wanted to catch. So, I said, 'Hey, I can do it. I just want to play!' I remember that day: I picked a guy off first, and threw out two guys at second base. After that, I wanted to be a catcher and I always caught.

The baseball field was real close to my home - like two blocks. The field was my second house. My mother always said that if I was gone a long time, she knew where I was. We had this game we played with a rubber ball.We played it with our hands, used our hands as a bat. We had three bases and a home plate like in baseball, but we could play it with five or six players. We would play it at school and we'd play it in the street. We didn't need a glove, but when we did need one and didn't have one, we would cut up (an empty carton of) milk or orange juice and use it as a glove.

I played other sports, too. Volleyball, basketball, but I played mostly baseball. My music teachers would say to me, 'Be careful. Don't play too much baseball. You will hurt your hands, and won't be able to play the viola anymore.'

But that went in one ear and out the other. As much as I loved music, I loved baseball more. My favorite all-time player is Andres Galarraga (from Venezuela).

This will be my sixth year playing winter ball (in Venezuela). Professional baseball. My first year was 2000. I was 16 turning 17 when I played for one of the (minor league) teams ... I was 17 when I signed with the Reds. A scout invited me to a tryout in Caracas. It was a 45-minute drive. I took the bus. And now I'm in the big leagues. Amazing!

My English has improved a lot since I got here (the States) in 2002. That was rookie ball, in Sarasota. When I was in high school, my favorite class was English, which helped, but the best thing was to get here and start speaking it. My fiance spoke less English than I did when she got here, but now that she is a senior at Duquesne University, and her English is better than mine! Must be those college-level English classes!

Our winter ball in Venezuela is good. People are always waiting for baseball season. Winter ball. When I was growing up, one of my cousins worked for a radio station in Venezuela. We would get a (satellite feed of a game on TV) and then my cousin would be the commentator on the radio.

One day, I remember seeing Kent Mercker making this unbelievable catch behind his back (on the mound) and I never forgot that. When I got here my first year, I said, "Do you remember that play you made behind your back?"

He said, 'Oh yeah, that was in '96 or '97. How do you know that?' Hey, I remember.

Ray Olmedo, 24, Maracay, Venezuela

I started playing baseball when I was 4 years old. My mother and dad were divorced, so it was my mother who (introduced) me to baseball. She played everything. (Soccer), volleyball, basketball, everything. She would pitch batting practice to me! Everything is expensive in Venezuela, but I would borrow other guys' gloves ... In 1998, before I signed professionally, I would be watching a baseball game on TV, and my mom would sometimes change the channel. And I'd say, 'Wait, mom, don't do it!' I would almost fight with my mother over that!

The names (Luis) Aparicio and (David) Concepcion are very special, and not only to me, but to a lot of people in Venezuela. The first time Cincinnati opened an academy in Venezuela, Davey was there in 1999, and I talked to him a couple of times. I never saw Davey play shortstop. By the time I watched him play, when I was little, he was playing first base. But my mother saw him. She felt he was the best! I heard he was great. I'm not the only guy who says that. I have heard that from Jose Vizcaino, Omar Vizquel.

And, my first in professional baseball, (Hall of Famer) Luis Aparicio was there.He was a coach for our winter ball team. I talked to him a lot. He is a great man.

Wily Mo Pena, 23, Lagunda Salada, Dominican Republic

I was 9 years old when I started playing. I played some basketball, but not much. Mostly baseball.There is some soccer and basketball in the Dominican, but nothing is close to baseball. Some people say, 'With your size and speed, you would have been a good football player.'

I don't know about that. We didn't play football back home. Our football is soccer, not the NFL. Baseball? You see baseball all over the place, in the streets, everywhere. Baseball, baseball, baseball. You go here, they talk about baseball. Go there, they talk about baseball.

When I was a kid, I had to use somebody else's bat, somebody else's glove, somebody else's spikes. I had to borrow those, whenever I played. I give away a lot of (equipment) away when I go back home in the winter - batting gloves, stuff like that - so the (Dominican kids) don't have to borrow things like I did...

I built a home for my family in the Dominican, because they worked so hard for everything. So now, when I go back, I live with them.Yes, I play winter ball in the Dominican. I play for the best team! Aguilas. The manager is Felix Fermin. We have a lot of good players on that team. Edwin Encarnacion, Bartolo Colon, Tony Batista

Winter ball is great in the Dominican. People enjoy the game. A lot of people come out, and we really love it. You get excited when you see that many people in the ballpark, and it makes you want to play winter ball in the Dominican!

Edwin Encarnacion, 22, La Romana, Dominican Republic

I'm from La Romana. There is a famous golf course there, Casa de Campo. (Teeth of the Dog course, a Pete Dye-design.) I don't play golf. Not too many Dominicans play golf. Americans go there to play. It is a good resort, one of the best ... La Romana is close to San Pedro de Macoris, where all the shortstops and Sammy Sosa are from ... There have been other players out of La Romana (including) Rafael Santana and Andujar Cedeno, and now (Antonio) Alfonseca.

I started playing baseball when I was 7 years old. My dad showed me the game. He was a good player - outfielder - but did not sign professionally. My hero is Miguel Tejada. He is a good person on the field, and off the field. He takes care of people. He has helped a lot of people in the Dominican. He gives away a lot of stuff, and he takes care of his city. He is from Bani.

In 1994, I saw my first game on TV, the first game I remember, the Chicago Cubs. Sammy Sosa was there. That's when I started thinking about the major leagues. I remember thinking, 'I want to be there.' I was like most of my friends. We couldn't afford equipment. Too expensive. What was good for me, is my father worked in Puerto Rico, and he bought me a pair of (baseball) shoes and a glove. We would use a tree limb, (whittle) it down for a bat. We played baseball in the streets.

The guys who live in the Dominican don't (earn) enough to buy gloves, just enough to eat and take care of their families. My father was an athletic trainer at the University of Turabo in Caguas. It was a better life for us. It is a better life in Puerto Rico.

The hardest thing for me, for any Dominican, is the language. I didn't talk English in Puerto Rico. The English I know now is what I learned playing pro ball here. My English isn't perfect, but I understand a lot. You get here in the United States, and you don't know nothing. They talk in their meetings, and you don't know what they are saying. That is the hard thing for Latin players in the United States.

The hardest part of baseball for me is hitting. If you don't hit, you can't stay here. Especially at third base. Third basemen have to hit. You have to be consistent. I have to learn to be more selective at the plate, and stay aggressive.They throw me a lot of sliders in the dirt. They throw me a lot of low and away pitches - a lot of breaking pitches. When they throw the pitch on the outside part of the plate, I have to learn to hit that pitch the other way.

I feel blessed to be a professional baseball player. A lot of the guys in the Dominican want to be here, in the big leagues. That's the best feeling for me, being here, being in the big leagues. I want to stay here. That is the best thing for me, and for my family. ... I like Cincinnati. It is a beautiful city.There is no place to get Dominican food, so we cook it ourselves. I live with Wily (Mo Pena).We have somebody cook for us. And my mom is coming soon - Mireya Rivera - and she will cook for us, too.My favorite is chicken and rice.

Ramon Ortiz, 32, Cotui, Dominican Republic

I'm from Cotui - a very small city - an hour-and-a-half from Santo Domingo. We have a lot of good baseball players there, a lot of talent. We have a lot of players signed from my town. (Jose) Capellan, Pedro Liriano, Duaner Sanchez. ... In my town, everybody loves the game. When I pitch, everybody knows about it. My mother watches every game. I got her a TV. You can see like 300 channels.

I played on a Little League team in the Dominican. I would see or hear about the (few) Dominican players in the major leagues, but I never, ever thought I would be playing on the major league level. Now, to be here, I enjoy it so much. I say, 'Thank God, for every opportunity you have given me in my life.'

Now you see all these Dominican players. I think it's a great thing.

There are so many great players from the Dominican: Juan Marichal, Joaquin Andujar, Alfredo Griffin, Albert Pujols, Juan Samuel, Felipe Alou, Pedro Guerrero, Manny Mota. ... You know why there are so many Dominican (professional baseball) players? Because when kids go to sleep at night the last thing they think of is baseball. In the morning when they wake up, the first thing they think of is baseball. That was me.

I didn't have that much stuff. I'd go to sleep at night and I'd say to myself, 'Oh my god, tomorrow I get to play baseball.' It didn't matter to me that I had to use somebody else's glove. Then, when my brother - Bernardino - signed with the Giants, he would bring me stuff.He was 18, and I was 11. He was a pitcher, too.When he signed with the Giants, I said, 'Wow.' I saw him play in winter ball in San Pedro. I could not believe it.

You go to the Dominican right now, and you see kids with gloves on their hands, and bats over their shoulders. It's unbelievable. And when I go home and I see that, I feel good because when I go home (in the winter) I always take them a lot of stuff.I buy 4,000 baseballs, and gloves and bats and Cincinnati Reds hats. I give balls to every team in Cotui.

When I came here (to the States), I didn't know any English.My English is better now, because I'm not afraid to talk. Before, I was afraid to talk. I watch a lot of movies and TV. I have learned a lot in 11 years.

When I go home (after the major league season), I go to see my family. I take it easy for one month. I don't sit around and drink. I am with my family, having fun, eating my mother's cooking. Here, in the States,I have my wife to cook for me ... My favorite dishes are rice and beans, and beef. The best cities for Dominican food are New York, and Boston, and Chicago and Cleveland.

You know, for me, it doesn't matter what country you are from. I treat everybody the same. American guy, Puerto Rican, Venezuelan, Dominican, for me, everybody is the same. For me, baseball is like a family, and when this family wins, I am happy, I feel it in my heart. They are my family ...You can see something in the Latin player.Everywhere we go, you see a Latin player, you say, 'How you doing, brother?' That's a family, too.

Luis Lopez, 35, Cidra, Puerto Rico

For me growing up in Cidra - it's toward the middle of the island - I was very close to the game from 5 years old to about 9, then I picked it back up about 14. In between, I was playing basketball, volleyball, BMX bicycling.What got me back into baseball was that Luis Rivera, one of my idols, from my hometown, would come back (after his baseball season in the States). Cidra is not that big of a town, so everybody knows everybody. As soon as we found out he was home, we'd go out and see him.I wanted to be like him, and that's why I got back into it.

I think my English is good because when I first got into pro ball, I knew no English. I started playing when I was 17, and I'm 35 now, so I've had a lot of time to learn. My first year - I signed with San Diego, and I played in Spokane, Wash. - I was one of only two (Latins) on the team, and the second year we were the same two guys in South Carolina. The third year I was hurt and rehabbed in San Diego, and the guy I rehabbed with was Jose Valentin, Javy's brother. I started picking up English a lot quicker that year, watching TV and reading. Back then, there were no schools or tutors like these organizations have now...

For every Puerto Rican player, our idol should be Roberto Clemente. For a lot of Venezuelan guys, it's probably Luis Aparicio, for Dominicans it's Juan Marichal, George Bell. I learned a lot about Clemente from Rod Carew, who was my hitting instructor in Milwaukee. Carew told me that when he came up to the big leagues (in 1967), Roberto had made it very clear to the Latin guys (throughout baseball), 'We're a minority here in the States. Take pride in what you do, and take care of each other and the young (Latins) coming up.'

And that's what Carew did for me. And that's what I try to do. Miguel Perez stays with me. Every night we watch TV and talk about baseball. He's a good learner, and he wants to be a quick learner.

I think it is great that these (American) baseball academies exist (in the Caribbean) to keep the (prospects) in school. Without them, there would still be a lot of kids dropping out of school to play baseball, because that was their only way to make a good living.

It's great for the Latin community, because (American baseball clubs) are investing money and developing something that is good for baseball and good for business. I think that for the guys coming up in the late 1990s, and now the 2000's - Albert Pujols, Carlos Beltran, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez - I'm pretty sure they came up through the academy system. If the dream of baseball falls short, you have your education.You have to stay in school, and that's what I tell the kids when I go to camps: Respect your family, respect the game of baseball if you get the opportunity to play it, and stay in school. You pass it along, like Clemente passed it along to Carew and like Carew passed it along to me.

2005 Final League Leaders

2005-10-03T07:41:00.000-07:00

The Regular Season has come to a close with some surprise leaders in the Final Statistics, some perennial appearances from established stars and some career years for young players.

David Wright of the NY Mets had a fantastic year for a club that struggled down the stretch. Posting in the top 10 with 42 Doubles on the year. Expect him to show up on a regular basis throughout his career, a great hitter.

Coors Field showed how friendly it could be for hitters as newcomer Holliday posted some fantastic statistics to join teammate Todd Helton in several categories. No surprise as the field was mighty friendly to Vinny Castilla for years as well.

On the American League side there were fewer surprises, although Teixeira and Hafner had breakout years as well as Michael Young from the Rangers.

For the most part, the leaders were Perennials like A-Rod, Ortiz, Jeter, Manny and Vladimir.

The complete list:

Final 2005 American League leaders

•BATTING: M. Young, Texas, .331; A. Rodriguez, New York, .321; V. Guerrero, Los Angeles, .317; Damon, Boston, .316; B. Roberts, Baltimore, .314; Jeter, New York, .309; V. Martinez, Cleveland, .306.

•RUNS: A. Rodriguez, New York, 124; Jeter, New York, 122; D. Ortiz, Boston, 119; Damon, Boston, 117; M. Young, Texas, 114; Figgins, Los Angeles, 113; Teixeira, Texas, 112; M. Ramirez, Boston, 112.

•RBI: D. Ortiz, Boston, 148; Teixeira, Texas, 144; M. Ramirez, Boston, 144; A. Rodriguez, New York, 130; Sheffield, New York, 123; Sexson, Seattle, 121; Cantu, Tampa Bay, 117.

•HITS: M. Young, Texas, 221; I. Suzuki, Seattle, 206; Jeter, New York, 202; Tejada, Baltimore, 199; Damon, Boston, 197; Crawford, Tampa Bay, 194; Teixeira, Texas, 194; A. Rodriguez, New York, 194.

•DOUBLES: Tejada, Baltimore, 50; Matsui, New York, 45; B. Roberts, Baltimore, 45; A. Soriano, Texas, 43; Crisp, Cleveland, 42; T. Hafner, Cleveland, 42; Teixeira, Texas, 41.

•TRIPLES: Crawford, Tampa Bay, 15; I. Suzuki, Seattle, 12; Sizemore, Cleveland, 11; Figgins, Los Angeles, 10; Inge, Detroit, 9; B. Roberts, Baltimore, 7.

•HOME RUNS: A. Rodriguez, New York, 48; D. Ortiz, Boston, 47; M. Ramirez, Boston, 45; Teixeira, Texas, 43; Konerko, Chicago, 40; Sexson, Seattle, 39; A. Soriano, Texas, 36.

•STOLEN BASES: Figgins, Los Angeles, 62; Podsednik, Chicago, 59; Crawford, Tampa Bay, 46; Lugo, Tampa Bay, 39; I. Suzuki, Seattle, 33; A. Soriano, Texas, 30; B. Roberts, Baltimore, 27; Womack, New York, 27.

•PITCHING (15 Decisions): Cl. Lee, Cleveland, 18-5, .783, 3.79; Halladay, Toronto, 12-4, .750, 2.41; Lackey, Los Angeles, 14-5, .737, 3.44; Colon, Los Angeles, 21-8, .724, 3.48; Crain, Minnesota, 12-5, .706, 2.71; Jo. Santana, Minnesota, 16-7, .696, 2.87; Clement, Boston, 13-6, .684, 4.57.

•STRIKEOUTS: Jo. Santana, Minnesota, 238; Ra. Johnson, New York, 211; Lackey, Los Angeles, 199; Kazmir, Tampa Bay, 174; Zito, Oakland, 171; Haren, Oakland, 163; Sabathia, Cleveland, 161.

•SAVES: Fr. Rodriguez, Los Angeles, 45; Wickman, Cleveland, 45; Nathan, Minnesota, 43; M. Rivera, New York, 43; D. Baez, Tampa Bay, 41; F. Cordero, Texas, 37; B. Ryan, Baltimore, 36; Guardado, Seattle, 36.

Final 2005 National League leaders

•BATTING: De. Lee, Chicago, .335; Pujols, St. Louis, .330; Mi. Cabrera, Florida, .323; Helton, Colorado, .320; Casey, Cincinnati, .312; Tracy, Arizona, .308; Holliday, Colorado, .307.

•RUNS: Pujols, St. Louis, 129; De. Lee, Chicago, 120; Rollins, Philadelphia, 115; Bay, Pittsburgh, 110; Dunn, Cincinnati, 107; Mi. Cabrera, Florida, 106; M. Giles, Atlanta, 104; B. Abreu, Philadelphia, 104.

•RBI: A. Jones, Atlanta, 128; Pujols, St. Louis, 117; Burrell, Philadelphia, 117; Mi. Cabrera, Florida, 116; C. Delgado, Florida, 115; Ca. Lee, Milwaukee, 114; De. Lee, Chicago, 107.

•HITS: De. Lee, Chicago, 199; Mi. Cabrera, Florida, 198; Rollins, Philadelphia, 196; Pujols, St. Louis, 195; Reyes, New York, 190; Eckstein, St. Louis, 185; Bay, Pittsburgh, 183; B. Clark, Milwaukee, 183.

•DOUBLES: De. Lee, Chicago, 50; M. Giles, Atlanta, 45; Helton, Colorado, 45; Bay, Pittsburgh, 44; MiCabrera, Florida, 43; Randa, San Diego, 43; Wright, New York, 42; Wilkerson, Washington, 42; Jenkins, Milwaukee, 42.

•TRIPLES: Reyes, New York, 17; Pierre, Florida, 13; Rollins, Philadelphia, 11; Furcal, Atlanta, 11; D. Roberts, San Diego, 10; B. Giles, San Diego, 8; Holliday, Colorado, 7; J. Wilson, Pittsburgh, 7; Eckstein, St. Louis, 7; Wilkerson, Washington, 7.

•HOME RUNS: A. Jones, Atlanta, 51; De. Lee, Chicago, 46; Pujols, St. Louis, 41; Dunn, Cincinnati, 40; Glaus, Arizona, 37; Ensberg, Houston, 36; Griffey Jr., Cincinnati, 35.

•STOLEN BASES: Reyes, New York, 60; Pierre, Florida, 57; Furcal, Atlanta, 46; Rollins, Philadelphia, 41; Freel, Cincinnati, 36; Taveras, Houston, 34; B. Abreu, Philadelphia, 31.

•PITCHING (15 Decisions): Jo. Sosa, Atlanta, 13-3, .812, 2.55; Carpenter, St. Louis, 21-5, .808, 2.83; C. Zambrano, Chicago, 14-6, .700, 3.26; Willis, Florida, 22-10, .687, 2.63; Eaton, San Diego, 11-5, .687, 4.27; Mulder, St. Louis, 16-8, .667, 3.64; Smoltz, Atlanta, 14-7, .667, 3.06.

•STRIKEOUTS: Peavy, San Diego, 216; Carpenter, St. Louis, 213; B. Myers, Philadelphia, 208; D. Davis, Milwaukee, 208; P. Martinez, New York, 208; C. Zambrano, Chicago, 202; Burnett, Florida, 198.

•SAVES: C. Cordero, Washington, 47; Hoffman, San Diego, 43; Lidge, Houston, 42; T. Jones, Florida, 40; Turnbow, Milwaukee, 39; Isringhausen, St. Louis, 39; B. Wagner, Philadelphia, 38.

***

Pete Rose Video Clip!

2005-09-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

Some younger players may not even know who Pete Rose is .. others may identify with him as a bad role model. The plain fact is that Pete Rose is the All-Time leader in hits for Major League Baseball!!

So, putting aside whatever issues haunted him as a human being off the field.. Let's just take a look at what made him such a fantastic hitter - mechanically.

There is no doubt that he had the proper mental framework required to be a successful hitter. But, that had to be coupled with a physical side to make up the whole package. Pete's well described philosophy "See the Ball - Hit the Ball!" is a testament to the simplicity with which he approached his at-bats. He did not clutter his brain while in the batter's box. He simply stepped in.. knew the situation and what was required of him as a hitter.. concentrated on the ball (and only the ball).. then he hit it!

Click on the link to see an overhead shot of Pete Rose making perfect contact with a ball on the outer third of the plate. Pay particular attention to the way in which his right (rear) elbow seems to be connected to his right (rear) hip during much of the swing. This is a little taught concept by most coaches, but totally referred to by many Pro players as "being in the slot".

Another reference point to Pete's mechanically sound approach is his very steady head! My comments are contstantly repeated to young players "Rotate under a steady head!" Now watch Pete's rotation! Simply perfect!

Also, pay attention to the hands and how they interact. There is a counter action taking place at the moment just before contact - the bottom hand actually applies a reverse torque to create the speed of the bathead to catch up. Notice also that the hands do not "roll over" until after contact. You can really see this if you study the shadow. Just touch the arrow over and over and watch the swing repeatedly to take this all in. For a slow "frame by frame" look simply place your cursor just slightly in front of the small moving ball and click. The frame will advance and stop. An excellent way to review the swing in detail.

Lastly, watch the rear foot. No squashing here. Hmmmm... remember my comments on Hank Aaron (review the "Coiling and Uncoiling" link on the main site of BeABetterHitter.com)? Hank did not "squash the bug". The All-Time Home Run leader and the All-Time Hit Leader "drag" over their rotated rear foot's toe.. creating maximum input from the rear hip!! Check it out for yourself.

The Pete Rose Swing!

A Mid-Week Chuckle :-)

2005-09-28T08:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just need to sit back and giggle at things to give yourself a better perspective on life. I ran across a really great baseball site that is packed with links and information on all topics.

Funny though, the one area that really impacted me was the page that made me smile and laugh out loud. Don't get me wrong.. when you get there take advantage of the many great articles to improve your game. But... first things first.. Laugh a little by clicking

HERE

Expert Baseball Advice!

2005-09-27T08:21:00.000-07:00

Several Years ago we put together the concept of BeABetterHitter.com because we really didn't see why a young player should have to pay for instruction on the internet. We have faced many detractors during our years on the web. Every now and then we run across people who have the same purpose: to offer advice, expert advice from knowledgeable people... for free!

Click the below link and find yourself in a nice arena that allows you to ask any question regarding the sport of Baseball (and a few others)and get a professional, quality, comprehensive answer from someone that cares about your success.

Click Here to be a little bit better today than you were yesterday!

Professional Hitting Tips

2005-09-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

(8 time NL Batting Champ - Tony Gwynn)

Tips from the Pros -

Cal Ripken, Sr: The Ideal Hitter

The ideal hitter would probably have a combination of these qualities: strength, determination, coordination, confidence, vision, rhythm, style, body control, quick hands, and the will to learn and to take advice. The following is a list of batting tips that can help anyone become a better hitter.
Select a bat you can handle.
Learn the strike zone - don't swing at bad pitches.
Keep your front shoulder and chin tucked in, and your hands back. Turn your head so that both eyes are on the pitcher - don't look around your nose. Stay on the balls of your feet - keep off your heels. Keep your head still.
In order to get the bat started, move your hands back slightly as the pitcher is getting ready to release the ball. If you like the pitch, go ahead and hit it. If you don't like the pitch, then hold up your swing.
Take a short step and stride - a long stride will only throw you off balance.
Stay on top of the ball. A slight downward swing allows this and is a good way to keep from upper-cutting. Keeping the front shoulder in and down also allows a hitter to get the bat head out in front and prevents dropping the back shoulder.
Learn to hit your strength. Every hitter has a strength just as every hitter has a weakness. Hit your pitch. When you get it, don't let it get away. Concentrate on solid, hard contact.

Mike Piazza: Fundamentals of Batting

In 1997, Mike hit .362, the highest batting average for a catcher in more than 50 years, and racked up a slugging percentage of .638. With 40 homers, 124 RBIs, 104 runs, and 201 hits, Piazza had the greatest offensive season of any catcher in the more than 100 years. Here are some of Mike's baseball batting tips:
Look for a good pitch to hit.
Have a quick bat.
Stay inside of the ball so you can hit the ball to all fields.
Try to spread your feet a little wider than shoulder width for balance.
Hold your bat at a 45-degree angle to alleviate unnecessary movement in your swing.
Keep your back elbow close to your body to help your hands and the barrel of the bat swing through the ball.
Have someone watch you while you swing and check your mechanics.

Tony Gwynn: Tee for One

For me the most effective way to practice hitting is to use a batting tee and a bag of wiffle balls. Tee it up and start hacking. The sooner you can hit a wiffle ball cleanly off a tee, the sooner you will become a better hitter. When you hit a wiffle ball off a tee correctly, it acts like a knuckleball. You can hear the air going through the ball. When you don't hit it correctly, you create spin on the ball and it goes all over the place. When the ball spins alot, I make adjustments to correct my swing. Even after 18 years in the big leagues, every winter I go home and break out the tee and wiffle balls. It's not the most exciting thing, so you have to be creative. I put my headphones on and listen to my favorite music while I concentrate on my hitting technique.

Andre Dawson: Hitting Philosophy

"I never considered myself a home run hitter," says Andre Dawson. "I had quick hands, a quick bat, and the ball would jump off my bat. But I always liked to focus on hitting for average."
Be patient and selective.
Try to avoid the temptation to be overly aggressive and simply focus on putting the ball in play.
Try to use the entire playing field.
Do not be afraid to wait on the ball.
Approach the plate with a plan in mind. Think thoroughly about what you are trying to do, but try not to force anything.

Manny Mota: Approaching the Plate

Concentration, rhythm, and purpose are some of the most important aspects to hitting, according to legendary Dodgers outfielder Manny Mota. "Hitters should take short strides and use quick hands," he said. "Taking a short stride actually helps your hands be quicker. It keeps your swing compact and under control."
The most valuable advice that I can give a young hitter is to think about hitting the ball up the middle. If you think about hitting up the middle, you can adjust to hit the ball wherever it is pitched. If you go to the plate hoping to pull the ball and hit a home run, you will have trouble hitting an outside pitch. Your front side will have already opened up and you will not be able to drive an outside pitch.
Concentration at the plate is critical, and positive thinking helps. You have to walk up to the plate saying to yourself, "I'm going to hit the ball".
You have to have balance in everything that you do in baseball, especially in hitting. Your body is going to move, but you must keep your head still. The only way to do that is to have good balance.
A hitter needs rhythm. Try to watch the pitcher's hand and keep your eye on the ball.
Be aggressive at the plate, but also remain loose and relaxed. If you let your arms get too tight, you will lose the advantage of having good wrist action, as well as your power.
If you find yourself in a slump, try to concentrate on defense and possibly save the game with a good play. Slumping hitters should remember that it does not always take a home run to help the team.
You should have a purpose to each swing in batting practice. In your first round of batting practice you might concentrate on hitting every pitch to the opposite field. In the next round, try to make sure that you are swinging down on the ball. Prepare yourself for game situations, or the practice will not be as helpful as it could be.

Vote! Comeback POY Award!

2005-09-22T08:27:00.000-07:00

MLB and Viagra have teamed up to offer a tremendous opportunity to fans who vote for the 2005 Comeback Player of the Year.

Some of the prizes are:

1.Once-in-a-lifetime chance to throw out a ceremonial first pitch during a 2005 MLB World Series® game!

2.Game-used bases from the 2005 MLB All-Star Week™ and World Series®

Players that seem to have met the challenge for Comeback Players of the Year are Jason Giambi (NY Yankees), Ken Griffey Jr. (Reds) and Richie Sexson (Mariners).

Click here to vote and have a chance to win!

They Hit For the Cycle 3 Times!!

2005-09-21T08:47:00.000-07:00

You may have never heard these names before but these two players 'Hit for the Cycle' not once, not twice... but three times in their MLB careers!!! They are the only two players to have ever accomplished that feat.

Bob Meusel (on left); a big, strapping tough guy member of the powerhouse 1927 NY Yankees was one of the streakiest players to have ever played the game. Known for his strong arm, he once had four outfield assists in one game. Unfortunately, he also had four errors in one game! :-)

Meusel was big and fast as well. He once stole 2B, 3B and HOME in the same inning vs. the Detroit Tigers.

Read more about him Here.

Not quite as colorful a character as Meusel, Babe Herman was an accomplished hitter and player(?) (led the league in errors twice!) in his time as well. Herman hit for the cycle twice for the Dodgers (1931 both times) and once for the Cubs (in 1933).

Herman was the player that hit into a double play by hitting a triple (actually credited with a double)with the infamous "who's on third" incident that resulted in three Dodger players occupying third base at the same time.

Read more about him Here.

For the record... 18 players have hit for the cycle twice in their MLB careers (not including our two heroes above). Among them are Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig and George Brett. The two most recent players to accomplish the feat are Brad Wilkerson and John Olerud.

FunStuff: What.. No Mascot?

2005-09-21T07:46:00.000-07:00

There are 30 MLB teams.. But only 26 of them have Mascots. Did you know that? Does your favorite team have a Mascot, or is it one of the four who have decided not to?

Click Here to see the 26 teams with Mascots.

Click Here to see the Mascots inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame.

Plate Discipline Hitting Drill

2005-09-20T08:47:00.000-07:00

One of the most difficult qualities to instill in young players is teaching them the importance of swinging at good pitches. Plate discipline and "being a tough out" are only learned by a small percentage of hitters.

Partially at fault for the small number of players understanding the importance of this approach to hitting is the coaches. It is not uncommon to see "batting practice" consist of the team lining up one at a time and getting their hacks in. Ten hacks and you are out of there.. Next!

As coaches, if the game is 90% mental, it is imperative that "hitting practice" be emphasized. Hitting practice includes involving the proper approach at the plate. This leads to the proper Plate Discipline and begins to ingrain the very important mental approach that there is a "Process to Hitting". Good hitters don't just walk up to the plate and take their hacks. They have a process. They have a plan. They have a purpose. Even then they will fail more than 60% of the time. But.. by having the proper approach, the proper Plate Discipline, they increase their chances above and beyond what most hitters achieve. Most hitters simply go up to the plate and take their hacks. Why? Because that's what they were taught in "batting practice".

I came across a really good drill that emphasizes a nice approach to "Hitting Practice". It's great for the players and should be incorporated by coaches if they have any desire at all to improve a team's performance at the plate.

Click Here to be just a little bit better today than you were yesterday!

WIN! Bon Jovi Tickets in Chicago

2005-09-19T07:43:00.000-07:00

Jon Bon Jovi is about to perform in Chicago and has partnered with Major League Baseball to market his new album 'HAVE A NICE DAY' Through this special promotion you can win tickets to the Chicago concert and/or pre-order the new CD which is scheduled to be released September 20th. By pre-ordering the CD, you get it at a reduced price AND receive special tracks that will not be including on the retail version.

Pre-Order Bon Jovi's New CD HAVE A NICE DAY and Receive FREE

Exclusive bonus track (not on the new album)

Immediate access to (5) full-length audio streams from new album

Listen LIVE for free to the 2005 Playoffs & World Series on MLB.com Gameday Audio

Track Listing
1. Have a Nice Day
2. I Want To Be Loved
3. Welcome To Wherever You Are
4. Who Says You Can't Go Home
5. Last Man Standing
6. Bells Of Freedom
7. Wildflower
8. Last Cigarette
9. I Am
10. Complicated
11. Novocaine
12. Story Of My Life

Click Here to Pre-Order the New CD for only $14.95

Or Click Here to enter the sweepstakes to win 2 tickets to the Chicago Concert!

You can also visit the special Bon Jovi section on MLB.com and :

- Read an exclusive interview with Jon Bon Jovi - only
on MLB.com
- Watch the Have a Nice Day Video
- Listen to 2 full length song streams for FREE
- Download Bon Jovi wallpaper, check out concert tour info,
browse the photo gallery and more.

Click Here to visit the speial section on MLB.com

Soft Toss Tips

2005-09-15T07:29:00.000-07:00

Former Major Leaguer Bill Bathe provides concise instructional tips on the proper way to take Soft Toss. This is a very short page that is packed with "the little things" that make a difference in what you get out of your practice session.

Look for the "little things" in the article that are a constant at every level of the game. Believe me the "little things" are the key to moving to the next level.

Click Here for the Tips.

See Who won Minor League's Player of the Year!

2005-09-14T13:01:00.000-07:00

Baseball America has selected 19 year old Delmon Young as the Minor League Player of the Year. Young was the No. 1 Overall pick of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 2003 Draft, signing for an incredible $5.8 million out of High School.

Year Club (League) Class AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB SLG OBP

2004 Charleston, S.C. A .320 131 513 95 164 26 5 25 116 53 120 21 .536 .386

2005 Montgomery (SL) AA .336 84 330 59 111 13 4 20 71 25 66 25 .582 .386

Durham (IL) AAA .285 52 228 33 65 13 3 6 28 4 33 7 .447 .303

See the full story Here!

Win! '05 World Series Tickets!

2005-09-14T07:52:00.000-07:00

Enter the Bank of America/MLB Rivalry Series Sweepstakes
for A CHANCE TO WIN A TRIP TO THE 2005 WORLD SERIES.
Choose your Rivalry:

Cubs vs. Cardinals

Giants vs. Dodgers

Yankees vs. Red Sox

Inside a Hitter's Brain

2005-09-13T10:39:00.000-07:00

Since we are on the subject of Barry Bonds and his incredible prowess at the plate, I have dug up an article posted about three years ago. In this article there are some incredibly interesting points regarding what goes on inside a hitter's head. There are mental and physical cues spoken about by leading experts. It makes for a very interesting read. Just a note; pay particular attention near the end of the article where bat speed is discussed. It has been proven that for every mile and hour you can create greater bat speed... the ball flies approximately 7 feet further. This, in and of itself, is reason to work on bat speed drills. Of course, there are plenty in our site. Be A Better Hitter!

Click Here For The Article

Analyzing Barry's Swing

2005-09-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't had the opportunity to view one of the most comprehensive analyzations of the baseball swing, this is your lucky day.

A while back USA Today captured an unforgettable moment in baseball when they contracted Tony Gwynn (8 time NL Batting Champion) to review the swing that produced Barry Bonds' 586th Home Run!

Now, at issue is the SWING. Not the MAN. Many people have issues with the integrity, etc. as a result of BALCO and steroids in baseball. Whatever you do.. don't read that into this opportunity to view one of the greates swings to ever grace a baseball field. Remember that the swing has nothing to do with any of that.

Gwynn gives a fantastic breakdown in Frame by Frame discussion about the Bonds' swing. Do yourself a favor and take a look. Every day you learn a little something new you give yourself an opportunity to Be A Better Hitter. Enjoy:

Click Here

Pressure Or Opportunity

2005-09-10T14:57:00.000-07:00

PRESSURE OR OPPORTUNITY?
How many of you have been in a position to win the game in your final at- bat? You know, 2 outs… bases loaded… your team losing by one run in the last inning. The other team changes pitchers as you step up to the plate. The “Big Kid” moves from first base, saunters up to the pitcher’s mound and starts throwing fastballs that look like BB’s streaking to the plate. How would you handle this situation?
Most kids will look at this situation with “Fear”: Fear of failure, fear of striking out, fear of being hit by the pitch, fear of letting his teammates, coach and parents down. There is nothing to fear. The game has not changed, it is still “see the ball, hit the ball”. The fear is created in the mind, it is a choice the player makes. He can choose to fear the situation or relish in the opportunity to win the game for his team. A conscious choice is made based on what he perceives the situation to be.
The poor player will look at this situation as a “no win” position; “That pitcher is a horse, look how fast he is throwing that ball. There is no way I can hit that. Man, this stinks… why did they have to put him in when I was coming up to bat?” All of that negative self talk does nothing more than perpetuate the likeliness of failure for the player. He is preparing himself to fail and justifying that failure in his mind. This is the wrong mental approach to hitting in any situation, let alone one like this.
So, what is the right mental approach? Positive self-talk is one of the most important ingredients to success in any sport, or life itself for that matter. If you believe… you can achieve! Don’t just say; “I can do this.” Believe you can! Take a moment to stand in the on-deck circle and study the pitcher, visualize hitting sharp line drives to the outfield every time he throws a warm-up pitch. Say things like: “Cool, I’m going to win this game!” See your teammates jumping up and down with joy. Joyful anticipation is the proper mental approach in these situations. You “get” to go up to bat and win the game. That is cool. Winners want to be in this position. Winners don’t fear failure… they anticipate success!
Armed with the proper mental approach, what about physical symptoms that can impair your performance? In the above situation the poor player with the improper mental approach actually initiates physical responses in his body that virtually put him against greater odds to succeed. His fearful and negative thoughts can create slower reaction of his muscles. He has created a tension level so high that his movements and reactions are stiff. This is the “choking” referred to by sports announcers on many occasions. The pressure felt by the poor player results in indecisiveness, impaired eyesight, jumbled thoughts (mostly negative), hyper breathing. None of these symptoms is helpful to the player.
By contrast, the good player looks at this situation in a totally different light. He is excited about the challenge to win the game. He anticipates success and practices the proper thought process to guarantee him the best opportunity to succeed. He creates an inner environment that puts him at ease. Everyone has the choice to do the same, they can choose to fear the situation or accept it as a challenge. The winning player has that inner control of his thoughts and emotions.
The winning player may step up to the plate in the above situation and immediately fall behind in the count, 0-2. By stepping out of the box and gathering himself mentally, he still believes he can succeed. A deep breath, positive thought and self statement; “focus on the ball, hit it hard somewhere”, can go a long way toward success.
A good practice to get into for a hitter is to find a “safe zone” to focus on, when the challenge gets greater. This “safe zone” should be something that will always be there, your bat for instance. Nomar Garciaparra uses his batting gloves. He loosens and tightens them repeatedly as he gathers himself mentally. Most hitters step out of the box, take a deep breath and focus on the barrel of the bat as they regroup their positive thoughts. Whatever the action, the purpose is the same; to reinforce the belief that they will be successful.
In conclusion, remember that you create your own tension by choosing to place pressure on yourself. Fear of failure is the number one reason for this pressure. You make the choice to “fear”. You can just as easily choose to enjoy the challenge of the same situation. Practice the proper breathing and positive self-talk, develop a “safe zone” to focus on and you will be well on your way to the winning player that wins the game more often than not.

Baseball Strength Training

2005-09-09T22:46:00.000-07:00

Baseball Strength Training
By Tony Burtt of Cutting Edge Training for Athletes
A baseball training program should incorporate a strength training component. Strength is crucial for baseball success. The two primary reasons for this are to develop explosive power and to protect against injury (especially arm injuries).
Many players neglect to develop explosive power. The reasons for this are varied. Some don't know how. Some have tried lifting weights, and become injured (doing the wrong kind of baseball weight training). Some don't think it's important (guess again!).
In baseball training, little things add up to make a huge difference. If you add even a small increase in your power, your game will improve in all areas.
Here are some general guidelines for baseball training: 1. Use a variety of weight training methods such as free weights, body weight, medicine ball, kettlebells and surgical tubing exercises.2. Avoid pressing movements with heavy weights (risky for the shoulder).3. Train your lower body with heavier weights.4. Train your upper body with lighter weights.5. Never forget to train the core of the body (hips, buttocks, lower back).6. You must take special care to strengthen your rotator cuff muscles using light (3-5 lb) weights.Your aim with baseball training is to build functional strength. Baseball is a sport that requires you to stop, start, and explode. It's a sport dependent on explosive bursts of power, and reactions. You must train your body to be strong at a variety of angles and planes. Every player bends, twists, and throws.
Medicine balls are an excellent baseball training tool. A solid medicine ball routine builds explosive power, and teaches your muscles to work together as one tightly knit unit. I'd start with an 8 or 9 pounder. Here are a couple of suggestions: 1. Find a place where you have a solid wall and about 10 feet of ceiling height. Hold the medicine ball in both hands at chest height like a basketball player about to make a chest pass. At the same time, squat down and leap off the ground. Jump up in the air and push the ball up as high as you can against the wall. Quickly retrieve the ball and continue the drill for 30 seconds. See how many you can complete. 2. Grab the medicine ball with your hands underneath. Squat down so that your thighs come parallel with the ground (the ball is held with your arms dangling in front of your body. When you squat down, they almost touch the ground). Leap up off the ground, and at the same time, thrust the ball up in the air (watch that you don't get hit by the ball as it comes down!). Do as many as you can in 30 seconds. Both of these above drills will build incredible strength and power. They are excellent for baseball training. Find out more about medicine balls and routines at: Medicine Balls for Baseball Training
Weight lifting routines for baseball can be tricky. Many baseball players make the mistake of trying to lift too much weight with various overhead lifts. This can lead to a potential injury to the rotator cuff (the muscles in the shoulder that basically keep your arm in the shoulder socket - pretty darn important for a baseball player). Let's get something really clear right now. If you can't throw a baseball (or you can't throw it very well), then you're not much use to your team. I don't know of many designated hitters being recruited by colleges or signed to Major League contracts. So, baseball weight training should avoid any overhead lifts with heavy weights. What do I recommend for baseball training? Let's start with lower body. Exercises such as the squat, deadlift, and leg press for lower body. Heavier weights are okay here, but get a spotter! Learn to do the lifts correctly! And, there are some other exercises you can do that will really make a difference… …try doing body weight lunges (at different angles), and single leg squats (these are very difficult). These two lower body exercises build excellent strength and flexibility in the core area. And, that's crucial for baseball training. There's an excellent baseball training web site that provides detailed training programs for baseball players (and other athletes). You owe it to yourself to take a look at this. There's no doubt you'll find information that will take your game to a much higher level. It's the best info out there: Baseball Training Programs
Take care of your arm! Your baseball career depends on your arm. Don't neglect your rotator cuff exercises. The rotator cuff is made up of four small muscles. They respond very well to very light weights (3-5 lbs), and higher reps, say 15-20. Surgical tubing is one of the best ways to build up your rotator cuff. You should do exercises several times a week. There are dozens of good rotator exercises. Check your favorite search engine for "rotator cuff exercises" and you'll find one you'll like. Your baseball training *must* include the rotator cuff. Oh, one more thing. Always stretch out your arm (rotators) before you start throwing (and afterwards). And, if you're a pitcher, I recommend you get out the surgical tubing and get a little work in with it too before you throw. Give yourself every edge and advantage with your baseball training. Okay. How about your upper body? No baseball conditioning program would be complete without good old-fashioned push-ups. Hey, I know they're not high-tech, but they are excellent for baseball. Why you ask…? …because they strengthen the rotator cuff, and the rest of your shoulder (arm strength), as well as your chest, and arm muscles. They give you an awesome return on your "sweat equity." Try a wide variety…and see if you can work up to a one-armed pushup. When you can crank off 10 or so one-armed push-ups, then you're getting pretty strong. Push-ups are better than bench presses. But if you must bench press, only use dumbbells. And, avoid heavy weights. Again, the risk of injury to the shoulder is ever-present, especially with a barbell. So, if you're going to bench press, use dumbbells with a spotter. Next, you need to do some chin-ups. Do them both with palms facing forward and towards you. These are difficult (most people can only do 3 or 4), but again, you get a lot of bang for the buck with this body weight exercise.
Don't underestimate the value of body weight exercises like lunges, push-ups and chin-ups. Try them. You'll be amazed at what a regular, simple routine can do for you. And, the risk of injury is minimal. An alternative to chin-ups are rows. I'd look for a machine that allows you to do them sitting down. Don't do lat pull-downs in front of your head (again, to avoid injury to your shoulders). Kettlebells can be an excellent baseball training device. In particular, for the lower body. Kettlebell swings build explosive power in the hips, buttocks, and legs (not to mention stamina). Those muscles generate the explosive power and speed you're after. I'd avoid the overhead snatches, and clean and jerks, but the lower body lifts and other core area exercises would be fantastic. Kettlebells are small and portable. You can take them anywhere. You can get a fantastic workout in just 10 minutes.What's that? You've never heard of kettlebells? No problem! Elite combat troops have known about them for a while…and many athletes are using them to gain an edge on the competition. Here's an excellent resource to learn more: Kettlebells for Baseball Speed and Power!

The Process of Hitting

2005-09-09T21:53:00.000-07:00

The Process of Hitting
Hitting, without a doubt, is the most difficult baseball skill to learn. It has even been stated that hitting a baseball is the most difficult skill to master in all of sports. The combination of trying to hit a round ball with a round bat, squarely, is a very difficult task. Add two competing human beings into the equation, the hitter and pitcher, and the problem intensifies. The pitcher trying to disrupt the timing of the hitter, and the hitter trying to find his timing and rhythm. This makes hitting a baseball a skill that demands exceptional abilities and tremendous desire. So what should the primary goal of all good hitters be? To make solid contact with the ball? Not really. Sure, we would all like to hit the ball hard every time we go to the plate, but that is only the end result. We must do two other things before we can make consistent contact. First, we must have the same approach and swing every time, all the time. Second, we must be ready to swing at our pitch every time, all the time.
Effective pitchers constantly try to change the speed and location of each pitch with movement and different release points. The hitter faces a constant challenge to make contact on the "sweet spot," trying to generate maximum bat speed. Sound impossible? Yes, if the only thing that matters is base hits or even less, just solid contact. Before we can do any of the above, the primary goal of every hitter should be to get his pitch every at bat and take his swing every at bat. Every time, all the time. Do you see a pattern here? Every time, all the time! Take care of the process of hitting, don't be overly concerned about the end result or outcome.
There is no shortcut or easy secret to success in baseball, in particular hitting. Success comes from long hours of meaningful work; soft toss, drills and batting practice. A player also needs to be in control of his thoughts in order to be in control of his performance. Failure can bring about discouragement, disappointment, and even cause a player to quit completely. So how do coaches help players understand that 70% failure is all a part of the learning process? How can we help them to believe that they can succeed and have fun playing and hitting a baseball?By emphasizing the process of hitting! The one thing that you have 100% control of is the pitches you swing at! If the primary goals of a hitter are not solid contact, or getting base hits, but seeing your pitch every time, all the time, you can be successful 100% of the time and have fun doing it. That said, how do you maximize your chances of getting your pitch to hit in order to make solid contact? Through correct mechanics. Correct mechanics allow a hitter to do four things:
1.) Help you to see the ball better. 2.) Give you a shorter swing, allowing you more time to see the ball to make better decisions.3.) Generate maximum bat speed to hit the ball harder. 4.) Give you better balance and control throughout the swing.
If what you are currently being taught does not involve these four principals you are wasting your time! Plain and simple. Seeing the ball is the most important aspect to hitting the ball properly. The eyes are the gateways to the brain. The visual system accounts for approximately 80% of a hitter's total performance! So what exactly is the visual system? It is the Golden Key to the process of hitting. Technically, it is the ability to see clearly, recognize what you are seeing, track what you are seeing (the ball) and relay that information to the brain, which then signals the body to react to the pitch (swing or don't swing). The position of the head is important because it allows the player to track the ball with their eyes. If the head position is correct; 1.) The head is completely turned to the pitcher. 2.) The eyes are level and both eyes are on the release point. 3.)The head remaining still during the hitting process, only then will the hitter be able to develop an effective tracking system; see the ball well and utilize the visual system to it's fullest. The hitter must see the ball out of the pitchers hand all the way to the contact point, the complete 60 feet 6 inches. Any lapse during the ball flight can lead to failure. The hitter must first determine the speed of the pitch (always ready for a fast ball, his quickest pitch) and then identify the rotation of the ball. When you see the ball well, it allows you both physically and mentally to be ready to hit the pitch.
The second factor is a short swing. All things equal . . . The player with the most time will get the better pitch to hit. Good mechanics = faster swings = more time to decide on whether to swing. A short swing must be a straight line from launch position (hit position) to contact point. Anything else is too long and will take too much time. Your short swing every time all the time, at your pitch every time all the time, gives you maximum advantage in the battle between pitcher and hitter. Hitting is a total body activity that involves a sequential activation of body parts through a link system; A.) largest to smallest body parts, B.) slow to fast muscle fibers, C.) backside to front side, D.) bottom half to top half, E.) and bat from high to low. Hitting is a two-part phase, the stride first, the swing second. Most swing problems are a result of a poor approach, or stride. You must start right, (stride) in order to finish with the right swing.
Thirdly, good mechanics will allow you to have maximum bat speed at contact. Simply said, it will allow you to hit the ball harder. Factors that affect bat speed and magnitude of force applied are 1.) Strength of the batter, no one should be stronger or in better condition than you are as a player. 2.) The weight of the bat, a lighter bat can be swung faster than a heavier bat. When you have a choice between heavier and lighter bats, go with lighter for better control and bat speed. 3.) The more body parts involved at the point of contact, the better the bat speed. We want the body and swing to arrive on time at contact. You want to hit with your whole body, not just half the body. If we stride to the front side too early, we lose our entire lower half, which is the strongest part of the body, our legs. Power and bat speed is timing and rhythm. Arrive on time, on plane, through the ball until we finish our swing.
Finally, good mechanics will allow the hitter to have better balance and control of his body. To be a good hitter you must have proper weight distribution throughout the entire swing. To have good balance the batter must have his weight centered over a shoulder wide stance, with a vertical torso, tall upper body, and knees flexed. Proper mechanics help to ensure that this occurs. For example, if your weight transfers too early you lose balance and cannot control your center, your head. If you do not start right, you will not finish right.
In conclusion, there is no such thing as a natural hitter or the perfect swing. If we look at any video of any hitter, we can find something wrong with his/her swing. The bottom line is that we don't want you to let the things you can't do get in the way of what you can do. Therefore, the perfect swing is your swing every time, on your pitch, every time period. In the hitting process we are only as good as the previous phase. We are as strong as our weakest link. If we make a mistake in seeing the ball, it is bound to have a negative impact on our swing. Remember, before we talk about the specifics or mechanics of hitting we must make sure that we see the baseball as well as possible. Have a short swing so we have the time to make better decisions, utilizing maximum bat speed so if we do hit the ball we hit it as hard as we can. To do this we must have good balance and control of our bodies. These four things are the foundation for proper swing mechanics, and without the four critical elements, the process of hitting becomes nearly impossible.
- Rick Down